Only Human

Author's Note: Hello! Well, read a major rumor/possible spoiler for DH Part 2 involving "The Prince's Tale", and just had to do a little one shot because the idea of it being true is just way too cute. Read my second AN if you are interested! Or turn back now if you don't want to be potentially spoiled!

Author's Note #2: So you want to know?

... Are you sure you want to know?

... You really want to know? 8D Okay!

SPOILERS BELOW!:

... Okay, seriously now. : D

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!:

According to a number of news sites, Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) filmed a scene in Godric's Hollow for Part II, so the set had to be rebuilt. Now, there's only two things this could have meant; either Snape went to go see Lily's grave, or he went that Halloween Night with the intention of warning the Potters.

Now, there are spoilers/rumors to indicate the latter. These 'spoilers' are that Snape indeed goes to warn the Potters. But he gets there too late. Upon seeing Lily's body, he approaches/picks up baby Harry, and cries. Loving Snape-Harry bonding like I do, I immediately went, "Awww!" and seriously hope that it is true. But there were other things that have been confirmed that were listed along with this, so I am 70% sure it's true. We'll just have to wait and see.

So please feel free to read/review and give your thoughts on this possible scene! Oh, and to those that are awaiting a new chapter of Rewind, I will be updating soon! :)

Summary: Those green eyes had haunted him ever since that night. POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR DH PART II!

Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, naturally. Only Jo could write that level of awesome.

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The village of Godric's Hollow was completely silent, except for the occasional crunching of boots on hard autumn leaves. The whistling of the wind mostly sheathed the sounds of the restless footsteps, the bitter wind blowing harshly onto the owner.

A long, dark-haired man pulled his coat closer to his body, attempting to warm himself slightly as he hurried through the small narrow streets, his heart beating frantically. He had to get to her. He had to get to Lily, his wonderful Lily, before...

He shivered as the cold blew through him again. He hoped to Merlin he was not too late; granted, he had left as soon as he'd heard, but the Dark Lord was quick, unpredictable, and he feared he was too late, that Voldemort had gotten to her first..

But Dumbledore had promised him, assured him, that Lily – and grudgingly, her family – were safe, kept under the Fidelius Charm, the most powerful protection placed on her small cottage. Voldemort would not be able to penetrate it. Entrance could only be granted by a hand-picked, well-trusted friend of Lily – and Potter's, the man sneered bitterly to himself, someone trusted to keep the secret of their location safe. Only then could the charm be broken. And the Potter's – although he refused to acknowledge someone as kind and compassionate as Lily being a Potter – had chosen Sirius Black, James Potter's best friend, who would not never, under any circumstances, give them away.

If he had to give Black any kind of credit, it would be that he was a loyal, and eternal friend. He would not betray the Potter's.

But he had. Black had told the Dark Lord. And now the lives of Lily, the wretched James Potter, and their young son were all threatened. Voldemort was coming tonight. He was going to kill them all, and it would be his fault.

Suddenly, green light illuminated the sky, a couple of streets from where he was headed. It seemed to come directly from the Potter house. No. He quickened his pace into a run, fear scorching through him as if it were hot flame. He could not be too late. He just couldn't!

At last, he rounded the corner to the road the Potter's home stood, and his heart leapt even further into his throat, so far that he thought he could hack it up. The door to the small cottage was wide open, and the second floor was almost completely obliterated. A massive hole covered most of the broken building.

Wasting no time, he swept into the open doorway, and nearly tripped over a large, boulder-like something. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the body of James Potter, his old school rival. Without even having to check the man's pulse, he knew he was dead. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath. If Potter was dead, then surely..

He shook his head as if to get rid of a swarm of flies; he could not think like this. The Dark Lord would not, could not, kill Lily. But even as he assured himself of it, he was terrified of what he would find if he proceeded upstairs. He gave another deep breath to calm himself, and then, without looking back, he raced up the staircase that lead to the second floor landing.

Lily, he thought, panicking. Please... please, don't be...

And then he found her.

She was lying, one arm resting under her head, the other at her side, at the foot of a small wooden crib, her vacant face staring back at him. He stared at Lily's crumpled form, disbelieving. He slowly, shakily, fell to his knees beside her still body. His black eyes that were wide and horror-stricken pricked with tears. Her once lively and passionate green eyes were now blank, dull and lifeless, her beautiful face void. He thought he might break... he was too filled with shock and sorrow. Voldemort had promised him...

That day had been the day he regretted beyond anything else; He had conveyed the prophecy to his lord, but the horror, the fear, the realization of who it meant, terrified him beyond anything. The choice was either Neville, the son of Frank and Alice Longbottom, or Harry, the son of Lily and James Potter.

Severus Snape stood anxiously before the Dark Lord, dreading the man's decision.

"I have decided," Voldemort said after a long moment, twirling his wand lazily in his slender hand, "The son of the Potter's or the Longbottom's... I have decided... that the Potter brat is whom I shall kill. He is the threat. But there is yet redemption for his parents; the Potter's need only surrender their son to me, in exchange for their lives. Surely, they will not refuse..."

Severus was not aware he had been holding his breath until he released it, relieved. Lily would be safe, then. It was Potter's spawn the Dark Lord was after."So... the boy... you wish to pursue the boy... then, I have a r-request, my Lord, if you would?"

Voldemort considered him. "Oh? What is this request, Severus?"

He swallowed thickly, but his face morphed into a mask of indifference. Inside, he was trembling. "If you wish to kill the child... then, perhaps, would you exchange his and Potter's life... in e-exchange, for the life of the w-woman..."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot.." Voldemort whispered softly, and Severus did not, for one moment, like the way Voldemort was looking at him, at the way the disgust sparked in his eyes.. "Lucius has mentioned... that you are quite taken with Mrs. Potter. From what I've been told, have been ever since your school days... am I correct to assume you wish to pursue her..?"

He stiffened. "Y-Yes, my lord."

There was a deadly silence, then..

"Very well, Severus," The cold voice hissed, a smirk forming on his lips,"I will spare the woman at your request. She will be left for you. As it is, I only need to dispose of the brat. The man will prove wonderful entertainment, however. It shall be fun killing him."

"Yes, my lord," Severus sighed in relief, not really caring of the fate that Potter and his brat were to be given. They did not matter. All that mattered was Lily, his Lily.

But here she was, dead at his feet, dead because the Dark Lord did not care enough of his request, did not care what he would be taking from him...

A small cry brought Severus from his thoughts; he looked up, for the first time noticing the small toddler encased in the crib beside Lily. From his position, he could see the baby was sitting up. His brow furrowed in confusion; the mother and father were both dead, but the boy was alive? Had the Dark Lord failed to kill him?

The baby let out another cry. He slowly rose to his feet, and impassively gazed upon the little black-haired child. Harry. Anger bubbled up in him as Severus saw he looked exactly the same as his pathetic father. But as the little boy looked up at him, his face fixed with fear and confusion, he saw that he had his mother's eyes. Her eyes, exactly.

And on the boy's forehead...

Swallowing thickly, Severus reached out hesitantly, not exactly sure of what he was doing; his fingertips brushed gently on the child's forehead, where a large lightning shaped scar covered it. It was fresh, crusted with dried blood. It was a curse scar, a remnant of a curse that had not worked. So the Dark Lord had failed to kill him – the curse had not done as it should, and it most likely had rebound onto Voldemort himself. That meant he was..

Suddenly, little Harry let out a pained cry from the sensitive touch, and his small fingers reached up and latched onto Severus's, as if trying to pry his hand away.

Severus quickly pulled away, feeling as if the boy's touch had burned him. He simply stood staring at the child. The boy stared at him intently for the longest time, as if trying to figure out if the dark-haired man standing before him meant to hurt him. And then, when it seemed he was sure he would not be harmed, he gave Severus a bright, wide smile. Severus's breath hitched. And without knowing why, his body was suddenly shaking with tremors as his eyes blurred with tears, instantly and rapidly falling down his face.

Then he was sobbing, standing before Lily's dead body and her living son. He could not take it. He could stay here no longer. He was much too broken to bear another moment.

He turned, but he hadn't taken even a single step forward before he stopped, and looked back. What would become of the child? Voldemort's supporters were still at large, and when they got news of his disappearance, they would come here to kill the boy, who was defenseless and alone. He shook his head to clear it. The child would be all right. Dumbledore, or someone from the Order, would come and collect him, take him somewhere safe, away from the wreckage, away from the destruction and the danger. There was no reason to stay here any more. Again, he turned to leave.

At once, little Harry let out another tiny cry as Severus began to exit the room. Narrowing his eyes, Severus once again drew back; why, why, did he feel compelled to stay... especially with Potter's brat? The boy was a nuisance. He did not give a damn about him. And yet, he could not bring himself to just walk out on the child, to leave him alone with the horror surrounding him..

As the brat whined again, Severus grit his teeth and in a single long stride, reached the crib, glaring down at the incessant toddler. "Be quiet," He hissed. "How can it be.. that you live while she does not... how can a simple little brat like you have survived while he killed her!"

The boy quieted at once, looking up at Severus with fearful eyes that were still filled with tears. A split-second later, he started up again. Aggravated, but not knowing what else to do, Severus lifted the little pest from the crib and into his arms, restraining the urge to shake the child to get him to shut up. "Hush! You have no reason to go on with your dramatics!"

But of course he did, Severus realized. The one-year old had no idea, no comprehension, of what had just transpired. A man had just murdered his parents in front of him and had attempted to kill him as well. Of course the child was afraid. Of course he wanted comfort. And of course, he, Severus, still not knowing why, felt compelled to give it.

"Hush," He lowered his voice to a softer tone as he chided the boy. He held him close to his chest, directly on his heart, cradling the baby's head firmly against him. "Hush now. It's over. He has gone. You are safe."

Slowly, the baby's sobs calmed, so that soon he was only hiccuping and crying softly. Severus did not know how long he stood there holding the boy, but he felt as if it were forever. When he finally heard nothing from the child, he carefully pried the boy's head from his chest, finding that the child had fallen asleep.

He quickly, but gently, placed Harry back into his crib, and stood back. The little boy looked much more peaceful now, and he appeared innocent and vulnerable as he slept, curled up into a tiny ball, his small hands clutched into fists.

Severus grit his teeth and turned away, to glimpse at the clock on the opposite wall. 2 AM. It had been two hours since he'd arrived. Dumbledore would be sending someone to collect the boy soon. He had done his part; he had come to warn the Potters, even if it had been too late, and even had wasted his time tending to the brat. The boy was fine now. He could leave. Without looking back, Severus Snape swept from the room, the loss of Lily fresh on his heart. He felt as if he had lived a thousand years of agony. He headed out the door of the broken cottage, and strode away, giving no more thoughts to the little black-haired child that, on that night in Godric's Hollow, he had sworn to himself to protect.