Chapter 5
By Leianora
"You can't help him now," she repeated in that implacable voice he remembered so well.
"I have to! This is all my fault! Can't you see that?"
She stepped back and gave him a stern look. In the back of his mind, Severus noted with clinical detachment that it was the same look she used to give to Black and Potter, James Potter, whenever they would do something that displeased her. It didn't work on him, at least, not completely, for although he did calm down a little, he did not back down. There was a difference, after all, and nothing would make him give up, not now.
"I see that," she replied in a voice that was colder than the lake at Hogwarts during the middle of winter. "It's just a shame that you didn't, not before it was too late."
"I have to fix this!" He became aware that he was shouting again, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His brain was working on overdrive, but again, he didn't give much of a damn. He had too much to do right now, and he needed to think. "This was obviously a view of what the future holds, but anyone who has paid attention in divination, even a little, knows that the future isn't written in stone, so I need to do something! I can do this. Please! I need to try! Take me back there, please?"
She stared at him, and then she smiled. That smile lit up her face, and brought the warmth to her expression that he remembered seeing so rarely during the first war against Voldemort. He found himself returning the smile.
"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you using the word 'Please.' It suits you," she said softly. "If I agree to do this thing, you must promise me one thing."
"What thing is that?" he asked. He was a Slytherin, after all, and no promise must ever be made until all the conditions were laid out first. Such was the way of things.
"You must promise to do your very best to make him happy," she said. "He does love you, and we both know how you feel about him. You must endeavor to show him that you care. You don't have to say anything with words. Harry has learned to understand the subtler forms of communication, but he must know that you do love him. If you do not agree to these terms, no amount of begging, threatening, or bargaining will force me to take you back there. So, what do you say? Do you agree?"
Severus spoke without hesitation. "I agree," he said. He took the outstretched hand, shook it firmly once, and then moved to release it. Before he could, however, she pulled him in for a hug. She'd never done that before, but that didn't matter. He was so shocked that he failed to react in time and was pressed tightly against her before he could pull away. He froze, wondering what he was supposed to do, and then, taking a hell of a risk, he reached up and put his arms around her. She was warm and soft against him, but before he could take more time noticing that, or wonder how he could see her, and hold her this way since she was dead, she stepped back and looked up directly into his eyes.
"Severus," she murmured in a very serious tone, "I want you to know, James and I do approve. We only want Harry to be happy, and since he's happiest with you, we approve. It was just as much of a surprise for us to see his wish, but if it's what he really wants, then it's what we want for him. He's had enough sadness in his life, after all. Be well, and be happy with our son. You two deserve each other."
Before he could ask what she'd meant by that or the mysterious smirk on her face, she'd grabbed his hand, uttered the spell and deposited him in an unceremonious heap on the floor of his chambers. When he regained his sense of self and orientation and looked up again, the first thing he recognized was the fact that they were in his bedroom, and it was still the middle of the night. The second thing he noticed was that she was gone.