Severus Laughs

A/N: In this chapter I introduce a new character, but he is neither from J. K. Rowling's imagination or mine. He is from the spiritual folklore of India. If you Google his name, "Babaji," you can find out more about him.

As always, I would like to thank my wonderful betas, JENGEORGE and NervousAboutAngels, for helping me to make this a better story. My grammar is dreadful, and they have to work overtime to keep me in line. An additional long overdue thank you goes out to the admins here at TPP. They find what my betas miss.

And, of course, the great and talented J. K. Rowling is responsible for the characters and their world. I make no money from the writing or sharing of this story.

Chapter 22

"Severus Laughs While Sienna Cries,

But the Secret Room Holds a Surprise"

With a POP, Severus and Winky Apparated into total darkness.

"Lumos," he said casually. "Winky, are you sure we're in the right place?"

The dim wand light was more than enough to illuminate the tiny quarters they found themselves in. A single-sized mattress lay on the floor against one wall with a small window above it. A simple dresser stood starkly against the opposite wall with a mirror just large enough to see someone's hair and face hanging above it. On the center of the dresser top stood a small group of four pictures hinged together: Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed. Well, she's got all the bases covered, thought Severus to himself. He noticed that they were stagnant images, Muggle-style pictures. They were arranged in a semicircle, facing a small candle. To the right of this little scene perched a magical photo. Severus recognized her mother and father smiling and waving. On the floor in front of the third wall sat a large cushion indented in the center with a button.

"This is Miss Sienna's quarters, Headmaster Snape, sir. Winky is sure of it."

"You must be right, because those are her parents," he conceded, pointing to the moving photo. "But it's the middle of the night. Where could she be?"

"Winky doesn't know, Headmaster Snape, sir. Maybe we should go outside and look around."

"I suppose there must be someone here who could help us find her." Then he looked down at Winky and raised an eyebrow. "But I doubt that any of these Muggles have ever seen a house-elf before. Perhaps you'd better stay here."

"Whatever Headmaster Snape sir thinks is best." She gave him a little bow and sat down on the cushion. "Winky will wait here, Headmaster Snape, sir."

"Hopefully this won't take long," he said as he let himself out.

The door led outside to a long, covered walkway. In one direction, he could see nothing but darkness. In the other was a dim, distant glow, which he decided to follow. He passed many other doors and little windows as he walked. From some he could hear loud snores drifting out into the cool night air, from others, only silence. He wondered if they were not occupied, or if the sleepers were simply quiet.

At the end of the covered walkway, he could see a large, white marble structure. High pillars supported a steep roof. There were no walls, but a wooden screen stood at the back of the structure. Its multi-paneled surface was elaborately carved and inlaid with precious stones and rich designs. The images represented many of the world's major religions in one form or another.

As Severus studied the structure, he realized that there were no Muggle electric lights, no torches, no candles. So where was the light source? The structure, as well as its occupants, seemed to be glowing!

Six people sat in silent stillness on cushions similar to the one in Sienna's quarters. They wore loosely-fitting golden sleeveless tunics, and their feet were bare. In the crisp, chilly night air, Severus wondered how they could keep warm in such scant clothing. They formed a semicircle around a seventh person. His cushion was elevated about twelve inches above theirs by a pedestal. He was clean-shaven, very handsome, and looked to be in his late 20's to early 30's. His straight black hair cascaded down over his shoulders. His skin was the dark tan of most natives from this part of the world. His hairless chest was bare and he wore only a white loin cloth. Severus couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy. Is this the man she has spent every summer with?

Severus noticed that Sienna was one of the people meditating in front of the bare-chested man. As he gazed at her, so serene and peaceful, a wave of guilt washed over him. The last time he had found her meditating was on the Gryffindor roof. What a selfish fool he had been that day.

Presently, the young, handsome man opened his eyes and immediately looked at Severus. Then he stood and silently stepped past the others as he made his way to Severus' side.

"Greetings, Severus Snape," he whispered in a very thick Indian accent. "I am Babaji. Come." He motioned for them to walk away from the class so as to not disturb them while talking.

As they walked away into the beautiful gardens, Severus noticed something remarkable: although it was a pitch-black, moonless night, somehow he could see where he was going. A glow seemed to follow the young guru as he walked.

"Welcome to my ashram, Severus Snape," he said with a broad smile.

"Thank you, sir. But how do you know who I am? Sienna was not expecting me."

"No, but Babaji was expecting you," he grinned impishly.

"How can that be?" Severus became intensely curious now.

"Because you finally found the secret room off your private quarters."

Severus' eyes popped open as an alarmed scowl crossed his face. "How do you know about the secret room?"

"I am the room, my dear boy!" Babaji laughed loudly.

"I don't understand. And what gives you the notion that you can call me boy? I'm a bit older than you are!"

Again Babaji laughed.

Severus began to get irritated. He didn't come all this way to be insulted or spoken to in riddles.

As if he could read Severus' mind, Babaji said, "Calm down, my son. In answer to your first question, wizarding laws do not apply to me. I have God's power at my fingertips. If you know about the room, I know about it, since through God, we are all one."

Severus raised a skeptical eyebrow, but he began to relax a bit as he remembered that both Sienna and Lily had given him the "we are all one" speech in the past. Perhaps there really was something to it. He still didn't like being called "boy" and "son" by this upstart, however, and displeasure remained sprawled across his face.

"And as for my age... Well, at this point I've lost track, but I materialized as the fully grown man you see before you over 500 years ago. My purpose in this incarnation is to take spiritual adepts who have reached a certain point in their advancement and bring them as far as I am able down the path towards spiritual enlightenment. Since my duties often require me to appear in several places at once, it was decided that a young, vibrant body would make my job easier. So I have remained in this form, unchanging, over the years. I do not suffer disease. Whether I eat or not doesn't matter because I feel no hunger. My hair and beard do not even grow. Appearances can be time-consuming to maintain. My time is better spent on more important matters."

Severus stood, dumbfounded, in speechless amazement. He vaguely remembered reading about Indian folklore in a Muggle studies course. An ageless guru of great power was rumored to exist and had been spotted over the centuries by "the worthy and the faithful." Could this be him?

"So," Babaji said as he continued to read Severus' mind, "you are here to propose to Sienna. You hope that I can perform the ceremony to preserve the secret of her existence from the wizarding world."

"Can you?" Severus asked with an anxious tone.

"It would be my honor. But I have one condition."

"Oh?" Severus held his breath.

"You both must undergo two counseling sessions. The first, this Saturday, the next, one week later. If all goes well, you may be married the following day, Sunday, September 21st."

"Counseling?" Severus' posture stiffened defensively. "What on earth for?"

"I require it of all the couples I unite in holy matrimony."

"I think it's a waste of time, quite frankly."

"Ah, do you now?" Babaji spoke softly, as he narrowed his eyelids and gazed with scrutiny at Severus. It almost felt like a Legilimency session with Voldemort.

"I feel you haven't been truthful with her. You are hiding something."

"She knows that I am a spy. My position is precarious at best. She doesn't expect me to tell her everything," he said defensively.

I am not speaking of your fight against Voldemort. These are matters of the heart that you hide from her."

"What do you mean?" Severus asked, with a touch of apprehension creeping up his spine.

"Why, your undying love for Lily, of course!"

Severus' eyes popped open. He gasped at the guru and was once again reduced to speechlessness.

"I fear that if Lily was to reappear before you right now, in the flesh, and you were forced to choose between them, you would choose Lily."

Severus dropped his gaze to the ground. Babaji was right. He would give Sienna up for Lily, but it would be difficult and very, very painful.

He finally found the courage to speak. "But I love them both. And Lily is not alive. In fact, I haven't even seen her in my dreams for several months now." He looked back into Babaji's coal black eyes. He didn't think anyone could have eyes blacker than his, but there they were, staring back at him. And deep inside the depths of those eyes radiated a wisdom Severus had never known. This man had all the answers. This man knew the true meaning of life itself.

"I love Sienna dearly. I came here hoping to make her happy, not to break her heart."

"Yes, but before you do, don't you think she has a right to know that she will never have 100% of your heart?"

"I don't know about that. Over time my feelings may change."

"Possibly. But you should still tell her about Lily, about the dreams. Perhaps, if you mention that Lily gave her the vision in the first place, she won't mind sharing you with her."

"You know about the vision?!" Severus was astounded yet again.

Babaji shook his head and patted Severus' shoulder gently, just like Dumbledore used to do. "You have so much to learn, Severus Snape. It will take you several lifetimes to catch up with Sienna."

Severus sighed. He had been so excited when he and Winky had arrived. Now all he felt was apprehension. "I guess we'd better have your counseling sessions then," he conceded.

"Don't worry," Babaji smiled an impish smile again. "It won't be a one-sided confessional."

Severus raised a curious eyebrow.

"There's something she needs to tell you as well."

Apprehension began to creep up his spine again. Severus couldn't decide if he wanted to get away from Babaji, or spend the rest of his life at the ashram trying to feed off of his wisdom and positive energy. In a way, he was almost addictive. In another way, he was a bit frightening. It was strange. After a time he decided that he wasn't quite ready for what Babaji had to offer. Perhaps in his next life.

"May I speak with her now?"

Babaji nodded. "I'll summon her." His hand remained on Severus' shoulder as he closed his eyes and became very still. After a few moments Babaji opened his eyes and he could hear footsteps in the dark distance. Sienna finally appeared at his side, beaming up at him."

"You found the room!" She said excitedly as they wrapped themselves around each other.

"Yes," he said simply. "And he knows about it!"

She nodded her head towards Babaji, "He knows everything!"

"So I'm beginning to realize," Severus said with a touch of irritation in his voice. "By the way, how do you know about it?"

"Albus took me in there once."

"Really! What for?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

Severus eyed her suspiciously, then glanced towards Babaji who was giving him that "I told you so" look.

"Shall I go pack my things?"

"No, not yet," he turned his eyes back to Sienna and began to drink in her glowing beauty. "I need to speak with you about something first."

"I think I'll get back to the class," said the guru with a benign smile and disappeared into the darkness.

"Why can't I come back with you tonight?" she asked, obviously disappointed.

"Because I think we should be married first," he announced flatly.

"What?!" came her loud and somewhat stunned response.

"I've been thinking long and hard about this. I was in love once, long ago. I lost her because I made selfish choices. I vowed never to make the same mistake again." He gazed longingly into her silvery green eyes. "This love we share is one of the purest and most beautiful things I've ever experienced. I don't want to taint it with a base, sinful and selfish act. If I love you enough to take you to my bed, I should also be willing to marry you."

Tears welled up in Sienna's eyes and began to roll freely down her face.

"You don't want to marry me?" Severus asked, crestfallen.

"No, no," she sniffed. Then she took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes. "These are tears of joy, love, tears of joy..."

Severus sighed with relief then started laughing.

"Nothing could make me happier than to become your wife!" she announced between sobs.

Severus laughed even harder as he hugged her tightly. "Women!"

He could hardly wait for their wedding night.

They slowly made their way back to her quarters with their arms around each other. Severus informed her of the counseling sessions and wedding date and asked if that was OK with her.

"The sooner the better," was her happy reply.

Since it couldn't be a big wedding, there were no real preparations to be made. Sienna informed him that the ashram would throw the reception and all 25 of its occupants would attend, since they were her friends. She also wanted her mother to be there. She could send her Patronus, and then Winky could fetch her in time for the rehearsal dinner on the 20th.

So, it was all decided. After one long, wet kiss, Severus and Winky returned to Hogwarts.

*****

The next day, Severus awoke to more graffiti on the walls and another round of insolent backtalk in the Carrows' classrooms. He had come down hard on the Carrows the week before for almost killing Neville, however, so most of the students who ended up in detention did not also end up in the hospital wing. And those that did could be cared for with ease by Madam Pomfrey.

He knew it was an old-fashioned idea, but he was hoping that there would be no medical reason to bring Sienna to the school before the wedding. The only times he wanted to see her between now and then were during the two counseling sessions. And in his mind, he was slowly forming the speech he knew would inevitably have to come... the speech explaining Lily and how his heart was indeed big enough to love them both at the same time. He only prayed that she would understand.

Friday night arrived, and after dinner he finally had time to himself. He decided to spend it studying the secret room and perfecting it for Sienna's arrival.

He added a rug and some curtains, a dust ruffle for the bed, and some extra decorative pillows. A fireplace with a mantlepiece, a love seat in front of it, and he felt the room was complete. Since she would be spending more time in there than anyone else, he would let her add the finishing touches to her taste.

As he turned to pass back through the archway to his quarters, he noticed something odd. One of the dresser drawers was slightly ajar. Had it always been that way and he only just noticed it? As he walked over to push it closed he could see something inside. Curious, he opened the drawer fully. It was filled with nice neat rows of black socks! He didn't recall asking the room for a supply of socks. This had to be Dumbledore's doing. But how? His portrait was two rooms away. Sienna had mentioned that he took her in here once. Perhaps this dresser was here when he used the room, and he had left them in the drawer for the next Headmaster to find. If Dumbledore left something, perhaps others did as well.

Severus began to pull each drawer out for a thorough search. But all of the other drawers turned up empty. A bit disappointed, he began to remove the socks. She wouldn't need them. They were too big for her tiny feet, but he could always use more black socks.

As he reached in for the last pair he felt something hard and smooth. He pulled it out with great curiosity. So there was something else: a phial containing a silvery-blue liquid or gas-like substance. Severus deduced that it must be a memory, probably of Dumbledore's. But why would he keep it here? Unless... he never intended for anyone else to see it.

He held it up to the light as if the filtered rays could reveal its secrets. But there was only one way to find out what was inside; therefore, he marched through his quarters to the Pensieve in his office, holding it up as he walked.

"What do you have there, Severus?" asked Dumbledore's portrait.

"A memory. I think it might be one of yours. It came from a dresser drawer in the secret room.

"Now wait just a minute, Severus. That's private!" Dumbledore objected strongly.

"Not for long," Severus exclaimed with a mischievous grin.

"I'm telling you, Severus, you don't want to watch that. You'll misinterpret what you see, and you'll come to the wrong conclusion."

"Respect the man's private memories, Snape! For goodness sake," insisted Dilys Derwent.

"It doesn't concern you, Severus. Now put it away. I'm warning you!" Dumbledore said threateningly.

"Oh?" Severus felt genuine amusement at this idea. "And what exactly could you do to me, stuck as you are in that frame?"

"It's not what I can or can't do that should worry you," Dumbledore's face became solemn, "It's what you might do once you have seen it."

Severus gave him a contemptuous backward glance as he poured the silvery substance into the basin. Then, with a defiant look, he plunged his head in. He found himself drifting downward into his own quarters, but they were adorned with the trappings and trifles of Dumbledore, who lay very sickly and pale in his bed.

Presently, a knock came on the door. "Albus?"

"In here," came the very weak reply.

"Oh, Albus," lamented Sienna as she glided silently to his side. She sat on the edge of his bed and gently let her hand cross his forehead. The color immediately began to return to his cheeks. She positioned herself as close as she could get without sitting on top of him and began to move her hands slowly over his face and neck. She was not massaging him as she had done to Severus on that Valentine's Day two years earlier. Her touch this time was much gentler.

She worked his collarbone and shoulders, pushing the covers down as she went. Before she started on his chest, she grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed, folded it up and covered his shoulders and neck with it.

She unfurled the blanket to keep him warm as she moved down his body slowly, finishing with his gnarly, worn out old feet. By the time she was finished, the twinkle had returned to Dumbledore's eyes, but he still barely had enough energy to sit up. Sienna looked very worried.

None of what he'd seen so far bothered Severus. He already knew she had performed her healing on him last year on a regular basis.

"Did you take your potion yet?"

"Yes, my dear. Severus brought it to me before dinner."

"It doesn't help much anymore, does it?"

"No, not that I can tell."

"Can't you get him to reformulate it?"

"I'm sure he would if I asked him to."

"Ask him. Even with my treatments you obviously aren't up to much."

"But your energy does help a great deal," he insisted.

She smiled weakly. Severus could tell that she knew it wasn't nearly enough if he was going to be able to continue as Headmaster.

A few moments of thoughtful silence passed between them, as Dumbledore gazed at her with that all knowing look that seemed to dive right into her soul.

"I have an idea," he said tentatively, "but it would be a bit unconventional, and it would be asking quite a lot of you. So if you don't want to, I will fully understand."

She looked at him with love and admiration. "You know I would do anything to help you feel better."

"Even so... It's your energy that helps me to heal, am I right?"

"God's energy, really. I just channel the energy into your body for it to use to heal itself."

"The longer I am exposed to it, the better I will feel?"

"That's the theory."

"And you agree that I have quite a bit of healing to do."

"Unfortunately. I don't know what you did to yourself, but it has really taken a toll on you. And it's getting worse in spite of all my efforts."

"What if I was exposed to your energy for say... eight solid hours?"

"Do you want me to work on you all night?"

"No, no – that would be too much of a drain on you. No, I was wondering what the effects would be if you simply slept beside me, touching me somehow."

Severus' eyes almost popped out of his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He noticed Sienna had a similar reaction.

"You want me to spend the night – in your bed?!!"

"Oh don't worry, my dear. There'll be no attempts at hanky panky. Even if I thought I could get away with it, I'm in no condition to try much of anything. Yes, regretfully, your virtue will be perfectly safe."

Sienna sighed then chuckled slightly.

"Merlin's Beard," barked Severus angrily. "You can't seriously be considering this?"

"Well, I've never read or heard of anything like this being done before, but I guess it's worth a try."

Severus became incensed. He started yelling at Sienna in disbelief. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? CAN'T YOU TELL WHEN YOU'RE BEING COERCED?!"

With great effort, Dumbledore pulled himself out of the bed and took her by the hand. Then he led her through the arch and into the secret room.

"Oh my, what is this place?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonder as it appeared before her.

"The headmaster's secret Room of Requirement. However, the rules are a bit different." Dumbledore proceeded to explain the secrets and rules of the room to her. Then he pointed at the dresser.

"You should find an appropriate night dress in the top left drawer. And you can change in the bathroom."

"But why do we need to come in here in the first place?"

"Severus has taken to checking on me in the middle of the night. He doesn't always come, but when I'm having a particularly difficult time of it, as I am tonight, he almost always checks on me. I'm afraid he would not be very happy if he found us sleeping together."

"Oh really?" She scowled bitterly. "I don't think he would care. I don't think he gives a damn about anything I do, to tell you the truth."

Severus felt a stab of pain thrust its way into his heart. How could she ever think that? he asked himself.

"Don't be too hard on him, my dear. He has a great deal pressing down on him at the moment."

Severus quietly thanked Dumbledore for defending him.

A very melancholy look crossed Sienna's face as she reached into the drawer for the nightdress.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Dumbledore had already crawled into bed. He kept to one side, giving her plenty of room to crawl in on the other.

"I suggest you lay on your side," she said matter-of-factly, "facing away from me."

With a few groans that Severus felt were only for dramatic effect, Dumbledore did as he was told. Then Sienna scooted up behind him and draped her arm over his shoulder and onto his chest.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief as the scene faded to black. That wasn't so bad, he thought. He had hoped to be the first man to wake up beside her in the morning, but he also knew that keeping Dumbledore alive, right up to the end, was of the utmost importance. And her approach to the matter had been, after all, purely professional.

But no sooner had the scene faded, then it came back into view. It was morning. The dim light of predawn was beginning to filter through the window. Severus noticed that it seemed Dumbledore hadn't moved a muscle all night, but Sienna had rolled over. They were back to back now, but still touching at the base of the spine.

Both sets of eyes opened at the same time. They rolled over to face each other. Dumbledore was smiling broadly, his eyes twinkling.

Severus glared at the scene through narrowed lids. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the rest of this.

"How do you feel?" Sienna asked tentatively.

"Like a new man!" he answered brightly.

"Good!" she smiled broadly back at him. Then she hopped out of bed, grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom. While she was changing, he walked out to his quarters and called a house-elf for some tea and crumpets. Then he carried them back to the secret room, conjured a table and two chairs and poured them both a cup.

"Oh, Albus, I can't stay," she explained apologetically when she emerged fully dressed and freshened up. Was it Severus' imagination, or did she seem very uncomfortable with her present situation?

"Why not? It's a Saturday. You have all day to meditate and do yoga. My days on this earth may be numbered, even with all your help. Make this old man happy. Sit with me for a while. I feel good for once. It's been months since I felt this good. And all," he held up his tea cup to her, "thanks to you."

Her lips curled as she sat down and pulled the other cup to her side of the table.

"My turn to get dressed," he announced. "I won't be long, I promise... Don't go anywhere."

"I'll be right here." She heaved a heavy sigh as he left the room, then she propped her head up with the heel of her hand. Severus noted that she looked tired, as if she hadn't slept all night.

Dumbledore headed for his private bath and was back in short order, looking fresh and clean, and wearing a deep purple robe that had an iridescent quality about it. This was one of his finest robes, worn, Severus knew, to impress his guest.

"Ooooh!" she exclaimed as he came back through the archway. "What a beautiful robe. And you look so handsome in it!"

"Thank you, my dear. Such kind words for a dotty old man." He sat down and picked up his tea. "You know, if I were 50 years younger, vision or no vision, the Potions master would not have stood a chance."

Sienna laughed lightly, but Severus could tell it was a bit forced. Dumbledore must have felt it too, because he quickly changed the subject.

"You know sometimes during these healing sessions, you kiss me on the forehead."

"Yes," she looked at Dumbledore curiously.

Severus wondered where he could be going with this line of thought.

"When you do that I usually feel a real jolt of intense positive energy. It's always very uplifting."

"Good, that's what it is meant to do."

"I wonder..." pondered Dumbledore. He hesitated, as if he was afraid to venture further.

Severus knew now where this was leading and he didn't like it, not one little bit.

"... what would happen with a kiss on the lips?"

"Uhhh..." Sienna's eyebrows pushed up into her forehead. Severus could tell she was shocked and not sure how to respond. "I don't know if it would make a difference where I kissed you," she finally offered.

"Could we try?" he asked carefully. "Just... once?"

"But you said already that you fell like a new man," she reminded him. Severus thought she looked very uncomfortable indeed.

"Ah, but I could still feel so much better," he coaxed her with those crystal blue, sparkling eyes and a boyish grin sprawled across his face.

Sienna looked skeptical, and Severus decided, for sure, that she was most uncomfortable at the thought of giving Dumbledore a real kiss on the lips.

"DON'T DO IT!" he finally shouted at her. "IT'S A TRICK! THE OLD PERVERT IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR GOOD NATURE!" Severus marched over so he was in her line of sight, right behind Dumbledore. "JUST LEAVE, GET UP AND GET OUT!"

He stopped suddenly, angry at himself for yelling at memories. He knew they couldn't hear him; that the events he was witnessing had already taken place. His urgings wouldn't change the outcome in the slightest.

"I suppose we could try it," she said half-heartedly.

"WHAT?" Severus yelled, in spite of himself. He watched in disbelief as they scooted their chairs together. Dumbledore cupped her face gently in his hands and put his mouth on hers.

Severus felt his pulse rate and blood pressure skyrocket. As he watched Dumbledore give Sienna her very first real kiss he felt jealousy infect his heart, as anger and hatred crept into his soul.

He finally had all he could stand. He pulled himself up out of the Pensieve and landed squarely on his feet in his office, with a lurching stomach and daggers shooting from his eyes to Dumbledore's portrait.

"You!" Severus growled through gritted teeth.

"What are you so upset about, Severus?" asked Dumbledore defiantly. "You made it obvious by the end of school last year that you couldn't care less about her!"

"That's not true," he bellowed. "I LOVE HER!"

"Do you now? Then prove it! TELL HER!" shouted Dumbledore.

"I have told her! Severus shouted back. "In fact, I asked her to MARRY ME last night!"

Dumbledore's expression morphed from rage to surprise. "Really?" he asked in joyous amazement.

"But after what I've just witnessed," Severus added as his nostrils flared, "it seems I've made a terrible mistake!" He glared at Dumbledore. "How could you? Both of you? The only two people in the world whom I trusted... And I find out you've both been stabbing me in the back." Fuming, Severus turned on his heel and stalked towards his quarters.

"You didn't watch the whole thing did you?" called Dumbledore after him.

Severus stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned back towards the portrait. "I saw all I could stomach," he spat out the words in a disgusted tone.

"I knew it – I knew you'd leave before it was over. Be mad at me if you wish, but don't hate her. Watch the rest of the memory."

"Why? Why should I subject myself to your psychological torture?"

"If you want to know how she really feels about me and you, stick your stubborn, FAT head back in there and watch the rest of it!"

Severus looked skeptically at the Pensieve, then back at Dumbledore.

"Please, Severus," the portrait implored gently. "Don't make another colossal mistake...don't throw away one last chance at happiness."

Seething, Severus made his way silently back to the Pensieve, and with a wicked backward glance, he plunged his head in.

As if the Pensieve knew his intentions, the memory started where he had left off.

Severus was fuming as he suffered through the rest of the kiss when he began to notice that Sienna was simply going through the motions. Then he thought he saw a tear run down her face. Then another! She suddenly pulled away from Dumbledore and began to sob, her eyes still tightly shut.

"My word, love, is kissing this old man that dreadful of an experience?" he asked, sincerely worried and a bit crestfallen.

"No, no," she swallowed hard and tried to regain her composure. "It's just that I hoped more than anything that Severus would give me my first kiss. But the way he's treated me this year," she began to cry in earnest, "I don't think he'll ever really care about me."

Dumbledore wrapped his arms around her and began to rock her back and forth. "There, there now. Perhaps I was being selfish. I should never have tried to talk you into it." He kissed her forehead and continued to rock her. "Besides," he added, sounding somewhat puzzled, "I thought that after the meeting on your birthday, you two had finally worked everything out."

"So did I." She sniffed. "And everything was fine for a while, but something changed the first week of March. Since then, he's been completely ignoring me. I could take the abuse last fall because I could tell it hurt him more than it hurt me. But since March, I get nothing from him, no emotions at all. It's as if I don't exist. Now I understand why children misbehave to get their parents' attention; any attention, even the negative kind, is better than no attention at all."

Severus began to look back on those months. His attitude had changed on the night he and Dumbledore met to discuss Potter's future and the pig for slaughter issue. He had been so preoccupied with that news, as well as the role he knew he would play in Dumbledore's death and what it would mean for his future, that he had completely forgotten Sienna. And she was right... He knew how it felt to be ignored by someone he loved dearly. It's like a death sentence for one's heart. No wonder she had acted this way. He had driven her right into Dumbledore's arms out of loneliness and despair. He felt that to be labeled a heartless wretch would be an understatement.

"He's a cad for treating you this way!" Dumbledore tried to comfort her. "In my opinion, he doesn't deserve you. If I were 50 years younger--"

"Albus," she interrupted him, "if I was meant to be with you in this life, your age wouldn't matter to me. You could be 200 years old and I would have still fallen in love with you."

Dumbledore sighed quietly. "Perhaps in our next lifetime?"

"Perhaps," she smiled, sincerely this time.

"You really do love him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"With all my heart," she admitted freely. "If he never falls in love with me, I'll probably end up alone, because it's him or no one."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well then, he's a very lucky man. Don't give up on him, my dear. He has some difficult times ahead. But perhaps, when everything calms down, he'll come to his senses."

"I hope so," she gazed into his crystal blue eyes.

They began to hug each other again and the scene faded to black.

"You perverted old fool!" Severus proclaimed as he landed with a thud back in his office. "You took advantage of her in a time of weakness and heartbreak. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"And what a big man you are, for breaking her heart in the first place!" Dumbledore retorted.

"You coerced her!"

"Indeed I did, but if she had truly objected, she would have refused me."

"She would have tried anything to help you get well, and you used that fact to your advantage!" Severus reminded him resentfully.

Dumbledore's eyes bore into Severus' soul with his next statement: "She was desperate for affection. Her heart was breaking. Just as she was willing to do anything to help me physically, I was willing to do anything to help her emotionally. The kiss was a mistake. I know that now. The hug was what she really needed." He began to calm down as he relived that moment. "I could feel the love radiating from her."

Severus thought about all the times he had also felt that love, and he began to calm down as well.

"We share a special bond of eternal love and friendship that lives on beyond death, Severus," Dumbledore tried to explain. "There are no words to describe how much she means to me... And," he added just for good measure, "sex has nothing whatsoever to do with it! Does that register in your HOT head?"

"You mean, my FAT head, don't you?"

They both chuckled.

"Marry her, Severus. Wrap your arms around her every day and tell her that you love her. It will mean more than any kiss, than any amount of love-making ever will."

Severus felt his eyes beginning to well up. He glanced at Dumbledore and noticed him quickly wipe a tear from his cheek.

"Now go on, get out of here. I need my beauty rest!"

AN: I know what you might be thinking: Dumbledore is supposed to be gay... Yes, but he also loves Sienna and would do anything to help her feel better on an emotional level. That includes offering physical comfort. He was not comfortable kissing her. He didn't do it in hopes of a sexual encounter. He was trying to make her feel loved and special. A gay guy kissed me once, for that very reason. And just as with Sienna, at the time, I didn't know he was gay. But later, when I discovered the truth, it didn't matter. What was important was the act of caring, the desire to be a friend when a friend was needed, whatever that might entail.