Snape's Last Moments

Snape's Last Moments

By: Estel Bluemist

Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand, and when no part of his body burned with pain, Severus Snape felt an odd mixture of relief and curiosity. What was he doing?

But the realization came all too quickly as the encasement that held the writhing snake slowly began rolling towards him, and dread flooded through his body, as the cage, little by little, advanced to fully encircle his head and shoulders. Voldemort hissed, and without hesitation, the massive snake plunged its sickeningly bloody fangs into Snape's neck. He screamed. He tried to push the cage off him, but it wouldn't move. He was feeling weaker as the seconds ticked by. Slipping quickly from life and failing in the last deed that Dumbledore had set to him. Harry must be told, and now.

Voldemort said something to him as Snape fell to his knees, fighting harder than he had fought for anything before, just to live. Not for Harry, not for Dumbledore, not even for himself.

And then the cage moved away from his body, and it was a blessed relief to be away from the puncturing fangs, although he had minutes, if that, to live. Blood was pouring from his face and neck. Voldemort turned, cloak billowing, and left Snape in a puddle of blood and robes. Snape slumped to the floor. He had to survive, had to warn Lily's son.

Then, by some miracle, there he was. Harry had appeared in front of him out of nowhere and was looking at him. His face was pale, but not full of the loathing, the determined hatred that Snape was so accustomed to seeing on that face. His expression looked strange to Snape. He looked mildly shocked and repulsed, but also slightly pitying. He had to tell him now, but how could he? There was no time to explain, and he could hardly breathe. With all the energy he had, he reached out to grab the front of Harry's robes, and pulled him close.

"Take...it...Take... it..." he managed to gargle.

He concentrated hard, as hard as he possibly could, on all the memories he had that would explain to Harry what had happened and what had to be done. He saw Harry collecting his memories in a small jar that Snape was sure Harry hadn't had a second ago. He looked over Harry's shoulder, and saw Hermione and Ron sliding in and out of focus. He caught Hermione's eye and tried to thank her silently. Her face was unreadable and white as a sheet. He glanced back at Harry, who was transferring the last of the memories into the jar. He was about to die, inches from death, he knew he was.

"Look... at...me..." he pleaded. It took a great amount of effort to say it, but he needed this.

And as Harry's shocked green eyes met his, for the first time in over a decade, he saw the eyes that he had loved so much for so long, the way they should be. Without the burning dislike he had become so sorely accustomed to seeing in them. He wanted the last thing he ever saw to be those eyes. Lily's eyes.