Torina Archelda (torina_archelda) wrote in severus_sighs, @ 2009-10-26 18:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | ficlet, member: torina_archelda, pairing: severus/harry, rating: pg |
Home by Torina Archelda
Title: Home
Author: torina_archelda
Pairing: Severus/Harry
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1.1k
Warnings: Mild language
Summary: For the Watch an Alan Rickman Movie Week Fic Festival on SeverusSighs. Crosses the Harry Potter world with the excellent Rickman movie Dogma. Thanks to atypicalsnowman for the beta!
A/N: Another that was never posted outside the yahoo group, though this one was titled and on my hard drive! It’s also the last of them, I think. Time to go write something new then, hm? *grin*
“Why are we at an airport?” Harry asked curiously, looking up into Severus’ eyes. Severus smiled down at him, and Harry’s heart gave a jolt. Severus’ smiles had become a rare sight these past few centuries. The angel laced his fingers through Harry’s as he sat down, pressing a newspaper down against the table in front of him.
“We’re going home.”
For a moment, Harry was sure he must have misheard. Home? They were going home? How could-
“I’ve found a loophole,” Severus continued, his tone heavy with anticipation. “The Catholic church has declared that if we walk through this arch, all our sins will be forgiven. We shed our wings, become mortal, walk through this arch-”
“And go home,” Harry breathed, his voice full of wonder. “We can finally- we can finally go home.”
Harry met Severus’ eyes and nodded slowly, all of his hope and love reflected in the other angel’s eyes. “Home,” he said again, clutching Severus’ hand tightly with both of his. “It’s been so long…”
Severus lifted his other hand to Harry’s cheek and pulled him in for a soft kiss. “Come,” he murmured against Harry’s lips. “You can take a nap on the plane.”
*****
“If you walk through that arch,” the apostle said, looking straight into Harry’s eyes, “the entirety of existence will unravel into nothingness.”
Harry drew in a sharp breath and reflexively gripped Severus’ hand. He looked up into his partner’s eyes, confused, and saw the angel’s face contorted with anger. “You lie,” he spat out, his glare moving from the apostle to the scion. “It wouldn’t- He would not-”
“It isn’t up to Him,” the scion said softly, sympathy in her brown eyes. “He has made His decree- it cannot be reversed. He-”
“Would never do this to us!” he roared, and Harry’s heart broke- he hadn’t heard this much pain in Severus’ voice in millennia. ”He was supposed to love us! Not throw us aside because we didn’t- because I could not-” Severus’ voice cracked with despair, and Harry clutched at his arm and buried his face in his shoulder. “I could not watch him do it any longer,” Severus choked out in a whisper, his fingernails digging painfully deep into Harry’s hand. “I could not watch him be forced to kill, to slaughter, on His word, and come home to me every day a broken mess! I could not watch him- my best friend, my partner, my only- I could not watch him be destroyed by this! What was our crime?” he demanded, his voice again raised, and Harry knew his eyes would be blazing. “Love? Was that where we went wrong? Loving one another more than-”
“It was all because of me,” Harry breathed, forcing his head to lift up from where it was pressed so soothingly into Severus’ body. “He did it for me,” he said more loudly, feeling Severus’ eyes on him, turning to look the tortured-looking scion in the eye. “He shouldn’t- he shouldn’t be punished for-”
“Harry,” Severus said gently, and then his grip tightened on Harry’s hand. “Harry,” he repeated more urgently, and Harry forced the tears away to meet his gaze. “Where is the Metatron?”
Harry’s eyes widened and both their gazes snapped to the scion, who was now looking decidedly nervous. “What did you do?” Severus demanded, taking a step forward and dislodging Harry’s hand from his arm. ‘What did you do?” he repeated again, and he tried to take another step but Harry refused to let go of his hand.
“Hermione, take cover!” the apostle yelled, and the scion hesitated a moment before taking a step back. The prophets moved to stand in front of her but Harry could still see her head in the gap between their shoulders, her expression both frightened and tormented.
“You tell me what the hell you’ve done, or I swear in God’s name I’ll kill you!” Severus snarled, and Harry knew he was the only one who heard the undercurrent of fear in his furious tone.
Harry increased his grip on Severus’ hand, tugging gently and trying to pull him backward. Suddenly there was a flash of brilliant bright light, and Harry had to raise his free arm to shield his eyes from it.
“I don’t think He appreciates His name being used in such a way,” came the voice of the Metatron from behind them. Harry stiffened, and he felt Severus do the same beside him. He could- he could feel the Divine Presence.
Tears prickled in his eyes, and he didn’t know what to think or do- he was overwhelmed at the feeling of being touched by this light again. A moment longer and he couldn’t stand it anymore- he fell to his knees, sobbing with regret and relief at this feeling he had never thought to experience again. Severus fell beside him, the thud of his knees hitting the concrete echoing in Harry’s mind. So close, He was so close, but they would never-
His hand rested gently on Harry’s cheek, and he leaned his tear-stained face into the touch of God and looked up into His gentle eyes. Beside him, touched by His other hand, he felt Severus do the same.
“Was it so wrong?” Harry pleaded softly, staring into His eyes through his tears. “Was it so wrong… To not want to kill for you anymore? I… I didn’t want…” His own reflection staring back at him through His half-moon spectacles was too much for Harry, and he dropped his gaze to the ground. “I just wanted to be free,” he entreated softly.
Severus let out a harsh sob beside him, and Harry’s tears returned with a vengeance. Millennia of pain, suffering, and sorrow poured from their eyes as, after so many years, they finally felt the love of God again.
“You are free,” the Metatron said softly, and Harry raised his head to face the Voice of the One True God. “You are barred from Heaven for all time, yes, but in each other… You are free.”
And there, on his knees beside his only love, tears of love and regret and shame and sorrow falling from his eyes, the Metatron’s words ringing in his ears and the touch of God on his cheeks- there, for the first time since their expulsion from Heaven, Harry believed.
And when the prophets and the scion had gone home and the apostle had returned to Heaven and the Metatron had left Him a moment longer at their sides and, finally, when even He had left them once again, the remnants of His presence lingering on their skin, Severus remained; hand in his, beside him on his knees, their hearts filled with the same mixture of hurt and longing and confusion and love and hope.
And Harry was home.