Snape lay on the floor of the shrieking shack, life draining out of him in the form of blood, but he smiled. He smiled for many reasons: He had served his purpose, he had hopefully saved Harry. he had kept his promise to Dumbledore and soon he wouldnt be so alone. A sense of peace washed over him. Death wasn't anything like he expected. Even though pain throbbed through his veins, he felt somehow comfortable. Life was slowly being pulled away from him, a mere memory. The only thing that was real to him, was the memory of her smile...
"Sev! C'mon! Over here!" He heard Lily call. He turned around, suddenly in the field by his childhood home. The field he and Lily spent all of their summers together in. There was the fiery redhead laying in the grass, patting the spot next to the side of herself. Snape slowly walked over and sat next to her. His beautiful Lily was still alive. He smiled at her youthful face as it glowed with happiness. He noticed how young she looked, all the effects from the war were gone. It was his sweet Lily, the one he knew before. He looked up at the beautiful blue sky, a wave of grief washing over him. It was because of his actions, his mistakes, that Lily didn't get to grow old, raise her family, watch Harry grow up. He had stolen life from her, it did not matter if it was intentional or not. It was his mistake. A clap of thunder sounded and the sky began to grey as his sorrowful tears fell. Lily sat up and looked at him in worry. "Oh, Severus, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice as melodic as he remembered, it was as if he had heard it just yesterday. "I-I am so sorry, Lily. I didn't mean to- I didn't know! I would never have-" Severus couldn't continue, his voice being cut off by a choke. "I loved you, Lily. I still do." He said, quietly looking down at his hands, only to notice that they weren't as he remembered. They were pale, soft, and new. They had no scarring, wrinkles, or withering. He turned them over, still gazing at them in wonder. Lily slowly reached out and took one of them in her own, the other one being brought up to his cheek.
"Sev, I know. I understand." She said, softly holding his face in her hands. He leaned in to her touch, longing, missing it with all of his being. This was everything he had needed. He needed to know she understood, he needed to know she didn't hate him for what happened. "Severus, come with me." She said, standing up and holding her hand out to him. Severus took it without another thought, holding on to it with everything he had. She wouldn't be taken away from him again. Slowly they walked, hand in hand, next to one another, into a line of trees. As they walked through the forest, he looked her over. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, his memory of her not fading in the slightest. Her pale, alabaster skin, untarnished except for a small spattering of freckles just on her shoulders and nose; her sweet, pink lips; beautiful red hair streaming down her back, ending just above her tail bone. He noticed that she didnt have any scars either, just perfect new skin. This did not strike him as odd, it felt normal, like this was how it had always been. She was wearing a white peasant blouse and a white knee length skirt along with no shoes. He almost cried when he saw the anklet he had made her when they were twelve, still on her. It didnt look worn, either. Lily looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips. "Severus, did you miss me?" She asked, her voice sweet and peaceful. Severus looked down at their intertwined fingers and brought them to his lips, "Yes. Everyday. Never did a day do by that I didn't think about you- miss you. Always." He answered, closing his eyes as her skin brushed his. He had missed her. Everything about her, from her smile to her laugh, from her freckles to her smell. He had missed her for thirty years and had shown no sign of stopping. She nodded, as if she understood everything he thought, but couldn't say.
"Here." She tugged on him to stop walking, pointing to a little stream he hadn't noticed before. It was wonderful! It led up to a small waterfall and it didnt look like it ever stopped going. Glorious stones sat in the bottom. They were natural river stones, but something about them screamed magesty. They shone in wonderful colors! They were grey, but also colored at the same time. Severus couldn't explain it with words, but it seemed right all the same. Flowers grew all around the brook, flowers of all types and colors. Above, a bird was chirping and a light breeze blew by. Snape turned to look at Lily, who in turn, was gazing into the water. "Severus, look at our reflections." She said, slowly raising an arm and pointing into the water. He looked down, only to look back up at her. "How?" He asked. They looked like they were twenty again, both of them. His skin was new and soft, his hair was short and he was wearing a white shirt and brown pants. He was shoeless too, he realized as he wiggled his toes in the grass. Lily sighed, smiling softly at him. "You know the answer to that already." She said, sitting down on the bank. Severus followed suit, sticking his feet into the water. "I'm dead?" He asked, realizing how harsh the words sounded. Lily nodded.
He sat there for a moment looking into the water. "It makes sense." He said softly. Of course he was dead, he thought to himself, she was here with him. "What do we do now?" He asked, bending down and reaching into the brook, retrieving a stone. He flipped it over in his hand a few times, soaking in the magic sorounding him. "Well, you have two options. You can, either, go back the way you came..." She looked him in the eyes, "Or you can go home with me." She said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears. Severus felt scared... Where was home? Would he be welcomed? "So, go back to our world and become a ghost... Or..." He trailed off, looking at her, trying to communicate his fears. "Or, we go home. Some might call it heaven, but I prefer home. That's what it really is, Sev. You feel loved there. It's nothing like our homes were on earth. It's..." She sighed, smiling and kicking her feet in the water. "Well, where are we now?" He asked, tossing the rock back into the water. "We are in a place between the two worlds. Some might call it limbo- others pergatory. It's nothing like what they say, though. You can't stay here. It more like a gateway." She said, standing up. Severus got up with her, dusting his pants off and looking around them.
"Sev... I just wanted to say... Thank you for watching over Harry. Life is different here, very different. Some... Relationships aren't the same. Some were only meant to be to serve one purpose." Lily looked him in they eyes, trying to convey her message. Severus understood. He understood that she and James weren't together here, that they only loved each other on earth because Harry had to be born. "What happened?" He asked, truly curious. Did it hurt her, that they weren't together anymore? She laughed lightly, "It was never meant to be. Once we got here... Well, James is with Sirius and Remus now. They are reunited. It's nice." She said, smiling. "I also got to meet Tonks. She hurt so badly at first, when Remus greeted her here. She didnt want to leave Teddy, but he convinced her to come home. She's happy now." Severus nodded. "Well, I would like to come home, then." He answered her question, all insecurities floating away. Lily smiled, the biggest smile he has seen out of her in more than 30 years. She held her hand out to him again and wrapped her fingers around his. Together they walked through the forest, to whatever may lay beyond the trees, chatting together and laughing. Just before they passed through the last line of trees, three words could be heard, and forever they echoed... "I love you."