All Fall Down

-The Great White Hunter-

A smell of death. Sounds of screaming from the alleys. Dirt and stench and fire. His eyes burned as he made his way running through the chaotic streets, eight aurors at his back. People fled from him; men and women, their bodies smoking from random wand blasts, lay strewn about the streets. There were no children, most were safe up at Hogwarts. Burning fumes ate at his corneas and he covered his eyes. The building he ran into was any regular muggle building, with bricks and metal fire escape. The metal door clanged shut behind him and he ran up the stairs, keeping his face down even as the smell of burning bodies reached him, nauseated him.

He wasn't sure why the Dark Lord wanted him to lead the aurors into this building, but this was his job. He was loyal, he was faithful. He had slain Dumbledore, kept a spying eye on the Potter brat, been a faithful servant for many years, a watchman at the gate ready to let the soldiers through. So if his Lord wanted this, he would have it.

"GET DOWN HERE SNAPE!" Mad Eyed Moody called from three stairwells below him. "You have some answering to do!"

Snape didn't give and answer. Shacklebolt, Moody, and Remus Lupin followed hip up the stairs. More aurors were now surrouning the building he knew, those last few defiant who had yet to be dealt with. Very aggravating it had been, the Hogwarts resistance. St. Mungos had fallen, most of the Healers dead, so they brought in Muggle and Squib Doctors to the castle to work their own sort of Healing magic.

Hogwarts had experienced a supply shortage as well, with so many children, injured civilians and aurors camped out there it was no wonder. Voldemort's plan was to take out as many Aurors as possible, the resistance would fall without fighters to defend the castle.

But the young people proved as adept as their elders. One thing at a time had to be dealt with now; first the Aurors, then their offspring.

Snape found himself up on the roof, looking across the harsh skyline of London. What was the Dark Lord's purpose for sending him up here, on this building, alone? Why lead the aurors into the building? What purpose was there trapping him here with them? Was he meant to destroy them all on his own?

With a mighty explosion that caused half of London to shake, Severus Snape got his answer.

On a rooftop several blocks away, Voldemort stood as cold as stone, eyes dancing with fire and light and menace. Lucius Malfoy put the little black box with the red button down and smiled.

"Very handy, these muggle explosives..."

Voldemort said nothing. He barely breathed, nor moved an inch. In his vision, the skyline arched with the racing wheel of fire and the air was filled with unspeakable screams of anguish.

"I suppose they serve their purpose. Come, let us go see if Severus survived..."

-The Ultimate High as All Beautiful Dies-

It was a rare occasion that Harry and Ron were sent out to the battle lines at Diagon Alley, but some emergency floo from Tonks had called them out in this direction. What they hadn't expected was to see London alight with fire, or to hear the screaming.

Who knew Voldemort had to many followers hiding in the cracks? The fact that their opponents were not only Death Eaters, but brainwashed muggles, had surprised Harry. Voldemort was recruiting racists and fascists and disturbed people for his cause. He'd gotten his hands on massive amounts of muggle explosives, which resulted in their current assignment.

Help dig the living out of the rubble. But finding a safe route to the battle lines was proving difficult; most of the battle heavy areas were cut off with massive piles of rubble and the smell of burning flesh, which was just unbearable. It drove them from the battle areas towards the road by the river that lead up towards Big Ben and central London. The city was glowing with hazy orange light and the air was hot. A fire storm had resulted from the explosions and the muggle fire department was left with the nightmare job of putting out the flames.

It was thankful for both Harry and Ron that Voldemort had used the last of his explosives, and was now waiting patiently somewhere near the battle field picking off anybody who crossed his path. His minions were directed into the muddy fray to gather as many prisoners and victims as possible, but he had not gone in. Tonk's report was that Voldemort was waiting for the muggle authorities to amass in the area before heading back to his camp for a break in his work.

Not if Harry and Ron could help it. With most able bodied aurors unable to respond, Harry and Ron's task was to try and round up every body they could find and cut off Voldemort's route of escape. What they hadn't counted on was the sheer destruction they encountered, or the fact that most of their route was littered with unrecognizable burning piles of debris that made Ron stop in his walking to wretch.

"Who knew Voldemort was trigger happy?" said Harry sadly, bending down to touch one dead women's face, already cold.

"He's a madman, insane," Ron agreed, covering his face. "Harry...do you hear that?"

It was a whimpering sound, like crying, from a pile of garbage bags and old newspapers nearby. Both men winced to see the wiggling bleeding stump of a leg sticking up from the debris. The smell of blood and urine and the smell of old fish bones caused both of them to hesitate. Only one of the two legs was missing the lower potion of it, the other leg sticking out, the clothes ripped to indiscernable shreds and caked with blood, the ankle broken and twisted in a painful direction.

"Careful, wand out..." Harry said, internal battle reflexes taking over.

Both approached the garbage heap with anticipation and Harry hissed as more of this person's body was revealed. It looked as if this man barely scrapped out alive. His clothes were all ripped and lacerations covered his skin, which was unrecognizeable in its color under the scorch marks. His body and face were burnt red and his nose was partially hanging off, a bleeding stump. A layer of skin had been torn from his cheek along with the nose which gave them both the sight of the man's cheek bone.

"Is he alive?" Ron asked, clearly disgusted.

As if in response the man shifted his body, moaning in pain. Eyelids fluttered open and dark black eyes met Harry's green ones for a moment in tremulous recognition. Ron made a gurgling sound and Harry could understand why.

"SNAPE?"

A momentary pause, and Snape was suddenly fully awake, gasping like a fish.

He screamed. And screamed and convulsed in place and finally fell back spent and shaking.

"Woah woah, easy!" Harry climbed over the bags of garbage to bend down over the man's body. "JESUS Snape, what the hell happened to you?"

"What the fuck," Ron climbed over the garbage as well, looking disgusted. "Harry...?"

Snape started crying, his whole body convulsing.

"H-he...t-told...m-me to lead them...into the b-building...but didn't tell me...it was...going to...blow...up..." Snape sputtered, voice hoarse with pain. "I was just...bait..."

Understanding dawned over both Auror trainees at the same time. Harry gave Ron a look of understanding as rage filled his chest and made its heated to his bowels.

"We're all just pawns, even his own followers! We're just toys he throws away when he's done with us! All he wants is power!"

"What are we going to do mate?" Ron asked, waving his hand in front of his face to shoo a fly away. "We can't just leave the git here...even if he is a murdering bastard..."

"You take him back to Hogwarts," Harry said heavily, then his voice turned cold. "I'm going to go find the others if they're alive...or Voldemort. I'll deal with whichever I come across first."

Ron nodded understandingly and looked down at Snape, who was now too wrapped up in his own pain to care what the hell was going on. Harry crawled over the pile of garbage again and faced the burning city, a hunger and a fire in his eyes like nothing Ron had ever seen. They shared one last parting look, one of fear and friendship, before Harry sprinted off towards the inferno.

Ron looked down at Snape again, wrinkling his nose.

"Well, come on then, I couldn't conjure a cup of tea, let alone a stretcher and some medical supplies, so I'll carry you to Hogwarts. Lets get that leg and face wrapped up, no, here, I'll rip off my sleeves..."

It was moments later, with a semi-concious Snape on his back, that Ron sped off in the opposite direction of his friend. A strange silence seemed to descend over the city, pierced only by the wailing cry of sirens. Soon the muggle authorities would converge on this area, but for a little while longer, London would lay broken within the belly of the Beast.

-In The Fields A Dying Oath-

Harry sped through the streets at a breakneck run. He couldn't stop, he couldn't pause. Somewhere in the expanse before him Voldemort was waiting...was ready to finish it.

So Harry would oblige him.

Burning bodies seem to double in number the closer he got to the central area of devastation. He turned a corner, and swallowed hard, closing his eyes.

It was a battlefield, but it was like something out of a nightmare. Body parts and debris. There was no other way to describe it. Harry felt his sotmach churn when he passed the head of a man atop an old automobile, whose expression was one of smiling glee. A shudder passed through Harry and he tried to keep himself away from the worse of the chaos, following the trail of bodies into the heart of London. It seemed as if everybody in the area was dead. No sound seemed to permeate the gloom, save for the sound of sirens wailing in the distance.

And a soft sobbing to his right. Harry turned and picked his way over the rumble towards the remains of a muggle apartment complex. At least half this building was strewn across London. From the looks of it it has simply launched like a rocket, falling apart in the air and crashing to the ground. He stopped in the center of the chaos, gazing morosely at a sobbing brown haired woman, who was clinging desperately to a blackened unrecognizable corpse. For a moment he wondered just how far the debris of this particular building had spread. He soon had his answer.

"I-it was a trap," Nymphadora Tonks sobbed, lifting her head and looking at Harry with pleading eyes. "We were c-chasing S-Snape and he led us right to the building. Remmy m-made me stay behind! H-he was afraid I would get hurt!"

Harry nodded softly and looked down at the unrecognizeable body of Remus Lupin.

"Snape is alive," Harry said softly. "Ron is taking him back to Hogwarts...You should go to..."

Tonks shook her head.

"N-no..." she said shaking. "G'onna stay with him..."

"Tonks..."

"N-no...you g-go Harry. You s-stop You-Know-Who," she sniffled. "Before he kills anybody else. You were meant to do it. I know you can."

Harry thought back to his first year at Hogwarts, when Ron and Hermione had expressed such faith in his ability to save the Philosopher's stone.

She's right. I was meant to do this. I've been preparing for it for ten years...

"All right...I'll deal with Voldemort. Then I'll come back for you!"

"I know you will..." Tonks said and bent back over her husband's body, eyes glazing over in a brief reflection of Remus Lupin's lifeless gaze.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and turned back towards London. He could give into the grief now, or let it sit in his belly, boil and churn until it became a hot ball of rage with which he would destroy Voldemort once and for all.

He chose the latter.

-Pull The Plug, End The Pain-

"Oh my god, is that Snape?"

Severus jerked his head. Somebody was carrying him. Hands were reaching out to take him, voices were speaking.

"What the fuck happened to him?"

"Wasted, Voldemort totally wasted him, used him a bait to lure Remus and the others into a trap...didn't tell him about the fucking explosives..."

"Jesus!"

"Lets get one of those vitae potions into him, I need my O.R. team here on the double! Where did Professor Flitwick go?"

It was a blur of voices, a jumble of sounds that made no coherent sense in the order which they came at him.

"Where's Harry?"

"We got damage to the leg, lacerations to his body, his nose has been mostly ripped off, but it can be mended. He won't lose the appendage..."

"He went to track down Tonks and the others..."

"...can't say the same for the leg though, a lot of blood here...somebody hand me a bone saw, we'll make a nice clean cut..."

"Jesus Christ!" Severus shouted as pain lanced through his body.

"Hold him down!"

"Don't you have any damn anesthetics?" Snape hissed, eyes shooting wide open.

"Death Eaters stole all the incoming supply shipments, and cut off our floo network..."

"Funny how that works out, isn't it Snape?" Ron Weasley said, bunching down next to Snape's ear with a smirk on his face.

If looks could kill, the Weasley would have been six feet under. More pain, agony and fire, and an image of Harry Potter flashed momentarily through his head. Harry looking down at him. Harry afraid.

"Jesus Christ, Snape, what happened to you?" Harry had said, with the slightest look of worry to horrified his voice.

A trap. The Dark Lord had used him as bait. Many many years of faithful service rewarded with explosives and his body parts torn off. He could feel the itchy sensation of the Healer, or was it a Muggle Doctor? Sewing up his face. Sutures. A needle tugging at his skin, going out and in again. Strange that he could feel the needle over all the bloody pain.

Where was Harry? Surely it didn't take that long to find some missing people? Severus felt his stomach flopping anxiously at the idea that the brat might have been killed. Peace at last. Or was it torment? A part of his brain wanted to laugh and cry.

Four years after Dumbledore's death, Severus Snape was still afraid to admit his feelings for the boy named Harry Potter. And now he was out there somewhere, facing death and destruction, and for once Snape couldn't go to rescue him. His own selfishness had gotten in the way of his vow to look after the boy, no, the man. The man that he loved so.

He'll never know it, Severus decided. I can be executed in an orderly fashion, and Potter will never have the disgrace of knowing that his greasy, ugly, old ex Potions Master loves him. Death Eater. Murderer.

The doctors and aurors who were sitting around Snape and putting him back together were quite stunned when the man started weeping.

"Take is easy now Mister Snape," said a female voice in his ear. "We'll take care of you, you're all right now. Ah Flitwick there you are, we need one of those narcolepsy spells of yours..."

Darkness overtook him.

-Devils Instant My Eternity-

Voldemort hadn't bothered to hide his trail and Harry soon followed Voldemort right into the center of Diagon Alley. What shocked Harry wasn't the fact that Voldemort had blown apart this purely wizarding area, but that somehow the muggle fire department had found their way here. Here at the crossroads, buttressed by two walls of debris. Along the side street the muggle authorities had their vehicles parked; then Harry realized that it wasn't a street, it was the totally flattened and scoured down area where Ollivanders had been. Voldemort had continued on along Diagon towards Knockturn and back out again into the Muggle areas to whatever was beyond. But Harry still had to get through the violent mess of muggles, wizards and Death Eaters that were all tangled together below him.

From his advantage on top of this pile of debris, Harry realized he had very few options for approaching the mess. If he just went down the debris the Death Eaters would notice him and immediately respond.

But if I went at a run...

The pile of debris he stood on was solid and high enough to give him some momentum. But the muggle police might start shooting their guns.

But if I move fast enough I could draw their fire to the Death Eaters.

The Death Eaters, which were torturing muggles and blocking gun shots with shielding spells.

Won't be able to shield at a run, but if I take some of those Death Eaters out the police might realize I'm on their side...

Or not...it was a worth a try.

Of all the times for me to forget my invisibility cloak. Well, here goes nothing!

The extremely steep slope provided him great momentum and he soon found himself up to his neck in firing guns, hexes and people. Harry pulled his wand out and shot several blasts in the direction of the nearest Death Eater, knocked the cowl off the blond head of Lucius Malfoy, and managed to thoroughly piss off the fire department by somehow missing a target and blasting open a fire hydrant. He used this momentary distraction to avoid bullets, dodge wand blasts and speed towards Knockturn Alley.

Voldemort was waiting for him out on the muggle street behind Knockturn, surprise surprise, a pile of dead policeman at his feet. Those who had foolishly tried to apprehend him at any rate. The others were cowering behind garbage cans, motioning for Harry to stay back.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Boy Who Lived? You've lived entirely too long for comfort, boy."

Harry dodged a sudden blast of green in his direction. Avada Kedavra, the most feared spell, and it was so easily dodged that Harry shook his head. All this fear, over a curse you just had to dodge. As lethal as Sectusempra really.

"Your Dark Reign ends here Voldemort," Harry declared, hoping that his boasts would work the wizard up into doing something clumsy. "It's not enough that you attack innocents, but you use your own followers as bait!"

"You are referring to Severus Snape, are you not?" Voldemort said softly, lowering his wand into a neutral half height. "An annoying man, useful for killing people, but not completely loyal, not dedicated. I know his secret, the one he fears to share with the world..."

"What secret?" Harry asked, glad that Voldemort was buying him some time.

Time enough for Harry to motion the Policeman to get out of the firing range. Not that they would.

"I know his secret," Voldemort smirked. "I know the secret heart of Severus Snape, the man who loves The Boy Who Lived. I know how he feels for you..."

Harry pushed down the squirmy feeling in his stomach at this cryptic pronouncement.

"You used him to lure people into that building, you used him to do your dirty work, and now you're trying to use him to distract me from what I have to do here. You have no shame!"

Voldemort's eyes suddenly slitted angrily and within half a heartbeat they were duelling, wand blasts sending crash cans, and the officers hiding behind them, flying. The garbage ignited and soon the duelers were surrounded by a circle of fire, trapping them both.

"You have meddled in my affairs far too long Potter!" Voldemort snarled. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry again ducked the green blast, and was glad that he did, for he saw something near Voldemort's feet that gave him courage to lift his wand and point it at Voldemort's feet as the next blast of brilliant green light sped towards his face.

It was a muggle gas main, the pipe exposed and hissing ominously.

"INCENDIO!" Harry shouted with all his might. "I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL YOU GODDAMNED MOTHER FUCKING SONUVABI..."

The resulting explosion rocked London to its core, toppled buildings and brought the populous to their knees. Beneath the shadow of gray clouds the skyline erupted in a great wall of fire.

-Cut Me Free, Bleed With Me-

"Harry? Harry are you awake?"

"Her...Hermione?" Harry croaked, and cracked open an eyelid.

And there she was, with her bushy hair tied back and a worried expression on her face.

"Are you all right?"

"How..." Harry gagged on the bile that threatened to come up into his throat. "How can I still be alive?"

"Well we weren't quite sure that you were," Hermione looked sideways softly. "You were literally roasted alive Harry, and the Healers still aren't sure what kept you alive...But I know."

Harry choked and opened his eyes completely wide.

"I...what?"

"Snape brewed you a potion that he thought might turn your skin back into skin..." Hermione swallowed softly. "He's the reason you are alive right now. He's worked very hard to heal you, Harry."

Now that got Harry's attention.

"Snape's been brewing potions for me?" Harry said sitting up, and instantly regretted it.

His skin felt as if it were still on fire, still being burnt to a crisp.

"Oh yes," Hermione said primly. "Well, potions masters have been in very very high demand, every hand is needed. He hasn't been pardoned by the Ministry, if that's what you're thinking. They've just been too busy cleaning up the mess to bother arresting him. He doesn't seem to be in any rush to run off anywhere either. Mostly everybody has been waiting for you to wake up."

"Why? And how long have I been out of it?" Harry said, flopping back on the bed. "What have I missed?"

"Oh, um, a few days, Harry," Hermione closed her eyes. "Ron proposed to me," she said matter of factly. "And you almost missed Remus Lupin's funeral, but Tonks begged the Ministry to hold off until you could be there. A lot of people have died. The Ministry has mostly been trying to deal with the aftermath of what happened to the Muggles, you know, silencing everything. So far they haven't had much success. And Hogwarts itself is being used as a shelter and supplies dispensary now since Diagon Alley is, well, toast."

Harry nodded, figuring something like that would happen.

"Basically I missed a whole lot," he said, grinning cheekily, then wincing. Face hurt. "Where is Snape then?"

Harry suspected he knew.

"He's sleeping over there," Hermione pointed, and Harry strained his neck to turn it sideways. "He's been working very hard to help the Ministry, even though he knows he's probably going to prison. I wonder why?"

Snape was in the bed next to his own, passed out. His face looked like somebody had taken all the skin off and replaced it with black and blue putty. His nose was so swollen you couldn't tell it had once been pointy and sharp; it looked like a clown's nose, red and bulbous. His hair was matted and he was bandaged from head to toe. How he could have brewed any potions was beyond Harry's guess.

"I'd better let you sleep," Hermione said softly, rising. "We've been keeping watch over you, me and Ron. I'll let the Healers know you're awake."

Harry nodded and stretched out on the bed to test that all his limbs were functioning. They were. Sheer exhaustion was what kept him from moving any further, and he had to suppress the shudder that wracked his body when he raised his hands up to inspect them.

Harry's skin was burnt black, cracked and crusted over with pus. He immediately lost the contents of his stomach and passed out.

-Hold On Tight-

Harry woke agonizingly to the sound of voices yelling.

"He's resting! Leave him alone!"

"What other choice do we have? The Minister wants all prisoners of war for questioning."

"This isn't a dictatorship and I am still a Healer, he is NOT well and he MUST rest!"

Harry woke up fully at this, and turned his head. About six Aurors, three Healers, a Muggle Doctor (by the color of his uniform) and a host of Hogwarts staff and citizens were all crowded around Snape's bed. Harry could see the man curled up, recoiling from the noise and confusion. Of the Aurors standing there, two, Ron Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt, were actually protecting Snape from the chaos.

"Now Kingsley, you've had a good history with the Aurors, don't mess that up..."

"This is Folly Dawlish and you know it..."

"And you, Mister Weasley, you have a good future with the Ministry if you don't screw up again..."

"I can always find other work," Ron said with a huff. "Snape saved Harry's life. And I don't care what anybody says, square is square in my books."

Harry had to suppress a chuckle at Ron's words and sat up, reaching blearily for his glasses. Oh right, there were none. They'd melted when he'd been roasted. Okay. He stood up and shuffled in the direction of the bed and the crowd.

"Ron's right...leave him alone."

Everybody stood stock still. Of course they would. Harry must have looked like a Demon risen from Hell with all the black burned skin and the layers of bandages and puss and the lack of hair on his head. He pulled his hospital robes more tightly around himself and turned to look at the bed.

Severus Snape was staring at him, completely terrified and completely delighted all in once instance.

"H-Harry," Ron said weakly. "You should get back to bed..."

"I'm fine...I won't let them take Snape..." Harry shuffled some more, until he was leaning against the bedpost standing next to Ron. "I smell like a barbeque pit, I know..."

"Harry!" Ron said with tears in his eyes. "I...its okay mate..."

"We'll go now," Dawlish said wisely, gaping at Harry. "I'll come back in a few days..."

Harry nodded and when the Aurors had gone, and the crowd had dispersed a little, Ron took him by the shoulders to turn him towards the bed. A cough interrupted them and Harry turned to look at Snape pointedly.

"Thank you, Potter," said the man, a smile on his face and an uncharacteristic sparkle in his eyes. "Harry..."

Harry managed a weak smile, butterflies dancing in his belly.

"You're welcome, Snape" he returned, then paused. "Thank YOU for saving my life."

"It wasn't me," Snape said roughly, looking away. "It the Occulamency lessons..."

Harry blinked and then caught on.

"We're linked," Harry said with a startle. "I've been draining you of magic to stay alive!"

"Possibly why you haven't made a recovery yet," said one of the Healers suddenly, bending over Snape to examine him. "Well, I suppose if we move your beds together closer it might speed up the process. Distance usually matters in this sort of bond. Unless of course you happen to be soul mates..."

The Healer laughed, and Ron led Harry pointedly away from Snape towards his bed.

"Soul mates, what rubbish..."

But Harry turned his head to look at Snape, and Snape looked at him, dark black eyebrows arching pointedly.

Both of them smiled.

-Epilogue: Till The Dawn Brings Me Rest-

The sound of children's laughter echoed across the grass, bringing a smile to Harry's face. He toddled around the picnic table and carefully placed the bowl of potato salad in the center of the tablecloth, eyes misting over briefly.

Today...I'll see him today...

Ron and Hermione were struggling with the big, 'Welcome Back!' banner and the twins, Fred and George, were chasing Ron and Hermione's own twins around in a circle.

"Don't get them too worked up or they'll have no energy for the visit!" Hermione chided.

"Exactly," Fred said. "No chance of them doing any damage to old Snape.

"Yeah, it'll save some for us," George added.

Harry smiled and sat down on the picnic table, watching the Weasleys interact. Soon Tonks would be here, and Draco Malfoy, who had been fully pardoned for his valiant efforts to help the Order of the Phoenix all through the war. Arthur and Molly were bringing up chairs to the picnic table, and many other old friends were around. Snape's friends, some of them, the few that weren't Death Eaters and therefore weren't in Azkaban.

"Do you think he'll be in the mood for a party?" Hermione asked Harry, approaching him cautiously. "I mean, after Azkaban..."

Harry had not been able to protect the man from incarceration for very long. He may have been Harry Potter, the Boy Who Was Roasted Alive While Killing Voldemort, but he was still just a human being, and his influence only went so far. Especially since it was his fault that most of Diagon went up in flames.

But Snape's good deed had not gone un-rewarded. His sentence had been shortened to only five years at the bequest of many Order members who were grateful for his saving Harry's live. And without the Dementors to guard Azkaban it was probably more pleasant a stay than if they had been there.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Harry said, straining his neck sideways. "I'm sure he'll be more than a little surprised to find a party being thrown at his house."

Spinners End, when Harry had first seen it, had surprised Harry. It was so run down and old. Sharp and dark. Kind of like Snape. But the chimneys had pointed them in the right direction and Snape's house had been eventually found.

Snape's house was a seedy little place that Molly, upon first inspection, had made a vow to clean free of all dust, pests and mildew. Fred and George had volunteered to repaint the house, though Harry wasn't sure Snape would be too pleased with the shade of bright Hufflepuff yellow they had chosen.

I'm sure Snape will burn their ears with his voice when he sees it.

Once all the chairs were set up and everybody was assembled it was all left to waiting for Kingsley to come along with Snape in tow. The man was currently at St. Mungos getting the standard post-Azkaban physical before coming home.

Maybe he won't want to eat, thought Harry anxiously. What if he wants to go inside and sleep?

All motion ceased when the back door to the house opened and Kingsley popped his head out nodded hurriedly. Everyone waited pensively, and then...

"SURPRISE!"

Fred, George and the kids, were the loudest shouters. Harry stayed where he was, watching as Draco Malfoy rushed forward to greet his godfather again. All the people were clapping and waving hello. But Harry's stomach felt as it was tied in knots.

Snape looked like hell, and nothing like himself. He was dressed in moth eaten muggle jeans and a plaid shirt and his hair was tangled in his face. He had to walk with crutches, due to his missing leg. But all Harry's fears flew out the window at the beaming and beautific smile Snape was giving everyone.

"Whose idea was this?" he said, failing to impress little Minnie and Remus Weasley with his scowling.

"It was Uncle Harry's idea!" they said immediately, pointing directly at him.

Eep!

"Oh, I shall have to thank your Uncle Harry later then," said the man, his eyebrows arching in amusement towards Harry. "I'm too hungry and tired to argue with the possibility of free food, however, so lead me to the feast."

By the time all the potato salad had been eaten, the balloons had been popped, and the Twins' pranks all used up, Harry was ready to call it a day and pack in. Hermione and Ron had taken the smaller twins home for their nap and a majority of the guests had finally worn out their welcome and fled. Snape now sat on a blanket on the grass, looking up at the sky, Draco Malfoy sitting next to him reading from the book of poetry his wife Pansy had written. Harry was sure that this sort of poetic dribble must have been boring for Snape, but he was so happy to be free from prison that he didn't complain. Finally Draco and Kingsley left, leaving Harry and Severus alone outside in the slowly darkening sky.

A long silence stretched out between them.

"Do you need help?" Harry said hesitantly, approaching the man cautiously.

Snape jerked his head up, and it suddenly occurred to Harry that Snape had forgotten he was even here.

"Why did you throw me this party?"

Harry had to hand it to Snape; he recovered quickly from shock, stress and trauma. But Harry wasn't to sure about himself.

"Well, we both got blown up because of Voldemort, so I figured if I'd appreciate it, you probably would..."

"Liar," Snape's voice was not harsh, but his eyes were. "Why did you throw me this party? You didn't have to."

"I wanted to..." Harry hobbled over to the blanket and sat down next to Snape. "I probably could have done better, got you less time behind bars, or something..."

"But you weren't sure you forgave me, for killing Albus," Snape said finally. "You weren't sure how you felt about me. I don't blame you...I would have done the same had I been in your position. I didn't deserve freedom yet."

This comment alone told Harry that Snape had changed drastically since the war. Voldemort's death hung like a mushroom cloud over their heads, thick and green and full of accusations. But Harry broke the tension between them by putting a hand on Snape's shoulder.

"Snape...Severus...here, let me help you up..."

Soon they found themselves both in an odd predicament. Harry sometimes had trouble getting to his feet and Snape was missing a leg so the two of them clung to each other struggling to rise.

"Oy," Snape commented with a harsh cough. "I'm going to need a new leg."

"Remind me to mention that to Arthur, he's been working with the Muggle doctors to make prosthetic limbs for war victims," Harry said automatically. "Do you want me to stay the night to make sure you get around all right?"

Snape was totally caught off guard by the question. He turned to look at Harry, dark questioning eyes boring right into Harry's skull. A momentary lapse of time followed where all Harry could think of was that Snape's eyes, that had once been hard and cold like dark tunnels, were now warm and sparkling with mischief.

"No, I don't need help getting around," Snape said immediately. "But I would appreciate the company. Tea? I have Green, Earl Gray, Lemon, Chai I think..."

"Tea would be great," Harry said, feeling butterflies in his stomach. "Sure."

Harry's body was now burning again, but for reasons of another kind. A gentle wind blew across the grass, catching the wildflowers and sending their fragrant pollen floating through the air to tease their senses. As they made their slow comfortable way towards the tiny house, the distant dying light of the setting sun imprinted its crimson colors in their memories, and would remain there for many years to come.