A/N: I have four chapters of this story written in my rough draft, but I'm sure it will end up being longer. This story is very much from my own imagination and I don't expect everyone to agree with it. It has a lot to do with embellishing on what Jo Rowling laid the foundation for in the fifth book. I don't want to give too much away, but I hope you enjoy it. The prologue is just to give you a small taste of the story, but the plot doesn't actually start until the first chapter.

His eyes closed with his voice caught in his throat. His time was up in this world. He was done. The last thing he had seen were her eyes; Lily's eyes, shining at him sans hatred from an irrelevant face. And now he was falling, or perhaps he was floating. He was suspended in air in a place that was neither here nor there.

His eyes were still closed, and he could clearly feel death, more real and painless than he had ever imagined. His fear dissipated as a warm air rushed over him, blowing his hair around his face in a way that an ocean breeze may have done. However, he wouldn't really know because he had never gone to the beach.

He felt lightheaded, but not in an unpleasant way. It were as though he'd taken the most powerful of all Draughts of Peace and was now resting on a cloud, moving in a way that made him feel no fear for his destination. He was breathing, although he knew that if he stopped, he would still survive. Air meant nothing to him anymore. But the air here was sweet in a way he'd never known, and so he breathed, filling his lungs to full capacity with each breath, tasting wonders he'd never dreamed of.

The second he opened his eyes it would all end. He had convinced himself of that in order to give him all the more reason to keep them closed. Fear of the unknown would not plague him here. There were no noises, and the silence was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

Lily was here. He could feel her near to him and longed to reach out and touch her, but found that he had no control of his own limbs. He was a log moving through time and space, simply able to breathe, feel, and be. He could smell her perfume now, clinging to his nostrils the way it had every time he had brewed Amortentia in class.

He was still moving, although the direction in which he moved was unclear. He was not worried. His destination was pre-planned and he had no intentions of getting there early. His job was done. His task was done. He could rest.

Against all better judgment, he opened his eyes, squinting into the bright light that was surrounding him. He wasn't moving in a direction at all, but was moving all the same. It was a curious sensation. All around, the light moved with him, enhancing the journey, moving and gliding seamlessly, supported by nothingness until he suddenly stopped.

He felt his eyes growing heavy once more, and although he was curious as to what would happen next, he felt himself growing weary. His eyelids fluttered shut, sealing off his view of the soft lighting around him. His breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed even more until he felt himself drifting off to sleep. If this was death, then he would gladly accept his fate.

As he faded into nothing, he heard a voice calling to him from all sides. It vibrated around him in silent but growing waves, sinking into him like an anchor, pulling him all the closer to his destination. It called to him in a voice that was distant and familiar, speaking only his name in its calm and even tone. "Severus." He was home.

"Severus."

A/N: Let me know what your thoughts are so far! Like I said, the story will truly get started with the first chapter.