Author's Note: I have been holding onto this little gem since shortly after I saw the movie. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing; all rights go to J.K. Rowling
Severus Snape's Pov of Harry Potter's first night at Hogwarts
Severus stared at the boy, conflicted emotions battling it out for supremacy inside him. He was Lily's son, yes, but he looked so much like James-like his bloody twin- that Severus couldn't hold back a flare of hatred. No doubt he was just like his wretched father, lazy and arrogant.
The boy looked up just then, and Severus sucked in a ragged breath. While Professor Dumbledore had told him that the boy had inherited Lily's eyes, Severus hadn't been prepared to actually see that. It was incredibly difficult-painful- to see the eyes of the woman he had never stopped loving staring out at him from the face of the man he had hated so bitterly…
That flare of hatred grew stronger. Was there anything worthy about this boy at all? Was there nothing to be seen of Lily inside him?
Maybe if Harry had looked more like Lily, with her vibrant red hair as well as her beautiful green eyes, he could have forgiven him for being James's son. But he was almost an exact replica of his father except for those eyes, a hated reminder that James had gotten what Severus had so desperately wanted; a life and family with Lily. Seeing a replica of James Potter was a bitter reminder that he hadn't been the one to have those things.
It wasn't the boy's fault, but in that moment Severus hated Lily's son as much as he hated the boy's father, if not more.
Years Later, Severus Snape's Pov in the moments before he died…
"While you live, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine. You have been a good and faithful servant, Severus, but only I can live forever." Severus stared at him with dawning horror. "My lord," he began warily, but by the look on Voldemort's face, he knew it would do no good.
"Nagini, kill," Voldemort ordered. The snake lunged at him and bit viciously, again and again, until he slumped to the floor. The Dark Lord and the snake apparated away, leaving Severus to die on his own after kicking his wand away. They shouldn't have bothered; even with his wand, Severus knew he couldn't heal himself.
The room began to dim, and Severus knew that he was dying. He was almost relieved; the past decade had been a miserable one. He couldn't move, and with every second that passed, he felt colder. The snake's venom was a very fast-acting poison. Under different circumstances, he might have liked to study it in his laboratory.
Harry and his two constant companions, Ron and Hermione, stepped into the room, their faces pale. Harry knelt beside Severus, and Severus wished desperately to be able to tell him about the Dark Lord and Harry's own destiny. But he was too weak. "T-take them," he said, indicating his tears.
As Harry captured them in a flask, Severus knew that he had done all he could for this boy. His role was over, but he wanted one last thing. "Look at me," Severus demanded. Harry's head snapped up.
Looking into Harry's eyes was like he was looking into Lily's eyes. Like hers, they were kind and loving and passed no judgment. Harry was more like his mother than his father. Why had he had never understood that about Harry until this moment, when it was too late? Harry was never cruel like his father; the aspects of Lily that he had so hoped to see in Harry were there. Harry was no bully, and he was good. Like Lily had been.
Until the day Severus Snape died, memories of Lily Potter had haunted him. As he died, looking into the eyes of her son, a boy he had risked his life for years to protect, he imagined he was looking into her eyes…