Severus had planned to apparate home, hide himself under the covers and wait. Instead, absent-mindedly, he walked back to the Church in Godric's Hollow, looking up at the stars and regretting not writing a note to Lily with the hairpin.
Would she know what it meant? The significance of that one afternoon in the playground? He knew it was important to her, but for different reasons; that day she had found the answers that her Muggle family could not provide for her.
'This is for the best' he said aloud as he reached the graveyard. There was nobody around, but he felt better just admitting it. Maybe he was not better than Potter for Lily, no matter how jealous he was, she had not chosen him.
He suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his side, enough to make him cry out and stumble to the cold, hard, ground.
Lying flat on his back, he suddenly understood the true nature of the curse. He remembered back when he was at Hogwarts, studying the properties of Amortentia late at night in the Restricted Section, how he had come across a strange enchantment known as The Lover's Demise. Interested in anything to do with the potion, he discovered that a similar, far stronger magic could be used on objects. As he looked up at the sky on that dark night, he realised that the hairpin was a classic example of such an object-just as Amortentia adapted its scent to attract individuals, so did the pin change its appearance.
Severus felt relieved, that the pin knew the most important event in his life was that sunny afternoon, spent astounding Lily with his knowledge of the Wizarding World. He now knew for certain that his love was what had defined his life, and feeling a few flakes of snow fall to his face, he smiled and remembered how radiant Lily had looked in her wedding dress that evening. With that thought, closed his eyes and breathed his last.
Sorry for such a short chapter, I'm planning to write the next in a few days' time. Thanks for reading! xx