“There is no hope for me. I feel it. I know it. There will come a moment … I have no hope, not for me, not for anyone. I do not know why I continue,” Severus said […]
“There is always hope, Severus, even if it is not for ourselves,” Minerva said. “No matter the setbacks or the defeats, there is always hope. We will not surrender to despair, we will not capitulate to Darkness. Even should we die, we will die with hope for tomorrow. Even in our final breath, we will know that our triumph will come. We will die with that hope in our hearts, if we must, but today, we shall live in it. Even should he win the day, that pathetic little toe-rag who fancies himself a lord of wizards, even then, we will know that it will not last. Hope will shine before us always, an eternal star that urges us forward even as we pass through the valley of despair. So proceed with hope, Severus, not only with regret and recriminations, no matter where it leads you, even if it leads you into darkness and death. Hope will be there. Remember it and look to its light even if you breathe your last, and that hope will carry you beyond the darkness. Hope, love, faith: they together shall vanquish the Dark, and it is in us that they live.”
“And when we are dead?” Severus asked, morose and cynical. “Where, then, is that hope? Where, then, love?”
“Do not despair,” Minerva replied gently. “They continue in the human heart, always. And they will triumph over dark deeds, cold indifference, and selfish desires. Love and compassion may sometimes seem very far away, but the good is there in the human heart, and if we must make sacrifices to ensure the good, that is just more proof of it. The proof of it is in you, Severus. In what you do and in what you give, in the choices you now make.”
“You sound like Albus,” Severus said glumly.
“Thank you.” Minerva smiled. “He taught me well.”
~ Death’s Dominion, Chapter 9, “Though they be mad and dead as nails”
(by MMADfan)
MMADfan's Blog & Fanfic Site 
Beautiful story…
I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award!
If you choose to accept, check out the link below:
http://littleonionwrites.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Have a Harry Potter day, haha xD
Thank you very much, littleonion. I’m really glad you liked the post & I’m glad you like my blog, but at this time, I’m not participating in blogging awards.
Congrats on your award! Keep having fun blogging!
Thank you!
I’m actually reading one of the books you recommended to me. I just started it : )
You konw, I’m already looking forward to the time when ALVS is finished as well, and I will be re-reading the whole story arc over again, and very likely enjoy myself even more as with the first reading. I don’t know if I ever have said so, but your stories made a huge impression on my fangirl life, and have given me countless hours of joy and the best kind of fannish entertainment. Thank you so much for that, and for anything else, too, while I’m at it. ;o)
Thank you so very much! It is wonderful to hear that, very touching.
Writing them has certainly been an interesting experience for me in many ways, and it’s become an integral part of my life and how I define myself (as a “writer”), something I never would have anticipated 7 years ago when I first started writing because I had a story in my head, and characters, who wanted “out”!
You’re welcome for it all — and the relationships with readers like you has meant very much to me, as well.