Always

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: After watching the final movie...it's still hard to believe.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the world of Harry Potter, though it will live on with me, and will always find a home in my heart and my head. Always.

A/N I never belonged to Voldemort. I never belonged to Dumbledore. I never even belonged to myself...I belonged to Lily. Always. One-shot, please read and review. :)

~In the Point of View of Professor Severus Snape~

When I was a student at Hogwarts, there was one place I would go when my life seemed to be going wrong.

It was a place I could go to forget about life. It was a place I could go to forget about death. I could go there and just...be.

It was the strangest sensation. One that I haven't felt in a long time. I know I'll never really be able to feel it again.

It takes a certain sort of peace of mind to feel that way. And years of losing everyone I ever cared about, including myself, has driven all that peace from me.

The place was a small patch of grass, where the sun shined down with a perfect degree of brightness. It was just to the left of a large moss-covered stone. And it was just to the right of the Black Lake.

It is the most peaceful place I can ever remember being.

There was one day in particular, when I went to that place. I was in my fifth year at Hogwarts...and I had received a letter from home.

My father had accidently killed my mother. It wasn't something I wanted to share with anyone. My father was a muggle...sharing any information at all about him was...inadvisable.

So instead, I ran. I ran to the peaceful place and tried to forget.

The sun had been very bright that day, so I closed my eyes and turned my face away from it. I stayed like that for so long that the next thing I remember, I was waking up.

I woke up to the most beautiful flower I'd ever seen. The sun was setting, and the flower's pale surface reflected both the sun's fading light and the moon's rising glow.

It was Lily.

As soon as she saw my eyes open, she was smiling at me, and it was a warm smile, it reminded me a bit of my mother's smile...before life stole it away from her.

I struggled to find something to say," H..how did you find me here?"

I cringed at the sound of my own voice. It was stilted and rough with sleep.

Lily propped herself up on one elbow and raised a curious eyebrow at me," I could find you anywhere, Sev."

I felt my face turning red, so I flipped over, not wanting her to see my embarrasment.

But nothing could ever escape her.

" I'm sorry if I upset you...I can go if you want."

I sighed, feeling my eyes swim with tears. I can't recall quite why I had been so emotional. It's impossible to recreate a memory exactly. Something I have learned much too clearly in my life...

" No... will you stay with me?" My voice broke then, and I stopped so I could try to swallow the lump in my throat.

Before I could finish my sentence, Lily was beside me again. Her small hand settled on top of mine, and our fingers snaked together.

" Always."

Now, so many years later...Lily is not here. No one is, except me. And even I can feel myself slipping away.

I am dying.

But for some reason, I don't feel anything. I am floating away, back to the peaceful place. I'm not having to live anymore...and I'm not dying.

I just am.

The sun is fading, but I can still see everything in perfect detail. The mossy rock is the same as it was before. The Black Lake is still glistening with light...

And there is a glowing flower beside me, with stretching pale petals and a smile that warms me even through the chill of the night.

I turn to the flower..a lily I think, and ask it quietly," Will you stay with me?"

" Always."

A/N This is a bit of a mushy one-shot, especially for me. But, I just couldn't help myself. Please review?