Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters therein belong to JKR. I am using them for non-profit purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warnings: death, slash (Snape/Harry).
When Harry Potter and Severus Snape's broken bodies appear at the gates of Hogwarts, a clear message from Voldemort of his impending triumph over the Light, Albus Dumbledore wonders if all hope is lost for the world.
Parts of their bodies are missing, and Albus doesn't know if they were used in some Dark ritual or if it was simply due to torture. The one thing that makes this whole situation less awful is that he knows Voldemort must have learned by now not to draw out Harry's death, lest he escape or someone arrive to rescue him before the job can be finished. Harry, more than any other of Voldemort's enemies, has always had incredible luck, but it seems that his luck has finally failed him.
Severus's luck has always been poor; Born into a poor family, to a cruel father, he has lived a harsh life, one of loneliness and bitterness.
And now his luck has run out. Albus is sure that Severus believes he has failed-- the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, the one with the power to save them all, has died. But more importantly, Harry has died, and Albus knows that it is the latter that will bring the greatest sorrow to Severus.
Severus never spoke of his feelings for Harry, but Albus sensed them, all the same. He even had a talk with Severus one day, subtly conveying his support for something he was sure Severus himself didn't condone. He hinted that perhaps there were greater things to fight for than redemption or some abstract concept of the greater good, things that would inspire the meekest of men to fight with all they had, but Severus was unresponsive. It was hardly surprising.
Still, he wanted Severus to know that there is someone who supports him where everyone else will not. Even Severus's sacrifice for Harry will hardly inspire more than the obligatory gratitude, as it ultimately made no difference in Harry's fate. Harry himself might be grateful, and perhaps Lily, but the most he can expect from most others is a grudging respect for a man who has given his life for The Cause. And not even that from those who still believe him a follower of Voldemort, despite the evidence to the contrary.
As for the possibility of Severus's feelings being reciprocated, Albus fears the odds are slimmer even than before. In the afterlife, whatever wonders it might hold, Harry will have his family, who hold no little love for Severus, and, more importantly, no cause to be in Severus's presence at all. Perhaps when Albus passes on, he can try to lend a bit of a helping hand, but... no. Now is the time to focus on the present.
There is much to be done, and little time for grieving. The Order of the Phoenix, and indeed, the entire Wizarding World, will be greatly demoralized by the death of their saviour. Something will need to be done to boost morale. Thank goodness the full details of the prophecy have never been disclosed, or there would have been a good chance that the Wizarding World would lose hope entirely and surrender to Voldemort forthwith.
Of equal importance is the need to discover who in the Order of the Phoenix was responsible for this debacle. There is a spy within the ranks, and a highly placed one at that. It pains him to know that one of his closest confidants has gone over to the enemy, and it pains him equally to know that he will have to distrust all of them until the matter is resolved. But such is the life of a commander during a war, and Albus accepted that when he took on that mantle.
He sends a silent apology to Harry and Severus for all that he has asked of them throughout their too-short lives, and gets to work. There is much to be done if he is to keep the Light from losing this war.