Author's Note:

QLFC Season 11 Round 3

Team: Wigtown Wanderers

Position: Chaser 2

Word Count: 1591, excluding the A/N

Prompt: Write about an event set at the break of dawn

Optional Prompts: Starry night, 'How could you have possibly forgotten?', notorious

WARNING: Darkness, regret, misery, mentions of exhaustion, high pressure, murder/death.

Severus Snape surveyed Hogwarts' corridors for the millionth time in his life, making sure not a single student was slithering around causing trouble in the dead of night.

The sound of glass shattering lured Severus into an empty classroom. There was no one in sight, only shards of glass lay scattered on the floor and gusts of harsh wind entered the room through a wide, open window.

The view was rather beautiful compared to the dull day he had. Everything around him was silent. What some might find eerie, but he found it soothing.

The view reminded him of a painting Lily brought to her house during the final summer they shared. If only he had known what would happen soon after. At the very least, he could have listened to the once uninteresting facts she had to say because all he remembered was the Dutch painting's name.

It was called 'The Starry Night'. It was a mesmerizing oil on canvas painting, and truthfully, the only muggle one he'd seen in his entire life.

Severus shook away the memories of the past. With a few lazy flicks of his wand, he cleaned the broken glass and closed the window soundlessly. He thought about watching the view set upon him, but once he turned, a large item at the end of the room caught his eye.

Strangely enough, it was a dusty, ancient looking mirror. Its frame was a tarnished gold, and across the top read a non-coherent looking sentence.

The mirror was an object of oddity. Upon approaching it, an image appeared on the mirror. It wasn't his reflection… not quite.

Severus saw himself standing on the edge of a cliff. It was dark, and though the sky was full of stars and shared similarities to The Starry Night painting, it represented a mysterious, malicious darkness that only seemed to emerge from nowhere.

If it was because of the lightning that illuminated his face, the growing storm, or the tumultuous, rageful sea below, he didn't know.

His reflection was cradling a silver doe, a symbol of purity and grace, but most importantly, it embodied Lily's patronus and the joy she and the memories that accompanied her brought him.

But even after having failed to save her and keep her from her death, Severus felt an unyielding desire to protect her essence and everything she couldn't protect.

The sea around him roared with ferocity and aggressiveness, a vivid reminder of the Death Eaters' calamity and how their attempts led to his awful choices. Each wave that crashed against the stones were a reminder of each time he reached an impassable obstacle and the consequences he faced because of choosing a path so blindly.

The scattered stars formed a multitude of paths, ones he could no longer tread because of foolish past mistakes. The stars began to dim, showing that one day, they'd become as invisible as they were unreachable.

But the doe he cradled brightened and continued to do so until its light illuminated the realistic picture and matched the darkness in power. The two opposites began a war, and as the light continued to fight with a Gryffindor's bravery, Severus felt a glowing hope that he too could fight his inner darkness.

His counterpart stood resolute during everything, determination marking his face, even as the stars faded. Lily had always said some things were blessings in disguise, but it was only now that the break of dawn burst through the ghastly pitch black clouds did Severus believe her.

The darkness parted and the sea became a view of calmness and peace. A small smile crossed his reflection's face and Lily's patronus curled against him.

A tap on his shoulder distracted him from the sight, and the image faded. Severus turned around, wondering who could be up at midnight.

"Severus, what were you doing next to that mirror?" Minerva asked in amusement.

"I was checking if any students were behind it since I heard glass breaking," Severus answered, ignoring the look on her face. "Isn't your shift for patrolling before midnight?"

"Yes, it is, but your shift is over."

"Already?" Severus muttered in disbelief.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "It's dawn, Severus. The sun is going to rise."

Severus, wondering if her statement was true, turned around to look at the window. Indeed, the darkness was fading onto the sunlight. Time could pass so fast sometimes.

"Then I must head to the dungeons, Minerva."

"How could you have forgotten?!" Minerva exclaimed, looking at him perplexed.

Forgotten what?

"It's a weekend, Severus! You don't have any classes today!" Minerva said.

He usually never forgot these kinds of things.

She rolled her eyes again at his continuous silence. "You usually never forget. Well, since we both have no teaching to do,I want to show you a few paintings I bought. If you'd like, you can have one."

"Oh, please don't tell me it's a recipe of insane colors…" Severus complained, but nonetheless, he followed her through the halls and to her office.

There were two new paintings hung on the walls. One was an enormous garden of lavenders, and the other was a small painting of dark roses.

There was a third painting on her desk. She picked it up and turned the canvas so he could look at it.

It was The Starry Night painting… the only difference was the gentle movement of some things in the picture because of the enchanted painted breeze.

"It seems rather your type of painting. It does remind me of you. Do you want it?" Minerva said, and Severus nodded.

"T‐Thank you, Minerva. I'll go find a place to hang it."

"You're welcome," She replied, and he left holding the painting closely.

He might've been unable to save Lily, but he could do whatever it took to preserve Lily's grace and joy. He would protect everyone and everything Lily held dear, even her son who had yet to turn eleven.

Severus silently made a promise to himself to never turn to the opposite side again, no matter what he was feeling and no matter who was on the other side.

Being Headmaster of Hogwarts during this particular time was worse than Severus anticipated.

Harry Potter and his two friends were hiding wherever they were and doing whatever Albus planned for them.

Neville Longbottom, who he used to think was a coward, was now hiding from him and the Carrow twins with a multitude of students. Based on what the Carrows told him, Neville had also been leading and guiding them.

All the while he needed to make sure no student was harmed too badly by the Carrow twins, who were now professors, while dealing with his work as Headmaster and The Dark Lord's constant, tiring orders.

His only companion was the portrait of Albus because all of the students loathed him for one reason or another. Minerva and Filius, the only two people alive he considered allies, turned their backs on him because he murdered Albus, on his orders.

He was quite a notorious person—if not for The Dark Lord, he would be the most notorious person in Britain, but it was nothing he desired and nothing he was proud of. What would Lily say if she were here with him in this hell?

The world was all but a place of darkness now. If dawn and sunrise were even terms anymore, they were blessings in disguise for those truly on the Dark Lord's side. Circles of exhaustion were surely under his eyes—why else did he drink so many energy potions these days?

He felt sore from the pressure of having to save the rebellious, reckless students he once taught. The work he constantly had to do seemed endless, like the black blankets pulled tightly to cover their lives in misery and high danger.

Severus sighed and took a seat in his chamber. Of all the paintings Minerva gave him, the only one he adored was The Starry Night. He hadn't had time to even glance at it for several months.

It reminded him of the night in the empty classroom. All he remembered from that night was looking at a similar view through a window and a mirror, in which he saw an eventful image.

But he remembered the image perfectly. He missed the doe he cradled.

"Expecto Patronum!" Severus said, some of his energy leaving him as a doe sprang out of his wand. It was as graceful and as pure as the one in the reflection. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, a reminder of the promises he made and wouldn't break, no matter what.

He leaned against the back of the chair, thinking of the mirror. After some pondering, Severus realized the words written on the mirror were spelt backwards. The sentence was actually 'I show not your face but your heart's desire'.

It made sense. He desired to be his counterpart, and he yearned for the ending of darkness and something he could use to erase his regret and make up for the terrible deeds he was now notorious for.

The doe, still skipping around joyfully, created the glowing hope for Severus that perhaps Potter wouldn't die, unlike what Dumbledore believed… he hoped Potter would end this endless war that everyone, even other Death Eaters, were exhausted of.

The doe faded as small rays of sunlight shone through the layers of thick clouds. He had yet another mission to complete. All the demands seemed endless, but Severus could only hope for it's termination.

Someday, all of this darkness would end.