Severus Snape wasn't a patient man. Especially not when he's wakened in the middle of the night by Filch demanding he help him search for the wayward student who went into the Restricted Section.

He was sure it was the Potter boy. Now if only he could find him ...

He opened a random door, eyes taking in everything. His mind focused on the mirror. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. I show not your face but your heart's Desire.

His breath hitched, his mind running over all the possibilities that would be shown in the mirror should he stand in front of it, all being rejected but one.

Lily Evans.

Hesitantly, as if knowing he shouldn't look but realising he was fighting a battle already lost, he went to stand in front of the mirror. For a few seconds he kept his eyes closed, but with a deep sigh, he opened them and looked at the Mirror of Erised.

Lily Evans stood beside him, except it wasn't him. Not anymore. The Severus Snape who stood in front of the mirror was 31 and tall. The Severus Snape IN the mirror was eleven, happily showing Lily his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. The boy smiled, a true happiness in his eyes. A small, red-haired girl held a similiar letter, reading over it with bewilderment and a large smile. Unlike any other image in the Magical World, the image didn't move.

With a flash, Severus knew his desire. The one moment that combined Lily's trust in him, the Magical World, childish innocence and true happiness in his entire life. Forever frozen in that one moment where he showed Lily he wasn't a liar, where he smiled - a rare occurence.

Severus moved to touch the mirror, first over the image of his younger self, as if hoping to get sucked into the mirror and into that one, true moment when he was happy. Then, when that didn't happen, his hand moved to rest against Lily's image, over the one girl he ever truly loved.

Severus felt something roll over his cheek and fall to the floor, but for once he didn't care if he was crying. For once, it didn't matter to him that the tears on the floor would leave evidence of his presence here. His eyes were rooted to the spot where Lily stood, her eyes softly glowing with eternal joy.

His eyes continued to watch as the image slowly faded, leaving nothing in the reflection but a sad, lonely man in a dusty room, crying over a memory.

Don't own. Please review.
SFTR