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webmistresses (webmistresses) wrote in severus_sighs, @ 2013-02-14 07:24:00

Pained Green Eyes by bertas
Title: Pained Green Eyes
Author: bertas
Date Written: January 2013
Pairing: Severus / Harry
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500
Warnings: Implied time travel - death - breaking hearts
Summary: The DADA professor always has to leave at the end of the year. But at the end of Severus' first year of teaching, he was the one who had the hardest time letting go.
A/N: Written for the AVD mini-fest 2013. I used Prompt #5: "Severus took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his heart breaking." Beta by Bonfoi
Disclaimer: Time is not linear. It is a great big ball of wibbly, wobbly timey wimey-stuff. I own nothing.


Pained Green Eyes

"Wait! Marcus please, don’t go," Severus cried desperately as he finally caught up with the man in the entrance hall. He had followed him from the last staff meeting of the year, where the man had already said goodbye to all the other professors.

The other man stopped and sighed, but didn’t turn as he reached the great doors. "I am sorry, Severus, I have to leave. I told you that at the beginning. You knew that I would have to go at the end of the year." He shook his head. "I don’t belong here." They both understood the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Marcus seemed to understand much better than anyone else. He had contracted to do the job for one year and one year only.

"But…" Severus took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his heart breaking. He knew the man was right, but he didn’t understand why. He let the breath out, shakily, before opening his eyes again and asking, "Will I ever see you again?"

"Yes." The other man said decisively as he turned to look at the youngest man to ever be Potions Master at Hogwarts. "But…" He shook his head again as he looked away and his shoulders sagged.

Severus stepped closer as he asked, "But what?" He was searching the man's face. Trying, as always, to understand the pain in the brilliant green eyes. The eyes that so greatly reminded him of his former best friend. The eyes that had first drawn him to this man. The eyes that expressed so much, and held and hid so much pain.

"But," Marcus said with a sigh as he lifted his hand to cup Severus's cheek, "the next time we see each other, you will not recognize me." He gently brushed Severus' tears away with his thumb. "And I… unfortunately," he shook his head, "I will not know you."

"I don’t understand." Severus frowned before hanging his head, letting his hair fall across his face to hide the additional tears, as he whispered, "You said you love me."

Pulling Severus close, the man murmured, "I know, and I can't explain. Just know that I do love you, more than life itself." He tipped Severus' face up and kissed him gently. When they eventually pulled apart, they were both grateful to remember that the students had already left for the summer and to realize that they were alone in the entrance hall. And now it was time for this past year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to leave as well. "Someday, Severus, I know you will come to understand." And with one last soft kiss, the man turned, leaving Hogwarts and Severus.

It was nearly fifteen years later as Severus lay bleeding, poisoned, and barely able to speak on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, as his blood and memories poured out and he looked into those same pained green eyes, that Severus finally understood.