This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 7 March 2022.
Thank you to starrnobella reading this over and to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prompt: Salazar Slytherin
Card: Salazar Slytherin, Character Type: Known member of Slytherin, Location: Black Lake, Trait: Loyal
Additional Prompt: #DDRaD February 2022: Severus Snape/Harry Potter/In Vino Veritas
Some days it was all Severus could do to understand how he was still alive. To survive a war where he'd played a crucial part in the demise of the Dark Lord was unfathomable. If anything, he should be thanking Salazar Slytherin himself for leaving Hogwarts and thus allowing a student as brilliant as Granger to be taught here.
If Slytherin had remained, the bushy-haired know-it-all would never have been around to save Severus from a most horrifying fate. Nagini's venom had nearly burned him to the bone, but Granger had known precisely what to do, so here he was now. Alive. Living. Miserable.
It was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, so most of the castle was away at Hogsmeade. He was supposed to be monitoring the grounds, but his heart wasn't in it. So instead of searching for lurking students, Severus had pulled a bottle of Ogden's finest from his secret stash and wandered out to stare forlornly at the Black Lake.
The surface was calm this afternoon, the squid obviously napping far beneath where it could be seen or bothered. Opening the bottle, Severus began to take long sips as he thought about what else he could be doing besides teaching the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. After the war ended, McGonagall had surprisingly allowed him to return to his position, though he still did not know why.
If not for this job, Severus may have faded into nothingness. But, at least he had a purpose, and he was somewhat grateful for that. Life could be far, far worse. A cell in Azkaban probably still had his name on it, but somehow, he'd managed to walk free. The wind blew then, causing the lake's surface to ripple slightly. Severus glared at it and continued to drink away his agitation.
"It's no fun drinking alone," came a voice from behind Severus.
He'd know that voice anywhere.
"Potter."
Turning around, he sneered at the Boy Who Lived to Be a Man.
"Care to share that Firewhisky?" Harry asked, an innocent smile on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked instead, refusing to give the bottle to Harry. He tried to ignore how much like Lily he looked when he smiled. He preferred to pretend he only resembled James. It was easier to harbour anger towards him that way.
"I came to visit McGonagall and saw you standing out here by the lake on my way back to Hogsmeade," Harry explained with a shrug. "So, are you going to share or what?"
"I would prefer to be left alone," Severus snapped, turning away from Harry. He continued to drink from the bottle, blatantly ignoring Harry, who was obviously not leaving anytime soon.
"Come on now," Harry continued, his eyebrows easing up above his black-frame glasses. "Surely, two wizards can share a bottle of Firewhisky by the lake."
Rolling his eyes, Severus reluctantly handed over the bottle. He chose to ignore the thank you that was sent his way. Instead, he stood there pretending that Lily's son wasn't right there trying to be friendly. Eventually, the guilt began to creep in, and he sighed heavily. Taking a deep breath and using courage he could only imagine came from the alcohol, Severus broke the silence that had descended upon them.
"I owe you my life," Severus begrudgingly told Harry without looking at him. He continued to glower at the Black Lake until Harry began to laugh. Frowning, Severus turned to face the wizard. He took the bottle of Ogden's back and held it protectively. "What is so funny?"
"You. This… Us." Harry shrugged and then held out his hand for the bottle of Firewhisky once more. "You claim that you owe me your life, but where does that leave me?"
Severus handed over the bottle and watched as Harry took a swig. "You're talking nonsense, Potter."
"You helped keep me alive," Harry pointed out to him. "You watched over me all those years, and in the end, gave me what I needed to defeat Voldemort. Honestly, you're one of the bravest people I know…."
There was silence for a moment, and then it was Severus's turn to laugh. He snatched back his bottle and crossed his arms. "You've clearly had far too much to drink, Potter." He scoffed, knowing that Harry had barely had any to drink, and then took a long swig for himself.
"I'm serious, Severus," Harry said, frowning. "You were loyal to my mother, and therefore loyal to me. I owe you everything. Without your sacrifices and bravery, I would be dead, and this world would be quite different."
He had a point there.
Eyes narrowed, Severus turned and silently handed the bottle back to Harry. It was accepted with a smile and a swig. Heaving a sigh, Severus wrapped his robes protectively around himself. "I did what needed to be done. If you are grateful for that, then you are entitled to be so."
Harry smirked and stared at the Firewhisky. "You know, at this point in your life, maybe you should try and get out more." When Severus merely raised an eyebrow at the statement, Harry continued, "You've served your time here. You taught for more years than you probably meant to. What I am trying to say is that now that your debts have been paid, you can go out into the world and do whatever you want."
Severus blinked and then blinked again. His eyes narrowed as he thought about what was being said, and he held out his hand for his bottle. "You really are like your father," Severus muttered, though a bit half-heartedly. "Always sticking your nose in other people's business."
"That's what people tell me… Well, I've got to be going," Harry said, finally starting to step away from his former professor after handing over the bottle. "Just think about what I said, okay? You can start to live your life now. Enjoy it."
Severus nodded his farewell and watched as Harry moved around the lake back towards where he could venture into Hogsmeade. All the while, the professor sipped the Firewhisky and stewed over the conversation that had just taken place. Unsolicited advice was more like it, but still, a part of Severus couldn't help but think the wizard was right.
Severus stood there for a good, long while in the late afternoon sun. He thought about what his former student had said and then heaved a sigh. Putting the stopper back in the bottle, he turned and began the trek back up to the castle. He had more thinking to do and plans to make, but he would do just that. The Great Severus Snape would not become like Salazar Slytherin, who was so stuck in his ways that he was forced out of something extraordinary. No, Severus would change for the better and enjoy the remainder of his life.
Someday, perhaps, he would thank Harry properly. But then again, Severus thought to himself, maybe he wouldn't go that far… The wizard had enough of an ego as it was…
