'110 years of connubial bliss,' the note began. Nora stared at the paper, unable to go on.
Five minutes earlier:
"Daddy Sevvy, Daddy Harry, Neville and I are here!"
No answer.
"Daddy Sevvy? Daddy Harry?" Nora called.
Still no answer.
She searched for them everywhere. Not in the kitchen, the sitting room, the library, their office/study, or the garden. Which left the bedroom.
Nora knocked. Nothing.
She steeled herself and entered, hoping that they weren't… right.
Actually, on second thought, that would be better.
Better than this.
Severus and Harry lay on the bed, their hands linked. Severus' eyes were shut peacefully.
Harry's eyes were wide open. In his free hand was a note.
Nora buried her face in Neville's shoulder and sobbed.
Neville held her and rubbed her back, crying. He had come to love Severus. It was hard not to love the sarcastic man. And he really did care for his husband, his daughter, his three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Nora finally retrieved the note and started reading it. She choked up by the second sentence and handed it to Neville. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and read out loud, '110 years of connubial bliss. We had talked of his death already. We knew it was coming. He was 150. Old even by Wizarding standards. I know he wanted me to go on. Know that he wanted me to live the rest of my natural life out even after his death. But I've been by his side for 110 years. I cannot go on living without him. He's been my everything. My love. My husband. My reason for living, some days. I know every inch of his body and mind. I know everything about him. He knew everything about me. We could communicate without talking, just one look at the other and know what was on his mind. No, I knew even before Sev died that I could not live without him, not one day. And I'm sorry, Nora, that I leave you when you've lost Daddy Sevvy too, but it must be.
'I woke this morning to find him dead. And I knew then that I had been right before – I won't live without him. I will Avada myself after finishing this note. I don't care what he wanted. I will not prolong the agony of missing him.
'I don't feel it, not yet. And I won't, ever. I'm numb right now. My Sev, my darling Severus is dead. I won't go around this empty house and remember. See his chair and know that he will never again sit there. Make tea and accidentally lay out two cups, prepare Severus' perfectly and realize… he will never drink it. Go shopping and see something he'd love and know there's no point buying it…. No. As I've always known, I'm nothing without the love of my life by my side. After 110 years of connubial bliss, I will not try living without him. Harold James Potter-Snape.'
Connubial – adj. Of or pertaining to marriage, or the marriage state; conjugal; nuptial. Word of the Day, May 18, 2001)