The Curse of the Heart

The Curse of the Heart

Prequel

       The year is 1978 and students are rushing about doing any last minute prepping for the finals of the school year. A girl with a red pixie hair style was sitting in a library. Her sapphire blue eyes were darting over an old book that smelled of dust and age. It was the library, but her fellow students were running around talking loudly and causing ruckus and noise. Papers could be heard rustling and books were being slammed left and right. Some students were playing tug of war with some of the books even. 'Honestly....what does someone have to pay to get some peace and quiet...!" the girl groaned in her mind as she reached up and started rubbing her eye lids between her right thumb and pointed finger. After a while she gathered her papers and books and shoved them back into her back pack before starting to leave the crowded and noisy library. As she walked down the hall way she stared out of the window and sighed quietly as she watched a tree's branch dance in the summer breeze that now was playing with her hair. After a while she started back for her dorm when suddenly a younger student wearing the same Slytherin uniform came running down the hall way. He was frantically looking around for someone and suddenly his scared eyes landed on her.

       "Lenora...!" He suddenly cried out before darting straight for her.

       "Oh shit..." she said groaning before stopping as the student stopped in front of her and leaned down to his knees panting heavily. "L-Lenora...come...quick..." He wheezed out.

       "Ugh...what now?" She asked now tilting her head some "You know finals are right around the corner right?"

       "It's...Snape!" the male student managed to say. Suddenly Lenora's eyes went wide. "P-Potter is at it again?"

       "Seriously?!" With that she dropped her bag and started running as fast as she could to the north court yard. As she grew closer she could hear students from all the houses chanting "Fight Fight Fight!" She gasped as she saw a huge mob of students surrounding two boys. One was from Gryffindor wearing glasses, the other was from Slytherin and had shoulder length black hair. 

      "Severus!" She called out frantically as she shoved through the crowd, not caring if she knocked anyone over. The boy from Slytherin was on his rear end with blood coming from his nose. The boy from Gryffindor was smirking and standing over him with his wand out. Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot at his hand making him drop said wand and hold his wrist as he writhed in pain.

      "That is enough!" Lenora shouted with all of her might. The chanting slowly died down and a path was cleared for her to walk through. The Slytherin boy looked up at her then as she ran over and knelt down beside him.

     "Severus! Are you okay?" She asked as she pulled out her handkerchief and started to gently clean the blood off of his face. 

     "L-Lenora..." He said softly before coughing a little into his hand, when he pulled it away he had a little blood in his palm. Lenora saw this and suddenly growled before standing to face the Gryffindor boy in a rage. The boy stood there smirking before laughing "Seven years later Snape...and you still rely on a girl to fight your battles for you? Pathetic really." He said as he and his lackies started laughing. He suddenly stopped when the tip of a wand was jabbed into the side of his neck. The lackies also stopped laughing and started to back away in fear. "Funny...how many wins do you have against me Potter? Oh!...that's right...ZERO!" She screamed in his face then. Potter suddenly started to sweat then and shake in fear.

      "You know...part of my final I have to successfully transform a human into something other than a human..." She then started digging her wand deeper into his neck. "Maybe...I should transform you into the longevity beetle. You know...the beetle that dies and can come back to life? That way...I can kill you...watch you come back to life...and kill you again..." She said smirking darkly now as he started to whimper in fear.  

      "Stop!" Came another female student's voice. Everyone looked to the side and saw another Gryffindor student run up. Her long brown hair flowing behind her. She ran up and stood in front of Potter holding her arms up. "Crofton...please don't hurt him!" Lenora looked down at the female student then. Her glare darkening oven more if it even could. She lowered her head to where her face was mere centimeters from hers "You dare to defend him Evans? Seriously? After EVERYTHING he has done all this time?!" She screamed at her former friend now. She could tell she was hurt by her calling her by her last name and not Lily.

       "I...I'm sorry Lenora...Severus..." she said in a meek little voice as she looked away unable to look either of them in the eye. Severus managed to get to his feet before reaching out and putting a hand on the red head's shoulder. "Lenora...It's all right...he isn't worth it...you're so close to achieving your goal." He said softly, his hand was shaking on her shoulder. She sighed looking even more annoyed before she lowered her want from the boy's neck. He gripped his neck then as he swallowed with nervousness. "Remember this Potter...despite how you have treated him...HE is the reason you are spared today." She said leaking venom into her voice. She then darted her eyes back to the girl that stood in front of him. "And as for you Evans...control your man...I won't be so nice next time...We are close to graduating...grow the fuck up..." She said before spitting down onto the girl's shoes. She just stood there saying nothing before Potter took her hand and quickly lead her away. Soon the other students started to depart as well until it was no one left but Lenora and Severus.

       Lenora turned around and looked to Severus then and tilted her head before reaching up and cupping his right cheek. "Does it hurt?" She asked n barely a whisper. Severus looked to her then and ran his eyes over her face "No....not really..." He replied and looked down before she could see the lite pink on her face. "Good...lets head to the Slytherin common room...maybe there we can study in peace..." She said tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. He nodded and the two gathered up his things and started for the common room. On the way there the student that had ran to get Lenora brought her her own backpack. She thanked the Student and soon they were heading for the common room.

AFTER GRADUATION

      Lenora was standing outside on a stone balcony sighing heavily taking in the crisp air. She really hated crowds and preferred Solidarity. She jumped a little upon feeling a hand come down gently onto her shoulder. She turned and sighed with relief when she saw that it was Severus. He had two glasses of sparkling juice. "I figured you'd want one since it's your favorite." He said handing her one of the glasses. "Thank you.." She replied and took a sip. The two turned and watched the rest of their fellow graduates and their families mingling. "I take it your family didn't come?" She asked curiously looking to him.

     "No...yours?" He asked turning to look at her then.

    "They couldn't...trouble back some..." She replied before they both turned and looked back at the massive crowd of people. Several moments seemed to past when suddenly Lenora took a deep breath. 'Do it....Do it now...tell him how you feel..' She told herself in her mind. She turned to completely face him and cleared her throat. "S-Severus...I...need to tell you something..." She said now, one hand gripping the glass the other gripping the skirt of her graduation down tightly. Severus blinked before turning to her then and tilted his head "What is it Nora?" he asked then. Her heart started pounding in her ears, no one else was allowed to call her that but him and it always sounded so wonderful when he did.

      "I...well...w-we have been friends for so long...a-and I wouldn't trade this friendship for anything...w-with that being said I..." She took a big deep breath and mustered up the courage to look up into the orbs that were his black eyes. She really could lose herself in his eyes if she really wanted to.

      Severus let a very rare small smile curl onto his lips and nodded once "Nora...I too value your friendship...You're a gifted witch and are destined for great things..."
Those words almost sent Lenora over the edge. She gripped her skirt even tighter before taking a deep breath and saying "Severus Snape I love you and I wish for us to take our friendship to the next level!" She said before lowering her head and kicking herself in the rear end for sounding like a love-sick puppy. When he didn't say anything after what seemed like forever she nervously lifted her head to look up at him. To her dismay his smile had faded and now his face was sadness.

       "I'm sorry...Lenora..." was all he managed to get out. Her face went to surprise to utter sadness then. "W-Why...? Do you not feel the same?" she asked timidly. He looked away then not saying a word. She then started asking other questions.

       "Is it something I did? Is it someone else?...Is it Lily?" She asked then biting her bottom lip now not wanting to know the answer. Again Severus said nothing and just kept looking to the side. She started to tear up then and reached out to take his hand. "Answer me Severus...why is it always her...? Can you not see how much I have loved you all these years?" She asked her voice threatening to crack out a sob. Severus bit his bottom lip before looking back to her then. "I...should go...I'm sorry again Lenora..." And with that he gently pulled his hand from hers and turned to walk away. She stood there watching him as he vanished into the crowd. Unknowingly to her that other his shirt around his neck he was wearing a special choker that she had personally made for him. He reached up and gripped it tightly as he vanished into the darkness of the castle and started for the boys dorm for his house. 'It's best this way...please forgive me...' He said in his mind.

FAST FOWARD 23 YEARS

      A woman with Long wavy red hair, dark blue eyes, and pale skin was standing in a shop on Diagon Ally looking at various books and scrolls. It was a chilly day and snow was falling everywhere. Outside young children were running around outside throwing snowballs around. The streets were lively lately because a new school year was starting and no one is having to worry about You-know-who lurking around anymore. She found a few books that peaked her interest and picked it up. It was an intensive book about making Astro projected weaponry, which was what she was going to be teaching at her new teaching job at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. She took a deep breath and walked over to the shop owner, a little old witch named Berta. "Good evening Ms. Berta." She said softly as she sat the book on the check out counter. Berta looked up and smiled big "Well I'll say! If it isn't Lenora Crofton! Good to see you child!" She exclaimed happily before coming around the counter and embracing her tightly. Lenora smiled more and returned the old woman's hug.

After a few moments they moved apart and Berta held Lenora's hands. "I cannot believe it's you...I still remember when you were a student coming in here to get your text books." Lenora chuckled and nodded.                "Indeed Ms. Berta...it's been so long.."

      "Tell me child...what have you been up to these last 23 years?"
   

       "Well truth be told I was doing work for the Ministry in Germany and France mostly. Even took a few years in America. But now I have retired and decided to work a quiet life at Hogwarts." Lenora explained chuckling softly. The mention of Hogwarts suddenly had Berta smirking then. Lenora noticed the smirked and looked at her raising an eyebrow.

        "Ms. Berta?...What are you hiding from me?" she asked smiling to her playfully.
   

        "Oh nothing...it's just...a certain young man I remember you used to be head over heals with is working there...Potions Master if I recall..." she said chuckling softly. Lenora froze and her heart skipped a beat then. There's only one man she ever told Ms. Berta that she ever had an eye for. 'Severus...' she said softly in her mind. She then blinked back to reality and looked back to the old woman that was looking at her with worry.

         "Lenora...I hope I did not upset you...forgive this old woman." She said softly. Lenora smiled again and shook her head "No forgiveness needed. I just...forgot who it was." She lied then and laughed nervously. After talking for a little bit longer she paid for her books and left the store after saying her goodbyes. What she did not realize was a man was standing across the street. He had on a maroon cloak so his face could not be seen. "Ah...little bird...I have finally found you." he said to himself before starting to walk in the opposite direction of her.

         Soon Lenora was back at her hotel room and sat her bag down and fell onto her bed. Her mind went back to 23 years ago; All the memories came back like a tsunami. Tears started to form in her eyes as she remembered their last encounter.

       'I'm sorry...Lenora...'

      She took a deep breath before wiping the tears from her eyes and leaned up. She silently cursed herself thinking she had gotten over being rejected by him. She had even had a few relationships over the years, but for some reason none of them actually stuck around for good. Groaning in frustration she got up and spent the rest of her day going over her lesson plans and reading through her new books trying to prepare for the school year as best as she could. Before she knew it was night and her eyes were screaming in pain. She sat her book down and rubbed her eyes before going to change into her night clothes and laid down for bed.

       "Hogwarts...here I come.." she said before closing her eyes and falling asleep.