The moon and the sun never touch; the sun always glinting so brightly just out of reach of the dull rocky moon. Every year, sometimes two, their paths will cross, their lips will brush and then they’re pulled apart again by gravity.

Severus had no light to him. He was the dull, rocky surface, the only light he emitted came from the reflection of you; his sun.

Severus knew he loved you. He knew you loved him. Every time you weren’t teaching your Defence Against the Dark Arts class, you were sat in his classroom in his presence. Just like the yearly eclipse, every so often there’s be a spark of passion. You’d kiss him, he’d kiss you and then he’d freeze up and pull away.

You weren’t Lily.

He couldn’t do that to you, couldn’t let you be second place in his heart, even if he knew you wouldn’t mind that. So, gravity would pull you away again, and his sun would be freed from his darkening eclipse.

Every rotation felt like a betrayal, like his heart longing for someone other than Lily was disloyal. He couldn’t do that to her memory- couldn’t betray his own lifelong love for a person his soul wanted.

This time, you hadn’t even got to kiss him before he’d shut you down. “I can’t.” Severus whispered, voice uncharacteristically soft as he spoke to you. “I can’t do that to you.”