Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I hope you folks have a good time reading it! Enjoy! :)

Chapter 11: Peace

Stupefy. The target seemed to have read my actions and casted Protego. I cursed myself, the spell would have been better if only it had been spoken.

I found a box that I could hide on and ran. My wand was at the ready, for I didn't think I would want another spell to hit me. I carefully looked around and spotted my opponent hiding on a chair that was opposite of where I was. I knew I could do some non-verbal spells, they were already taught to us. But who would've thought that practicing all spell non-verbally was a pain in the arse? Not to mention that it was never as effective.

"Expelliarmus." Professor Flitwick, the former champion duelist, succeeded in disarming me again. My wand flew away from my reach and landed somewhere I couldn't see. When I finally gave up, Flitwick muttered Accio and gave it back to me with a smile. We were at a dueling room that Professor McGonagall prepared. The others, who were training with me were somewhere inside the castle, practicing the lessons that were taught today.

"That's enough for today Mr. Potter. Good show." He smiled at me and went to the office table located at the corner of the room, near the door. I followed him as he handed me a parchment. "I want you to study the book I gave you and know the fundamental characteristics on how to detect if the object is charmed. If you want to become a good Auror, then you have to be good in investigating and looking for clues."

I nodded at the professor and examined the parchment that contained the list of chapters that I would have to read. Just when I was about to get my things and leave the room, I heard a familiar tune, a choir song.

It brought back the memories I had when I was in Godric's Hollow, for it was the song they sang in the church. I stopped in my tracks and Flitwick stared at me, confused why I was still there.

Curious, I went back and asked, "Professor, do you often play this song?"

The professor looked at me with bright eyes. A smile erupted from his features as he realized what caught my interest. "This one? I was planning to learn the tune and teach it to the choir so that they can sing it before the winter break. It is a good song and it will also be a good tribute to those who died. Do you know this song Mr. Potter?"

I looked at Flitwick's solemn eyes and pondered about what he said. "I guess so; I only heard it once, back in the days when we were still searching for. . .something. I never really got to hear it clearly but I remembered the tune."

I stayed and I listened to the song for a while. I saw Professor Flitwick close his eyes as he hummed quietly.

Closing my eyes, I tried to remember that particular time when I was lost and I really didn't know what to do, the first time that I came to a place that I only knew because of stories, and of course. . .the person who was with me at that time.

When the song ended, I couldn't bear open my eyes. It was such a good song and it produced so many emotions that I didn't want to let go.

"Do you want a copy? I can give you one." I snapped out of my reverie and shook my head. I didn't want to trouble the kind professor, not when they still had so many things to do.

"No professor, it's ok. Besides, I don't have anything play it with."

"That will be easy, dear boy, you can borrow the music box that is on Professor McGonagall's office. The professor is quite fond of music and has two of those, the other one is in her room. I will ask her and give it to you when she returns from her trip to the Ministry."

I smiled, because of the war, Professor McGonagall was appointed as Hogwart's Headmistress and it had been her duty to restore the school to its former glory. During the time that we were still here, we helped a lot in rebuilding the school and repairing the damages caused by the war. After we have left, it took Hogwarts loads of months to recover.

And now, she was doing her best to achieve the full support of the Ministry in the reforms she was planning to make. In all honesty, I really didn't know what to feel about this place. It has been my first home, a place where I enjoyed staying; it was the first place I felt that I belonged. But as I remembered the air of death that surrounded this place during the war, so many painful memories resurface and I really didn't know how to feel anymore. Maybe the happiness that once surrounded this place couldn't really replace the despair, especially when death could never really be erased from everyone's hearts.

I looked at the Professor, whose eyes are now closed as he listened again to the tune of the solemn song. "Thank you professor. I really appreciate it. I shall be off now."

With that, I left the room and went near the lake, silently cursing myself at slacking off on reading the books that they have told me to study.

During the last few weeks at Hogwarts, I have had one on one sessions and duels with various professors about the certain subjects an Auror had to know, it was a protocol, really. Apparently, the reason Kingsley decided to train me at Hogwarts was because he wanted me to become a better Auror than what the Ministry has been training, along with the few others I am with. We all had our separate rooms and I barely saw them, especially because I spent loads of time here or in my own room.

Because of the war, only a few Aurors had been trustworthy enough to serve in the Ministry of Magic again and they now seriously lack people who could work at the Department. The former Order of the Phoenix had been kind enough to lend Kingsley a hand, especially now that Death Eaters were still on the loose. Still, it wasn't enough. He had hoped that Ron and the others would join me and train to become Aurors too but unfortunately, they all had declined. The others said that they would consider it once their lives returned to normal and Ron said he would join me in training when George could handle the shop on his own. But I know I would be out of Hogwarts, already serving the Ministry by the time he signed up.

So for now, feeling a little lonely, I always visited Hagrid when I had the time, seeing that he was the only one that I could talk to because everyone was busy preparing for the start of the term. Hagrid was very happy these past few days because he was able to transfer Grawp to a nearby mountain and his little brother was now happily living there. We visited him once, to see how he was doing and we were very delighted to see that he enjoyed living in his new home.

Being an Auror trainee has its quirks. I am here at Hogwarts but I did not have to study what the seventh year students were supposed to study. Most of the time, I would be most focused about were the Auror-related subjects that Kingsley reformed. I could go out of Hogwarts anytime, for as long as I had the consent from the professors. This was the reason why I was able to go with Hagrid when he visited Grawp. I also had my own room. It was Professor Lupin's old room and office.

Still, it also had its difficulties.

I always knew that Auror training was hard work, especially with the missions they were sent to. But I never thought that I would need to become very proficient in almost all subjects, like how to determine what kind of potion was used, if the animal was an animagus, when an object was charmed and various other things. Maybe it was because you would become some sort of a detective, like those shown in the muggle television. But still, having professors making me read these books and know so much stuff in a short period of time was driving me nuts that sometimes, I wanted to search for someone to talk to, just to get away from all of it. I often wondered how the others were faring, but most of them would go home after training and we barely had time to speak to each other.

I met a few of them, but Erik Levy was the only one whom I often spoke to. He was a son of a Ministry Official who got killed during the war. He was a bubbly, humorous person who was everyone's friend. He was taller than Ron and is unusually kind. He was always the first one who greeted me every morning.

I sighed. Right now, I rely on my owl, which I named Prongs, to give me some news from Ron and Hermione. Hermione was with her parents right now, on a vacation of some sort while Ron was shelping his brother at a workshop so that they could release new items for the Wheezes. I think he mentioned that Luna and Angelina were also helping them so I guess I didn't have to worry about them that much. Ron would go in Hogsmeade after a few days so I was looking forward to seeing him.

I went back to the task I had to finish and while I was reading a book about curses, I looked at my watch and suddenly remembered that the Headmistress would be arriving soon. I hurriedly brushed off the dirt in my pants and went towards the Headmistress' office.

"Password?" the gargoyle asked.

"Beaters and Bludgers."

The path opened and I hurriedly climbed the stairs leading to her office. What I saw when I entered was a very weary-looking McGonagall with a slight smirk etched in her face. "How was it professor? Did we manage to convince the Ministry to put Snape's portrait inside this office?"

She smiled at me and encouraged me to look at a new portrait with a crook-nosed Severus Snape sleeping inside it, crossed-arms and wearing a familiar black robe. A crooked smile crept on my lips, very pleased at the news at hand. "It was very hard to convince them that Professor Snape had always been on our side, but your letter and the memory you gave them was a good enough proof and they felt sorry for treating Snape as a traitor. You can go and talk to him now."

I nodded at the Headmistress and looked at Dumbledore's portrait, which smiled at me, teary-eyed and urged me to go near the portrait and talk to him. It was in the last few weeks that I was in Hogwarts that I realized that everyone still treated Severus Snape, Dumbledore's right-hand man, as a traitor. Thanks to Professor McGonagall, we were able to file it to the Ministry and with the help of Kingsley, our case was looked into. It had been very hard for us to convince them of Snape's innocence and what he did for us. Finally I was able to convince myself that by showing parts of the memory of Snape's past and adding some of my own, they would be able to see what kind of person he really was.

I made my way towards Snape's portrait, a bit nervous because I never really did this before. He seemed to have sensed my arrival because he opened his eyes and looked at me with such a piercing glare. But after a while, he gave me a slight smile. "So Potter, I hear that you managed to finally defeat him once and for all. Your mother was very proud."

I smiled at the thought. "I know. Thank you, Professor, for not giving up on me. Sorry that I seriously doubted you, I was a git." He just nodded at me and an awkward silence between the two of us followed for a while. I finally broke it when I was getting uncomfortable and my curiosity got the best of me as I blurted out some words.

"Er –– did you finally meet mum?"

He seemed to hesitate for a while, but gave a curt nod. "Yes. And I was . . .grateful that I got the chance to talk to her again." I smiled at him and nodded my head.

Then, when I wasn't looking, I swear he smiled back.

I didn't want to ask so many questions that were pouring in my head, realizing that he would've told me if he wanted to. I was about to walk out and go to the Headmistress' table when he finally spoke. "During the last war, my job was to keep you safe. I did it in order to honor Lily's name and as an atonement to what I did. Tell me Potter, can you ever. . .forgive me?" I looked at his face for a couple of minutes, pondering on what he had just told me.

"What is there to forgive?" I tried to ask, confused. I didn't really get his point. He looked at me, an intense gaze in his dark eyes.

"For being the one who told. . .Voldemort about the prophecy. It was because of me that your parents died."

I stared at the man who has spent his entire life to keep me safe after my mother's death. At his dark, soulful eyes that were once full of hate. And then, I realized that . . .there was really nothing to forgive. The past has already been done and what he did for me was enough. I looked down at him solemnly, as my eyes wandered back to one very moment that I tried to forget, a memory that was strongly etched on my mind. "Did you know Professor? There was once a time that I was full of hatred because of Sirius' death. And then I realized, love breeds hate, and hatred brings forth the urge for revenge."

I looked at him and gave a small smile. . .but my heart wasn't really set on where I was right now, for I was seeing a glimpse of the past. Voices shouted inside my heart and I could still hear my screams. It was a memory that I never really wanted to remember.

"At that time, I have no other desire but to extract revenge on that person that caused me my misery. I wanted to make her pay for taking Sirius away in the most brutal way I could think of. He was the only family I had and I lost him. Because of that, I even thought of casting an unforgivable. But when I think about it, I realized that what I was about to do back then would only make me someone like. . .Voldemort and I am. . .so ashamed of myself, for thinking such thoughts."

I stared at him, at the man who spent most of his life in regret. I never thought that there would come a day that I would tell Snape of these thoughts. "I do not hate you; they fought for what they believed was right and I am proud of them. And you, who loved my mother enough to overrule your hate for my father, showed me that love can overcome hatred. There is nothing to forgive, not anymore. You have done your best and for that, I will always be very thankful, Professor."

He nodded at me and I noticed the tears brimming in his eyes. I looked at him and smiled sincerely. This was the first time I saw the Professor like this, in all the years I had known him. I looked at McGonagall and Dumbledore, who were both crying, muttering 'well done' under their breaths. I nodded at them and before I left, I heard his voice again. This time, there was no sneer or scoff but a small 'thank you'.

I closed my eyes. Finally, after a long time, the man has achieved his peace.

A/N: Please R&R. Thank you for reading. ;)