Ashes Falling: Sent you a PM about that question of yours. Did you get it? If so, I hope it answered your question satisfactorily. Thanks for the review

The Queen of Confusion: Here you are, thanks for the review

Special thanks to .the.artful.dodger.v2. for the excellent beta.

ooOoo

So I'm turning in my sheets, and once again, I cannot sleep. Walk out the door and up the street, look at the stars beneath my feet. Remember rights that I did wrong, so here I go. Hello, hello, there is no place I cannot go. My mind is muddy but, my heart is heavy, does it show? I lose the trap that loses me, so here I go. So I sent some men to fight, and one came back in the dead of night. Said he'd seen my enemy, said he looked just like me. So I set out to cut myself, and here I go. I'm not crawling for a second chance, I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason, but don't give me choice, cause I'll just make, the same mistake again.

Same Mistake- James Blunt

ooOoo

Neil Lansdell awoke with a start. He was not lying on the floor of a dingy bar, he was instead on a couch. His head felt as though someone were pounding a jackhammer into limestone inside his skull. His mouth felt as though he had swallowed cotton. Sitting up, his eyes protested against the bright light that flooded the room.

Throwing the blanket off of his legs, he stood up and rubbed the back of his head. He had expected this: the dry mouth, the pounding headache, the inability to look at light...

“Allison!”

Not who he had expected.

“Holy shit!” she jumped at the sound of his voice, dumping her coffee all over the living room carpet.

“Why are you here?”

“Why am I here? This is my house!” she went into the bathroom adjacent to the living room and grabbed the roll of paper towels. Ripping off about a dozen sheets, she hastily began to mop up the mess. “Oh Jesus Christ, look at this!”

“That'll come out with some carpet cleaner.”

“Sure, along with the other million and a half things I need to do in the next week!” Her coffee cup forgotten, the tears came rolling down her cheeks as her fist pounded the paper towels into the carpet. “It's just not fair!” she sobbed.

His headache increasing in magnitude, he went up the stairs and poured himself a cup of coffee and went back downstairs. A crying woman was not something he could deal with in his inhibited state. Upon his return he saw Allison sitting on her knees, the tears still flowing, and her left hand bare.

“Wait a minute, what...”

“Happened to my ring? I...” the tears could not be stopped. “I gave it back.”

“Why?”

“He didn't love me,” she cried, despair evident in her tone.

“Why give you the ring in the first place then?”

“You wouldn't understand, Neil,” she answered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “The whole situation is just... so complicated you wouldn't even begin to understand why we agreed to get married in the first place.”

Neil sat down beside her and took her hand. “I want to understand.”

“Like that time you 'wanted' to understand when we were at Ramsey's and I told you about the engagement? In case you've forgotten, Neil, you stormed out and told me you wanted nothing more to do with me!”

“This is different...”

“The hell it is!” she looked him in the eyes. “This is no different. You were so incensed that you went to my parents and told them I was engaged! They wouldn't have found out if you hadn't told them!”

“I never meant...”

“You never meant what?” It was obvious she didn't believe him. “Meant to make my mother send me a scathing letter demanding, not asking, demanding that I come home from school and explain myself? Or could it be that you never meant for me to find out my father was blind and still so angry with me that he won't talk to me? Forgive me if I don't trust your word on this.”

“Ah...” Neil's words caught in his throat. “You're right.”

He brought his hand to her cheek and gently caressed the soft skin. She stared at him with tears in her eyes. She was barely aware of what she was doing. Her head seemed to gravitate toward his shoulder, and suddenly she felt herself melt into his embrace. Her arms went around his neck, and her body nearly went limp. All her anger, sorrow, and grief came to life as she sobbed on his shoulder.

ooOoo

Severus sat in his living quarters, hunched forward in the armchair that faced the fireplace, which bore no flames. All that remained were the swirling embers that floated toward the ceiling.

He'd released her and let her walk away. She was free to leave the wizarding world behind and do as she pleased. Perhaps she could return to the ice, start her career once again. The day he'd first been sent to see her he'd watched her skate; she seemed so at home.

Which brought him to his next dilemma. He could not understand why a seventeen year old girl had decided she was going to sacrifice all she had worked for just to agree to a marriage law. She could have rejected the Ministry letter, she was perfectly within her rights to do so, and yet she had not.

She had accepted her fate and taken him on as a challenge. Wasn't that what she had said? She had accepted him because he was a challenge, because he would constantly test her and allow her to pursue her interests.

Yet why did it hurt him so badly? Shouldn't he be happy, free to love Lily?

Lily...

She had been the one person who hadn't judged him, who had offered him friendship when he had nothing else to hold on to. She was...

Just like Allison.

Yet Allison was unlike her in so many ways. She had often said she would not abandon him just because he had made a mistake.

But she had not abandoned him; he had pushed her away.

Why? How could he have made such a stupid mistake?

ooOoo

Allison dried the last of her tears and looked Neil in the face.

“I'm sorry...” she murmured. “I shouldn't be doing this to you, Neil, it's not fair...”

“That's what friends are for, Allie,” he picked her up and carried her into her bedroom, laying her down and covered her with a blanket. Kissing her temple, he turned and grabbed her bedroom door handle. “I'll let myself out. You get some rest, all right?”

When she did not answer, he hung his head and walked out of the house, closing and locking the front door behind him.

Upon hearing the front door close, the tears came again, her body wracked with sobs.

Why did leaving Severus hurt her so much if she didn't love him?

Perhaps if he hadn't pushed her away she could still have the ring on her finger.

Why did he have to be so stubborn?

Why hadn't she taken the chance and rejected the Ministry letter? If she'd done so none of this would have happened.

It was then, as she contemplated that thought that an owl sat perched on the windowsill. It hooted softly, grabbing her attention.

Attached to its leg was a letter with a Ministry of Magic seal.

Gingerly taking it, paying the owl and watching it fly out the window once again, she broke the seal and unrolled the letter with baited breath.

Miss Allison McCormack,

It has come to our attention that...

She gasped, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

ooOoo

What she did not know was that at Hogwarts, at that very moment, another owl had made its way to none other than Albus Dumbledore, who had brought it down to the dungeon.

There was a knock at the door as Severus lifted his head from his hands. The ashes from the fireplace had settled now, all that was left was a tiny ember, which could only flicker slightly thanks to the draft that had come through his chambers.

There was another knock. Severus said nothing in response, merely placing his hand on the door handle and pulling it open.

“Good afternoon Headmaster,” he greeted the older man.

“My dear boy, how many times have I asked you to call me Albus?”

“Old habits die hard, I suppose,” Severus moved aside to allow Dumbledore admittance.

“Thank you, Severus, but I am not staying long. It seems an owl was misdirected in delivering this letter to me instead of you,” Albus dug into his robes and pulled out the parchment sealed with a Ministry stamp. “Ah, here we are.”

Severus took the parchment, thanked him, and waited until Albus had disappeared before closing the door again.

He gingerly broke the seal on the envelope and unfolded it.

Dear Severus Snape,

It has come to our attention that, in violation of Statute 378, encompassed within the revised Marriage Act, you have not submitted a date in regards to a nuptial agreement between yourself and Miss Allison McCormack. As you well know by now, those who have not submitted said information are subject to a hearing to explain why this has not occurred.

Your hearing is scheduled for December 23rd. Please be at the Ministry no later than 10AM.

Hoping you are well,

Kingsley Shacklebolt,

Minister for Magic

So this gave him a month to think up an infinite number of reasons as to why.

But he had never since submitted himself to the Ministry for questioning, and he was not about to start now. If Allison had received the same sort of notice, he was sure she would have her own explanations.

After all, was it not she who had returned the ring?

Was it not she who had basically told him she had regretted coming back to Hogwarts?

Was it not Allison who had turned her back on him?