Summary: I feel weightless, as if there I am lying suspended in midair; there is nothing between the ground below and the sky above me. POST DEATHLY HALLOWS. SnapexLily ONESHOT
A/N: Don't know where this came from. Just finished reading the book for a second time and felt inspired! Hope you enjoy it, and as always, if you read, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks so much, and have fun!
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just like to play with 'em.
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I feel weightless, as if I am lying suspended in midair; there is nothing between the ground below and the sky above me. The excruciating pain that was coursing through my body, that burned my veins with fire and caused me to gasp for breath, was gone. The only sound now was of my own breathing; slow and steady. My heart beats in a perfect rhythm, and the weightless feeling slowly fades away as I feel my body being placed upon a soft surface.
There is warmth radiating over my face, and I can see a faint light behind my closed eyes. I open them slowly, placing my hands on either side of me and sit up. My fingers touch tall, cool blades of grass. A summer breeze passes over me, ruffling the branches of the tree I am sitting next to. The sound is beautiful, and fills my heart with hope. I look out at the landscape before me; a beautiful lake sits just at the edge of the grass, glittering as though the surface is sprinkled with tiny diamonds. The mountains in the distance rise up high, the tops lost within the slowly rolling clouds. The air is sweet and full of promise.
"Sev! Hey, Sev!"
I glance behind me to see a beautiful girl running excitedly down the grassy hillside. Her long red hair trails behind her like silk ribbons of fire in the sunlight. She is wearing her Hogwarts uniform; a pleated gray skirt that touches just above her knees, with gray knee socks that cover her calves. The white blouse she wears is not tucked in, but it goes well with the maroon and gold tie wrapped carelessly around her neck in a messy knot. I strain to see her face, even though I feel as though my heart already knows her. I stand up, dusting my pants off and notice I am wearing my Slytherin uniform, black cloak and all. I glance up quickly; the girl has almost made it to me. Quickly running my fingers through my messy hair, my hands do a quick wipe of my face. I stop suddenly, looking down at my hands themselves. They look…strange. They look young. The skin is still pale, but there are no scars, no signs of age. They even look a bit smaller. I have no time to ponder on this anymore because the girl has thrown herself into my arms in a welcoming hug. I nearly topple over, the thick trunk of the tree behind me breaking my fall.
"Sev, I'm so glad you're here!" she says, flinging her arms around my neck, standing on tiptoe to reach me.
A few strands of her hair gently brush across my face as she holds me. She smells like strawberries; sweet and pure and strangely familiar.
"Sev, hug me back!" she says with a giggle.
I slowly wrap my arms around her and she responds by absentmindedly twirling a lock of my thick black hair in her fingers.
"I'm so glad you've made it", she whispers. "I've been waiting for so long."
"So have I." The words flow from my mouth before I have a chance to think about them or their meaning.
Hugging me tightly once more, she lowers herself, her small arms slipping from my around my neck. Another sweet summer breeze swirls around us as her face comes into my view. She is smiling up at me; love and admiration in her eyes. I had forgotten how beautifully green her eyes were; greener than the hillside after a spring rain. And her skin; delicate and soft, a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. My hands reach up to touch her face, my fingers trembling. She closes her eyes and smiles as I trace the fragile skin just underneath her eyes, my thumbs sliding over her high cheekbones and then finally to her lips.
"Lily", I whisper against her mouth.
She opens her eyes slowly, and I am lost within their emerald green depths. Everything around me has become even more beautiful, just because I am in her presence. She places her hands upon my face and tilts her mouth up to meet my own. She kisses me tenderly, and it is all I can do to keep from shattering into a million pieces.
"How is this possible?" I whisper, as she pulls away.
She smiles again, running her fingers through my long hair, the glint of the sparkling lake behind me, in her eyes.
"Anything is possible here, Sev. You made this possible."
I don't understand. I shake my head in confusion, torn between wanting to know the truth and the desire to take her in my arms again and taste the sweetness of her lips upon mine.
"Oh, Sev", she says softly. She rises up to kiss me once more, and for what seems like hours, we are locked in an embrace. I hold her tightly to me, one hand at the small of her back, the other tangled within her hair. The memories begin to come back to me, one by one, and each time, I kiss her more deeply, more passionately than I've ever dared.
Lily, swinging happily on the playground, her laughter floating on the wind.
Lily, lying down next to me, staring up into the night sky, our heads so close together; the smell of her hair as it tangles itself with mine.
Lily, napping in the summer sun underneath the tree we carved our initials on to show the true strength of our friendship, the steady rise and fall of her chest as I read to her while she sleeps, whispering my love for her into her hair.
Lily, running across the courtyard to embrace me and ask me how my day was, what did I learn, who were my Professors, and could I sneak out tonight to watch for falling stars.
I open my eyes, overcome with my memories. Taking her in my arms again, I whisper to her in a cracked voice, "I love you, Lily. I never stopped." She envelopes me in her embrace, holding me as I finally allow myself to grieve for the life that I have lived and left behind. I want to crumble onto the grass beneath our feet, but she keeps me still and steady. After a few moments, I feel her place small kisses to my forehead, my eyelids, the tip of my nose, and my cheeks.
"Do we have to leave soon?" I ask her, my voice shaky and uneven.
"No", she smiles. "We never have to leave."
A new wave of emotion washes over me and I take her in my arms and kiss her again, hungry for her taste. As my fingers run through her silk-like tresses, the wind passes through the branches above us, it swirls around us, caressing us and holding us closely together in an embrace that will last forever. And then I hear her, my sweet Lily whispering to me with a voice that takes possession of my heart, my soul and everything I am.
"You're home now, Sev. You're home."
And I am.
Forever.