Disclaimer: I, Amethyst Skulkyrie Cain, do not, and never will, own the world that is Harry Potter. That right lays in the talented hands of one J.K. Rowling. So Read and Review! Snanger. I also do not own Evanescence's song Even in Death, upon which this songfic is based. Lyrics included! :)
"No. No." Hermione frantically shook her head, refusing to believe that he was dead. "No. He can't be! He promised... he promised!" She dropped to her knees, tears pouring down her face as Remus Lupin looked down at her in sympathy.
He grimaced, and got down on his knees to rest his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Hermione. He told me he loved you; if it's any consolation." It was all he could say. He too loved her, but had sacrificed his happiness for her.
She couldn't, didn't, want to believe that he was gone. He had promised her. He had said "I'll always be here. I will survive the war, for you, Hermione."
But Hermione was not one for pining after the past. She got up off the floor, brushed off her robes, and stalked to the door, throwing it open and running off down the corridor. Remus, thinking Hermione was about to do something uncharacteristically stupid, took off after her, and watched as she ran to where Severus' body lay in the Great Hall and picked up his head delicately, cradling it in her lap. Tears dripped onto his nose as Hermione's frame shook. She started to sing quietly; every one stopping to listen; their mourning – for the most part – halted to watch the Gryffindor Princess cry over the corpse of the Half-Blood Prince.
"Give me a reason to believe that you're gone
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong
Moonlight on the soft brown earth
It leads me to where you lay
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home..."
Her sobs grew in intensity, and her grip on her lover's body tightened. Hermione wanted to never let go, to stay there, with him, forever.
She remembered the soft words he had whispered to her every night; the words that had lulled her to sleep, made her feel truly safe for the first time since her innocent childhood. But then, Severus had made her somewhat less innocent than before she met him. She giggled, and Remus shot her a look of concern.
"...I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on..."
Somehow, Remus knew that Hermione would not love another for a long time; but he was prepared to wait. He was only 28; his lycanthropy cured (Hermione had adapted Severus' Wolfsbane and had found a cure... turns out all the potion needed was mint green tea leaves and a drop of vanilla essence and it cured the lycanthropy immediately. They hadn't revealed it to the rest of the Wizardry World as of yet, though).
"...I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on..."
People called her crazy, foolish, said that it would never work, but they had been wrong. They had lasted for 4 years; since Hermione's third year, and, if he hadn't of died for them at the tender age of 29, they would've lasted for a lot longer.
"...Some say I'm crazy for my love,
Oh my love
But no bonds can hold me from your side,
Oh my love
They don't know you can't leave me
They don't hear you singing to me..."
Late at night, Hermione would always stay up, waiting for Severus to get back from his Death Eater meetings, and she'd lovingly cure all his wounds, and he would sing her to sleep. They were each other's walls, and each knew that, without the other, they would've left this world long ago.
He couldn't leave... so many things were left unsaid, so many things left undone.
"Come on, Hermione. Severus wouldn't want to see you like this." Remus embraced Hermione; having had enough of the brightest witch of her age group crying silently over the Potion Master's corpse, now cold. Hermione reluctantly let go of Severus' body and threw her arms around Remus' neck, inhaling deeply, as though she were trying to memorise his distinct scent of wet dog and mint chocolate.
Her sobbing ceased to exist, and Remus soothingly rubbed Hermione's back in circles. Nymphadora Tonks looked in on the scene in disdain. She had always liked Remus; but the feelings were non-reciprocating. He much preferred witches who actually qualified for an IQ test.
"...I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on..."
Hermione couldn't love Severus any more than she already did; it already felt like her heart would explode with all the love she held for him.
And I can't love you, anymore than I do
And she really couldn't; try as she might.
"...I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on..."
Remus released Hermione, and she sniffed, wiping her eyes and standing up from his body, silently casting Wingardium Leviosa so that she could levitate his body into the courtyard.
"For a proper burial. He deserves that much." Remus nodded, pain clenching at his heart. He took Hermione's hand, and together they walked to the courtyard and buried Professor Severus Tobias Snape's body, Hermione leaning down to kiss him one last time before waving her wand and covering his corpse with mud.
Conjuring up a gravestone, Hermione engraved:
Here lies Professor Severus Snape
A lover, son, Godfather, and teacher
The bravest man this world ever knew.
R.I.P
"...And I can't love you, anymore than I do..." Hermione stopped singing, and stood up, stepping back and admiring her work, nodding thoughtfully. In that moment, hair with a red tinge in the sunlight, her eyes glazed over with emotion, she looked like Lily, but Remus put that thought away.
Hermione turned to Remus, and said:
"People die, but real love is forever."
Remus smiled. "Can you ever love me?" His voice was soft.
Hermione smiled. "In time, Remus, yes." She leaned down and touched the gravestone. "Goodbye, Severus. I love you."
A white, wispy cloud was barely visible in the day's light faded, and a whisper of "Goodbye, Hermione, my love..." was heard, and Hermione felt emptier than ever before, and, Remus, with hope in his heart, pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead and the two turned and walked back to the castle, hand in hand.
Yes, the ending sucks. This may have been done before, and the story is heavily AU, and the ages of Remus and Severus were changed, and they were OOC, and all that, but I don't care. I don't like Tonks, so sorry if I offended anybody. I think Tonks is an attention seeking bimbo, but that's just me! :)
Read and review!
Let me say again... I do not own HP or Evanescence's song.
:)
