𝔖𝔫𝔞𝔭𝔢'𝔰 ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫 (ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔢, 18+)

๑۞ 𝔐𝔶 𝔖𝔬 ℭ𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥 ۞๑

     Darkness clouded my vision as I continued shaking uncontrollably from the bone-chilling cold overtaking me, that had been inflicted by Nagini's deadly, blood-constricting bite. I'd focused every ounce of my willpower on staying awake.

     Breathe-in, one - two - three. Breathe-out, one - two - three.

     Tightly clenching my jaw as another round of cramps seized throughout my exhausted body, I'd wondered how much longer I'd be able to fight the urge to let go of my desire to see Voldemort's destruction and take death's tempting hand—closing my eyes forever.

     Instead of letting go, I used the pain running rampant through me as fuel, keeping me focused on the next excruciating lungful of air.

     Breathe-in, one - two - three. Breathe-out, one - two - three.

     My favorite smell of Calla Lilies began filling me as if I was drowning in it and the familiar memory of first meeting the kind-eyed, red-headed Lily Evans, filled my vision.

     From a short distance away, I'd watched in fascination as the red-head smiled excitedly while holding a yellow flower out for inspection by an unsightly blonde. The redhead's smile grew more prominent as the wildflower changed to a bold purple color.

     "You're nothing but a freak!" the blonde girl hollered menacingly, knocking the newly transformed flower from the other girl's hand to stomp on before storming away. The smaller red-headed girl was shaking violently, and I wasn't sure if she was going to cry or kill something, but the look on her face said—both.

     When she turned my way, her bright-green eyes widened in surprise upon seeing me standing alongside a nearby tree, and she started to run away.

     "Wait!" I plucked a wildflower and extended my arm as I made my way over to her. A few steps away, I'd noticed her eyes had locked onto the yellow flower with her face scrunched in curiosity before gasping in surprise as I turned it into a butterfly.

     Delight filled her pretty bright-green eyes as she asked, "You can do tricks too, but how is it possible?"

     I smiled shyly, "Magic, not tricks, and I'm Severus—a wizard." Looking her deep in the eyes so she'd know I wasn't making things up, "You're a witch and should have been told all about magic long ago."

     "A witch?" she looked scandalized. "I don't know if that's a good thing... Will I get ugly and have a crooked nose if I keep doing it?"

     I gave her a long look before bursting into fits of laughter with her giggling just as hard.

     The image faded, and I felt tears pouring down my face while rocking back in forth, holding tightly to the pale, limp form of the woman I'd loved unconditionally but wasn't my wife to protect. My heart shattered to pieces and swore to myself I'd never rest until her murderer, Lord Voldemort was dead—never to return again.

     Then cold numbed me, and I began shuddering in what I thought was the last stages of death—feeling myself slipping into the never-ending deep sleep just as a warm hand caressed my face.

     "Severus?" I opened my eyes in surprise at the soft, worried voice. My blurry and darkened vision made it hard to make out anything except golden-butterscotch hair cascading along the sides of a light heart-shaped face.

     Lily!

     I relaxed knowing I was safe and sucked in several calming lungfuls at her welcome presence.

     "Please answer me," she said in a fading voice.

     "Lil...," I slurred—sounding inebriated—as the world swayed back and forth in no particular rhythm.

     "It's all right," I continued to focus on taking in one deep breath after another as she wrapped her hand behind me and my mouth filled with the taste of strawberries.

     Suddenly, my face was throbbing in pain as I wiped at blood coming from somewhere. My eyes scanned the familiar surroundings of Spinners End and panic shot through me as I heard familiar angry footsteps behind me. I ran—knowing I'd be beaten up more if I didn't get away—and tripped out the front door, falling into a puddle of mud that swallowed me whole.

     My furious, unwashed and disheveled father stumbled to the door after me, "Stupid half-blood Prince! Get outta here and don't bother coming back!" The always drunk slob threw his arm out to make his point but lost balance and grabbed at the doorway to steady himself as his feet danced around trying to find solid ground.

     "You leave him be and have another ale with me you drunken fool!" Mother's voice hollered from inside the old run-down house.

     I struggled to stand and wipe off the mud as hate and humiliation at having such sub-human parents surged through me.

     Turning, I sucked in a shocked breath when I found myself in one of the many corridors at Hogwarts being stared at by... Hermione Granger?

     Why am I seeing this?

      Suddenly, Pansy Parkinson was there blocking the familiar Know-it-all and spitting rudely in her face, "Watch out everyone, Granger will infect you with her ugly! Filthy little Mudblood!

     The young Hermione Granger hid behind her book to wipe at the wet trails on her face. Her feelings of isolation and awkwardness at being made fun of for not being pure-blood or attractive, ran rampant through me as if they were my own.

     As her chocolate eyes met mine, my vision shimmered, and I found myself slowly making my way up the spiral staircase of the astronomy tower at Hogwarts. I wanted to freeze in place, to never relive this all too familiar memory, but my feet kept moving of there own volition. I felt sick from the intense desire to end myself rather than kill Dumbledore; it was suffocating me.

     I stared into Albus' wise blue eyes, wanting to take comfort in knowing this was the right thing to do—that he would be free from the slow, painful death he'd been suffering from the cursed ring—but couldn't.

     "Avada Kedavra!" I commanded. My heart shattered to millions of pieces watching the light leave the brilliant blue eyes of my long-time friend and father figure.

     "NO!" The young Gryffindor wailed. My arm felt like it was on fire as I turned to look at her.

     Panic shot through me as I was confronted with the crazy-eyed Bellatrix Lestrange's nightmarish façade hovering menacingly over a very scared Hermione Granger.

     What is happening? 

     "How did you get Godric Gryffindor's sword, you filthy MUDBLOOD?" the crazed witch demanded menacingly.

     I stood in the shadows wanting to kill Bellatrix as fire rushed through my veins, and all my muscles cramped painfully.

     "Answer me!" Bellatrix demanded while looking like she was getting sexual gratification from torturing her.

     I went to pull my wand out and protect Hermione, but the image faded.

     The words "I have you," echoed sweetly around me as I drifted into darkness.