Severus Snape laid in a pool of his own blood. Gripping Harry's shoulder tightly, he brokenly whispered, "Look at me Potter."
Feeling life leave him slowly, he knew that it would soon be over. He felt himself fall through blackness, muffled voices all around him, as if it were all a dream.
Something was there….at the end of the road. Light was doing its best to creep up underneath Severus's eyelids, willing him to come back to consciousness. He could finally make out what the voices were saying, felt a cool comforter tucked around him, a soft pillow under his head.
"Daddy?" a small voice asked….. "Daddy?" He felt a slight tug at his right hand.
Confusion overwhelmed Severus as he strained to open his eyes. Where was that voice coming from? The room was bright, morning sun shining though the curtain clad window to his left. To his immediate right, a pair of innocent brown eyes, much like his own, were staring at him.
She repeated again, "Daddy, are you awake?"
He met her eyes, reaching his hand out to comb through her fiery red hair. He must be falling now, he thought, falling down deep into a world he had only dreamt about.
"Yes." He replied quietly.
She giggled, grasping around one of his fingers with her tiny hand. "Mummy says pancakes are ready."
….Mummy? His stomach turned.
He knew he had to be dreaming, hallucinating, something, this couldn't be reality. Where was he?
He met the eyes of the toddler again, and despite the feeling in the pit of his stomach, managed a small grin her way. She looked to be no more than four.
Severus kicked the covers off quickly, realizing a small cat was curled up at the foot of his bed. He could feel the blood rushing to his head now, his heart beating in his ears, as he placed his feet firmly on the floor. He noticed he was wearing a white undershirt and black boxers. He glanced around the bedroom he was now standing in, not recognizing anything. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants draped over a laundry basket, hoping they were his and slid them on. The muggle looking electronic on his night stand read "8:30am"
"Daddy, come on!" The little girl said excitedly, watching him from the doorway. She was looking more and more impatient.
Severus followed her, lumbering behind her as if he was using his legs for the first time in years. The smell of bacon filled his nostrils, making his stomach growl.
He made his way downstairs and stopped short as he found himself in front of a hallway mirror, taking in his appearance. He was younger, and not just a few years younger, decades younger. He couldn't have been more than 30 by the looks of it. He brought a finger to his brow, poking it as if to help the feeling he was dreaming. Yep, he was definitely conscious.
The tiny girl skipped ahead of him now, turning a corner into what he guessed was the kitchen, only because of the clanking of pots and pans.
"Daddy's acting….weird." The young girl said, annoyed, to someone in the kitchen.
Severus heard a laugh in response and felt himself stop breathing. He moved down the hallway as if his legs were robotic, without even willing them to react.
He rounded the corner and saw the small girl sitting at the table, pouring way too much syrup on her pancakes. A muggle high chair was next to her, a baby boy with bright green eyes clanking his bottle against the side. He looked to be one or two.
Humming filled his ears as Severus's gaze sauntered in the direction of the stove. A woman was standing in front of it wearing a pink silk robe, her red hair ablaze down her back.
Severus felt as though he may pass out, gripping the edge of the door frame for balance.
"Sev?" the woman called out, now facing him. Her eyes cast down at the plate full of crispy bacon as she made her way over to the kitchen table.
His gaze met her face, following every curve and laugh line along her skin.
"Can you refill Alan's milk bottle?" She asked, going back to the stove and cracking eggs into the pan.
"Lily…" He mouthed, no sound escaping his lips. He stood there for a second, dumbfounded, forgetting she was speaking to him. It was all making sense now. He was in heaven. His heaven. The love of his life by his side, two children, their house. The boy who didn't get the girl, who let her slip through his fingers, who let her go….was here.
"Is this heaven?" He gasped, breaking the silence.
Lily turned around again to face him, their eyes finally meeting and stifled a giggle. "You're still half asleep, aren't you?"
She darted across the kitchen then, the smell of her wafting into his face, making him lose himself once again, and grabbed the milk bottle from the small boys hands, giving him a graham cracker in exchange.
As she turned toward the fridge, Severus enveloped her tiny frame in his arms before she had a chance to open the door. It startled her, and she made a mouse like sound before dropping the milk bottle to the ground.
He planted his face into the crook of her neck, just breathing her in. He didn't want to let go ever, afraid he may be brought back to his old life. He felt wetness against her neck, and he realized he was in fact crying.
"Sev?…Honey? What's wrong?" She asked quietly into his ear, bringing his face up with her hands to gaze into his eyes. He cupped her face then, his brown eyes piercing her green ones, tears streaming down his face.
"Nothing is wrong…" he replied, a real smile on his face for the first time in decades. "All is well."