A Second Chance
Before the battle had begun, McGonagall had given Harry a dittany in the very likely event that he should be hurt. He was after all, he was their final chance for freedom and McGonagall had half a mind to keep him from participating in the battle. She knew however that he would never agree to that and the idea was folly either way. The dittany suddenly came to Harry's mind as he watched the man he hated writhe on the floor in pain. Voldemort had left, he had felt him leave.
Harry flung off the cloak, "Harry, no!" Hermione exchanged wild glances with Ron but Harry ignored them. He starred down at the broken body of the old potions master laying on the floor of the shrieking shack.
Harry didn't know what to feel, what to think. How should he feel, after all Snape had done? It was a shock to him that the man who had caused Harry so much grief and hardship should die like this, that he would die at all was a shock. Snape always seemed like the type of person one would associate with immortality, however he never thought Hedwig would die either...
The reason why Snape lay now was unbelievable, but Harry was wrenched from his moment of thought as Snape pulled him in closer. "Take..it...Take...it..." the silvery, substance that was neither liquid nor gas seeped from his eyes, mouth and ears. Harry knew what it was but didn't know what to do: a flask appeared out of the air and landed in Harry's hand from Hermione. He filled the flask with the memory and looked back down at Snape. "Look...at...me..." Green met black, but Harry knew it was the end for him, however some longing in his gut pulled at his conscious and Harry realized he couldn't let this hated man go.
"No," he whispered. Snape gurgled something awful as Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the dittany. "Open your mouth." Harry's whispered demand was obeyed and Snape opened his bloodied mouth. "Here," Harry tipped the contents into the reddened hole and leaned back. Harry watched and waited, Snape's eyes shut and he began to shake, gently at first then violently as he thrashed around the floor.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ron climbed out of their hidding place and ran to Harry's side as he stood watching Snape's mangled body repair itself. Harry felt tears burn down his face but he didn't care.
Moments later, the thrashing had ceased and Harry jumped as he heard Voldemort's high shrill voice. For a second he imagined Voldemort was right beside them, but he heard the voice echo across the grounds and knew that everyone had heard the demand for Harry's surrender in one hour. Hermione looked like she was on the verge of tears, she looked at Harry and shook her bushy head, "Don't do it Harry, let's just- let's get back to the castle. If he's going into the forest we should go and re-organise." Snape slowly sat up, his hands at his blood stained throat. The holes were sown together, and the gashed were repaired but blood still stained his pale skin and robes. "Come on." Hermione whispered, her and Ron left the shake together, leaving Harry and Snape alone.
Harry whipped the tears from his eyes and looked own at the man who starred back up with confusion and fear, "Why?" Snape demanded an explanation and the cool tongue brought venom to Harry's voice.
He threw the cloak on Snape and said equally as cooly, "Because we need every wand we can muster and your master no longer wants you."
Snape twitched his lip with annoyance, "Master?" The tone in his voice made Harry remember the memory Snape had imparted on him. He held up the silver flask and glanced between it and the man on the floor. Realization swept through Snape, he had never meant to survive and he didn't want to if Harry learned what he was holding in his hands. "Give me that back, Potter!"
"You don't tell me what to do anymore, professor." Harry put as much venom as he could into the last three syllables. He ducked into the passageway and pointed at the cloak, "Put that on, we don't want my dittany being wasted by a member of the order killing you." Snape sneered with irritation, though did as he was instructed. They walked down the passage together in silence, though Harry could not see him, he felt every now and again Snape brush up against him and try to take the flask in his pocket, each time Harry would whirl around and slap randomly in the air. A grunt would follow and the attempts would cease for a time. They walked across the grounds, though it couldn't be more then an hour or so until sunrise, the sky was dark. An unnatural silence filled the grounds and the castle as no more flashes of green or red lights could be seen. Small mounds could be seen across the dark grounds as Harry and the invisible Snape walked into the entrance hall. The sick were being tended to, survivors lending hands and embracing others. The dead were lined up against the wall, all looking as though they were in a deep, unmoving slumber. the Weasleys were all huddled around Fred's body, George resting his twin's head on his lap and Mrs. Weasley spread across his body. Ron and Hermione were there, as well as Ginny. Harry could not bare to go near them, he looked around and with a sudden wrenching in his gut saw the bodies of Remus and Tonks. Both dead and gone. He could not bare it any longer, he rushed through the doors and up the stairs. Not caring anymore whether Snape was following him or whether he would be discovered, Harry ran to the gargoyle.
"Password?" The gargoyle said.
But before the word was complete Harry shouted, "Dumbledore!" For he was the only one he wanted to see. To his surprise the gargoyle leapt aside and let him through. Harry ran up the stairs, tears burning down his face, he was unawares of the footsteps behind him.
Harry felt the tears intensify as he looked around and saw all the portraits completely empty, even Dumbledore's. Snape appeared in the corner of the room, the cloak flung across the desk. Harry barely acknowledged him and sat on a step. All those people who had died for him, died trying to protect him from Voldemort. His friends, the only family he had ever known, so many killed by the Death Eaters. Death Eaters, Harry turned to see a mixture of confusion and helplessness on Snape's face. Tears cascaded down his face as Harry yelled at Snape, "Did you see them? All of them died! DEAD BECAUSE DUMBLEDORE WASN'T HERE TO PROTECT THEM!" Snape looked so lost and shook himself to hold back the sadness within. "Because I should have given in in the first place." Harry whispered settling down.
Snape shook his greasy head and walked over the Harry, he flinched away as Snape lowered a hand on his shoulder. Snape reached in Harry's pocket and retrieved the flask. Harry no longer cared whether he should see the memory or not and so let him take it. Snape opened the pensive's hiding place and pulled Harry up, gently yet still firmly. He poured the contents of the flask into the basin. "What?" Harry asked impatiently.
Snape almost shoved Harry's head in the basin before he had chance to change his mind. Rubbing his throat several long minutes later, Harry appeared in front of the pensive, his hands on the basin to hold him up. Snape could not see his face, but was surprised to see Harry shaking. Small sobs came from the boy and Snape could not help but feel completely responsible. Harry turned and instead of meeting the man's black eyes, whispered, "Expecto patronum." A silver stag emerged from Harry's wand, it bounded around the room then nuzzled at Harry's hand.
Snape reached in his robes and retrieved his wand, again silver sprouted from the tip as a doe leaped to life. Harry nodded and his patronous met the other. They nuzzled then disappeared as both wizards ceased the spell. Snape looked ashamed and sheepish. Like a child caught in the act of stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Harry sighed and found the black eyes, he held the contact and said, "Stay here." Harry grabbed the invisibility cloak and headed for the door.
"Potter," Snape said weakly. Harry stopped. "Good luck." Snape knew what Harry was about to do, he also knew that luck wasn't really what he needed, he needed an alternative. Alas, 'good luck' was all he could think to say.
"When I see her," Harry began quietly after a moment of thought. "I'll say 'hi'." Just before he was out the door he turned again, "Oh, and erm... thank you. For everything." Green met black and then Harry was gone. Over an hour of pacing the headmaster's study and conversing with Phenious, who had found the hall to be an unwelcoming feeling and came back to the study, Snape heard the high shrill voice.
"Harry Potter is dead! The boy-who-lived is no more!" Snape could hear cries and screams from down below. He hurried over to the dark window. The sun was rising and Snape could see far in the distance Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but what tore at his gut was the sight of Hagrid the half-giant walking in front carrying the body of the Chosen One. He watched as events unfolded, several cast spells, Nigini was no more and the hordes of the Dark Lord's army swarmed into the entrance hall.
Snape rushed down the stairs, Harry had been right, they would need any wand they could get. Cursing a Death Eater on his way down Snape stopped, as did everyone as Harry stood and called out to Voldemort. Voldemort with sheer outrage and confusion turned to Harry. While Harry explained the nature of the Elder Wand Snape heard Harry mention his death. Not to his surprise did nobody gasp or take notice of Snape's would-be death. Snape urged closer but refused to be seen. Then it happened, a brilliant flash of both green and red light illuminated the hall. The Dark Lord fell with a resonating thud. Cries from the Death Eaters and screams of triumph erupted around the hall. "Arvada Kadavra." Snape whispered several times, killing the Death Eaters trying to escape. He caught glimpsed of Harry's eyes, he became surrounded by all in the hall. Harry looked even sadder then ever and once they survivors cared to their friends and family, Harry slipped away up the stairs into the headmaster's study. He saw the paintings had all come back to their frames and were celebrating. Snape sulked in the corner of the room. He watched Harry stand under the painting of Albus Dumbledore.
"I dropped the stone in the forest, I don't know where it landed. I have no intention of going looking for it either." Dumbledore nodded.
"Very wise."
"I don't want the wand either, I'm putting it back in your tomb where it belongs." Harry continued.
"Yes, very wise indeed. I am so sorry Harry, but also so very proud of you." Harry smiled and nodded at the painting then turned to Snape.
"As for you, everyone thinks your dead and well, I don't think many will be too pleased that your not to be quite frank." Snape nodded with agreement. "Come live with me." The words surprised Harry just as much as they surprised Snape. He looked up confused. "It was all for her and now she's happy, I saw her and-"
"Harry," Snape silenced the boy. "the dittany was ingenious, but I'm afraid Nigini, though a natural snake, was enhanced by the Dark Lord's power and the venom was too great for the dittany to work completly. It is time for me to go."
Harry's brow furrowed, he shook his head and found himself to be crying once again. "No, what are you talking about?" Snape smiled and placed his hands on Harry's now shaking shoulders. "You can't die, you just can't she wouldn't have wanted- No, you just can't!" He had no reason why he was so upset, why those memories had made him have such a connection with the man he had for so long hated. Perhaps it was the similarities in their upbringing, or the thought that Snape did have a heart, a heart that belonged to his mother. Whatever it was, Harry suddenly found himself throwing his arms around the tall thin man's waist. He sobbed into his chest. Snape looked utmost confused and taken aback.
Snape swayed and staggered backwards, Harry let go and the man fell to the floor. "No!" Harry demanded the poisoning to stop.
Snape clutched his throat and smiled through his pain, "Harry," the use of his first name wrenched at his innards. "Harry, it was my fault and now you are safe, my job is done. I haven't a reason anymore, no one to live for and no other goals in life. You were my last task and you have survived. You must let me go. I am grateful that at least one person knows of my story." Harry leaned in closer and tried to suppress his tears. "Thank you Harry Potter, for saving my life."
Harry nodded, "She's up there now. Mum, she's waiting for you." Harry smiled as he saw the comfort in the dying man's eyes. "I'm sorry, for being so rude, for reminding you of my father, for everything. I'm sorry for looking into your thoughts, for not understanding." Snape was almost gone, "I'm sorry for calling you a coward. Your the bravest man I know." Snape choaked but smiled. He grabbed Harry's face.
"All for Lily." His grib loosened as his hands fell to the floor with a sad thud, and Snape moved no more.
Harry cried, cried for Lupin, Tonks, Fred, Sirius, his father, his mother, for Dumbledore and Ariana, for the order members who had been killed, but most loudly for Severus Tobias Snape. But he took comfort in the fact that he knew all of them, he knew their kind hearts and pure spirits and he knew they would be alright wherever they had gone. That especially Snape could now be at peace after countless years of anguish and grief, he could forget it all and be at one with himself finally.