Happy Birthday with a fic
I thought I'd give Severus and his most troublesome student a little much-needed closure for his birthday.
Title: Reconciliation
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,027
Characters: Snape, Harry
Reconciliation
The door burst open with a crash, and Harry charged inside.
A thin black-clad man with long, greasy hair sat at a writing desk; his back was to the door. He glanced nonchalantly over his shoulder and sneered, “Have you ever considered knocking? I suppose a little politeness is too much to ask of the hero of the wizarding world?”
Harry’s jaw dropped, and his wand trembled in his hand. “It’s really you! You are alive!”
Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. “I take it the lack of a body in the Shrieking Shack wasn’t enough proof for you.” He stood and spread his arms wide. “Here I am. You’ve found me. Would you like some House points for your latest victory?”
Harry frowned, and tightened his grip on his wand. “You aren’t surprised to see me, are you.”
“I knew you were coming.”
“How?”
“I saw you.” Snape gestured to the foe-glass hanging above his desk, which still clearly displayed Harry’s astonished face.
“You think of me as a foe?” he asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“Well,” said Snape, folding his arms across his chest, “you are under orders to arrest me for complicity in the murders of Emmeline Vance and Charity Burbage, aren’t you?”
Harry nodded, but lowered his wand slightly. “I am. But that’s not really why I’m here. You didn’t want anyone to die. I know that. You only did what you had to do.”
“You’ve no idea what a comfort it is to hear you say that.”
Harry’s jaw tightened. After all they’d been through…after all they’d both sacrificed to save the world…you’d think the man could at least be polite. As the thought flitted through his mind he could feel himself flushing at the memory of his own very recent not-so-polite entry into Snape’s flat.
“So,” said Snape. “If you’re not really here to arrest me, than I can only assume that you came in hopes of having some sort of heart to heart discussion about the past. You want to reconcile your negative memories of me with the mental image of my heroism that you’ve built up and pushed on any reporter who’ll still interview you. Unfortunately for you, I have no intention whatsoever of engaging in such a repulsive and unwelcome discussion with you. I did my job. You did yours. I’ve moved on. It’s time for you to do the same.”
Harry lowered his wand completely. “But…after all you did for me…”
“I did none of it for you. Of that you can be certain.”
Harry frowned. “You did it for Dumbledore. You did it for my Mum.”
Snape frowned back. “You have no idea how much I rue the fact that I had to reveal my history with your mother to you. But that miserable old man with his damn secrecy backed me into a corner. I had no other choice.”
Harry raised his wand again. “Don’t talk about Dumbledore that way!”
Snape once again rolled his eyes. “You can’t honestly tell me that the same thoughts haven’t crossed your mind from time to time?”
Harry’s wand faltered.
Snape smiled. “This isn’t quite what you were expecting, is it?”
Harry shook his head.
“Get used to disappointment.”
“You’re a nasty, snake-tongued, greasy-haired bastard!” Harry barked out before he could stop himself. He took a sharp breath and bit down on his tongue. This wasn’t all what he’d intended. Why did the man irritate him so?
Snape’s smile grew wider. “There! Doesn’t it feel better to finally speak the truth-right to my face?”
Surprisingly, it did.
“And you,” he added, “are a hotheaded, self-righteous, arrogant little berk, and nothing makes me happier than to be free of my vow to protect you.”
“I always hated you,” said Harry, feeling a great weight of obligation lifting from his chest.
“The feeling was mutual, I assure you,” replied Snape.
Harry nodded uneasily. What could he say, after that? There was only one thing, really. “Thank you,” he said softly. “For everything.”
Snape nodded back, the look on his face lightening. “No thanks is necessary.”
“You have it, in any case.”
There was silence as the two men stared at each other.
Snape cleared his throat. “I should tell you that you acquitted yourself very well. Far better than I’d expected. Your mother would be proud.”
Harry couldn’t help but feel the tension in his chest easing, and a new lightness settling over his whole being. “Thank you.”
They were silent again.
Snape spoke first. “Very well, now that all that’s out of the way, I’ll be excusing myself. Today is my birthday, and I have plans to spend the evening with my lover.”
Harry’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
“Don’t look so surprised,” said Snape with a sneer. “You can’t really believe that everyone finds me repulsive, just because you do.”
“Yeah…sorry,” stammered Harry.
“I’ll be leaving now,” said Snape, striding past Harry to take a cloak from the coat-tree by the doorframe, where the damaged door still hung awkwardly from a single hinge.
Harry stepped back to let him pass, feeling slightly torn between his duty as an Auror and his desire to let Snape go in peace.
As Snape stepped through the door he paused and looked back. “Don’t expect to find me here again. I suppose I’ll have to cut my evening short to clear out my things. And make sure you fix that door before you leave. Very sloppy work there, Potter.”
He turned leave, and Harry stepped toward him. “Wait.”
Snape paused again, looking at Harry and raising an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll give you forty-eight hours to clear out before I tell anyone you were here. Consider it a birthday present.”
Snape widened his eyes in surprise. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Harry nodded sharply. A two day head-start was the least he could do for the man to whom he owed so much. “Well…good luck with…you know…life.”
Snape nodded slowly. “Thank you. Good luck to you, as well. And farewell.”
“Goodbye.”
Snape turned, and strode away.
Harry watched him go, wondering if he would ever see him again.
….
Title: Reconciliation
Rating: PG
Word count: 1,027
Characters: Snape, Harry
Reconciliation
The door burst open with a crash, and Harry charged inside.
A thin black-clad man with long, greasy hair sat at a writing desk; his back was to the door. He glanced nonchalantly over his shoulder and sneered, “Have you ever considered knocking? I suppose a little politeness is too much to ask of the hero of the wizarding world?”
Harry’s jaw dropped, and his wand trembled in his hand. “It’s really you! You are alive!”
Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. “I take it the lack of a body in the Shrieking Shack wasn’t enough proof for you.” He stood and spread his arms wide. “Here I am. You’ve found me. Would you like some House points for your latest victory?”
Harry frowned, and tightened his grip on his wand. “You aren’t surprised to see me, are you.”
“I knew you were coming.”
“How?”
“I saw you.” Snape gestured to the foe-glass hanging above his desk, which still clearly displayed Harry’s astonished face.
“You think of me as a foe?” he asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“Well,” said Snape, folding his arms across his chest, “you are under orders to arrest me for complicity in the murders of Emmeline Vance and Charity Burbage, aren’t you?”
Harry nodded, but lowered his wand slightly. “I am. But that’s not really why I’m here. You didn’t want anyone to die. I know that. You only did what you had to do.”
“You’ve no idea what a comfort it is to hear you say that.”
Harry’s jaw tightened. After all they’d been through…after all they’d both sacrificed to save the world…you’d think the man could at least be polite. As the thought flitted through his mind he could feel himself flushing at the memory of his own very recent not-so-polite entry into Snape’s flat.
“So,” said Snape. “If you’re not really here to arrest me, than I can only assume that you came in hopes of having some sort of heart to heart discussion about the past. You want to reconcile your negative memories of me with the mental image of my heroism that you’ve built up and pushed on any reporter who’ll still interview you. Unfortunately for you, I have no intention whatsoever of engaging in such a repulsive and unwelcome discussion with you. I did my job. You did yours. I’ve moved on. It’s time for you to do the same.”
Harry lowered his wand completely. “But…after all you did for me…”
“I did none of it for you. Of that you can be certain.”
Harry frowned. “You did it for Dumbledore. You did it for my Mum.”
Snape frowned back. “You have no idea how much I rue the fact that I had to reveal my history with your mother to you. But that miserable old man with his damn secrecy backed me into a corner. I had no other choice.”
Harry raised his wand again. “Don’t talk about Dumbledore that way!”
Snape once again rolled his eyes. “You can’t honestly tell me that the same thoughts haven’t crossed your mind from time to time?”
Harry’s wand faltered.
Snape smiled. “This isn’t quite what you were expecting, is it?”
Harry shook his head.
“Get used to disappointment.”
“You’re a nasty, snake-tongued, greasy-haired bastard!” Harry barked out before he could stop himself. He took a sharp breath and bit down on his tongue. This wasn’t all what he’d intended. Why did the man irritate him so?
Snape’s smile grew wider. “There! Doesn’t it feel better to finally speak the truth-right to my face?”
Surprisingly, it did.
“And you,” he added, “are a hotheaded, self-righteous, arrogant little berk, and nothing makes me happier than to be free of my vow to protect you.”
“I always hated you,” said Harry, feeling a great weight of obligation lifting from his chest.
“The feeling was mutual, I assure you,” replied Snape.
Harry nodded uneasily. What could he say, after that? There was only one thing, really. “Thank you,” he said softly. “For everything.”
Snape nodded back, the look on his face lightening. “No thanks is necessary.”
“You have it, in any case.”
There was silence as the two men stared at each other.
Snape cleared his throat. “I should tell you that you acquitted yourself very well. Far better than I’d expected. Your mother would be proud.”
Harry couldn’t help but feel the tension in his chest easing, and a new lightness settling over his whole being. “Thank you.”
They were silent again.
Snape spoke first. “Very well, now that all that’s out of the way, I’ll be excusing myself. Today is my birthday, and I have plans to spend the evening with my lover.”
Harry’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
“Don’t look so surprised,” said Snape with a sneer. “You can’t really believe that everyone finds me repulsive, just because you do.”
“Yeah…sorry,” stammered Harry.
“I’ll be leaving now,” said Snape, striding past Harry to take a cloak from the coat-tree by the doorframe, where the damaged door still hung awkwardly from a single hinge.
Harry stepped back to let him pass, feeling slightly torn between his duty as an Auror and his desire to let Snape go in peace.
As Snape stepped through the door he paused and looked back. “Don’t expect to find me here again. I suppose I’ll have to cut my evening short to clear out my things. And make sure you fix that door before you leave. Very sloppy work there, Potter.”
He turned leave, and Harry stepped toward him. “Wait.”
Snape paused again, looking at Harry and raising an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll give you forty-eight hours to clear out before I tell anyone you were here. Consider it a birthday present.”
Snape widened his eyes in surprise. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Harry nodded sharply. A two day head-start was the least he could do for the man to whom he owed so much. “Well…good luck with…you know…life.”
Snape nodded slowly. “Thank you. Good luck to you, as well. And farewell.”
“Goodbye.”
Snape turned, and strode away.
Harry watched him go, wondering if he would ever see him again.
….