Severus blinked in the blinding white light. He hadn't expected death to feel like this. Well, he hadn't expected to feel anything at all. Death was supposed to be nothing. A nonentity. Severus shouldn't be aware of himself or the light or the way his heart thundered in his ears.
"Severus," a voice said. He knew that voice. Warm, trusting, always slightly amused.
The light faded and Severus saw Albus Dumbledore smiling before him.
"Dumbledore?" His throat was dry and raw.
"You have done well my old friend."
Maybe being dead made one more susceptible to emotions. Severus had never needed praise before but he couldn't stop the warmth in his chest at Dumbledore's words. He had completed his mission. Relief spread through him as he gave Dumbledore a small nod of acknowledgement.
"I'm dead," Severus said slowly.
Dumbledore said nothing. His lips twitched a little. "There is someone here to see you." Dumbledore inclined his head a little, glancing over Severus's shoulder.
Severus turned slowly around.
"Lily!" he breathed lunging forward.
Her arms went around him, tight and strong. Severus pulled back to look at her. She was as beautiful as he remembered.
"I'm sorry Lily. Please, please forgive me. I've tried to…"
"It's okay Severus. I forgave you a long time ago," she said, leaning her head into his chest. "I didn't always appreciate your treatment of my son," she admonished lightly, "but you kept him safe. I can never thank you enough."
Severus squeezed his eyes shut as a stray tear leaked out. When he opened them again, James was standing beside them. He was smiling. Severus eyed him cautiously.
"Thank you," James said, holding out his hand.
Slowly, Severus shook it.
"This is what death is like? Is this where I will stay?" he asked, thinking he could happily stay with Lily for eternity.
"That depends," Dumbledore said from behind him. Severus had almost forgotten he was there.
"On what?"
"On if you want to stay," Lily answered. "Or if you want to go back to her."
With a start, Severus remembered Luna. His last glimpse of her she had been standing back to back with Ginny, firing spells at a ring of Death Eaters. He touched Lily's cheek and she smiled at him. How could he be asked to make this choice?
"You deserve to be happy Severus. I always thought you deserved someone who would bring light to your life."
For a moment he felt that he was being torn in two. His whole life had been spent in service to Lily. She had been his first friend when they were children. They'd attended Hogwarts together. His sense of purpose had been linked to her for the past sixteen years! Could he give that up? A year ago, he would have chosen to stay dead and spend eternity with Lily. Now, the thought of never seeing Luna again filled him with dread.
Severus wrapped Lily in another hug. "I love you," he said, closing his eyes, and breathing deeply.
When he opened his eyes again, James was gone. The light seemed to be dimming. Lily stepped back.
"I love you too Severus. You're my best friend," she said, touching his face, an understanding smile forming on her lips.
Severus glanced back at Dumbledore. "I don't want to stay here," he admitted quietly.
Dumbledore smiled knowingly and then everything went dark.
When Severus opened his eyes again, he was laying on a hospital cot. There was light glowing from around the edges of the drawn curtains. To his right, Luna was curled up, catlike, in an arm chair fast asleep, one arm stretched forward to hold his hand.
Seeing her there, bruised, exhausted, but next to him, Severus knew he had made the right choice. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and her eyes flew open.
"Severus!" Her blue eyes filled with tears and she leapt to her feet. "You're awake!"
"Tell me," he croaked. His throat burned a little as he spoke.
Luna waved her wand and conjured a cup full of water. "Drink this," she said.
After he drank the entire cup, she used her wand to refill it. "It's over. Harry did it."
Harry, Severus thought. That meant Harry was dead. "So he's… he's… dead?"
"Yes. It was spectacular really. And terribly sad. Voldemort had no remorse in him when he died. No soul, no humanity," Luna told him.
So Potter was dead. He had hoped against hope that Dumbledore had been wrong or that Potter might have found a loophole.
"And Harry told him, told Voldemort that you were Dumbledore's man. That you had been Dumbledore's since you started hunting Harry's mum. It makes sense now. Why you hated Harry, why you betrayed the Death Eaters.
"Harry will be 'round in a while if you want to see him," Luna said.
Severus blinked at her in shock. "I thought he was dead? You just said…"
Luna frowned at him. "No, Voldemort is dead. His own killing curse rebounded off Harry's expelliarmus and killed him. Harry is very much alive."
Involuntary tears leaked from the corners of Severus's eyes. The cot shifted as Luna sat on the edge and brushed them away. Severus turned his face into her touch to kiss her palm.
"Where are we?" Severus asked.
"St. Mungo's. All the wounded were brought here."
"How did I - ?"
"I found you. The ring you gave me stopped humming and I found you," Luna's voice wavered.
Severus could only imagine what she had found in that shack. It must have been horrible for her because she paled a little and her eyes glazed over with tears.
He shifted on the cot so there was more room and pulled her down beside him. "You saved my life," he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead.
"You came back to me," she said on a sigh. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice.
"I came back for you," he corrected.
It wasn't long before Luna was fast asleep against him. He knew how exhausted she must be. Her breathing was slow, rhythmic and soon Severus was lulled into a deep, dreamless sleep by her presence.
When Severus woke again, it was dark. Luna was curled on her side beside him, his hand resting on her hip. Her hair tickled his nose as he leaned in to press a kiss just behind her ear. She stirred a little.
It had been too long since they had last shared a bed, he thought, his hand running down her thigh. Five months at least. Luna let out a soft moan when he wrapped his arm around her and cupped her breast. He knew she was awake now by the way she pressed her soft ass against his hard cock.
Maybe now isn't the time, he thought. It should be enough to just be with her, to hold her. But he couldn't stop his hand from kneading her breast.
"Severus," she whispered sleepily.
"Yes, my love?" he rasped in her ear. His hand slid under the waist band of her floral leggings to that sacred space between her legs.
"I need you," she gasped as his finger found her heat. He stroked her gently until he felt her arousal spreading.
Severus pushed her leggings and underwear halfway down her legs. Rolling on top of her, he straddled her trapped hips. Severus freed his cock from his trousers and slid along the cleft of her ass until he felt her entrance against him.
"Please," she begged into the pillow. "It's been too long."
Severus obliged her, sinking slowly into her wet depths.
"Gods be, love!" he gasped in her ear. "You're tighter than I remember."
Luna was heaving beneath him. She wiggled her ass at him and her inner muscles clenched around his cock. Severus let out a hiss at the sensation.
"Make love to me Severus."
"Gladly."
He kissed behind her ear and down her neck as he slowly began moving his hips. This woman was what he'd come back for. She whimpered and writhed beneath him as he slid in and out of her wet sex.
He lost track of time as he made love to Luna. At some point, he withdrew so she could kick off her leggings and wrap her legs around his waist. But the separation was momentary and then they were connected again. Her body conformed willingly around his until Severus was no longer sure where he ended and she began. She held his face tenderly in her hands, staring deeply into his eyes as he thrust into her.
"I love you Severus," she whispered before kissing him deeply.
He rocked into her harder at the words, spurred on by an intense wave of emotion. This was his witch. His redemption. The heat that spread through him had nothing to do with their frantic movements. Her body arched beneath him and he could feel her trembling, her core tightening around him.
"I'm close," she gasped.
"Come for me, my eagle."
Luna couldn't help but obey. Her pleasure crashed around him and before she had finished he was pumping into her one last time and losing himself deep within her, crying out her name.
He collapsed, panting, on the cot.
"I thought I was merely an eaglet?" Luna said after a moment.
"Mmm," Severus agreed. "You were. But you're all grown up now, aren't you?"
He felt her smile against his shoulder. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his own face. At last, Luna could truly be his. He would not have to leave her side again.