Severus Snape sat slouched in the chair by the fire in the last house on Spinner's end. He gazed into the curling reds, oranges, and yellows. Meanwhile, his brain was having a battle with himself.
"Throw it in!"
"I…I can't"
"But what if someone finds it? You'll be blown out of the water and possibly murdered in your sleep by the most famous wizard alive!"
"That wouldn't happen."
"Oh really? How can you be so sure?"
"…well…I… oh fine!"
But Severus read it one last time
Lily,
I wishyou were here now. I need you. I miss the times we used to have, laughing, talking. I have been watching Harry. He looks like James, but he has your eyes, how could I forget them! I really do miss you, and you need to know that if I had known that this would be the outcome of my actions, I would have never even muttered a single word of Trelawney's Prophecy. I swear to it.
I tried to keep you safe, I really did. I will never forgive myself. I'm sorry. For everything.
-Sev
Severus hesitated then crumpled it up and tossed it reluctantly into the fire. He watched it smolder, blacken and burn until it was nothing but a mound of ash, a memory of what was. And even though Severus knew that it would never fall into the hands of Lily Potter, somehow he felt that she had just read it.