"Saving Eden"
This is a tribute to the genius of JKR. All Harry Potter characters belong to her.
Chapter One – The Dream
The man in the dingy hotel room bolted awake as if expecting an imminent attack. It took him a moment to adjust his eyes to the dim light filtering in through the flimsy tattered curtains. He scanned the bare room. He was safe. No one was looking for him anymore.
"Damn," he muttered to himself. He'd had the dream again. Why couldn't the old man just leave him alone?
He flipped off the covers, climbed out of the uncomfortable bed and rose to his full six feet. He was clad only in black boxers and his taught frame carried no extra weight. The raven haired man walked stiffly to the window, parted the curtains and looked out into the parking lot below. It was night already and a solitary street lamp provided the only light in the room. He hadn't meant to sleep so long. He'd arrived in town that afternoon on a bus. He never slept on buses, though he rode with his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to engage in polite conversation with nosy strangers. After his first hot shower in three days, he'd collapsed onto the bed and sleep claimed him.
His stomach growled angrily and he knew he needed to find something decent to eat. The man unzipped a bag tossed casually on the sole chair in the room and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt. He quickly slipped them on then fumbled for the cigarettes that inhabited the bottom of the satchel. He cracked the box against the table, drew out a white stick and held it between his long fingers. He reached for the blue plastic lighter resting on the bedside table where he had emptied his pockets and lit the tip. He puffed once, twice, and then drew in a long deep breath allowing the smoke to enter his lungs. As he exhaled he smiled slightly, thinking that perhaps the cigarettes might be just the thing to kill him.
"Save Eden," he said aloud to no one in particular because he was, as always, alone. "You must go to America and protect Eden. Wonderful," he sighed.
Night after night Dumbledore appeared in his dreams ordering him to protect this place. He was so damn adamant and said it as though Snape owed him something. Perhaps he did owe the old wizard. He killed the man; even if he was just following orders. What was the alternative anyway, living alone at Spinners end brewing potions no one would buy? In the four months since he left England he hadn't found any Eden in need of protection. He'd been to fourteen different towns named Eden and no dark magic was evident near any of them.
But Dumbledore kept it up. The dream started a month after the final battle. He should have just taken a dreamless sleep potion, but maybe he was looking for another mission, a way to redeem himself.
Severus Snape inhaled a final time then crushed the remains of the cigarette in a black enamel ashtray. He left the room engaging the simple muggle lock. He was in a small western town one hundred miles from the next Eden, a place so insignificant that there was no bus service. He would have to hitch a ride. American muggles seemed extraordinarily trustworthy. He never seemed to have to wait long for someone to pick him up along the side of the road. It was usually the driver of a truck who expected company. Of course Snape immediately feigned sleep upon entering the vehicle.
As he walked down the stairs to the street below, Snape remembered a dining establishment near the bus station and realized the alley across the street should put him out only feet from its front door. As he entered the murky passageway he immediately sensed something was wrong. He carefully advanced remaining in the shadows, his body tense. The wizard didn't have his wand; it was hidden in the duffle back in his motel room. As he inched forward he discerned two people struggling on the ground. The voice of a pleading woman floated back toward him. He knew what was happening. He'd been to enough dark revels to recognize a rape. His stride quickened. The voice of the attacker threatened to slash the woman's face and Snape heard her cry out.
He was instantly on the attacker, ripping him from the victim. Snape's fury at the man was overwhelming. He felt as though every Death Eater who ever raped an innocent muggle was in his grip awaiting punishment. The attacker was much bigger than Snape, outweighing the former spy by at least fifty pounds. The two struggled then crashed to the pavement. The rapist, sensing the rage in his opponent plunged a knife into his chest.
The blade was well aimed and Snape knew immediately that he was mortally wounded. How fitting that he die at the hands of a muggle. The Dark Lord would have appreciated the irony. Just as he was about to give up he saw the woman lying only steps away. He needed to make sure the innocent muggle survived this. As the man pulled out the knife to plant it a final time, Snape wrestled the weapon away and returned the favor. Snape didn't simply stick the man; he gutted him making sure death was instantaneous.
The weight of the dead man momentarily pinned him down, but Snape managed to roll the body away and struggled to his feet. He dragged his failing body toward the woman crumpled at the base of the wall and fell to his knees.
"Are you all right?" he called out in a raspy voice as he reached out grasping her shoulder. He was finding it difficult to breath. His lungs were quickly filling with blood. The woman collapsed into his arms sobbing. Snape held her tightly and let her cry. Her cloths were torn and her skirt rode up high on her leg. "Did he..?" he could not say the words. How many times had he stood by pretending to enjoy the sport of his fellow Death Eaters?
She shook her head no and looked up at him. Her blond hair was sticking out in all directions and her face was cut and dirty. She looked like she'd been through hell, but as he looked into her blue eyes he knew there was something special about the girl. Snape could feel it in his gut and as he watched her he realized that even in her bedraggled state she was beautiful to him.
The girl clutched at her savior afraid to let go. Suddenly, she realized there was something warm and sticky on her hands. She looked down and saw that blood was pouring from his shirt.
"Oh, my god you're bleeding," she cried pulling away from the safety of his arms. "I'm going for help."
Severus Snape reached out and grabbed her wrist. "No, it's too late," he whispered, his voice failing. He could feel his life force ebbing with every heart beat. He knew he was going to die and decided that he wanted his last minutes to be in the arms of this woman. "Just stay with me," he begged.
The girl thought for a moment then wrapped her arms around him lowering her rescuer to her lap. She stared down at him with a look of pure wonder. "I don't know how to thank you?"
Snape smiled weakly. "What's your name love?" He barely managed to force out the question. He wanted to know the name of this angel in whose arms he would draw his last breath.
"Eden," she answered with a smile, tears still running down her cheeks.
Snape began to laugh. He'd done it. He's saved Eden.
"What's so funny?" she asked confused by his reaction.
"I've done it," he whispered in reply. "I've saved Eden Dumbledore. Now I can die in peace."
The young woman looked down at him, a strange expression playing across her face. There was something in her eyes. To Snape, inexperienced as he was in this area, it seemed they were filled with love. Eden pressed her hand to his chest and a feeling of warmth and comfort filled him. She leaned toward him and spoke softly.
"Severus Snape, I'm not going to let you die."
Eden closed the distance between them and pressed her lips gently to his. At the moment of their kiss a brilliant light engulfed Snape. Severus Snape realized that for the first time in a very long time he felt happy. Then, there was one last conscious thought before he died; how did she know my name?