She Healed Me | Severus Snape

Chapter 48

Alright alright alright, down to the wire. For those of you who read both stories, this is where they separate. Lucia and Severus are going down their own path. It'll be pretty fluffy here on out!

Listen: Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce

48| flourishing

Feeling has yet to return to Lucia the following morning. She hardly slept, her thoughts running rampant. Her nerves were shot. But not exactly in a bad way. She was buzzing with anticipation. The second Severus presented the ring to her, she knew what she wanted to say. But it would be presumptuous of her to say so right away.

So that morning, sluggish from lack of sleep, Lucia drew herself a bath to soothe herself. She relaxed into the bubbles and allowed the warm water to engulf her. As she relaxed, she held her hand up to inspect the ring that hasn't been removed since last night. It was lovely, understated but still pretty. It was exactly what she always imagined it would be.

What she wanted was obvious, but the thing that kept Lucia up was if Severus truly wanted it as well. He has never been forthcoming with his hopes for the future. She certainly didn't expect him to want marriage of all things. And it wasn't a requirement for them to be together. So Lucia could only assume he changed his mind for her. She appreciated the proposal but it wasn't meant to be forced on him, that's not at all what she meant when they had their talk.

Sighing, Lucia pulled herself from the water and pulled the plug to the drain. As she dried herself she thought about Spinners End. The house Severus lived in wasn't the most inviting, but she longed for the comfort she found in it. Unlike her ex-husband's home, it had life to it. Small, but well lived in and warm despite its appearance. Severus found it odd that she liked his home and practically begged to go with him for the summer. But if they were to be engaged, why wouldn't she? It would become her home as well regardless of how he felt.

Lucia studied herself closely in the mirror while she dried her hair. Was it her imagination or did she have a glow about her? One that seemed to wash out the beginning signs of aging. To her, the frown lines seemed to be fading and her skin was a little clearer. Even her hair was fuller. Perhaps that is what happiness does to a person. Or was it love? She wasn't weighted down. The ring flashed in her vision when she started to brush her hair, and she stopped again to stare at it. The feeling of it on her finger was so different than the old one. It didn't feel wrong.

There she goes again, obsessing over comparisons between now and the past. Lucia shook her head and went to her room to get dressed. She put on the comfiest items in her dresser since she planned to clean up her classroom. There were no students so she hardly cared about her appearance. Once dressed, she grabbed her wand and left.

Lucia managed to get most loose items stored away by the time she was interrupted. She almost didn't hear her visitor over the music she had playing. Minerva went to the record player and turned it off, which startled Lucia. The Headmistress laughed lightly at her exaggerated gasp. "I apologize for intruding," Minerva stated, "and scaring you half to death."

"I wasn't expecting anyone," Lucia responded with an amused smile. "I might have had the music a little loud," she said with a nervous laugh.

"That you did."

Lucia hummed uneasily, "was it disruptive?"

Minerva sat in the chair near Lucia's misplaced desk, looking back at her confused. "What do you mean? I'm not here about that." She raised a brow when Lucia didn't respond. "Stop starring at me like an owl and sit so we can talk," she ordered.

"Oh yes," Lucia was quick to agree as she sat down across from Minerva, "what do you need?"

Scoffing softly, Minerva crossed her arms. "You sound pleased," she said sarcastically. "I want to see you off for the summer before you leave."