The last thing he saw before slipping into that suffocating darkness were those piercing green eyes. Her eyes.
However long he was in that darkness, he couldn't tell - that place had no time; time was both immeasurable and irrelevant.
A soft breeze ruffled his hair and he opened his eyes, closing them again at the brightness - that he didn't expect at all. Hell wasn't supposed to be bright. There shouldn't have been a breeze, and it shouldn't have been his favorite type of weather - cool, breezy, sunny, like a perfect fall day.
When Severus opened his eyes again, he was rather shocked by the scene in front of him. There was a large oak tree next to him, shading him from the bright sun. The sky was light blue, and a few white clouds moved across it lazily, not threatening rain. The grassy ground he was lying on gently sloped down to a large lake.
It reminded him of the place he and Lily went that day he told her about magic.
Looking down at himself, he noticed he was wearing a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up and - he was quite shocked to see - jeans. He noticed a pair of sneakers on his feet, and for once, Severus felt young and carefree.
Hell shouldn't feel this grand, he thought.
"Sev," a gentle voice - one he'd recognize in an instant - said sweetly behind him. He couldn't believe it - he wouldn't let himself believe it - so he turned slowly to face the speaker.
There she was - his Lily, as beautiful as ever. Her red hair hung loose and wavy; a bit was tucked behind one ear. She wore a white sundress, and he delayed before he met her gaze, looking into her eyes.
The eyes that had been glaring from Harry's face for the last seven years.
The eyes he loved.
"Lily?" His voice was cautious as he stepped forward. He absentmindedly noticed his forearm was bare and pale; the Dark Mark had gone.
She nodded. "I've missed you, Sev."
He couldn't contain himself anymore. He strode up to her and took her in his arms. "I love you," he said, then pressed his lips to hers for the first time.
She was unresponsive for a second, but then she kissed him back, her lips gently moving with his. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, and her fingers toyed with his hair. His hands stayed at her waist, but he tugged her as close as she could get.
Severus felt invincible, incredible; he felt as if he could fly on the elation alone.
When they broke apart, he noticed the birds singing merrily in the tree above them. He smiled at the perfection of everything, and when he looked at Lily, she was smiling, too.
"Where's James?" he heard himself ask, and he mentally cursed himself. Way to ruin everything, he thought angrily.
"Oh, Severus, we weren't ever meant to be together," she said quietly. "It wasn't until we got here, wherever here is, that I realized my soulmate was someone else." Lily laughed once, a bit sadly. "Unfortunate I couldn't see it while I was alive."
He fought back the hope that was filling him up and trying to take over. "Who is it, then?" It was probably another man, knowing his luck. Sirius, maybe. Or Lupin.
With a laugh and a sigh, she told him: "you, silly." She leaned up and kissed him chastely. "It's always been you. I love you, Severus Snape."
He couldn't keep the ridiculous smile off his face. He picked her up and spun her around, laughing. He had never been this happy in his life. He had never truly been carefree, like he was now.
Placing her feet on the ground once again, he kissed her slowly, deeply, passionately. Everything felt right, for once.
"I've always loved you, Lily Evans. And I always will."
As they lay in the grass to talk, Severus couldn't help but think that, even though he was dead, this was the happiest and most whole he'd ever felt. He wouldn't want to be alive if he could have this instead.
He let himself slip into the first perfect moment of his life…
And the start of his perfect forever.