FIC: Four Times That Severus Snape Died & The One Time that He Didn't
Title: Four Times that Severus Snape Died and the One Time that He Didn’t.
Author: aaronlisa
Rating: FR13
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and company.
Prompts: Written for the April 2007 round at fic_variations (life or death)
Notes: Four of the five pieces contain character death.
Summary: Five dabbles exploring how Severus Snape dies or doesn’t die.
I.
He had always known that he would die in the war between the two factions, but somehow he had always imagined that his death would be a noble one. His death was supposed to be a fitting end to a man who had devoted himself to the greatest Wizard of their age, a death that was supposed to redeem him to show the world that he was a noble man of goodness. Instead as he lies in the dank alley way gasping for breath as Mad-Eye Moody cackles at him. Snape had never really thought that Moody would be the one to kill him, despite the intense hatred that the man bears for him. Yet here they both are, Moody holding the wand that had cast the spell at him that is slowly killing him. His one chance at redemption is gone and Snape knows that he will forever be wrongly remembered as villain. Yet, his work for Dumbledore is not done and although it pains him to give this man any thing, he knows that for the Order to be triumphant they must know the last piece of knowledge he holds.
“Moody, the Dark Lord plans to attack Hogwarts on the eve …” Snape begins only to be cut off.
“Shut your mouth, Snape, I don’t wish to hear any of your lies,” Moody snarls.
In a different place, Snape would have gathered his robes around himself dramatically and argued with the former auror but he feels rather dizzy with his death moments away. Instead he attempts to arch an eyebrow at his nemesis as he uses his sternest voice.
“Put your hatred aside for one moment, they plan on attacking Hogwarts on the eve of the solstice.” Snape states before he stops as he starts to feel numb.
He can only hope with his last breath that Moody will tell the Order the bit of information that he has given him and that Minerva will listen to it and accept it as truth. It will make this ignoble death worthwhile.
II.
As he looks into the worried eyes of his grandson, Severus Snape feels irritable. He had never once dreamed that he would die an old man in his bed surrounded by his family, yet here he is. He knows that he is dying and he is more than ready for that final moment to come, after all he has lived a long life that some still think he should never have been allowed.
“Would you go away and worry over someone else. Someone that wants your pity and worry?” Snape snaps at his grandson.
The young man ignores him as he takes a chair by the bed and composes himself so that he won’t anger the older man. Still Snape glares at him in fury and distaste. Severus Snape may have been exonerated at the end of the Great Wizarding War, but he is still a cantankerous man full of ill humour. The younger Snape wonders what his grandmother ever saw in his grandfather to marry him and to bear his children.
“Is there anything I can get you Grandfather?”
“I’m dying you fool. Some final peace and quiet from dunderheads such as yourself would be most welcome!” Snape snarls in impatience.
“I realize that Grandfather.”
“Then why are you still here?” Snape asks as he starts to cough.
The grandson doesn’t answer as he reaches over and helps his grandfather to sit up. Once the coughing spell has passed, his grandfather slaps his hands away with a look of disgust on his face.
“I’ve lived a long life, much longer than I ever thought I would be granted. Now all I want is to die in peace and quiet.”
“Yes Grandfather.”
Severus Snape grumbles at the young man’s reluctance to leave him. He wishes that he had more time to spend with this young man, but he refuses to make such an admission, even now on his deathbed.
“I wish …” Snape begins to say as he trails off.
“What is it Grandfather?”
“I wish to be reunited with your Grandmother,” Snape weakly admits as he starts to feel weaker. “Yet I am afraid that if a Muggle Heaven and Hell exist that I will be denied entry into Heaven for my sins.”
“Grandfather, don’t speak like that. You have lived a noble life.”
“What do you know of nobility? You’re just a boy pretending to be a man.”
Silence enfolds the unlikely pair as Snape’s breaths become more laboured; they both know the end is near. The older man is lost in his memories of his wife while the younger man is already starting to grieve for the man who had raised him when his own parents died.
III.
He has long been waiting for death, since it will release him from this tortured existence of a double life that he has to endure. Yet now as his death is imminent, he makes feeble attempts to clutch at it with both hands. Despite his belief that death would be a welcome release, he is suddenly afraid of it. He does not want to die as he once wishes he dead and his brain rushes in panicked circles as he tries to think of a way to escape this fate. His logical mind knows how this is going to end but while his life is slowly draining out of him, his emotional mind takes over as he tries to hang onto the like he always claimed he never wanted.
IV.
Severus Snape does not cringe in cowardice or pain; he is a brave man who has made a choice to live a double life. At least that’s the silent litany that’s running in Snape’s mind as the Dark Lord continually casts the Cruciatus Curse at him. Every time that Snape thinks it is over, the Dark Lord points his wand at him and says Crucio. Snape refuses to give in to the pain and to let himself gibber like an idiot. A long time ago he resigned himself to his fate, as a double agent and he always knew that he would die at the end of the wand held by either one of his former allies with the Death Eaters or with the Order. He never envisioned the Dark Lord personally punishing him for his duplicity. Nonetheless, Snape refuses to allow his former master the pleasure of seeing him break from the curse instead he holds his tongue as his body is wracked with pain over and over again. The only thing saving him from insanity is the litany that he keeps repeating in his mind. Snape knows that the Dark Lord will grow bored soon and that he will point his wand at his former servant and whisper the words that end his life and Snape intends to hold out until he hears those words, as death is preferable to him than insanity.
V.
As he stares down Harry Potter’s wand, Snape feels an undignified trickle of cold sweat run down his spine. He had known for a long time that this moment would be coming; Potter’s hatred for the man who killed Dumbledore would be Potter’s downfall. In his mind, Snape had envisioned the moment very differently. In his imaginings of the event, Potter always seemed much taller and brave and not some scared teenager on the brink of adulthood whose wand was wavering with his barely contained emotion. Snape was always certain that he would be arrogant as he smirked at Potter and told him to just get it over with, instead of breaking out in a cold sweat as he saw his life flash before his eyes.
There are no words spoken between the two as Potter wages a silent battle in his head probably in an attempt to work up the nerve to do what he feels he must. Suddenly Snape is not so brave or willing to face the killing curse at the end of Potter’s wand. He knows that the person casting the spell must intend it; otherwise it causes nothing more but intense pain to the intended victim. Snape isn’t certain that Potter, despite his hatred, can actually intend to take another’s life.
“Harry, no!” Hermione calls out as she races towards the two figures.
For once, Snape is relieved to see the Gryffindor Know-It-All, because if anyone can save his life and Harry’s innate goodness, it is Hermione Granger. When she reaches them, she is panting for air as she pushes Harry’s wand arm down. Her eyes silently speak to the young wizard and Snape knows that it’s not quite over yet. He’ll live to see another day, but there are other wizards out there who believe that he should die for his actions.
**END**
Author: aaronlisa
Rating: FR13
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and company.
Prompts: Written for the April 2007 round at fic_variations (life or death)
Notes: Four of the five pieces contain character death.
Summary: Five dabbles exploring how Severus Snape dies or doesn’t die.
I.
He had always known that he would die in the war between the two factions, but somehow he had always imagined that his death would be a noble one. His death was supposed to be a fitting end to a man who had devoted himself to the greatest Wizard of their age, a death that was supposed to redeem him to show the world that he was a noble man of goodness. Instead as he lies in the dank alley way gasping for breath as Mad-Eye Moody cackles at him. Snape had never really thought that Moody would be the one to kill him, despite the intense hatred that the man bears for him. Yet here they both are, Moody holding the wand that had cast the spell at him that is slowly killing him. His one chance at redemption is gone and Snape knows that he will forever be wrongly remembered as villain. Yet, his work for Dumbledore is not done and although it pains him to give this man any thing, he knows that for the Order to be triumphant they must know the last piece of knowledge he holds.
“Moody, the Dark Lord plans to attack Hogwarts on the eve …” Snape begins only to be cut off.
“Shut your mouth, Snape, I don’t wish to hear any of your lies,” Moody snarls.
In a different place, Snape would have gathered his robes around himself dramatically and argued with the former auror but he feels rather dizzy with his death moments away. Instead he attempts to arch an eyebrow at his nemesis as he uses his sternest voice.
“Put your hatred aside for one moment, they plan on attacking Hogwarts on the eve of the solstice.” Snape states before he stops as he starts to feel numb.
He can only hope with his last breath that Moody will tell the Order the bit of information that he has given him and that Minerva will listen to it and accept it as truth. It will make this ignoble death worthwhile.
II.
As he looks into the worried eyes of his grandson, Severus Snape feels irritable. He had never once dreamed that he would die an old man in his bed surrounded by his family, yet here he is. He knows that he is dying and he is more than ready for that final moment to come, after all he has lived a long life that some still think he should never have been allowed.
“Would you go away and worry over someone else. Someone that wants your pity and worry?” Snape snaps at his grandson.
The young man ignores him as he takes a chair by the bed and composes himself so that he won’t anger the older man. Still Snape glares at him in fury and distaste. Severus Snape may have been exonerated at the end of the Great Wizarding War, but he is still a cantankerous man full of ill humour. The younger Snape wonders what his grandmother ever saw in his grandfather to marry him and to bear his children.
“Is there anything I can get you Grandfather?”
“I’m dying you fool. Some final peace and quiet from dunderheads such as yourself would be most welcome!” Snape snarls in impatience.
“I realize that Grandfather.”
“Then why are you still here?” Snape asks as he starts to cough.
The grandson doesn’t answer as he reaches over and helps his grandfather to sit up. Once the coughing spell has passed, his grandfather slaps his hands away with a look of disgust on his face.
“I’ve lived a long life, much longer than I ever thought I would be granted. Now all I want is to die in peace and quiet.”
“Yes Grandfather.”
Severus Snape grumbles at the young man’s reluctance to leave him. He wishes that he had more time to spend with this young man, but he refuses to make such an admission, even now on his deathbed.
“I wish …” Snape begins to say as he trails off.
“What is it Grandfather?”
“I wish to be reunited with your Grandmother,” Snape weakly admits as he starts to feel weaker. “Yet I am afraid that if a Muggle Heaven and Hell exist that I will be denied entry into Heaven for my sins.”
“Grandfather, don’t speak like that. You have lived a noble life.”
“What do you know of nobility? You’re just a boy pretending to be a man.”
Silence enfolds the unlikely pair as Snape’s breaths become more laboured; they both know the end is near. The older man is lost in his memories of his wife while the younger man is already starting to grieve for the man who had raised him when his own parents died.
III.
He has long been waiting for death, since it will release him from this tortured existence of a double life that he has to endure. Yet now as his death is imminent, he makes feeble attempts to clutch at it with both hands. Despite his belief that death would be a welcome release, he is suddenly afraid of it. He does not want to die as he once wishes he dead and his brain rushes in panicked circles as he tries to think of a way to escape this fate. His logical mind knows how this is going to end but while his life is slowly draining out of him, his emotional mind takes over as he tries to hang onto the like he always claimed he never wanted.
IV.
Severus Snape does not cringe in cowardice or pain; he is a brave man who has made a choice to live a double life. At least that’s the silent litany that’s running in Snape’s mind as the Dark Lord continually casts the Cruciatus Curse at him. Every time that Snape thinks it is over, the Dark Lord points his wand at him and says Crucio. Snape refuses to give in to the pain and to let himself gibber like an idiot. A long time ago he resigned himself to his fate, as a double agent and he always knew that he would die at the end of the wand held by either one of his former allies with the Death Eaters or with the Order. He never envisioned the Dark Lord personally punishing him for his duplicity. Nonetheless, Snape refuses to allow his former master the pleasure of seeing him break from the curse instead he holds his tongue as his body is wracked with pain over and over again. The only thing saving him from insanity is the litany that he keeps repeating in his mind. Snape knows that the Dark Lord will grow bored soon and that he will point his wand at his former servant and whisper the words that end his life and Snape intends to hold out until he hears those words, as death is preferable to him than insanity.
V.
As he stares down Harry Potter’s wand, Snape feels an undignified trickle of cold sweat run down his spine. He had known for a long time that this moment would be coming; Potter’s hatred for the man who killed Dumbledore would be Potter’s downfall. In his mind, Snape had envisioned the moment very differently. In his imaginings of the event, Potter always seemed much taller and brave and not some scared teenager on the brink of adulthood whose wand was wavering with his barely contained emotion. Snape was always certain that he would be arrogant as he smirked at Potter and told him to just get it over with, instead of breaking out in a cold sweat as he saw his life flash before his eyes.
There are no words spoken between the two as Potter wages a silent battle in his head probably in an attempt to work up the nerve to do what he feels he must. Suddenly Snape is not so brave or willing to face the killing curse at the end of Potter’s wand. He knows that the person casting the spell must intend it; otherwise it causes nothing more but intense pain to the intended victim. Snape isn’t certain that Potter, despite his hatred, can actually intend to take another’s life.
“Harry, no!” Hermione calls out as she races towards the two figures.
For once, Snape is relieved to see the Gryffindor Know-It-All, because if anyone can save his life and Harry’s innate goodness, it is Hermione Granger. When she reaches them, she is panting for air as she pushes Harry’s wand arm down. Her eyes silently speak to the young wizard and Snape knows that it’s not quite over yet. He’ll live to see another day, but there are other wizards out there who believe that he should die for his actions.
**END**