"… Lucky he was there… poor boy…"
Severus rubbed his eyes and opened them. When his vision cleared, he noticed that he was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Low voices came from the other side of a screen.
"How did Remus find him?"
So that's how I got here.
"He said he heard a scream. Most likely that Stunned Hufflepuff girl."
"Horrible experience for a first-year…"
The voices cleared and Severus recognized Dumbledore's cheery bass rumble.
"Ah! Severus is awake." The long-bearded face peered around at him. "How are you feeling?"
Severus nodded, his throat dry. He ached all over, but the gash in his arm was healed. He ran a hand over the spot where it had been absently.
"What happened out there?" Dumbledore moved fluidly to the side of the bed.
"I'm not exactly sure…"
Professor Snape touched that spot on his arm gingerly. After his experience, there had been no scar, so later that night he had carved one in. Small and white, it hardly stood out now against his pale skin. Nobody knew… it was so many years ago…
Snape drew his attention back to the luminous clock on the wall. His next class would be coming in, with the famous Harry Potter, he thought with a slight sneer, and he must prepare.
Pushing up his sleeve, he ran a finger over a row of runes on his left arm.
Avada Kedavra.
A rare smile passed across the Professor's lips as he buttoned his sleeve and stood, a menacing figure as the first students filed into class.
So many years ago. Nobody knew. And as long as he lived, they never would.
**A.N.: So that's the end! Finite Incantatem! Whoo… I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please review… and tell me what you'd like to see next.**