Duplicate {Severus Snape}

Chapter Thirty-Two: The End of an Era

Cassie's POV

I stared at my reflection for what seemed like hours, the black dress wrapping around my body and falling above my ankles. I didnt like what I was looking at, my appearance was still hindered by the past months, my weight still had not returned, my hair still remained short, yet here I was in black about to attend his funeral. Naturally, it was something that I did not think I would be doing, but after everything I was going to make sure he was dead. If the memory spell didnt work, maybe the killing curse didnt, but I knew I was reaching.

Since that day, it seemed like the memories I had of Aiden had disappeared and they were now replaced with his dead body. It was not what I imagined it to be like, but it was deveastating the way his body fell. I almost wanted to run to him as if I was not the one who casted it. I made my way over to him, his eyes still open, his lips parted with the same words I had just said. It was haunting, his face was haunting.

Severus gave him dignity by shileding his body away with his cloak, but he says he only did it to save my sanity. Aiden, whether, I liked it or not was apart of me. He knew me to the core, just not in the way Severus knows me. I never quite grasped his motive, but now it seems like it will never be told. It was done. He was dead. It was time to move on, and now in a year or so, the world would forget about him, but me, he forever marked me in a way that was not going to be easy to forget.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked, placing his hands on my shoulders gently.

"I just need to make sure he is gone, and then we come back?" I asked to which he nodded.

"As you wish, my love,"

We walked hand and hand outside of the gates so we could apprate to the site. You would think that he wouldnt need a funeral considering he had no family, but Dumbledore thought it best to bury him in the Muggle World, far away from the Wizarding community, and far away from me.

My eyes adjusted to my surroundings. The wind picked up slightly, Severus' hand on my back as he led me to the small crowd of people. None of these people knew him, but I knew them all. It was all my family, supporting me. I still remember my thoughts from the beginning of this year, how I always helped everyone, but no one ever helped me. I was wrong. I was blinded in a way, because here I was, and so were they. Not because the love they had for him, but because of the love they had for me.

I looked to the wooden casket standing above the hole that he was about to be buried in. The front of the casket open with a face that I was about to see. Six feet was not enough, he would torture me for the rest of my life, but I couldnt help but feel my eyes burn with tears. His face popping in my head, but not him as the Black Hood, but of the man I once knew. The one with a gentle smile, nice eyes, a radiant laugh. I cried for him. My once great lover to now greatest enemy.

A hand came to my face wiping my tears, Sirius grabbed my other hand, nodding to Severus with a slight smile before they both walked with me. I suppose I should also mention that Peter Pettigrew was now in Azkaban and my brother a free man. In a way, my family is together again, but still missing such a crucial piece.

I stopped when I saw his body. His hands placed on his stomach, his eyes closed, his body not breathing. His face was a grey color, no longer full of life or laughter. I stopped once I was beside him. I looked to Severus and Sirius asking for a moment before they stood to the side but not to far. His hair was done nicely, his dark hair combed to the side, the way they were in all of our pictures, his suit was clean and fitted him well. He looked okay. He looked peaceful.

My hand placed on top of his, his icy skin almost making me take my hand back but I didnt. I continued to let it sit there until I was sure, but even when I was, I didnt let go. This would be the last time, ever. He was gone, and I was the cause. Why did it hurt me. I suppose that would be the question I would ask for the rest of my life.