Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Harry and Severus scenes are always heartwarming and a favourite to write!
CH 12: With Asphodel
As Harry left the grounds of Hogwarts, dusk began to settle. There was a faint light as the sun began to dip low in the horizon, but there was still enough light to see the path ahead. The Invisibility Cloak was swung over his head, as he moved gratefully undetected, avoiding the gaze of the Auror guard sentries in view. Feeling a slight chill in the air, he zipped up his jacket to his neck and withdrew his wand in caution. The Forbidden Forest was always unpredictable.

He made his way along a different path this time, as he entered the Forest, and made a beeline to the clearing where the Thestral herd was usually grazing. Harry was relieved to have a meeting place he was familiar with. It was not a frequent hang-out for the Gryffindor, but he was known to bump into Luna Lovegood here on occasion. Like her, he was always fascinated by the creatures. Despite their morbidity in nature, they were highly misunderstood creatures. Menacing in their dark skeletal appearance, they were actually quite gentle beasts. Once a person was able to get over the initial shock of finally being able to see them, they became even more intriguing.

A part of him used to wish that others could see them too. But he would have never in his right mind thought that it would take an entire war to make that happen.

He edged closer towards the small clearing in the center of the thick canopy of twisted old yew and oak trees and spotted the moving forms of the herd of Thestrals ahead. A small foal cantered up to Harry and pressed its snout against Harry's sleeve, sensing the boy under its invisibility charm. Feeling safe enough, he removed his Cloak and reached out to the foal to pet its head.

"Sorry – I don't have any food for you this time, " Harry proceeded the scratch its head, as a few adult Thestrals wandered around the clearing, watching the boy in curiosity.

Hearing a light shuffle towards his left side, he raised his wand as and saw Severus Snape cautiously step out of the tree line and into the clearing. A faint glow of the dusk light illuminated the man's alarmingly sallow appearance. As Snape stepped out with his hands up, Harry lowered his wand immediately.

"Never be so quick to lower your wand."

"Err… " Hesitantly, Harry slowly raised his wand again, and Snape frowned, unamused.

Pursing his lips together, Snape sighed, "Ask me something only I would know."

Pausing slightly to ponder that, Harry could not think of a single thing to ask.

"– Don't think too hard, Potter. You'll give yourself a headache."

Fighting the urge to snap back a usual sarcastic remark, he finally thought of something, "Okay, um – What was the first question you asked me in my first Potions lesson when you unfairly interrogated me?" Harry was actually surprised he remembered that himself.

It was almost too dark to make out the slight smirk the man had on his face, but Harry could not work out if the man was pleased by the question or pleased at how much he tried to humiliate him during his first Potions class. "During your first Potions lesson with me, I asked – 'What would you get, if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'"

Satisfied, Harry began to lower his wand, then gave the man a quizzical look. "Aren't you going to ask me a question?"

Snape gave Harry an almost unnatural snort, "I don't need to question you to know that you are, undeniably, the real Harry Potter. In fact, I take pity on the poor sod who would ever want to impersonate you."

"Gee, thanks, Professor." Harry felt quite hurt by that.

Snape gently crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "So tell me, do you recall the answer I gave to that question?"

"The Potions question?" Harry accidentally let out a small awkward laugh, "No, sir, I don't."

"And here I thought you were decent enough at Potions to at least know the answer - I retract that previous statement. Well…consider that your homework, Potter."

"You can't seriously be giving me homework?"

Snape, appearing a little too pleased with himself, smirked at the defeated expression on the boy, "I expect you will have the answer by the next time I see you. The answer will be most useful to you."

Harry Potter clenched his jaw as his emerald eyes pondered over the new dressings over the man's neck wound. "How's the wound?"

Hesitating at the unexpected question, he instinctively prodded the thick bandage, tensing slightly from the sensitivity of the affected nerve pain, "Manageable. For now."

"Good", Harry nodded, not entirely convinced. It has been close to two weeks, and it was still causing problems.

"Extend your arm, Potter, " Snape outstretched his palm outwards, and it took Harry a few moments to realise that he wanted to see the boy's wound from the attack in the Forest. Initially, the Gryffindor was going to refuse so as not to cause a big of a deal, but he did not fancy getting on the man's bad side. Dealing with his rude wit was more than enough. Gently pulling up his sleeve, he raised the material all the way up to his shoulder. The wound itself was slightly damp, from a mixture of murtlap essence and exudate from the wound in its healing process. The wound itself looked rough – Although the lacerations had sealed up, it left raw red scarring in traces of the crosshatch patterns on his arms. It was tender and sensitive, that even the cool breeze within the dusk night air was enough to cause Harry a little discomfort.

Gently holding onto Harry's wrist, Snape lit up his wand wordlessly with Lumos, as he ran his careful gaze all around the wounds. He was thorough; he would give him that. As he watched the man trace over the wounds with his wand to observe, he noticed Snape's slightly guilty expression as the man's eyebrows crinkled, and his thin lips pursed together in deep thought. Eventually, the man spoke, "Continue using the essence, Potter. I'm afraid there is little I can do for the extensive scarring." Flourishing his wand, Snape conjured up a roll of soft bandages and began to wrap it gently around Harry's arm, covering below his shoulder, to the boy's wrist.

There was a brief pause, and Harry continued, "So…Hopefully you're here to tell me more than just assign me homework."

Snape nodded as he let go of Harry's wrist, watching as the Gryffindor pulled down his sleeve back over the new dressings on the wound. An adult Thestral walked up to Snape and gently prodded his snout at the man's robes. Reaching out with a slightly trembling pale hand, he ran his palm over the bony crevices of the creature's neck. The Thestral whinnied softly as he took a liking to the affection and stomped its right hoof to the ground under its feet. With that prompt, Severus removed a dull plum-colored pouch from the side of his robes and reached inside – which Harry recognised as using an Extension Charm – and proceeded to pull out a piece of raw meat using his wand to levitate it. With a flick, Snape threw the piece of meat to the ground a few paces away and several other adult Thestrals, including the foal, wandered over to it. Snape threw several more pieces before he turned back to the young Gryffindor.

Harry was fascinated by the man's affection and patience with the creatures, as he watched carefully as he interacted with them. He had never seen this side of the man before. Well, if there was any creature out there who suited the Potions Master more, were the Thestrals.

Oh, the irony of that.

Raising his wand, the man cast a Muffliato Spell around them in order to conceal their conversations from any potential eavesdroppers, "An anonymous source made it known to me that a few escaped Death Eaters fled to a small property in Cokeworth. I believe it is still in use."

"Cokeworth? That was in The Daily Prophet the other day, right?"

"Correct. A small group of Aurors was ambushed there this morning in their attempt to appease the anonymous tips, though I am unaware of the casualties sustained. I believe the Death Eaters had the upper hand."

Harry frowned, "What's there that has the Death Eaters interested?"

Snape paused as he pondered the simple question, but his expression softened as he responded, "My residence. I had offered it to the Dark Lord previously as a safe house."

"…Sorry, sir."

"No matter. It is one of many safe houses; most I am, unfortunately, unaware of. I was only privy to a select few."

"Speaking of residences, I was going to ask – " Harry shifted uncomfortably, "We have plans to regain Grimmauld Place. The Fidelius Charm was compromised, and we believe rogue Death Eaters may be using that, too."

"Far too dangerous, Potter. It is imperative that you remain in safe quarters for the time being, " Snape scoffed.

"...I need your help." ...Well. There it is.

"I beg your pardon?"

"We could use your help in gaining it back. I want to continue using it as headquarters – For the Order and the DA, " Harry pleaded.

Concerned, Snape leaned forward, "The Order of the Phoenix is finished. It is over. There is no one left."

"It doesn't have to be over, Snape. And that's not true - There are still a few of us left. I want to keep it going."

"For what purpose, Potter?"

Harry threw his hands up in frustration, "Like you, I can't just do nothing."

Snape looked warily at the Gryffindor and turned away to look at the Thestrals happily munching on the treats he delivered to them. Harry noticed he looked conflicted. Pained, even. There was a grim silence between the two. For a second, Harry regretted even telling the man. But he knew that he could really use his help, and for once in their lives, they can fight actively together on the same side. It was now possible. With his help or not, Harry was going to round up his friends and overtake Grimmauld place, but Harry reveled at the thought of allowing the man to fight by his side this time.

Finally re-gathering his thoughts, Snape turned back around to face the Gryffindor once more. He drew in a gentle breath, and looked back into Harry's gaze, "Alright." Snape's voice was barely a whisper. "If we are going to take back headquarters, we must do this properly and on my terms. Understood?"

Harry nodded, "Okay." That already felt like a small weight on the boy's shoulders.

Expecting a harsh response, Snape appeared satisfied when Harry accepted without question. "Good. First, we must scope the premises for any falter in defenses. I may be able to detect which charms they used to conceal it, but I will not know until we are there."

Harry frowned, "We haven't been to see it yet. That was next on our priority for tomorrow."

Snape nodded, "I'm quite relieved to hear that. I will not allow you to go there unaccompanied by me. We visit tonight - Apparate close to the premises. Observe, then leave quickly. No dawdling or waiting around like sitting ducks. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"Good, " Snape clasped his hands behind his back and observed Harry. He paused for a few moments before he continued. "There is one another thing I would like to address. Do you know how to send a message with your Patronus?"

Harry slowly shook his head, "No one has ever shown me how to. Didn't really have time to learn before things went sideways."

"Understandable. If you are willing, I would like to teach you. It is imperative that you know several other methods to contact another witch or wizard, especially in dangerous situations. Should you ever find yourself needing immediate assistance, you can use your Patronus to signal another…Or contact me. If you need." Harry noticed Snape lingering on those last few words, seemingly hesitant with offering such assistance. Was the man ever intending to admit that? Either way, Harry appreciated the offer.

"That would be fantastic, sir. I'd be grateful for that," Harry appeared relieved, and he was very much surprised for this being one of the reasons he was contacted by the man tonight. Immediately, his thoughts wandered to his ill-fated Occlumency lessons, but eventually, he settled on the idea of learning a proper important magical skill. One he knows he can utilise, and possibly teach someone else. But what surprised Harry the most, was grasping the concept of Snape being willing to teach him something. This was the second time in the last few days Snape had willingly offered him anything, and he was not sure yet what to make of that.

"Retrieve your wand, " Snape, still clasping his, waited for Harry to do the same. Once the Gryffindor complied with the first request, the man continued, "You are aware of the method in which memories are traditionally extracted, yes?"

"To the Pensieve?" Harry nodded, "Well, yes…Vaguely. I've seen Dumbledore do it. And you…" Harry felt uncomfortable finishing that sentence, remembering far too clearly scrambling to retrieve Snape's memories in the form of his tears, during his horrific last dying moments. A moment still burned clearly within his mind, and he noticed Snape was also struggling with that memory. It was hard to believe he was standing across from the same man, still standing.

Tensely clenching his jaw, Snape's obsidian eyes glossed over as he hesitated, " Albus used the traditional method, yes. Mine was…Never mind what that was." The man paused again, until he resumed smoothly back into his usual teaching mode, "A Patronus is essentially the literal form of one pure happy memory. Imbuing the Patronus with a message works almost the same way as extracting a memory for a Pensieve. The only visual difference is that a Pensive memory appears like a wisp of white smoke. The message does not. Following so far, Potter?"

Harry nodded immediately, "So far."

Content with that answer, Snape nodded in acknowledgment and continued, "Your Patronus, once conjured, is still magically tethered to your wand. Once a Patronus is cast and its animal form is complete, the user must be clear, minimal, and concise in their message. Keep in mind it is not a monologue, as a Patronus form has its own active duration. It is not a letter to be sent."

"Makes sense. How long has a Patronus been known to stay active?"

"It is subjective to the user. It all depends on the strength of the memory and Dementors in its vicinity. The longer you retain that same memory as to the casted Patronus, the longer its duration. But obviously, it gets more difficult to hold onto that specific memory when Dementors are attempting to suck out your soul."

"Charming. So, how do I cast the message?"

"Once the Patronus is fully cast – and I mean in its complete form – Your wand must be raised to your temple, "Snape proceeded to demonstrate with his own wand and held it there against his temple as he continued his explanation, "Your message must be verbalised internally. Spoken within your mind. A message is essentially private, thus should not be spoken aloud. The message transmits to the Patronus as soon as your wand leaves your temple. Still in the land of the living with me, Potter?"

Harry tried to stifle a laugh at the irony of the joke, but instead nodded with a subtle grin on his face, "Got it, sir."

"I'm impressed. This is the most attentive I've seen you during my years of teaching you."

"Well, it's you, me, and the Thestrals. Safe to say I have your full attention when I'm not being hunted by Voldemort."

Snape winced, "Watch the name, Potter! …Now, I want you to demonstrate." Turning on his heel, Snape wandered over to a considerable distance on the other side of the small clearing, his long traveling black cloak trailing behind him like smoke. He was far enough to hear someone yell, but a decent distance to attempt to send this message. Hopefully without screwing this up. He watched as Snape stationed himself in front of a tree, with his arms clasped behind him sternly, as he watched Harry and waited.

Hopefully patiently.

Pondering what kind of message he planned to send – and trying to keep it sarcasm free – He furrowed his brow in thought, as he gazed up at the wandering Thestrals hoping for some kind of inspiration. Not feeling completely confident, he managed to conjure his stag Patronus. At least he knew he was confident enough to currently do that, considering his almost failed attempt the night before. Thinking back to Snape's explanation of the message, he shakily positioned his wand to his temple.

He attempted to mumble something accidentally, until he heard a shout from Snape, "Your lips should not be moving, Potter. Try again!"

Oops.

He tried again. This time he accidentally lifted the wand off his temple before he finished the message. He swore under his breath.

"Language, Potter!"

Feeling incredibly frustrated with himself, he re-conjured his Patronus and took a few focused breaths before he tried again. Raising his wand back to his temple, he closed his eyes to focus on this one message.

Thank you for not giving up.

Was it risky? Very much so. Harry knew it was a message Snape needed to hear, but it was also a message he himself would be too anxious to admit again to him. He knew he thanked the man when he found him in a bad state at the Shrieking Shack, but there was no change in feelings there out of pity. Harry truly was thankful, even regardless of their rocky past. Despite everything, here they both were, alive and fighting together on the same side. In all the years he has known the man, never did he expect this to happen. Possibly, neither did Snape.

Harry watched as his stag bounded gracefully across the clearing towards the professor – His heart started to race again. He looked on as the stag began to deliver the message, and within his vision, he noticed Snape's expression change from his typical deadpan teaching-mode, to a man rocked with the emotion that Harry didn't expect the man was capable of displaying. Snape watched as the stag dissipated, and he glanced back at Harry, astounded by the unexpected message.

Feeling slightly sheepish, he watched as Snape made his way back over the clearing to join him and felt compelled to avoid his gaze the closer he reached.

Snape stopped across from Harry and paused again for a few moments before addressing him, "Congratulations. You passed." Harry could have sworn he saw a small smile on the corner of the man's face, but it was far too dark to tell now. Regardless of what he saw, Harry gave the man a small smile, and watched as Snape held out his arm, "It is best I take you by Side-Along Apparition so that you are not led astray and appear elsewhere. Ready?"

Harry nodded and grabbed Snape's arm with his. Immediately, they were whisked away in black smoke, and suddenly, they reappeared at the small park on the other side of the street across from number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Once they re-materialized, Snape quickly ushered Harry behind the old crumbling stone wall amongst the flower bushes. They waited several minutes as a pair of Muggles walked across the pathway, and finally out of sight. Harry watched as Snape glanced behind and around them, taking in their darkened surroundings and making sure they were not seen.

They both watched the house for several minutes in silence, but Harry was unsure of what exactly they planned on doing. Snape leaned in Harry's direction, and dropped his monotone voice to barely a whisper, "Keep your wand at the ready in case of an attack."

Harry looked back at Grimmauld Place and could see no light on in the windows. It was difficult to tell what was going on in there, but sensing the strange magical pull in the air, it was obvious that there were several potent enchantments around the property. It felt like opposite magnets being repelled.

"I've never noticed the magical pull of the wards before, " Harry whispered, unable to peel his gaze from the house.

"A wizard can only feel the static of magical wards when multiple wards are detected at one establishment. This one is particularly complex," Still clasping his wand, Snape slowly raised it to eye-level and began to chant a series of incantations, none of which Harry could recognise. "Claustrum revelio…Obex apertum…Ostendo incantatem…" Harry watched as his professor drew sigils in the air with his wand, whilst he chanted – the Gryffindor was fascinated with the knowledge this man possessed. As cruel as he could be in his typical teaching methods, admittedly, he would have made a brilliant long-standing Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher due to the endless knowledge he seemed to have.

Once Snape completed this unusual ritual, Harry turned to question the man, "I thought we were going to wait to attack? Why did you bring them down?"

"Shhh, lower your voice," Snape ushered the boy to be silent, "The incantations I used were to detect, not to remove. We are done here. Let us return to the Forest and I'll discuss it further with you." Snape held out his arm yet again, and Harry clasped onto it immediately, mere seconds before they Disapparated and reappeared back at the clearing with the Thestrals, who remained uninterested in their constantly moving guests.

Still holding onto his Professor as they reappeared, he felt the man sway on the spot, and quickly looked up at his sullen face and noticed he started to appear ailing and pallid. Harry lit up his wand with Lumos and watched as the color drained from his face - Apparating clearly did not do the man any favors. Snape lightly shrugged him off his arm and gingerly made his way to the base of the nearest oak tree. Harry watched him lean up against it, taking the moment to close his eyes and manage the surge of pain still evident on his face.

"Professor? I thought you said you had this managed?"

The Gryffindor watched as the man pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned to the boy and watched as Harry made his way beside him. "I thought so, too."

Harry sighed, "We have to get you help somewhere. Clearly, those antidotes aren't working."

"Potter, I refuse to remain bedridden at St. Mungos, within the watchful eyes of Aurors guards who want my head. There is far too much to do."

"Once we get Grimmauld Place back, you are welcome to stay and use it as a safe house…I can help you move your Potions station there, and we can figure something out…"

"I'm not supposed to be alive, Potter."

"Well neither should I, but I've dealt with that. You should too."

"Have you, now? Clearly, you have it all together, Potter."

"Does it look like I have it all together?! I barely have anything together. Everything has changed."

Snape broke his gaze and looked away, "Yes. Indeed, it has."

Harry found himself fumbling with the wand still in his grasp, feeling the awkwardness in the situation they were in. There was still much animosity between the both of them built up for years, and it was not something you could just forget. He was not even sure how to approach the man half the time – Was he still a teacher? Childhood enemy? Bully? Ally? He was an odd mixture of all, and even if the man infuriated him at times, he could not help but harbor a certain amount of sympathy for him. Never would he have expected to feel any concern over the man's life, especially when, not long ago, he wanted the man dead when he was forced to kill Dumbledore.

But after the revelation of his deeper connection to his mother – everything changed. Now they both had a second chance to mend whatever pieces of their lives they could, no matter how broken they both still were. Perhaps they had hoped to deal with this themselves, but it turns out the only way they could truly deal with the aftermath of this war, was to make amends for past mistakes as best they could.

Almost sensing Harry's trailing mind, Snape broke the silence, "Potter, why would you tell everyone about the memories? They were private."

"I told everyone what they needed to know. I didn't tell them of the…personal ones."

Harry heard the man sigh. He could tell almost immediately that he was not happy even with that decision. But it was true – Harry was not stupid enough to divulge sensitive information about the man's life and experiences to others who would not understand. The only people who truly knew the sequence of memories were Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Even he was hesitant at first to tell them, but of all the years they suspected Snape as being as terrible as Voldemort, he owed his friends that much of the proper truth. But even despite telling his closest friends, there were some details he decided to keep to himself.

As of how he felt about them. Well, that was another issue entirely, and he knew that not even his closest friends could truly grasp the weight of that.

Snape lightly cleared his throat, interrupting Harry's thoughts yet again. "These are my instructions. Listen carefully, Potter." Harry watched as he steadied himself back onto his feet once again. Snape straightened his cloak as he continued, "I will send a Patronus to you this time tomorrow, and you and your band of misfits will meet me in the same location we were previously. You are to arrive with your Cloak in use, and you will not remove it unless it is safe to do so. Understood?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, okay…sir."

"Leave the wards to me. Now that I am aware of which barrier charms they used; I can deconstruct them."

"I'll inform the others."

Snape turned to stare at the Gryffindor. There was a time when he tried to be intimidating, but now that Harry was seventeen years of age, he was about the same height as the man. "Good. Wait only for my message. I must leave – there is something else I need to attend to."

"Will…will you be alright?" Harry asked quickly before he turned to leave.

Snape paused, and his usual cold-sterned expression softened. It appeared the man was about to respond, but instead, he pursed his lips and Apparated away, leaving Harry pondering on the possible answer.

Harry Potter eventually made his way back through the castle, now armed with a mission. And a way to contact the others – He was actually rather excited about this. Once he felt confident enough, it will definitely be high on his list of priorities to teach the other DA members. He had never really thought to ask one of the other Order members, but given how quickly things escalated, no one really had the time to teach him that skill so valuable. It could have surely come in handy when all hell broke loose.

The Gryffindor ventured back to the library and took his place in his original seat before he left that evening. It was strange being in the monumental library by himself. No students chattering away, doing anything else but schoolwork. No Madam Pince yelling at them to keep the noise to a minimum. No Peeves the Poltergeist pushing books off the shelves, scaring the First Years. It was just him for a short while, and he must admit, the silence was rather welcoming.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, the Library was one of many locations to be heavily damaged. Although much of the room itself was eventually repaired, there were many books damaged and destroyed completely when the hall was set alight. There was a multitude of books that could be recovered, and he remembered how sad Hermione was when she found out about its devastation. Now, there were a noticeable number of books missing from its ceiling-high shelves, and to Harry, the library felt far too empty.

Harry happened to be deep into an advanced Potions book, when he noticed Hermione walking through the entry doors to join him, with Ginny by her side.

Hermione smiled at her best friend and took the seat opposite him. "Good, you are still here."

Noticing one of them was missing, Harry raised his eyebrow, "Where is Ron?"

Ginny spoke, as she set herself down in the seat beside Harry, "Oh, I left him with mum. I've been consoling her all day – His turn now." She noticed Harry reading a Potions textbook, and let out a small laugh, "Good heavens, Harry. You were not this dedicated when you were still in school. What could possibly be so exciting about Potions at a time like this?"

Realising it was slightly out of character for him, Harry shrugged, "I spoke to Snape earlier."

Hermione leaned in closer, dropping her voice, "He's here? In the castle?"

"No, I met him outside. He wanted to meet with me, " Harry looked up at Hermione, and then at Ginny, who looked interested. "He's going to help us take back Grimmauld Place."

Hermione beamed, "That's fantastic! We could really use his help."

"He'll send us a message this time tomorrow, and we'll meet him at the park, at Grimmauld."

Ginny grinned, "Those Death Eaters don't stand a bloody chance, now."

"Let's just be thankful he is no longer one of the Death Eaters we'll have to fight in there, " Harry admitted. Well, it was true, "It'll be the four of us plus Snape for now, and I reckon we'll keep the others on standby in case things go south."

Hermione nodded in unison with Ginny, but slowly, a coy smile appeared once she realised Harry was still flicking through the textbook. "What are you looking for, Harry?"

Harry had just found the page on Asphodel, when Hermione rose from her seat, to join Harry on his other side. "Well…"

"Oh Harry, we learned this in first year! Honestly, you would think after being interrogated by Snape with this in our first Potions lesson, you would have at least researched it." Hermione looked frustrated with him, "Or at least bother to research the ingredients you actually use."

Harry shrugged, "He hinted that I go look it up. You know Snape - He obviously wanted me to know something and didn't want to tell me."

"But we know asphodel is a type of lily used in the brewing of potions, most noticeably, the Draught of Living Death - which we brewed last year in Slughorn's class -, and other types of medicinal remedies…" Hermione trailed on.

"- Wait…A type of lily?" Harry's breath caught in his throat, as he paused on that statement. It did not take long until Hermione gasped in realisation.

"Oh!"

Biting her lip, Harry watched as Hermione hastily left her seat and wandered off towards one of the shelves further away from their desk, and after some time waiting, she returned with a few tomes in her grasp. Placing them gently, she sat back down next to Harry and began to flip through a large tome on Guide on a Thousand and One Flowers and Herbs.

"Perhaps you were looking through the wrong book, Harry, " Hermione flipped through the giant book until she settled on the page reading Asphodel. Hermione traced her finger as she scanned the page, "According to this book, Asphodel – or asphodelus ramous – Is a type of lily also known as Royal Staff. The ancient Greeks associated it with death and the underworld, believing there was a meadow of asphodel in the Elysian Fields after death. It was considered sacred to Persephone, the Goddess of Spring and the Underworld. It was also said to be a remedy for poison, most noticeably snake-bites, and – "

Harry's eyes widened, "Wait, what? It can be used as an antidote? Surely Snape would have known that when he had me brewing the damn Potion with him…" Harry was furious. No wonder the potion did not seem very effective, even with using the Basilisk fang as a magical power-up. But again, Snape should have known that…Why did he leave that ingredient out?

Hermione continued, "In the Victorian flower language, the lily means…" She paused, as she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp and read the passage again herself. "Oh, Harry."

Suddenly feeling worried, Harry tried to glance over at the page Hermione was looking at. "What is it, Hermione?"

She drew in a deep breath and turned to Harry, "It means, 'My regrets follow you to the grave."

The color drained from Harry's face. "…So, what the hell does wormwood symbolise?"

Turning back to the book, Hermione flipped all the way to the back of the tome and found the page on Wormwood. Hermione looked saddened, as she began reading the passage, "And wormwood symbolises bitterness and grief. Putting both together…Harry….It's obvious, isn't it?"

Feeling slightly ill, he nodded, "Yeah...I know."

It was a coded message from his very first class. It was never truly a Potions question at all.

It was an apology.

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