Disclaimer: Lichen and the faeries are mine, save Queen Clairion. All Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: As far as I can tell, this is Lichen's final story. This is how Severus managed to survive the wrath of Hagrid's Hell-mutt with his leg intact. If Lichen receives enough reviews, he may return for an encore.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Final Story

Lichen meets a puppy.

According to Greek mythology, a three-headed dog guards the entrance to the Underworld. This massive security hound was called Cerberus, but Severus was fairly certain the mythology was incorrect. Currently, he was headed straight for a guard-dog named Fluffy who would undoubtedly send him to the Underworld if he failed.

As the teacher ran through the deserted corridors, he convinced himself it was worth it. If he died tonight, it would be defending Lily Potter's child. He was atoning for his sins and doing his duty as Lily's friend. Dying tonight would not be in vain.

The entrance to the third floor corridor loomed before him like the gates of Hell. A mumbled Alohamora opened the flimsy lock and made Severus sigh. He would have thought Dumbledore would at least use a more powerful lock.

Of course, Fluffy was a big deterrent.

Enormous was a more suitable way to describe the slobbering hound that met Snape at the door the moment he opened it. Unfortunately, in order to complete his task, Snape had to go a few feet into the room. Fluffy did not come to lick his face like a blubbering idiot though; Fluffy wanted meat, and Snape looked like a mobile chew toy.

Perhaps he should have thought this out a bit more.

"S…S…Severus!" came the shocked voice of Professor Quirrell from in the room. "W…W…What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same damn thing!" Severus said, trying to edge himself closer to the refuge of the doorway. "Get out of here you bloody idiot!"

Quirrell let out a squeak of astonishment as he tried to inch his way to the door. Fluffy's heads watched both of them eagerly, deciding which was more appetizing. Did the dog want his meat greasy, or slathered in garlic? It was such a tough decision for something with three brains.

Fluffy preferred grease.

Severus let out a cry of agony as he felt one of the mouths clamp around his right leg. Both feet flew out from under him, and his chin bashed onto the marble floor. The coppery taste of blood flooded into his mouth as he realized he had bitten his tongue as well.

"Get out of here Quirrell!" Snape managed to croak despite the pain in his leg. "Now!"

Quirrell did not need to be told twice. The Defense teacher ran out the door and let it slam behind himself. Severus watched in distain as his last chance of getting out of this mess alive deserted him in a cloud of garlic-scented dust.

Then, his faerie god-father came to rescue him.

"Howdy Sev!" Lichen said, popping into existence with a puff of sparkles. "Isn't Halloween just Jingly? Free candy…dressing up like scary things…I'm dressed as a hawk!"

When Lichen did not receive any sort of criticism with regards to his costume, he finally noticed that Severus was currently being hung upside-down by a three-headed dog. Fluffy's right and left heads were snapping at Snape's head while the middle had its mouth firmly clamped on his pant-clad leg. Snape's cloak had since fallen off and was in a crumpled heap on the floor. The Potions teacher was dodging nips in his waistcoat and shirt-sleeves, hair flying in all directions.

"That's a big doggy," Lichen said, cocking his head to the side. "This just proves you shouldn't play with strange dogs Sev."

"Help Lichen!" Snape yelled, dodging another bite. "The damn dog's trying to bite off my head!"

"You shouldn't talk to it that way Sev," Lichen scolded as he flew a bit farther away from the dog. "How would you like it if I talked to you like that?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't talk at all!" Snape shot back.

In the heat of the moment, Snape did not realize the implications of that simple statement. Lichen began to sob great faerie tears, his entire body wracked with sobs. Severus tried to make amends, but his blasted tongue had begun to swell making talking nearly impossible. He watched with dismay as Lichen disappeared in another poof of sparkles.

The next moments were the longest Severus could recall. At first he dodged the dog's bites with vigor, but slowly his energy began to fade. He had just dismissed his one and only friend like a discarded play thing. Maybe he was getting his just deserts.

"Okay, here it is Antidesma," came a familiar voice from out of thin air. "This is Fluffy; the only three-headed dog in the universe. Isn't he a beauty?"

Severus watched as Lichen appeared once again, this time with another infernal pixie. She was a chubby female faerie with a rose-petal dress and hair the color of an overcast sky. She scowled at Snape, but her eyes brightened at the sight of Fluffy.

"My goodness!" she breathed in delight as she hovered near the slobbering canine. "What a fabulous specimen! Oh, Prince Lichen you are a truly honorable faerie. You will make a fabulous ruler one day!"

"Thank you Desma," Lichen blushed as he pointed to Severus. "But I think that horrible human may interfere with Fluffy's health. You know how human limbs can make three-headed dogs very sick."

"Stupid human," the fat faerie mumbled as she approached Fluffy's snapping jaws. "Trying to hurt this poor, innocent doggy were you? Well, we'll just have to put an end to that."

Desma began to make a sound that seemed to be a combination of growling and barking. There were a few whimpers in there as well. Snape could not believe that odd noise was coming from the rotund sprite, but if he got out of this mess, he'd believe anything.

Then, his face met the floor.

By the time Snape had re-gained his footing and his cloak, the faerie, Desma was gone. Fluffy continued slobbering in the corner, but apparently had no more taste for greasy meat. As Severus stood up, his hooked nose met a very irritated Lichen.

"What do you say?" Lichen asked in an I-told-you-so manner.

"I'm sorry Lichen," Snape managed to sputter around his swollen tongue. "Thank you for the help."

"You still owe me though," Lichen replied as Snape unlocked the entrance to the Underworld and slid back into the corridor.

The teacher ran down the hallways as fast as his injured limb would let him, a trail of sparkles indicating that Lichen was still watching over him. The infernal glitter continued to stick by him even as he discovered the group of teachers outside of the girls' lavatory. He managed to hide Lichen as he got closer, muffling the faerie's cries by bunching his cloak around him. Lichen only saw the light of day when Severus was safely in his chambers.

"Well that was uncomfortable," Lichen complained as Snape let him out of the folds of his cape. "Not exactly the way you should treat someone who just saved your life."

"I had no choice," Snape replied, allowing Lichen to sit on the edge of his small personal desk like a sparkly knick knack. "If you were seen…"

"Yeah, I get it," Lichen brushed it off as he ruffled his wings. "Now it's down to business."

"And what business would that be?" Snape raised an eyebrow as Lichen grinned.

"It's Halloween!" Lichen beamed as he sprang up and did a twirl in mid-air. "It's time for CANDY!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That night, Minky, the unfortunate house-elf responsible for Professor Severus Snape's room service, was surprised to have the teacher place an order. She completed it with expert efficiency and delivered it to his room personally. When the elf popped into the teacher's room with a plate of Pumpkin Pasties, she was surprised to see a very life-like faerie statue on Snape's desk.

And the teacher's black cloak was sparkling.