"Look… at… me…." I whispered. I clutched Potter's robes, my face in pain, agony, blood spurting from everywhere. He found my eyes, we looked into each other's… Then I collided to the floor. I would never forget the forgiveness in those eyes. Lily's eyes. He was truly his mother's son, not his father's…

It felt strange. Relaxing. I found myself walking down a place, I don't know where it was. Everywhere was blank, white. I had no idea where I was heading, but my feet seemed to know the way. I walked on and on, feeling light and dainty, like a feather. That's when I looked down- and the sight made me scream in terror-I was not wearing anything. Was this supposed to be what happened after you were dead? Was I still alive?

I hoped that I would see Lily again…

Thoughts swirled in my mind. Thoughts and questions. Where was I? Was this heaven? Would I ever be able to see Lily again?

I was unaware as a woman approached me. She looked very familiar. And, I thought it was quite unfair. She was wearing clothes. Suddenly, I felt tense and nervous. I was completely unclothed in front of a woman.

I looked down again, failing at resisting, as a pink tinge appeared on my face. But when I looked down, I saw that I was actually wearing robes!

"Severus," said the woman. Not Lily. This woman had sleek, black, hair, like mine, and was bony, like Lily's sister, Petunia.

I automatically hugged the woman. "Mum."

She was my mum. My old mother. That left me so young, left me to be abused by my Muggle father. "Let us walk," she said. Those were precisely the words that Dumbledore had said to me when I was young. He and I talked about Lily. A lot.

I walked alongside my own mother. I was still wondering about Lily. Mum had stopped. She was studying me intently. I never knew that she was a Legilimens, too. I just sensed it. "I was going to tell you," she said slowly, "that Lily has forgiven you long ago. She has watched you. You are brave. Wise. Meanwhile, the war will stop, and Lord Voldemort will die. He will be sent to the Underworld, and he will rest in peace."

I shuddered at the term 'Lord Voldemort,' but he wasn't going to kill me, because I was already dead.

"Where's Lily?" I asked, ignoring the last two sentences. "I see you are more eager to see her than me," said Mum, smiling. She reminded me of Dumbledore. I glared at her a little. "Ah, well-" Dumbledore-sounding. "-when we have dinner tonight, let's invite her over." I stared. "Dinner?! I thought we are dead, woman!" I bellowed, and Mum chuckled. Like Dumbledore, again.

"Severus," she said, "we are not ghosts." I shrugged. "Okay. When is dinner?"

Mum squeezed my arm. She took a wand out of her pocket ("Mum, we still have our wands?!" "Yes, we do.") and waved it once. Instantly, the whiteness was gone. She still hadn't answered my question.

But I forgot all about dinner when I saw everything. It was the exact same sight as Hogwarts… Only that it said, HEAVEN HOGWARTS.

I was in shock. "Well," said Mum, "Professor Dumbledore has assigned you as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Deal?" "Okay," I said again.

"Dinner is at the Great Hall. Your stuff is in your quarters, I suppose you know where it is. And dinner is in fifteen minutes." She turned around. "Mum?" I said suddenly. "Yes?" she said.

"Where are you going to be?" "Well," she chuckled, "I didn't expect that. I'm just going to our house. Don't worry, it's just like the normal world, but this is heaven. I'm going to apparate, now." She planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Don't ever leave me, again," I whispered, but she was already gone.

The Great Hall was packed with the students that had died during the war. I saw Colin and Dennis Creevey. They creeped me out, and that worked perfectly because their last names were similar to creep.

I sat at the staff table, next to someone who had flaming red hair and emerald green eyes…

Yes, it was Lily. "Lily?" I gasped. I wanted to hug her, tell her that I missed her, but I kept still. I was still scared that she would punch me or yell at me. "Hi," she said. Did she still recognize me as the nine year old with the oversized jacket? I still had the same lengthed hair.

"Hi," I said back. "What do you teach?" "Muggle Studies," said Lily. "What's your name? How do you know my name?"

I felt a stab in my heart. She didn't remember me.

"It's Sev," I said weakly. "Remember?"

I expected her to happily embrace me and tell me how brave I have been while she was gone (meaning when she was dead). Instead, she just simply stared for a moment, then raced out of the Hall. I didn't know what to do. She had left me again.

Dinner wasn't enjoyable anymore. The excitement to see Lily exited out of me, and I ate in silence. "Severus," said Dumbledore, "are you okay?" My brow furrowed. "I guess," I shrugged, and didn't eat anymore. Instead, I stood up.

I was about to leave when Dumbledore said, right on cue, "Everyone, this is Severus Snape, as you may have known. He is fulfilling the duty of Defense Against the Dark Arts." I heard many students groan and complain.

I didn't know that I felt this bad. I cried, right there in the Great Hall, in front of many students. Realizing what I was doing, I ran out of the Hall at top speed, not even bothering to answer when Dumbledore kept yelling, "SEVERUS! COME BACK!"

I didn't know how to face the next day of my teaching in front of many students that had seen me cry.

I woke up earlier than usual, and decided to take a little stroll outside. My heart skipped a beat when I thought of Lily, that she would not die again, I would see her everyday, I still had many years, maybe even more than a million to talk to her…

I found a fountain at the courtyard. I hadn't seen it before in the real world. Curiously, I stepped forward. The liquid inside looked a lot like the liquid in a Pensieve. Not resisting the temptation, I plunged in.

I fell, but I didn't see any memories…

Instead, I saw all the wizarding locations on a map. I knew exactly what to do, without knowing what to do.

I pressed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where everyone ought to be now.

There it was, the Battle of Hogwarts. It was no longer raging on. There was sunlight, it seemed like dawn. I saw Potter, Granger, and Weasley walking to the Headmaster's office. Eagerly, I followed them. He burst into the room.

There was a round of applause. "Well done," said the portrait of Dumbledore, smiling.

Ah, so this was what was going on in the alive world now.

Dumbledore and Potter talked about some things that I even didn't understand. Time ticked by really fast, because I quickly exited the class with Potter, Weasley, and Granger after his chat with Dumbledore, and I saw that the sky was already blue.

So that was it. The Dark Lord had gone. The war was over. I was happy, actually jovial! I did a little dance that I had never done before.

I wanted to joke with someone, but who?

To come to think of it, I had no friends. Sadness crept into me again, and I wiped away a few tears as I exited the fountain.

I was coming back again.

I rushed into class as quick as possible. I was late to teaching. Then I remembered last night, and blushed as all faces turned to me. "Today," I mumbled, "we will be…" Well, I thought, there are no Dark Arts in heaven, why do we need to teach anyway? I shrugged and continued, "learning my own spell, levicorpus. This spell causes people to hang upside down. Everyone find a partner. No complaints."

"Now," I said, when everyone had paired up, "this is a nonverbal spell. Do not do it yet, but I want you to say Levicorpus aloud. It is pronounced leh-vee-cor-pis. You may begin." I made sure everyone was saying it right, then called, "Stop! Each of you decide which of you is going to cast the spell. When you are ready, tell me."

All hands shot up immediately. I frowned. They had already decided that? "Okay," I said. "Now the partner who does the spell, say levicorpus! in your head. The other one, get ready for you to get blasted off your feet and hung upside down."

I quite enjoyed watching kids being hung upside down. It was quite amusing. But I kept a straight face; I'm very good at that. "Very well," I said, wishing that the moment was never over. "Now, the nonverbal counter curse. Liberacorpus."

When everyone was back down on the floor, I assigned everyone homework that could take up at least two rolls of parchment: "Your homework today," I began, "is to copy down all the spells you know. No cheating," I added, eyeing the Standard Books of Spells, Grade 4.

Everyone groaned. "And you have to be honest. No missing any spells. If you forgot one, and you remember it in class, come tell me. Class dismissed," I drawled.

The vivid memory of me crying and the students eyeing me came back into my mind. I gave the wall an evil eye. Without thinking, I pointed my wand at the wall, and yelled, "Diffindo!" The wall cracked open. Stone crashed onto the floor. I let a stone fall onto me, but I was surprised that nothing hurt.

Then I realized that I was dead, and I was in Hogwarts Heaven. Rolling my eyes, I lifted the stone off me, sighing.

At least I had many more years to get Lily to forgive me.

The next class of dunderheads weren't that fun either. They were year fives, and all started telling me off for teaching them Levicorpus. They said that they were already taught, but I doubted it. Levicorpus was my own spell, and nobody knew of it besides the people that were in school around my time and Potter, Weasley, and Granger.

I couldn't help but glance at the clock every 10 seconds.

I wanted to cry. And die.

Only that I was dead. I was in heaven. And I couldn't die again.

I was so glad when the class was over, I nearly did a dance when the last student exited, but I never, ever, danced. Except the time at the fountain. I decided to go ask Dumbledore how to get into a portrait.

"That's simple," said Dumbledore. "Here, let's come to the Fountain of Life." He led me to the courtyard, where I had been this morning, and led me to the exact same fountain. "I didn't see any way to get into a portrait," I mused.

Dumbledore looked surprised. "You have been here?" "Yes," I said. "This morning." The elder one looked at me, stroking his foot long slick, silver beard. "Ah. Yes. I see." "But that's not possible," I said knowledgeably. "You were in your portrait this morning. How come I didn't see you at the fountain?"

"That is very wise, Severus," he said. "However, as the Headmaster, I am in a different pool at my office. Other staff or students, or wizard and witches, have to go through the Fountain of Life. Does that make sense?"

I slowly nodded. "What about Ministry people, Dumbledore?" "Everyone believes that I shall be the one, since I am powerful. However, I assure you, that I do not wish to have the Pool of Life. I am planning to have it sold some time."

My mouth dropped open. "Why would you sell it?"

"My dear Severus, there are many more Fountains or Pools of Life in heaven. It is not a rare thing, nor is it not valuable."

I said nothing. Instead, I let myself think for quite a while. Dumbledore merely peered at me through his half-moon spectacles. "Shall we visit?" offered Dumbledore, interrupting my thoughts. I nodded stiffly.

"Then take my hand-" I eyed his hand disdainfully, but took it, and he chuckled "-and we will have to put our faces on the top basin layer. Avoid the tap."

I was wondering why Dumbledore was taking my hand. There was no need. I tried to jiggle my hand away from his, but wow, that old man had an awfully strong grip. I gave up.

We plunged into the surface of the swirling water.