A/N: This story is a sequel to my story "Pros and Cons." As of now, you can probably read this without having read the first, but I don't know if/when I might throw in a reference to the previous story. It might be beneficial for you to read it at some point before getting really deep into this one.

For my beloved followers of P&C, this takes place a good fiveish years from where we left off. That isn't made very clear in this first chapter, but it will probably be referenced later. Just so you know.

I've heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them. - Wicked

Kathleen Vaughn was nobody special. She was not a war hero, nor had she cured any great disease. She was not a high ranking ministry official, nor did she sit on the Wizengamot. She wasn't a Potion Mistress, an Animagi, a Charmer, a Historian, or a Healer. She was just Kathleen.

She had grown up in the British countryside with her parents and younger brother. Her parents were middle-class wizards. They weren't necessarily of high class pure blood, nor did they take sides with Death-Eaters, but nor were they muggles. At age eleven she went to Hogwarts as a first year. She was sorted into Ravenclaw and her years at Hogwarts were nothing exciting as far as she was concerned.

After graduating, she had traveled abroad for a few years. Kathleen felt it was important to have knowledge of the world around her. She spent a year in Salem learning about the American witches and wizards. A few months in other European countries and a quick trip to Asia and she was back home in the UK.

Upon return to home, Kathleen accepted a job at Flourish and Blotts as an average sales manager. She shelved new books, weeded through older books that weren't going to sell, helped people find what they were looking for, and worked the cash register. Nothing exciting.

How she managed to end up dating one the war's greatest heroes, she would never know.

It started off rather simply. He had come into the bookstore to buy a book. No words besides the usual were exchanged. No breathless moments or stares happened. A man bought a book from a bookstore and a woman helped him out.

It actually wasn't until her coworker, Lucile Marks, whispered to her after he left, "Isn't that Severus Snape, the renowned spy and war hero?"

Kathleen did a double take. Was that him? Was that the Potions Master she had once known at school, now a retired, but famous teacher? As she thought about it, she realized Lucile was right.

Kathleen didn't give another thought to the man until the next time he came in the store two weeks later.

She had been organizing some of the Potions books when he came in again. He walked purposefully close to where she was busy with the many books on the subject. His eyes wandered the shelves in a way that told her he was looking for something very specific. Trying not to appear conspicuous, she had studied the man. His dark hair hung in a ponytail that came down just past his neck, and his sallow skin hadn't darkened at all in the years it had been since she'd seen him last besides the brief encounter two weeks ago. She would have thought with the war over, he might have not been as stressed, upset, and almost sickly. Inwardly shrugging it off, she also noticed his still billowing robes. They were plain black robes probably from Madam Malkin's and not fancy at all considering the wealth she had heard he had through the grapevine.

She clicked out of her observation when he cleared his throat. Oops, she thought, I got caught staring. "Can I help you, sir?" she spoke out loud.

"Quite. I'm looking for the newest edition of Advanced Potion Making," he said shortly.

"Of course," she had replied softly, still a bit embarrassed at being caught staring. "We keep our newest books out in front. If you'll follow me."

They walked out front together and she handed him a copy of the new book. He checked it over, flipped through a few pages, and declared he'd like to buy it. Ringing up his book and wrapping it for the second time, she couldn't help but notice him this time. With trembling hands she handed him his change and the package. He promptly left the building with not so much as a second glance.

Lucile bounded out from the back, obviously having watched the entire scene, and let out a low whistle. "See, I told you that was him. Not too bad to look at, eh?"

Kathleen, still staring after the man, shook her head. "Not bad at all."

Time passed and Kathleen made note of when and how often Severus Snape visited Flourish and Blotts. She felt like the silliest stalker school girl, but she found she couldn't help herself. He seemed to only come in on Tuesdays. Much to her dismay, she only worked every other Tuesday, and couldn't think of a decent excuse to be at the shop while not working. Nevertheless, she made Tuesdays her "out" days so she could at least be around Diagon Alley and perhaps bump into him.

And bump into him, she did. The first Tuesday of her meditated hunt she ran into him at the local Apothecary and asked his help in selecting the best beetle eyes for her headache potion. When he came in the following Tuesday, she helped him find a book on theoretical transfiguration. The next she was sitting at Fortescue's ice cream shop when she saw him walk by. Her wave to him merited a nod of his head back. Improving, she thought.

Kathleen found herself living for Tuesdays and those around her began to worry. Even Lucile, who had been so supportive in the beginning, began to doubt the healthiness of her friend's continued obsession. But, Kathleen would brush off any kind of concerns her friends had and went along as usual.

And it paid off. About two months after Severus had first caught Kathleen's eye is when the path turned for the better. She was sitting at the Leaky Cauldron very absorbed in her book and not really paying attention to the passersby when a shadow befell the table. Curious, she looked up and to her surprise and delight, found the object of her focus standing there. He had asked if he could join her, citing the bookshop as how he recognized her. She immediately gestured for him to sit down.

They didn't leave until long after they had ordered and eaten dinner. Severus had then asked if he might call on her at a later date and after she had said yes and he left, Kathleen had to stop herself from jumping with joy in the middle of the pub.

And here she was, almost two years after she had first seen him in the bookstore, his girlfriend. They had been officially dating for a little over a year of that and she couldn't remember a time when she had been happier, for the most part.

The big press buzz about ten months ago when it had gone public that Severus Snape supposedly had a women in his life had been a bit annoying for her and twice as annoying to him. She almost thought he might break up with her over it and there had been a spectacular fight. Thankfully, she had won out and they were still together, but it was defiantly a rough patch there for awhile. Even more so recently, she thought things were becoming more and more serious.

But then, men are so impossible to read sometimes. As of recently, any time she tried to steer a conversation towards engagement and marriage, Severus promptly changed the subject. And for her, it was starting to get frustrating. Much as she loved Severus, she wanted to get married, not just be the girlfriend and mistress of a war hero all her life. However, he did not. And she couldn't understand why. About a month ago she had found a notebook of his. It couldn't have been too old; she thought it might have been some notes of his on potions he was trying to improve. But when she opened it, she found it contained half finished letters dated some five years or so ago. He had marked most of them out heavily, but from what she could make out, he had been trying to write to a woman asking for her forgiveness. In one version of the letter, he had even asked her to marry him. She had often wondered who this woman was, but seeing as how she had slightly been snooping when she found the notebook, there was no way she could ask Severus without admitting to her activities.

Kathleen sighed as she finished her musings. Looking at the time, she decided to pull some dinner together. She hadn't seen Severus in a few days since he'd been out and about across the country doing routine work for his private potions business. They had planned to have a nice dinner together in just an hour. There was cooking to be done.

She busied herself making a lasagna and caser salad. While she cooked she thought about how she could again broach the topic of taking the next step in their relationship. Was there any way she hadn't tried yet? She didn't think so. She had tried talking of her friends' engagements and weddings (he merely gave her an "ok" and "mmhmmm"); she had told him stories of her own childhood dreams (he had raised his eyebrow at these and she thought she had caught a sneer when he thought she wasn't looking); she had even left a few copies of Witch Bridal laying around the house. Nothing had worked. Perhaps it was time to throw subtlety out the window and go for direct.

Pulling the lasagna out of the oven, she heard the front door open. She took a few deep calming breaths as she made up her mind to ask him directly tonight at dinner. His footsteps neared as he came into the kitchen.

"Ah, Kathleen, it smells delicious," Severus said coming up behind her and placing a kiss on her cheek.

Kathleen smiled, "Thank you; I thought I'd cook without magic tonight. Always seems better that way. Sit down; I'll have it on the table in just a minute."

She brought in two platefuls of the steaming lasagna and they began eating in silence. She soon broke it asking, "How was your trip, Severus?"

He looked up at her, "Quite productive, thank you. I have renewed most of my contracts on this sixth month turnabout. Only ones left are St. Mungo's here in another three months and the Department of Magical Games and Sports in another six when Quidditch season starts up again."

Smiling, she nodded. "Excellent, then."

"Indeed, yes."

They went back to eating with mindless chatter of the last couple of days passing between them. A quiet silence fell across the table and Kathleen took a deep breath. Almost losing her courage, she put down her fork, "Severus?"

He looked up from his plate, "Yes, dear?"

"I have something I want to talk to you about. Something rather important."

"Of course, what is it?" His eyes showed concern for he had picked up the hesitance in her voice.

She tried not to let her voice waver. "Have you . . . given any thought recently about . . . about our . . . about . . . us?

He visibly stiffened and she immediately bit her lip in anticipation of his response. Putting his fork down, he also took a deep breath. "I had . . . expected you would bring this up sooner or later. I have not been completely blind to your not-so-subtle suggestions, but I thought we had had this conversation quite awhile ago."

Kathleen avoided his eyes as she thought back to that conversation. "I . . . suppose I was just hop . . . wondering that your thoughts had changed since then."

Severus hesitated, "I'm afraid not, Kathleen. I thought we had had that understanding from the beginning. I'm not a marrying man."

And with that statement, Kathleen lost her temper. She knew damn well that wasn't true. All logic left her mind as everything she had been holding in for the past few months let loose. "That's not true and you know it!" She saw the surprise light up in his eyes. "Yes, I know about her the other woman you almost proposed to, so don't you dare say that you're not a marrying man."

Severus' shock was apparent when his eyes widened further in surprise, but they soon narrowed as he realized what she had done. "How dare you. You've gone through my private notebooks?" he asked in the quiet silky voice he hadn't used since his teaching days.

"Not on purpose. I was cleaning up and they were lying around. Thinking it was something else, I picked it up and flipped through it. I didn't do it on purpose," she argued back defensively.

Snape stood up. "It doesn't matter whether it was on purpose or not," he started.

Kathleen interrupted before he could finish, "We shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other in the first place!"

"That was five years ago, Kathleen, and it didn't mean anything. It was a fleeting thing that I haphazardly wrote down on a piece of paper and never sent."

But the pain that shot through his eyes told Kathleen something different. However, she blinked and it was gone. Coming to the realization, she whispered, "No . . . you're still in love with this girl, aren't you?"

Snape seethed at her. "That's nonsense. I can't believe you would think that of me. I won't stay here and hear false accusations against my feelings for you." And with that,, he apparated away.

Kathleen stared at the spot he had been standing for a good five minutes before dragging herself to her bedroom to cry.