One Week in Heaven

Chapter Seven- Too Soon

AN- Here we go.

I'm trying to finish this by the New Year, with only this and the endings left. And since I'm stupid and failed my driving test, I'll have more time to work on it.

This is, again, part one of this chapter. It sets the stage for the important section of it; figure it this way, when I wrote down bullets of the events in the chapter, of the nine only two were completed in this. But I found it necessary.

By the way- in talking to some of you, you're assuming that the happy ending is where Harry's parents end up staying longer/forever, and the sad on is where they have to leave. You couldn't be more wrong if you told me that Voldemort will be dancing in a ballerina costume. I guess I mislead you- the 'happy' ending will still (hopefully) make you cry. The depressing ending... let's just say that you're going to need a few boxes of tissues.

Point two- no, I don't believe that Severus and Lily were in love. ^^ My muse just ran with that, and I thought it sounded good and worked with the story. Also some people had trouble with the flashbacks and what they meant. If you didn't understand what happened, here's a play-by-play rundown of the flashbacks.

*He hates that she's not a pureblood. She hates him for being him. Third year or so.

*He realizes that she isn't just a mudblood. She realizes that he isn't a heartless bastard. Fifth year.

*He hates that Lily can change his demeanor. She realizes that he can make her smile more than James. Sixth year.

*He realizes that she has made him ashamed of being a Death Eater. She realizes that her best friend might not be who she thought he was. Seventh year beginning.

*He knows now that he has changed, and isn't just a Death Eater because of her and loves her for it. She doesn't love him, because she loves James, but doesn't want to hurt him. She also is beginning to realize that he might not be on her side of the war. Seventh year middle.

*He asks her to marry him because he loves her and is willing to back the Order for her. She loves James, but feels guilty about Severus. If you couldn't tell, she walked away from this. Seventh year end.

*He realizes that she didn't love him like she loved James, and she was no longer there for him; and he begins to hate himself for almost giving up the dark for her. She hated that she couldn't love him back, feeling she betrayed him. Two years after graduation.

Anyway. ^^

Hope you enjoy this; it's most possibly the most depressing thing that I've written in years.

***

~It does not do well do dwell on dreams, and forget to live.

~Do you think the ones we love ever truly leave us?

~Albus Dumbledore

***

Darkness settled, and hours passed. The night saw a boy, sixteen, sitting on an empty plot of land; simply watching the stars. Finally, the two adults that watched him walked over, and the three of them sat together, looking to the ground before them, where two gravestones shone in the moonlight.

***

James scratched his head, and looked down to the letter on the desk in front of him. It explained everything to Harry, everything he knew he would never bring up to him, things he could never talk about. He just couldn't figure out how to sign it- he still felt odd saying 'love' to the boy, only knowing him for the short time he had.

There was a knock on the door and James was surprised to see Snape standing there, glowering his usual glower. However, Snape then gestured, and James stood. "Do you need something?"

Snape frowned even more. "I came to ask you if you were interested in going out to brunch in Hogsmeade, Potter."

James laughed.

"Dumbledore made you ask?" He didn't answer. Finally, James nodded, and the two walked out of the room.

"You know, there is a quick way there if you're interested." Snape looked u quizzically.

"Are you serious?"

James nodded. "Padfoot and I used it a lot when we'd forget birthdays." Snape scowled more.

"And your son has found it, Potter."

The younger man looked up proudly. "Really? So he has taken after me." More silence. "What, no snappy retorted comment for 'Potty'?"

Snape slowed to a stop. "Let's just go, James."

James was too shocked at the gesture of ignorance to notice that he called him 'James'.

***

Harry opened the door slowly, praying that Ginny was there.

She looked up from the couch. There he stood, holding the door as if for dear life.

"Ginny..." His voice failed him.

But she understood.

"Your parents... you should be with them now. We have our whole lives ahead of us. You only have a day with them."

He nodded and walked away, wishing that there was some way he could have both at the same time. Even though there wasn't.

Inside he cried.

Inside she cried.

He walked away.

***

James laughed and raised his hand into the air. "Another, Rosmerta!"

Snape grinned. "You sure about that, James? Sure you can handle another this early in the morning?"

"In talking to you, I could use more." They both laughed. "I'm not drunk, Severus. Just relaxed."

"Famous last words."

Rosmerta came over and handed them both a water, grinning. "That's enough for a teacher and a barely legal child there." The two of them nodded, and settled back down.

"You know I hate you, right?" James lowered his drink.

"Really? 'Cause you know, I thought you were just a bit too tense over the whole Death Eater thing." He shot back sarcastically.

Snape smiled and took a sip. "Lily knew."

"Did she now?" He nodded. "I knew you two were friends..."

"I asked her to marry me."

James froze. "You did what?"

"Asked Lily to marry me. During the graduation dance-"

"That she went with me to..."

"-after our song, Secrets, came on-"

"That's our song..."

"-and right before we decided to spend the night."

James spat out his water. "What?"

Snape grinned even larger than before. "Possessive, Potter?"

"No, just disgusted by the fact that I indirectly slept with you."

"Only once. And it was when you two broke up, after your time, so don't worry yourself."

James took a large gulp. "You're serious?"

Snape simply sipped some more, and asked for the check.

"You love her, don't you?" James' question echoed his mind. "And that's why you left the Death Eaters. You loved her, and you knew that they were going to kill her."

"None of those are correct, Potter." He paused. "I thought I loved her, yes. But that wasn't the reason I left the Death Eaters. And I had no idea he was going to kill her- he never wanted to. Just your son."

Another long pause.

"Then why did you leave them?"

He didn't answer. He never did.

***

Silence echoed through Hogsmeade except for the beating of a woman's two racing footsteps; stopping only when she ran into the two men exiting the pub.

The two figured froze at the words spoken by the woman, and then raced off into the distance; into the shadow of Hogwarts.

Bellatrix Lestrange grinned from the Shrieking Shack, and set the signal for the plans to be put into motion.

***

"So he's just gone missing. You've just lost the boy who lived." Snape's voice shot through the crowded room. "You all know how important this is. How important he is. And yet you allow him to simply wander off out of the grounds because of some fight he has with his girlfriend?"

Ginny looked away, slightly red at the amount of faces that faced her. "I told you, I just told him that he should find his parents. I never told him to go wander out of grounds." Snape opened his mouth to retort, but Dumbledore interrupted.

"It doesn't matter how he left, but how we're going to get him back."

Lily looked up. "James and I will go to the edge of the forest and wait by Sirius' grave... that's where he usually returns to."

"I'm going with you two." Everyone was shocked to hear Snape's voice echo through the room. "I need to speak with them." The Headmaster nodded. As they were walking out, however, Snape paused next to him and whispered in his ear.

"I'm leaving straight from there to go to Riddle Manor. He wants us there by three, and I need to get there early and speak with him to clear all of this up. I'll be gone until Monday, perhaps, or Tuesday of next week. Just be careful here- we still don't know what the problems are with the potion- I'll make sure it's alright until I leave, then you're in charge Albus. Modify their memories when Harry's not looking- the potion may go volatile and cease earlier than expected."

No more good-byes were needed.

They never were.

***

Bellatrix Lestrange waited, nineteen of her lord's best surrounding the area awaiting her command.

***

Harry sighed from the top of the Astronomy Tower, and spoke to the wind.

"I love you, Ginny."

***

Part One End