Visitors
A muffled crack sounded in the dark room, two faded figures were approaching the bed where a pale man was sleeping in a rather unquiet way, some drops of sweat making his forehead shine under the moonlight. The intruders were an old man and a young woman whose raven black hair contrasted fully with the large silver beard of the wizard. They were staring at the sleeping man with a sad look in their faces.
Hello my poor boy, said the older one as a wistful smile was drawn in his face, I have to come, I need your forgiveness, I cannot rest in peace without knowing that you can understand it, that you can forgive me for throwing you into this hell… it was necessary, for the greater good… I know this will make you laugh, believe in the greater good was never one of your strengths, you were always disdaining this purpose with your irony. I doubt if yourself realized that there was a huge part of that goodness inside you, that you were one of the biggest supporters of this battle towards peace. Well, I have to leave; tomorrow you will think that this was a dream. Maybe. But I am only allowed to visit you in your dreams, and when you look at the sunrise I will sent you a sign, something only you recognize, something which granted you that I have asked you for mercy despite I don't mere it… but I need it, and I never needed nothing before. I let you with someone else, she is more than blissful of seeing you. I came to ask for forgiveness and she has come to give it.
The aged man retired to the shadows, touched gently the cheek of the sorrowful woman and faded as fume from a candle. The woman looked at the man in the bed. Her eyes were showing a love that cannot be described with simple words, even the greatest world poet would have find it impossible to paint with his words the shine, the bright and happiness in that eyes. Looking further, there was something more in that look. There was pain, extreme pain and sorrow. There was mercy and compassion. There was pity and regret and yet, by heaven, there was love, and this last feeling was overwhelming the rest of them, no matter how strong they were, this love can beat every and surface in the glare of that ebony eyes.
The sleeping man seemed to feel the intense look he was being subject and he moaned and changed slightly his posture. Now, a moonlight ray was illuminating his face. He is a young man, thirty-five or forty, but he looked older. A deep frown cross his face even when he is sleeping, perhaps even is not the most suitable word to use, because when he is drowned in the slumber he is not able to hide his emotions as well as he do when he is awake… Curtains of dark lank hair framed a pale face, in his sleep you can guess a sober and sad expression that is concealed by his bitterness when those black eyes are open. The shade of grief seems to be increased as he feels the stare of the woman. Still, he remains asleep.
The woman walked towards him and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out her hand to touch him, but she stopped just a few inches from his cheek, then she started talking.
Hi my love. You look so alone, so weak here within this greyish blankets… if only I could embrace you, if only I could provide you the slightest warm… I know that you have been torturing yourself during the last seventeen years. You shouldn't do that anymore. I'm here and I cannot bear the idea of seeing you suffering one day more because of me. It was not your fault, you were young and you made the wrong decision… but it wasn't only your fault. You have received nothing but hatred and disdain, you had no reason to trust me, to believe that the love I was offering you were real; and I don't blame you for that. Finally, you accepted me and that very day was the happiest of my entire life. I remember the first time you kissed me, there was a smile in your face and that little gesture made you look so beautiful… and that is the way I will remember you, smiling, without the frown and the sadness that have made a home of your face.
Again, it wasn't your fault. We were happy. Who cares about the world when is in love? But you wanted to save me from the darkness that was covering the world in long strides. You tried to protect me, you made all that was in your hands to keep me safe. You forgot that time that the Dark Lord can read in the deepest part of our hearts and you were too much worthy for him and his plans of destruction to let you be distracted by something he never understood and still remain a mystery for him: love. He knew that you loved me and that was my death sentence. But it wasn't your fault. The only guilty was him and his hatred consumed heart (if he has something which can be called like that), you have suffered too much, you have also done too much to redeem yourself. Here is my forgiveness, you needn't it because you did nothing but I know you have asked for it so many times, and this have been the only opportunity I have had to granted you that you are innocent of my death.
Now, I should leave, the sunrise is coming and you will awake soon.
She caressed gently his cheek and placed a soft kiss in his mouth. She held her breath for a while as her lips remained against his. Then, he made a sudden movement and she disappeared like the older wizard, she became a light smoke while uttering a simple sentence,
I love you Severus.
the shortest poem, only four words, of the most sincere poet, her heart.
He awake in that very moment, with the words echoing in his mind. A dream, it was all that have been. He got up and walked across the sober room. He reached the window and looked pensively through it. Then he felt a sudden shudder in his back, he looked to the sunrising and his disbelief broke down as he saw a pair of twinkling eyes and a face he had not seen in seventeen years reflected on the window glass. He turned to his back and saw nothing but the empty and cold room he occupied in Voldemort's headquarters. He looked again through the window and the two familiar faces remained there, he reached out a hand to touch the fresh glass where the beloved face was standing and then, he looked into the blue eyes. Remembering the dream, he took a deep breath and said:
"Albus, I forgive you." As he said this, the older wizard in the glass smiled, and then, looking closely to the woman Severus said, "Thank you my love". And with this last words, the reflections disappeared.
