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

Chapter 12- Friendship and bravery

Author's note: From this chapter onwards, my story begins to deviate from JK Rowling's canon and into my own imagination where I elaborate on the facts we do know from the Harry Potter series. So, I have elaborated on Snape's character a lot more and created possibilities that may not be able to occur in the series JK created. I hope, however that you continue to enjoy my fan fic as it begins to reflect my own imagination of what could have been.

Chapter 12- '....friendship and bravery...'

"I'm going after him," Harry stated as he went to put on his cloak to follow Snape out the front door. 

"Harry, wait! Shouldn't we talk about what has just happened?" Ginny said, trying to reason with her husband. 

Harry turned to face the children in the living room and realised that apart from James who was still indignant about being told off by his father, the other four looked confused and worried. 

Harry nodded and the family sat down in the living room again, but now a fearful air filled the place and Harry didn't like it much. 

"What's Sectumsempra?" Rose was the first to speak and Hermione had to admit that she was a little annoyed Snape had stated the spell so clearly in front of the children. 

"Sectumsempra is the spell the Half Blood Prince or Professor Snape made up- the one that Harry used against Draco," Hermione answered nonetheless, realizing that her daughter wouldn't give up until she knew what the spell was called anyway. 

"Wow, that's a really cool incantation- Sectumsempra!" Rose yelled followed by Hermione reprimanding her for uttering it for it was extremely dangerous and not to be messed around with. 

"Look, can we just get on with the task at hand; I want to find Professor Snape," Harry said, anxious to talk to the man again because although he didn't truly understand what Snape was feeling, he was disturbed that Snape thought him a 'fool' to name Albus after him. Harry really wanted to prove the man wrong. 

"Why do you want to go after him anyway, Harry? He may have saved our lives and been loyal to Dumbledore but that doesn't stop him from being a prick," Ron stated plainly and it became clear to Harry that not even Ron had forgiven Snape for what he did, so how was he supposed to expect his children to understand? 

"Ron, you are so out of line!" Ginny yelled. "You shouldn't have said that Snape was the Half Blood Prince; you know he didn't want people to know that!" Ginny continued, frustrated that her brother had ruined the Christmas atmosphere and the wonderful night they were having. 

"It was a mistake! I was trying to fix my robes, but it kept fraying-" 

"Oh boo hoo! Couldn't you just keep a secret for once in your life?" 

"Come on, you are both acting like children," Hermione said trying to break up the argument. "What we should be doing is talking to our children about what just happened." 

James was still annoyed at his father for reprimanding him in front of his professor, so he didn't begin the discussion, so Albus took the opportunity to express his thoughts. 

"Dad, why did you and Mum name me after Professor Snape?" he asked, not in an accusatory way like James did, but in a respectful and curious way. 

"We all," Harry said, indicating his friends and wife, "thought that Snape was on Voldemort's side. Even though he saved our lives and even though Dumbledore always trusted him, we still thought that what he said and how he acted made him a bad person. The year that Voldemort was defeated, Snape gave me some of his memories in an effort to show me and convince me that he had in fact been loyal to the Order this entire time. I saw those memories and my first thought was that Snape was more human and braver than I ever thought he could be. I felt guilty for having judged him right from the beginning as a terrible person when in fact he was risking his life for me and for Dumbledore's cause everyday. Your mother and I thought that that type of sacrifice and bravery is amazing and something we wanted to honour by naming our son after him. Uncle Ron still hasn't completely forgiven Snape for the way he treated us, but as for your aunt, Mum and I we have forgiven him and realise that although he may not be pleasant to be around, his intentions were always good and that's what really matters." It was at this moment that Harry realised just how much his son's name really meant to him; he had to justify to Snape why he named Albus after him even if it took him hours.