"Severus ?"
"Yes Lily…."
"Do you love me ?"
"Always….."
Severus laid on the hard moldy wooden floors of the shrieking shack as his neck throbbed horribly from that fucking snakes bite, the feeling of gushing blood pooling around him made his low running breath become even shakier. Vision already blurry , eyelids feeling like the weight of his regrets and mistakes where softly convincing them to close when suddenly he heard soft footsteps in the distance grow louder till they stopped right besides him.
He managed with whatever will he had left to open his eyes and how grateful he was for that as he saw Lily...no , he saw Lily's eyes , always a vibrant verdant outshined by no one. But Potter just had to speak up to ruin the moment.
"Professor Snape !" he cried out scrambling to find a way to stop the bleeding , perhaps to stop the mans pain even though he had his wrongs. Severus painfully tried to speak but his throat stung fiercely like nails tearing and clawing at the delicate skin. So instead with a trembling hand dripping with his own blood ,black as the endless void called the night he tapped the side of his head indicating to get his memories. Thankfully the Granger girl understood and they hurried to get his memories ,the key to winning this godforsaken war.
"Harry we have to go" Weasley called out. Granger tugging at his sleeve , but Potter wanted to stay kneeling down, cupping the potions professors mangled neck trying with every bit of his soul he had to stop the horrid scene of blood spreading out even more.
He didn't know how he managed it , how he did it as he felt the air in his heavy lungs leave but he did it.
"Look at me" Severus cried out , Harry looking up at him with red teary eyes. Whatever he wanted to say next he couldn't. Instead Harry watched the light left deep inside those tunnel like eyes slowly slip away into blankness. One lone tear running down the potions masters cheek. overtaken by the calmness and painlessness of death.
Severus awoke. He didn't feel anxiety nor fear creeping up his spine laying heavily on his shoulder by the sight he met. It was completely white , wherever this was. somehow he didn't feel overwhelmed but he felt relaxed for once in almost all his lifetime. It was a feeling of gloriousness , like basking under a tree on a warm summer day. He had closed his eyes to enjoy this feeling. Something so beautiful it made his chest fill up with a nameless emotion.
"I would have never expected this my boy" Severus eyes shot open as right in front of him stood Albus Dumbledore looking much better than he ever had before.
"I thought perhaps your heaven would be a potions lab filled with the greatest and rarest ingredients where you could brew for all eternity...but it turns out..." He chuckled softly "Its out here ? who would have thought " Severus raised a brow than noticed. He ran his hand against the lush grass almost glowing. He had been leaning on a large drooping tree up on a hill , lower there stood a glittering lake. snowy mountains outlining the backdrop.
"What is this place..." he whispered to Albus . He had come to the conclusion that this was the afterlife and this man standing before him was Dumbledore, obviously.
"This is what is deep in your heart , where you wish you had laid beside Lily and watched the hues of the sky change from day to night ,count the stars and gaze at distant galaxies...but something went wrong with your death..." Dumbledore said taking out a scroll of parchment. "You have a choice you know" Severus than stood up wiping off some loose grass from his robes and walked closer over to Albus.
"are you telling me I died the wrong way ?" Albus nodded still reading the scroll in his hand. "How is that even possible" he mumbled to himself.
"You can either leave this place and go back to life and die in another way or stay here for all eternity, it is entirely you choice my boy" Severus thought about it. He looked around the endless looking land. Even though with all the beauty it still seemed so...lonely. Perhaps if he went back to life he could start again ,but wouldn't the wounds be even greater ? All the people trying to get revenge on him. Yet he didn't want to be alone like many others thiugyt , he was afraid , he was a coward. Always has been.
"I must go..." Severus whispered clenching his fists and looking down not wanting to meet the older wizards gaze. Dumbledore looked at Severus fondly and placed a soft hand on the younger mans shoulder.
"I promise you it will be much better..." Severus nodded feeling as his weight dropped , feeling like he felt whenever he entered a deep sleep and dreamed of nothing. He felt something small running over his chest. He slowly and carefully peeked with one eye and watched a small hand unwrinkle the blanket covering him. Severus opened both eyes and found a little red haired girl with eyes the color of onyx black. She turned and noticed him watching her and looked up with a warm sweet smile missing one of her front teeth.
"Good morning daddy !" Severus Snape , fainted.