Disclaimer: I don't own it but if I did Snape would be alive, married to Hermione and they would have seven kids who were all geniuses.
The Power of Prayer
When the snake bit him he thought he was gone for good. But she came back for him. The resident know it all of Hogwarts, Gryffindor princess, brains of the golden trio, came back to rescue him, greasy git of the dungeons. She took him to a small cottage in the woods, stating that Hogwarts was no longer safe for him. She cared for him for what felt like weeks and he hated every minute. At least in the beginning. Eventually, though, he began to enjoy her company. She sang to him, songs about a god of mercy and forgiveness. A man called Jesus who washed away stains and forgave sins. He was so moved by her songs, but thought surely her God would not accept him. He was a spy, a murderer, a death eater… surely this Jesus couldn't help him. But the longing continued.
"Hermione," he began, "why did you come back?"
"Because the spirit told me to."
"What spirit?" Was the shrieking shack haunted now?
"The holy spirit."
He quirked a brow. This must be connected to that God of hers. He decided he wanted to hear more. "Tell me about your god Hermione, this Jesus you sing about."
She gasped and raced from the room, but she quickly returned, carrying-what else?- a book. "Everything about him is in here. When I read this book, I found out that he is love, hope, mercy and above all- grace. He forgives all sins. He loves us so much he sent his only begotten son to die on the cross for us. Through Jesus, all of us can go to heaven because he took away our sins."
"Surely," he drawled, "there is a price for such a gift?"
She chuckled. "There is a reason we call it grace Severus. But you're right, he wants something in return even though we could never repay him for such a sacrifice. He wants your heart. Your soul. Your mind. He wants you to love him above all else and to let him rule your life. He wants your everything because he gave you his everything."
"I need to think about this. Thank you for telling me."
"You are so welcome." She left and the book sat on the night stand.
He picked it up and peered at the cover. Holy Bible. He read a little, surprised at the wisdom he found. He was moved by what he saw and decided that he needed this Jesus. He got up on Sunday and went to church with Hermione. After the pastor shared the gospel there was an invitation, which Severus was all too happy to accept. He accepted Christ and felt all his burdens lifted from his heart. "This is marvelous. Simply amazing," he told Hermione.
"I know and I have prayed that you would find it since third year. I guess now I see the real power of prayer."
Snape was amazed. She had prayed for him for four years. Even more surprising was the fact that those four years were the ones he had terrorized the trio even more than normal and the year he killed Dumbledore. He realized something in that moment, he loved Hermione Granger. Before he could stop himself he had leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. "I love you Hermione."
"And I you Severus." He stood amazed at the mercy of God and the power of prayer.
5 years later
Severus Snape kissed the sweaty brow of his young wife Hermione Snape. "She is so beautiful. Just like her mother."
"Sev, I think you're in love."
He couldn't help but agree. They looked upon the pink face of their newborn daughter and whispered, "Hello Grace." And Severus Snape marveled, yet again, at the mercy of God and the power of prayer.
A/N: This is my first ever fanfic so please be nice! Thanks for reading.
