Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling owns all that Harry Potter stuff you recognize.

A/N: I've got to say that this story is starting to get longer than I ever expected it to be. Thanks again to all my wonderful readers.

Redemption

Snape's Mind

The Dark Lord is finally gone. He really is this time. I've spent so many years of my life acting out my part. Now I get to be who I want to be. Deep down, who I've always been. Maybe I will have the chance to love again. With the Dark Mark lifted I am just an ordinary wizard. I think I could live with that.

How can I possibly talk Draco into helping me? Are there still people that are willing to listen to him? Yes, he was not quite an adult during the incident. After all the mind of a child is so easily deceived. Where would the boy be hiding? I have no chance without him. If I get through all of this will Harry want to stay with me? He seemed to welcome me earlier...but so much has happened. He may just be confused. What if he decides he wants nothing to do with me once everything settles down?

It would be nice to start over. To be able to forget out the past for a change. Although I'm sure few will notice the difference. I will never be nice. It's not who I am, nor is it who I choose to be. I need to find Draco.

Snape pulled his hood up over his head trying to hide who he was. He pushed his hair back as good as he could. It had grown quite a bit since he first invaded Harry's space. It was down past his shoulders a little. He would cut it himself if he could. Harry could probably use a haircut too. His hair was halfway to his shoulders now.

When he reached a small town, he discovered that there were huge celebrations going on. People were acting in profuse manners. Many were even wandering the streets way past being drunk. Snape shook his head. Stupid fools are stumbling over each other. I wonder what they have heard about the war.

Snape chose to talk to a slightly more sober man. "How was the war won?" The man looked at Snape in disbelief. "Where have you been? The war has been over for a week now." Yes, and everyone still seems to think it gives them the right to act like complete idiots. "Aye, they are not letting out much information on the subject. All they told us was that the Dark Lord has been defeated. Harry Potter has saved us once again!" "That's all I need to know."

So they are completely clueless? They don't know how it happened yet. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. It may work in my favor. At this point, I'm sure they will take any news they can get their hands on. Severus walked on in steady strides. Hoping to run into something that would be helpful. Or at the very least stay away from trouble.

He walked out of the cheerful atmosphere of the town using the alleyways to avoid any more people. Snape liked the change. Never really caring for the cheerfulness of the castle, it was a nice change. No one really wanted to go back this far in the alleyways. It had a kind of gloomy feel to it. Snape could hear someone approaching. Did someone recognize me? "I figured you would try to find me." Snape turned around to face a now smug Draco Malfoy. "Oh really? And what makes you think that?" Draco moved so he would be standing directly in front of Snape. "Oh, it's just a hunch."

Draco certainly seemed rather confident about things. "The ministry cleared my name. I have nothing to worry about. Sometimes coming from a wealthy family comes in handy." Of course, the Malfoys buy their way out of everything. And with the contributions they make to the ministry, they can get away with pretty much anything. Draco stepped up a little closer so he could run his hand up to Snape's chest.

Ordinarily Snape would have jinxed the kid or something. But I need his help. "You want me to convince them that you are innocent. Am I right?" "Yes. What is it that you require?" Draco delicately slid the hood off of Snape's head. He ran his fingers through Snape's hair. "Oh, you and Harry will find that out soon enough. I wonder how people will react once they find out what spell killed Voldemort. You must like him a lot to sacrifice your status like that."

I've had to be nice to him for many years now. Just a little longer wont make much of a difference. I'm going to have to watch out for him in the future though. He can cause me a lot of trouble if I'm not careful. Draco withdrew his hand allowing Snape a moment to recover his head. "Just make it convincing. Throw in something about being controlled by the Dark Lord. Oh, and if you mess this up I will get my revenge. I won't have anything holding me back. Is that clear?" Draco looked slightly disappointed, but nodded his head in agreement. Draco disappeared back into the world.

That's one less thing I have to worry about now. I don't like the sound of the catch though. What could he possibly be planning? If he is so happy about it, it must be something bad for me. Still it's my only chance of redeeming myself. It's getting late. I need to find somewhere to stay for the night. He could almost see the humor in himself living in the streets. Literally starting a new life from scratch. Snape found an old abandoned building. It would probably be tore down within a year. The place would never be back up to code. But still it was a place to stay.

Snape found a fireplace that was still in decent condition and magically started a fire. It will get cold after the sun has been down for a while. There's nothing else I can do for the day. I guess I can sleep for a while. Snape sat in the corner so he could lean against the wall. He didn't really feel like laying completely on the floor. I just hope that all this was worth it. Without another thought Snape drifted into an uneasy sleep. A slumber full of doubts and what-ifs.

Snape was awoken some time later by a creature named Dobby. "Dobby was told to wake you sir. Important news for sir." Snape sat up a little straighter, sore from his sleeping position. "What are you talking about house elf?" Dobby shivered. "Mr. Malfoy wanted me to give this to you. He told Dobby that his part of the deal has been met." Of course, Dobby would know where Draco was. He probably told him that I was looking for him to begin with. No wonder he seems to know so much about everything. "Dobby must go now." Dobby had a habit of not letting much information through. When the confusion reaches a maximum point, the house elf vanishes. It never fails.

Snape looked down at the paper he had been handed. It was the Daily Prophet. I guess they really were desperate for some news.

Who's the Victim?

After much debating and some inside news on the subject the ministry has come to a conclusion. Severus Snape is found to be not guilty as the cause of the death of Albus Dumbledore. It has been discovered that he was merely a puppet of the Dark Lord. Unable to control his actions, he therefore will not be held responsible. This decision seems to have angered many people.

Renae Silverstone stated, "Who cares if he was being controlled? He was a Death Eater. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater is what I say."

It is true that Severus Snape was once a Death Eater. However, the ministry had cleared all charges years ago. He was said to have been the spy for Albus Dumbledore.

More on this, page A3

I'm cleared? Can that be right? I knew he had connections, but...This is unbelievable. He looked at another paper Dobby had given him. It said pretty much the same thing. It was when he flipped back to the Daily Prophet that he discovered Draco's catch.

/Snape's Mind