Camilla stared blankly at the lift doors through which Harry Potter had just exited.

"What was that all about?" Jon asked.

Camilla shook her head. "I'm not sure." She turned to face him. "What in the world happened tonight, Jon?"

He looked away. "Too much," he muttered. "A lot of people died tonight. Thankfully, You-Know-Who was one of them."

Camilla bit her lip. So it was finally over. She thought she should feel some sense of relief or triumph at hearing of the death of the most feared wizard of all time. Instead, she felt numb. The news affected her in the same way as if Jon had told her the Chudley Cannons had won the Quidditch World Cup; she simply did not give a damn. Nothing mattered except Severus.

"I think you should go home," she said flatly to Jon, collapsing onto a nearby bench.

Jon sat beside her. "I don't," he said.

She fixed her eyes on the doors that were keeping her away from Severus. She was suddenly aware that the corridor was deathly silent; the screams had stopped at last. She couldn't decide if she was relieved or terrified. What if the only respite from his anguish had been death?

Tears began to burn in her eyes at that thought. She wiped them away impatiently and pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees. "Just go home, Jon," she repeated. "I'm sure you've had a long night. You don't need to wait with me. I'll be fine."

Jon smiled. "Nice try, but I'm not going anywhere."

She returned the smile, but it soon dissolved as sobs began to wrack her body again. Jon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She soon fell apart in the arms of her best friend. He said nothing; he simply held her as she cried. He never complained when her embrace tightened; he made no protest when her nails dug into his back. He was just there, and for that she would always be grateful.

The doors to Room 309 swung open with a bang. Camilla jumped up and approached the Healer, a tall, haggard-looking wizard with dark hair and tiny, round glasses, wearing a name badge that read 'Senior Healer Lewis.’

"How is he?" Camilla choked out, reaching for Jon's hand. She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed as hard as she could as she waited for the Healer's reply.

The Healer sighed. "He's still alive," he said grimly.

A stab of fear went through her as she asked, "What does that mean?"

"We have been unable to determine the nature of the poison that your husband ingested," he replied. "We have given him a powerful sleeping potion. So, for now, he is sedated. We are doing what we can to make him comfortable; however, I'm not sure how long we can keep him alive."

Camilla nodded dumbly, taking in the bleak news. "Can I see him?" she mumbled.

Healer Lewis paused. "I'm not sure it would be wise for you to see him in the condition he's in. It might be rather difficult."

She squared her shoulders and gave the Healer a steely gaze. "What is more difficult: to sit out here and wonder when he will die or to be with him when he does?"

He nodded his concession and pushed open the doors for Camilla to enter. He motioned for the others to leave, and soon Camilla and Severus were alone. Jon did not follow her inside. She looked back at the doors and felt a surge of appreciation for her friend. He knew exactly what she needed and did not try to intrude on her grief. She knew he would be right there in the hall waiting for her when she returned.

She approached Severus' bed slowly. He was lying on his back; his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and labored. She nudged a stool close to the side of the bed and sat down.

Taking his pale hand in hers, she pressed her lips against his knuckles. Tears began to fall onto the back of his hand as she stroked his fingers gently.

"I'm here," she whispered. "It's finally over, love. You-Know-Who is gone, and you're free. And from what I've heard, you saved a few lives tonight. You're a hero, Severus. And I couldn't be more proud of you."

She forced a smile and reached up to brush his damp hair from his forehead. "You know, once when I was living in London, I went to see a Muggle film. It was about a man who had just returned from fighting in a war. Do you know what he did when he came home?" She choked back a sob and continued, "He immediately found his wife, swept her into his arms, and carried her to bed. So, you see," she whispered, now weeping openly as she brushed her lips against his, "I expect no less from you, Severus."

She gave his hand a final squeeze and then ran out of the room.

---

Camilla was dozing lightly in a chair outside Severus’ room when the Aurors showed up. A broad wizard with spiky, sandy brown hair and a bitter expression poked her on the shoulder, jarring her awake.

Uncurling herself from the ball she was lying in, she gazed up at him through bleary, red eyes. “Who are you?” she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

He ignored her question. “Mrs. Snape?”

“Yes,” she replied, rising to her feet slowly, her gaze darting between the two wizards. The big wizard’s companion was tall and imposing, with dark hair and cold gray eyes.

She backed up automatically as he approached her. “You need to come with us,” he said.

Camilla backed up further, bumping her legs against the wall. “Who are you and what the hell do you want?”

“We have an order from the Minister himself. It calls for the arrest of Severus Snape and his wife.”

Camilla’s eyes grew wide. “What? Severus probably won’t even make it through the night. How do you expect to arrest him?”

“We will wait,” the tall man said, his face impassive. “The Healers here are actually quite good. He may make it.”

“Well, what do you want with me?” she demanded.

“You assisted a murderer in evading arrest.”

Camilla sat down on a nearby bench. Exhaling slowly, she said, “Please, don’t do this now.”

“You have no choice,” the large Auror said, taking her arm and pulling her out of her seat. “You’re coming with us. And if you try to resist, we have permission to use whatever means necessary to bring you in.”

She wrenched her arm away. "I don't even have a wand," she snapped, cursing herself for leaving it behind in her haste. "What do you expect me to do?"

The tall, dark wizard clenched his jaw. “We don’t have time for this.” He raised his wand and ropes appeared, binding Camilla’s hands together.

The Aurors stood on either side of her and grabbed her arms, pulling her toward the lifts. Camilla struggled with all her strength to free herself. The big wizard, apparently having had enough of the uncooperative witch, finally scooped her up and flung her over his shoulder.

“We probably should Stun her. I don’t believe it would look very good if the public saw this,” the other man said thoughtfully.

“Good point.” The big man put Camilla down and pulled out his wand.

“Stop!”

Camilla whipped around to see Jon bolting down the corridor. “Let her go!” he shouted, skidding to a stop in front of them.

“Stay out of this, Ward,” the tall wizard warned. “This has nothing to do with you. We are just doing our jobs.”

“I understand that,” Jon said, stepping between the big wizard and Camilla. “But no one said you had to take her in now. Her husband is on the brink of death. I think we all know she needs to be here right now. You can come back tomorrow and arrest both of them if you’d like. I guarantee you, she’s not going anywhere. Please, just give her some time.”

The Aurors glanced at each other. “Fine,” the tall Auror muttered. “But if anything happens, I’m holding you personally responsible, Ward. We will be in the reception area waiting. But don’t fool yourselves. We won’t wait long.”

They turned and swept toward the lifts, glaring at Jon and Camilla as they stepped inside and the doors closed.

“Thank you, Jon,” Camilla said, finally remembering to breathe. She ran her hands through her hair and leaned back against the wall. “Merlin, can anything else go wrong today?”

As soon as the words escaped her lips, she instantly regretted it. For, seconds later, Severus’ anguished cries resumed.

She ran to Room 309 and flung herself through the doors. There was not a Healer to be found; Severus was lying alone, sweating and thrashing about in his bed.

Camilla ran to the door and yelled for Jon to find someone. She leaned over Severus’ bed and took his hand. “Darling, I’m here. Shh. Everything is going to be all right.”

To Camilla’s surprise, Severus stopped. His cries ceased, he stopped convulsing, and his eyes began to focus. Slowly, he turned his head toward her, his black eyes resting on hers.

Her hand flew up to her mouth. “Hi,” she said softly, stroking his cheek.

He swallowed and choked out, “Camilla.”

She laughed through her tears and nodded. “It’s me, Severus.”

He smiled weakly. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he closed his eyes, gave her hand a small squeeze, and stopped breathing.

Camilla stumbled backwards from the bed, her hand covering her mouth. “No…NO! NO!” she began screaming.

The doors flew open and a group of Healers came running into the room. She was shoved out the door into the hallway where she collapsed into a heap, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jon was at her side in an instant, his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She shook her head violently as she choked on her sobs. Her hands reached up and gripped her hair as she rocked back and forth, wailing loudly. She felt as if her entire body were being ripped in two. She couldn’t breathe, her heart was racing, and she held no other thought than to wish that death would take her as well.

She stayed there on the cold floor of the hospital for a long time, until her sobs subsided and she was left with only a cold and empty feeling, like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

She sat up and wiped her face with the sleeve of her robes. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Jon. Behind glassy eyes, she asked flatly, “Do you have a wand?”

Jon looked confused. “Yes, of course.”

“May I have it?” Her voice was cold and empty, and the words sounded far away, as if someone else were speaking.

Jon eyed her warily. “Why do you want my wand, Cam?”

“Just let me see it.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go get you some tea.”

“I don’t want any fucking tea,” she hissed, pushing his hand away. “Just give me your wand, Jon. Please.” Tears began to fill her eyes again as she pleaded with her friend.

“Cam…” he said softly.

“I can’t live without him, Jon,” she said, weeping. “So, please, just let me end it.”

Jon now looked alarmed. “Camilla, please! Don’t say that.”

“Give me your wand!” Camilla shouted, throwing herself on him and pounding his chest with her fists. “Where is it?”
Jon pulled her close to him and held her tightly. “Stop it, Cam.”

She kicked and fought, screaming at the top of her lungs. Soon, a witch in lime green robes came racing down the hall, carrying a vial filled with lavender-colored liquid.

“Hold her,” the witch told Jon. She forced Camilla’s mouth open and poured the potion inside.

Camilla’s eyes immediately began to droop and her arms suddenly felt heavy.

“Rest now, pet,” the witch said as Camilla’s eyes closed.

---

Jon carried Camilla into the room next to Severus’ room. He laid her down on the bed and pulled the blankets over her. The kind Healer who had given her the potion smiled at Jon.

“She should be out for several hours, at least,” she said, gazing down at Camilla and smoothing her blankets. “Poor thing. No one so young should have to deal with this. It’s such a shame.”

“Thank you,” Jon said. “May I stay with her?”

“Of course,” the witch said, nodding. “It will be nice for her to awake to a friendly face.” She smiled again and then quietly slipped out the door.

Jon sat down beside Camilla and raked his fingers through his hair. He had had one hell of a night, and it just seemed to be getting better and better.

He looked down at Camilla and frowned, worry creasing his brow. Even in sleep, she looked troubled. He wondered how she would recover from this. Or if she would at all.

He had never understood her love for that man. In Jon’s eyes, Snape wasn’t good enough for his friend. But after tonight, Jon respected him, if nothing else. Snape had placed himself in the path of a dozen Death Eaters in order to let Harry Potter make it to his destination: wherever Voldemort was.

Snape fought alone. He dueled with the group of Death Eaters and held his own for a few minutes before being Stunned and dragged away. When Jon found him, Snape was hysterical, writhing in pain and screaming unintelligibly. Jon knew he had to get Camilla’s husband help soon or he would die.

Now, as he held Camilla’s hand, he found himself wishing he had gotten there sooner. If he had, maybe he could have prevented all this. Maybe he could have spared Camilla this pain. She didn’t deserve it. He wanted more than anything to take her pain away. He wished he could do something for her. It was maddening to know that there was nothing he could do.

He reached up and caressed her cheek with his fingertips. As he looked at her lying there, he was suddenly struck with the depth of his love for her. He knew she would never love him. Even though Snape was gone, he was the love of her life and she would never be the same again. No, she would never love Jon and that realization shook him to the core.

He had tried to move on and forget her. He had found the perfect woman. She was sweet, loving, and beautiful. But Jon could never get Camilla out of his head. Nicola knew that and she resented it. Finally, she decided she was no longer willing to be second best and left him.

He expected it, knew it was coming. And once she was gone, he was disgusted with himself because, honestly, he didn’t care.

Jon looked up as the door swung open and Healer Lewis stepped inside. Jon jumped to his feet and approached the wizard.

“She still sleeping?” the Healer asked.

Jon nodded. “What’s going on?”

“He stopped breathing for a few minutes. We revived him and then lost him again. Finally, we managed to get him stabilized.”

Jon’s eyes widened as he shifted his gaze from the Healer to Camilla’s sleeping form. “So, he’s still alive?” he asked incredulously.

“For the moment,” Lewis replied. “He has a very weak pulse and, frankly, I’m not sure how much longer he will be with us.”

Jon exhaled and stared down at the floor. Suddenly, the memory of a tall, skinny teenager with messy black hair streaking down the hospital corridor flooded back to him. Harry said he knew how to save him. There’s still hope.

“Don’t tell her,” Jon said pensively.

“What?”

“If she wakes up, don’t tell her about this. You said he is barely hanging on. If you should happen to lose him for good, well…” Jon paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t think she could handle losing him twice.”

The Healer sighed. “Perhaps you’re right.”

Jon nodded. “Just keep him alive.”

“We’ll do what we can,” he said. He turned on his heel and left the room in a blur of lime green.

Jon sat back down beside Camilla and took her hand. “He’s going to be all right, Cam,” he whispered. “I can feel it.”

---

A/N: We can only hope Jon's right.

Thanks again for all the reviews. It makes me feel so good to know you are all enjoying it so much. So thank you!