You're Going Home
His eyes fluttered open, and he vaguely noticed that he was lying on his side. He rolled over and got up, his eyes roving about, taking in his surroundings. He seemed to be surrounded by some sort of… mist. Bringing his hands up to his eyes, he rubbed them, disbelieving of the scene unfolding in front of him. It seemed – but it couldn't be – as if the mist was taking shape, into a place so familiar to him, but yet, he could not place where. As he started walking towards a tiny gate on a fence, enclosing a tiny playground, he realized that for the first time, he felt young again. He was no longer war-weary; he had a renewed spring to his step, and his back no longer ached, neck no longer throbbed as it had moments ago…
It all came back to him in a flash. The Dark Lord, no, Voldemort had set his foul snake on him; the beastly Nagini had sunk her fangs so deeply, there was no chance that he could have survived. He remembered hearing footsteps closing in on him, as soon as he had left, and a hand throwing off a silvery material. Those eyes, the emerald green of the woman he loved, were looking down at him, but they were not filled with intense loathing as they had for the previous seven years. Instead, they withheld an inexplicable emotion, a mixture of pity and regret. He told him to take it, all his memories, so as to absolve his sins, in the hopes that he may be forgiven, and he wished for a last glimpse of the almond shaped eyes, but they turned to him, almost too late, as everything in sight dissolved.
Unconsciously, his fingers gingerly drifted towards his neck. He could not feel the puncture marks that should have been there; neither did he see any blood when he drew his fingers away. Most importantly, he was not in any sort of pain. Confusion marring his features, he thought, I should be dead. Why am I here? Cautiously, he advanced through the iron-wrought gate, wincing slightly when it creaked noisily as he pushed it open. He slowly approached the swing set, and he saw a flash of brilliant red hair. Faltering as he saw this, he blinked rapidly. The sight before his eyes could not possibly be true.
It was her.
He looked around once again, and recollections of whole afternoons spent in the tiny playground flooded back. It was unfathomable that the place of his childhood, the place which had haunted him for so long, too long, was now right in front of him.
"Severus." He heard her call out. Turning towards her, he was met with a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"Oh Sev," she breathed, getting up from her seat on the swing, "You've been ever so brave." Lily walked – no, glided – towards him gracefully, her feet barely making any noise as she came near him.
"Y-you're not mad at me?"
"No, we're not."
"We're?"
Lily turned, revealing the silhouettes of several witches and wizards standing behind her, full of smiles. Their eyes were not mocking or loathing, but filled with utmost gratitude. As the mist cleared, Severus recognized the faces; James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Fred Weasley, and many others.
He was about to make a snide remark when he felt small hands cup his jaw, and soft lips covered his own in the lightest of kisses. Lily's slender arms encircled his waist, and she laid her head gently on his chest. "Thank you Sev, for all you've done for Harry. I know it must have been hard. We all know."
"But I betrayed you all…" he whispered, eyes shining with tears.
Lily placed a small finger on his lips and shushed him. "Yes, you did. But we all make mistakes and you have rightly redeemed yourself by doing your best to right the damage you have done, instead of sinking further into the darkness. I'm proud of you, Sev. You really have been awfully brave."
Severus gazed into Lily's eyes, and then mimicked her, keeping her in a warm embrace. His tears had begun to flow by then, and were dripping down his hooked nose. This was the moment he had dreamt of for so many years, his redemption, seeing Lily again, getting her forgiveness; it was all that mattered to him at that point.
Severus heard someone clear his throat and released Lily, looking up to see James Potter, of all people, striding towards him purposefully with his hand outstretched.
"Er, Snape, I know we've had some misunderstandings, but we owe Harry's life to you. So… thank you," he mustered, shooting a nervous grin at Severus.
Severus' eyes narrowed and made to refuse, but begrudgingly accepted James' hand at the last moment. James exhaled loudly and the crowd burst into laughter, with Lily clutching at her sides in amusement. Severus could not help but to smile along at Lily's joy, as James smiled sheepishly then broke into guffaws as well.
As the laughter died down, Severus was, once again, confused as ever. "Why am I here? Why are all of you here?"
Lily giggled softly, shaking her head. "Why Severus, we're here to bring you home of course! You're going home Sev, with all of us."
"Home..?" Severus murmured, the word foreign on his lips.
"Yes, home," Lily replied, beaming at him. She slipped her small hand into his and guided him forward, her other hand making to grab James' wrist. "You're going home."
Severus, the happiest he had felt in ages, followed silently as Lily gently pulled him towards the gleaming white light that was in front of them. He didn't know what lay ahead, but he was very sure, at that moment, that he was going home.
Author's Note:
Hello! So I was just rereading the entire series, what with the movie coming out and all, and this scene was sort of inspired by the fact that I find Snape a very interesting and complex character, and builds upon the place within everyone's mind which serves as the linkway between life and death (i.e. For Harry, it was King's Cross, where he met Dumbledore). Hope you enjoyed it, and reviews are much appreciated :)
Many thanks to my beta, bleedforyou, for beta-ing this story so quickly and efficiently! :3
xoxo
beforestormier