Chapter 1: A wedding

"If anyone can show just the case why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Silence fell on the room. Ron Weasley looked into the eyes of his wife-to-be and smiled. Hermione Granger looked at him and smiled back.

"Well, we can proceed then…" said Albus Dumbledore clapping his hands.

"NO, HERMIONE, DON'T!"

The doors of the Great Hall swung open and the Potions Master of Hogwarts strode inside.

"What the hell…" whispered Ron.

"Hermione you can't marry him," said Severus Snape, looking at the young witch with pleading eyes.

"Snape! What are you doing here? Why are you ruining my wedding?" cried the groom.

The room was completely silent. No one knew what to say.

"Please, Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away when you told me your feelings. I should have just taken you into my arms when I had the chance."
"I love you," he added quietly.

"But you didn't," said the bride without looking at her future husband, who was becoming more and more agitated with time.

The Potions Master nodded slowly: he saw that the young girl had now made her decision and, looking around, he realized what he had done. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted your wedding. It was wrong of me to do so. I was just thinking about myself. Forgive me, if you can. For this and for what I did in the past."

Before turning, however, he looked at the groom.

"Treat her well, Mr Weasley, and make her happy. You don't realize what you've got," and then he left.

He was nearly at the doors and everyone believed that everything would be all right when Hermione run after him.

"Severus…"

Ron looked flabbergasted. 'Is she going to leave with him?' he wondered, and then he realized, with a pang in his heart, that he would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant to let her go into the arms of another man.

"Severus, I'm sorry, but..."

"Could we skip the rejection part, please? I believe it's quite obvious," he said, not really looking at her.

"I don't think…"

"What?! That it's obvious?!" Snape cried, raising his head. "You're about to marry him!" he added pointing at Weasley, who was standing alone at the altar.

"Are you blaming me?!" said the witch with fire in the eyes.

"No," he whispered. "I blame only myself. And my stubbornness."

Hermione's eyes softened.

"Why don't you stay?"

"And see with my own eyes the moment you will belong to another man?" asked Severus. "No, thank you. Forgive me but I prefer to live in the fantasy that after I leave this room, you'll stop the wedding and come running into my arms."

As he reached the doors, he turned.

"By the way, you look breath-taking."

Then he left.