Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized.
Sev's Second Chance
Chapter 1
Severus Snape looked up into the bright green eyes above him and breathed out deeply, a whoosh of air that flew out of him. The pain was fading, giving way to a bone deep exhaustion. He relaxed, accepting his death, and the world around him faded away. Last to go were a pair of almond shaped green eyes. "Lily..." he murmured, and the darkness consumed him completely.
The darkness was all around. He was spinning through it, weightless and free. It was calm. Then, a light. He was heading towards it fast, and he barely had time to wonder at it before it sucked him in. He was pulled through the light into a place that looked rather like the park he used to play at, back when he was a child. And a voice... a voice was calling his name. He would know that voice anywhere-he whirled to face it, and there she was. Lily Evans, the person he had both lived and died for. Her hair fell around her face in a shining curtain, the same deep, vibrant red it had been in life. Her lips were curled into a wistful smile, and her green eyes looked deep, as though they had known grief far beyond imagining. "Severus..." she began, and broke off. "Sev..." He lost composure then, dropped to his knees. "Lily, forgive me!" he cried, anguished. "I never meant, I never wanted this-"
"Shhhh," she replied. "I forgave you long ago, Sev. Long ago. Thank you for watching over my son all these years. Listen, Sev," she continued. "This is why I have come. You-we are getting another chance." She paused. "To be together." He looked at her in utter confusion. She sighed. "If you consent, we will be...sent back. Reincarnated. In a replica of our old life...It will be our chance not to push each other away, to overcome, our chance to correct our mistakes..." He looked dumbfounded. "But," he whispered. "But... Potter..." She sighed again. "Yes, Severus, I do love James, but he and I-we had our time, and, if you make the same mistakes, we will have another lifetime. But that's it, you see. A lifetime. We had ours, and this is your chance to have a lifetime with me, Sev. A lifetime, that's all. No more, no less." He nodded slowly. "And if I refuse? If I am happy with what I have had?"
"I will send you on," she said simply. He looked at her for a moment, really looked at her. He took in her mouth, always smiling, even in her sleep, and her bright eyes, alive with emotion. Then he too smiled. "I accept. I will try again. Just one thing," she looked at him, curious. "Will I remember this when I am reborn? Or you? Will we know who we were?" She smiled again. "I don't know, Sev. We can only wait and see. Are you ready?" He nodded. She cupped her hands around his face and blew gently. Her sweet scent engulfed him, and he lost consciousness once more.