House : Slytherin
Year : Prefect
Prompt : "one of these days I'm going to…" "…finally succeeded."
Category : Drabble
Word Count : 307
It was his fifth year when he made that promise.
"I swear to you Lily, one of these days I'm going to show you that I'm a better man than Potter…"
It was a promise that he could never share with her, she had stopped talking to him. His Lily wanted nothing to do with him and the pain of losing her to James Potter was inconceivable and yet he survived.
Severus Snape was a survivor and would continue to be so.
His heart broke when she started dating Potter.
His resentment grew when she married him.
He lost himself then, something he never thought he'd do.
His hope died when she had her son, Harry James Potter.
He ignored his selfish desires when she became the target of the Dark Lord.
He turned himself into a slave so that she was protected.
He died the moment she did.
His resolve steeled with the life of her son.
He had his mother's eyes.
He was his mother's child, something Severus ignored.
He always protected the boy.
He took care of the boy.
Helped the boy.
Taught the boy.
Allowed the child to whip his anger out at him.
He became the boy's punching bag.
All for her. Everything was for her.
He lived so that he could die for her.
Now, here he lay dying for the boy and he realized that he succeeded.
"I did it, Lily…I…finally succeeded."
He saw the boy now he was crying over him.
"Professor!"
"Look…at…me…"
It wasn't long before the coolness of death enveloped him. He had finally succeeded, Severus was a better man than James Potter at last.
He thought he heard her in his last moments.
It was impossible, but he'd believe it.
The madness of a dying man.
Silly Sev, you've always been a better man than Potter…