I've been wanted to write a good Snape/Lily fic for ages, because A Prince's Tale has to be my favourite chapter in Deathly Hallows. And also the greatest love story ever told. Fanfiction needed to be done.

So I was rereading all my Harry Potters and I got to A Prince's Tale and, by some miracle, this little one-shot came into my head. If I was an egotistical sort of gal I'd say this was probably one of the best one-shots I've ever written and I'm immensely proud of it, even if no one ever actually reads it. But I'm not egotistical, so obviously I'm not going to say any of that.

Anyway, some reviews would be nice :)

And Severus Snape and Lily Evans very much belong to Her Majesty, JK Rowling. I'm just... borrowing them.

A Prince's Heaven

"Look... at... me..."

He looked into those startling green eyes, exactly the same colour and shape as the ones he loved so much. As he stared he felt himself slipping away, like everything around him was fading. He was falling, falling into those greens eyes, falling into nothingness. He could have been falling for seconds, days, years, he didn't know, but very abruptly it came to an end.

When he opened his eyes he was lying on his back on something soft that he was sure was grass. The sky above him was light blue, tinted with pink and lilac, like the sun was setting. Suddenly a bright, white light caught his eye. He sat up quickly, getting to his feet as he squinted in the direction of the curious light. Everything around him was blurred, as if his surroundings hadn't quite formed yet. The bright light was moving, and as he followed it he realised that it wasn't just a light, but a gleaming silver doe. Her hooves made no noise on the grass as she walked. She stopped and turned her head towards him before she suddenly became brighter, too bright to look at. He shielded his eyes with his hand and when the light finally dimmed he looked back at the doe. His breath caught in his throat.

Lily Evans stood where the doe had been, positively glowing, with her dark red hair flowing down her back. She walked slowly towards him, a beautiful smile on her face and her startling green eyes so full of tenderness. He was afraid to blink in case she disappeared. Finally she was right in front of him, only inches away. He had forgotten just how perfect she was this close up. She placed her hands either side of his face, his sallow skin tingling from the warmth, and pulled his head down towards her. He barely suppressed his shiver when her soft lips pressed against his forehead, and her hands remained cupping his face as she looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Severus," she said. "Thank you for everything you've done for my Harry. You have been so brave."

He placed his hands tentatively on her hips, his heart racing.

"It was for you," he said softly. "It was all for you, Lily. It was the least I could do after... after everything. It was all my fault that you..."

Even now he couldn't bear to say the word, even though he knew that he himself was dead too. The guilt and heartache had never left him, the grief still pierced his heart like a cold knife. But here she was, right in front of him, her hands cupping his face. She still smiled at him, looking right into his eyes.

"You have done more than enough to make up for the past," she said. "You have risked everything to keep my son safe, to make sure that James and I didn't die in vain. I am so grateful, Severus. All is forgiven."

He smiled down at her, and noticed that their surroundings were no longer blurred. He looked around and saw the familiar grounds, the forest, the castle, the lake – they were at Hogwarts. He was standing in the grounds of the first place he ever really called a home, his arms around the only woman he had ever loved.

"This is heaven, Severus," she said, turning his head to look at her again. "This is your heaven. There's no one else here, no James or Sirius or Remus. It's just you and me."

She took his hand and led him to the edge of the still lake, shimmering in the light of the never-ending sunset. They sat side by side on the grass, her soft hand still in his. They were in the shade of a beech tree, whose leaves seemed to be made of gold and silver and fluttered even though there was no breeze. He looked out on to the lake and saw two bright lights moving through the trees on the other side. Soon two silver does were cantering on the surface of the lake, as if it was made of solid ice instead of warm water. They both trotted along together playfully, chasing each other like children playing tag. Flower petals were floating in the water, lily petals. He smiled to himself and looked back at her, surprised to find that she was still staring at him.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" she said, squeezing his hand.

He nodded, his heart swelling as he looked at her. "Breathtaking."

She grinned at him and shifted closer, resting her head on his shoulder. He breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the flowery scent of her hair.

"Is it really just the two of us here, Lily?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, just the two of us," she said. "But it doesn't have to be. This is your heaven, after all. You make the rules."

"Oh, no," he said hastily, moving so he could put his arm around her waist. "No, this is fine, perfect even. This is so much more than I deserve."

She chuckled, raising her head and cupping his face again so their eyes met.

"After everything you've done," she said. "After all your courage and your bravery and your sacrifice, you deserve the world, Severus. You're too hard on yourself. You're a good man – a great man – and you deserve to be at peace now. You deserve to be happy."

She leaned forward and their lips soon met in the softest of kisses, sending shivers down his spine. He ran his fingers through her sleek red hair as he kissed her, kissed her like he'd dreamed of doing so for so many years. Unknowable amounts of love and happiness spread through his whole body, right to the tips of his fingers, smothering him in warmth, like lying in a hot bath after being out in the cold. He stroked her cheek, feeling her soft skin as he lost himself in her blissful kiss. He didn't know that anything could be as perfect as this. He had waited his entire life for this, and it was only now in his afterlife that he could truly appreciate such perfection. This was his reward for seventeen years of sacrifice.

He sighed when they separated, his eyes still closed, afraid that everything would have disappeared. He heard her giggle, and when he finally opened his eyes he was shocked to find that she looked different. She was younger, much younger, they both were. They must have only been about sixteen, and they were both wearing their school robes. Everything around them was still the same – the glittering leaves of the beech tree, the silver does playing on the surface of lake, the lily petals floating in the water, the sky still light blue and tinted with pink and lilac. Everything was still so perfect. He looked back down at her, at the young Lily Evans, the love of his life. She was grinning up at him, green eyes sparkling, and he couldn't help but grin right back at her. He had never felt so happy.

"I love you, Lily."

Her gorgeous smile got wider, and she leaned forward and kissed him on the corner of his mouth.

"After all this time, Sev?" she whispered.

He held her close, brushing a strand of her dark red hair out of her face, so full of joy that he could have wept.

"Always."

Hope you enjoyed, Humble Readers :)
Don't forget to review!
Not that I'm forcing you or anything...

xxx