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It was the last Friday before the winter holidays, and one of Harry's favorite moments of the year. He'd been teaching Defense for four years now. Four years of challenges, of happiness, of fulfillment. He belonged here, at Hogwarts, transmitting his knowledge to the next generation, one day after the other.
Teaching was his calling, and while he sometimes bemoaned the stubbornness of his most difficult students and the ludicrous amount of red tape he had to wade through, there were many moments that made it all worth it.
That first class with the first-years, seeing the joy in their eyes and their excitement as he led them through casting their first shield charms.
Training the fifth-years for their OWLs, guiding them through the obstacle course he had devised as part of the curriculum.
The last class with his seventh-years, just before they took their NEWTs and left Hogwarts forever, young wizards and witches setting out into the world.
And today—the last day before the Yule break, and the day Harry always chose to teach the Patronus to his third-years.
It was a delicate moment. He had to balance the students' expectations with the reality of their spellwork and the fact that, despite all their efforts, only about a quarter of them would produce a full Patronus. Some students ended up in tears. Others cried with joy when from their wands bloomed a majestic silver animal. Setting the class just before the holidays ensured the stakes were as low as possible. Those who succeeded got to take home a golden memory, and those who failed had the perspective of the holidays and Christmas to soothe them.
"Remember, there will be no grade on this. This is a NEWT-level spell that can give trouble to even some adult wizards. It's very normal if you don't manage to cast it properly, and in fact, I don't expect many of you to succeed. Yes, yes, some of you will, and some will manage an incorporeal Patronus, which is an accomplishment as well! Even attempting the spell is an achievement in and of itself. Now, any questions?"
A handful of hands rose up.
"Miss Walker?"
"What's the weirdest Patronus you've seen, sir?" the Hufflepuff girl asked.
"Mmm, let me think. The weirdest? I would say a blue whale, or maybe a cassowary. The whale was a surprise for sure, and it took up the entire room. You couldn't see anything but silver light! But remember, the size of a Patronus doesn't mean anything about its power."
There were a few whispers among the students, and a few stifled laughs at the back that Harry could tell came from a classic it's not the size that counts joke. He pointed to another student who had his hand up.
"Mister Lewis?"
"What if we don't want to do it?" said Lewis.
A Hufflepuff, he was a timid student who generally kept to himself, and, as far as Harry could tell, had few friends. His grades were correct. His best subject was Potions, which seemed strange to Harry because shy students usually didn't do well in Snape's class.
"There is no obligation to try," Harry replied, keeping his voice warm and friendly. "As I said before, this is a spell very much beyond your level. If you prefer to wait a few years before attempting it, then I would find it wise."
The boy nodded, biting his lips.
"Alright!" Harry said. "I will demonstrate the wand movement and the incantation."
He cast the spell, and his stag sprang forth to canter around the room. Students ooohed and aaahed, some reaching out to brush the stag's silvery flanks or touch the silvery sparkles he left in his wake.
"That looks so cool…" someone commented. "I want a stag too!"
"You're not getting a stag! Yours will be a spider."
"Will not!"
Harry gave the go ahead, and the room echoed with a multitude of Expecto Patronum. Some students shouted the incantation while others muttered it. There were frowns on some faces and smiles on others as everyone attempted to recall their happiest memory and use it to fuel the spell. Harry walked from student to student, giving advice.
As expected, there were few successes, and it took some time before they saw the first animal—a rabbit, bursting forth from a Ravenclaw girl.
"Very good, Miss Fraser! Ten points to Ravenclaw."
A handful of students gathered around the rabbit, watching the animal hop around. Others asked Fraser how she'd done it, and she explained to her friends what memory she'd chosen. Moments later, a flamingo joined the rabbit as another student succeeded. Harry gave points to Gryffindor and kept dispensing advice. More animals materialized—a Siberian husky, a bear, a cat, and even a dinosaur.
"Is that the weirdest, Professor?" asked Miss Walker as her dinosaur Patronus circled around her, a large beast as tall as her with a triangular head, a thick body, and a long tail.
"That might be, yes."
"Deynonychus," said a Ravenclaw, grinning at the dinosaur. "And it's got feathers!"
The silver animals trampled all over the classroom, chasing each other, radiating a joy that was contagious and led to more successes. There were also some incorporeal Patronuses, clouds of silver mist here and there.
"I got Professor Snape!" someone exclaimed.
Harry turned around, expecting to see a bat, or maybe a long, lanky cat—some kind of animal that brought Snape to mind.
But no.
It really was Snape.
Carved in silvery light, he stood there, arms crossed, head held high, cloak flaring behind him in a dramatic fashion.
Harry stared.
"But—but Patronuses can't be people!" said Fraser.
She was right. In the entire history of Patronus magic, there had never been a human Patronus. Only animals. Some Japanase wizard had once claimed he had a mushroom Patronus, but that had never been proven for certain. No one had ever claimed to have a human Patronus.
And for the human in question to be Snape?
Patronuses were meant to represent a protective presence brought on by a feeling of pure joy. How on earth did that translate to Snape?
"Is that not normal?" Lewis said, watching his Snape Patronus with no particular surprise.
Doubt had crept into his voice. His wand dropped an inch or two, and he shuffled his feet, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.
"Ten points to Hufflepuff for a beautifully executed Patronus," Harry said.
He circled around the Snape Patronus (Snapetronus?) to better examine him. It truly did look like Snape, a perfect mirror of the Potions Master, every harsh feature faithfully reproduced, down to that beak of a nose that dominated his face. He was sort of glaring at everyone as if all this was beneath him, which, well, was very Snape.
"I will admit I didn't expect this," Harry said. "As far as I know, that's not possible."
"So there's something wrong with me?" Lewis said.
"No, no. No one had ever survived the Killing Curse before me. No one has ever produced a human Patronus before you. There's nothing wrong with you, Mister Lewis. There is something exceptional."
The boy nodded, relief showing on his face.
"Professor, Professor, can you help? I have the perfect happy memory but I think I'm saying the incantation wrong," said another student, waving his hand in the air.
Harry shot one last look at the Snapetronus and went to help the struggling student. The animals continued their happy dance while the Snapetronus remained rooted in place, too dignified to join the mad carousel. Harry tried to imagine Snape dancing with the animals and had to stifle a laugh.
Eventually, class ended. Harry wished everyone a good holiday as the students filed out of the classroom, chatting among themselves. Lewis remained behind.
"I, uh, wanted to thank you, sir," he said, gaze glued to the floor. "It was really fun."
"You're very welcome, Mister Lewis. Let me let you in on a little secret: that moment, teaching to cast the Patronus? It's my favorite teaching moment."
A smile crept onto the boy's lips.
"Really?"
"Really. I get to see young witches and wizards connecting to a very special part of their magic, and I get to help them with that. Moments like those are exactly why I took this job."
"You're a great teacher. My second favorite, you know."
"Would your favorite happen to be Professor Snape?"
Lewis nodded. Okay, now the Snapetronus made a little more sense. Still, it came as a surprise that Snape would be anyone's favorite teacher—and especially not a Slytherin. He had mellowed a bit since the end of the war, but not by much. He still distributed verbal lashings whenever a student's behavior wasn't up to his standards, and he favored his own House shamelessly.
"If I may ask," Harry said, "what memory did you use?"
"Um," Lewis said, and there he met Harry's gaze and his eyes glittered as he spoke next. "That speech Professor Snape gave us during our very first lesson. 'In this class, you will come to understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I will teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death.'"
"I see," Harry said.
He had never imagined Snape's bottle fame, brew glory speech could ever be a Patronus-worthy memory for anyone.
"You can do so many things with potions," Lewis said, his eyes gleaming with unrivaled enthusiasm. "Not that Defense isn't a great subject!" he added hastily. "But potions… potions are their own special kind of magic."
"They are," Harry agreed with a smile. "Have a good holiday, Mister Lewis."
"You too, sir!"
At dinner, Harry brought up the Patronus class. It was sort of a tradition, as teachers placed bets on who would succeed and what their Patronus would be.
"Got a really weird one this year," he said, wondering if he should make the suspense last or just come out with it.
McGonagall gave a nod.
"I've already heard. Miss Walker with a deinonychus. I believe you owe me ten Galleons, gentlemen."
Harry paid. So did Snape, passing McGonagall the Galleons without a word.
"You guessed deinonychus?" Harry said to Flitwick, noticing he wasn't paying.
"I guessed a Giant Squid, which is in the same category of the extraordinary. I knew Miss Walker would have a singularly unique Patronus. She's such a peculiar girl."
McGonagall pocketed the money, looking pleased. She had guessed a mammoth, which put her the closest, since that was more or less a prehistoric animal.
"Well, yeah," Harry said, "but that wasn't the one I was talking about. Lewis got even stranger."
"Lewis?" McGonagall said with a hint of surprise in her voice. "That boy managed a corporeal?"
"Yep. Fully corporeal."
"Fascinating!" Flitwick said.
McGonagall had bet he wouldn't be able to cast the spell, and so had Flitwick. Harry had put down ten Galleons on some kind of dog while Snape had guessed a badger.
"He got a Snape," Harry said, savoring the absurd words.
His colleagues' faces ranged from amusement to confusion. Snape raised an eyebrow, looking entirely serious.
"A giant bat. Hilarious, Potter."
"No, I mean a literal Snape. His Patronus is you. Human you."
"That's not possible."
"I know," Harry said, "and yet it happened."
Snape shook his head, his lips pinched in a tight line.
"You've been played for a fool, Potter. It was a prank. Some enterprising student thought it funny to make you believe one could produce a human Patronus. That it took my likeness was the cherry on top of the proverbial cake."
"I would have noticed if it was fake. Besides, Lewis isn't the type to play pranks. I'm telling you, it really was a Snape Patronus. As unbelievable as it is…"
"So you think a third-year student was able to break the laws of magic thanks to your exceptional teaching abilities?"
"I never said I had anything to do with it," Harry replied, miffed.
That was always the problem with Snape. He still thought Harry cared about his fame, still saw him as the ghost of his father. Harry had grown beyond that. In truth, he had never even been that at all, but Hell would freeze over before Snape would realize it.
"Did this Patronus behave normally?" McGonagall asked.
"As far as I could tell, yeah. It radiated the same feeling of joy as the others. It didn't play with them, but that would have looked very weird if it did. I've seen a lot of Patronuses, and a lot of strange ones too, and I'm positive it was the real deal."
"In your expert opinion," Snape said, his voice carrying biting sarcasm, "why would Lewis' Patronus take on my image?"
Harry looked him in the eye.
"You're his favorite teacher."
A slight tremor coursed across Snape's features. As always, he quickly mastered his expression, which went back to a blank mask. Oh, how Harry hated that mask. He wanted to shatter it to see the real Snape behind it.
"He told you that?" Snape said.
"Mm-mm."
"It may be that, seeing Severus as a source of safety in his life, Mister Lewis produced a Patronus modeled on him," McGonagall said, her brow furrowed. "We cannot dismiss the possibility simply because it has never happened before."
"It's a trick," Snape grumbled. "You are allowing yourselves to be deceived by a thirteen-year old boy."
"We can ask him to do it again," Harry said. "You'll see."
"I will see how you make a fool of yourself, Potter. As usual."
That sentence was accompanied by a classic Snape sneer, which Harry returned. God, Snape was infuriating. Harry had saved in life in the Shack, had remained by his side during his convalescence in the infirmary, had testified for him at his trial, and he had stupidly allowed himself to hope they could bury the hatchet, but no. The man all but growled at him every time Harry came near. The Potter-Snape friendship Harry had imagined had ended up stillborn.
Was anyone even friends with him at all? He was so prickly Harry doubted such a feat had ever been managed.
"Gentlemen, please," McGonagall said. "There's no need for such hostility. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this very soon."
She ended up being right, but not in the way she had imagined. Before Harry could talk to Lewis—before the end of the day, in fact—the Ministry had stuck its nose into the matter. Two Unspeakables, clad in their black robes trimmed in silver, demanding to speak to Lewis and not taking no for an answer.
"This is highly irregular," McGonagall said, glaring at the two intruders from her desk. "You cannot waltz into this school as you please and request a meeting with a student!"
"You'll find that we can," said the taller of the two, a man in his mid-thirties with slick blond hair and a goatee.
Harry thought he looked like a grown-up Draco with the Malfoy arrogance turned up to eleven.
"And should you prove uncooperative," the other Unspeakable said, a woman with a mousy face and a smile that screamed 'mad scientist', "we will invoke the Bloomengard exception."
Snape let out a short bark of a laugh.
"You're not serious. How on earth can you argue this is a threat to our society? The Bloomengard exception applies only in extreme cases, when the danger has to be contained immediately lest it leads to a catastrophe. May I remind you we are talking about a thirteen-year old boy?"
"A boy who has produced an impossible Patronus," the blond Unspeakable said.
"We are facing an unprecedented magical feat," the woman said. "We're ready to bring down the full might of the Ministry on the subject."
Snape stepped forward.
"You'll have to go through me first."
There was something in the way he stood—in the way he said those words—that plucked a string in Harry's heart. The two Unspeakables scoffed, but Harry saw Snape was deadly serious. He had made it his mission to protect the students of this school, and he would see it through, no matter the obstacles.
He had always been a protector, Harry reflected. How many times had Snape saved his life? Really, he'd lost count. And he had never asked for any recognition either. In fact, he'd gone to great lengths to conceal his actions. It was part of his spy cover, of course, but even now, with Voldemort dead and buried, Snape hadn't pointed out just how much Harry owed him. And Harry himself had put the matter aside, because he had trouble reconciling Snape the protector with Snape the grumpy git who sneered at him every chance he got.
But they were one and the same, and now that fact was cheerfully striking Harry across the face.
Uh.
He ought to talk to Snape sometimes soon…
(And also, the man looked supremely hot like this, tall and clad in black and declaring himself Lewis' protector.)
"It won't come to this, I'm sure," McGonagall said, striving for alet's all be reasonable here tone. "We can arrange for you to witness Lewis' Patronus. Would that satisfy you?"
"A mere observation isn't enough," the man said. "We are looking to test it."
"Absolutely not," McGonagall said.
"Have you lost your mind," Snape said, and that wasn't a question.
"Test it?" Harry said. "Please tell me you're talking message over a distance kind of test and not the Dementor kind."
The two Unspeakables threw him a look that spoke for itself. Yep, they had lost their mind.
"The primary purpose of a Patronus is to repel Dementors," the man said. "If we are to establish the veracity of the boy's Patronus, such a confrontation is the only way."
"It will happen within carefully curated safety parameters," the woman added. "The boy will be perfectly safe."
"No one is perfectly safe with a Dementor hanging around," Harry said.
McGonagall was now actively scowling, which was a rare sight on her face, and Snape looked as though he was trying to cast the Avada with his gaze. (And again, that was hot.)
"It won't be a true Dementor," the man said. "My colleague's worst fear happens to be Dementors. We'll use a Boggart, so it copies every feature of the Dementor without the ability to suck souls. Is that safe enough for you, Mister Potter?"
"Marginally better," Harry said. "But you're forgetting one very important factor in your little experiment."
"And what's that?"
"Lewis himself. He gets the final say. If he doesn't want to cast his Patronus for you, tough luck."
Snape gave him a nod.
"Potter is right. This is up to Lewis."
The two Unspeakables looked unhappy, but while they'd been quick to dismiss Snape's vow of protection, they recognized going against Harry was not a good idea—hero of the wizarding world and all.
"Then that's settled," McGonagall declared. "Let us see what Mister Lewis has to say."
Snape went to fetch Lewis. The boy appeared intimidated by the two Unspeakables, glancing fearfully in their direction. McGonagall explained the reason of their presence and what they wanted to do, and the boy seemed to come to a decision.
"I want to do it."
"You don't have to," Snape said. "You are under no obligation to perform any spell on command for anyone."
Harry noted Snape no longer appeared to think the Patronus wasn't real.
"I know, Professor. But my Patronus… if it repels the Dementor, then it's proof it's a true Patronus, right? Not some weird freak accident?"
Harry heard an echo of the words of other students in that last part.
"You don't need to prove anything," Snape said, and there was such warmth in his voice that Harry had to visually check it was truly Snape.
He sounded almost… paternal. And ready to defend Lewis with everything he had.
(Why did Harry liked it so much, what was happening?)
"I need to know," Lewis said.
The Unspeakables set up their material in an empty classroom—a trunk which contained a Boggart, some kind of strange contraption made of three interlocked circles of metal that rotated upon themselves, whirring softly, and a weighing scale for Lewis' wand.
"Red oak wood with a dragon heartstring core, nine inches, is that right?" the woman said.
"Yes."
"At what age did you exhibit accidental magic?"
"Uh, I was three. I turned my plate of broccoli into chocolate."
A Quick-Quote Quill hovering next to the woman was recording the answers.
"Is this truly necessary?" Snape said.
"We need a full picture of the situation, Mister Snape," the woman said crisply. "I'm sure you understand that, when conducting an experiment, even the tiniest detail can be telling."
"Hey, you're talking to the man who improved upon the Wolfsbane potion," Harry said. "He knows all about experiments."
There was a pause. The woman gave him an odd look while Snape threw him a contemplative glance. Apparently they both hadn't expected him to defend Snape. Well, he'd only told the truth. And he didn't like the idea that Snape's genius would go unrecognized just because the man had been a Death Eater.
"Moving on…" the woman said. "Your parents are Muggles. You have a four-year old sister. Is she magical?"
"I don't think so," Lewis said. "She hasn't shown any signs, anyway. I guess it's better for her." He looked down at his feet. "My father doesn't like magic much."
"I see," the woman said with the empathy of a prison wall. "And to produce your Patronus, what memory do you use?"
"I… I don't want to tell you."
"You must," the woman said like she was interrogating a hardened criminal. "It is of pivotal importance that—"
"That nothing," Snape said. "Mister Lewis doesn't owe you a damn thing, and he's already being overly generous by allowing this. Be grateful."
The woman scoffed but didn't press the issue.
"We're ready," the man said. "Mister Lewis, if you please..."
"I'm ready," the boy said, stepping forward as he gripped his wand tightly.
Snape hovered close, his hands loose at his side—but Harry knew he only needed a fraction of a second to unsheathe his wand kept inside his left sleeve. He resembled the Snapetronus so much like this, a tall figure whose primary goal was to protect the boy, and Harry felt a strange surge of affection for this Snape that left him reeling.
An eerie creak disturbed the silence of the room. The trunk the Unspeakables had brought in shuddered. The latch sprang open, and the lid was slowly pushed up. A skeletal hand, half-draped in mouldering bandages, grabbed the side of the trunk. Then the thing inside pushed back the lid and unfolded itself, floating above, two meters tall of Dementor, hooded robes, biting cold and gasping breaths included.
Despair crept into Harry's mind. He was powerless here. Snape hated him, and they would never be friends, never mind more than friends. In fact, Snape would probably leave the castle soon, stop teaching altogether so he wouldn't have to endure Harry's presence every day. Yes, that was what would happen—
Gritting his teeth, Harry fought back against the overwhelming wave of negativity. The Dementor-boggart floated higher, reaching out across the space with its decaying hands while the woman stared at him, her face frozen in pure fear. Lewis snapped his wand into a tight pattern.
"Expecto Patronum!"
And out came the Snapetronus.
It was just as magnificent as the first time. A Snape made of light, pure and true and radiating so much joy Harry found tears were coming to his eyes. Lewis smiled, the smile of someone who knew he had nothing to fear.
The Snapetronus stepped toward the Dementor.
And glared.
A truly impressive glare, caustic enough to scald, one that would have made Harry wince and recoil. The Dementor paused, tilting his head, assessing the new threat. The Snapetronus kept glaring. The intensity of his gaze went up another notch, and then another, until one could practically feel the strength of the disapproving beam the Snapetronus was aiming at the Dementor.
The Dementor screeched and drew back. It folded itself back into the trunk and hastily closed it behind itself, shutting itself inside.
There was a heavy silence in the room.
"Well," the woman said, "I suppose that answers the question as to whether this is a true Patronus or not."
"This is most unexpected," the man said.
But now the Snapetronus was glaring at them—and glaring just as hard as it had with the Dementor.
"You can dismiss it, Mister Lewis," the woman said.
"Though of course we'll need to run more tests," the man added. "We'll have to determine if your Patronus is capable of relaying messages, and a spectroscopy ought to—"
"No," Lewis said.
"Mister Lewis," the woman started, and didn't go any further than that as the Snapetronus had suddenly appeared in front of her, as if by sheer teleportation, and was giving her the Death Glare.
She stepped back. Very wise of her.
"You've heard the boy," said the real Snape. "No more experiments. In fact, you've outstayed our welcome. Kindly take your trunk and get out of here."
The Unspeakables exchanged a glance, then eyed the four of them—Harry, Snape, Lewis and his Patronus—weighing their odds. Harry tensed, his fingers flexing as he smoothly brought his hand closer to his wand. Snape didn't move a muscle, standing confidently. The Snapetronus stood the same, his cloak billowing dramatically behind him. Harry thought the moment would have been complete with some epic music in the background.
The two Unspeakables realized they were outmatched.
"This isn't over," the man said.
"Yes it is," Harry replied. "Goodbye, see you never."
They left with their metaphorical tails between their legs.
The moment they were out of view, Lewis let out a sigh of relief. He turned to his Patronus, eyeing the Snape with a smile, then directed that same smile at the human Snape. Snape, for his part, wore a strange expression on his face. It took Harry a moment to place it.
Pride.
"Well done, Mister Lewis," Snape said. "That was a sound demonstration."
"Thank you, sir."
The Snapetronus walked up to Snape. They looked each other in the eye, the real Snape and his mirror in silvery light, and Harry wondered what Snape felt in this moment. Then Snape nodded at the Snapetronus, who gave an identical nod in kind and moved back behind Lewis, his cloak once more billowing in a dramatic fashion.
"This Snapetronus gets around 50% more billowing than the real Snape," Harry remarked.
Both Lewis and Snape gave him a look. Lewis' eyes were crinkled in amusement while Snape's face indicated the man was probably contemplating which of Harry's bits would make the best potion ingredients.
"Snapetronus. Really, Potter?"
"Hey, it's catchy. Fun to say, too."
"I like it," Lewis said.
Snape glowered mildly at him.
"They'll come back, won't they?" Lewis said, fidgeting with his wand. "It's such a strange thing, they'll want to study it more. Study me."
"We won't permit it," Snape said.
"You'll be safe," Harry added. "That's a promise."
The boy beamed at them. Then, in a display of daring that Harry had never witnessed before, he hugged Snape. Just straight up sprung at the man and closed his arm around him. Snape froze up—for a second, then returned the embrace, with only a touch of awkwardness.
A knock at the door put an end to the hug. It was Miss Walker, who smiled brightly at them as she bounced on her toes.
"There you are, Roger! Oh, hello, Professor Snape, Professor Potter! And the Snapetronus!"
Snape scowled. Miss Walker's smile only broadened.
"Woah, he's so cool! And his cloak is flapping in the wind and all! Is that something you can control? I've been trying to get Pancakes to do a somersault but no luck so far."
"Pancakes?" Harry said.
"My dinosaur."
"Ah."
"She's also very cool," Lewis offered. "Almost as cool as my Snape."
"But not as cool," Miss Walker agreed. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you would go to Hogsmeade with me? They're having a sale on liquorice wands and I know I'm gonna buy way more than what I can eat, so…"
"Oh," Lewis said. "You want me to go with you?"
"Yep!"
Lewis looked at Harry and Snape, as if asking for permission—or seeking the reassurance of his two favorite professors.
"You've earned some sweets," Snape said, sounding so strangely paternal (hoooot, screamed Harry's brain).
"Have fun!" Harry said.
The boy grinned and hurried to join Miss Walker. If those two hadn't been friends before, they would definitely be friends now. And that was thanks to the Snapetronus.
That left Harry alone with Snape.
"I will be the bigger man," he said, "and refrain from gloating."
"That single sentence qualifies as gloating," Snape informed him.
Yeah, he wasn't wrong.
"That being said," Snape added, and there he looked as if bracing himself for a blow, "I owe you an apology."
Uh.
"What?"
"I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss your report of a Snape Patronus. I admit I allowed my personal feelings about you to get in the way, feelings which I now realize are based on misguided assumptions that are relics of the past. And for that, I… am… sorry."
Each word had been dragged through gravel, kicking and screaming, to be delivered at Harry's feet.
"Um," Harry said. "Okay. Thanks?"
Snape gave him a brisk nod. Then he turned to go, his cloak flaring, and Harry opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry too."
That stopped Snape. He whirled around, one eyebrow raised. Harry, internally panicking, tried to shuffle his thoughts into some organized speech.
"I'm sorry for not thanking you. Because you saved my life. You saved my life a lot, and you never asked me for anything in return. Hell, you never even pointed it out, so half the time I didn't know you were saving me. So, um, thanks. Is what I'm saying."
Snape's face was still the usual blank wall, but something was happening in his eyes—a distinct softening. Maybe like his heart was melting. (Hey, Harry was allowed to have hope!)
"You're welcome," he said at length.
Deciding he might as well push his luck, Harry stuck out his hand.
"Friends?"
Snape eyed his hand.
"What brought this on, Potter?"
"This whole Snapetronus thing made me see another side of you. A side I'd like to get to know better."
"It may be altogether an illusion."
"I don't think so," Harry said, holding Snape's gaze.
"You may come to regret it," Snape said as he shook Harry's hand.
"I don't think so either."
Snape's face did a strange thing then—a smile appeared on it, like the rarest rainbow during a thunderstorm. Harry stared.
"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" his mouth said, entirely independent from his brain which was still stuck on that smile.
Something gleamed in the depths of Snape's eyes, something that shot heat along Harry's spine and tightened his insides.
"Is that what friends do?" Snape said, practically purring the question. "Or are you asking me out on a date, Potter?"
"Date," Harry said, now in full control of his mouth. "Date, definitely."
"Very well. That is acceptable."
Harry wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. One minute he and Snape were just colleagues, and now they were boyfriends? Not that he was complaining. Maybe that was the power of the Snapetronus—bridging gaps, mending old wounds, bringing people together.
"I've heard they have a sale on liquorice," he said. "Do you like liquorice?"
"You shall have to find out."
"Maybe I'll ask the Snapetronus."
Snape threw him a dangerous look that thrilled Harry more than it should have.
"That word again," Snape said. "Careful, Potter. I bite."
"Promise?"
The blush that colored Snape's cheeks was the most wonderful thing in the world. Harry grinned. He couldn't wait to discover everything there was to know about his new boyfriend.