One last breath

Disclaimer: Only Lucy Malfoy is "my" character. Severus Snape, Hogwarts, Sirius, Remus… err... the forbidden forest, and everything else you recognise, hopefully belongs to J. K. Rowling the Great… Oh, yeah, the song is written by Creed, and is called One last Breath!

Phew… another day is over…thank God. I'm so tired I could've fall asleep right here and now.  Lucy Malfoy was sitting behind her desk, overloaded with her student's tests. She was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She sat in her chair for a little while, thinking that she really should consider going to bed, if she just had the guts… she was staring out the window. The sun was sinking down behind the mountains, colouring the clouds with red, green, purple and pink. The lake was still. There was only a small breeze, making the treetops of the smallest trees wave gently beside the lake. Lucy sat in silence, enjoying the beautiful sight of the lovely park that surrounded Hogwarts, and the forbidden forest (although she couldn't really see anything but the treetops). She sat staring at a cliff that led down to the north-side of the forbidden forest. Suddenly she noticed what she was staring at. In the week light of the almost full moon, which was now standing high in the night-sky, she could figure out the shadow of a man standing on the cliff. He was standing steady far away form the edge, so Lucy guessed it was just one of the teachers enjoying the night-sky like her. Then he started to move closer to the edge. Please come now I think I'm falling

I'm holding on to all I think is safe

It seems I found the road to nowhere

And I'm trying to escape

I yelled back when I heard thunder

But I'm down to one last breath

And with it let me say

Let me say

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

What am I doing here? I don't belong here. They'll come after me soon anyway. Soon… I'll jump… I will… I will not let my enemies kill me… those dark, pathetic losers of some kind of wizards. The death eaters is what they call themselves… what a silly name… I will not, ever, call myself that again.

I'm looking down now that it's over

Reflecting on all of my mistakes

I thought I found the road to somewhere

Somewhere in His grace

I cried out heaven save me

But I'm down to one last breath

And with it let me say

Let me say

Severus Snape moved closer to the edge on the cliff he was standing on. His hair waved gently in the small breeze. I used to be one of them. That's the worst thing. He looked down on the dark forest under him. Then he looked up at the night-sky, and the sunset. So beautiful. Only a few coloured clouds. After a few minutes, the sun had disappeared completely behind the mountains. The moon stood high on the sky, surrounded by small and bigger stars. It's now or never. he thought. But he didn't jump. It's either this, or get killed by someone else.

Or fight along with the rest of the people. A voice inside his head said.

No. It's too late…too late… They knew he'd left the dark side. Knew he wouldn't come back. It was hopeless. He couldn't just walk back and say "Hi! Here I am. Thought I might join you guys again now. What d'ya say? Wanna go to London and have a little cosy torture-round with some muggles?" and expect them to believe him. How pathetic…

He took one more little step towards the edge. He felt the breeze whisper gently in his ear. His hair waved a bit more in the wind.

There must be about six feet down. Not too far, only far enough to kill one.  

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

Without even thinking, Lucy ran out of the room, making some of the tests that lay spread on her desk fly down to the floor. She ran down the long corridors, down the stairs, down to the hallway and out of the castle. She ran in a speed she didn't even know she had. As she ran beside the lake, her eyes fixed on the cliff, and the man standing on it, she started to recognise the silhouette of Professor Snape, the Potions teacher. She remembered him from the schooldays. He was in her brother's class. She was six years younger than them. She slowed down when she came to the cliff, and walked as carefully as she could towards the man, figuring out that it wouldn't be a good idea to scare the shit out of him by screaming, and maybe risk he'd fall down to the dark forest beneath him before even meaning to.

She stood silent for a while, only a few meters behind Severus, who still hadn't showed any sign to be aware that there was a person standing behind him. After a while, she spoke in a silent whisper.

"Are you really going to jump?"

Snape turned quickly around, and almost lost his balance. Luckily he managed to keep steady.

"What? What are you doing here?" he said in a surprised voice. "I mean, you have no reason at all to be here. Go back to the castle." He said, now in his most dangerous voice, obviously aware of his surprised tone on his last question.

Lucy only just managed to hide a little smile.

"Don't talk to me in that tone, thank you. I'm a teacher here as well, and do not want to be treated like a student." She answered, in an almost more dangerously voice. Snape stood silent for a while, obviously shocked over how anyone could respond him like that.

"I said," he finally started, "you have nothing to do here. Get lost…"

"Oh, so am I just going to stand in the window in my room, watching you jump into a certain death?" She said sarcastically. She'd become pretty good at that, having a brother named Lucius and a nephew named Draco Malfoy.

"As if you care." Snape answered shortly.

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

"Why wouldn't you? I don't know. Why would you?"

"Gee. You're hopeless. I don't want to see a person, not even you, jump down here and die. That's why." Lucy had always been teased by her brother and Snape. They found it quite amusing, to throw muck-bombs in her bag every now and then. She, on the other hand, found it hard to explain her teachers why her books smelled of rotten eggs. 

Snape stood a while, thinking. Then he made his choice.

"You shouldn't care… My life got ruined the day I joined them." He nearly spat out the word. "There's just nothing you can do. They'll kill me anyway."

"I'll protect you." Lucy said.

"Yeah, sure you can… if you want to get killed as well…" Snape answered.

"Have you forgotten about us? Dumbledore, Prof. McGonagall, me, even Sirius and Remus is on your side now." Lucy tried to sound straight, but that wasn't easy, as a tear was threatening to leave her eye every second.

"I'll do what I think is right. I can take care of myself, I always did…." He said with a resolute face, although he knew it wasn't true. He joined the death-eaters because they took care of him. Alright, he was evil too, but not as evil as them. Luckily he realised he didn't wanted to become like them. And luckily Dumbledore cared for him when everybody took him for a liar and dismissed him. No. He never took care of himself.

"Can you, though?" Lucy said with a soft voice, softer than she really meant to.

 Snape looked up at her. There were tears in her eyes. His hard eyes became softer, looking into those steel-grey eyes, so much like her brother's, only not as cold. Her eyes were now full of concern and care. She stretched out a hand.

Sad eyes follow me

But I still believe there's something left for me

So please come and stay with me

'Cause I believe there's something left for you and me

For you and me

For you and me

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking

Snape made up his mind once again, and took Lucy's hand. She laid her head upon his shoulders, and he held her tight around her wrist. Together they walked down from the cliff and up to the castle.

The world is a beautiful place. Severus thought. Beautiful and sad.

Not that I want to sound like that git Lockheart or anything, bu I kinda like this fic, and I reeeaaaaaalllllyyyyy neeeeeeed to know what you think of the story….. so pleeeeeaaaaaseeeeeeee review!!!!!!!!!