"Look … at … me …" he whispered.
In her eyes, he saw hope. He saw happiness and courage, bravery and love. Everything he needed could be found in those eyes – the almond-shaped emeralds that pierced through his soul. And now they existed in only one place. In her eyes, he could lose himself forever. It was agony, losing her. Losing her once, and once again. He spent his life chasing her, never quite reaching the goal.
In her eyes, he was anything but ordinary. He wasn't scum; wasn't black as the rest of the world had painted him. In her eyes, he was worthy to be deemed 'friend', or at least he had been, once upon a time. Every time he saw those eyes, the memories came back. Good and bad, those memories would haunt him forever. He needed to be with her. He needed to see her again.
In her eyes, he became more than what he was. He became a better person, a person with morals, and ethics. In her eyes, he was caring. Around her, he was caring, he was selfless; he was kind. In her eyes, he was perfect. He had been perfect, before the incident. Before that dreaded day, he'd been hopeful. He'd been sure.
In her eyes, he had changed. After that day in fifth year, she had finally seen it. Seen the change that had come upon him since he had been inducted into Slytherin. She could finally see his flaws, could finally look beyond the boy she'd known for years and see what he was to become.
In his eyes, he was scum. For everything he had done, and everything he couldn't take back, he was worthless. For every ill-spoken word a contract was made, binding for eternity. What had been said couldn't be unsaid, no matter how much he wished it could be. If he could do it again, would he not say it? Would he instead listen to her, care for her, change for her? Would he tell her he loved her?
Looking in her eyes, he knew he would have. He already had.
The green eyes found the black, but after a second something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.