Disclaimer: I don't own HP characters, just the fairies, save the Queen.
A/N: Hello Lichen fans :D This is an optional epilogue for people who have read DH. I'm not sure if I will continue "No Good Deed" or this angle. We'll just have to see.
Epilogue
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Lichen (finally) discovers his talent.
The service was over.
Only two people were left in the field that had now become a temporary graveyard. An open casket was still on the ground, a pale corpse in its tight confines. It was bewitched to close once everyone had left, and bury itself in the new grave. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were both considering remaining there forever, though neither knew each other's intentions.
"He was a good man," Draco said softly, blonde hair fluttering in the wind along with his black robes. "You didn't see it Potter, but he was. Severus was a great man."
"How could I know?" Harry said, partly to Draco and partly to himself. "If he had said one solitary civil thing to me, maybe I would have. If he hadn't given me his memories…"
"He should have given them to me," Draco's kicked absently at the grass. "I knew him a hell of a lot better than you Potter. Don't think he wouldn't have told me about them himself. Voldemort just didn't give him enough…time."
Harry could here Draco sobbing softly in the twilight. His shoulders were hunched, and tears were glistening in the fading light. Absently, Harry handed the Slytherin his handkerchief. To his surprise, Draco took it without complaint. After wiping his eyes with it, he passed Harry back his handkerchief and peered closer at the open coffin.
"Lumos," Draco mumbled taking out his wand, alighting the tip. Harry squinted at the corpse as Draco pointed to Professor Snape's robes. "Potter, do you see that?"
Both of the wizards peered closer, Draco's wand nearly poking Harry in the eye. Harry took out his own wand and lit it as well. The former Headmaster was wearing his ordinary black robes, the ones that used to billow omnisciently when he walked down the halls. It seemed fitting to bury him in them; Harry had hardly ever seen him in anything else.
"Are those…sparkles?" Harry said, pointing at Snape's waistcoat pocket. "They can't possibly be sparkles."
"I would expect nothing else from my godfather," Draco replied, rolling up the sleeves of his robes. "Obviously he wanted me to find something if he died. They're probably magical or something."
"Who's to say I'm not supposed to see it?" Harry asked as Draco violated the corpse's personal space. "This is wrong on so many levels."
Harry watched as Draco wrestled a small notebook out of the sparkly pocket. He pulled it out, victorious, but refused to go very far from the coffin. By the light of both wands, both wizards looked at the inscription on the book's front cover.
To: Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mr. Harry Potter
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"I can't believe he left it to both of us," Draco said as the pair walked back to Hogwarts. He had become the impromptu carrier of the notebook, which was fine with Harry. The last thing he wanted to do was touch something taken from a dead man. "Having to share this with YOU is just painful."
"Hey, I don't like it much either," Harry replied, looking up at the towering school. "Have you even looked in it yet?"
"Of course…not," Malfoy said, stopping abruptly. "I guess we might as well look at it; who knows what's in it."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, leaning over the book as Malfoy opened it. "I just hope it isn't a Horcrux or something."
On that unpleasant note, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy began to read.
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Dear Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter
You now have in your hands my most prized possession. When I taught the both of you for the first time, I promised you that I could teach you to brew fame, bottle glory, and put a stopper in death. If you are reading this, then I have failed to do the last of these three. However, what I am giving you is far more important than any of these.
Inside this notebook is a map. As my final wish, I would like the two of you to follow it. At the end you will not find riches, but a treasure worth dying for.
I wish you the best of luck,
Sincerely,
Severus Snape.
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"A treasure map?" Draco said, pulling out a worn and creased piece of parchment. "What was he thinking?"
"He always loved puzzles," Harry managed to say after reading the note. "Professor Snape's obstacle on the third floor in first year was a logic puzzle."
"But this isn't logical!" Draco all but yelled in Harry's face, tears streaming from his eyes. "This isn't like him Potter! Severus Snape doesn't leave treasure maps!"
"Maybe you just don't know him as well as you thought," Harry said, receiving a glare from Draco. "Perhaps whatever this map leads to will explain it. It looks like whatever it's in is in the Forbidden Forest."
"Let's go Potter," Draco said, snatching up the map and using his wand as a torch. Harry hurried to catch up. "My godfather's dying wish needs to be fulfilled, even if it means you have to come too."
Harry began to wonder if he was going to regret this.
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They were lost.
"I think this is the branch Snape shows here," Malfoy said, pointing at a squiggle. "Isn't that right Potter?"
Like Harry said, they were lost.
"Sure Malfoy," Harry agreed half-heartedly. They had been out in the forest for a half-hour and there was no treasure-trove in sight. "That branch looks exactly like a squiggly thing."
"Don't insult Snape's map-making skills!" Draco fumed, getting red in the face. "I know his cursive was bad, but this is important. Anyways, if this is the right branch, we should be here."
"Yeah, wherever 'here' is," Harry spat, swiping some burrs off of his pant-leg. Oddly enough, the foliage here was lusher than the surrounding area. "I don't see anything."
"I'm getting a closer look," Draco said squinting at the branch as he walked over. His illuminated wand cast a yellow glow over his face. "Watch out for anything unusual."
Harry rolled his eyes and leaned against a tree. This was pointless; a complete waste of time. It did take his mind off of the numerous casualties from the war though. Perhaps that was what Snape wanted; to keep Malfoy and himself occupied for a few hours.
Then, he noticed that the light from Malfoy's wand had split in half.
"Malfoy!" Harry yelled, causing the wizard to whip his head around. "Your wand!"
Harry and Draco watched in amazement as Draco extinguished his wand's light. The phantom light continued to hover in the air, moving between the two wizards. It bounced about happily, like a glowing rubber ball.
As the pair watched the yellow light, more began to join it. They came from all around, hundreds of glowing balls of light. They seemed to be doing an intricate dance in perfect harmony to non-existent music.
"Faeries," Draco and Harry said in unison. "He sent us to a Faerie Realm."
"That's right!" came a very high male voice as one of the balls of light approached them. It was a tiny blonde faerie dressed in a regal outfit. "Severus sent you here! Here to meet us! His friends!"
"Friends?" Both Harry and Draco raised their eyebrows in disbelief. Snape could not be friends with faeries. That was just wrong.
"Yep," the faerie said, smiling. "Hi, I'm Prince Lichen. I'm Severus' friend."
Harry and Draco exchanged a look. This faerie obviously did not know Snape was dead. He thought the teacher had sent them just to meet his fellow faeries. Lichen didn't know it was Snape's dying wish for them to realize the value of true and undying friendship.
"Um, Prince Lichen," Harry said, figuring he was probably the best person to associate with the faerie. "Snape didn't send us here…himself. He drew us a map."
"So?" Lichen said dismissively. "Maps are jingly. They're like an adventure!"
"He's dead you fool!" Draco said, pushing Harry aside and facing the prince. "Severus Snape is dead!"
"We are well aware of that," came a beautiful female voice as one of the lights drew closer. This was more vibrant than the others. "He could not have given you directions here unless he was dead. I am Queen Clairion, and this is my husband King Mortimer."
The pair watched as the most vibrant light approached them, as well as a curiously green one. The brightest one was a brawny male faerie with a crown. Absently, the wizards bowed.
"Then why aren't you crying?" Malfoy shot at Lichen, sad that the faeries weren't mourning his mentor. "If he was your friend, why aren't you honoring his memory?"
"Lichen discovered his talent recently," came an oddly familiar voice from within the green light. "Apparently, he is a 'soul snatcher,' which is a very rare talent. So rare in fact, it can only be used once, on a faerie's human friend."
Harry and Malfoy watched in amazement as the green light came closer to them. Inside was a thumb-sized Snape, though he looked handsomer and about 20. He was wearing the regal clothes of a faerie advisor, and actually smiling. Harry and Draco blinked back tears.
"I saved Lichen's life once, a long time ago," Snape the faerie said softly, nodding towards the beaming prince. "Now he had returned the favor. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am bloody glad you never had a talent Lichen."
The entire population of the Faerie kingdom laughed, and Harry and Draco joined in. The fact that Snape was now a faerie was so absurd, it was completely logical. They had not felt this happy since they were children; when the Dark Lord was not a threat and life was good.
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Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy found themselves before the Forbidden Forest half an hour later. They had given their word not to reveal the location of the Faerie Kingdom as Severus Snape had done years before. They would hold this secret until the end of their days.
"So I guess we'll see you around," Harry said to Snape-the-faerie. This was still weird. "Good luck."
"I will make myself as scarce as possible Potter," the faerie said. "I may have given my life for your mother, but not my soul. That will live on, in this rather tiny body."
"Will you visit?" Draco sounded like a lost puppy. "Please?"
"If I bring Lichen, you will regret that request," Snape winked. "I'll consider it."
And with that, Severus Snape, new advisor to the Royal Faerie Family, flew away. He left two rivals with a secret only they could share. Perhaps Snape had left them something that was worth more than gold.
It wasn't friendship, but it was close.
Fin!
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Okay, it's up to Lichen fans now. If you would like to see how Snape became a faerie and how he will cope with his new-found situation, let me know. If not, I will continue with the Lichen-centered shorts.
As always, reviews are jingly!