The Prince Ascending

The venom was spreading fast. After so many years in Lord Voldemort’s service, Snape knew that Nagini was no ordinary snake. Hence her venom was not ordinary either. He thought about all the conversations he had had with Albus the previous year. He could see the man standing at a distance and talking to him. This had to be the poison working its course. It would be all in vain if the plan failed now.

He put up his hand on the wound. The rushing blood felt warm against his cold hands. He tried to muster all strength to think of a cure. His thoughts wandered to the day in his Potions class when Lily had handed him a bezoar. It was then he heard some noise. There was someone approaching. Then Harry emerged from under James’s cloak. Countless times he had seen James hide behind that cloak after playing some joke on him. How he hated that cloak. He had even seen Lily go behind the cloak once, in their last year. He had seen the green eyes and then they were gone. Quite unlike today when the green eyes emerged again from behind the cloak.

He tried to speak but choked. The blood was rushing faster now. He had to do it quick. Using his other hand, Snape seized the front of Harry’s cloak and pulled him closer.

‘Take … It … Take … It …’

He didn’t have any more strength. Non verbally, he performed the last piece of spell that he would ever do. A flashback of all the moments with Lily, James and more importantly his conversations with Albus rushed in his mind. He could see Harry’s shocked expression. He could feel his memories dripping out of his mouth. Tears leaked out of his eyes remembering all those moments.

Harry stood there looking dumbstruck and then Hermione handed him a flask. He tried but he couldn’t help loathe the boy. He had expected Lily’s son to be a much able wizard. Harry kept looking back at him. Snape tried to point him to take those memories before they would hit the ground and be lost forever. He still didnt understand the urgency. There was hardly any strength left in Snape. Finally Harry lifted those memories with his wand and collected them into the flask. He let go of Harry’s robes but held him loosely.

‘Look … At … Me’ he whispered

The green eyes found the black, but after a second something in the depths of the dark pair seem to vanish leaving them fixed, blank and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.

*

The green eyes had once again faded into darkness, it appeared. But when Snape opened his eyes, he didnt feel as cold as he was feeling a moment ago. It took him a second to adjust his eyes but he was sure that the green eyes were still there. After a moment he was sure that these were not green eyes like Lily’s, these were Lily’s eyes. She was there in front of him, staring him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Lily’s smile.

Before he could speak, she hugged him and sobbed.

‘Thank You … Severus … For everything’ she murmured into his ears, in between her sobs.

Severus hugged her back, for the second time in his lifetime and this time the tears were not loosing her but to have found her. He didnt realize if he started crying now or he was crying since he was in the Shrieking Shack but his tears wouldnt stop. There was so much unsaid and to be undone, that had tormented him for almost two decades.

‘I am sorry … I never thought he would go after you … I am sorry’ he whispered through her tears.

It didnt matter now. Everything was forgiven.

It seemed for a long time when they cried when there was cough. Instinctively Lily pulled back and wiped her eyes. It was James walking towards them.

‘So Snivellus … You got my wife to cry again’ James made the comment mockingly.

For a moment it was all serious and then he burst laughing and went to Snape.

‘Thank You for taking care of Harry. You could not have taken your anger out on him or Gryffindor for what we did but what you did for him, everything, was cool.’ James patted him saying so.

Snape didnt know what to say. This was literally and figuratively an out-of-body experience for him.

‘Snivellus… Sooner or later we did expect you. Later though we hoped.’ Sirius joined in the conversation. He was laughing and not mocking. Remus was there too, smiling, like he had always done.

‘I am sorry Black. I tried’ words escaped Snape’s lips. He then turned to Remus – ‘I didnt know about you. I am sorry.’

‘Well I hoped the Dark Lord killing me would have been cooler’ Sirius said casually, while Remus just nodded.

This was become awkward by the moment.

‘Cut the drama you Sirius. Havent we heard enough of how Bellatrix killing you accidentally was ridiculous, enough?’ Tonks had joined the conversation. Snape was very much out of place. His mortal self would never be in any form of conversation that lasted this long with this set of people. Lily must have sensed the awkwardness.

‘James, I love you. And I have grown to love your drama-queen too. Remus has always been a great friend and I am so glad to have a real girl to talk to with Tonks. Severus is my friend too and with everything he has done for us, Harry and Albus, I need you all to grow up and not be mean to him. Severus, you are never to choose any form of magic or any other thing over friendship. I dont want to lose my friend again.’ She gave this big lecture shifting her focus from one person to another.

They all laughed and Remus offered to show Severus around. Remus, Tonks, Severus and Lily walked ahead while Sirius pulled James behind – ‘Lily could have been minister of magic. Sad, she is dead.’ They both laughed at their little joke.

Things were perfect for Severus. He was 10 years old again, except Lily showed him around this time. For the first time in a very long time, he laughed. The green eyes would never fade away again.