Summer Fest Fic: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 5

[geri_chan]

Title: The Return of the Slytherins, Part 5 (Epilogue + story meta)
Pairings: Gen, but with a few slashy hints if you look at it the right way.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~19,420 total (~3260 for this part)
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part. 

Summary: Written for Snapedom's Summer Fest exchange, and based on the_bitter_word's art, Severus Crossing the Hogwarts Lake. Snape survives Nagini's attack, and returns to fight in the battle at Hogwarts--and is surprised when his Slytherins want to join him.

Author's note: For readers of my Snupin stories, the Theodore and Blaise here are based on the canon version of the characters, not the the Theo and Blaise from the Always series, although I did borrow the character of Serafina Avery to help round out the Slytherins. Hope that doesn't confuse anyone.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

***

EPILOGUE

There had been a Ministry hearing to clear Snape's name, although it had been a mere formality after Fawkes's dramatic display. Potter, Aberforth, Charlie Weasley, and many others testified on his behalf, as did Dumbledore's portrait, although there was some debate over whether a portrait was legally allowed to testify. Still the Wizengamot accepted the various testimonies, and the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, cleared Snape of all charges and commended him for his bravery. He even had the grace to offer an apology for his earlier doubts of Snape's loyalty.

It probably helped that Fawkes refused to leave Snape's side, and had remained perched on his shoulder throughout the trial. Snape thought that perhaps the phoenix had come to fulfill Dumbledore's last request, to clear Snape's name, and that the bird would leave after that was accomplished. But Fawkes showed no signs of wanting to leave, and settled into his old roost at the Headmaster's office--which was now Snape's, as his position had been reconfirmed by the Ministry and the school governors. McGonagall herself had insisted that he stay on, after apologizing for believing him a traitor. The other teachers had also come to see him, one by one, sheepishly apologizing for the way they'd treated him this past year. Snape's lingering feelings of resentment did not immediately disappear, but he did feel a sense of satisfaction in being vindicated.

Slughorn had agreed to stay on for at least another year as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, to give Snape time to find a replacement, as he eventually wished to go back into retirement--or perhaps private practice, to reap the benefits of his new celebrity as a war hero. But for now he claimed, "Looking after the young people helps to keep me young at heart," and he seemed content to bask in the admiration of the students. He was a hero in the eyes of the whole school, but the Slytherins were particularly proud of him, and kept their makeshift banner proudly displayed in the common room.

Once Potter was finally done fending off both the Ministry and the press, he also paid a visit to Snape, to both apologize to him and thank him, although the conversation was rather awkward and uncomfortable on both their parts. "It's much easier to forgive a dead martyr than deal with an inconveniently living hero, isn't it?" Snape asked ironically. "Or perhaps 'anti-hero' would be a better word, despite all that rubbish in the Prophet." Much to his chagrin, the Daily Prophet had run stories about his "star-crossed love" for Lily, portraying him as a tragic hero. He would almost rather still be a fugitive Death Eater on the run.

Potter flushed and replied, "Easier, maybe. But Dumbledore told me that what is easy isn't always what's right. And...I'm glad that you're alive, Professor. My mum would be too, I'm sure." And Snape had to look away for a moment as he felt tears sting his eyes. "And...I do think you're a hero, sir," Potter continued. "I hated you for a long time, but now I can see...it must have been difficult having me around, as a constant reminder of my parents. I know that you protected me for my mother's sake, and that you never really liked me. And maybe you never will." He smiled, a bit wryly. "To be honest, I'm not sure that I like you, either, even now. But...I think it's probably a lot harder to fight for someone that you don't like than someone you love, but you did it anyway. So...I thank you for that, Professor. I think that you're the bravest man I've ever met, along with Dumbledore."

Snape still had mixed feelings about his old mentor, but if Potter still wanted to believe in him, in spite of knowing about the old man's plans to sacrifice him, then he wasn't going to try to shatter the boy's faith. Maybe everyone needed something to believe in. For him, it had been Lily, and for Potter, it was Dumbledore.

Potter held out his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Snape reached out to take it, and Potter firmly grasped his hand and shook it. "Thank you, Potter," Snape said, surprised to find that he was sincerely touched by the boy's words--even if he was an overly sentimental and idealistic Gryffindor. "You did well, yourself. Albus never doubted that you would willingly sacrifice yourself to defeat the Dark...to defeat Voldemort."

Potter smiled, looking startled, but proud and pleased by Snape's praise. "I did have doubts, at first. But in the end, I trusted him. And I could never have run away and let my friends die."

"No, you could not," Snape said, without any irony. "Though many others would have."

"Not so many, I think," Potter disagreed. "The villagers and your Slytherins were scared, but they still came and fought against the Death Eaters with us. Even Pansy." He had made it clear to his friends and allies, in no uncertain terms, that he held no grudge against Pansy, and that he didn't want to hear about anyone giving her or the other Slytherins a hard time. And for that, Snape was grateful, although it irked him a little to be indebted to the boy.

"You infected them with your Gryffindor recklessness," Snape said, deadpan, and Potter laughed as Fawkes chortled along with him. "By the way," Snape added, more seriously now, "I hear that the Malfoys received probation, thanks to your testimony."

Somewhat to Snape's surprise, his friendship with the Malfoys had survived intact, although it was slightly strained at present. But he had won Narcissa's eternal gratitude by taking the Unbreakable Vow to save Draco, loyal Death Eater or not. Lucius was a little less sanguine about having been betrayed, but his allegiance to the Death Eaters had been severely shaken during the past couple of years, so he wasn't exactly mourning the death of his master, nor feeling much sympathy for his now-imprisoned comrades who had taken such pleasure in his downfall. And, regaining some of his Malfoy sense of self-preservation, Lucius had told Snape with an ironic smile, "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to have a war hero as a friend." Draco had not said much to Snape since the battle, but he seemed much subdued and humbled by the hardships he had suffered, and Snape thought that he would eventually recover and grow into a more mature young man. He would try to offer Draco what guidance he could, but for now, he thought it best to give the family some time alone to figuratively lick their wounds and heal.

Potter shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, Narcissa did save my life; I felt that I owed her something for that, even if she didn't do it for my sake. And saving Draco was important to Dumbledore, important enough that he'd give his own life for the little git." Potter grimaced, then apologized, "Sorry, force of habit. Actually, I don't think that Draco's such a bad guy, after all. Maybe he didn't exactly fight on our side like the other Slytherins, but he didn't have it in him to kill, either. He couldn't kill Dumbledore up on the tower, and he couldn't even reveal me to the Death Eaters at the Malfoy mansion. I'm sure he knew it was me, but he didn't want my blood on his hands, even indirectly. So I guess I owe him for that."

"Goyle told me about how you saved them from the fire," Snape reminded him. "I think that evened the score."

"Well then, the Malfoy family owes me one," Potter said with a grin. "That might come in useful someday, right?"

"You might have made a good Slytherin after all, Potter," Snape said dryly, and Potter laughed. Snape laughed along with him, and thought to himself that maybe it was possible that he might actually grow to like the boy, after all...just a little.

They chatted for awhile about the repairs being made to the school, and about how some of the wounded students and Order members were recovering, but Potter seemed to have something more on his mind, something that was troubling him. Snape waited patiently for him to work around to what he really wanted to talk about, and even went to fix some tea to give the boy time to collect his thoughts.

When he returned, Potter thanked him distractedly for the tea, and sipped at it without really seeming to taste it. Finally he set the cup down and said, "I, uh, talked with Nott and Zabini the other day."

It wasn't exactly a question, but Snape prompted him with, "Yes?"

Potter took a deep breath and continued, "And they told me what you said, about how using Unforgivable Curses would make them no better than the Death Eaters." He ducked his head and stared down into his tea, looking rather shamefaced. "I--we--used Unforgivables," he whispered. "Imperius Curses to get into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts, and I...I used the Cruciatus on Carrow."

"I know," Snape replied, and Potter's head jerked up in surprise. "Professor McGonagall told me about that incident."

The boy's face turned red. "She told me I was 'gallant' for defending her, and I didn't think much of it at the time--I was too busy trying to figure out where the Ravenclaw horcrux was. But after I talked to Zabini and Nott, I went to see Professor McGonagall, and she told me that she was being sarcastic and that a Cruciatus was overkill when a Stupefy would have sufficed."

Snape couldn't help but smile. "I shall remind her to be more blunt when explaining things to her Gryffindors."

Potter bristled for a moment, then laughed ruefully. "Okay, I guess I deserved that one! At the time, I felt like he deserved it, but later...I kept thinking about how Bellatrix used that spell to torture Neville's parents, and Hermione, and...I felt a little sick."

"Good," Snape told him. "It's a sign that you still have a conscience. A spell like the Cruciatus, which causes the caster to take pleasure in another's pain, will eat away at your soul, Potter, not as quickly as murder will, but..."

"Yeah, I get it," Potter said, still looking embarrassed, but also filled with resolve not to do such a thing again. "I never want to be like Bellatrix!"

"To be fair, you are not the only one to have fallen prey to the temptation of the Unforgivables," Snape admitted. "I know that several of the Order members did so as well. Though some of them now regret it. Lupin told me that he chided you for not being ruthless enough when you were fleeing your aunt's house, but now he thinks that perhaps he was mistaken." Snape smiled wryly. "And you did, after all, defeat the Dark Lord with an Expelliarmus."

"What can I say? It's my signature spell," Potter said with his typically insolent grin, but Snape found that it no longer irritated him as much as it used to.

After a bit more polite small talk, Potter thanked Snape for the tea and got up to leave, but just as he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Oh, I almost forgot! Kingsley asked me to tell you that the Ministry is awarding you the Order of Merlin--First Class!"

"The Order of Merlin?" Snape asked incredulously. "To a murderer?"

"You're not a murderer," Potter said firmly. "The ceremony will be next Saturday, six p.m., at the Ministry, with dinner to follow. Wear your best dress robes."

"B-but--" Snape stammered.

"I'm required to attend," Potter told him. "And I don't intend to suffer alone, so you'd better show up, or I'll send the Aurors after you. See you next week, Professor!" And he waved cheerily and ran out the door before Snape had a chance to protest further.

***

Despite Potter's threat, Snape was tempted to tell the Ministry to take their award and stick it...someplace rather uncomfortable. Or to go and hide somewhere until it was all over--maybe at Salem. Surely the Aurors wouldn't go all the way to America just to drag him to some award ceremony? Although he still owed Elizabeth a huge favor for sheltering his Slytherins, even if it had only been for a few days.

What changed his mind was how proud the Slytherins were when they heard that he was getting the Order of Merlin. The public at large still regarded Slytherin with suspicion, the stereotype of it being a House of Dark Wizards still clouding their reputation. It didn't help that most--though not all--of the Death Eaters had been former Slytherins. The very public role that Snape, Slughorn, and their students had played in the Battle of Hogwarts was probably the only reason why they were only being subjected to suspicious looks and muttered insults, instead of being imprisoned or run out of the country.

Potter was doing all he could to counter those suspicions--he had even given the Daily Prophet, the Quibbler, and Witch Weekly a number of interviews in which he praised the Slytherins' bravery and said how important it was that all four Houses had united to defend the school. Charlie and Lupin had also been very vocal in defending Snape and his House, but Snape knew that prejudices ran too deep to be erased by a few newspaper articles. He knew that people would still be gossiping about "evil" Slytherins for many years to come.

So when someone--maybe Potter, who was beginning to show Slytherin qualities at this late date--leaked word of his upcoming award to the Daily Prophet, the Slytherins had been overjoyed, and had excitedly told him that he must show them the medal and display it in his office. And Snape knew then that he'd have to go to the damned ceremony, not just because he couldn't bear to disappoint them, but because he had to do whatever he could to ease the burden of suspicion that they would have to carry, probably for the rest of their lives. If he could ease that burden in some small way by accepting a shiny of piece of metal that would change the opinions of a few shallow idiots for the better, then it was a small price to pay. Even if it meant enduring an evening of false platitudes and boring conversation.

So he went to the blasted ceremony, wearing his best dress robes, as instructed. He stifled a yawn as it seemed to go on for hours, as many other people were receiving awards and commendations, including McGonagall and Lupin, who also received Orders of Merlin--although only Second Class, Snape was secretly pleased to note. That surge of spiteful glee quickly passed, though, when the Minister solemnly read the names of those who had fallen in battle or been murdered by the Death Eaters--it was, unfortunately, a very long list--and then asked for a moment of silence to honor the dead.

Finally Potter received his Order of Merlin, with great pomp and ceremony, and a speech from Shacklebolt extolling the boy's bravery and sacrifices, which to be fair, seemed to embarrass Potter rather than make him puff up with pride, as James would have done. Snape reluctantly had to admit to himself that maybe the boy wasn't really like his father, after all. But he was surprised that he had not yet received his own medal, since he had thought that they would save Potter for last, closing out the ceremony with the highest honor.

But then Potter remained at the podium, and gave a highly embarrassing speech about Snape's bravery and loyalty, and the power of love. He smiled at Snape and finished with, "Please step forward, Headmaster Snape, and receive the Order of Merlin, First Class." And it was Potter, not Shacklebolt, who hung the medal around Snape's neck. "I asked Kingsley if I could give it to you myself," Potter whispered, then raised his voice so that the crowd could hear, and said, "And I would also like to give you this special commendation for your Slytherin students, who fought so bravely during the battle, though everyone had falsely branded them as Death Eater sympathizers." And he handed Snape a scroll of parchment, with a commendation written in gold ink and stamped with the Minister's personal seal.

This, Snape had not expected, and he had to take a moment to clear his throat before he said, a little hoarsely, "Thank you, Mr. Potter, Minister Shacklebolt. I shall accept this award--" He took the scroll from Potter's hands. "--and this one--" He touched the medal hanging around his neck. "--on behalf of my students, who are the ones who truly deserve these."

The room echoed with applause--some of it was polite and halfhearted, as Snape had expected, but a surprising amount of it appeared to be enthusiastic and sincere. Potter was grinning and clapping loudly, as were Granger, Slughorn, McGonagall, Lupin, and Charlie. Ron Weasley looked a little bemused, but he applauded along with them. Shacklebolt gave him a respectful nod, as did Longbottom, and Luna smiled at him serenely.

And then joyous song filled the room as a blaze of flame soared overhead. Where had Fawkes come from? He could have sworn that he'd left the damned bird at home on his perch!

But then he thought perhaps it was appropriate that Fawkes was here, after all--not just because Fawkes was the one who had helped him gain his Ministry pardon, but because the phoenix was a symbol of rebirth. Snape felt as if he had been reborn and given a chance to start a new life, leaving behind his past as a Death Eater and spy to become...what exactly, he wasn't sure. A teacher, certainly, with no hidden agendas other than to teach and protect his students. Perhaps someone who could have real friends, without having to manipulate and deceive his associates. And...no, he would not even think about the possibility of finding love yet. This dizzying sensation of being freed from his burden of secrets and obligations was still too new, almost frightening. But still, his spirit felt so light that he almost felt like he could rise up and soar beside Fawkes. He would always miss Lily, would always feel regret that he had unintentionally helped cause her death. But now the guilt was bearable, and he no longer felt that he had to deny himself happiness as penance.

Shacklebolt had to clear his throat several times, with increasing volume, before Fawkes finally got the hint and ceased his song, and flapped down to land on Snape's shoulder. "Well then, that concludes the ceremony," the Minister said. "Let us now take our seats, and dinner will be served shortly."

He had been assigned to sit at the same table as McGonagall, Slughorn, Lupin, Charlie, and several others he had fought beside during the battle, and they beckoned for him to join them with friendly smiles on their faces. Snape smiled back at them, thinking to himself that dinner wasn't going to be as excruciatingly boring as he had feared. Fawkes chirped encouragingly, as if in agreement, and Snape walked over to join his his friends and begin his new life.

THE END.

***

Story meta (feel free to skip this part if you want):

My first gen piece, yay! I did consider making it a Snupin, since my recipient was open to that pairing, but in the end, I decided to make it gen, since that was the_bitter_word's first preference, and because there are so many different shippers in Snapedom that I wanted to try to make it something that everyone could enjoy. I also felt that the primary relationship in the story was between Snape and his Slytherins, and a romance might detract slightly from that.

However, being a slasher at heart, I couldn't resist throwing in a few slashy hints that could be viewed either as simple friendships, or as hints of a relationship or attraction, depending on how you choose to look at them. As readers of my Always series know, Theodore/Blaise is one of my favorite secondary pairings, although since I knew very little about the characters at the time, they essentially ended up being OCs. But I was trying to stick as close as I could to canon with this story (apart from Snape surviving and the Slytherins joining the fight, that is!), and I do find the canon versions of Theodore and Blaise to be intriguing.

JKR's website says that Theodore's father, the Death Eater Nott, is "a very elderly widower" and that Theodore is "a clever loner who does not feel the need to join gangs, including Malfoy's". This seemed to indicate a boy who can think for himself and who wouldn't blindly follow the Death Eaters the way Crabbe and Goyle do. And since there's no indication that he has a bad relationship with his father, I decided that canon-Theo had a more loving relationship with his father than my AU Theo did, and that his father's death could be the catalyst that turned him against the Death Eaters. (I mentioned this theory in my April challenge essay on Snape and the Slytherins.) And since we know that his mother died, and the website doesn't specify the cause of her death, I decided to blame it indirectly on the Death Eaters, giving Theodore additional motive to turn against them.

While of course I'm fond of the kind, gentle (and ironically, poor) Blaise that I created for the Always series, I also find canon Blaise very interesting. He comes off as cold and calculating to me, and what really caught my attention in HBP was that, despite his comments about Ginny being a blood traitor, he doesn't appear to be impressed by the Death Eaters, either--although that could just be contempt for Draco. But that created an image in my head of someone who wants to remain neutral and avoid the risks of choosing the wrong side in the war--a very practical attitude for an ambitious Slytherin, I thought. So he preaches the pureblood superiority line on the train, just in case the Death Eaters (and the Malfoys) come out on top in the end. But he isn't going to join the Death Eaters and risk being branded a criminal, either--not unless he has no other choice. But even the coldest and most ambitious of people will have someone that he or she loves, for whom they will risk everything, and for Blaise, at least in this story, that person is Theodore. (And also his mother, although we don't get to meet her in this story.) I left it open-ended, so that it could be a brotherly sort of love if the reader preferred to see it that way, like that between Harry and Ron. Or for the slashers, it could be true love--I think my regular readers know which way I lean! ;-)

I threw in a hint of Millicent/Pansy, although I haven't decided whether they're actually a couple. Not yet, in this story--in my mind, Pansy is still dating Draco, but the possibility for their friendship to go a step further exists, since Draco eventually marries Astoria in canon.

Incidentally, I felt a bit sorry for Pansy, after she got bashed by the author in an interview. Every story needs to have a few villains, or even just unsympathetic characters, but I know that I love all my characters, even the evil ones. And even though Pansy comes off pretty bad in DH, it occurred to me that she could have been motivated by fear when she advocated handing Harry over to Voldemort. (I also implied this in my Homecoming fic.) The Death Eaters seem to be winning the battle, and she could well be afraid of being punished (or of her family and friends being punished) if someone reports to Voldemort that the Slytherins were disloyal to him. So I tried to portray her in a more sympathetic light in this story.

Strangely, a little hint of Snuna came out at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts scene, even though I hadn't intended it, when Luna steps forward to defend Snape. But then, I have grown fond of that pairing, so maybe my subconscious put it in there! ^_^ I don't see Snape as being the type to have a relationship with a student, but I can see it possibly happening several years later, when Luna (or whomever) is an adult and on a more equal footing with him.

And of course, being a Snupin shipper, I had to rescue Lupin from death and set up the possibility for a future romance! (And heh, I conveniently let Tonks stay dead--sorry, Tonks fans!) This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I had so much fun writing it, I would like to do a sequel someday. Snape adopted Theodore in the Always series, so I like the idea of them having a father-son relationship. I could see this Snape taking in the now-orphaned Theodore as his apprentice, and I can see Snape and Lupin forming a friendship that gradually grows into romance. Theodore would have mixed feelings about this, at first--it would take him awhile to forgive Lupin for turning against Snape, I think, and he'd be a bit disconcerted about gaining a baby brother in Teddy!

Serafina is one of my favorite OCs, so I just had to put her in the story. Besides, we don't get to see that many of the Slytherins in the books, and I wanted to increase the ranks of Snape's little army. It was easier to borrow Serafina than create a new personality and history for one of the canon Slytherins whom we only know by name.

Daphne Greengrass is a canon character, of course, but I borrowed the history that I created for her in my Always series. "My" Daphne is an only child (not counting her dead brother), but I put Astoria into this fic, since I was using canon as a basis for it.

The American Potions Mistress, Elizabeth, appears only secondhand, in a few references made by Snape, but she's a character that I created for a future Always series story I have planned, in which Snape and Lupin go to America for a Potions conference, and wind up having to deal with a werewolf attack on a young boy.

And Charlie turned out to have a bigger role than I intended. I wouldn't even have put him in the story, except that when I checked DH, it showed him leading the charge with Slughorn, when Slughorn returns to join the battle. This appears to be the scene where JKR claimed that the Slytherins returned with reinforcements in her PotterCast interview, even though it's not explicitly stated in the book. So I added Charlie to the story, and he seemed to take on a life of his own. I can see him and Snape becoming good friends after the war, much to the surprise of them both. ^_^

Incidentally, the interview mentioned above helped to inspire this story, along with the_bitter_word's picture. I thought, "Okay, JKR didn't put it into the book, so I will write this as 'the missing scene' where the Slytherins return to Hogwarts!"

Thanks for listening to me ramble. I had great fun writing this story, and I hope you had as much fun reading it!