Author: darkmoore

Title: Another kind of peace

Rating: R (for suicide)

Warnings: Character death, suicide

Word count: 1037

Disclaimer: I don't own them. No money made, no harm intended, I do this just for fun.

Another kind of peace

Harry Potter looked around himself with unseeing eyes. Only a few more hours. A few more hours and he would not have to endure this farce any longer. Neither the appalling Ministry party, nor the hell that was his life.

He had defeated the Dark Lord two days earlier and had been released from the infirmary only hours ago. Madame Pomfrey had told him that he had been lucky. Lucky to once again have survived when others head not. Like Ginny, or Draco, or Professor Sprout and so many others. Like Severus, his husband.

Severus had been one of the first to die in the name of the light almost two years ago. Since that day, Harry was dead too. Without Severus' warmth his life was cold and dark and empty. Yes, he had been told he had to go on, he had to fight for what Severus had died for or his husband's life had been sacrificed for nothing at all.

He didn't want to hear it, didn't want to be told what he had to do and how he had to act, like the child Dumbledore still seemed to see in him, even though he was 27 already. He didn't want to hear the well meaning advices to 'start living again' or how his grief was only natural, but one day he would have to look forward.

Oh yes, he was looking forward, he was looking forward to the day he was going to rid the world of Voldemort, fulfill the prophecy and be done with his duties to the wizarding world.

If Severus were still alive, maybe they would have left together, disappearing to someplace they could not be found. Harry had no illusions about how his life would be, once he had defeated the Dark Lord and the first wave of happiness had died down. Minister Fudge would never allow anyone powerful enough to destroy Voldemort to walk about freely. He would have him arrested or his magic bound in no time, 'to protect the wizarding world from the rise of a new Dark Lord.'

Harry could not count on any help from Dumbledore or anyone form the Order, now that their well trained weapon had fulfilled its purposes. He had done what had been expected of him and no-one had even thought once about what was going to happen to him next.

Ron had quit his friendship with Harry such a long time ago, to be exact it had been the day Harry had told him he was going to propose to Severus. Ron told him he could have accepted that he used the greasy git to shag him once in a while, but when Harry started to talk about love and vows, Ron had told him he would have to choose – between their friendship or Severus. The decision had been an easy one, what hurt more, was that he lost Hermione as well. She was married to Ron and felt she had to support her husband.

From that day on, Severus had been his life.

Until the day Severus had died. It had been a cold winter day and Harry had felt a numbness that had nothing at all to do with the cold outside. Somehow he knew he would never be really warm again.

Severus had been declared a war hero, working as a spy for the side of light, but Harry had only felt sick. Sick of all those people pretending to care, pretending to understand, pretending to be sorry for the loss. Truth to be told, they never had seen anything else in him than a greasy Potions Master with a bad temper who was a suspected Death Eater.

No-one had ever seen him like Harry had. The warm shimmer of love in his eyes, the sound of his voice when he talked about something he was interested in - like potions – or the genuine smile that lit up his face when Harry told him he loved him and that there would never be another. The private Severus Snape was so opposite to the man he was to the outside world that Harry was amazed about his perfect mask, every time he watched his husband 'shift personalities'.

Blinking a few times, Harry came back to the present with a sigh. It was time to go. A warm wave of anticipation rushed through his body as he made his way through the brightly lit hall. He passed by chatting and cheering people, but Harry did not bother to say goodbye to anyone - those people didn't mean anything to him anyway.

He went straight to the little cottage in Hogsmeade - the house he had shared with Severus. It would go to a foundation that supported war orphans, his last will would say so.

Smiling slightly, Harry changed into his favourite robes – dark emerald, the ones he had worn when he had bonded with Severus – and took out the phials he had prepared such a long time ago.

They were five bottles of Sleeping draught, in a quality that would have made Severus proud. Somehow that thought amused Harry.

He had had alcohol at the party, expensive Firewhisky to be exact; together with the potions it would be more than enough to make sure he could not be brought back, even if he should be found too soon.

Kissing Severus' picture he had on the nightstand one last time, he whispered a "See you soon, my love" and opened the first phial. Without hesitation, Harry drank down the contents of all five phials, before he snuggled deeper into the sheets of his bed, a small smile on his face. 'I'm going to see Severus again ' was is last thought before sleep called him…

ooOoo

The light was blinding and it hurt his eyes for a moment, but then it faded away. Right in front of him stood a smiling Severus Snape, shaking his head slightly. "Impatient as ever, aren't we, Mr. Potter?" he teased, before he opened his arms to hug Harry tightly.

In the tight embrace of his husband Harry Potter finally found a kind of peace no victory on battlefield ever could give.

A/N: Those of you who might wonder what happened to "Hangover" and "Some things..." : I am working on them. I have no regular internet access right now so I have very limited time for typing the chapters, sending them off to my betas, editing them or leave alone post them. I promise I am working as fast as I can, so please be patient for a little longer. Sorry for the delay!