The Potions Professor walked through the castle. His quick steps echoed in the darkness, as he headed towards the Headmaster's Office.
What does the hell want? Why did he call me in the middle of the night? Doesn't that man sleep?
You weren't sleeping as well.. a small voice said inside himself.
Snape shook his head, like trying to forget that thought. It was 30th January. Her birthday. Of course he couldn't sleep.
Bittersweet images crossed his mind.
Lily's first birthday at Hogwarts. They spent all the day together, studying in the Library. James Potter and his weird friends were there as well. They were chuckling looking at them and Lily told Severus to ignore them. He was so happy, oh, so happy, that she was his friend. He didn't care about handsome and popular James Potter or about the blood-traitor Sirius Black. Lily was his friend. He instinctively smiled at that thought.
But there were other memories connected to that day.
Like when they were in their seventh year and he saw her and... Potter... kissing and laughing together at breakfast. That time there she hadn't told him a single world, she hadn't protected him from Black's ironical glances, she hadn't smiled to him. He had been the one to be ignored.
The Professor was so immersed in his thoughts that almost didn't notice a door that had been left half open. Thinking that maybe a student had entered as he had hearm him coming, he completely opened the door.
The room was squared and big, and right in the middle there was a big mirror.
The Mirror of Erised... Snape whispered. He had heard that it was kept in Hogwarts, but he had never actually seen it.
I show your inner desire he mouthed slowly.
My inner desire? he wondered thoughtfully.
And then the face of a certain red head crossed his mind.
Lily! he thought.
Go away, you git. It will be just a vision. Lily is dead. Don't mock yourself the little voice inside himself said in a tone that strangely reminded him of that Granger girl.
Shut up he thought getting closer to the Mirror.
And he saw her.
Beautiful, incredibly beautiful as he reminded her. Her hair streaming, her green eyes looking at him, her beautiful lips curved in a wide beam.
Lily, Lily, Lily... he thought, his eyes glistened with tears.
Lily... he said again, caressing the cold glass.
Suddendly he noticed that she was not alone, as several people could be seen in the back.
King's Cross? he said aloud, recognising the place.
Yes, it was definetely King's Cross, probably on the 1st September. Young pupils chatting and laughing could be seen anywhere.
Why is she in King's Cross? Snape wondered.
And then he saw them. Alongside Lily there was a tall man, with untidy hair and a charming smile and a boy, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes, who looked exactly like his father except for his eyes.
James and Harry Potter? Snape whispered in horror.
Lily was rubbing her son's hair and smiling concerned, as every witch does when her child leaves for Hogwarts for the first time
As he saw the three people laughing, like nobody could never hurt them, Snape felt his heart shattering into one thousand pieces.
'I do understand that you're shocked, Severus...'
'I'm not shocked, Headmaster! I'm not shocked!' the Potions Professor yelled suddendly standing up from his chair.
'Okay, you are not shocked then' Dumbledore said.
'It's just that... the Mirror doesn't work!' he said sitting again.
'Why doesn't it work? I mean, you saw Lily Potter. What else were you expecting to see?' the old Head Master asked looking deeply into his interlocutor's eyes.
'I expected to see... I expected to see Lily Evans! Not to see those... those...'
'Her husband and her son?' Dumbledore asked.
'Yes. Them' He said putting as much hatred in the last world as he could.
'Well, Severus, I think this can be easily explained...'
Snape looked at Dumbledore.
'The thing is that your love for Lily is much beyond physical, possessive love. Your love is more than that. You love her so much that you just wish she were alive and happy. Even without you'
Snape didn't answer and avoided Dumbledore's glance.
'You love her so much' Dumbledore continued 'that you reckon that James was the only man she has ever loved and you wish she had kept living a happy life with him and their son, no matter how much you would have wanted to be that man, to be the father of her son'
'I have to go now, Headmaster' Snape said suddendly getting up, without looking at the old man.
'Good night, Severus' Dumbledore said, looking at the tall man quickly getting out of the Office.
Love... Dumbledore thought, still looking at the chair where one moment before Severus was sit the strongest force of all.
And the most painful of all a small voice inside himself said and his heart could do nothing but agree.
In my eyes he matches the gods, that man who
Sits there facing you – any man whatever-
Listening from closeby to the sweetness of your
Voice as you talk, the sweetness of your laughter
Sappho, V century b.C.
A/N First off, I wanted to THANK all the reviewers and deeply apologise to the ones I didn't answer. The problem is that my computer for some obscure reason just didn't allow me to do that. Don't ask me why. I hate technology. And by the way, I especially wanted to thank melissa everlasting because she gave me some very good ideas. Anyway, I hope you liked it, that you'll leave reviews and that you'll wait for the new update.
PS And, please, remember tbat I'm open to any suggestion!