Ok, so I am truly sorry for those of you who were hoping for a bit of slash, but when I started writing this story again (after over a year), i really wanted to create something a little more realistic, and I feel that Snape and Harry would have more of a father/son relationship, rather that anything romantic. If anyone has any suggestions, I am happy to take them on board. As I have said before, I am writing this story for your enjoyment!

(and again, sorry for typos's, I write best when I'm tired)

...

Snape appeared in the grounds of the castle. To him, this would always be home. It was rubble covered, and the grass way burnt down the soil.

He turned the invisibility cloak over in his hands, feeling the soft fluid material snake its way between his fingers. He smiled to himself as he recalled the last words he had exchanged with Harry. 'You'll always have me,' Harry had said. Snape said the words out loud. They sounded fluid on his tongue, and he relished the meaning behind them. Harry was so different to the boy he thought he was. He was forgiving and he realised, Harry was exactly the kind of man he would have wanted his own son to grow up to be, had Snape ever had the chance.

Snape walked towards the castle, the fresh morning air flushing his pallid face with a little colour.

The castle was still smouldering in some places. Grey smoke billowed from the top most parts of the building, creating a hazing mist leading its way up to the clouds. The sun looked subdued behind the smoke, casting a strange twilight over the grounds. What was left of the astronomy tower was lying at the foot of the castle, and so was part of the barracks. Fallen stones littered the ground, leaving small craters in the soil. It had not rained since before the battle, and dark brown stains still smothered debris.

Snape reached the castle steps. He looked though the open front door and saw a few people milling around here and there, helping in the enormous effort of cleaning up the school. Their attempts were largely futile however. He spotted Longbottom carrying rocks from one corner of the entrance hall to the other, with no real difference to the over-all appearance.

As Snape watched Neville making trips from one pile to the other, Neville looked up. His eyes fixed on Snape. His look of pained exhaustion turned quickly into confused rage. He dropped the stone he was holding, and marched over to where Snape stood, a few meters from the doors.

'Snape.' Neville licked his lips. He seemed conflicted between hatred and acceptance. Snape noticed this and looked Neville straight in the eyes.

'Mr. Longbottom.' Snape began, drudging up the most humble tone he could find. 'I cannot help but feel pained for the way I treated you.'

Neville's eyes widened. Snape knew that Neville always feared him above all other teacher, or perhaps all other things. The frightened mouse that always sweated over his cauldron, squeaking at the mere mention of his name, now stood before Snape. His back was straight, he hands weren't shaking. He stood before Snape, a man no longer afraid, and Snape respected that.

'I know that no words can make up for the past year.' Snape stopped and drew in a breath as he realised that Neville deserved an apology for not only the last year, but for the last seven. 'And,' Snape continued, 'for every time I berated you in front of your class mates, or said that you were not good enough. Because you are. You are more that good enough.' The words flew from Snape's mouth like a breeze longing to escape.

Neville's face was flushed with surprise. He had his bottom lip lodged firmly in his mouth, and nibbled it with his teeth in shear confusion. Never had Snape said so much as thank you to Neville, but Snape felt so relived to finally cause someone to feel something over that loathing towards him. Snape continued, not being able to stop himself from saying everything that he could.

'Mr. Longbottom, I do not know how much you know about my involvement with…everything,' Snape gestured towards the castle, hoping that would explain 'everything'. 'But I just want you to know that I never intentionally harmed anyone, and I hope you believe me when I say that I never would.'

Neville nodded, eyes never leaving Snape.

There was a small silence, as Neville managed to regain the ability of speech.

'I ummm.' Neville coughed. 'I don't know much except what Harry told everyone on the great hall with, Voldermort. He said you were Dumbledore's man.'

Snape nodded in confirmation.

'So if Harry says that you are one our side, then, I guess, I believe him.' Neville rushed the last part. He ran his hand though his sweaty hair, and nodded, satisfied with what he had said and heard.

'I realise now that this year could have been far worse for me.' Neville's voice grew stronger with every word. 'I admit that at some points I was questioning why I was allowed to be kept alive. I guess now that that was you.' It wasn't a question. It was a statement. 'I guess it is down to you that I am still alive. And I thank you.'

'That is not necessary Mr. Longbottom. You have nothing to thank me for.' Snape's heart beat loudly in his chest. He couldn't help but feel a certain pride wash over him. So long had it been that someone, other than Lord Voldermort, had thanked him for anything. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly into almost a smile.

Snape raised his wand and flicked it towards the pile of rocks that Neville had been moving by hand. The rocks flew into the air in a group and the floated noiselessly though the door, over Neville's head, and out towards the lake. The splashed one by one into the black surface and disappeared.

'Thanks,' Neville's face turned into a smile, showing off his bucked front teeth and deep laughter lines.

'You're welcome.' Snape walked past Neville, into the hall. He took large flowing strides, taking two steps at a time as he did all but run towards the seventh floor where Dumbledore's office waited for him.

He found himself outside the stone gargoyle in no time, and noticed that it was one of the only things that seemed untouched by the war.

'Dumbledore.' Snape whispered.

The stairs began to appear from the floor, and curved round in a circle. Snape climbed the stairs and stood face to face with the dark oak door. He pushed it inwards and walked into the office. The portraits on the walls cracked an eye open as he walked in, taking a peak from under their heavy eye lids. Snape felt every eye in the room on him as he walked towards Dumbledore's portrait.

Dumbledore was wide awake. He was beaming, his face shining out from purple bejewelled robes, his half-moon spectacles balancing on the end of his croaked nose.

'Severus.' Dumbledore said softly, tilting his head forward slightly in a small bow. 'Severus, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you.'

'See me alive, you mean?' Snape questioned. It was not an accusation, but if Dumbledore's plan had succeeded down to the letter, then Snape would also be sitting in a portrait on one of the headmasters walls.

'Yes, I must admit, that seeing you alive does rather fill my heart with joy.' He smiled, eyes twinkling. 'From what I hear, you are an extremely lucky man.'

'Has Harry spoken to you?'

Dumbledore smiled still wider when noticing that Snape used Harry's first name, rather than surname.

'No, indeed he did not. It was Minerva. She wanted reassurance that what Harry said about you was true. She told me that you were attacked by Lord Voldermort, and left to die.'

'As per your plan, I have no doubt.'

Dumbledore bowed his head in concession.

'I was under no misconception that I may not survive the war.' Snape shrugged. 'I'd come to terms with it you could say.'

'And yet…' Dumbledore gestured to Snape.

'And yet here I stand. Harry knows my memories, and I live to deal with the consequences of that.'

'Harry.' Dumbledore said softly. 'He saved you.'

Snape nodded. 'Indeed he did. He had no reason to. A few more moment and I would have been dead. I would not have blamed him for not coming to recover my body at all, let alone mere minutes after the Dark Lords death.'

'Harry is a good man, Severus. I trust you finally realise this?'

Snape felt Dumbledore search his face, hungrily looking for signs of a lie. 'Yes.' Snape answered simply. 'I have been a fool for too long. A fool eaten away at by grief and prejudice.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'I felt it impolite to say, but yes. I would have to agree with you.' Dumbledore smiled, his eyes crinkled at the sides, as though surveying a favourite son. He folded his fingers in his laps, and his expression turned slightly darker. 'Severus. I feel we should discuss a more pressing matter. That of your bites.'

'Yes, I agree.' Snape pressed a hand to his chest. 'I cannot help but feel…worried.'

'I would we worried if you were not, Severus. I have never heard of a bite disappearing from someone without magic.'

'Poppy tired her best, I am told.'

'Yes. I am sure she did. However, a magical bite such as the one you endured, a bite from that of a horcrux, is, I am afraid, new territory for me.'

'And I,' Snape agreed. 'And also the matter of Mr. Weasley receiving a similar bite, though reacting in a different way, troubles me further.'

'Yes.' Dumbledore closed his eyes and let out a breath. 'If I may, Severus, I would like to run though a few theories. I am nothing without a theory Severus.'

Snape bowed his head.

'Well, for a start, Lord Vodermorts Snake was killed shortly after you received the bite. Perhaps the venom that impregnated itself into your skin, also died?'

'As the snake died, so did the venom?'

'Well, not precisely. You didn't recover for a few days after the incident. Though if the venom had to take time to die then, maybe…?' Dumbledore broke off, deep in though.

'If that is true, then Poppy's spells would have begun to work?'

Dumbledore nodded, though he may not have been listening.

'Of course,' Dumbledore began again, 'perhaps the fact that Harry died to save everyone in the castle, and in doing so, casting a 'protective net', shall we say, over everyone in Hogwarts, then maybe it would extend itself to you.' Dumbledore looked at Snape. 'You were not dead yet Severus. It may have been enough to heal your wounds?'

'I have never heard of such a thing, Dumbledore.'

'No, neither have I Severus. And again, you didn't recover for a few days.' Dumbledore tapped his fingers lightly together. 'I am more intrigued.'

'May I put forward my own theory?'

'By all means Severus.'

Snape cleared his throat. His heart beat erratically in his chest. 'When I killed you.' Snape started. 'At the moment I cast the spell, I…' Snape hesitated, he wondered how best to covey his thoughts. 'I felt something.'

'Something? I sure hope you felt sadness?' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he winked at Snape.

'Yes, of course. But it was something else, something deeper. It was my soul.' Snape looked up at Dumbledore to see his face frozen in anticipation. 'In fact. I know it was my soul.'

'Indeed.'

'Voldermort had talked of magic well beyond anything anyone had ever achieved. He talked of living forever, of dying, but not ever being dead.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'He talked of how to create Horcruxes.'

'Not in so many words, but yes. He told me, I think, in a revelry. As never before had he truly trusted anyone. Not before I proved myself to him. He wanted me to serve him. Indefinitely.'

'He showed you how to make a Horecrux?' Dumbledore's tone was light, but his face looked like daggers.

'Yes.'

'And so, the reason for your sudden revival, was a Horcrux?'

'I think I must draw that conclusion. I mean, I never dreamed it would work, or that I would ever use it if it did.'

'I see.' Dumbledore was quiet for a long time.

'Please believe me when I say that I would never have made one of my own accord.'

Dumbledore nodded.

'And you did warm me of this Dumbledore. You said that Draco could not destroy his soul to kill you, that I must be the one. You must have known that this would be a possibility? You must have realised that my soul might not be tough enough to handle murder? And murder of a man who I have come to respect above all others?'

'I thought,' Dumbledore began. His tone was soft, but his eyes were still icy blue rather that their usually warm azure. 'I thought, you could handle it. I was selfish Severus. I had no idea that my death could possibly shatter your soul.' He looked pained. Gaunt. His frown lines were deeper than ever as he survey Snape from high on the wall. 'I am truly sorry, Serverus.'

'You don't have to be sorry. If I hadn't killed you, then I would have died.'

'Is that a silver lining, Severus? You are not usually one for looking on the bright side.' Dumbledore gave a small smile.

'It is something I am trying out.' Snape shrugged.

'I can see Harry is having quite the effect on you.'

Snape looked at Dumbledore in surprise. 'Harry?'

'Harry.' Dumbledore smiled.

...

Thank you for everyone who reviews, it really makes my day when I read them, and makes me want to update faster! So keep them coming! Good night everyone!