A/N: Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K.Rowling. The poem quoted is 'So, We'll go no more A-Roving' by Lord Byron.
Written for WIKTT's 2nd Person Challenge. In 2nd person writing, instead of using 'I' or 'He/She', one uses 'You'.
The Rules:
1. All stories must feature Hermione Granger and Severus Snape in some way.
2. All stories must be written in 2nd-person POV.
3. "You" must be a character or creature from the Harry Potter Series. (I wasn't really creative with my choice of "you". Ah well!)
4. The stories should be 2000 words or less.
5. All stories must begin with: "You couldn't believe your eyes!"
6. All stories must be spellchecked.
The Heart Must Pause
You can't believe your eyes.
You are out of tricks. You are out numbered. You are on the run.
And they know the mansion better than you ever could. Your breath feels as though it's trying to claw its way out of your chest and you know you can't run for much longer. It doesn't matter how strong your will is if your body is too weak to contain it. How had that old poem go? For the sword outwears its sheath, and the soul wears out the breast, and the heart must pause to breathe... How did the rest of it go? It doesn't really matter, not now. You can't be bothered with it.
Then you stumble upon one of your own fallen fighters. You were under his command when the attack was launched, but soon the leaders collapsed and organization became a wishful memory.
And so had your leader had fallen. And so had you let him. You know you don't have much time to stay with him, but he had stood so mightily and, when he fell, he had landed hard.
You can't tell if he's breathing, so you drop down to one knee and feel for a pulse. His skin is so cold, but he's alive. He opens his eyes just enough to see you.
"I'm lost," you say because you know he can tell you the way out, assuming he's coherent.
"You're close to the exit."
"So are you." He knows it and he's in so much pain. There's no time for you to take him with you and you both know, and you're thankful that you both know because that means you don't have to tell him no.
"Could you," his heart paused for a breath and you feel just the same pain when you inhale as he does. If you don't get out soon, you'll bleed to death. "Could you end it for me? I know they're close." You close your eyes and breath in deep again.
"You know I... I can't do that. I never could," you say, as softly as you can because you fear that if you speak too loudly, you'll break him. He closed his eyes and breathed in, and exhaled with a hiss.
"I never ask anything from you, Miss Granger, but I'm asking you to do this. Don't let me die by their hands."
"You deserve better than to die by the hands of an ally, as well." You're gaining control of your breath, but you have to leave. You don't have time to sit here and argue. And he still hasn't told you the way out. Why must he always make these things so hard? "I could never forgive myself if I did it."
"I will never forgive you if you don't." You don't want to do it, but you love him so much. Your trembling lips kiss his lips and you bring your wand to his heart.
"The door on the left of the next room leads to a hall. To the left, at the end of the hall, a door leads to a stairway which leads out." And the heart must pause to breathe, and love itself must rest. You remember that that's how it went.
After doing the same wand stroke so many times in one night, your wrist pops when you perform Avada Kedavra on him.
A wispy, wavering figure of the late Potions Master pulls from the form at rest on the ground. By the time it was blown away, you were out of the mansion and on the grounds, and still panting, and now crying.
