Dance With A Serpent

Prologue

He felt no pain. His eyes fluttered open and all was white around him. "So this is heaven" He thought. It was quite a disappointment. All white with banners and flowers and cards and all kinds of lovey-dovey things. Had he known this to begin with he would have pleaded for hell.

A beautiful angel sat looking down on him. He thought she looked familiar... but it wasn't Lily. That was odd. He could have sworn that the angel that came to gather up the remains of his soul was Lily...maybe she was off with Potter somewhere and he had to make due with this one. He didn't mind much, she was beautiful too. He looked at her some more...and his vision cleared. It was the Granger Girl!

She had died too? But of course she had... She had probably laid down her Gryffindor heart to save her friends. He saw that her lips moved. He heard nothing.

In a doorway further of stood another familiar face. Odd...heaven had doorways?

The Weasley boy had died too? Had they failed? Had the dark concurred and slain all?

He slumped. All the lives and sacrifices for nothing.

"Professor? Professor Can you hear me?" It was the Granger girl; her voice had finally penetrated the silence.

His throat felt dry so he only nodded...some pains where making themselves known. Why would he feel pain in heaven?

"We won Professor." She smiled at him. He looked at her. They won?

She? Weasley? Doorways? Pain? Flowers? Banners? Cards? CARDS?

He groaned he wasn't dead...he had been revived some how and lay in the hospital wing. With cards and flowers and a banner. He read the banner. "Snape is my Hero."

He groaned again. People sent him cards...HIM! Good grief.

"How..?" he croaked.

"With this!" Miss Granger hell up a large flask that once must have been full with golden liquid but now only held an inch. He stared at the flask. Then it dawned on him.

"I can't believe you brewed Second Breath, Professor, it is the world's most difficult potion! It takes nearly a year to finish and the ingredients are unbelievably rare and expensive and at this volume! It's unbelievable... We found it in your quarters after the victory fest. We managed to save a lot of people." She looked away from him "But not near to all, since it doesn't work on those who have been killed by an unforgivable. And most had...we thought at first it wouldn't save you either but it only needed more time to flush out the poison in your blood."

"My brother owes you his life though...And George has officially made you his hero." Ron Weasley said with a beam from the doorway. "And mom I believe is trying to make you a saint."

"I didn't make that."

"What?!"

"I can brew it, but I haven't" Severus said and sat up. "I haven't had the time to brew such a complex potion this last year..." his throat was still dry but he saw that a glass of water stood by his bead. He knocked over near a hundred cards to reach the much-needed beverage.

"If you haven't...who" Granger actually looked crestfallen.

"A friend I would guess."

"A WHAT?" Weasley roared.

"A Friend. Even I have them." Severus shot the boy an icy glare.

"Who..?" Granger began but he waved her away.

"I need to rest"

"He's awake?!" The boy-who-seemed-unable-to-die-even-if-fate-said-he-had-to ran in to the room.

"You're Alive" Snape said in choke and stared at Harry Potter.

"I should greet you the same way" The boy beamed.

"But Dumbledore said you had to..."

"I did. But I came back."

"Thanks to the brew?" Snape had clear doubt in his voice.

"No, I had a horcrux in me and he only managed to kill that part of me that was him." Ron Weasley made a disgusted face at that.

"I see."

"You've received the Order of Merlin First Class as a spy for the Order! And you've been pardoned all of your previous charges! Snape you're a free man!" The hero-of-extreme-luck announced ceremonially.

"And you are alive." Granger piped at him

"And a hero, brew or no brew!" Weasley said with a smile.

"Oh good gods kill me again..." Snape thought as he looked upon the three beaming faces.