Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its associated characters and places are (c) JK Rowling, all rights reserved.
King's Cross
The prattle and hum of trains was all around him, zooming near and fading away in the distance as if through a haze. Here now was Platfrom 9 ¾, its yellowed bricks looking very the way they did on his first morning en route to Hogwarts. In his mind's eye, he saw his former self, a gangly eleven-year-old shyly pushing a cart toward a redheaded girl, who took his hand in her own and jerked him eagerly toward the boundary between bustling London and the wizarding world beyond.
Snape was no stranger to such visions, even though the girl whose sweet smile had given so much comfort, love, and loyalty, had long since lain beneath a cold stone in Godric's Hollow. He closed his eyes against the memory, hoping only for oblivion. Perhaps there would not be solace for such a loss, even in death.
"Alright there, Severus?"
His lips parted and twitched at the corner, not knowing whether to tremble with joy or penance. Surely this was another dream, her voice a siren call heralding an imminent submersion into the depths below.
Yet his feet acted on their own volition, carrying him in the direction of Lily's voice behind him. The din of trains passed away, and all was fading into brightness. He saw her now, the same measure of undimmed pulchritude he'd recollected with painful relish—now without the pallor of death oppressing her delicate features. She smiled and held out her hand, a twinkle lighting up her eyes.
"I have been waiting a good long while, my friend."
He gasped out a sob as her hand closed around his, tugging him to the world beyond. Perhaps he could once more know the untainted bliss that hung around Lily like a halo. Her words echoed over and over. Friend.
"After all this time?" he asked.
"Always," she replied.