There she stood, breathless. Her curly hair looked as it was hiding the eyes on purpose. Her mouth slightly opened, gasping for air as gracefully as gasping can be, a tiny drop of sweat just above her left eyebrow. She looked as if she has been running and he wondered why. Looking at her, he felt something was different. The madness from her eyes and her mischievous grin were gone and what was left of her was barely a shadow of what he remembered to be.
-What brings you here?, Snape finally asked, deciding to break the silence.
-I had to tell you something. He's coming, to kill you.
-And you wanted…what? To beat him to it?
-Oh, Severus, it would be…how do you say it…foolish to try to beat The Dark Lord to anything. I wanted to warn you.
That sounded nothing like her and he had his doubts. Wasn't she always the one who was accusing her for not doing enough for The Lord, wasn't she the one who had that gut feeling about his betrayal? So what was this woman doing here, and why she looked so upset.
-Listen, Severus, that's not the only thing I wanted you to know. There's something I've been hiding for a long time. I love you.
-Bellatrix, as someone who is about to be killed, I do not appreciate humour much.
-There's nothing funny about it.
She poured her memory into his Pensieve and he was taken in the distant past when they first met. The whole memory was just about him, as if he was the only thing she was able to see.
-I didn't know, he said, stunned.
Not only did Bellatrix had feelings, she had feelings for him!
-Listen, it doesn't matter, it never did. I'm not Lily Evans. I could never be her. The woman who gave her life to protect her child, the brilliant witch, the best childhood friend of my beloved. I'm not Lily, Severus. But I do love you.
-I always thought you resented me.
-It was easier for me to act like it. I couldn't bear the rejection, so I've been trying to push you away. And when I found out why you betrayed The Lord, it just made me love you more.
She fell down on her knees and started crying. She hated herself for being week, she hated him because she loved him, she hated Lily Evans, who took his heart even before she met him. She hated that she never stood a chance against the perfect Lily, that her battle was lost before it even begun.
-I don't know what to say.
For the first time in his life, Snape was left with nothing to say. No, she wasn't Lily. But she was one thing Lily never was. She was in love with him. He got down on his knees and pulled her chin up, gently moving her hair so that he could see her eyes, that he suddenly found beautiful. Who would have thought that she could love anyone? But now, looking so deep into her eyes that he almost saw her soul, he realised the fact she knew all along. They were the same, destined to love forever, destined to never receive the love they want to give. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided that he doesn't want Bellatrix to live like he did for these many years: to have her loved one die without ever showing her he loved her back. No, she wasn't Lily and he didn't love her. But still, he felt that right thing to do was to give Bellatrix the thing he never had. A fake, but soothing feeling of being loved. Not really sure what he was doing, he pressed his lips onto hers. He always imagined what would it be like to kiss Lily and for a moment, with his eyes closed, he could almost feel what he thought Lily's lips would taste like. Suddenly, Bellatrix pushed him away, offended and hurt.
-I do not want pitty kisses from anyone. Not even you, Snape. Actually, especially not from you.
-It wasn't a pitty kiss. It was…I can't really explain, but that's the one thing this kiss most certainly wasn't.
As he was trying to explain himself, a soft, but ruthless voice he knew very well spoke slowly, carressing every vowel :
-Avada Kedavra!
A blue ray pierced both his and Bellatrix's chest. Laying on the dirty floor, still alive, but knowing he wasn't going to be in a few seconds, he poured his last breath into the kiss. This time, her lips tasted the way they really did. No almonds, no honey, just salt from her tears. He smiled and knew it was time.
The next morning, two bodies were found on the floor. Smiles on their faces, tucked in eachother's sure embrace.
Two souls who loved as long as they lived, but felt loved just for a moment as brief as this one was.