He had been afraid for a long time. And now he was cold, and alone, and in pain, and afraid still. He'd given the boy his memories, those memories that had driven and owned him, those that made his stomach clench and his chest ache. It was a little more peaceful now. The memories had taken some of the guilt and the shame with them. But not the fear.
He had pretended to die, so that the children would feel free to leave. It was a mark of decency that they had come to him in the first place, after the snake had struck – that they had not wanted to let him die alone. There had been, for once, a touch of compassion. Even more precious, this moment had come before they would understand who he had been and why he had done what he'd done. At which point, they'd think better of him. Or so he hoped.
Not that it mattered. He would never know. His breath was becoming more shallow, rattling in his throat.
He didn't want to die. What if death was even worse than living? He thought that hell on earth was punishment enough for any man, but what if there was a literal hell after death? What if death was just an endless continuation of the misery his life had been? He was so tired….
At that moment, he heard a deep, throaty, rumbling chuckle. "Don't you worry about that, Severus. I've come to ask you to my country."
He opened his eyes to see the most magnificent lion he had ever seen, looming over him, filling the Shrieking Shack with soft, golden light.
And then the Lion bent down his head and breathed over Severus, a gentle wave of warmth and peace and life. And suddenly the pain was gone, and the coldness, and the fear. And the loneliness. All that was left was a sense of puzzlement.
"Why me?" the Potions master asked. "Why bother with me?"
The lion smiled. "Because Severus, you may not be a nice man." He tilted his head, beckoning him to come, to follow. "But you are GOOD."
Just a plot bunny that bit hard. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for reading and reviewing!