Chapter 24: Flying Pigs

A/N: Here it is! The final chapter! After months of procrastination and real life drama, this story is finally coming to an end. I'll eventually start typing up another story, because I have several completed on paper. I just have to get around to putting them on here. If you enjoyed this story, and I sincerely hope you did, I'd love to hear your opinions, good or bad, on the others. Thanks for tuning in! ~Alex

Severus did go to her flat that evening, but only to find it empty. He didn't see Jenna again that day. He'd made a trip to her flat every day for a week straight, but eventually gave up. Minerva welcomed him back to Hogwarts with open arms, making him the defense against the dark arts professor, head of Slytherin, deputy headmaster, and finding a different cure for the swamp witch's curse all at the same time. The cure was happiness, not intimacy, much to his surprise. The headmistress had done her research in the headmaster private library, as the headmaster's portrait had apparently instructed, and wasted no time in returning Severus to his human form. He'd simply had to take a potion. It was only later, sitting alone in his private chamber at Hogwarts, that he'd allowed his mind to dwell on the fact that Jenna hadn't needed a potion to turn him back. She'd simply accepted him. He'd been under the impression that she loved him…

If he had wanted to, he could have gone back to the way it had been before...if he could just bring himself to look at another woman without comparing her to Jenna. He couldn't do that anymore. Not that he would have started that up again anyways. The last thing he needed was a repeat of the last five years. He still couldn't get the nightmares to stop. They always started out the same. In the dream, he would wake up to find that he'd never escaped to swamp to begin with, and then it would switch to Jenna…lying dead on the ground. He would look down and her blood would be on his hands. Either that or the swamp witch would catch him kissing her and order him to kill her and he'd end up strangling her.

Just before Christmas, Minerva was faced with a crisis. Her potions master, Arris Atlelin, became fed up with all of the exploding cauldron and students who had no interest in the subject and quit. Simple as that. He came into Minerva's office the day before break started, handed her his resignation papers, and walked out without a single word. Minerva had never been that fond of him, so she wasn't that disappointed, but that didn't change the fact that she now had to find a new potions professor in a matter of days. Severus offered to spend his break looking for a new one, as he didn't have anything better to do, but Minerva disregarded all of his declarations of loathing for the season and insisted that he take a break. It caught him off guard when Minerva sent a letter to Spinner's End, insisting that he return in time for the annual Winter Masquerade Ball, the only part of post Dumbledore Hogwarts that he had never missed.

He cursed the irony of it all as he stood in the entrance hall, adjusting the simple black mask that covered the top half of his human face and straightening his black robes before entering the great hall. Minerva obviously had no trouble recognizing him, as she approached him almost immediately, grabbing his arm unceremoniously and pulling him over towards the far right corner of the room where several of the other professors stood.

"You must meet our new potions mistress, Severus." Minerva tells him quickly, "She's quite eager to see you."

"And why on earth would she be eager to meet me?" Severus demands, studying her suspiciously.

"You'll see," she answers mysteriously before addressing the young woman in a dark green dress and silver mask. "Madame, may I introduce our defense against the dark arts professor, Severus Snape?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor." The woman nods at him politely, meeting his gaze with a familiar spark in her eyes.

"Ask her to dance, Severus." Minerva elbows him after he merely nods at her.

He rolls his eyes but offers her his arm. "Would you like to help me sate this meddling old Gryffindor's desire to interfere by honoring me with this dance?" He asks sarcastically as Minerva glares at him.

"I would love to," the potions mistress laughs, taking his arm and following him out on the dance floor.

They dance in silence for a moment as he studied her, frowning. His instincts told him that he knew her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who she was. She smiled up at him, almost as though she were waiting for him to figure it out.

"I didn't know you could dance," she admits softly.

He raises an eyebrow, "I know you from somewhere. Would you be so kind as to refresh my memory?"

"Has it really been that long, Severus?" She asks playfully, "So long that you have forgotten me?"

He stops, meeting her gaze for a moment, a pleasant shiver running though him. He touches the edge of her mask lightly before asking her permission to remove it. "May I?"

"Whatever it takes," she murmurs in reply, putting her hand on his as he pulls off her mask.

His breath catches in his chest as realization dawns on him. "Jenna…" he breathes, stunned.

He snaps out of it as Minerva clasps her hands together and laughs excitedly. That was when he realized that the group of his colleagues that she had been speaking to, Minerva included, was watching them expectantly. A sudden anger shot through him as he took in the situation. Minerva had set this up…all of it. Jenna left him, and Minerva had somehow talked her into coming back. She had interfered without his permission…not that that surprised him.

He quickly grabs Jenna's wrist and starts pulling her towards the entrance hall.

"Where are we going?" Jenna demands sharply, recognizing the look in his eyes.

"Forgive me," he sighs sarcastically, turning to face her only when they've reached the entrance hall. "Your sudden reappearance, after disappearing into Merlin knows where, has put me off a bit. Would you kindly accompany me to a more private place so that we might discuss why, exactly, you're here?"

"I'm here to teach, Severus," She answers simply.

"Last I checked, you weren't qualified for such a position…and that doesn't answer my question, does it?" he snaps impatiently.

"Severus…I'm sorry," She replies softly.

"Come with me," he repeats simply.

She hesitates, but then nods her consent and follows him down into the dungeons.

"This is my office," he informs her after she stops suddenly just outside of the door. "Have I ever hurt you?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Severus." She answers, studying him. "I'm just trying to think of a way to explain myself without sounding as horrid as I know it was."

"I doubt you ability to come up with such an excuse." He sneers.

"Severus-"

"Inside. I don't want students over hearing and spreading rumors about you before you've even started teaching." He interrupts her, motioning for her to enter the room in front of him.

She obliges and he motions for her to sit in the chair is front of his desk as he takes the one behind it.

"Explain," he continues curtly.

"I had to do it on my own." She replies, meeting his gaze. He lifts an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Find my place in this world that I didn't even know existed up until I met you. I already screwed up by making one of my best friends angry with me. I didn't want you to see me make the countless other mistakes that I was sure I would make."

"In other words, you didn't trust me to support you." He sneers indignantly.

"I didn't think you should have to." She objects.

"Never thought that perhaps I may have wanted to?" he throws at her, "I'm the one that introduced you to this world. Have you never considered that I may have wanted to see you succeed after everything I went through for you? That I should have the choice? That I-" His mouth snaps shut, refusing to finish what he was about to say.

"That you what?" she demands.

"You left me without saying a word, and you expect to just come waltzing back into my life as though none of it ever mattered? You expect me to work side by side with you as though none of it ever happened?" he snarls angrily.

"Actually, I was hoping we could start over. That we could be friends." She answers softly.

"I could never just be your friend, Jenna." He sighs irritably. "I can't just…I loved you. Only you. I don't love easily. That meant something to me. I was under the impression that it also meant something to you, but apparently I was mistaken."

"No…" She murmurs hesitantly, "You don't know how hard it was for me to just up and leave, not knowing whether I would ever see you again."

"Obviously not hard enough," He counters.

"What do you want from me, Severus?" she demands, "Did you bring me down here just to tell me you didn't want me working for Minerva? Because if that's all, this conversation is over. I worked hard for this job. I'm not giving it up."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that." He mutters, closing his eyes and letting his breath out slowly.

She stands up, studying him uncomfortably. "I should get back. I'm on duty tonight." She turns around and starts for the door.

"Don't go," He murmurs softly, just loud enough to stop her.

"Sorry?" she asks, turning back to him.

"Don't go," He repeats, standing up and moving to face her. "Minerva will take over your duties, trust me. She expected it the moment she got both of us in the same place at the same time. I didn't bring you here to ask you to quit."

"Then why did you bring me here?" she counters, meeting his gaze.

He studies her for a moment before tossing caution to the wind and pulling her into him, pressing his mouth to hers, ignoring his instinct to close himself off. She stiffens for a moment, unsure of what to expect, but then lets go and gives in to him. He felt her melt against him and tightened his hold on her, deepening the kiss and finding no resistance. This time, he wouldn't let her go.

Minerva clears her throat, a sparkle in her eye as she looks upon the couple. Severus quickly takes a step back, releasing her.

"Minerva," He snaps, breathing hard.

Jenna studies Severus hesitantly before turning to face her, afraid of being reprimanded. "Hello, Headmistress."

"I just wanted to point out how bad it would look if a student were to walk in on you." She smirks.

"Of course," Severus agrees instantly, but then smarts off. "However, I was under the impression that this was what you wanted, Minerva? Don't tell me this occurred without you having an ulterior motive?"

"Of course I set you up," Minerva smiles wickedly, "I merely wanted to suggest that you take this to a more private area. Your private chambers, perhaps?"

Jenna's face turns red, but Severus didn't miss a beat. "I may have gotten that far if you hadn't been so rude as to interrupt, you meddling old Gryffindor."

"Don't tell me, you intend to have another one night stand, Severus? I'd have thought you'd have learned your lesson!" She counters.

"I have," Severus replies, meeting her gaze with a serious expression. "Believe me, I have."

Minerva nods, a smirk on her face as she turns around and leaves the room, heading straight for her office and Dumbledore's portrait.

Jenna whirls around to face Severus, a frown on her face. "How many one nights stands, exactly?"

"Too many," Severus answers with a smirk, pulling her back into him. "All I regret, no one that can compare to you. Now shut up and kiss me."

Jenna smiles teasingly, "You going to make me, Professor?"

"You'll never believe what I just pulled off, Albus!" Minerva exclaims delightedly, quickly approaching the headmaster's portrait. "I think Severus is in love!"

The old headmaster's portrait only laughed and replied, "Just watch out for the flying pigs, Minerva."