Moving On

A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic, so if you find something wrong, please mention in the comments, as for the update schedule, I really don't know how often I can give updates but I'll try my best and I'll update chapters once I finish them. As for the story itself, this will be completely AU and would start to diverge from the canon from the part where Snape is summoned by Voldemort to the Shrieking Shack.

"Lord, their resistance is crumbling…" started Severus.

"- and it is doing so well without your help" interrupted Voldemort. "You are a great warrior, Severus, but I have other uses for you".

"My lord, let me find you the boy, I can find him lord" Severus tried, remembering that he still had to tell Harry what he had to do.

Harry drew back a little, behind the crate that hid the trio as Voldemort spoke, "It's nearly over, Severus. The boy will come to me. But I have a problem… ". He paused as he drew out his wand, slowly twirling it as he spoke, "What will happen when he comes to me? Before this the two wands failed to beat him, Lucius's wand cracked open but now - this wand, The Elder Wand. It promises extraordinary powers to its master. But ... " he trailed, "I don't think it's working properly for me...".

"But lord you have performed extraordinary magic with it." Severus tried again in vain.

"No, I have performed my usual, extraordinary magic with it, But to me, it feels as same, just as my usual wand." Voldemort continued in a normal, calm tone, "no difference", he said as he eyed Severus, looking for recognition in his eyes. Seeing none, he continued, "I thought long and hard… Do you know why I called you back?", he asked, to the pale potion's master in front of him.

"I don't know my lord, but I beg to return my lord. I will bring the boy to you." Severus tried once more, eyeing the snake, that coiled in the protective shield, waiting to be let out.

"I said no!" Voldemort hissed this time in a loud and angry tone, "The boy will come to me, but Severus, you. You have been very valuable to me... very valuable. But this wand that I took from the grave of Albus Dumbledore must have worked properly for me, as I removed it against the wish of its previous owner, but still… The elder wand does not give what it promises, because you - the one who killed it's previous owner is still alive." ended Voldemort.

"My lord" exclaimed Severus slightly increased the grip on his wand, to at least try to escape from a painful death, as the Dark Lord spoke once again, "It cannot be another way, I must conquer the wand, Severus, thus conquer Harry Potter at last.", Voldemort pointed his wand at Severus, "Avada –",

Behind the crates, Harry cried "Bombarda" at the same time, causing a white binding light to hit Voldemort who went flying as Snape cried "Finite Incantatem" at the hovering protective bubble of magic enclosing the Snake, continued by a curse of his own, "Sectusempra!" as he slashed his wand at the snake. As a dark cloud escaped the corpse of the snake, pain seared through Harry's skull, and a blood-curdling scream arose from Voldemort, who swiftly pointed his wand at Severus and finished the curse that he could not complete before.

It was a different place, but Severus identified it the instant he opened his eyes, how could he forget the place where he first met her! For whom he spent his best days as a spy, living an unhappy, peaceless life. As he was reminiscing about her, he saw someone coming towards him, as it came close the figure became clearer. His breath hitched as he thought her name in his mind, Lily. She looked the same as she was the day he last saw her in the Diagon Alley, a few days before her death. All his doubt's whether he was dead or alive vanished, as she approached him with the smile that always made his heart leap, the smile that removed every sadness from his mind, the smile that he could trust - whatever happens.

But as he thought about his past, his heart began to ache, how can I even explain what I did? his mind began clouding with doubts, would she forgive me? will she even talk to me? , his mind raced. As she came near to him and bent to him, only then he realized that he had not got up yet. Gone was his grace as he stood up awkwardly and tried to talk. No words came out of his mouth. Lily was now only feet's away from him. Here she comes, he thought. She is now going to tear me apart. For what I did to her... to her only child... It was only then he realized his mistake. Of seeing Potter... Harry... as Potter's son only. He was his mother's son too. Alas, it's too late now, he thought.

It was then, something happened that surprised Severus completely. She hugged him and shouted "Sev!". To say that he was utterly confused was, to say the least. didn't she know what he had done? At the same time, as if she read his mind, she replied, "I know, Sev, no need to explain… Thanks for protecting Harry all these years... I did not like your behavior... but considering you did it to protect him in the long run... I'll forgive you only this time." she said sternly before continuing, "But I expect you to stop taking out your ire on him."

To which he nodded in reply as he thought to himself, Now she would start shouting at me for the deeds I had done or more probably leave me without talking anymore. Once again as if reading his mind she replied, "Don't worry, I won't leave you and …". To which Severus stammered a, "I am sorry", with his head hung low, weighted by the guilt of what he did.

Seeing his face, she replied, "Don't be, Sev, you didn't do it knowingly",

"But I killed you", he once again stammered out a reply as tears slowly escaped his eyes.

"What on earth makes you think that you killed me? Voldemort killed me, not you! " nearly shouted Lily, hoping to make him understand.

"But I told him the prophecy..."

"Yeah I know, but did you know that the prophecy meant my child?", without waiting for him to reply, she answered herself, "No, you did not.", she said softly. before continuing, "I am not angry with you anymore even for what you did in school, Sev. I know how you lived all these years, without love, without happiness, that's more than enough as punishment for choosing that path. So I forgive you, Sev. I am the same Lily, your best friend, there is no difference in it, not anymore...", she said with a soft smile.

Severus's heart became light; he could live in peace now, he thought without realizing the irony in it. Severus asked "So where are we? "

Lily appeared to think for a moment, "You know, our usual place.", "and what happens now? " asked Severus, once again confused whether he's dead or alive. "You get to decide that, Sev, you can move on or … you can go back." Said Lily.

"Why do I think that you sound like Dumbledore?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Oh! Do I?" she asked, her face changed once more into a frown at the mention of Dumbledore, "You, I could forgive, Sev, but him... I don't think so. Many... events... could have been prevented. If he was really caring about the people around him. If he had done his job properly..." trailed off Lily, before changing the topic, "We heard that Remus and Tonks have turned up, so James and Sirius went to see them." Her voice saddened as she continued, "This is a far too worse for a night Sev. There are too many deaths" she said.

Suddenly he remembered the last place he was in, for a second his heart froze as he realized the reason that he was still attached to the world, "Who died for me lily? Who?".

To which Lily honestly replied "I don't know. It does not really mean that somebody died, it need not be.", she said hopefully. Suddenly as if realizing something, she quickly stated, "So Sev, you are going back ", before he could say anything, she held her hands up and stated once more, "You are going back. You should live the life that you missed, Sev. Live, be happy, and then come back when your time is up. I took this decision for you. IF you come back without getting off with someone. I'll kill you myself so don't keep on thinking about the past, move on and live your life, Sev.", she spoke hastily as she eyed something behind him. As she began to fade, he started to panic once more, unable to prevent it, just shouted her name.

"Lily!"

"It's nothing, Sev. It's just your time here is over... So go back and make this friend of yours proud!" said a fading Lily before she hugged him, gave him a peck on his cheek, saying "Goodbye Sev!", as she faded out completely.

Suddenly everything went dark and Severus opened his eyes to find Harry potter lying in his arms breathing shallowly, with his two friends trying to wake him up and the Dark lord screaming in pain in a distance.

A/U: Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to Review, Follow, and Favorite. If you find any mistake(s) feel free to share it in the comments. See you next time.

EDIT: Fixed the formatting issue.

– blueycat ;)