Something Undefined

My Love

"Lily....."
Severus looked into her green eyes.
He didn't call her 'My Lily' as he had always found himself doing so in the past, even while mourning over her death infinite times.
She wasn't his Lily.... she hadn't wanted to be so.... and she hadn't been so.

But now, it was Severus who himself did not consider her his.

He wanted to be with a woman finally, but she wasn't her.

"I think you know as well as me how much I had ardently desired to get my affection for you to be returned..."
His deep baritone was soothing into that of someone in deep pain.

"Yes Severus... I was wrong.... I was so wrong to not help you with all the darkness in your life. I'm sorry for being a big reason in pushing you towards the evil side... I know I am at fault with all that has happened to you." Lily looked at him lovingly.
She was leaning in to hug him but he backed away.

"Is- umm... is something wrong Sev?"
She asked with a worried look.

"I forgive you."
Severus said with a straight face. He knew that all those years were full of lamenting.... about losing her.... about making a fool of himself.

"Will you be here with me then? After all this time?" Lily asked with her eyes brimming with tears.

Dumbledore was silently making Severus aware of his presence.

He knew Severus's previous answer had been always but it won't be the same this time.

He decided that it was the right moment to pull it out from under the hat.

"My dear Severus, before you think to answer that question I would like to tell you the consequences of the possibilities that are likely to occur."

Severus gulped at Dumbledore's intervention. He nodded.

"If you are to stay you can have the life, well afterlife the same as you desire. But if you decide to go back, you'll have to make a sacrifice for it is life you are asking for again. The thing you are most attached to, the reason that is calling you back, has to be the one you have to remove from your senses. I know your case, and mind me, my boy, you will have to lead a period of seven months in complete anonymity towards the affection that you are attracted to. Do you think you will be able to manage that?"

Severus closed his eyes. The memory of Hermione leaning over his body, crying helplessly to save him any how crossed his mind. Oh what wouldn't he give just to be back with her? Be with her just for an instance!! And on opening his eyes, he saw Lily standing in front of him. She was almost his age.... mature.... but someone else's. And he didn't want any of that now.

He wanted to be with Hermione who had accepted him for who he was, who had overlooked his flaws and who had loved him as a person, not out of sympathy but out of pure admiration.

He had to go back to her.

He nodded!!!

With hugging Dumbledore himself, and merely nodding to Lily, he was on his way. He was going back to Hermione. He was going to be totally anonymous of her love for the next seven months. He would try to approach her after that period, if she was still interested in him. He highly doubted that. She was so young... so mature for her age.... so beautiful. She could have had anyone she'd wanted but she loved him.

With a soft whistle, the white train began to move away from the white platform, carrying in it a man covered in black clothes.

As the train approached blinding white light, Severus grimaced and opened his eyes to find himself back in the Shrieking Shack. He was back. But he was alone.

_______________________________________

Do you think justice had been done to the two of them?

Will they ever end up together? Or will one of them had to leave, perhaps for eternity.....