Change of Heart
Chapter 2
"Children, I suggest you go get some sleep. Unless you want to check in as patients, the infirmary is not the place for you!"madam Pomfrey said to Harry, Ron and Hermione who were standing over Snape's bed, like watchful dogs.
"Do you really believe that we'll leave him alone?"Harry said.
"There's nothing you can do for him, I assure you. Besides, he won't be alone."the nurse said and her hand motioned around the room where every bed was occupied.
"But what if he needs something?"Hermione protested.
"That's my job, dear girl, not yours."madam Pomfery said again and almost shoved them out the door.
They stood in silence outside the infirmary, not knowing how to begin a conversation. But they all wondered about the same thing. How could Severus Snape still be alive? They were definitely glad that he was but they were also dumfounded. He'd stopped breathing! That was a fact. Harry had checked his pulse, to make sure. There had been no pulse! Not a single indication that the man was alive! Yet, there he was, taking a nap, without any visible wounds and not even a scar. Healed, brand new. Disturbing.
"Do you think he may have faked it?"Ron broke the silence, shrugging.
Hermione shook her head.
"No, he couldn't have." She was certain of it. "We all saw the snake bite him!"
"And there was no chance he would have shown me those memories, unless he was sure he was dying."Harry backed her up.
"How do you explain it then?"Ron asked again.
"I don't know. I've never heard about anything like it!" Hermione tried to remember if she'd ever read about something remotely similar but nothing came to mind. "I know there are potions that can create the illusion that someone's dead... But combined with Nagini's attack, they wouldn't do any good, would they?"
"What if..."Harry was obviously having an epiphany. "Is it possible?"
"We're in the dark here, Harry. Care to fill us in?" Ron urged his friend.
"You know the thing that happened to me... When I died? I was with Dumbledore and he told me I could decide if I wanted to die, for real or go back... What if the same thing happened to him?" Harry explained and looked at his friends, hoping that they would agree with him.
"That was different, Harry." Hermione told him.
"Different how?"he asked her.
"Well, I don't know. I can't explain it really. It just seems different, that's all. And even if it were so, it doesn't make it any less weird. You were very lucky, Harry but what are the odds of the same thing happening twice in one day?"she said.
"Maybe it was Dumbledore's plan, all along." Ron said in a desperate attempt to be included in the conversation.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Powerful as Dumbledore was, I doubt he had the power to raise the dead, Ronald!"
"I have to agree with Hermione on that." Harry said but the truth was, he'd thought about it too. Hearing it out loud made it seem stupid though.
"You need to get some rest, Harry."Hermione was concerned about him. "Speculations will only get us so far. Let's get some sleep. I'm sure you can question him in the morning."
"Sleeping sounds good."Ron said as he yawned.
Harry was feeling very tired too.
"It wouldn't hurt. We're all exhausted, after all. My whole body aches!"he agreed and the three of them headed back to Gryffindor tower.
Severus tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling a word here and there, all the while dreaming about his life and the space in between his death and resurrection. He wouldn't remember any of it in the morning.
"Dark Lord Dead: The Boy Lived Yet Again" the title read and the article went on in the same manner, exaggerating every single detail of the battle. Too many people had fought and many had died but the Daily Prophet seemed to focus on Harry and his sacrifice. He didn't like it one bit but he took some pleasure in the hope that the gossip would subside soon. He had served his purpose and there was nothing about him that could possibly interest them anymore.
"Hey, look!" Ron exclaimed. "They have a picture of me in here! I don't look half bad, despite the dirt and the... blood..." He shoved the newspaper away as he remembered how awful it really had been.
Hermione stared at her friends. She couldn't help but bring back the image of their first encounter. They were all innocent and excited about going to Hogwarts. And even though they were equally excited now that their lives would begin anew, she saw them for what they were. Not boys anymore, but men. Worn out and sad. Their childhood had been lost. She couldn't ignore the feeling herself. The battle had been won but there was a lot more to be done before they could put the past behind and become happy again.
"We will be fine!"she cheered. "I know we will!"
They both reached for her hand simultaneously and smiled.
"The worst is behind us, isn't that right?"she asked.
"Yeah..."Ron replied. He was a man of few words. Harry nodded in agreement.
"So, let's start by smiling. Smile the pain away, alright?"she told them.
"I still have to talk to Snape..." Harry said as he pulled his hand back. Ron kept his where it was. Holding Hermione's hand helped him focus.
"It might not be such a good idea, Harry." Hermione scolded him. "Personally, I believe he will want some privacy. For some time, at least. How would you feel if someone came and pestered you with questions right now?"
"You're right, as always, Hermione..." Harry hated to admit that.
At that point, madam Pomfrey approached their table and cleared her throat in order to their draw attention.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, dear children, but, Harry, professor Snape would like to talk to you."
They all turned to her with a shocked expression. That was impossible! Snape asking for Harry, in particular? What a complete and remarkable tranformation of his character!
"Me? Are you sure he asked for me?" Harry asked, unable to believe the words that had left her mouth.
"You are Harry Potter, aren't you?"she said and walked away.
Harry looked at his friends and shrugged. It was just as well, he thought. Spared him the trouble of waiting for a better time. He waved at Ron and Hermione and went to have that chat with Snape. A part of him wanted to run away and hide. He wondered why he was still so afraid of that man. He had fought and defeated Voldemort himself! Surely, Severus Snape was no match for that, despite his gloominess. Having seen his memories though, lifted a bit of his fear. The professor wasn't such a bad man. He was just lonely and sad.
Harry pushed open the heavy door which led to the infirmary and sighed. Snape was sitting up in his bed, looking oddly refreshed.
"Goodmorning, professor."
Severus shook his head in acknowledgement and Harry sat in a chair by his bed.
"So, we won."
"Yes, sir. We definitely did. Much was lost but it's a victory, nonetheless."Harry assured him.
"Are you absolutely certain that the... Dark Lord won't return?" Severus asked again, a worried look in his eyes.
"Yes, sir, absolutely certain. One hundred percent." As Harry said that, Severus let out a long breath and closed his eyes. Harry realised Snape had been afraid. But he didn't have to be. Not anymore. "It's over, sir."he said again.
Severus looked at the young man and found himself oddly comforted by his presence. He wondered whether that was caused by his feelings towards Lily Evans. No. Potter. He searched his heart for the agonizing pain that used to crash him each time he thought of her but came up with nothing. There was a fond memory of her and some affection but not much more. Had he been offered a clean slate? Free from the bonds of his past, free to start over? It was an excellent gift yet, he couldn't help but feel a little angry. Nobody had the right to tear his own feelings away from him.
"Sir?" Harry's voice broke into his thoughts. "Would you mind telling me...? How did you do it?"
"How did I do what, mister Potter?" Severus asked.
"How did you come back? I mean, you did die, didn't you? Of course you did! I checked!"
"Keep rubbing it in, Potter. It makes me feel so much better."he sneered.
"I'm not trying to upset you, sir. I'm simply curious. It's only reasonable, don't you think?"
"Yes, I suppose it is." Severus admitted with a sigh.
"Did you use a potion?" Harry pressed on, encouraged by his reaction.
"You haven't learnt anything during my classes, have you? Even if I had predicted Voldemort's plan for me and taken a potion to prevent Nagini's poison from spreading, I wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding in time. Since I had no way of knowing what he had in mind, the combination of those two did, in fact, kill me."Severus explained. "But I was offered a second chance."
Harry's suspicion was practically confirmed. "By...?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know that. I was simply presented with a choice. Live or die. That's it." Severus wasn't going to admit he had been offered the choice by someone or something that looked like Potter. "I chose to live, obviously."
"Good choice, sir." Harry said and Severus winced, as the tone the boy used, very much resembled the one of his vision.
"Yes, thank you, Potter."he replied. "I think so too."
"I'm sorry to interrupt..." Hermione's voice broke the tension as she approached the two men. "Hello, sir! I'm glad to see you're doing better!"
"What are you doing here, miss Granger?" Severus said harshly but decided he wasn't bothered by her presence, at all.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I didn't mean to impose..."she said apologetically.
"I'm perfectly fine, as you can see. Thank you for your concern."he told her and remembered how soothing her hand had felt on his forehead.
Hermione hadn't expected the gentle timbre of his voice but she welcomed it with a smile. "I suppose madam Pomfrey will be letting you go soon."
"I see no reason for her not too."
His eyes weren't showing any emotion nor did his expression but Hermione thought she saw a little flame dance inside them. Why would she even bother noticing that? It didn't matter, did it? She wondered if he was really a changed man now, at least he seemed to be. Her smile didn't fade when she took his hand, pushed by a most absurd impulse and told him in all honesty "It's good to have you back." And then she forced herself to add "Sir".
A/N: I forgot to mention it in the first chapter, but it will be slighlty OOC. I can't see it working out any way else.
So... What do you think? :)
