Water Under The Bridge

by changclaire5

Disclaimer: Not mine, the characters belong to JKR and other super powers. I'm just having fun and sharing fun with other fans. No money made. Please no sue eihter.

Summary: Harry Potter pays Severus Snape a visit twenty years later and they have a chat. Mentions of HPSS and HPGW.

Chapter 1

Severus Snape laid on an old and squeaky chaise longue outside of a cottage in the middle of nowhere. A threadbare blanket was pulled up to his chest, obscuring the thin frame beneath it. He was reading a book half-heartedly. From time to time he sipped from a mug, which he then put back on the ground beside him. A few times he simply put down the book and drowsed for a bit, before some sound or another woke him up and he languidly resumed reading.

The sun was setting. Around him the late summer wind whispered, the leaves on the tall grass rustled. A little further away, across a dirt road, birds are starting to make a ruckus in the woods. Severus inhaled deeply the fresh smell of the earth and grass after a warm summer day, and sighed contentedly.

"Excuse me!" A voice shouted from the dirt road. Severus raised his head, surprised. He and the three elderly women living in a small house 2 miles down the road were the only people he knew of to ever travel this way. Well, them and the occasional postman driving the ugly postal vehicle. This man must have walked from the village, as no car or bicycle was anywhere to be seen.

"Excuse me!" The man shouted again, somewhat louder this time.

"Yes. May I help you?" Severus answered, putting the book down. He didn't bother to get up, nor did he raise his voice too much. The man could come closer if he wanted to hear Severus better.

And he did. Severus watched him walking closer and closer. An uneasy feeling slowly developed in his stomach. The man was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. He was of normal height with dark hair. His pace was sure and unrushed. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet there was something about this man that was familiar.

Recognition dawned suddenly and Severus swallowed a resigned sigh. It had been years since he last met him, so he supposed it's understandable that he didn't recognize his voice right away. He made a mental note to be mindful of answering calls from strangers on the road again. Yet he couldn't help but wonder how likely it was that this man could come upon his residence by coincidence, and what chance had he had to avoid seeing him had he refused to acknowledge him.

"Severus? Severus Snape?" The man had stopped a good ten feet away and asked tentatively.

"Harry Potter. How have you been?" Severus returned politely.

"So it was really you!" Potter enthused, rushed closer, then, remembering his manners "Um, alright, I guess. Thanks. You?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Severus supposed it's only natural that Potter had difficulties connecting the man he was seeing now to the Severus Snape he knew years back. Instead of shoulder length limp and greasy black hair, Severus now sported a crew cut in steel gray. Shorter hair was cooler in the summers, made showers much easier, and saved on shampoo cost too. Staying in the open all summer had changed Severus' normally sallow complexion to a healthy golden brown. And more importantly, twenty years had added wrinkles and blemishes onto a face that wasn't handsome to begin with. It's a miracle Potter could recognize him at all, Severus thought. Then, with a sarcastic little inner smile, he remembered his crooked big nose. Well, that must be the dead giveaway.

A bit enviously, Severus looked at Potter closely and saw that the boy had changed little. His hair was still jet black, still untidy, but less so than when he was but a teenager. His emerald green eyes hid perhaps a tad more sadness than Severus remembered, but were as intense and serious as ever. Aside from a bit maturity which was only to be expected, he looked remarkably similar to the Harry Potter Severus saw last time. And there were no lines on his face, Severus noted detachedly. Well, hardly surprising here, wasn't it? Potter's about what, forty-two? Forty-three? Still in his prime time.

Severus' attention was brought back by Potter's clearing his throat hesitantly. He waited for Potter to get to the point, to explain his reason of visiting. But Potter looked at a loss for words, his eyes shifted from Severus to the cottage, then to the surrounding meadow, then reluctantly back to Severus. "Um, you've got a nice place here."

"Thank you." Severus agreed. "How may I help you, Mr. Potter?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to drop by and say hello. You were seen in the village a few days ago and, uh, I just thought it'd be nice to come and see you. It's been a long time!"

Severus didn't bother to tell Potter that he hardly ever went into the village, and the last time he went to the shops there was almost a month ago. But if Potter wanted to have some friendly chat first, so be it. Severus' got plenty of time on hand now.

So he said obligingly. "A long time indeed. It will no doubt take us some time to catch up. Would you like something to drink first? I think there's still a few pops in the fridge. If you don't mind getting them yourself?" He motioned toward the cottage. "There are glasses in the cabinet above the stove."

"Oh, okay, thank you." Potter gave Severus a curious glance before he went inside, no doubt wondering why he wasn't playing the host and fetch the drinks himself.

Severus watched the cloud on the western sky being stained blood red by the setting sun and listened to the telltale noises inside his home. The fridge door opening and closing, rummaging in the cabinet, clinking sound of the glasses being moved, the snap and hiss of a pop being opened and poured into the glass, and then silence. Potter is taking his time inspecting Severus' home, obviously. Severus hitched the blanket a bit higher and waited. The night was not long in coming and it's getting a bit chillier as fall comes nearer.

Potter finally emerged from inside, a glass of Pepsi in hand, and Severus' lone kitchen chair floating behind him.

Potter seemed to have recovered his equanimity, as the nervous fidgeting and shifty eyes were no longer evident. He directed the kitchen chair to stand facing the chaise longue and sat down on it with a friendly smile. "So you're living like a muggle, Huh? I never thought I'd live to see that day. Why?"

Severus shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And the exchange rate from Galleons to Pounds was particularly favorable." And to change the topic, "How have you been? What do you do now? How many Weasley progenies have you produced?"

Was it Severus' imagination, or was Potter's face actually darkened a bit? "I'm still working for the Ministry. I'm the head of the Auror Department now, didn't you hear? Just got the promotion. We have two kids. Jimmy finished Hogwarts three years ago and is now working as an apprentice to Master Chang of China. Daisy will be finishing next summer, and she will probably decide to join a professional Quidditch team. She's a very good chaser." Potter sounded proud, and Severus was not surprised. Being accepted as an apprentice to Master Chang is a certificate for true talents in Potions. Severus himself was offered the opportunity, although he had to turn it down when Voldemort decided that his service was needed more urgently at home.

"I'm envious of your son. I had wanted to go to China and study under Master Chang's tutelage myself. Congratulations on raising such a talented child, Potter." Severus didn't mention the girl, as he didn't think expressing his disdain over the Quidditch game will achieve anything but animosity.

Potter smiled knowingly and didn't bring up the topic of Quidditch again.

"How is Mrs. Potter? I expected she would be much like Molly Weasley and have many more children than the mere two you have now." Severus despised himself slightly for appearing so nosey, but it's only polite to keep the conversation flowing, and he couldn't think of anything else to inquire about.

"Oh, no worries, Hermione is keeping the Weasley tradition alive single-handedly. Can you believe she and Ron have five kids already? And the sixth is on the way. And she managed to keep a full time job at St. Mungo's as well. Amazing woman, Hermione is!" Potter chuckled.

And from there the conversation degenerated into gossip about all the students in Potter's year and then the internal politics of the Ministry. Severus could care less which Minister is gaining power in the Ministry, or what profession each of his past student took, but he listened politely anyway and added some comments of his own now and then, making sure they were all complimentary, or at least neutral.

Potter eventually ran out of topics and an uncomfortable silence descended. Severus tried to come up with some other meaningless things to talk about, but he's been out of the wizarding world for too long, and he couldn't think of any. He sighed and decided to be the one to broach the subject. "So what is really the purpose of this visit, Harry? What do you want from me?"

For some moments, Severus thought Potter would refuse to reply. But patience eventually paid off. Potter looked down on his own hands cradling the empty glass and said quietly. "You've changed, Severus."

Severus didn't know what to say. He stared at Potter mutely until he looked up and met his gaze. It was getting dark now, but he could still see Potter's bright green eyes. Then he said, "I suppose so. People change, Harry. And it's been twenty years since we last saw each other. Did you expect me to stay the same for these twenty years?"

"Eighteen."

"Pardon?"

"Eighteen years. We last met eighteen years ago."

"Alright, eighteen years. If you came hoping to see a Severus Snape of eighteen years ago, I'm sorry I can't conjure him up for you. I am what I am now. My apologies if I disappoint you." Severus' voice was stable, and his inside comfortingly calm.

"No, I'm not disappointed, or anything. It's just … different. And I didn't expect it, is all."

"Well, then…?" The question was renewed.

If possible, Potter's voice became even quieter, as if he was whispering instead of talking now. "Ginny and I decided to split after Daisy leaves school next summer. And I, I don't know, I guess I just needed to talk to someone. And then an Auror saw you last month in the village and he thought he should investigate what you were doing here. That's how I got your address, and I just thought, uh, it'd be nice to talk to you again."

"I see. Could you not talk with Ron Weasley and Hermione Gr…. pardon …Weasley?"

"Of course I talked to them. And they are great. But it's different, and I… I still want to talk to you."

Severus wanted to tell Potter that he wasn't interested in his relationship with Ginevra Weasley Potter, that truth be told, he wasn't interested in anything Potter had to say at all. But he looked at Potter and saw his ill-hidden misery, and he relented. If his listening to Potter's complaint could be of any help, who was he to refuse? But first, he needed to set some ground rules.

"I'm willing to listen, but I'd prefer you not mention anything, anything at all, that happened before we last met. No reference, no hint, nothing related to the war and … other things. Can you do that?"

Potter looked surprised, but he nodded his consent without hesitancy.

Severus shifted slightly and made himself more comfortable for a long conversation. Then he suggested, "You might want to start from the beginning. When did you start to have problems?"