Disclaimer: I OWN HARRY POTTER!! …~ Haha! In your dreams! ~… NO I DO! I DO! I DO I TELL YOU! …~ Liar ~… FINE! I DON'T OWN IT AND I NEVER WILL! *sob* x
Tears falling from blank eyes
The crisp September morning brought with it a harsh wind to Godric's Hollow. The children playing in the street were hurried indoors by their mothers as the sun began to sink and the pounding rain began to fall. Although the storm began to die down, there was still nobody to hear the muffled crack which interrupted the howling wind or the swish of a cloak that penetrated the darkness. Nobody noticed a man with a large hooked nose and shoulder-length greasy black hair appear suddenly in the empty town square.
Severus Snape strode quickly past a signpost, upon which some spindly words were written. Welcome to Godric's Hollow. The rain, though now lighter than before, fell in Severus' wake as he passed the church and the corner shop and continued on to a cottage at the end of the lane. This particular cottage had a warm, welcoming looked about it; the house seemed to glow beside the swirling grey clouds overhead.
When he reached the house, Severus stared at it for a moment or two. Was this really the right thing to do? How would she react? But Severus knew deep down, that nothing could stop him. He had made a decision, long ago really…
Snape picked a few yellow roses from a nearby bush and pushed open the gate; as he did so, it squeaked a little in protest. He peered through the living room window causing his look of apprehension to turn to one of love and then one of disgust. In the living room of the small cottage was the person Severus loved most in the world, accompanied by the two people he hated most in the world. Sirius Black sat on the floor, in front of one of the 3 sofas, with his back to the window holding a wizard camera and facing the centre of the room, where a chuckling James Potter chased after a small toddler with black hair and green eyes, who was riding around on a toy broomstick. In the doorway of the room laughing along stood Lily Evans. 'Or Lily Potter' Severus thought angrily. His hands tightened around the stems of the roses and he winced as a thorn penetrated his skin. The deep red blood trickled slowly down the palm of his hand to his wrist, but disappeared under the sleeve of his black robe which concealed his ghastly tattoo on his forearm.
Severus watched as Sirius Black took a picture of the Potter family and cast the developing photograph aside. Severus paused, only for a moment, before knocking sharply on the door. Just as he expected, it was Lily who left the room to greet their unknown guest. Severus' heartbeat quickened. What if he wasn't welcome? She probably still hated him; maybe he could still apparate away. Unfortunately, the door opened before he could make his decision.
Lily's laughing face fell at the sight of her former friend and an expression of horror crossed her beautiful face. Her emerald green eyes blazed angrily. "Severus… what are you doing here?" she whispered, glancing back toward the living room door, tucking her ruby red hair, such a different colour to the blood running down Snape's hand, behind her ear as she did so.
Severus ignored this less than warm welcome. His features seemed to come to life as soon as Lily uttered his name. "Lily… hell- I mean, hi… I- err… how're you? I got these for you…" he stumbled over his words whilst offering Lily the rose now wet from the rain cascading around him.
Lily shoved the roses back towards him. "I said what are you doing here? Why have you come here Severus?" Snape's face fell as he clasped the rejected roses in is bleeding hand.
"I- I needed to see you." He stuttered, "I miss you Lily-"
"You know you are not welcome here!" Lily whispered angrily.
Severus swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. She would not send him away, not this time. "But I-"
"Who is it, love?" James' voice called from the living room at the same time as the tinkling of breaking china.
Lily looked startled and hurriedly called "No-one dear, just a collector from the church!" she dropped her voice back to a whisper as she turned back to the man on her doorstep, "You need to leave before they see you; James and Sirius are both here, Sev, and they probably won't hesitate to get rid of you. We all know what you've become and-"
"Lily, I won't hurt you! You know I'd never do that. I…" Snape swallowed again. "I love you, Lily!"
Lily's green eyes filled with tears as she looked deep into Snape's black ones. They appeared sincere and true, but yet she could not shrug off the feeling that he wasn't telling her something, that he would deceive her like last time. "I'm sorry Sev." She mumbled her voice barely audible above the rain, which was falling hard and fast yet again. "I can't trust you."
When Lily muttered that last sentence, Severus realised could feel his heart breaking, and yet he felt oddly detached from his body, as though he were watching the scene from another' point of view. But all too soon he snapped back to reality, and Lily's words crashed over him like a tidal wave of pain and misery, and Severus cried out "No! Please Lily! You must understand! Please!"
"Lily? What was that?" Sirius' voice travelled out of the living room door.
"Nothing!" Lily shouted before clapping her hand over Severus' mouth. Severus stopped wailing immediately as soon as he felt Lily's warm touch. His eyes grew wide as hot tears continued to flow down his cheeks, entwining themselves with the woman's nimble fingers. Snape stared at Lily's pale face as she started to whisper again, "Severus! Please be quiet. I don't want you to get hurt." She pleaded. Severus was taken aback. She didn't want him hurt? Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for them to be together. "Sev, you have to leave. I'm sorry, but I'm married, as you know, to a man I love very much. And besides," she seemed suddenly angry again and she removed her hand from his mouth, "you're a deatheater."
"No! Oh no, Lily! That's why I'm here!" Severus cut her off, "The Dark Lord, he… he aims to kill your son." Lily looked shocked, but she just stared at Snape with wide eyes, so he carried on. "He heard a prophecy about a boy born at the end of July last year that will one day defeat him and he thinks it means your son. You're in danger Lily!" Severus concluded his story and waited or Lily's reaction.
The red-head gaped at him for some time before finally finding the right words. "I- this is just another lie Sev, I don't know what-"
"I'm not lying!"
He reached out towards her but she recoiled, looking scared. Severus was disgusted with himself. He backed away mumbling "I would never lie to you Lily, I will protect you forever, I swear it, I promise you, I will." He collapsed to his knees, his soaking hair swinging like a curtain in front of his tear-filled, blank eyes. Lily looked down on him, pity evident in her features.
"I'm so sorry Sev… I can't do this anymore more…" Lily whispered.
"No. No! Please! PLEASE LILY! Please…" Severus begged as he tried to get to his feet but stumbled and collapsed again, begging for Lily to understand. He couldn't lose her… he just… couldn't. The rain was now falling harder than ever, thunder could be heard in the distance.
"Goodbye Severus."
"NO! Lily! LILY!" Snape screamed.
But Lily was gone. Back into her home, back to safety. Severus clambered up and he ran.
That as the last time Severus Snape ever saw Lily Evans.
****
16 years later:
The room was painted black, with gold patterning lining the ceiling, the furniture and the wall, upon which posters of stationary bikini-clad women hung, along with a moving picture of four smiling boys with their arms around one another. At first glance the room seemed uninhabited, judging by the spider-webs clinging to the chandelier and the thick layer of dust coating the empty shelves. But there was in fact a man kneeling in the centre of the room, a man with long greasy black hair and dark tear-filled eyes that appeared starved of emotion.
The man stared down at his shaking hands as a single teardrop fell on to the torn photo of a woman clasped between them. The lady in the picture was laughing merrily at something no one could see, her flowing crimson hair cascading down her shoulders and her green eyes sparkling like the emeralds they so shockingly resembled.
"I'm so sorry." The man whispered his voice strained with muffled sobs.
He slowly got to feet, the photo of the woman clutched in his left hand, a ripped piece of parchment baring her signature in his right, and, tears streaming down his pale, hollow cheeks and dripping off the end of his large hooked nose, the man fled the room.
A/N: I've never really liked Snape, but you have to feel sorry for him. Also, I know that in the 7th book Lily's letter to Sirius implies that James and Lily are already in hiding the July of Harry's first birthday but like just say that they go into hiding late September and that in the letter Lily was just sending Sirius the photo he had taken for the purpose of this story, it is after all fanFICTION. My first one-shot, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! -- Prongster x