Severus Snape laid on the ground of the Shrieking Shack, struggling to stay alive. Droplets of blood spilled from his wounds, left by the snake Nagini. Nagini's poison coursed through his body, flowing through every vein which blood flowed through. Every breath had been an agonizing second, which felt more like an agonizing minute. His eyes remained closed as images of his lost Lily sped through his mind. It had only been a few minutes ago that he had looked into the eyes of Harry Potter; the eyes of his lost Lily. He hoped those eyes would be the last things he would see before his death, but as fate stepped in, he had been reminded of the Bezoar in his pocket.
Severus Snape had taken this Bezoar, the one magical object that cured most poisons, just after Harry left. He knew the Bezoar wouldn't cure the poison, but he knew it could delay the effects long enough to get to a cure. He figured it had been hopeless, but he took the Bezoar and left his fate in a higher being's power.
Severus Snape laid there still, grasping to the edges of the world. His eyes remained closed, and he started to drift off from the poison and the blood loss. He wondered if the end finally had come to him as a white light appeared in his unconsciousness. The white light approached closer, giving form to the figure of a beautiful woman. A long, white gown flowed in all directions as it delicately covered the woman but acted as if it were being blown around by a mystical wind. Her long, red locks surrounded her face and a gold glow emanated from every fiber of her being.
"Lily?" Snape gasped, staring at the angelic woman.
She nodded silently, overwhelming Snape with her beauty and sun-like glow.
"Am I dead?" He asked, hypnotized by her goddess-like beauty.
"No," replied the angel-like Lily. "You have more lives to save."
Severus looked confused and upset by her answer. "Save?" he questioned. "But I've hurt so many people. I killed Dumbledore and I killed you in a way."
Lily's glow gave off warmth. "These were hard times Severus. You only killed Dumbledore because he asked you to when the time was right. You didn't kill me. You pleaded for my life, and I gave my life for my son. Nothing could have changed that. You are a good man for what little options you were given in life. You helped protect my son even though it must have hurt you horribly, and now he is safe and Voldemort has been defeated." She explained with caring words.
"I don't care if he has been defeated. There is nothing for me to go back to." He stated, truly believing it.
"You will soon find you are wrong of this accusation." Lily said before she started to fade away.
The glowing goddess-like figure of Lily drew farther away. The light became less, like a sun setting. Severus tried to reach out to her as she disappeared into complete, black, darkness. "No!" he shouted. "Come back!" It had been too late. Lily no longer blessed him with her presence, and his eyes slowly opened. His vision blurred, but after a few blinks, it went away. His whole body felt like it had been broken with the excruciating pain and the burning sensation of the poison. Luckily, the poison had lessened but he groaned in pain, nonetheless.
Severus felt confused by Lily's comment. What did he possibly have to go back to or to live for? In his heart, he knew there must have been something since Lily stated there had been. He knew he would follow Lily to the end of the world and back if she had asked him to, and she gave him the power to carry on. Seeing her and hearing her words of wisdom, gave him strength. He had to carry on for her no matter how painful it might be.
Severus still laid there, knowing he must force himself to get up. However, he felt doubtful since Voldemort had taken the Elder Wand, which he had been using. His old wand sat undisturbed in the desk drawer of the Headmaster's office where he had resided. He needed this wand, but even with it, he couldn't do spells because the Ministry of Magic would detect it, and he didn't want to be found just yet. The wizarding world remained a mess still, and people might claim him as a murderer and a Death Eater still He didn't want that. He would have to hide and heal the muggle way until it became safe.
Severus turned over so he faced the ground. He groaned as he did so, feeling like his whole body would break. He pressed his palms against the dusty wood of the Shrieking Shack floor. He winced and groaned as he tried to push himself up. He failed and fell back down, his face pressing against the dirty floor and dust moved as his raged breath sent the dust soaring. He wondered if Lily had too much faith in him since his body felt like needles were being poked into every fiber of his being.
Severus knew he had to get up and move on. He had to do it for Lily and maybe for the life he could still have. He tried to push himself up, but yet again, he failed. This time, he tried again right away. He pushed his palms against the wood for a third time, pushing himself up, but feeling like a bag of bricks were weighing him down. He managed to use his legs to push himself even further. He pressed one knee against the floor, groaning in pain and gradually pushing himself higher. After several minutes, he managed to place both of his feet firmly on the ground.
Severus felt like toppling over so he leaned against the wall of the Shrieking Shack. He wanted to just give up and let whatever hell he deserved take him, but for some unknowable reason, he just couldn't. He staggered as he started to walk towards the stairs of the Shrieking Shack entrance. He staggered as he walked, and when he reached the first step, he placed his foot forward, but he lost his balance and tumbled forward. He fell down the stairs, hitting and grazing various parts of his body as he hit every step.
Snape fell and tumbled down the stairs like a boulder rolling down a bumpy hill. He landed at the foot of the stairs in an awkward position. He groaned loudly and it echoed, but not as loud as his blood-filled cough echoed. The blood trickled out of his mouth and onto the floor like a warm, sticky, crimson puddle. Now, Severus had been in even worse shape and everything started to dim. Everything went black.
The blackness seemed like an eternal abyss until a light, similar to that of Lily's, approached from the distance. This figure stood before Severus, glowing like an angel, but in the male sense. Dumbledore stood there in his usual robes, long white beard, and trademark glasses. "Severus," Dumbledore said, as if trying to make Snape aware of his presence.
Severus looked up at Dumbledore while in his vision-like state. "Dumbledore?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"To tell you hope is not lost. More lives can be saved by you and one in specific will need your saving." Dumbledore explained, looking like a heavenly being.
Severus looked and felt confused. "Who is this person?" He asked.
Dumbledore had on his inquisitive look. "I cannot give you details. In life, you must make your own details." He replied, cryptically.
"Please. I'm so lost." Severus begged.
"You will soon find your way." Dumbledore explained, before starting to fade away into the blackness.
Dumbledore disappeared and before Severus could respond, his eyes opened and jerked him out of his unconsciousness. His body still seared with pain, but for some reason, he had this uncontrollable will to go on. He knew he probably lingered between life and death and had internal bleeding, but he had to go on. He still laid at the foot of the stairs, and miraculously, none of his bones had broken during the fall. On the other hand, he felt like everything in his body had been broken, like his body had been a shell that never belonged to him.
Severus, determined to get up, pushed his palms against the dusty surface again. He used every ounce of his strength to push himself up, even though he felt like he had none left. He wondered where the strength came from, but he didn't complain. He forced himself up, groaning and aching, but he managed to do so. He now stood again, firmly on his feet with the uncontrollable will power. The power grew as he found his way out of the Shrieking Shack and luckily; the Whomping Willow had left him alone.
Luck had definitely been on Severus' side. He kept staggering along, now on the grounds of Hogwarts. He knew he would have to hide and be careful, but for some reason, there seemed to be no one outside but a few dead bodies. He staggered past one, seeing the lifeless corpse of Colin Creevey. He felt his stomach churn, wanting him to heave, but he knew he didn't have time. He continued to stumble along and found the outdoors to be very silent. He made sure to ignore the dead bodies, which contributed to the silence, but he worried the battle had ended with many casualties, and even if the side of good had won, he still found himself in a troublesome situation.
After what seemed like hours, but had only been minutes, Severus found an entrance into the castle. He slowly stepped inside, only to find more silence and emptiness. His only company had been the various dead bodies and rubble in the hallways. He staggered along the hallways, making sure to avoid the bodies. He kept an eye out for anyone who might catch him as he passed damaged statues and ripped paintings. He made his way to the potions storage; leaning against the cold, stonewall of the castle at times for support.
Eventually, Severus made his way to the potions storage. He opened the wooden door and it creaked slightly, but no one had been around to hear it. He stepped inside the storage and grabbed a black backpack type bag, which had been left on the floor for emergencies. He opened it up and started grabbing various potions, which might help him in the long run. He picked up Healing Potions, Blood Replenishing Potions, Pepper-Up Potions, and even the potion that would cure Nagini's poison, which still lingered in his veins. Once he finished grabbing potions, he zipped up the bag and left the storage.
Now Severus knew he would need his old wand just in case things became really dire. He continued to stagger, making his way to the phoenix statue of the Headmaster's office. He stumbled past more dead bodies and rubble as he felt the uncontrollable strength rushing through him still. He felt sad to see even the phoenix statue had been damaged in the battle.
Severus uttered the password and the statue ascended, revealing the hidden stairs. He slowly climbed the stairs, leaning on the wall so he wouldn't fall again. Eventually, he reached the top of the stairs and opened the door. He stepped inside, staggered over to his desk, opened the top drawer, and pulled out his wand. He placed the wand in his robes, which were torn and dirty. Then, he went back to the stairs and descended down them, leaving the Headmaster's office.
Severus walked away from the statue and started to head for the nearest exit with his wand and bag of potions. At one point, he ducked behind a statue, but what he thought had been a person, had been nothing more then a really big shadow. After his false scare, he made his way out of the castle. He just staggered on, walking towards the Forbidden Forest. He never knew what had been on the other side, but he figured it was his best option for hiding and escaping.
Snape stumbled into the forest, hoping nothing would attack him. Luckily, the sun had started to rise so creatures didn't come out as much. He continued to walk along, determined to discover the other side of the forest. Instead, his determination weakened slightly when he tripped on a tree branch. He yelled in pain; his ankle now throbbing. He picked himself up with lots of effort and pushed on as if he had something to live for. Then again, Lily and Dumbledore said he did.
Severus traveled on, discovering the forest had been denser then expected. He walked for what seemed like hours before he reached the other side. He noticed nothing but a spot in the distance. Everything between the forest and the spot seemed like a vast, grassy desert. He knew he had to reach this spot, hoping it would have some type of life force.
Severus could feel his unknowable strength wane as he ventured closer to the spot. His mouth and throat were dry with thirst, but he knew he had to reach his destination. He kept going even though his body felt heavy and his eyes felt tired. He just pushed himself forward until the spot had become a visible building.
The building looked a little run down and had a blue-green color to it. Severus looked up at a lighted sign that read, "Motel." He knew he had no money for a room, and right now, all he could feel had been the pain and tiredness of his body. He stepped closer, seeing the various doors with room numbers on it. He staggered over to room 13, and he knew he would need help. He just hoped someone would be in the room and help him. Severus knocked on the door, and then he fell to the ground in weakness. The last thing he witnessed had been the door opening and seeing a pair of feet before returning to the black unconsciousness.