House: Gryffindor
Position: HoH
Category: Short
Prompt: Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Word Count (excluding header and AN): 638
Beta: Tigger
-AN This is a bit AU, but I like the idea of mopey, pining Snape. I hope you enjoy!
Severus Snape stared longingly across the empty field. The sweet, summer air swirled around him, but he found the smell repugnant. Patches of wildflowers bloomed throughout the too tall grass, but he scoffed at their beauty. He cared about only one flower. The one flower that he now realized would never again return to this field. The one flower that would never again return to him.
Lily. His Lily.
If I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Last year had been the turning point in their relationship. He'd give anything to undo the mistake he made. Not that he had any regret for standing up to those damn Gryffindors. James Potter and his merry band of swine deserved everything that Severus sent their way. But the way he had treated Lily? That terrible thing he'd said to her? He knew that regret would live with him always.
Severus lowered his lanky body into the tall grass and stared blankly up at the sky. He and Lily had spent countless hours in this field as children. He'd been her first bridge to the magical world, and she his only confidant. He allowed himself to construct a fantasy where she would remain by his side forever.
We'll do it all, everything on our own. We don't need anything or anyone.
In his head, it was just the two of them against everyone else. They could just remain in this field forever, where nothing could harm them. The looming war wouldn't touch them here. All he needed was Lily.
But his Lily was gone. He drove her away with his own rash reaction and hateful words.
And to add insult to injury, soon enough she would run straight into the arms of his worst enemy: James bloody Potter. James had been after his Lily for years, and it drove Severus mad. Thankfully, Lily had despised James. But Severus knew that was beginning to change. In his hopeless observation of her, Severus had noticed her feelings towards his tormentor soften and morph into something akin to genuine affection.
Rather than returning to her family's home in Cokeworth, she'd opted to spend the summer with her Gryffindor friend, Marlene McKinnon. Severus was certain that at some point the girls would meet up with James and his cohorts. And then his Lily would be lost to him forever.
Severus feared what he'd become without her.
I need your grace to remind me to find my own
Without Lily, he was lost.
Severus remained in the empty field for hours. He was numb to the breeze that made the grass dance. He was blind to the colors that exploded from the earth and sky. His skin did not warm under the gentle rays of the sun.
Eventually, the sun dipped past the horizon. The field was blanketed by a thick cloak of darkness as stars erupted across the sky.
"Severus Snape," hissed a commanding voice.
He considered not responding, but something drew him in. He sat up slowly to find a pale man wearing dark robes staring across the field at him. Despite never having seen this wizard before, Severus recognized him immediately.
"Severus Snape," whispered Lord Voldemort. "I offer you an invitation to join my service. Do you accept?"
He considered his choice for a moment. He knew who this man was and what he had already done. But he knew what happened to those who refused the call to service.
Without his Lily, he had no grace. Without his Lily, he could do nothing on his own. Without his Lily, it was impossible to forget the world.
At least this way, he wouldn't be alone in the field.
Slowly, Severus eased himself off the ground. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "My Lord."