Snape slowly turned his head to the boy, gazing deeply into his eyes for the very first and last time. He'd come for him. He'd come to save him. Perhaps the boy had changed, or perhaps he had been that way all along.
Snape remembered what Dumbledore had told him and knew he must tell Harry. He couldn't find the strength to speak.
He gazed intently into those green eyes, wishing that they would somehow understand what Snape was trying to say.
Those soft, deep, enchanting green eyes. Lily's eyes. And suddenly, Snape realized that he had failed. He had promised, for Lily, to protect her only son and to care for him. All he had done was hate him for his father's faults. Just because he looked like James. Severus had looked just like his mother. No one had treated him as though they were the same person.
I'm sorry, Lily, Snape thought, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"T-take them," he instructed Harry.
Harry turned to Hermione and Ron, who lingered just behind him. "Get me something. Quickly, a flask, anything."
Hermione dug through the beaded bag and pulled out a small vial, then handed it to Harry.
Harry held the glass vial under Snape's eyes, collecting each teardrop, then placing the cork stopper over it.
"Look at me," he told Snape.
And again, Snape looked into Harry's eyes, their brilliant, green vibrance shining through him.
In the distance, Snape saw something, a silver doe. His and Lily's shared Patronus. He had heard rumors, myths, and legends that one of the final things a dying wizard or witch will see is his or her patronus.
The doe simply walked towards him, then curled up beside him, placing her head over his shoulder.
Snape contemplated Harry for another moment and wondered briefly if he could see the doe, too. These thoughts were broken when another figure had formed in the distance.
A red-haired woman with green eyes identical to Harry's was standing in a long, white dress, her outline glowing as the patronus was. Lily.
There had also been myths that, before dying, a wizard or witch would see any lost loved ones beckoning him or her to join them. This, he thought, was true as well.
Lily stood beside Harry, then knealt down. Her eyes traveled to Harry, who paid her no attention. Snape guessed that the doe and Lily could only be seen by him.
Then Lily's eyes traveled to Snape's, meeting his sad gaze. Green met black once again, and Snape turned back to Harry. "You have your mother's eyes," he said.
Lily extended her hand, and Snape reached out for her. All those times he'd thought he'd seen her spirit and tried to reach for her, the vision had vanished, but this time, it was real.
"It is real, isn't it?" Snape asked her.
"It's real for us," Lily replied.