Drying in the rain

In the shadow of a thousand suns

The rest of Anna's week went by like the week before, herself shut away with Severus not daring to venture out ever again. She finished her schoolwork, studied under Snape, napped by the fireplace and drank tea beside her favorite Professor. Everyday that passed felt the same, even as they counted towards her inevitable return to the public eye everything remained numb and unimpressive.
Severus brought to her whatever he thought might make her happy. He traveled to the greenhouse, plucked her flowers strung together with pretty bows. He gave her trinkets with little cats and bunnies on them. Whatever he remembered made her smile, he gifted to her. Of course she was grateful, grateful for his kindness, his generosity and the brilliance of his mind but apart from his gestures she really had nothing left to balance her. The upcoming play was just a subsequent update to her already disregarded life. She was wasting away, vanishing away from Severus's hands.
He remembered the first night he had seen her, the peace of heaven he had least expected. He remembered the way she stared at the sunset, how entranced she was with the richness of the colors, the abstract lines etched from the paintbrush of the sky. But he wondered if she'd ever been patient enough to see the sunrise, besides maybe staying up far too late listening to music and glancing out the window in shock of the hour. There is a difference between that and actively watching the sun as it returns from its hibernation.
It was early in the morning, no later than 5:00 when he snuck out from his bedroom, drifting over towards her sleeping body, cradled asleep on his sofa. The fire he had lit that night had died long before he had awoken, nothing but ash and a few resilient embers resided in its place.
He stepped closer, afraid to wake her though it was his intention to do so, she was just so fragile in this state. She was at peace, her face perfectly rested, her eyes closed to the world. Gently stroking her cheek with his frigid hand she opened her eyes.
"Severus?" She groggily asked, cautiously he took back his hand.
"Anna." He smiled, sitting down on the floor beside the couch.
"What is it?"
"There is something very important that you need to see."
"Care to elaborate?" Her eyes closed in spite as she turned over to the side not facing her professor.
"Anna come on get up." He ripped away the blanket that had been laid out over her.
"What time is it?" She whined, her knees curling back into herself as she shivered.
"Time for you to wake up." He sternly tapped her shoulder. "Anna get up!" He yelled, shaking her formally awake.
"Jesus Christ!" She growled, finally sitting up, her feet dangling over the edge of the couch.
"We're going out, bring a coat, it's quite cold outside."
"Where are we going?" She asked, standing up to retrieve her jacket, the legs of her pajama pants too long draped onto the floor beneath her.
"I understand your curiosity but merlins sakes Anna just follow me." He insisted, pushing out the door of his office, holding it open for her as she sluggishly made her way out.
The two continued down the hall, escaping through one of the many dungeon tunnels that lead out of the campus and into the highland wilderness. If Anna hadn't become so close with him she might've thought he was taking her out here to kill her. It was desolate, the only active beings were herself her professor and the nocturnal animals that feasted with the moon. Alas it was still peaceful, the sky was not completely black, instead it was a fine shade of indigo with speckled stars in between shaded in clouds. A thick frost had fallen over the land, the moonshine reflecting off of it produced little sparkles in the tundra grasses and dirt paths.
The summer sounds she loved so much had all but disappeared to make way for the deathly silence of winter. The frostbitten wind sounded much more menacing during this time of the year, the sharp sting of its quip burning into her nose and cheeks she looked over to Severus to see if he too had been attacked by the air. But he was content, it didn't seem like he was cold at all, even his long nose had been spared. Anna shrugged, how unfair that such a large appendage was so perfectly fine when her own nose felt as if it were about to chip off. Catching her staring he returned her gaze.
"Don't worry, we're almost there. I know you must be freezing." He admitted as they continued down the forest path towards the fjord. Even the evergreens and pines lining the path felt winters cold touch, the tips of their bristles and treetops being sprinkled in the frost, some even had collected snow given their high altitude.
"If I had known we were going to far out I would've bundled up better." Anna confessed, stepping over a small twig it snapped underneath her. She shuddered a moment, startled by the loud crack that had come out of the muted woods.
"I would have thought it common sense to wear better suited clothing in this season and at this time." His voice was muffled slightly by the woolen scarf wrapped around his neck and mouth. It looked cozy, Anna wondered if perhaps Minerva had knitted it for him.
After a quick five minute climb over some fallen logs and rocks the cliff side appeared. Severus headed in front of her, sitting himself down by the ledge she followed, carefully sitting beside him.
"I've seen the sunrise before Sev." She whispered as she turned to look at the mountains.
"Well you haven't seen a highland sunrise, their different." He grumbled, the sky had become much lighter than before, it was evident the sun would appear shortly.
"You've never seen a cape cod sunrise."
"Right but have you actually watched the sunrise? Or did you just stay up too late to look outside your window and see it poking out from the water?"
"Maybe I haven't see the sunrise then...."
"When I was younger, living at spinners end I'd always look for a distraction, I found that the sunset was overrated but the sunrise, that is what the great renaissance artists really painted. It took a long time for me to understand the difference between when the sun rises and falls. But it helped to ground me, to bring me back to the present whilst also giving me something beautiful to gawk at." He explained, opening himself up to her as they waited for the sun.
"I don't deserve you." Anna quietly said, her voice subtlety coated in appreciation and sorrow.
"Don't say that." His lips quivered. Looking over to her she didn't notice his eyes locked in, she had focused on the clouds as they began to turn pink. A light smile grew upon her face. It was self sabotage Severus thought. He was setting himself up for failure, for heartbreak. How could a creature so elegant, so radiant be created to live and die with those like him? How could the heavens above make an angel live on earth? How could she be forced to die here, be forced to dwell in this sinkhole?
He really did wonder if she were some demigod, some test sent down for him. But even if she really were he wouldn't have run nor would he have hid. But instead he would've done nothing differently. He would not have changed a single thing if it meant watching her live a life so unapologetically on fire.
"Look it's happening!" Gleefully exclaimed Anna as she pointed out towards the sun. Snape chuckled to himself at her pure excitement. They watched as a band of fiery red grew over the fjords.
"Listen carefully Anna. I want you to be fully emerged, can you hear the birds?" He softly spoke as she began to hear the chirping of the birds as the awoke, flying out to find food for themselves as their offspring.
"I can."
"Listen to the grasses and trees, can you hear them move?" He continued to observe her as her eyes lit up in the fresh sunlight.
"Yes, I hear everything." She gasped, a cloud of condensed air flooded out from her lips as she spoke.  The sun moved upwards slowly, gradually the clouds grew from their dusty rose color to a more pearl like white. Some crows flew by, playing in the sun. The sky became a light periwinkle as the sun grew bigger and bigger, its rays poking out from the few clouds in its way, so ethereal it could've been guessed that Lucifer had fallen from the heavens once again. "I underestimated this, and you, I'm sorry."
"You shouldn't be, you haven't done anything wrong. But Anna." He paused, taking her hair and tucking it behind her ear she turned to him, her eyes tearful. "Why are you sad?" He was surprised by the tears in her eyes.
"I'm not, I'm finally alive again." She grinned, her rosy cheeks filled up with her smile.
"Then why are you crying?" He took his finger, tenderly wiping away the water from her eyes.
"Because I thought I lost happiness forever, and it only took you showing me this to show me that it still survives. That Evan still survives."
"When Lily died I was lost as well but I was forced by the world to continue on. When I could not lift my head up I forced myself to, to face Dumbledore, to face myself. When I couldn't stand I pulled myself up to my feet, when I could not breath I inhaled the stench of my burning skin and flesh, I tasted my blood and tears. How I had prayed for someone to be there to take the pain away, for someone to hold my head up, when all that time I could still do it myself. Anna it was me that showed you the sunrise but it has always been you that showed yourself that you could survive this." He explained, she shivered almost unnoticeably. Snape grabbed his scarf, carefully wrapping it he placed it around her neck.
"Severus.... I." She stopped herself. She knew what she wanted to say. She knew exactly what she yearned to tell him. She tasted it on her tongue, just two more words often said far too much or never enough.
"What is it?" He replied, his head tilted down as his obsidian eyes did the unthinkable.
"Thank you for always being there for me." She longed to say more. But he already knew, he could hear the words in her head splayed out in front of him, in the shadow of a thousand suns he smiled. I love you.