Hi guys, this is only the second story I've ever written, so I'm very new to all of this! Still, I hope you enjoy this story, and please review so I can improve! Thanks (:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Lily sat facing him, cross-legged on the ground. She picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, imagining sparks trailing from it. Then she dropped the twig and looked anxiously at him, saying, "Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"
He hesitated, then shook his head. "No, it doesn't make any difference." He paused for a moment, "Besides, you needn't worry. You've got loads of magic. I saw that. All the time I was watching you…" A dull flush mounted on his sallow cheeks as he stared at his shoelaces. They sat there for a few moments in a comfortable silence.
"Severus?" A little smile twisted his mouth when she said his name. He looked up, but instead of finding the bright green eyes and red hair he had expected, he found himself staring into warm chocolate eyes, and he saw the familiar brown bushy curls. His eyes widened, and so did his smile. The coral lips moved again. "Professor?"
His eyes sprang open. He blinked, once, twice, as the blurred images around him slowly came into focus. Once again, he found himself staring into warm chocolate eyes. He quirked an eyebrow and drawled, "Miss Granger, what are you doing here…" He frowned and paused, confused. "Why, may I ask, am I in the Hospital Wing?"
"Professor Snape, sir." Another voice said respectfully from his other side.
He turned to the boy with the emerald green eyes who was watching him respectfully. Narrowing his eyes, he drawled, "Potter, what a surprise." Turning back to Hermione, he said sardonically, "It must be the end of the world – for once you have not jumped at any question thrown at you. Let me ask you again, what am I doing in the Hospital Wing?"
But again, it was Harry who spoke up. "Sir," he said respectfully, "The war has ended. Tom Riddle is dead. You were bitten by Nagini, but luckily we got you here in time. Your wounds have almost healed now, and it has only been seven hours. We've been sitting here since we brought you here and no one else has seen you. Professor McGonagall knows you're alive though, and everyone knows you're innocent. They heard me when I was buying time with Tom."
Snape closed his eyes and groaned painfully as the memory of the last hours before Nagini's attack rushed past his mind. Hermione finally spoke, "Professor, are you alright?"
In an attempt to escape the overwhelming facts he had just learnt, he spat, "Where's the dunderhead Weasley? He of all people should be with you, Granger, unless I am mistaken that you two are dating. And what are you two doing here anyway?"
Hermione's eyes clouded with sorrow as she lowered her gaze and answered, "He's with his family. Fred is gone."
He heart clenched unexpectedly at the image of the forlorn girl in front of him, and he surprised everyone, even himself by saying in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Hermione looked up and smiled sadly. "We thought it best to let the family grieve without outsiders there, so we didn't stay with him. We told him to look for us when he was ready. And yes, we are dating."
He looked at them skeptically and said, "And so you decided to come visit your greasy old Potions professor. How nice."
Harry leaned forward, staring into his obsidian eyes, and said, "Yes, Professor, but no, you're not our 'greasy old Potions professor'. You saved our lives, especially mine, more times than I can count. I owe my life you, and so do many other people. It was only because of you that we could win this war. You are our saviour." Beside him, Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Why, Potter, the mean dungeon bat could hardly be the one who saved the mighty Chosen One," he drawled.
Harry shook his head in earnest. "Please, Professor, I understand why you were the way you were, and I was at fault too. I never gave you the respect you deserved. But now, the war is over. You don't have to keep up the pretense anymore, and as for me, I know the truth now, and I really appreciate all that you have done for me and for the Wizarding World. I am truly sorry for how I have treated you. Please can you forgive me and put the past behind us? I won't be able to live with myself if you don't forgive me and I don't get to know you properly. The real you, you without the mask of a Death Eater and a spy." He reached over and laid his hand on his arm.
At the sudden contact, his head jerked up in alarm, and he saw the truth shining in the emerald eyes he had inherited from his mother. He lowered his head again, thinking furiously. Beside him, Hermione smiled gently and held his large hand in hers, saying, "Yes, professor, I would really like to get to know you too. You saved our lives, and everything wouldn't be the same without you."
The gentle touch made him look up again, and he saw the fervent hope in the chocolate eyes. His heart softened. Turning away, he muttered grudgingly, "Getting to know the Boy Who Lived Twice and the Gryffindor bookworm can hardly be more unpleasant than serving the Dark Lord and that meddling old coot Dumbledore at the same time."
The relief on Harry's face was apparent as he finally relaxed into his chair and thanked him with genuine gratitude. Hermione said happily, "Thank you so much, Professor! I always told Harry and Ron, you really weren't that bad." Snape snorted as Harry and Hermione chuckled beside him. This isn't too bad, he thought. At least Potter respects me now, and Granger can be quite amusing.
At this moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled in and saw him awake. She turned towards the two teenagers and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me immediately after he woke up? Now get out, both of you. Get out!" Harry and Hermione immediately sprang up and left after apologizing profusely and bidding him goodbye, with the promise that they would visit again soon.
After this, Harry and Hermione visited him every day. They had decided to stay at Hogwarts to help with the repair work, mainly because they wanted to help, but also because they wanted to escape from the publicity outside the walls of Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey said that he had to stay in the Hospital Wing for at least a month to get the venom from Nagini's bite completely out of his system. With no other visitors apart from the occasional ones from Professor McGonagall, he was glad to have the two of the Golden Trio visit him daily. He had started to enjoy their company. Harry usually just sat and listened while he and Hermione chatted, sometimes helping Madam Pomfrey with the potions or meals. He realized that Hermione was really quite knowledgeable. All those years he had undermined her knowledge and wisdom, but now that he really talked to her, he found her quite interesting to talk to, with a deep understanding to the many things they talked about, and she had developed well thought of views on such topics. This came as a pleasant surprised to him, and before they knew it, they had developed a comfortable companionship.
