Outlaw

Severus Snape could feel his lungs battling for air, but no matter how hard they tried, he knew that the war was lost. A sharp pain was throbbing in his neck, but it was ebbing away, and he wondered if he was finally reaching the end of his misery. As he drifted underneath the surface, going under in a sea of his own blood, he soared on the memories that he had withheld from Lily's son. Some memories were meant to die with him.

He thought of his mother. Over the years, he had grown to be more and more like her. Sallow and neglectful. Collapsing from within like a dying star.

He thought of his students, and how they often left a bitter taste in his mouth. Though sometimes, the bitterness had been a medicine for his own sanity. Without his students, he may have left his life behind a long time ago.

He thought of Dumbledore, who had—against all odds—believed in him when no one else did. How the old man had infuriated him with all of his dangerous requests, but that was the price he needed to pay in exchange for his protection.
And at last, with the dying of the light, he thought of Lily. The smallest ray of hope made him want to believe that he would see her again. That all would be forgiven and forgotten. She became almost tangible inside his memories. Reaching out for him, as if she had come to guide him away from the battlefield.

He heard faint voices echoing through his mind. They were saying things that he would rather not hear. About pulling him back from underneath the surface and finding a way to save him. He didn't want to be saved.

Through the cracks of his eyelids he could see shadows moving. Making noises. Arguing. The last thing he remembered was the outlining of long red hair dancing around his face, and then, he hit the bottom of the seabed. The sand his final resting place. The seaweed the comfort from the darkness that engulfed him.

…

'Is he waking up?' a concerned voice whispered.

'I think so,' said another, deeper voice. 'Should we call for a Healer?'

'Better not, Arthur. I don't want him to be overwhelmed. What if—'

'Shut it.'

'Glad to see you're back, Severus,' said the concerned voice, now sounding tearful.

'Am I dead or alive?' he asked. His voice cracked from the soreness that had started to spread.

'Alive, and—considering the circumstances—healing remarkably well.'

'How disappointing.'

A woman bent over his face. She smiled, and yet tears were leaking down onto the bed sheets that covered him. 'Is there anything you want to know?' she asked.

'Where am I?' he asked stiffly, now recognising the woman as Molly Weasley.

'You're at St. Mungo's,' she answered. 'You were bitten by You-Know-Who's snake, and Ginny found you after Ron told us where you were. They managed to give you an antidote just in time.'

'They should've asked.'

Molly chuckled weakly, and he could feel her gentle hand latching onto his. 'I can't believe I'm saying this Severus, but...I've missed your snappy comments.'

'I thought you hated me.'

Molly shook her head. 'Not anymore Severus. Not anymore.'

'What happened?'

Molly squeezed his hand as a sign of comfort, and the smile ran away from her face. 'We lost the war. Harry didn't make it. So many of us didn't make it...'

'Where is he?'

'Harry's been buried in Godric's Hollow with his parents. Along with Neville, and Fr—'

'—I meant the Dark Lord. Where is he?'

'He's overthrown the Ministry, and Hogwarts,' said Molly, her body shaking. 'I don't know exactly where he is, but I do know we're being watched. This hospital is being watched. There are spies everywhere...'

Severus drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'All has been for nothing,' he whispered.

'Don't give up,' said Molly.

'I'm not,' he said. 'I'm just giving in.'

Molly stood up straight again and released his hand from her grip. She slipped something smooth into his hand and curled his fingers around it in order to protect it. 'Many—including Harry—may not have made it, but some of us have. We know everything, Severus. Perhaps more than you may like, but we know. But now...go get some rest.'

Arthur and Molly tiptoed their way out of the room and carefully shut the door behind them. Severus didn't need to open his eyes to know what Molly had just given to him. She had given him back his memories. The ones meant for Lily's son, and Lily's son alone.

He was half tempted to toss the phial at the wall in anger, but the knowledge of holding Lily in the palm of his hand kept him from doing so. There was no turning back now. He was a traitor in the Dark Lord's eyes. It wouldn't be surprising if he was on his most wanted list. That, or he truly believed Severus to be dead, meaning that he was now a non-existent being. If that was the case, he may have gotten his death wish after all.

The throbbing ache inside his head made it difficult to think. He wondered how he had ended up at St Mungo's, or whether the Order of the Phoenix still existed, and what had happened to Lily's son out on the battlefield. He allowed those thoughts to sail as his body gave in to the exhaustion and pressed into the mattress. It was time—as Molly had put it—to get some rest.

…

The Order of the Phoenix still stood. It had relocated its headquarters to Godric's Hollow, in the cottage that had once belonged to Dumbledore's family. Harry's old Cloak of Invisibility—which was now in the possession of his two best friends—was used to escort Severus out of St Mungo's undetected.

Many adaptations had been made to the cottage. It was much bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. And for good reason. Dozens of people had found their refuge here. Severus recognised many as old members of the Order. Former students, some with their families, and some without, were scattered all over the place.

'Professor Snape?' said a bossy voice. 'Professor Snape, could I speak with you for a moment?'

Severus looked up from the tea he was cradling in his hands. It had grown cold over the hours he had spent sitting at the dinner table, staring at the amber liquid in blank thought. 'Miss Granger,' he murmured.

'Professor, would you mind if I sat down with you for a moment?'

'Mister Snape,' he snapped. 'I am no longer your Professor. And it's not up to me where you do or do not sit, Miss Granger.'

Hermione nodded stiffly and sat down at the table in front of him. She pulled out an old battered book from her pocket and shoved it in his direction. 'I believe this belongs to you.'

For the first time since his return from St Mungo's, Severus had found a reason to be grateful for something. 'It does,' he said. 'My old Potion's book.'

'You've been trying to protect Harry all along, haven't you?' Hermione blurted out.

Severus looked straight into her brown eyes. 'Not beating around the bush, are we? And yes, that was my duty from the day that I learnt that he was after...well, that he was after her. A mission that I failed miserably, I should add.'

'I think you were very brave, Prof—I mean, Mister Snape. A lot of us do. A lot of people here look up—'

'—And how many people exactly, got the see the memories that weren't meant for their eyes to be seen?'

'Not that many,' said Hermione, her voice growing dim. 'I was the first, actually. I took it from Harry after he fell, believing that it might contain some answers. Some comfort, and it did.'

'And now what?' said Severus harshly. 'What is the next step to all of this? Day after day, I see people coming in and leaving this place, and yet, nothing ever seems to happen.'

'There's very little that people can do due to the new laws,' said Hermione. 'Everybody's bloodlines now have to be registered at the Ministry. Muggle-born witches and wizards are no longer allowed inside the wizarding world. If they are caught, they will be publicly executed. Half-bloods are still allowed to attend Hogwarts, but they've lost many of their basic rights and are considered second class citizens. Every step we take, we are being watched. It's not safe.'

Severus let out a grunt and opened his copy of Advanced Potion-Making that Hermione had given back to him. His signature was still splattered across the first page; "This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince". 'So, what you're telling me,' he said as he looked up again, 'is that I can return to Hogwarts based on my blood status?'

'That would be suicide,' cried Hermione. She leant forward and lowered her voice. 'There's something that Ron, Ginny, and I would like to talk to you about. In private, preferably.'

'If it entails getting out of this miserable cottage and leads to the destruction of the Dark Lord, then I'm all ears.'

Hermione leant in even closer and brought her voice down to a whisper. 'As a matter of fact, Mister Snape, it does.'

…

Outlaws. It was the name the supporters of the Dark Lord gave to those who had gone into hiding from the new order. The ones who did not abide by their new laws; and Severus Snape was perhaps the most famous of them all.

Wizards from all over the country were forced to move to Hogsmeade, which had slowly expanded itself to the size of a small city. Mixed families had been torn apart—if not murdered—by the Death Eaters. All magical children from the age of seven were required to attend Hogwarts, where they were fed with the propaganda that they were superior above all others.

Families grew mistrustful of each other, as no one was able to tell who friend or foe was anymore. Curfews were established. Everyone was obligated to be inside their own houses by ten o'clock. If anyone was still found lingering outside after curfew, they would be punished in the presence of their entire family.

In Severus's opinion, the curfews were the worst. They made it very hard to move around undetected. Ingredients to brew Polyjuice Potion—or any other potion for the matter—were scarce, and so he was often limited to the use of Harry's Cloak of Invisibility. Useful, and yet, also highly impractical, as it rendered him invisible, but not intangible. Many alarms had gone off during their attempts at breaking into Hogwarts. Students were used as spies inside the walls of Hogwarts in exchange for life supplies. Secret pacts were made, and escape routes created.

Ron and Hermione had told him everything. Where they had gone after their sixth year. How they had discovered that You-Know-Who had been creating Horcruxes, and what they were. In exchange, Severus told them all about his brief time as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and the importance of making everyone believe him to be the Dark Lord's most loyal supporter. It didn't take long for them to figure out what they needed to set their mission forth. The sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Gryffindor's sword became a ray of hope in their rebellion against the new order. Once they had their hands on the sword, they would be able to continue their mission to destroy the last Horcrux. If they were able to destroy the Horcrux, the Dark Lord would become a mortal man once more. And if the Dark Lord became a mortal man, Severus was determined to finish what Harry had started.

A new kind of revolution had begun.