Camp Potter II [First Aid, Week III]

Welcome Oblivion

Nagini had struck with a speed of lightning on the Dark Lord's command. He could almost imagine Nagini's glee at being able to attack and kill after being idle and carefully guarded for several months. She had always seemed to share that sadistic quality with her master.

Severus barely noticed them leaving the Shrieking Shack as he felt the venom coursing through his veins and spreading through his body like liquid fire. He had always known this day would come, ever since the day he had decided to betray the Dark Lord. He certainly didn't expect it to be over a wand. The most likely reason he had to be killed was for betrayal, a betrayal he had hid well.

He was glad it was him, and not Draco.

Draco was still young, too young to have been forced into the real world as he had. Draco had made mistakes, and it was good that he was going to get a chance to make up for them. Severus had tried, but unfortunately it was too late for him. It always had been, ever since the night Lily had died. His chance had died with her. Draco may as well get the opportunity he had never gotten.

A flicker of movement near the more forgotten entrance to the Shrieking Shack caught Severus' attention. His eyes landed on the Potter brat. The one reminder he had of both Lily and Potter. He was almost glad to see the boy. Maybe he could be his final act to save everything he had destroyed. His final ability to save Lily's memory, because he no longer saw just Potter in the boy but also Lily, and he regretted it.

The boy came closer, and Severus could see nothing but Lily's eyes even as he knew he was dying. Perhaps that was better. He could die looking into Lily's eyes as he had wanted ever since he had met Lily just before beginning Hogwarts. If only he had been more brave than cunning, perhaps, just perhaps, he could have been with her.

Severus searched his robes for a vial, not finding one he transfigured one from a random object lying near him. He looked into those eyes again, and his conviction only strengthened. He needed to do this. Dumbledore had asked it of him, but that was never his only reason. He had only ever had one reason, and he would never need any prompting to do anything he needed.

For himself. For Lily. For the boy he had never believed in. For the boy he had never seen.

"Take it."

Potter, no he was Harry: Potter had died along with Lily, looked startled for a moment before quickly realizing that he was talking about the white memories that were swirling around him. Harry's hands scooped the memories into the vial. He must have had some knowledge of the importance of the memories he had secured because he made no remark on the situation and his degraded position. He supposed Harry understood death better than anyone else.

He saw Granger and Weasley come up behind Harry. Despite his treatment of them, he saw that they were truly startled at seeing him looking like he was. He must have looked truly terrible for the Weasley boy not to have anything to say. Granger tried to do cast a spell, possibly to staunch the bleeding by he stopped her.

There was no point in her wasting her magic. He could feel himself weakening, the world was starting to grey and he knew he didn't have much longer left. There was no possible way for him to survive, and he accepted the fact. Nagini's venom had always been particularly potent. The Dark Lord had chosen a familiar that was as deadly as he was in her own right. He grabbed Harry's shoulders with as much power as he could muster.

"Look at me!"

The startled look was the one he imagined Lily would have had once she had realized they had been betrayed. Not just by Peter, but by him as well. Lily must have known that he still cared for her and she never would have expected him of all people to put her in danger, but he had.

The last thing he would see would be Lily's eyes. It no longer mattered that it wasn't truly Lily's but the sudden understanding that filled those eyes helped with the hope of him being forgiven.

His oblivion was comforting at long last.