Look...at..me
I couldn't believe that was the last words that I was going to hear from my potions master. It couldn't be true, he couldn't die like that. He couldn't die at all.
The cold voice of Lord Voldemort echoed at Shrieking Shack, but my attention was in the body of the man at the floor.
Severus Snape, Dumbledore's traitor was dead and I was starring at his body. I knew why I wasn't pleased about his death, and it wasn't because – like many people believe – that I believe that no one deserves to die. There are people who deserve destiny worst than death… like Voldemort or Bellatrix Lestrange. The others Death Eaters, from my point of view, are just opportunistic idiots and cowards.
But why I couldn't believe that a traitor deserver death? Why I couldn't stand that the man who killed the most powerful wizard of all times was dead?
It was quite simple. I didn't believe on his betrayal. My mind was too logical to allow me to believe that he was a murder… I could feel something really wrong about this whole story.
I went over all the facts from the last two years in my mind: the potions book; the Half Blood Prince; horcruxes, Riddle's diary, Gaunt's ring; Snape locking in a classroom the day that Death Eaters got inside Hogwarts; Harry's memories about Dumbledore's death; the effects that the potion from the cave in Dumbledore. I was missing something.
I remembered Voldemort's words just before he killed Snape. The Elder Wand wasn't working, because he was still alive, he should die. Draco Malfoy tried to kill Dumbledore at the Astronomy Tower and Dumbledore pleaded for Snape….The hand! The potion from the cave that protected the medallion! Voldemort would never let the ring without protection…What if… Dumbledore tried the ring and that was the reason that his hand was almost dead…And if where that…His life time wouldn't be so long…The only person in the castle that was able to deal with the Dark Arts was Snape…He probably did something to restrain the Dark Art, so Dumbledore could live a little longer… Draco was my age, and killing destroys your soul… Snape was a Death Eater in the first war; of course he had killed already… So…Snape had to kill Dumbledore, he was going to die anyway to protect Draco's life and soul, because Voldemort would kill him if he were the owner of the Elder Wand.
My mouth opened and I felt the heat of the tears rolling down my face. Voldemort has just ended his final announcement; Harry must surrender in the Forbidden Forest in order to save everyone. I stared those green eyes and finally found my voice.
I believe that before you do anything, you should se his memories.
Why Hermione? – Both asked me at the same time.
He was dying and decided to give then to you. I'm pretty sure they are important…
Ok, I'll use Dumbledore's pensieve…
You two go ahead, I'll rest here a little while. I'll meet you at the castle soon.
There was no time for then to disagree with my decision, so they just walked away letting myself with Snape's death body. I sat down by his side, put his head in my lap and started stroking his black hair… I looked down at his hands, those long fingers that for years had prepared the most complicated potions from the wizard world… My fingers touched his. Cold. He was cold as any dead body should be, more tears rolled from my eyes.
That was when I felt. A little pulse, actually minimal and practically inexistent. I couldn't allow myself to feel hope, but the feeling came to me anyway, was like a explosion and made me swallow the tears that were stroke in my throat. If he still had a thread of life, I would hold myself to it. I put his head back in the floor and started searching for my purse around the room.
I opened and began to take of potions and books. Ditamno, bezoars, healer potion, fortifying potion, mustisc, felix felicis (recently added from the potions lab). What I was going to do with those was another story.
Voldemort's snake was a horcrux, witch means that dark arts were involved, and none of my potions could fight it back. Basilisk? Fiendfyre? Those wore things that could destroy a horcrux, but Snape wasn't a horcrux, he was just – hell yeah…just… – bitten by one.
Dumbledore, Dumbledore…why you didn't made something to save your teacher, your friend? Why Snape didn't make a potion to save himself, or an antidote? What could defeat the dark arts? What could I do to save the man I admired, prize, respect and even li…
Dumbledore!
I smiled. Put the potions and the books by my side. I leaned over his pale face, put his hand on mine – I could still feel his pulse. My lips found his, cold, like the rest of his body, like his personality.
I forgive you.
I heard a noise coming from his long nose. A smile appeared on my lips again.
I love you Severus Snape, and I can't allow you to die.
Dark black eyes opened and met my. Tears still rolling silently from my face, but I smiled. Smiled for him, because he was alive, because now I knew that I loved him.