iTunes Was Kind As I Wrote
Inspired by this: http://lily-fox.deviantart.com/art/In-another-life-wake-up-243813421
Severus Snape knew he wouldn’t survive this battle long before the Dark Lord summoned him. He’d known it for quite some time. He did not fear death, as so many others around him did. The fear in Hogwarts was almost tangible as he sat, his fingers steepled, in his office all year. The students had defeated, dead looks in their eyes. The few who still had fire in them were wise to hide it.
That was then, of course. Now, they all were free to let their fire spark and burn as they wished. From his hiding place in the Forest, he waited for the Dark Lord’s summons.
The whole affair was over much more quickly than Severus would have liked. He still had not had the chance to tell Harry what must be done, what he had yet to do. He was prepared to die, albeit now with more disappointment on his shoulders than he expected and the sinking feeling that he’d let the entire Wizarding world down by not arming their greatest hope with the knowledge he needed.
A flash of green, a panicked voice, and Severus knew that his final act had come. He summoned, from the depths of his mind, every memory the boy would need.
“Take-it-take-it,” he wheezed, and from his eyes and mouth poured his entire life. Once caught, gathered, and set aside he grasped the new owner of the green eyes. He had her eyes. Exactly her eyes, down to the glimmer of kindness she often wore. He wondered how long the boy had had that, or how long he’d been too blind to see it.
“Look-at-me,” he whispered, drinking in for the last time their shape and hue. Then…darkness.
Birdsong.
Severus Snape blinked, his eyes fluttering open, wondering what had woken him. He happened to look down, at his side, and smiled. Of course. He should have known.
“Are you awake?” a tiny redheaded girl asked, her head cocked sideways on her plump arms resting on the mattress. The sun filtering from the window behind them caught in her hair and made her deep brown, almost black eyes glow to amber.
“Yes,” he said, stroking that silky red hair as the little girl smiled broadly. There was something familiar about that hair, something familiar about the little girl in general, but he couldn’t place it. He just knew that he loved her very much, that she was monumentally important.
“Mummy says the pancakes are done,” she replied, her high-pitched voice light as birdsong to Severus’ ears. “She says if you don’t get up she’ll feed yours to Sam!” She giggled, pulling on his hand. “Up, Daddy, up!”
Daddy. Yes, that was his name around here, wasn’t it? Severus allowed her to pull him upright, smiling fondly and sweeping her up in his arms once on his feet, tickling her to hear that sweet laugh of hers again.
“We can’t have that,” he murmured to her, kissing the top of her head. He wasn’t sure who Sam was, but the thought of him getting his pancakes filled him with an amused displeasure. Then, as a large white dog bounded, barking happily, down the hall, he remembered that Sam was a dog. His dog. And this house was his.
The smell of pancakes and maple syrup wafted through the halls as Severus and the little girl, Sam following and getting tangled in Severus’ legs, made their way towards the kitchen. The dining room table was already set, a tall stack of pancakes in the middle, a plastic princess plate and cup where this little girl usually sat. By the front door, which he passed on his way to the table, an assortment of flip flops and bags of shells sat unattended. Through the windows a sea breeze wafted through the curtains.
Something flowery pervaded through the kitchen he couldn’t see yet, something vaguely familiar, just as the house and the dog and the girl were. There was something more substantial to this type of familiarity, however, something that danced on the edge of his memory. Before he could remember what it was, his vision was filled with laughing green eyes and tangled dark red hair.
“Finally,” Lily said, kissing the little girl’s cheek and putting her hand to Severus’. “I sent Helen up to you nearly ten minutes ago. What took you?”
“I was sleeping,” Severus said, his heart suddenly so full he could hardly speak. Helen, the little girl-his daughter-my daughter-giggled, squirming out of his arms to hug Sam around his furry neck.
“You slept for a long time, Daddy,” she said. “Breakfast now!”
Severus smiled, that smile only growing larger as Lily put her hand on his shoulder and vaulted up on her tiptoes to peck him quickly on the lips. He caught her around the waist and gave her a proper, full-lipped kiss, one that he felt like he’d been waiting for years and years to give her, but of course it had only been a few hours since he’d seen her last…
She was laughing before he was quite finished, pulling back and taking his face in her hands.
“I love you,” he said, his voice hopelessly honest.
“I love you, too,” she replied, kissing him again. Helen’s loud protesting giggles filled the kitchen as Severus sat down at the table. Another breeze, bearing the smells of mingled salt and syrup, swept through the kitchen window, through which a beautiful blue sky and matching sea were visible.
Severus Snape relaxed, feeling, for the first time in perhaps a very long time, perhaps a few moments, at peace.
Severus Snape knew he wouldn’t survive this battle long before the Dark Lord summoned him. He’d known it for quite some time. He did not fear death, as so many others around him did. The fear in Hogwarts was almost tangible as he sat, his fingers steepled, in his office all year. The students had defeated, dead looks in their eyes. The few who still had fire in them were wise to hide it.
That was then, of course. Now, they all were free to let their fire spark and burn as they wished. From his hiding place in the Forest, he waited for the Dark Lord’s summons.
The whole affair was over much more quickly than Severus would have liked. He still had not had the chance to tell Harry what must be done, what he had yet to do. He was prepared to die, albeit now with more disappointment on his shoulders than he expected and the sinking feeling that he’d let the entire Wizarding world down by not arming their greatest hope with the knowledge he needed.
A flash of green, a panicked voice, and Severus knew that his final act had come. He summoned, from the depths of his mind, every memory the boy would need.
“Take-it-take-it,” he wheezed, and from his eyes and mouth poured his entire life. Once caught, gathered, and set aside he grasped the new owner of the green eyes. He had her eyes. Exactly her eyes, down to the glimmer of kindness she often wore. He wondered how long the boy had had that, or how long he’d been too blind to see it.
“Look-at-me,” he whispered, drinking in for the last time their shape and hue. Then…darkness.
Birdsong.
Severus Snape blinked, his eyes fluttering open, wondering what had woken him. He happened to look down, at his side, and smiled. Of course. He should have known.
“Are you awake?” a tiny redheaded girl asked, her head cocked sideways on her plump arms resting on the mattress. The sun filtering from the window behind them caught in her hair and made her deep brown, almost black eyes glow to amber.
“Yes,” he said, stroking that silky red hair as the little girl smiled broadly. There was something familiar about that hair, something familiar about the little girl in general, but he couldn’t place it. He just knew that he loved her very much, that she was monumentally important.
“Mummy says the pancakes are done,” she replied, her high-pitched voice light as birdsong to Severus’ ears. “She says if you don’t get up she’ll feed yours to Sam!” She giggled, pulling on his hand. “Up, Daddy, up!”
Daddy. Yes, that was his name around here, wasn’t it? Severus allowed her to pull him upright, smiling fondly and sweeping her up in his arms once on his feet, tickling her to hear that sweet laugh of hers again.
“We can’t have that,” he murmured to her, kissing the top of her head. He wasn’t sure who Sam was, but the thought of him getting his pancakes filled him with an amused displeasure. Then, as a large white dog bounded, barking happily, down the hall, he remembered that Sam was a dog. His dog. And this house was his.
The smell of pancakes and maple syrup wafted through the halls as Severus and the little girl, Sam following and getting tangled in Severus’ legs, made their way towards the kitchen. The dining room table was already set, a tall stack of pancakes in the middle, a plastic princess plate and cup where this little girl usually sat. By the front door, which he passed on his way to the table, an assortment of flip flops and bags of shells sat unattended. Through the windows a sea breeze wafted through the curtains.
Something flowery pervaded through the kitchen he couldn’t see yet, something vaguely familiar, just as the house and the dog and the girl were. There was something more substantial to this type of familiarity, however, something that danced on the edge of his memory. Before he could remember what it was, his vision was filled with laughing green eyes and tangled dark red hair.
“Finally,” Lily said, kissing the little girl’s cheek and putting her hand to Severus’. “I sent Helen up to you nearly ten minutes ago. What took you?”
“I was sleeping,” Severus said, his heart suddenly so full he could hardly speak. Helen, the little girl-his daughter-my daughter-giggled, squirming out of his arms to hug Sam around his furry neck.
“You slept for a long time, Daddy,” she said. “Breakfast now!”
Severus smiled, that smile only growing larger as Lily put her hand on his shoulder and vaulted up on her tiptoes to peck him quickly on the lips. He caught her around the waist and gave her a proper, full-lipped kiss, one that he felt like he’d been waiting for years and years to give her, but of course it had only been a few hours since he’d seen her last…
She was laughing before he was quite finished, pulling back and taking his face in her hands.
“I love you,” he said, his voice hopelessly honest.
“I love you, too,” she replied, kissing him again. Helen’s loud protesting giggles filled the kitchen as Severus sat down at the table. Another breeze, bearing the smells of mingled salt and syrup, swept through the kitchen window, through which a beautiful blue sky and matching sea were visible.
Severus Snape relaxed, feeling, for the first time in perhaps a very long time, perhaps a few moments, at peace.