Chapter 13: Revelations

Severus led Sybill up the walk and into her sitting room. He eased her into the sofa before stalking halfway to the door and beginning to pace.

“Are you all right?” he barked.

“I think so,” Sybill said, once again near tears.

“I told you this would happen!” Severus snapped as he continued to pace. “Did you listen to me? No! I should have left you to your fate!”

“Severus, please!”

Sybill rose from her seat and took two tentative steps towards Severus. She reached out to him, but he glared at her hand and continued his pacing. Sybill could only stare at him. He had saved her life, but he was yelling at her. She had almost died, but he was berating her for being foolish. Tears she had been trying to contain finally rolled down her cheeks as she watched Severus pace back and forth. He suddenly stopped and looked at her. His face was a mask of anger. Then, in an instant, it changed to something else. Fear mixed with passion consumed his face as Severus let his guard down. He closed the distance between them and surrounded her in an embrace. His lips came crashing down onto hers.

Sybill snaked her arm around his back, and her hand grabbed his hair. She returned his kiss with fervor. Her vision had finally come true. She wondered what would come next, but quickly forgot everything as she became lost in his kiss. Finally, he pulled away and looked into her eyes.

oooOOOooo

Green eyes had always been his downfall, hadn’t they? But this time, when Severus looked into green eyes, he saw affection staring back at him. His heart constricted within him, and he fought to control his emotions. He had nearly lost her. The thought of that was almost too much to bear. His eyes became misty, and he struggled not to cry in front of Sybill. Pulling her head into his chest, he finally found his voice and began to speak.

“When my ring turned cold, my heart turned to ice as well,” Severus said quietly. “I was afraid I would be too late. I could picture myself Apparating and finding your body strewn on some floor with Lestrange and Malfoy laughing over you. I don’t think I would have been able to go on if they had killed you.”

oooOOOooo

Great sobs overtook Sybill. The fear she had felt and had pushed down came up and filled her. She held on to Severus as if her life depended on it. He rubbed her back as she tried to contain herself.

Sybill continued to sob. “I wasn’t sure if you would come!” she cried into Severus’ robes.

Severus pulled back and picked up her chin. Shushing her as he wiped away her tears, he looked directly into her eyes.

“I will always come for you,” he said tenderly. He pulled her face to his and kissed her softly. “You have captured my heart.”

“Severus,” Sybill whispered. “I’ve missed you these past few days. I thought you would never talk to me again.”

“I’m sorry... I was angry… I was furious, actually. But my anger was fueled with the thought that I would lose you.”

“You saved me, and because of that, it seems that we have gained a new understanding of one another.” She gave Severus a knowing smile.

“I suppose we have. Maybe I should thank Lucius for bringing us together.”

Suddenly, Sybill found Severus kissing her furiously. She moaned as he intensely covered her mouth with his. At long last, they pulled apart again. Severus led her back to the couch and settled himself in next to her.

“Severus, I am not complete without you,” Sybill admitted.

“You have longed to be near me?” Severus asked as he smiled and arched an eyebrow.

She knew he was remembering all of the times she had said that to him over the years.

Sybill smiled back at him. “Yes, but this time I really do long to be near you.”

Without hesitation, she pulled Severus back to her, and they were kissing passionately again. Sybill thought her heart would explode inside of her, it was so full. Severus finally pulled away and gave her a curious look.

“Whatever possessed you to chase after me like that in your other persona?” he asked.

Sybill looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Severus. I was just having a bit of fun. You can imagine that in my other existence, chances for fun weren’t very plentiful. It was quite funny to me to see your look of dread whenever you came in sight of me. It was even funnier when you would stutter replies to my advances.”

“You are nothing but a tease,” Severus replied.

“I really am sorry,” Sybill countered.

“No, you’re not. You just admitted that you loved to see me squirm.”

“I did, but then later on I feared that you would never want to have anything to do with me. I was a bit surprised when you actually held decent conversations with me.”

“I enjoy conversing with intelligent women.”

Sybill giggled. “I’m sure you do. I just didn’t think you’d ever see me as intelligent.”

“You are incredibly intelligent,” Severus assured her. “To be able to pull off what you did for so long without anyone suspecting you was remarkable.”

“Flatterer!”

“Stubborn witch!”

“Snarky git!”

“Beautiful woman!”

Sybill was silenced with that comment. Her eyes grew wide, and she regarded Severus curiously.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course I do.”

Sybill pulled away from Severus and turned away from him. She hung her head down and folded her arms insecurely.

“The only people who have ever said I was beautiful were my parents,” she explained. “I have been that plain, eccentric woman for so long, I never expected anyone to compliment my looks.”

Severus put his hands on her arms. “You are gorgeous, Sybill. I can’t imagine what someone like you would see in me, but you seem to enjoy my company.”

Sybill turned and looked into Severus’ face. “Severus, you are incredibly handsome yourself.”

“Lying doesn’t suit you, Sybill. I know I am nothing to look at. I have pointy features, my nose is enormous, and I have beady eyes.”

Sybill laughed at him and stroked his cheek. “You have chiseled features, a distinguishing nose, and your eyes are deep pools of emotion.”

“Flatterer!”

“Snarky git!”

“Love of my life.”

Sybill sat there, stunned. “Do you really mean it?” she whispered in awe.

Severus’ arms encircled her again, and he kissed her. When he finally pulled away, she saw love in his eyes. “More than I would like to admit,” he acknowledged as he nuzzled her cheek.

“What about Lily Potter?” Sybill asked tentatively.

Severus sat back on the couch and pulled Sybill close again. He stroked her hair as he responded to her. “She was my past. It’s time to live my real life, not the one I thought I should live.” He sat silently for a few moments as he continued stroking her hair. “She was not for me. I fooled myself into thinking that she was, and then when she died, I wrapped myself in guilt and clung to a memory. It may have served me as a spy, but it serves no purpose whatsoever in my life now. I want someone real. Someone who feels for me what I feel for them. I want you.”

Sybill pulled back and looked into Severus’ eyes. “I want you too, and I love you,” she admitted, not just to him, but to herself as well.

Severus took Sybill’s face in his hands and brought her to him. His kiss was long and passionate. Sybill thought she would melt through the sofa. How had she not known how much she loved him? He was incredible.

They finally came up for air, both a bit winded.

“Will you please reconsider and move back to the castle?” Severus begged.

“I don’t think I have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Severus countered. “How did he capture you, anyway?”

“Lestrange fooled me,” she explained. “He was Polyjuiced into a little girl who was crying in an alley. I went to help, and he blew some powder in my face. The next thing I knew, I was tied up to a chair.” Sybill looked directly into Severus’ eyes. “You were right. I didn’t have a chance. I should have listened to you.”

“I’m just glad you’re alive. They could have killed you right off instead of torturing you. Lucius won’t make the same mistake again.”

“We need to find him,” Sybill said absently.

“You have to keep yourself safe.”

Sybill rolled her eyes. “You may be able to make me hide in the castle, Severus Snape, but you’re not going to keep me from trying to find Lucius Malfoy.”

“Why must you always put yourself in danger?” Severus barked at her.

“Maybe it’s a latent desire to be in the thick of things?” Sybill questioned with arched eyebrows.

Severus gave her a scowl.

“Don’t!” Sybill cried while putting a finger over his mouth. “Let’s make a deal that we’ll work together.”

“I’m used to working alone.”

Sybill smiled at him. “Well, you’d better get used to having a side-kick.”

“I don’t want you hurt.”

“You know, Severus, sometimes you’re a one note song.”

Severus looked at her curiously. “What do you mean by that?”

“All you do is harp about my safety. What about your safety? You have no qualms about throwing yourself into the middle of danger.”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m hurt,” Severus explained.

Sybill’s eyes grew wide. “It matters to me!” She grabbed his face. “Severus Snape, stop thinking your life is worth less than everyone else’s. I don’t care if Voldemort and Dumbledore treated you as someone expendable... I do not. If something happened to you…” She looked deeply into his eyes. “I don’t think I would recover.”

“Then you can understand my worry about your safety?” Severus asked.

“I can, but if we work together, we can protect each other. Please, Severus! I want to feel needed. I want to be involved. I’ve spent so much time hiding.” Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. “I feel like I’ve wasted my life, and I don’t want to do that anymore. If I must hole up at Hogwarts, I want to take part in finding the man who is making me hide.”

Severus wiped away her tears and pulled her to him in an embrace. “I’m sorry, Sybill. I’m sorry that you have felt so useless for all of these years. I wish I could make all of that disappear. But, Sybill…”

“Please, Severus, let me help!” Sybill pleaded.

“All right,” he sighed as he caressed her hair again. “We will work together, but you must be careful. No crazy wand waving, all right? I will not lose you now that I’ve just found you.”

Severus couldn’t say another word because Sybill’s eager mouth was attacking his. She grabbed his head and crushed him in her eager kiss.

“Thank you, Severus!” she said in between attacks.

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A/N: Next up: Sybill returns to Hogwarts.

Finally, huh? I think that went better than even Sybill could have imagined! Now they have to find Lucius and take care of him. Hopefully, they can track him down soon! Thanks to Lilith Kayden for her beta work, and to you for reading.