Emerald and Ebony
WARNING! This fic contains spoilers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you have not read Deathly Hallows yet and do not wished to be spoiled, please do not read this story.
He had loved her first.
This single fact had kept him from taking his life the night she had lost hers. He had considered ending it the moment he had learned of her death. He had gripped the wand and placed it against his head, willing himself to whisper the same cruel curse that had stolen the breath of his love. He had fought with himself, begging his lips to mutter the words- but they would not come.
The only thing he continued to hear was her voice. He could hear her so clearly, calling his name and laughing. It was as if she were right in the room with her. Perhaps she was. She had always been with him. He had been hers the moment he had laid eyes on her. She had stolen his heart. She had stolen his soul.
He didn't mind.
Her friendship had saved him. Knowing that she cared was enough to get him through the harsh beatings from his father. Knowing that she would be there and hold him close was enough to get him through the visions of his father beating his mother to a bloody pulp.
She was always there.
Her words of comfort willed him to live.
And he did – for her.
He did it all for her.
He had betrayed the Dark Lord when he had found out that her life was in danger. He had gone to Dumbledore, begging the man to keep her safe. He had asked Voldemort to spare her life.
He did it all for her and she would not speak to him. She no longer belonged to him. Her beautiful emerald eyes did not look at him in adoration any longer. The sweet sound of his names on her lips were but a memory from so long ago.
She did not love him anymore. Yet, her still loved her. He could not stop it. It was a force too strong. He could not defeat it. He did not want to. The emotions he felt for her made him remember that he was human. They made him remember that he was still alive.
She wasn't alive. The man she had wed wasn't alive. They did not roam this terrible earth. They did not see the destruction the evil that had taken their lives had caused. They did not keep their child safe from that evil.
He did. He did everything in his power to keep the boy alive.
He had been so close to not caring so many times. What good did it do to keep him here? Why not just give him to the Dark Lord? His life would be much easier with the burden disposed.
He knew why. It had been his reason for years. It was all for her. It would always be for her.
As he lay dying, blood dripping quickly from his throat, he felt her near him. He opened his eyes and gasped. Her eyes- her beautiful eyes were looking at him with concern. In his final moments in the land of the living, she had come to guide him through these last painful minutes. Soon it would be over. Soon he would be free.
"Look...at...me..." he whispered.
Emerald met ebony for the last time
Two children ran across the sunny park, laughing as they reached the swing set. The little girl, her red hair shining, quickly sat down on one of them.
"Severus, come push me!" she yelled.
The little boy ran behind her and grabbed the chains.
"How high do you want to go, Lily?" he asked.
"High enough that I can fly!
Author's Note:
Severus Snape was and still is one of my favorite characters from Harry Potter. His death and memories in Deathly Hallows had me crying for a very long time. I wrote this because I believe that Severus deserves a happy ending. He was such a brave and amazing man. He was loyal until the very end.