Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Two years after the battle of Hogwarts, Severus Snape entered the Ministry of Magic. He calmly stepped out of the fireplace, smoothed down his robes and headed to the lift. Mouths gaped open, witches and wizards stopped in their tracks and stared at the former potion master. It couldn't be. Severus Snape was declared dead. It had to be a joke. Maybe this was the doing of the second Weasley twin, who had developed quite a macabre sense of humour since the war.

Severus Snape ignored the whispers. Slowly the man standing next to him approached him, his hand stretched out.

"Don't you dare touch me," Severus Snape said.

The wizard took a hasty step back, eyes wide and scared. There was silence in the entrance hall. When the lift was at their floor, Severus Snape bowed his head in a sarcastic gesture and left. No one followed him.

OOO

Kingsley Shacklebolt enjoyed being the minister of wizarding Britain. It was his reward for the years he had spent fighting and in hiding. It proved that his sacrifices had been worth it. The world was good now, and he was good at what he was doing. There were no surprises, he was respected, and he liked leaning back and looking at the future they had built. To be honest, he also was fond of the feeling of power in his hands.

He was slightly annoyed when he heard his secretary talking to someone. He had no appointments today, and he had made clear that he didn't want to be disturbed. There was a deep male voice, and the doors flew open.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was ready to harshly remind the intruder that he didn't receive visitors without being informed about it first when the words got stuck in his throat.

What the hell did Severus Snape do in his office?! He personally had declared him dead! Beside the fact that it was impossible to come back from the dead, it kind of irked him that Severus Snape had ignored his words. Why was he alive when the minister of magical Britain had said otherwise?

"Kingsley," he was greeted.

Severus Snape's voice was the same. Cold, dark and velvet, Kingsley had always envied this man. How was it possible to create this aura of intimidation with only saying one word? Kingsley sat up straight.

"Snape," he said. "Back from the dead, as I see."

"Still stating the obvious, as I see," Snape said. It didn't sound like an insult, more like a confirmation. Kingsley was sure Severus Snape mocked him.

"Nothing has changed since I left."

He clenched and relaxed his hands fists under the table. It didn't matter how unusual the circumstances were, this Severus Snape was real without any doubt. The man had the talent to put him in a bad mood within seconds.

"What do you want?" Kingsley asked in a perfectly even voice.

Severus Snape produced a small roll of parchment out of his pockets.

"A small favour," he said. Kingsley eyed the item with suspicion.

"Albus, overbearing even in his death, gave me this. It is his last will."

"He already left a last will." Kingsley interrupted him. "The snitch, the sword, if you can remember?"

Severus Snape sighed. Had he been a lesser man, he would have rolled his eyes. Kingsley got the message nevertheless. The minister disliked being the annoying one in a conversation.

After a moment of silence, Severus Snape continued.

"This was his last will in case I survived. It seemed highly unlikely at the time, but the man had hopes. I hate when he's right."

Kingsley wanted to ask what Severus Snape's personal connection to the former headmaster of Hogwarts had to do with him, but a warning glance from black eyes prevented him from opening his mouth.

"The first paragraph can be read by everyone. Albus' signature is there to prove it is real. But to read the rest… thirteen people are required to lift the spell. There is a list attached."

Severus Snape laid the parchment on the table.

"I will be back on Thursday, 1 p.m. I expect you to summon the witches and wizards from the list."

Severus Snape didn't wait for an answer. Never taken a seat, he turned on his heels and left the room, his robes flying like the wings of a…

Well, the bat was back. Kingsley sighed and reached out for the roll. If everything proved to be alright, he would do it. Of course. And then he had to look for Severus Snape's folder. His date of death had to be crossed out.

OOO

AN:

There are more than 741K Harry Potter fanfictions on this site, and I although I am working on it, I haven't read all of them yet. I guess the main plot - throw all characters together and let them work things out (there is more plot, but that's top secret) - has been used over and over again. However, this is my take on it.

I am not good with disclaimers, so please just believe me that I don't make any money with this piece of writing, I do not own the characters, I didn't steal from other stories and if there are similarities they are pure coincidence.

This said, I hope you enjoyed the first mini-chapter. If you see spelling/grammar mistakes, feel free to inform me.