redemption - SOULBOUND I̲̅I̲̅ || SS/HG

1. Forever gone

A/N: While writing this chapter I was listening to one song in particular. Feel free to listen to it while reading through it:

Carry you - by Ruelle

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The invigorating smell of the lake claimed the man's nostrils as he stood, poised, his hands resting on his back while his eyes remained lost on the horizon's depth, empty. Sounds of birds chirping from the trees surrounding the lake joined the faint note of sighs, weakly audible sobs merging with nature's orchestra. As the seconds ticked the sun's welcoming glow dulled, clouds now covering earth's heat before leaving space to the cold yet soothing moon, engulfing the world into darkness. Like a mirage the man vanished, his long cloak fluttering along the wind until all was left was dust.

The sea of white frozen particles soon had entirely melted away, allowing the trees to bloom while a certain man's heart rot. It was as if nature was mocking him, provoking his sadness by nurturing its beauty, flaunting at him what he sees by cannot have.

Her.

Hermione.

She entered his life with a loud stomp, shattering the walls meticulously build around his heart and melted with his soul, becoming his. It had marvelled him the way her lips, her touch or her smell had mysteriously engraved themselves into his skin, scaring him with the memory of her existence before disappearing under his gaze. Every day of every night Severus's mind wandered to the past - the only place he felt whole again - and allowed himself to surrender to the delightful sensation of love.

Love.

An emotion he would have never thought would enslave him, transform him into a hungry spirit graving its warmth. Although a month had passed since Hermione's younger soul returned to her vessel, Severus could still feel the ardent sensation in his heart whenever she was near, her presence now a trigger to his insanity.

He needed her, graved her tender words and touch. It felt surreal - their love - as if it was all just a dream to which he had unwillingly woken from, into a world where they were mere strangers.

Resentment had converted into his only source of energy, feeding on the powerful loathing pumping fire through his blood as he interrogated Seraphina, extracting the truth out of her shut mouth. The ominous skull and emblem of his own house, branded on his forearm had never felt more welcomed, as if life had ensured his destiny, claiming his future with darkness and sorrow. Deep down in the farthest corner of his heart, he craved freedom - away from evil - yet the words that echoed louder in his head was to accept his fate: a life without love and only death.

Severus Snape had become the epitome of murk and brooding. His ebony eyes had lost their glimmer, leaving space to a void only one person could nurture, while his entire being became a shadow, a projection of who once was Hogwart's potion master.

At night, while everyone was asleep Severus would weep, his eyelashes moistened by the grief flowing through his eyes, a lost heart condemned to live in hell, encountering every day the love of his life without being able to hold her, or even be loved in return. The throbbing in his chest was unbearable, shaking his whole being, moulding him into a weak and vulnerable man. He hated it, this growing weight on his chest, - suffocating him - leaving the man breathless.

As he apparated back inside the castle, his eyes drifted from one corner to the other, ensuring he was alone. He had become an eremite, rejecting any form of human contact. Despicable as he had become, his mind still hunted her when his eyes stubbornly focused away from his desire, silently begging for her attention.

Strolling down the long stairs leading to the dungeon, his cloak swinging with the wind while his form projected a peculiar shadow on the tall walls, Severus clenched his jaw as the faint sound of laughter reached his ears. Happiness had become his enemy, spurning the emotion while quietly begging to felt it, the peace in his heart only Hermione could bring.