Summary: SSHG, AU Harry thought Snape was dead. Well, he was, but he got better. (COMPLETE) Written for the 31 Days of Flash Fiction 2023

Beta Love: Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01

Prompt: "Death is an eraser, and now my slate is clean."


Clean Slate

31 Days of Flash Fiction story by CorvusDraconis

To have died once is enough.

Virgil


"I am a vampire, Potter," Snape said with a grimace as the Auror pressed his wand to his neck. "Not a politician. Though, some might claim that such things go hand in hand; I am not inclined to agree. I have no grand speeches to polish a silver-tongue, nor do I wish to demonstrate my hidden loquacious desires by running off at the mouth. "

"You shouldn't even be alive," the mop-haired man-boy accused.

"No, but your big heroic wizard thought of everything, didn't he?" Snape answered with a sneer. "Even death was denied me, despite everyone's best efforts."

"I can remedy that," Harry snarled with gritted teeth.

"Death is an eraser," Snape said with a quick flash of teeth, "and now my slate is clean. Vampires, as beings, have equal rights under the law. Your friend Granger saw to that. Albus' confession on parchment went before the Wizengamot to absolve me of my sins in case death wasn't enough."

Harry's jaw tightened and he ground his wand into Snape's neck.

"So much for your big speech then, eh? About my being a hero and so very brave."

Snape's expression was utterly stoic, his lips barely moving. His alabaster complexion hadn't changed one iota, yet he seemed still as a statue—as stiff as the dead.

"You were dead."

"I was."

"Then, how are you alive?"

"I am not."

Harry squinted, disbelieving.

"Had you actually read your Defence Against Dark Arts textbook, Potter," Snape said rather irritably, "you'd have learned that vampires are neither alive nor dead. Thus the crude undead term. Elementary twist on English, but nonetheless quite true."

Harry looked about to lose it and do something violent when a blur of dark movement whooshed by to one side. He immediately cast a protective shield and a stunning spell—

And it pinged off the curved surface of what might have been a cloak had it not moved by itself.

"Harry Potter," Hermione hissed, "what have I repeatedly told you about whipping out your wand at anything that moves? I told you to get some bloody therapy or at least pull your head out of your arse. I don't care if you're an Auror or the Minister For Magic—you don't go around flinging spells at everything just because you have a ruddy hair-trigger temper!"

The Lethifold that was hovering protectively between Hermione and Harry seemed to turn and glower at him—and since it didn't actually have eyes, that was quite a feat to behold.

"Hermione, what the hell are you doing here?!" Harry yelled, obviously taken aback by her sudden arrival.

Hermione stood in front of him and yanked his still-pointed wand out of his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. "I live here," she said pointedly. "What's your excuse?"

"Wh-u-eh-what?" Harry stammered.

"We're married, you idiot," Hermione clarified.

"How?"

"What do you mean, how? Severus proposed. I accepted. There was a priest of Hades involved. There was a wonderful honeymoon in Romania. Most of the Department of Mysteries attended the wedding. The reception was the talk of the Ministry for months. The mango wine was to die for."

Snape shot her a look.

Hermione huffed. "No one actually died, just to clarify. Ginny threatened to duel Draco over a case of it, though."

"I never got an invitation!"

"Well, whoever indicated your refusal on the RSVP needs to be fired," Hermione said tartly. "Ginny came, so how she knew and you didn't is a mystery best left to the gods."

"As for Ronald, he sent me a box of his very own shite as his reply," Hermione growled. "I hope he's having a wonderful time on his reassignment to Mount Athos in Greece—where, as I understand it—no female anything is permitted there. Human or animal. Last I heard he was gored by a bull. Poor puppy. I do hope his wound is gangrenous."

Hermione's expression softened as she embraced Snape, and the Lethifold wrapped snugly around them both in a protective cocoon for a few moments.

When they parted, Snape licked his lips in a quick dart of tongue, his eyes utterly black but for a ring of crimson where his irises would be.

"You let him feed on you, don't you?" Harry accused.

"Oh, for the love of—" Hermione cried in exasperation as she used Harry's own wand to fling him into a chair and hold him in place with a sticking charm. She offered his wand to the mini quetzalcoatl nesting in the nearby hedge, and the flying serpent hummed in appreciation and added it to its nest.

"Look, I didn't question it when you divorced Ginny in favour of Pansy, and maybe there genuinely is something between you. If you're happy, you're happy. Even if no one else can understand how."

Hermione paused for a moment as a flicker of thoughts suddenly connected. "Come to think of it, I think I know exactly why you didn't get the invitation. I was naive enough to think that any mail addressed to you would, of course, be honoured as your private correspondence. Now that, Harry, is something you can bring up during dinner time conversation when she complains she never got to sample the fresh Miyagi oysters and tiger prawns that Draco had specially delivered for the reception."

Harry could only blurt, "But you don't even have a ring!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I have a Lethifold. He's my wedding ring. With the side benefit that he won't get stolen by some shiny-seeking magpie, and I'll never lose him down the sink."

The Lethifold seemed to puff up proudly and snugly hug Hermione before settling across her shoulders.

"So, now that you've heard all that I'm willing to tell you, Harry," Hermione said sternly, "I'm going to send you back to St Mungo's trauma therapy ward, and you can return for your wand when you've successfully completed it—after the nesting season is over."

She rubbed the nesting quetzalcoatl under the chin before passing it a dead mouse. The serpent hissed happily and quickly made it disappear.

Hermione made a complicated series of wand movements, and Harry went tumbling arse over tit through what could only be described as a magical wormhole.

Severus tilted his head. "That went well."

Hermione sighed. "I think he's been rolled," she said wearily. "It hasn't affected his work, from what Amelia can tell, but I'm hoping Mungos can find something officially now that he's attacked you."

"Glad I was there for him," Severus said dryly, his lip curling slightly to expose one fang.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I know you didn't appreciate him announcing your story to the world in front of Riddle and everyone else."

"I suppose if I had died like a normal person, this wouldn't have been an issue." Severus tucked his head with a flattening of his lips.

Hermione pressed a kiss to his nose. "I love you, and I'm glad you're here."

"I should hope so, my dear," Severus said with an arched brow. "We have a long time together as it were."

"Promise?" Hermione asked, a flicker of uncertain insecurity chasing across her face.

Severus' eyes glowed. "Forever, if you truly wish it. You have only to say it." There was hunger there—and Darkness—but also supreme control. Severus' control was iron from many years of forced practice.

Hermione touched his cheek. "When Mungos finally proves there is no validity to his absurd accusations, I will be ready. I don't want anything to come back and blame you for unduly influencing me. You don't deserve that."

"Damn Potter for inflicting himself on my life yet again," Severus cursed with feeling. "Potters are forever putting themselves between me and those I love."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "I'm not going anywhere," she said. "Walter is always looking out for me, too. I'll be here, and—" She trailed off.

Severus turned his head, eyes narrowing. "And?"

"If they don't sort him in a year, we can always move to Australia to be closer to my parents," she said. She smiled. "And you can have your wicked way with me to your heart's content. At least if I'm a vampire, I don't have to worry about being killed by a blue-ringed octopus or a venomous anything."

His expression turned feral, hungry, and he pressed his lips to hers in a fierce kiss. "You always did have an annoying ability to see the positive in what most would consider hopelessly dark."

"You say the sweetest things, love," Hermione said with a smile.

He dipped his head to kiss his wife. "I look forward to our eternity."

Hermione beamed at him. "Me too."

Walter wrapped them together in a warm snog.

In that moment, Severus realised he would wait forever because she was truly worth it.