The final battle is over. Bodies are scattered everywhere, lifeless. People are rejoicing as soon as they hear these words, but not for Elanora. No, she is searching all across the battlefield, desperately searching for one man. Some would have thought she was crazy, but that wasn't going to stop her. She stumbled upon the Shrieking Shack, and her heart dropped at the sight of dried blood by the window. Slowly opening the door, tears blurred her vision as her eyes settled upon the lifeless body of Severus Snape.
"No…" She sprinted and dropped to her knees at his side. "Severus, why?" The tears fell freely from her face, her grey eyes wandering his whole body, automatically looking straight at the snake bites and the pool of blood at his side. She collapsed on top of him, her dim red hair fanning around her as her pale hands gripped his robes in tight fists in between sobs, cursing the Gods that allowed this to happen to him, and to torture her in this way.
She heard footsteps coming by, and immediately pulled out her wand and pointed it at the intruder. Elanora faltered, however, when she realized it was Professor McGonagall who was looking back at her with sad eyes.
"Elanora, you know you couldn't have stopped it." McGonagall quickly said as soon as Elanora opened her mouth. "He died to protect Harry and follow Professor Dumbledore's orders."
"All because of Lily…" She spat the name as if it was filled with venom, "All because of that bitch he's dead. I hope she's rotting in hell right now."
"Now Ely…" McGonagall was about to defend her once prized student, but stopped when she finally realized how broken her former student was in front of her. "You were in love with Severus?"
Elanora could barely speak, but as she nodded she started to sob even harder.
"I had hoped…" She sniffled as she wiped her eyes at an attempt to stop the tears as they continued to fall, "that once all of this was over, he could finally be happy." She looked at her old Professor before turning back to the love of her life, stroking a stray hair gently out of his face. "I could have made him happy. I would have showered him with love that he so desperately needed. He wouldn't have been like this if I would have had a chance."
"Dear, that might have been true, but there is nothing that can be done now." McGonagall realized that Elanora was not going to be moved from Severus anytime soon, so she walked out of the Shrieking Shack to inform aurors the location of his body.
Alone again, Elanora took in every feature of his face with tears threatening to fall. She had not seen this man as long as Harry has been alive, and she could see the years had taken a toll on him. However, that still didn't stop her from believing with every fiber in her being that he was the most handsome, courageous, brilliant, selfless, amazing man she had even known. Leaning in carefully, she placed her lips upon his cold lifeless ones, pulling back as soon as she knew tears were going to fall on him if she hadn't moved quickly.
"I wish I would have had the chance to have done that when you were alive." Again burying her face in his chest, she sobbed even harder than before as she let it sink in that she would never have the chance to see his eyes on her, his heartbeat would never be heard by her, or that she would never know what it would be like to have that cruel but knowledgeable mouth smile at her. She would have given anything to have him insult her. She would have given her life, just allow him to live again.
"Why did you have to love Lily? Why couldn't you have loved me?" She whispered as if she would have gotten an answer back, but the only thing that answered back was the waves from the lake swishing not too far ahead.
Elanora continued to sob and mourn for her lost love, eventually passing out with his head cradled in her arms. However, when she finds herself awake, it appears that she is sitting under a tree by the lake, a deep mist surrounding her and to her surprise finds Albus Dumbledore smiling at her as he approached her.
"If I'm seeing you, that means I'm dead, and it is way too white up here." Elanora said while looking around her which caused Dumbledore to chuckle.
"Always the one to state the obvious with a bit of humor Miss Taylor." Elanora smiled slightly at his statement before resting her eyes back on him. "Alas, you are far from being dead. You have simply gone into what would be a coma."
"Severus?" Elanora dared ask, to which Dumbledore frowned.
"Severus is at a crossroads. The fates are not exactly sure which way to put him. Essentially, he is stuck in limbo." Dumbledore looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "However, the fates apparently have decided to give the decision to you where he ends up."
"I'm not exactly following you Professor." The questionable look on her face made Dumbledore chuckle again, seeing that it was an expression she used rather often when she was a student, and decided to clarify.
"The fates have decided that they would like to give you a second chance. However, no one would remember anything, except you." He frowned at bit while looking sorrowfully downward, although she couldn't see what he was looking at. "The boy deserved happiness, and I regretfully admit I am a main reason he never got it."
"I wish I had the chance." She whispered out loud while looking down, but everything just started whooshing around her and spiraling out of control.
She opened her eyes quickly and sat up panting. She took in her surroundings and quickly realized that she was not in the Shrieking Shack and Severus was not here. Standing up and walking to a mirror, she gasped at what she saw in front of her.
Elanora Rose Taylor was now staring back at her twelve year old self. By the looks of her surroundings, she guessed that it was going to be her second first day at Hogwarts.