Part XXXVII - Coming Back: Evening

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit tribute to the works of J.K. Rowling, who created and, together with her publishers and licensees, owns the characters and settings elaborated herein.

All my gratitude to my beta AmyLouise. Many thanks to all my kind readers and reviewers.

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Part XXXVII - - Coming Back: Evening

This chapter was written as a loving tribute to John Nettleship, the chemistry teacher whom JKR immortalised as Severus Snape. John died on March 12, 2011, after a long struggle against cancer.

He was a good man, and he will be missed.

*************

Darkness had invaded the country, covering the fields under its shadowy cape. Concealing an obscure menace in their feather-like appearance, snowflakes had begun to fall in random carousels, as if cautiously tasting the world in which they were to descend.

Vainly trying to detect her son and his grim companion in that impenetrable blackness, Ginny was getting more and more anxious, but as she couldn't do anything but wait and worry, she tried to keep her tension under control by repeating to herself that there were no dangers around Hogwarts.

Times had changed: no more werewolves or irked centaurs ready to throw arrows at the passersby... though giant spiders were probably still surviving somewhere in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. But, she assured herself, Snape must know about them. He was a valiant wizard, and he had been a Death Eater! Indubitably, he knew how to defend himself and his student... And surely Al was enjoying being out with his questionable friend. Why let her anxiety spoil his happiness? There was no need to worry. Surely, they would return at any moment. And then, when they were safely back in the castle...

Her lips curled in a dark smile while she mentally rehearsed the welcome speech she had especially prepared for "Uncle Severus".

Lost in those considerations, Ginny hadn't forgotten the place in which she was or the people around her. So, when she finally moved on from the window, she was ready to return Minerva and Filius' questioning gazes without a blink, showing her older friends that everything was under control.

Neville chose that moment to enter the room.

"I'm back!" he said, greeting them with his friendly smile. "Hanna sends her best regards to everybody."

Forgetting her anxiety for a moment, Ginny too smiled warmly. "I'm so happy for you," she said. "Tell me how is she?"

"Struggling with nausea and hoping to have a chat with you soon, Ginny. Suggestions from an experienced mother are always appreciated." Neville was evidently sparkling with joy; he winked at James and Lily. "And what about you? How was the day?"

The children had gathered to welcome him. With her sweet confidence, Lily tugged his robes to attract his attention, raising a radiant face in anticipation. Smiling fondly, Neville bent to kiss her, then lifted her in his arms. She placed her cheek against his cheek and began to talk excitedly.

"It was great! I played real Quidditch on real brooms with James and Al, and Uncle Severus teamed with me! You can't imagine what happened!"

Thoroughly fed up with listening to his sister's big adventure – also because she had actually flown while that exciting experience had been denied to him – James impolitely interrupted her with a much more interesting subject.

"Did you know that Professor Snape can fly? You should have seen him! His cape opened like–"

"A giant bat...," Neville murmured, and his eyes became blank. James looked at him with a frown, misunderstanding his reaction.

"I'm talking seriously!" he protested. "Lily had fallen from her broom, and he reached her BY FLYING!"

Still lost in his memories, Neville nodded vaguely in acknowledgement. Irritated by what he considered a disconcerting indifference, the boy went on impatiently, "He can fly better than a bird! You should have seen him! He went so high in the sky, I thought he would never come down."

"Yes!" Lily intervened, glaring at her brother for having spoiled her surprise. "And I flew with him! It was... great!" she said with a dreamy voice.

Then she proudly added a brazen lie, "But I wasn't afraid because he promised he would watch over me!"

At this point, her mother was ready to join the conversation.

"Didn't he also promise that Al would be back before dark?" she asked harshly, and James backed off at that well-known signal of approaching temper.

Neville frowned and seemed to suddenly realise that one of the children was missing. Flitwick looked embarrassed, so Neville turned his head towards the Headmistress, and Minerva licked her lower lip nervously.

"I'm sure they will be here soon," she offered uncertainly. Concern was also beginning to show on her face, and Ginny felt her own anxiety increase at that sight.

The older woman smiled a hesitant smile. "There must be a reason for this delay, a logical one. Perhaps they have found..."

A violent rumble of thunder exploded, and the whole castle vibrated under that powerful sound. Ginny jumped up on her feet.

"Enough!" she exclaimed. "I want my boy back!"

As if mocking her, the wind howled and knocked against the window, making the coloured glass tremble and ting. Snowflakes began to whirl more and more vehemently, whipping the walls, while another thunderclap rumbled even more loudly. Lily widened her eyes, then hid her face against Neville. The storm had reached the castle, and for a moment, everybody stood still in that explosion of fury.

"Now what do you have to say, Minerva?" Ginny asked sharply, unable to contain her tension any longer . "Any other excuse? No sensible person would keep a child out in such weather!"

No answer came, though she had deliberately provoked the Headmistress in the hope of being contradicted, so, finally, Ginny ceded.

"Perhaps... perhaps something has happened," she whispered, confessing her anxiety and raising a desperate face to the others.

"We must find them immediately!" Neville exclaimed, unconsciously tightening Lily in his arms. Frightened, the girl began to cry while James gasped and alternately watched the adults in the room. Minerva raised a hand.

"I think we must ask Mr. Bernardi," she declared with a shaky voice, and both Neville and Ginny saw an immense fear in her eyes.

*************

"Al! Al! AL!"

Lost in the middle of a tempest, wind and snowflakes impairing his sight, a chilling cold biting his body, Snape was reaching levels of panic he had never thought possible to experience. Where was the boy hiding? How long could the young boy survive in such a freezing temperature? Minutes were elapsing at an unbearably slow pace while, heart beating madly, he struggled against the elements, pushing his way frantically through the trees.

But he soon had to pause in desperation. No. That wouldn't work. The Forest was too large to be searched by just one man. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself and plan a strategy. Should he try to use magic?

"Accio Al!" he shouted, pointing his wand, but nothing happened.

"Accio Albus Severus!" he tried again furiously. And still nothing happened.

Maddening. The situation was maddening. Frustrated, he watched his wand helplessly, trembling with the effort of controlling his anxiety. And doing so, he noticed that his hands had greyed. Following his previous decision, life had begun to retreat from his limbs. Suddenly, he understood. Renouncing life, he had progressively expelled magic from his body. He needed to recover his earlier strength again. But how to do it without reversing his decision? And was there still time to do it?

He paused and tried to gather all the sensations, all the emotions, all the astonishing feelings he had experienced in that incredible day.

Calling back what he had just rejected.

Letting blood once more replenish his veins.

Embracing life again.

It was dangerous. It was extremely dangerous. Reversing the process could destroy his body forever. But there was no time to ask for help: Al had just a few moments left. There were no other options, or the boy would never survive.

Desperately, Snape focused his thoughts on the child.

A thunderbolt exploded, and he lost himself in an immense wave of power.

*************

Marcello Bernardi was listening with widened eyes and a terrified face.

"Oh, santo cielo!" he exclaimed. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

He seemed to regret his impulsive words as soon as he glanced at Ginny; awkwardly, he tried to offer her comfort by taking her hand and guiding her towards an armchair where a motionless figure covered by a blanket was sleeping quietly. "Don't worry, Madam, I'm sure that my grandfather ..."

The powerful sound of thunder rumbled, and Tomaso Bernardi opened his eyes with a start.

"Marcello!" he called feebly with a voice in which panic could be perceived. "E' successo qualcosa! L'ho perduto! Something happened! Professor Snape has disconnected. I have lost him."

Both men looked at each other in terror.

*************

Al was sitting under a bush, and the snow had begun to gently envelop him in a soft, deadly cover.

"Al!" Snape called, kneeling at his side to check him. The boy was shivering, and the wizard immediately cast a warming spell. A flurry of warm air enfolded the place. Tracing an arc with his wand, Snape created an invisible shield in order to retain the heat and protect them from the storm.

Al glared at him defiantly. "Go 'way," he blurted. "I don't need your help! I'll go home by myself."

"Don't be silly," Snape said, concealing his immense relief under a stern tone and straightening up in all his imposing height. "It's too cold; you are going to freeze."

Al scrambled to his feet as well. He was shaking, but his face held a stubbornly resentful expression while he challenged the man.

"So what? This is no-none of your b-business. You c-can't give m-me orders any more!"

"Mr. Potter! Watch your tongue! I'm still your teacher," Snape replied in his most professorial tone, and at that statement, Al suddenly smiled.

"You're s-still my t-teacher?" he stammered, teeth chattering uncontrollably in reaction to the warmth invading his body. "Then you t-told me a lie before, d-didn't you? It wasn't true. O-otherwise, why w-would you..."

The rest of the sentence got lost in an indistinct murmur while Al, yielding to his exhaustion, swayed and leaned against Snape.

"Let's go back," Snape said firmly, taking Al's arm. Then he stopped. They couldn't walk back in that weather. Nor could he Side-Along-Apparate the boy into the castle or into its gardens. The protective charms would never let them in. He frowned and looked up at the raging sky.

*************

"How can we reach them?" Ginny asked. Her eyes were dry, her voice determined. Behind her, unable to do anything else but watch – a condition frighteningly unusual to him – Harry was waiting in silence while his parents had tactfully retired into a frame hanging over the much younger possessors of their names, sitting quietly in a corner of the room.

Tomaso Bernardi shook his head.

"My dear lady," he said, still breathing painfully after that unexpected, shocking awakening. "I'm deeply sorry. There is no way for me to reconnect with Professor Snape in the short time the situation would require. In this moment, Professor Snape is as human as you and me. I have no more power over him. I'm afraid I can't be of help. We must find a different solution."

Marcello Bernardi ran a hand through his hair in utter desolation.

"Non può essere... che cosa è andato storto?*" he murmured, and though not understanding his words, Ginny immediately perceived his discomfort. She bit her lip in the effort of preventing tears.

Minerva put a hand on her shoulder. The younger woman cast her an accusing glance then spoke again, hardening her tone. "Then I'm going out to search for them!"

*************

Out in the dark, Snape silently interrogated himself. Until that moment, his magic had worked well. Life was flowing powerfully in his veins, and its intoxicating force had filled his heart with renewed confidence. Summoning his memories again, he pointed his wand and called, "Expecto Patronum!"

Al gasped and widened his eyes. The fluid shape of a silver doe had suddenly burst out from the tip of Snape's wand. Glowing softly, the graceful creature raised her head to the wizard, as if welcoming him back. Then the animal slowly went near to Al.

The child and the doe looked at each other; unable to resist that fascinating image, Al cautiously stretched out a hand. Immediately the doe drew back, still looking at the boy with her mild eyes. Then, with a sudden start, she broke into a run and disappeared amongst the trees, leaving behind her a silvery trail.

*************

Neville was the first to react. "I'm coming with you," he told Ginny; at his side, Marcello Bernardi instantly nodded. "Count me in, Madam," he said, hardening his jaw.

Flitwick and Minerva exchanged a helpless glance. Ginny took her wand. At her shoulders, Harry lowered his head and sighed. Then little Lily let out a shriek of fear and everybody froze.

Something graceful and silver had just jumped through the coloured glass of the window, landing lightly on the floor. The doe raised her head and her long-lashed eyes searched for the woman of whom she was the loving symbol. In her frame, Lily gasped and raised a hand to cover her mouth, her eyes rapidly filling with tears. Minerva advanced, her face revealing an incredulous awe, and the doe lowered her head as if bowing to her authority.

Then the rich, deep voice of Severus Snape resounded in the room.

"Unlock the protective charms, Minerva. We are coming."

With an elegant leap, the creature of light vanished through the wall. The astonished silence that followed was immediately broken by excited, confused exclamations until Tomaso Bernardi silenced everybody by saying quietly, "I'd suggest doing what he asked. Right now."

*************

Under their protective shelter, Snape and Al were silently staring at the storm when the doe came back, and this time she went to rub her head against Al's hand before disappearing. The child smiled, and Snape nodded gravely.

"They know," he said. He paused to contemplate the sky and breathed slowly, comparing his internal turmoil to the violent storm that reflected so well his perturbed spirit. His last moments, definitely his last moments...

Even the stinging cold would be a welcome sensation on his skin now, he bitterly considered. The moon shone for a moment through the clouds, as if bidding him goodbye for the last time, and its light created an ethereal effect on the land covered in white.

The wizard lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Every cloud has a silver lining," he murmured in a wish and a farewell, feeling his heart ache intensely.

He turned to Al, trying to hide his sorrow. "Time to go, Mr. Potter."

The boy watched him, and the smile that was still lingering on his lips after the meeting with the doe slowly faded into a grave expression.

"And then, when we are back, you will leave us?" he whispered.

Torn between desire and despair, Snape felt acutely helpless. Oh, how much he would have liked to accept the prayer so palpably evident in that question!

But how... how could he bear to be trapped once more into a frame after the glorious day in which he had, against all odds, experienced life again, savoured it in its rough perfection, breathed it into his lungs and veins?

And in which other way could he survive on the earth without condemning Harry to a horrible destiny or himself to perpetual confinement?

Emotions clouded his mind, rising inside him like leaves whirling in the wind, and a silent anger made him clench his fists forcefully.

"I suppose there is nothing I could say that can make you change your plan, is there, Professor?" the boy said, watching him with a surprisingly mature expression.

Snape sighed and averted his eyes, trying to hide the anguish that had invaded his heart. This time, there wouldn't be wounds on his body, but the pain inflicted to his spirit would be even more atrocious than Nagini's bite.

Al shuddered, and not because of the weather.

"I will miss you a lot," he sniffled, becoming once more a child and a desolate one; a tear fell in the snow and sparkled gently like a precious gem before being swallowed by the white softness.

The boy raised his reddened eyes. "Will you remember me in... in the place where you are going?" he asked, looking for comfort in his sorrow for something he couldn't understand or accept.

Snape felt as if his spirit was being lacerated, and his heart rebelled violently against that impending separation. But his mind warned him again: there was nothing he could do! Life as a human being had been forbidden to him twenty years before. The day that had just passed had been only an extraordinary gift, for which he was now feeling both gratitude and resentment.

What use had it been to be offered the joy of living if it had to be taken from him right at the moment he had begun to savour it? Wouldn't it have been better if he had kept living, lonely and untouched, in his frame? He silently cursed the Bernardis and their deceptive offer, then watched Al and tried to steady his voice.

"Of course I will remember you!" he said, and though the words sounded decidedly childish and inadequate to him, Al seemed to be greatly relieved.

"Let's go home, then," the boy whispered, bowing to Snape's decision and clasping the hand he was offered.

*************

With a soft pop, Snape and Albus Severus Apparated into the Potions Room in the middle of an eagerly waiting group. The boy was swaying under the nauseating effect of the Side-Along-Apparition, and at that sight, his mother immediately cried out, "Al!"

He ran to embrace her, and she hugged him forcefully. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?" she inquired anxiously, scrutinising his reddened eyes and cupping his face in that worriedly affectionate way displayed by mothers on such occasions.

More composedly, Minerva reached Snape, who was looking at the scene with a sad expression. She put a hand on his arm.

"What happened, Severus?" she said, her expression betraying her inner anxiety. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm sorry, Madam Potter," Snape said, avoiding Minerva's gaze and looking at Ginny. "I could not keep my word."

Immediately, Al intervened.

"It was my fault, Mum," he said with a contrite expression. "I ran away and got lost in the storm. Professor Snape had to search for me."

Everybody turned their heads to look at the wizard.

"You don't need to make excuses for me, Mr. Potter," Snape replied quietly to the questioning faces. "The fault was mine."

"But why did you do such a thing?" Ginny asked, watching her child with eyes in which relief was turning into doubt.

"Professor Snape said that he wanted to stop teaching and leave us forever. I got angry with him, so I ran away," the boy said as if that could explain everything.

"Again, that's not exactly the truth," Snape interposed. But Minerva stared at him with deep anguish and shook her head.

"Leave us?" she murmured. "What does this mean, Severus?"

Tears twinkled in her eyes while she glanced alternately at Snape and the painters; both the Bernardis had discreetly retired into a corner so that the main actors of the drama could feel free to voice their feelings. Minerva met Tomaso's warning gaze and trembled.

"Do you mean that you... that you..." Strangled by her strength of feeling, she couldn't end her question and watched Snape in silence.

"I can stay here only as a painting," he explained softly. "But I can't accept it any longer. Not after a day like today."

Even as he spoke, he felt the inadequacy of his own words. How could he explain the terrible storm that was raging in his soul?

Lips trembling uncontrollably, Minerva raised a hand to cover her mouth. Snape smiled sadly in acknowledgement, and then he continued slowly, as if he was also trying to explain to himself the choice he had made about that unsolvable dilemma.

"I can't stay here as a living being because that would mean having to sacrifice the man who has so generously exchanged his place with me."

The wizard nodded to Harry, who was listening in silence.

"So, my only remaining options are to leave forever or to stay here in my previous form: a living painting. But, as I said before, this second choice has become intolerable after today."

Again, his heart ached violently in painful protest, and he stiffened, trying to control himself. Upset by those words, but mostly by the expression on his face, little Lily ran to embrace him. "No, Uncle Severus! Don't go! I don't want you to leave!"

And, pressing her face against his robes, she began to cry.

Snape felt something painful, yet immensely sweet, enter his heart. He struggled to resist, but that sentiment was so acutely heartbreaking that he yielded. Forgetting his role, his age, his dignity, he knelt and hugged Lily tightly. Then, overwhelmed by his sensations, he hid his face in her hair and felt the tears finally wet his cheeks.

*************

Nobody tried to move. An intense emotion seemed to have frozen all those present. Extremely touched, Tomaso Bernardi wiped his eyes several times before asking cautiously with a roughened voice, "Should I assume that you have opted for the absolute solution?"

Perceiving the danger disguised in that apparently innocent question, the children reacted all together.

"No!" Albus Severus burst out; then, with a desolate glance at Snape, he turned his head to hide his sorrow.

"No!" his sister cried, hugging Snape even more tightly.

"No!" James added, reddening with the effort of finding a valuable deal to convince the wizard. "Please, Professor, don't go. I swear I'll behave!"

Neville smiled, though there was something twinkling suspiciously in his eyes. "I can't help but join the children in their plea," he said. "Please, Severus, reconsider your choice, if you can. I would be honoured to be your colleague in the years to come. And may they be many and joyful!"

Then his round, boyish face took a saddened, almost solemn expression. "But this is a decision that you alone can make. For my part, I can only hope and wish for you to be happy."

His voice softened. "You deserve it."

From his frame, Harry declared quietly, "I agree with Neville, Professor: you shouldn't leave us. There is still so much that you can do. Living in a frame may have limited your body, but it hasn't chained your spirit, and your past actions have proven it."

Snape raised his head. He wiped a tear, and his reddened eyes looked at the round shining drop on his finger with a sad, incredulous expression. Human... definitely human, right in the moment he was leaving his existence.

Minerva bit her lips and clasped her hands spasmodically. The old woman was evidently struggling to keep her pain under control.

"See how much we love you, Severus," she said with a wavering voice. "Having you here was the most incredible joy we'd ever sought, and I'd hoped..."

She gulped, and her knuckles whitened with the effort of fighting back the tears. Straightening her head in an act of will, she added firmly, "But what I'd hoped doesn't count now. The choice is yours, and we will support you in your decision."

Then her eyes met his, and emotion took over again. "Yet... yet it's so painful to see you leave, now that we have finally learned to know you. I... I would like to..."

But she couldn't go on, as uncontrollable sobs cut her speech.

Snape closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

"I never felt like this," he murmured haltingly, lost in those overwhelming sensations. He paused, searching for words, but he was only able to whisper, "Never."

Then, too upset to continue, he buried his face in Lily's hair again. The child returned his embrace. "Don't cry, Uncle Severus, or I will cry too," she said with a trembling voice, and following her statement, a round drop fell down as if reinforcing it.

Ginny considered her children for a long moment, then took a step forward and went to kneel near Snape. Her expression reflected the emotions clashing in her heart: pain, sympathy, sorrow... and something unexpectedly close to regret.

"I have been terribly unjust with you, Professor," she said. "I was wrong and I want to apologise. I hope you will forgive me."

She hesitated, then continued softly, "All these years I was jealous because I didn't understand why it was you, out of everyone we lost, that Harry wanted back. It never made sense to me until today."

She paused and smiled uncertainly, embarrassed by her own emotion.

"And now I'm going to lose you, just as I've come to know you," she murmured, placing her hand on Snape's arm in a gentle touch and thus renewing – this time much more consciously – the kind gesture she had offered him after their first conversation.

"I'm sorry," she whispered ruefully.

Neville nodded, and Flitwick croaked, mustering his voice with an evident effort, "We'll miss you."

Snape raised his eyes. His gaze embraced all those surrounding him, pausing on every one, as if he were seeing them for the first time, and finally rested on the children, "his" children.

Albus Severus, the boy he looked upon as a son.

James, who had revealed an unexpectedly kind heart in spite of his bold appearance.

And the precious little girl who was hugging him with such adorable confidence.

He paused to absorb all the splendid feelings he was offered while his mind savoured the many impossibly sweet emotions reaching his heart. And, above all, that incredible, unimaginable, wondrous impression of being enfolded by a gigantic wave of tenderness.

Overwhelmed by those previously unknown sensations and feeling the magnificent glory of tears wet his cheeks again, he looked up and around, as if for guidance. How could anyone of those surrounding him possibly understand his inner turmoil, his devastating confusion, his contradictory thoughts? And yet, his heart dilated in an impossible hope, in the hope of a hope.

With sudden awe, Snape perceived the gentle, incorporeal touch of the powerful spell that had brought him back. His soul trembled, and his eyes lifted unerringly to one portrait on the wall. To Harry. Was perhaps the magical bond that had previously linked their bodies now connecting their spirits? His heart thudded silently in a renewed plea, and incredibly, Harry reacted to that call by smiling and nodding quietly.

Snape breathed slowly, not daring to move for fear of breaking that extraordinary moment. Could Harry Potter feel what Snape was feeling, connected as they were by that singular link?

The wizard stared at the man who had been so generous as to risk his life by becoming a picture and hoped with all his strength that Harry could give him comfort, help, a solution: the answer that his mind was desperately trying to find.

He had no reason to doubt. Since their very first meeting during the Hogwarts celebration – and how far back in time that event now seemed, though it had only taken place a couple of months before! – Harry had been a continual, total, astounding source of surprise for the wizard who had taught him Potions and misery, Occlumency and distrust.

So, disoriented but hopeful – oh, so desperately hopeful! – Snape waited in anxiety, silent before a man he had always considered to be stubborn, arrogant, and even foolish in his decisions and who, on the contrary, had proved to possess a reassuringly wise heart.

As if perceiving those thoughts, Harry leaned forward and smiled at his former Professor with the same indulgent smile he reserved for his children.

"Don't be afraid," he said, in that new surprisingly mature voice. "Don't you remember what I told you that day? Think of life as a sequence of pictures that incessantly connect every kind of being in every part of the world... Think of the many astonishing things you have been able to do, even as a painting. Imagine the many other wonders you could be able to accomplish in the future, and you'll see it: there is no difference between you and me. There are no topics you can't possibly explore, nor places you can't visit, nor friends you can't meet, nor feelings you can't share. Your heart is just trying to show you the way. Don't be afraid to listen to it."

Snape watched Harry in amazement. Those words had hit him with incredible force, but the quiet power concealed in the man who was once one of his students had struck him even more. So, feeling young and humble in that unpredicted reversal of roles, the wizard obeyed; closing his eyes, he let his mind connect with his inner self.

Down, down, down he went into his soul, following the path that Harry had so gently traced for him. Deep, deep, deep he plunged into his spirit, reliving all the many thoughts and actions of that extraordinary day, weighing them in his heart and comparing them to the ones he had previously experienced in his past and his subsequently renewed life.

The silence was immense, as nobody dared to disturb the wizard in his meditation, not even the children. Finally, Snape raised his head, once more scrutinising the people in the room, and a sudden revelation struck him.

For the very first time, he wasn't ordered, threatened, or forced to do anything.

For the very first time, he was being accepted, wanted, and cherished exactly for what he was.

The ones gathered there cared for him, in spite of his being a picture. They were offering him love – the unconditional love he had always craved without ever attaining it.

Did he really need to be flesh and bones to enjoy those feelings?

Was it really necessary to have a body to love and to be loved?

Was that the simple secret that his heart had desperately tried to make him see for the whole day while his reason had raged and fought and bled in desperation?

He straightened, holding Lily in his arms like a shield. The girl nestled her head against his; then, taking advantage of his closeness, she kissed him on his cheek.

"Please, Uncle Severus... will you stay?" she asked with a small, hopeful voice.

He watched her anxiously waiting eyes and bowed to his heart and to the promises of happiness it contained.

"I'll stay," he said.

The room exploded with joy.

*************

*Translation: for those who were wondering about Marcello's sentence, the one that Ginny couldn't understand, he (literally) said, "It can't be... What did go wrong?"