The Shattering of Souls

well, here we are for the last time. yup. this is the last chapter of this story. its taken forever, but we got here together. i don\'t own anything you recognize. it all belongs to j.k. rowling. so does all the money. i\'m not making any of that off this.

there are no warnings with this chapter. i think its kind of tame. enjoy.

Chapter Twenty Four: A New Beginning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hospital Wing was silent, only a ghost floating through on its way to some other part of the castle disturbing the stillness of the large room. Bri lay in one of the cots on her back, staring at the ceiling in silence. She had been there for nearly a week and was tired of being motionless. Listless. Empty. The trees were on the other side of the floor to ceiling windows, calling to her with promises of peace and contentment. She honestly didn\'t think she\'d ever find such things again. She only knew she couldn\'t stay here another moment without going mad.

As of yet, Poppy refused to let her out of the bed. If Bri even attempted it, Poppy was there to immediately push her back down against the thin mattress. The woman scolded her constantly and Bri found that it reminded her vaguely of her mother. Which brought a great, gaping emptiness to life within her. She couldn\'t help but recall what both Malfoy and Bellatrix had told her about her mother. What Snape hadn\'t denied. The knowledge that her mother had been Voldemort\'s whore tore her up like nothing else had ever done.

\'Good afternoon, Miss Wallace,\' the kindly voice broke her from her dark thoughts and Bri looked up to find the Headmaster sitting next to her.

\'Good afternoon, Sir,\' she replied, her voice hoarse from disuse. The sadness she felt was embedded in it, bringing his hand up to cover one of hers in a silent attempt at comfort. She gave him a pained smile and settled deeper into the small bed.

\'You\'re lucky to be alive, Miss Wallace. Both Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange used the Killing Curse,\' Dumbledore told her seriously. Bri nodded, knowing he was right. \' If not for that charm of yours, you\'d be dead even as we speak.\'

\'And Professor Snape, sir?\' she hated to ask, but she couldn\'t seem to help herself. If at all possible, the Headmaster\'s face grew more solemn than it had been only moments ago. Bri had to force down the lump in her throat.

\'He\'s alive. But just barely,\' he told her. She nodded again. She knew that he was still confined to a bed in the Hospital Wing, a cloth divider set up to afford him some privacy from the rest of the room. Harry had been there, too. But he\'d been released not all that long ago, given a clean bill of health by Madam Pomfrey. But he\'d been warned to take it easy for a few days. He\'d immediately come to her side to visit. She\'d been shocked when he\'d thanked her profusely, then had left before she could ask him why.

\'At least he\'s alive,\' she sighed, feeling tears prick her eyes. Dumbledore may not have known how Snape survived the curse thrown his way, but she did. The charm currenltly clasped in her hand had been the one thing that has kept him alive in the face of the Killing Curse. And that would remain her secret for the rest of her days. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by exhaustion and a deep sense of loss. She felt the warm, wrinkled old hand cover hers.

\' I cannot possibly begin to tell you how much I owe you, Miss Wallace. Nor can I ever properly thank you for all you\'ve done,\' his voice sounded old as he spoke. \'Because of you, Harry Potter is alive. Because of you, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange are dead.\'

\' It was my job,\' she replied in a dull monotone.

\'Well, because you did yout job, Bri,\' he told her softly. \'At last, the world is safe from Voldemort and his rabid followers. It is finally over. I cannot ever begin to repay you for all of your sacrifice.\'

The thought that it was truly over, that her life was now truly her own, was what did it. It felt as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. And Bri was suddenly free. Free to do as she would, go where she wished. Free to mourn all of those lost in the war. Bri was finally free to mourn all she had lost. She broke down, not caring if the Headmaster was watching her.

Great sobs shook her shoulders while fat tears of pain and loss slid down over her cheeks. She felt Dumbledore\'s hand still covering hers. He squeezed reassutingly, staying at her bedside while she let out all her misery. It felt as if she\'d cried for days when she finished. It was really only a matter of moments, though. When Bri once more had herself firmly under control, she looked up at the Headmaster\'s kindly old face with watery eyes.

\'There is one thing you can do for me, Headmaster,\' she told him, her voice little more than a whisper.

\'Anything in my power to grant is yours, child,\' he smiled at her.

\' I want to go home,\' she whispered, then sobbed once more.

Albus stared down at the girl in the bed. Her face was pale, but her cheeks were blotchy from crying. Huge blue eyes looked up at him hopefully. Sorrow. Confusion. Love. Fear. Need. Longing. He was beginning to think that, of those who had survived the war, none had lost so much as the woman currently clutching his hand like a life line. He smiled at her tenderly. Sadly.

\'Of course, Bri. You can go home.\'

~*~*~*~*~

Severus prowled the floor of his dungeon rooms, his scowl a black thing that twisted his face with deep bitterness. He was, of course, up against Poppy\'s wishes. It had taken nearly two weeks for him to gain back enough of his strength so that Madam Pomfrey would allow him to leave the Hospital Wing. She\'d given him a firm order upon his release, telling him that he would remain in bed and rest. Like he gave a Thestral\'s bony arse what she wanted him to do.

As soon as he\'d been let out, he had gone to the Headmaster to seek out Bri. He\'d been disappointed to find that she\'d been released a week before him. He\'d been furious to find that Albus refused to tell him where the heartless wench had gone. No matter what he\'d said, the old goat wouldn\'t give ground. He\'d begged, pleaded, asked nicely and threatened. All to no avail. The Headmaster had looked at him and told him that it wouldn\'t matter unless Severus really knew why he wanted to find Bri.

That had been a week and a half ago, to the date. And still he was left to ponder what the cryptic words had meant. A part of him, the part that was still soundly logical and smug, had suggested that it had to do with certain feelings. The rest of him and vehemently denied that it could be something so simple and bourgeois as an emotion. Severus Snape did not love Bri Wallace.

He scowled down at the charm clutched losely in his hand. He\'d found it pressed into his hand when he\'d woken in the Hospital Wing. He could swear that he\'d seen the glitter of tears in the dragon\'s eyes. He\'d never seen it again and had believed that his eyes had been playing tricks on him. And yet, the feel of the charm had changed. The magic was waning in it, the press of love lost in a deepening sadness. The Faerie had said that Bri had given Severus the charm to protect him. If the charm was hers, then she was the reason for the sudden sadness that clouded the magic of the talisman.

Heaving a sigh, Severus lowered himself into the nearest chair and sat, staring down at the small metal piece he held. Every day had seen some of the magic within it diminish. Every day, the sadness had grown. It was as if the piece were tied to human emotions. And, if the man claiming to be Bri\'s father had been correct, the charm he held was tied to Bri. To her emotions. He couldn\'t begin to imagine what she had to be sad about. She should be pleased with herself. She\'d done what she\'d set out to do and had survived. Malfoy and his mad sister-in-law were dead. Bri Wallace was a hero.

And, if the charm were showing him true, her heart was breaking.

He could recall his first glimpse of her when he\'d walked into Malfoy Manor for the last time. She\'d been almost lifeless, more like a rag doll than a human. It had been obvious that Lucius had used her for his own gain, in an attempt to break her spirit. He had nearly succeeded. But she\'d come back, strong and sure and she\'d never once thought about the consequences of her actions. Even in her worst moments, the charm that was magically tied to her had pulsed with ferocity.

Now, the magic was fading. Bri was fading. Perhaps her injuries had been so severe that it had only been a matter of time before the end. Perhaps even now, Death was finding her and welcoming her with open arms. It would explain the loss of magic in the charm. The thought that Bri was dying sent a shaft of cold dread through his heart. He didn\'t know why, but he wasn\'t ready to let her go. Not yet.

The denial made him pause to think. He couldn\'t come up with a single explanation for his inability to push her memories aside and dispel the dismal feelings that held him in thrall. He only knew that some part of him would never be satisfied without her in his life.

Severus snorted and tossed the charm onto the side table. To hell with the woman. He didn\'t need her. He was not in love with her.

~*~*~*~*~

Bri stared out the window, her blue eyes not seeing the green of the surrounding countryside. Nor did she see her youngest brothers, Fi-el and Nimuin, practicing at their sword play in the yards below her. She was caught in the memory of a candle lit room in Otherworld. Of soft sheets and gentle caresses that brought forth sighs of pleasure and moans of bliss. She was caught in the remembered heat of obidian eyes that warmed her body even as they stole her heart and soul.

Even now, after nearly three months spent in Faerie with her family, she could clearly recall every moment spent in his company. In his bed. In his embrace. Leaving Hogwarts and the Mortal Realm behind had been hard to do. She\'d heard arguments from both Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall about her departure. They\'d tossed about the state of her health, the state of her mind and any other thing they thought would sway her decision. She\'d remained steadfast in her decision though, with Dumbledore offering her his silent support. She had left it all behind.

The Headmaster had escorted her to Otherworld, allowing her to lean on him for support. She hadn\'t yet been completely recovered when she\'d left, so she\'d needed his help. They had stopped for a short while to talk to Remus and Tyler, catching up on the things they\'d missed after leaving. Bri had been both happy and sad that the two of them were so content with one another. It had broken her heart and she\'d been thankful when Dumbledore had cut the visit short.

Before they\'d left, Remus had taken her aside and asked her if she would be alright. Worry had lingered in his gaze when he\'d stared down at her. She\'d managed to smile and nod, not wanting to interfere with his happiness.When he\'d given her a dubious look, she\'d hastened to convince him. He\'d finally let her go, asking her to promise to take care of herself. She\'d told him she would and had gone to seek out Dumbledore. They\'d made their last good-byes and strolled off into the trees. Bri hadn\'t known that two sets of concerned eyes followed her until she\'d disappeared into the deep dark of the forest.

When they\'d reached the border between Otherworld and Faerie, Albus had turned to Bri and told her that he could go no further. She\'d thanked him, going up on tip toes to kiss his cheek. There had been a soft, sad smile on his face as he\'d sent her through the gateway. She had and hadn\'t been surprised to find her father waiting for her. He\'d led her carefully back along the path that lead to his home. His castle. On the way, he\'d told her about her brothers and sisters and her step-mother. He\'d told her they were all looking forward to meeting her. She\'d only listened with half an ear, her mind still lost in the thought that she would never probably again see Severus.

Her new family had been awaiting her in the Great Hall and she\'d been hugged by all of them, including her step-mother. She\'d pleaded complete exhaustion and had been shown to her rooms. She\'d barely left them since.

\'Why do you sit in here by yourself, Bri? Why do you not join us outside?\' Kaddyrayth asked softly from behind her, his hands settling upon her shoulders gently. He pointed to where the two boys were busy slashing at one another with their swords. \'They have asked for you to join them in combat practice.\'

\' I don\'t feel like it, Father,\' she shook her head. And that was the truth. She\'d had enough of war, seen enough fighting and death, to last her for the rest of her life.

\'Well, Diranae would like you to help her choose a dress to wear for the eveining. It is her first meeting with her intended mate,\' he tried agaon. Bri frowned, finding that highly doubtful. She wasn\'t able to dress herself in the lavish clothes provided for her by her father and step-mother without help from one of the keep\'s staff. It was unlikely that her father\'s eldest girl would want any help from Bri.

\'No she doesn\'t. Thank you, Father. You\'ve tried, but we both know that my siblings really don\'t want anything to do with me. I\'m as much a stranger her as I am back there,\' she replied softly. \' I\'m sorry to have put you in this position. I shouldn\'t have come. I\'ve been thinking that it would probably be best if I were to leave.\'

\'Your brothers and sisters feel your sorrow. It drives deep into their souls, like a knife piercing their hearts. This is why they cannot bear to be with you, my child,\' he told her in a gentle voice. His hands turned her to face him so that he could look upon her. The sadness in her eyes was more than even he could bear. He pulled her to him in a tight hug, giving her silent permission to cry on his shoulder.

\'He really isn\'t coming,\' she sobbed. \' Is he?\'

\'He does not deserve your love, my child,\' Kaddyrayth\'s voice was full of hard conviction.

\'That doesn\'t make me feel any better,\' she replied, her voice watery. Her father sighed in her ear and only hugged her tighter.

\'The man does not deserve your tears, sweeting. Come, I will introduce you to men of the Court. They will fall over themselves for an opportunity to woo and court you,\' he whispered against her head. A small thrill of fear washed over him. She was so sad and lonely. He could feel the emotions flowing from her as if he could physically touch them.

Bri said nothing, merely shook her head. Kaddyrayth pulled back to stare at her. \'Thank you, but it won\'t work. I don\'t belong here and we both know it.\'

\'There is...\' he started, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked behind him and found Shee looking up at him, sorrow and concern shining in her soft gold eyes. She motioned him away with one hand, a silent gesture to tell him she wished time alone with his daughter. He nodded and nudged Bri away from him, his hands reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. He gave her a smile, then stepped away and moved for the door.

\'Your father worries over you, Bri,\' Shee told her, staring at her step-daughter with a gentle expression on her face.

\'Forgive me, Shee. I didn\'t mean to make it harder for him,\' Bri hiccupped and dashed the wetness from her eyes.

\' It has always been hard for him. And, as he is my husband, it has been hard for me,\' Shee replied, taking Bri\'s hands in her own so that she could lead the troubled young woman over to sit on the edge of the bed. Shee settled next to her, one hand reaching out to stroke her hair. \'You are his child. Therefore, you are my child. It pains me to see you sorrow so. I wish to help take the pain. We all do. Your brothers and sisters are as troubled by your sadness as Kaddyrayth and I.\'

\' I\'m sorry. I didn\'t mean to make it hard for anyone,\' Bri shook her head, her hair falling into her face. \' I certainly don\'t want Father to worry for me.\'

\'He has worried for you since the day he returned to Faerie. He told me of your mother. And you. And there has not been a day gone by that he has not regretted leaving you both behind. When he heard of Diana\'s death, he was heart broken. I feared he would not recover from the shock and grief,\' Shee replied softly. \'When he discovered you were alive and well, his heart soared. Despite the fact that you claimed you wanted nothing to do with him, he was overjoyed to know that his child lived and had followed her forebears by becoming a Protector.\'

\'But I can\'t stay, Shee. I\'m so out of place here. I...\' she protested, only to have Shee lay a finger against her lips.

\'You will call me Mother. And you are no more out of place here than I am.\'

\' I miss him,\' she said simply, then buried her face in Shee\'s shoulder and cried her heart out. Shee held the girl close and patted her back. She whispered meaningless words of comfort to Bri, allowing her simply to purge the deep well of grief. It took a long while to cry herself out. When she finally pulled back from her step-mother, Bri\'s eyes were bloodshot and swollen, her cheeks damp with shed tears.

\'Such is the way with love, little one. Your father felt such for your mother. And it was something that I could do nothing for. Until he had come to terms with his loss. So it will be with you. Until you can come to terms with your loss. Until then, you will stay with us. We will be a family. Your brothers wish you to train in swords with them. Your sisters wish you talk of clothing and men with them. And your father and I wish you to be happy. When you are ready, we will have a ball and invite the other members of Court,\' Shee smiled, brushing Bri\'s hair back from her head. \'There are several who have expressed interest in you.\'

\'Maybe,\' Bri sighed. She smiled at her and pushed her back against the down filled mattress and pillows.

\'Rest now, Daughter. Tomorrow will be a new day. You will see.\' Shee stood up and walked to the door. She stopped and turned to look at the young woman on the bed, a soft smile playing about her lips. Bri was already fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

The hall was cast in the light of a thousand beeswax candles. The soft glow of the each flame gave an even more ethereal look to the room than it normally had. The walls were hung with long, wide banners of silk in alternating panels of purple and silver, the two main colors of the House of Draconus. Flowering trees surrounded by benches made up areas where guests could sit and speak at their leisure, the opened blossoms filling the room with their mild scent. The glitter of jewels and gowns in a rainbow of color broke up the simple black uniform of the serving staff. There were hundreds of people filling the hall. They were sitting and dancing and talking and mingling. All in all, Bri had never seen so many people in all of her life.

Presently, she was standing with Diranae and Trianna, the two youngest of her father\'s eight children. Diranae was spectacular in a gown of silk. It was cut low across the chest and back and clung to every single one of her sister\'s curves. The deep, burnished gold of the garment set off the softer golden color of her hair and eyes. Her long tresses had been swept up on top of her head in a loose pile, tendrils pulled free to curl about her ears and face. She wore a tiara of thinly worked gold and pearls. Despite the earlier announcement of her impending joining with Sendril, the men at the ball were flocking to her side.

Trianna wore sky blue. It went with the soft blue of her eyes and the pale, almost white hair that hung unbound down her back in thick waves to her waist. She wore a necklace of golden links, decorated with sapphires that each bore a star in the center. Earrings dangled from her lobes, a bracelet on one wrist. They were of the same stones, as was the tiara she wore. It was similar to her sister\'s, but the stones were woven into the pattern instead of threaded along the edges of the precious metal. She, too, had a line of men trailing after her.

Her brothers, all six of them, were dressed in varying shades of purple, silver and black. Each one wore a jeweled sword at his waist. Each one had hair that hung down his back, the color almost the same as their father\'s. They had their own accompanyment of women, except for the two oldest. Parn and Dirrin were both taken, their mates standing at their sides. Kaddyrayth and Shee strolled amongst the guests, talking and mingling. They had both worn their finest. Her father was decked in the same colors as her brothers while Shee wore a soft, sheath dress in pure white. Her hair trailed down her back in a series of intricate braids and curls, her head topped by a tiara of rubies and diamonds.

Bri felt out of place. Diranae had helped her dress, picking a gown of deepest purple velvet from those offered by the seamstress of the castle. It had a yoke neckline, the shoulders resting just below the joint where her arm and shoulder met. The sleeves hung long, belling out at the wrist so that her hands were swallowed by the copious amounts of material. At her waist was a thin girdle of silver links, the ends sparkling with two large amethysts. A small, jeweled dagger hung from the girdle. Her hair had been crimped into tiny waves, left to flow free over her back with the exception of a handful of small braids worked into it. Each one was tipped with a small black stone. She\'d been shocked when Shee had presented her with a tiara. The headpiece was delicately made and sported winking crystals and pieces of the finest amethyst to be found.

She surveyed the room with a slow, considering gaze. The men stopped to look at her, hoping to win a smile from her. But she couldn\'t bring herself to give them any hope. Her heart still ached for a love she knew she would never have. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn\'t put Severus from her mind. It still hurt, but not as badly as it had. Her talk with Shee only the week prior had helped clear some of the confusion from her brain. Each day saw her thinking a little less often of Severus.

\'Bri, I would like for you to meet Kintyre,\' Diranae\'s voice brought her out of her musings. Before her stood a tall Fae man. He wore a blue tunic of satin that matched exactly the color of her eyes. His hose were black, tucked into knee high black leather boots. He wore no adornments as her brothers did, but there was power in his presence. He was a man who commanded respect. He smiled at her, his lips turned up in a soft smile.

His eyes were the clearest of green, reminding her of Harry\'s eyes.She fought back the sadness that memory brought and tried to smile back at him. She felt she did rather a poor job. He was a handsome man and she was struck motionless by his raw beauty. He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips to press a kiss to her palm. \' I am most honored to make your acquaintance, Bri,\' he murmured over her hand.

\'Kintyre, this is my sister, Bri,\' Diranae added needlessly. She glanced at them, then smiled. \'Kintyre is the Lord of the Hunt. He holds a high place in the High Courts.\'

\' Its nice to meet you, sir,\' Bri said softly. She could see the wheels turning in Diranae\'s mind already and wanted to tell her that it wouldn\'t happen. But he was speaking again, taking her opportunity to take control of the situation away from her.

\' I was unaware that Kaddyrayth had more than two daughters. How is this possible?\' he asked the woman at Bri\'s side, then shook his head and tucked her hand into the bend of his arm. \'No matter. I am certain I will be able to draw such information from your lovely sibling, Diranae. Come walk with me on the balcony. It is lovely at night.\'

Before Bri could protest, Kintyre was pulling her along with him, steering her toward the long, floor to ceiling doors that opened out onto the balcony. She caught the knowing look on both her father\'s and Shee\'s face. Her mind scrambled in an attempt to find some way out of it politely. She found she didn\'t need to bother. They were halfway to the balcony when the main doors to the hall slammed open with such intensity that everyone\'s eyes were drawn to the now opened entryway.

Bri\'s heart froze in her chest, then began pounding. The crowd parted, a pathway opening from the doorway to where Bri stood. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find her father standing behind her. Shee was next to her, a faint frown marring her beautiful face. A river of black cloth billowed out behind the tall figure as he strode toward them, his pale face set in a deep, harsh scowl that Bri had seen once or twice when she\'d thought he was about to commit murder. She thought she might have gone pale, but immediately drew her hurt and confusion about her like a cloak. She would protect herself. What ever it took.

\' I do hope I am not interrupting anything,\' Severus sneered as he looked pointedly at the spot where Bri\'s hand rested on Kintyre\'s arm. His voice was as cold as she could ever remember it being and she had to suppress the need to shudder.

\'Wizard,\' Kaddyrayth nodded once.

\' I wish to speak to Bri,\' he intoned, his eyes once more turning to her. She felt her knees knock a few times before she stopped them and drew herself up to her full height.

\'What ever for? Didn\'t we say enough the last time we spoke?\' she asked, proud of herself for keeping the quavering emotions from her voice.

\'There I things that I must say to you. Then I will leave you in peace,\' he snarled and it felt to her as if she\'d been slapped.

\' I believe that the fair lady does not need to be bothered, sir,\' Kintyre replied smoothly. His hand reached up to cover Bri\'s, patting it in what she considered a condescending manner. She jerked her hand from his arm roughly, turning to glare up at him.

\' I believe I can speak for myself. I know I can protect myself,\' she told him, her eyes narrowed so tht he understood what she meant. Kintyre stepped back, nodding at her. She missed the faint smile on both her father\'s and Shee\'s faces. She turned back to Severus and stared, noting that every eye was trained on them. Knowing that he wouldn\'t go without speaking to her, she nodded curtly and turned to stalk across the hall toward a door that would lead them into a more private chamber.

When the door closed behind them, Snape lifted his wand and waved it at the portal is if it had offended him. She knew he\'d cast a silencing spell and a locking spell. She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping she could get through this without throwing herself at him. He stared at the room a moment, noting the old, leather bound books that lined the shelf behind a desk and the heavily curtained window.

\'Well?\' she asked impatiently.

\'That is all you have to say to me? We have not seen one another in months,\' he snarled at her. She stared up at him a moment, her face a blank mask. Then it shifted away and the look in her eyes softened. She took a long, hard look at him, happy to see that too-large nose and his thin frame. He looked as if he\'d recovered well enough and for that, she was thankful.

\'You look well,\' she said in a gentle tone of voice. \'You healed well?\'

\'Madam Pomfrey threatened me to within an inch of my life if I did not rest and heal up after the ordeal. I was not in a position to say no to the woman,\' he informed her, his tone less harsh than it had been. She offered him a timid smile.

\'That\'s good to hear,\' she told him, meaning it with all of her heart. She\'d worried that he would be permanently scarred from the battle or that he would be left somehow unwhole. As it was, she had to restrain herself from running her hands over him so that she could prove to herself that he was whole and hale.

\'Why the bloody hell did you leave as you did?\' he demanded in a most surly tone that startled her. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled down at her as if he would force her to talk with just the will of his eyes alone.

\'Erm... \' she stammered, not sure exactly how she was supposed to answer that.

\'I have been frantic in my attempts to locate you and Dumbeldore, that mischievous old coot, has been most unhelpful. He said he would reveal your location to me only when I could tell him why it was that I wished to find you.\'

\'And what was it that you told him?\' she asked him, her eyes locked onto his face.

\' I informed the smarmy goat that I love you and that I cannot now, nor anytime in the future, live without you,\' he admitted with the sourest look she\'d ever seen upon his face. She stared at him in shock. Her heart pounded more furiously in her chest, but she quickly stomped the rush of emotion down. Snape didn\'t love her. He couldn\'t. He didn\'t know how. She wanted to believe him. She just couldn\'t let herself hope. It had taken a good long time for her to move past the pain of leaving him. She didn\'t want to go back to that kind of existence.

\' I see,\' she told him softly.

\'Did you not just hear me, woman? I love you,\' his tone held as much disbelief as the look on his face did. \'You have taken a part of my soul that I shall never be able to reclaim. Nor shall I ever want to. It belongs to you and, as such, would never fit where it once belonged.\'

Bri stared at him. He was lying. This had to be another one of his games. She couldn\'t let herself fall for it, no matter how much she wanted to. It would be nice to simply fall into his arms and let her doubts and worries slip away. But she couldn\'t do that to herself. It would be unrealistic and dangerous. \'Bri?\' he asked, taking a step toward her.

\' I... I\'m sorry. I can\'t... \' she stammered. He sighed and advanced on her. She took a step back, but he only followed her. He kept following her until he had her backed against the desk and she was pinned. His hands came up to cup her face, the look in his eyes now one of tenative tenderness.

\' I am sorry for hurting you as I have. I can repair any damage with a few muttered words a a wave of my wand. Yet, it is not enough to repair the damage I have done to your heart. That is something only you can do.\'

\'Severus,\' she shook her head. He moved the few inches there were between them so that he could press his lips to her own. She felt the truth of his words there in the caress of his mouth on hers. She inched closer, her body held to his tightly. His hands crept down to her waist, drawing her hips in closer to his. It was sheer heaven to be in his arms again. Her hands crept up around his neck, her fingers twining in his hair as she held his head to hers. His body was lean against her own and she had no trouble determining the extent of his need.

The evidence of it was pressed tightly against her abdomen.

Heat flared between them as his mouth worked over hers, his tongue easily gaining entrance so that it could stroke and dance along hers, thrusting back and forth in an imitation of what she wanted to be doing. When he pulled back to draw a breath, she smiled up into his face. \'You used your best locking and silencing spell?\'

\'Of course. Do you think I am a fool or amateur?\' he scoffed. She shook her head, giving him a grin. \'Good. It would be a bloody long time before I allowed you to live such a mistake down. As it stands, I am going to have to show you the error of your ways. One should never doubt one\'s teacher.\'

\'Of course not, Professor,\' she managed, then fell silent with a soft gasp when his teeth latched onto her throat. Her body pulsed with life and need, silently begging his to take her. His long hands were there to begin peeling away the velvet of her dress so that his mouth could travel lower. He planned on making long, slow love to her right there on the desk. He was going to prove it to her that he\'d meant every word he\'d said.

\' I do hope you are a much better student now than you once were,\' he sighed, giving her a look. \' It will be tedious if I am forced to teach you the same thing over and over again.\'

A giggle was his only response. That was silenced when his lips found one of her nipples, sucking at it through the lace of her strapless bra. She moaned softly in encouragement, her hands lifting to curl around his head and hold it to her breast \' I love you, Severus,\' she told him on a sigh.

In the dark confines of his pocket, the small metal charm pulsed with life as if to prove she meant what she said.

end chapter twenty four.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

end The Shattering of Souls
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a big round of thanks to everyone in my support group. they know who they are and they know why i love them as i do. i owe them so much.

this is self-beta\'d. please don\'t hurt me.

finally, a big thanks to everyone who read this. it means alot to me and i know it took me forever to finish it. i hope you enjoyed this tale.

~blessings~
ldf