Snape looked around his cell. One last night in this bloody place and I will be able to walk out of here and never look back. He had been sentenced after the war and sent to Azkaban for five years. He would've gotten a much longer sentence but there was a team of people that stood up for him, that claimed him to be a war hero. They, whoever they were, fought long and hard from what Severus had heard and what he heard wasn't much at all. However, considering most of the death eaters had fled or had been killed, they wanted someone to pay, to make an example of and apparently killing Voldemort and the majority of the death eaters was not enough for most of the Wizarding World. He had accepted the five years and knew that it couldn't be as bad as when the Dementors had "run" the place.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that he would not have any cell mates and what surprised him even more was when an Auror brought him a box of books, the first of many boxes that Severus Snape would be getting during his time in Azkaban. No one ever told him who the boxes were from, nor did he ever ask. He would just silently thank the anonymous person, and whatever Gods were listening, every time a new box would come in. The guards never really bothered him, which he was also very grateful for, and in return he gave no one any trouble at any time during his five years.

Snape, for whatever reason, was given the chance to live. He was saved in the Shrieking Shack, then again in the courtrooms, and then again coming to Azkaban. Surely, it could've been a lot worse for him and he definitely knew that. He secretly hoped that he would be able to find the person (or persons) responsible for saving his life. He, now, felt like he had an actual future to look forward too. Severus fell asleep with a semblance of a smile on his face.

Severus Snape gathered the rest of his belongings, shrunk them, and placed them in his pocket. The Aurors and guards bid him a farewell and Severus Snape walked out of Azkaban a free man. The first thing Severus did was apparate to Spinner's End. He hadn't really wanted that to be his first stop but he had nowhere else to go at the moment. He had plans but first he would have wrap up a few loose ends before his future could start. He had apparated to an alley not far from his home and began to walk the three blocks to his old home. What he found was not what he was expecting.

He could feel it and smell it before he had even reached his destination. Someone had broken through his warding and torched the place. Severus wanted to be furious, however, Spinner's End was a part of his past, a past he was walking away from and if this was how it ended for the house he grew up in, then so be it.

"Severus."

He flinched slightly, knowing that voice anywhere, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He had wanted to slip out from here like the night, but apparently, the boy-who-lived to annoy the shite out him would never allow that. Severus snorted to himself. He slowly turned around. Severus was surprised when he wasn't met with the boy but the man, looking less like his father, slightly more like his mother, but definitely the man Harry Potter and not the boy any longer.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter. I am rather surprised to see you here, but then again, maybe I am not as surprised as I am slightly annoyed. What brings you here?"

"Hello, Severus, it is nice to see you. It has been a while."

"Obviously, Potter, now again I ask you what you are doing here?"

"I wanted to make it here before you saw this place and I apologize for not getting here sooner, you know, to save you the trouble of seeing your home… like this."

"It's not really your concern, now is it?"

Harry brought himself up to full height and took a deep breath.

"I want to offer you a home at Grimmauld Place, until you are able to get back on your feet, or longer..."

Severus looked at Harry, again rather surprised. He shouldn't be surprised, considering this was all probably based upon the memories he had seen when Severus thought he was dying. "Potter, I don't need your pity..."

"It's not pity, Severus. It's been five years, I know that what you did you had your own reasons for and the memories were only given just because you thought you were going to die, but this Severus, this is not pity. It's more of an outstretched hand, a truce, a sign of respect if you will."

Severus sighed again, he was already exhausted and not really in the mood to fight. Although, he had five years for his wounds to heal, it definitely left him rather exhausted by the end of the day. He pondered Potter's suggestion for another minute before giving in.

"Mr. Potter, I accept, but this does not change anything. I do not want your pity. I just want to get back on my feet and leave this particular part of the country, at some point, forever."

Harry lowered his head and smiled, "I assumed so, sir."

They apparated to Grimmauld Place and Severus halted. Harry looked back questioningly.

"Mr. Potter, I forgot to ask who else has taken up residence with you."

Harry looked up towards his home and back at Severus.

"Hermione lives with me…."

Severus cut him off before he could continue, "Are you two together?"

"No sir, she and Ron were together briefly, but… they are no longer together."

Severus looked at him inquiringly.

"No, Severus…um Sir… she will have to be the one to tell you about that part of her life, I won't."

And with that the ground began to shake and the townhouse came into view, Harry walking into the flat, leaving a baffled Severus behind him to ponder exactly what he had missed these past five years.