Sacrifices

Disclaimer: I don't own it, JK Rowling does, I'm just playing in her world for a little while. I'm not making any money off of it...incidentally, I don't have any money, so it won't do you much good to sue me.

Author's Notes: I want to say thank you to all those who reviewed. It really made my day. I’m glad you all enjoyed it, but I think that the majority is right, and this really is much better as a one-shot-wonder. I hope I didn’t upset anyone too much by not continuing it any longer.

Sacrifices

As I behold the sight before me, I think back upon the life the Lord and Lady have given me. I have had so many miracles in my life. I’ve been removed from my own personal hell only to be deposited in a world so fantastical most people would think I was nuts for mentioning it. Then I had to face evil personified and watch him tear everyone I’ve ever loved from me. With a heavy heart, I stood alone and watched him fall. In the midst of my grief, the man I felt hated me the most made the ultimate sacrifice for my happiness. Severus Snape was not a happy man and felt he should not have survived the war, he didn’t feel he deserved to live. On the other hand, he did not feel that I deserved to live the rest of my life without those I loved as my reward for saving the world. So Severus brewed his life force into an ancient potion that would allow me to restore the life force of one human being. But two people cannot exist on one life force, so as soon as I used the potion and brought someone back, Severus would cease to exist.

When he gave me the potion and explained what it would do, my heart skipped a beat; but I immediately pushed the idea aside. I could not allow Severus to sacrifice himself for the sake of my own happiness. I said as much to him. He told me that that was my decision, I had to make it on my own, but the potion would only work for one week, and at the end of said week, he would take his own life, thereby destroying the life force in the potion, and my opportunity would be forever lost.

I thought long and hard about what to do, and I decided that I wouldn’t let him die without purpose. But so many had died; how was I to choose whom to bring back? Sirius? Ron? Albus? My mom or dad? Remus? I heard Severus’ final admonishment in my mind, “This is yours, Harry. You’ve saved the world, now save yourself.” Dozens of faces, hundreds of memories, flashed through my mind. And then I heard the voice; the voice that had haunted my dreams since the battle. I can still feel her lips on mine for the first time as I turned to leave; still hear her voice saying, “Go, Harry, we’ll talk when you get back. I love you!”

I…love…you. No one had ever said that to me before. I turned to look at her in wonder, only to see her eyes filled with tears. I took a step towards her; I didn’t want to leave, but she turned away and said, “Just go! I’ll be here when you get back!”

Hours later, I was staring Voldemorte down, looking straight into the eyes that had terrorized my soul for so long. I was exhausted; this was the moment my life was destined for, and I had no strength left to fight. I had never thought beyond this moment, and here it was. For some reason, I thought since I was the “marked” one, this would be easy. A simple Avada Kedavra and it would all be over. He just laughed.

“You stupid, stupid boy. How predictable. Dumbledore’s Golden Boy, the savior of the Wizarding World, and that’s all you can muster? I should have known, without your precious Dumbledore, you are nothing. I am immortal! You cannot simply kill me. I tell you what, I’ll make this a fair fight. Severus! Bring me the girl!”

I saw a man dressed in the tradition Death Eater garb, dragging a kicking and screaming young girl, and my blood ran cold.

“Harry,” she screamed, “don’t let him use me against you. I’ll always love you, never forget that, but I’m not worth the world…you know what you have to do.”

And I did. I knew what Voldemorte was going to do. He used the same tactic against Albus my fifth year when he’d possessed my body in order to force him to kill me in order to kill him. And now, just hours after she’d become the most important thing in my world, I was going to be faced with the same decision as Albus. And then it was time.

It was her voice, but it held such evil, such hate that I knew it wasn’t her.

“Come on, Harry, kill me now. All it’ll take is two little words. Surely you can see that one more life lost is worth it for the cause! Or are you just as week as Dumbledore, too blinded by your love for the girl to end this once and for all?”

Of course, that’s what he was counting on. He never anticipated the next six words.

“I’m sorry, my love,” he whispered, and then with all the strength he could muster, he closed his eyes and raised his wand.

“Avada Kedavra,” he shouted, and he watched her fall, before collapsing into a crumpled exhausted heap himself.

And so I awoke, several weeks later, in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To my surprise, Severus was by my side, with the aforementioned potion, which brings me back to where I am. Looking on with wonder as Severus Snape slowly fades away, as my one true love grows stronger and stronger. He takes his last breath, just as she takes her first. She begins to stir and I am by her side immediately. I can’t believe my eyes, and I as I begin to sob, her name brushes past my lips, barely more than a whisper.

“Hermione.”