It is our choices (A Harry/Severus friendship fic post DH) (Watty Awards 2011)

Chapter 3- With your head held high

Chapter 3- '... with your head held high'

Slowly, Snape's black eyes opened. In the distance, he could see many people gathering around Hagrid and Harry's dead figure lying on the ground. Snape made to touch his head with his hand and realised he had a terrible migraine, his head felt heavy and a loud, thundering beat pulsated in his mind. He tried to sit up, but his body was too weak and unable to balance itself properly. Eventually, Snape gave up trying and resumed to his pathetic position upon the soil. In the distance he heard screams of both anguish and fear. Seeing their hero lying dead upon the ground must have terrified and upset many of the witches and wizards fighting at Hogwarts. Everyone's hopes would be lost and, Snape realised, that meant Voldemort's permanent reign over the Wizarding world. He heard sobbing, loud, anguished sobs from people who barely knew the boy, weeping not for Harry Potter but for what they were about to lose because of his failure. Snape was furious, though he tried to prevent himself from feeling any real anger; it seemed that his migraine became more powerful whenever he felt any amount of emotion. He was angry, however and although he tried to deny it, he realised that a majority of the people gathered around Harry were selfishly crying out of fear, not because the boy had died but because he had failed. They, like Dumbledore saw Harry as a part of the plan. They may have expected the boy to die, but in dying, they wanted him to destroy Voldemort too. To Snape, however, the Potter boy gave it his best shot and as Snape always asserted, he never really stood a chance...

Staring into the distance towards the forest, Severus suddenly noticed two figures walking towards him. Snape's heart began to race as he realised he would easily be seen if anyone were to look in his direction. He also knew that he was too weak to hide before they reached him, so lay still hoping that the people approaching him would not turn him in to Voldemort. As their figures became clearer, Snape recognised the person on the right... Lucius; he knew that long blonde hair and pointed stature from anywhere. To the man's right he saw a tall, thin woman and although he didn't know for sure, he hoped that the second figure was Narcissa. Breathing deeply, Snape tried to keep calm. Although he knew that Narcissa was not a Death Eater, she was still supportive of the Dark Lord, as was her husband. Remembering the way Lucius looked in the Shrieking Shack when he watched his master's torturing spree, Snape hoped that Lucius may spare his life and keep his survival a secret. 

"Who's there?" Lucius demanded as he held up his lit wand and shone it on Snape's face. 

"Lucius..." 

"Severus? The Dark Lord said he killed you!" Narcissa was beside herself and looked at her husband for an explanation. She was not present in the shack and perhaps felt she was betrayed by her husband for lack of details. 

"He sent Nagini to kill me, but summoned her before she could finish the job," Snape said quietly. 

"So, you survived?" Lucius interjected, apparently amazed by his friend's luck. 

"Obviously, Lucius." Snape's voice was nothing more than a whisper. 

"If the Dark Lord finds out-" 

Snape looked into Lucius' eyes and saw the fear that was often present when the blonde Death Eater was either in his master's presence or otherwise about to disobey him. 

"Lucius, he is ill, we need to help him," Narcissa asserted. Snape continued to stare into his friend's eyes, hoping against all reason that Lucius would heed his wife's assertion; he was too weak to speak. 

"But if the Dark Lord found out that I-" 

"He won't; he's so excited that he killed the Potter boy that he won't notice your absence." Lucius still looked unsure. Snape noticed Narcissa wringing her hands and recognised the action, not on the woman but among children and house elves; it means they've done something wrong.