Have to remain hidden.

Must not be seen.

Look around to make sure no one is watching.

Must find a good place to hide this thing.

These were the thoughts that ran through his mind as he made his way through the forest. As he came to a lake, he stopped and leaned against a nearby tree.

He felt tired…so very tired. But he wasn’t physically exhausted. He was tired of all the questions and the lies that he had been facing since returning to the school. Tired of all the faces staring at him with disgust and betrayal. He was tired of holding onto the truth of his self.

He couldn’t wait for his double life to be over. He was ready to take down his façade and live his life on his terms. He was ready to be vindicated and return to a world that he could call his own.

That’s if he doesn’t get sent to Azkaban first.

He watched his cool breath disappear in front of his eyes. He secretly wished his problems could do the same. “If there were only a simpler way of doing things,” he said as he viewed the icy waters. “If only avenging you could be easy, Lily.”

The weight of the world rested heavily on him. He was a murderer, a double agent, and a man with a broken heart who had lost the only woman he’d ever loved. He had been dancing around danger for years, staying mindful of all the things he said and did.

Yet in the back of his mind, from the moment he’d started his vendetta, he’d known his safety was never guaranteed.

There were times he wondered if this was all worth it. Will he be rewarded in the end for all his lies and deception? He wondered, if he were to die, who would mourn for him the way he had mourn for his love all these years. His eyes looked deep into the grey sky, searching for some kind of truth to his questions.

Within moments, the heavens answered him with their frozen tears. Snowflakes fell onto his face, melting onto his skin, touching his cold chapped lips.

It was as if her spirit came to him, thanking him for all that he had done and all that he will do in her name. It was as if she was telling him that all his efforts would not be in vain, because he had done it all for love.

As the snow fell, he placed the Sword of Gryffindor into the lake.

Then he summoned all the love he had for her and conjured his silver doe.