Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Severus Snape looked over to his closest friend, Lucius Malfoy. They were sitting in the study of the Malfoy manor chatting over a glass of cognac after a revel. The upcoming victory of the Dark Lord was the topic of many talks around the Malfoy manor recently. The Dark Lord had mentioned that night that their ultimate plans would be complete soon.
"Lucius, you know I look upon you almost like a brother," Severus began. "I would like a favor of you."
"After agreeing to be my child's godfather, Severus, you may ask anything you want," Lucius said in reference to his newborn son, Draco.
"I just want to make sure you don't forget I ever existed if I die in this war." Lucius was about to answer, but Severus cut him off. "You are one of the few people I have in my life. I just want someone to remember me if I do not live."
Lucius gave Severus a solemn look. "Of course, Severus, how could I forget you?"
Severus gave Lucius a half smile and set down his glass of cognac. "Tonight is a happy night and I wish to celebrate. Would you be averse to popping over at the Hog's Head with me for a celebratory drink?"
Lucius shook his head. "I promised Narcissa I would be around when Bellatrix and Rodolphus stopped by after tonight's raid."
The two men said their goodbyes and Severus left the manor. He apparated to Hogsmeade and walked the dark road in the village towards the Hog's Head. He stepped into the pub and saw only a few patrons. He walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool.
"What kind of red wines do you have?" Severus asked the bartender.
The bartender grunted and pulled out a dusty looking bottle. Severus saw it was a Cabaret Sauvignon that was from a winery in the Galilee region of Israel according to the label. He nodded his head, and the bartender pulled out a filthy wine glass and rubbed it with the dirty towel on his shoulder.
Severus sipped his wine slowly, enjoying the taste. He didn't normally head to the Hog's Head, but the Dark Lord had heard that Dumbledore would be there that night interviewing a new teacher. He heard the door open and saw Dumbledore walk in, only to sit at a table where a woman with wild hair was sitting. Severus hunched over his drink so his employer could not see him. Knowing Dumbledore, he already knew Severus was there.
The interview was close to being over when he suddenly heard the woman change her voice. Even though he held little faith in Divination, he knew a prophecy when he heard one. The prophecy was about to the end when the bartender knocked over Severus's glass of wine.
"You fool," Severus hissed at the bartender.
The bartender just grumbled and wiped up the mess. Severus noticed the rest of the prophecy was over. The Dark Lord would have to do with the beginning he had heard. He had remembered his childhood love, Lily Potter née Evans had just given birth to a boy that fit what he had heard. Perhaps with the information he had, the Dark Lord would be willing to spare Lily.
The Dark Lord had returned. Severus truly and sincerely thought he was vanquished after the incident in Godric's Hollow. He had not expected his dark mark to return. All year long, it had slowly begun to darken. He knew he couldn't run. Lily's son needed him. He had to get into contact with his sister. She had not been born with magical powers like himself.
"Dear Austeria, I have neglected my brotherly duties in writing you. I apologize in advance that this may be one of the last letters I may be able to write you. The Dark Lord is returning. This may be my chance to finally redeem myself in your eyes. I know you do not approve of my actions in the past. However, if I die before I see you again, please do not regret having me as your brother, for I died finishing this war once and for all," Severus read aloud, satisfied with his letter to his sister. He would send it by way of muggle post to not raise unwanted suspicion.
Severus heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to find Albus Dumbledore there.
"I thought perhaps we could head over to the Hog's Head to discuss this some more. I hear Aberforth still has some of the excellent wine from Israel," Albus said with a twinkle in his eye, knowing it was the same wine Severus drank the night he heard the prophecy.
Severus grimaced but gave a slight nod of his head. He grabbed his cloak and headed out of the dungeons with Albus. As they were walking past the Great Hall, some students rushed by, attempting to make it to their common rooms before curfew.
"Ah I remember when I was that young," Albus reminisced with a slight smile. "I never thought we would be here. However, now it's the only thing I can think about."
"Neither did I, Albus. Neither did I," came Severus's reply
He could feel the temptations to turn back to the Dark Lord again. His nightmares were getting worse as the summer wore on. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but on the day of that Diggory boy's death, he vomited after he had returned from his meeting with the Dark Lord. With the reappearance of the Dark Lord at the Ministry of Magic, he knew everything was escalating faster than he had hoped. His nightmare last night was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.
Severus was in a bare room. The room looked as though it hadn't been inhabited in quite some time. Though it was barely the room appeared to be barely livable, it gave him a comforting feeling. It wasn't the most desirable place he had ever been in, but it felt warm. He was settling into the room when a door opened. He peeked through the door and saw a different room filled with riches. It looked as though King Midas had touched the room; everything was gold. While the room sent nervous shivers up Severus's spine, it was tempting. He felt a hand upon his shoulder and turned to look at the person whose hand it belonged to.
"Hello, Severus," said his mother.
He heard himself call her mother. She had looked the same a year before her death. Her eyes were bright and she had a gentle glow around her.
"I wouldn't go in there, if I were you," she said. "There is a price to be able to stay in the riches of that room. You have earned back your soul, are you so willing to give it away again for comfort?"
Severus closed his eyes and pondered upon what she said. "No, Mother, I am not. Please help me fight this temptation."
He had woken up soon after that. He felt that he needed to visit the Hog's Head again. Hopefully some of the wine that Aberforth had would help ease his tensions.
"I'm sorry, Severus, ran out," Aberforth said when Severus asked for a glass of the wine. "I have some white wine though." He pulled out a bottle to let Severus inspect it.
While the wine was not from the Galilee region of Israel, it was from the Judean Hill region. He nodded his head and handed the bottle back to Aberforth so that he could pour him a glass. He sat back on his stool and tried to push all his worries out of his head.
"I can't do it, Albus. Please don't make me get on my knees and beg," Severus pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but it's the only way after what you've told me. It is advantageous for Harry if you are put in a better position with Voldemort," was Albus's tired reply.
Severus could do nothing but put his head in hands and wondered what more that year could bring. Albus was almost a father to him and now he was being forced to kill him.
Severus downed the glass of white wine Aberforth served him. He needed the liquid courage for what he was about to do. He knew Draco wouldn't be able to kill Albus. Severus wasn't sure if he could kill Albus.
"Please, Severus," begged Albus.
Severus looked upon his mentor and silently sent the killing curse towards Albus. He grabbed Draco by the collar and hurried him out of the room towards the apparition point in the Forbidden Forest. After dealing with the obstacle that was Harry Potter, Severus disapparated himself and Draco to their meeting point with the Dark Lord.
"Ssseverus, you have earned this," said the snake-like voice of Voldemort. He beckoned for Wormtail to bring him a bag. Voldemort threw it before Severus's feet.
Severus opened the bag and was shocked to find real silver. He counted out thirty pieces of it. His stomach turned as he realized why the Dark Lord had chosen to give him thirty pieces of silver.
He was dying. He knew that the poison Nagini had given him was killing him. He saw the face of Harry Potter as Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak. He said the silent incantation to let his memories float from his head. He also conjured a flask for Harry to put his memories in. He continued to let the memories leave his head until he saw the flask was full. He knew that it was his last moments.
He wanted to see the brilliant green eyes of Lily once again before he died. He wanted to know that his redemption in her eyes was complete before he met with her in the afterlife.
"Welcome, my boy," said the voice of Albus Dumbledore.
Severus looked around and saw the faces of Lily and his mother smiling at him. Lily gripped Severus's hand and helped him up from his position on the floor.
"Welcome to your redemption, Sev," said Lily. Severus just smiled, knowing that it truly was the end.
AN: Okay this is going to be a really long Author's Note because I want to explain some of the story. Before I begin that though, I'm sorry that I didn't update "Hushed Secrets" tonight and will try to have an update up tomorrow if you are following that story as well.
I've had this story idea mulling around in my head for awhile. The idea of the story is taken from Dave Matthew's Band's "Bartender." The plot is based on some of the lyrics and Severus does ask for the same things the singer does. I've been trying for the past couple weeks figuring out how I was going to tell this story. I debated on using either Lily or Minerva as the sister figure in his life, but couldn't make either one fit. I decided to just create a muggle sister (which I found possible due to the fact that their father was a muggle himself). I named her Austeria by feminizing the word "austere." Even though Severus's name is a real historical name, I wanted to go along with the theme of severity.
The first wine that Severus drinks at the Hog's Head is from Galilee for a reason. If you follow the song, the singer asks for the same wine that Jesus drank after his resurrection. However, that was not the only reason for me choosing the location of the wine. I wanted it to symbolize the rebirth of Severus. He drank the wine right before his turned to the Light and again when he found out that Voldemort was starting to regain his powers back. Since Galilee had strongest connotations with Jesus out of all the wine growing areas in Israel, I chose it.
The nightmare is about temptation. The room that Severus first appears in is his life after the first fall of Voldemort. While it's not ideally his idea of paradise, it's comforting because it appeases to his conscience. The room filled with gold is the temptation of Voldemort's promises to Severus. If Severus were to betray everything and turn back to Voldemort, while he would have everything his heart desired, his mind would become cold again. He asks his mother for help because I believe that he truly cared for his mother as a child. I wanted him to realize in his later years that all he wanted was to make his mother happy. He thought if he could redeem himself by getting rid of Voldemort for good, he would make all those that he felt he let down proud of him.
The white wine that Severus drinks is from the Judean Hills because I wanted it to symbolize betrayal as well as fit the song. I chose that area because I felt the name best represented Judas Iscariot. Judas is the Greek form of Judah. Judea is the Greek name for the Kingdom of Judah. While the reason he has the name "Iscariot" is debatable, it is usually thought to be that he had it because it meant he was a "man of Kerioth," which was a city in Judah. Everyone believes the betrayal is real, which is why Voldemort throws the thirty pieces of silver before Severus's feet. The thirty pieces of silver was Judas's payment for betraying Jesus. However, because Severus did not give Albus a kiss like Judas did, it was not a real betrayal.