Disclaimer: The Potterverse belongs to JKR, only the plot is mine.
Rhapsody in Grytherin - I
Severus Snape should have reason to celebrate. Another six months, and he would never have to see Harry-Bloody-Potter ever again. Most of Hogwarts' students would soon leave for the Christmas holidays for a whole two weeks. The Dark Lord was defeated beyond resurrection. And most importantly, he was back at Hogwarts, reinstated as the professor of Potions. The latter mainly thanks to The-Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived-No-Matter-What.
Whilst at the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter had sworn to kill Snape if he came across him, but he had soon enough realised on his journey chasing the Horcruxes that all the clues leading to them had been placed there by his former Potions master. Then, when the Final Battle finally happened, it was Snape who saved his hide in the end: it was Snape who delivered the final blow to the Dark Lord, without which Harry Potter would not have survived. His deeds led to Harry Potter and his sidekicks vociferously defending him, thus keeping him out of Azkaban.
Hogwarts' new Headmistress not only had always held a soft spot for Severus Snape, but now she had an ally in Harry Potter against the Ministry of Magic, should they dare contest her decision to reinstate Severus Snape as Potions master.
Life should have been good. Except it was not. Life was pure misery. As usual.
Deciding to have at least one more enjoyable evening, he left hurriedly, before his courage could dwindle. Maybe it all came to nothing, but he felt it was worth taking the chance.
Harry loved the feeling of being caressed by Draco, and Draco took advantage of that fact. Harry's main love interest was Ginny, but ever since Draco arrived at The Burrow in the early days of the summer holidays–discreetly sent there by Severus Snape mere minutes after he had safely deposited Narcissa Malfoy with the werewolf and his screaming-pink-haired girlfriend and extracted the promise from them to keep her out of the clutches of the Dark Lord–the relationship between Draco and the Golden Trio had changed. Harry willingly explored his bisexual side with Draco's encouragement, Hermione found in him a friend of great intelligence that was close to her own, Ginny enjoyed the endless bantering with him, and even Ron appreciated a new, worthy, wizard chess partner.
At first, Harry, Ron and Hermione displayed blatant disbelief at Draco's assurance that he had indeed changed sides, if initially only to get away with life. The first few days at The Burrow were not easy for him, courtesy of a very doubtful and mistrusting quartet of teenagers. But spending all his waking hours with three fiercely loyal friends who took it upon themselves to defeat the megalomaniac of the century in order to make the wizarding world a safer place eventually forced Draco to reconsider the beliefs he had been brought up with.
The fact that Hermione Granger had an absolutely brilliant mind, without which their mission would have been doomed to failure, was not lost on Draco. Within a short time, he no longer saw her as the Mudblood who was only good for being a practising target for Death Eaters, but he recognised her for what she was–a Muggle-born, well educated witch, with more active brain cells than any pureblood he had ever known.
When after a few weeks Hermione realised that her budding relationship with Ron would never work–for beyond the desire to rid the world of Voldemort, they shared no common interest whatsoever–she found an unlikely ally in Draco.
While Harry, and even Ginny, berated her for her decision not to take things further with Ron, for not even trying to come to a working agreement, Draco instantly took Hermione's side.
"Meaning no disrespect to Weasel, but he simply can't match her brain, guys. Just imagine them as a couple a few years down the line–she'll be preparing for her final exam to become a Transfiguration or Charms mistress, and Ron'll burst into the room, bemoaning the latest Chudley Cannon's loss and babbling of his recent chess match with Kasparov, the Muggle chess champion. She'll hex him into oblivion because he dares to interrupt her studies."
Harry and Ginny conceded; he had a point there, after all. Hermione looked at him, surprised at how perceptive he was. Thus, a tentative friendship was born that grew over time.
Draco never mentioned Snape of his own accord. When Hermione found a way to destroy the third Horcrux and Harry said, "Right, now I can take the time to concentrate on finding that bastard traitor and turn him into mince meat," Draco's ears perked up.
"Who's that then, Potty?" he asked casually, which earned him a questioning sideway glance from Hermione.
"Snape. Who else, ferret?" Harry replied shortly.
Hermione noted with interest that Draco Malfoy did, after all, have a streak of loyalty in him. He placed himself in front of Harry, pulled up to his full height and cleared his throat.
"Look. I know Snape's done wrong. But... he's also done one hell of a lot right; and always with the possibility to be killed for doing so. I doubted him for a long time myself, you know. But he's put his life on the line many times, and always in order to save the lives of others." Draco stopped for a moment, his face contorted as if reliving painful memories.
Then he continued, his voice unsteady, "You don't know what it's like to be in the clutches of the Dark Lord. You have no idea how it feels to be told to kill someone, and that if you don't succeed, you'll be served as fodder at the next revel. You don't know what it's like to get a few doses of Crucio because of your father's misdeeds. You don't know what it's like to expect the murder of your mother any day because your father has incurred Voldemort's displeasure." Draco took to studying the floor, his energy spent.
"Draco," Hermione said softly, "if I hadn't been sure already that you've truly switched sides, I would be now. I don't think you even noticed that you said Voldemort's name."
"So I did," replied Draco equally softly, offering her a small smile.
Harry, Ron and Ginny were looking at Draco in wonder. Hermione managed to put their amazement into words.
"I don't think it ever occurred to any of us that your life hasn't been all peaches and cream, Draco. All we ever saw in you was the arrogant prat who thought himself superior to anyone who didn't have your prejudices," explained Hermione.
The others simply nodded their agreement. Then Harry asked hesitantly, "So, where does Snape come in?"
"Snape, first of all, never supported anyone who wanted to take the Dark Mark. The reasons he stated didn't make it obvious, of course, that he wasn't on Voldemort's side–he mainly used age, lack of experience, and most often, he blamed students' inadequacy to discourage anyone to commit themselves.
"He made the Unbreakable Vow with Mother when she came to him for help because the Dark Lord wanted me to kill Dumbledore. Snape saved my life. Then he rescued Mother and found her a safe place amongst your friends. And then he told me where I could find The Burrow, and he found a way to convince Arthur Weasley to take me in until school starts again. And never mind the fact that he managed to convince McGonagall to accept me back into school.
"If anyone on Voldemort's side had found out any of those things, he'd be dead now," Draco finished.
A long silence followed.
Hermione sighed. "I wish he'd be not quite so... slippery. I know he's saved our lives more than once, and yet, I had no doubt he was on Voldemort's side when it transpired that he was the one to kill Dumbledore," she mused.
Draco looked at her. "I know what you mean. I was sure he was on Voldemort's side until I learned not only about the Unbreakable Vow he agreed to make with Mother, but I'm certain he had some kind of agreement with Dumbledore too. I think the Headmaster was dying already. And if I've learned one thing about Snape in those weeks after we fled from Hogwarts, it's that he had more respect for Dumbledore than anyone else."
"Right. Well, we still have a few soul fragments to find, so let's forget Snape for the moment," conceded Harry.
"Good." Harry's word was enough for Draco.
A few mornings later, the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Draco were having breakfast in the large, homey kitchen of The Burrow. Suddenly, the flames in the low burning fireplace lit up green and a paper plane shot out, zooming straight at Harry. He unfolded it and words became visible.
"One item can be found buried right by the largest rock inside Stonehenge to the East. That one can be dissolved with the help of a potion. No doubt, the Brain can figure it out," Harry read out loud. " P.S. During the day, Muggles prevail. There are no wards that might stop you from taking the direct route, and a casting of Lumos will give you enough light to find what you are looking for."
"I don't like it," complained Molly Weasley. "It's unfair that the lot of you should do the work of top Aurors in the first place. You're way too young! And now you're getting anonymous hints, too! Who knows where they're from!"
Draco had moved to the fireplace when Harry finished reading the note. Now, he sat down at the table again.
"The note is untraceable, fair enough. But there's only one person I know who would give that kind of hint," he said.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Yes," she agreed, "that was my thought as well."
Draco grinned. "So, Brain," he smirked, "want to research some potions?"
Hermione grinned back at him. Then her expression changed to a smug one. Motioning for him to wait, she turned to Arthur who was about to leave for work.
"Uh, Mr Weasley, is there any chance we could use the Ministry's library? I don't want to go to Hogwarts in the middle of the summer holidays, but I need to research something," said Hermione.
Arthur looked at her in surprise. Then he replied, "Of course you can. Although, you might find it far more useful if you do so unseen."
The next day, Hermione and Draco accompanied Arthur Weasley to work in Harry's Invisibility Cloak. As soon as the library door closed behind them, they took the cloak off, and Draco cast a spell that would alert them if someone was heading to the library.
They checked one book after another, and by late afternoon, neither had yielded any result. Hermione let out a frustrated sigh.
"There has to be something here. This section on potions is at least triple the size of that at Hogwarts!" uttered Draco, his voice as desperate as Hermione felt.
"Let's move on to the top shelves," she suggested. "Maybe they keep the more interesting texts up there."
They silently skimmed through the book titles, occasionally taking out a book to give it a closer look, until Draco discovered a tome written in Latin.
"Look at this," he demanded and motioned for Hermione to join him. They leafed through the pages describing and depicting various potions, all of them designed to destroy, dissolve, blend or banish metaphysical aspects of humans as well as magical creatures.
"Draco," whispered Hermione, "we need to borrow this. This book appears to have more information than I can skim through in Latin."
"Yes, good idea," agreed Draco. "I have a feeling we've found what we need, but my Latin isn't brilliant, either."
The Muggle-born witch and pureblood wizard spent the next days translating potion recipes and footnotes from the book. When they hit upon the Liquesco potion, of which the footnotes said, "Particular powerful for dissolving dark soul fragments split in Dark Rituals", Hermione knew it was their best shot at succeeding, and they immediately set to work.
When the potion was ready, safely stored in vials, Harry and Draco Apparated to Stonehenge one late evening, found the Horcrux, placed it in a pewter cauldron and poured a vial of Liquesco potion over it. Within minutes, not only were the entire contents dissolved but the cauldron itself dissolved into nothing.
"Right. Four down. Three to go," Hermione commented when Harry and Draco took turns relating their adventure of the latest Horcrux destruction.
"Wouldn't it be nice to get another hint," mused Harry. "This was by far the easiest one to crack."
A few days later, Draco received a note by owl. Again, the note was unsigned–the owl unknown–and the hint written in the same manner as the first one.
"The highest point on the island, underneath the only standing stone. Use the same potion. Do not, however, approach in the dark. Choose the tourist route instead," Draco read aloud.
"The tourist route?" asked Hermione incredulously. "I'm not walking up a mountain!"
Draco gave her a weak grin. "I think what he means is that we should neither go at night nor be completely alone when we go. Ben Nevis is quite a favourite spot for Dark rituals, so we should keep an eye on the lunar cycle as well. That way we'll hopefully avoid any Death Eaters."
"I think it'll be safest during the first quarter of the moon. New moon and full moon are favourite times for many Dark rituals, as is the waning moon. And maybe Harry and I should go this time. Two of us can still fit under the invisibility cloak. And if anything goes wrong, I think Draco would run a far bigger risk if he's seen by any Death Eaters." Hermione looked at the others expectantly.
Draco nodded. "That should work. You can Apparate up the mountain in stages, make sure there are always people nearby, just in case any stray Death Eaters are hanging around."
Thus, the next Horcrux was found and dissolved into nothingness inside an iron cauldron, which followed the earlier-used pewter cauldron into Nirvana.
By the end of the summer holidays, Harry Potter had managed to find and nullify all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, aided by Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny, and with more than a few anonymous hints, which Hermione and Draco were convinced had come from Snape.
Harry was initially reluctant to return to Hogwarts. His first and foremost priority was to rid the world of Voldemort. Hermione and Draco were discussing Voldemort's recent lack of activities when Harry suddenly exclaimed, "I'm so stupid! How could I not have noticed?"
"Well, Potty, I wouldn't exactly call you stupid," drawled Draco. "So, want to share your epiphany?"
Harry was now grinning. "Well, I could hope that the destroyed parts of his soul are weakening him, of course. But I don't think that's happening. I have a feeling he is preparing to take over Hogwarts." Turning to Hermione, he asked, "Can you do some arithmantic calculations on that likelihood? And also on dates, taking the lunar cycle into consideration as well as the dates for particular holidays, such as the autumnal equinox and Halloween?"
"Of course! You're right! He probably thinks it'll be easier now to take over Hogwarts, what with Dumbledore gone. I'll do the calculations right away." Hermione left and headed for Ginny's bedroom where she always stayed when at The Burrow, and which she considered the one place where she was able to concentrate sufficiently for any important project without being disturbed.
A good hour later, Hermione re-emerged back in the living room, a smug, satisfied grin on her face. "Right," she said, "the autumnal equinox this year is approximately nineteen hours after the full moon. Which means, the power of the moon has only just peaked and is therefore still very strong; whilst at the same time the moon is already considered waning, which makes it an ideal opportunity for the Death Eaters to utilise the lunar power for their benefit. Add to that the fact that the autumnal equinox is generally favoured by followers of the Dark as the strength of nature is waning and nature is getting ready to die its annual death.
"Now, I've never done any calculations that resulted in a likelihood of above ninety percent or thereabouts, but an attack on the equinox came up with a ninety-six percent likelihood, and one on Halloween, with the moon in its last waning quarter, with around ninety-two percent."
The others looked at her in awe. Draco whistled. "Damn, I never thought of taking the lunar cycle into consideration to that extent, Granger, but you have a point there."
Hermione turned to Harry. "I think it's paramount that you return to Hogwarts, Harry. You need to be there to kick Voldemort's behind, and I'm quite sure he'll attack soon; if not on the equinox, then on Halloween. Either way, we'll have at least a few weeks to figure out how to vanquish him."
The day after the autumnal equinox found the entire wizarding population of the British Islands reluctantly happy. Many had difficulty fathoming a future free of threats from the Dark. After the long reign of terror, it was hard to imagine a carefree life.
Another day later, people started to celebrate, at first hesitantly, but as the day progressed, with increasing fervour. A special edition of the Daily Prophet was delivered to subscribers by owl late afternoon, its headline instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Exclusive Interview With The Chosen One, The Saviour Of The Wizarding World
How Harry Potter defeated the Darkest wizard with the help of his two friends and two most unlikely allies.
Rita Skeeter, Senior Reporter of The Daily Prophet, reports
Harry Potter has always been regarded as someone special from the moment he unknowingly defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was just one year old. He himself only came to know about his fame after he received his Hogwarts letter, having been brought up by an abusive Muggle family until he was old enough to attend Hogwarts. During his years at Hogwarts, he succeeded several times in hindering the darkest of all lords from coming back to his full power against all reasonable odds.
From his very first journey on the Hogwarts Express, Harry Potter had secured the loyal friendship of Ronald Weasley, youngest son of Arthur Weasley, the recently elected Deputy Minister of Magic. Before Christmas that year, the friendly duo was joined by Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Thus, the "Dream Team" was born, soon also known as The Golden Trio, loved by Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike; equally despised by Slytherins.
But no matter how Slytherins and purebloods despised them, Harry Potter and his loyal friends relentlessly continued on their self-imposed path to defeat the darkest of all wizards. Initially, the trio had the full support of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts' much loved Headmaster, who was murdered by none other than Severus Snape, former Death Eater, Potions master, and vehemently trusted friend of Albus Dumbledore.
However, as The Daily Prophet now knows, not all is as it seems. This reporter has been granted an exclusive interview with Harry Potter, together with his two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. No doubt all readers will agree that the truth about the events leading to the Final Battle is absolutely mind-boggling.
RS: Harry, how did you find the Horcruxes?
HP: First, Professor Dumbledore gave me all the information he had been collecting over the years. That helped us finding the first couple. Then, shortly after he died, Draco Malfoy joined us at The Burrow, and with his help, Hermione figured out how to dissolve the fragments of Voldemort's soul. We started receiving hints on how to find the remaining Horcruxes. They were always sent anonymously, but Draco and Hermione were convinced right from the start that it was Snape who gave us the information.
RS: Draco Malfoy at The Burrow? He helped you destroy the Horcruxes? And Severus Snape? But he murdered Albus Dumbledore! He is the most notorious Death Eater out there!
Hermione Granger: No, not quite. We have seen the evidence ourselves that Professor Snape acted precisely on Professor Dumbledore's orders. He had to return to Voldemort's side in order to get the information to find and destroy all the Horcruxes. Even if one had remained intact, there would have been a great chance that Voldemort might rise again. Without Professor Snape's help, we would not have succeeded.
RS: So, Harry, is that right?
HP: Oh yes. I never liked him personally, and I didn't believe at first that he was the one helping us, but I have no doubt now that he has remained on our side ever since he first came to Hogwarts to teach. I know for certain that Snape followed Professor Dumbledore's orders exactly, and that's enough for me.
RS: That is... a rather surprising matter.
Ronald Weasley: Yeah. And it gets better.
RS: Even better? Please, Harry, do tell! How did you know beforehand that the Final Battle was about to happen?
HP: Oh, that. Uh, Hermione did the arithmantic calculations on various dates, so we had a pretty good idea when Voldemort would strike. We notified the Headmistress, who in turn informed the Ministry. But as usual, the Ministry didn't give much thought to what three teenagers were thinking. By the time they realised that a battle was actually taking place at Hogwarts and sent Aurors, all that was left to do was round up a few remaining Death Eaters and take them to Azkaban.
RS: The Final Battle. So, how DID you defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?
HP: It's Voldemort, Ms Skeeter. No point not saying his name, especially now that he's gone. The battle was really anti-climactic. He turned up with his crew of Death Eaters, just minutes after we got warning that the wards had been broken. There wasn't even enough time to send the younger students to safety. We were all in the Great Hall, since it was near dinner time. Voldemort came straight at me. Luckily, Hermione and Ron had been practising Shielding charms all summer; that really saved my life.
RS: What happened then?
HP: We duelled for a few minutes, and Voldemort was very careful to avoid connecting with my wand. Then Snape turned up, out of the blue, and Stunned Voldemort. Then he threw a sword at me and told me to kill him right away. So I went and stabbed Voldemort right in the heart. And that was it.
RS: What happened to all the Death Eaters that arrived with... him?
Hermione Granger: Professor Snape had arrived with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, as one of them. Then he Stunned and bound each one and took their wands; he did it so fast that the Death Eaters couldn't react. He couldn't prevent ALL the deaths, but I'm sure he saved many lives by disarming one Death Eater after another. And without the sword, Harry could not have killed Voldemort, I've no doubt.
RS: And now he is truly gone. Thank you, Harry, for taking the time to talk to me. This will be the front page on a Special Edition of The Daily Prophet, so everyone will know what really happened.
This reporter did not quite take the words of three young adults as fact. Their tales sounded too far-fetched to be real. However, Hogwarts' Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, verified all their claims, as did Nymphadora Tonks, Senior Auror for the Ministry of Magic, who happened to be present at Hogwarts that night.
As unbelievable as it sounds, dear reader, not only is the darkest of all wizards finally gone, but both Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape appear to have considerably contributed to his downfall.
"Oh, well, at least she stuck to the truth," Hermione stated moodily. "She could have mentioned the eighteen deaths at Hogwarts, but I guess that's asking a bit much."
"Come on, Hermione, at least she didn't say anything negative. She really just wrote it as we told her," Ron tried to console her.
"Actually, I'm quite impressed," drawled Draco. "No word about me being the son of notorious Lucius Malfoy who is rotting away in Azkaban!"
"Yeah, and no word about my current love interests. Just facts," Harry added wryly.
"Oi, Potty, want me to point her in the direction of your love interests? I would humour you, you know," teased Draco.
Harry blushed. "If you want to be a ferret permanently, go ahead," he challenged.
"Thanks, but no thanks," muttered Draco, eliciting a satisfied grin from Harry. Draco might have become their friend, but the day their bickering stopped would be the day hell froze over.
"Come on, guys," said Hermione unnerved. "Can you maybe spare a thought for the kids who got killed? Most of them had only just started at Hogwarts, and now, their lives are over."
That said, Hermione got up and walked away without waiting for an answer. Her dorm was unlikely to offer the peace she was craving, but at least it would give her the solitude she needed; Lavender and Parvati were likely out celebrating.
Two days after the Final Battle, the hospital wing was almost empty. Those with graver injuries had been transported to St Mungo's, and those who had suffered only minor injuries had been released within a day. Poppy Pomfrey had insisted on keeping Harry, Ron, and Hermione overnight, more to ensure they did not suffer any aftermath from being right in the centre of the action than to heal actual injuries. The three had come through surprisingly unscathed.
Severus Snape had simply collapsed after yelling at Harry to stab the Dark Lord with the sword and was now the only remaining inhabitant of the hospital wing.
As soon as the Golden Trio was released out of Pomfrey's care, they went looking for Draco. They had not seen him since shortly before the Death Eater invasion of Hogwarts the previous day.
"I would've thought he'd at least visit us, to make sure we're alright," muttered Harry.
"You know," mused Hermione, "that's not like him at all. I hope he's okay!"
"He's probably hanging around in the Slytherin common room–I bet it's blissfully quiet there with half of the sixth and seventh years shipped off to Azkaban," Ron pointed out.
Draco did not appear for lunch in the Great Hall either, and the three friends were getting worried. They were quietly talking amongst themselves, pondering possible scenarios involving their Slytherin friend, when the Headmistress approached the Gryffindor table.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger," McGonagall acknowledged each of them with a nod and came straight to the point. "Your friend was subjected to some curses by his fellow Slytherins, and then Aurors wanted to arrest him. So I took the liberty of providing him with some of Hogwarts' unused guest rooms where neither Death Eaters nor Aurors will bother him.
"Furthermore, there is another matter I wish to discuss with you urgently–preferably before the next army of highly qualified Aurors arrives.
"Come to my office once you've had your lunch, please." She did not wait for their answer and headed straight to the head table to join her staff for lunch.
Hermione looked gob-smacked. "How could we be so stupid to forget? Draco carries the Dark Mark! And no-one except ourselves, McGonagall and Snape know that he'd left Voldemort at the beginning of the summer and helped us defeat him!" She groaned. "How could I have forgotten that?"
Harry looked at her thoughtfully. "And I bet the Aurors now are after Snape.
I still don't like him, but after all he's done, he really doesn't deserve Azkaban or worse."
"You're right, mate," stated Ron. "My appetite is gone, anyway. Let's go and wait for McGonagall in front of her office."
Hermione was horrified. Of course, it would only be fair to have Snape tried for the murder of Albus Dumbledore, but knowing what she knew of the way the Ministry of Magic worked, she was certain that he would not be granted a trial, let alone a fair one.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly made their way to the Headmistress' office. They did not have to wait for long, and she appeared, together with Nymphadora Tonks. They followed McGonagall up the spiral staircase into her office and exchanged greetings with Tonks.
The Headmistress motioned for them to sit down as she seated herself behind her desk, letting out a heavy sigh.
"We have a situation or two," she started, looking at everyone.
"Draco Malfoy and Snape," volunteered Hermione.
"Where is Draco?" asked Harry.
At that moment, the door to the office opened, revealing Draco Malfoy. "I'm here, Potty." He grinned and nodded at Ron and Hermione in greeting.
The trio all greeted him like a long lost friend, and Minerva allowed a smile to grace her face.
"Albus always wished for friendships to be formed between Gryffindors and Slytherins," she said, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
"Yes, my dear, and I'm so pleased to witness it happening," came the soft voice of Albus Dumbledore, inhabitant of a portrait above Minerva McGonagall's desk.
A shocked silence followed his words, until the Headmistress recovered.
"Albus!" she exclaimed, "You're finally talking! Why not before now?" Her face showed despair. "We could have done with your guidance, you know," she huffed.
"I know, Minerva," he said soothingly. "But you have not needed me before now, and I dare say I could do with a long nap.
"You all have done exceptionally well," he praised, looking from Harry to Ron to Hermione. Then his eyes rested on Draco.
"I am so proud of you, son. I could not have wished for you to be a better person than the one you have become."
Draco was squirming under the gaze of the former Headmaster. "I... I couldn't have done it without Severus' help," he stuttered.
"Yes, I'm sure he played an important role there, Draco, as I trusted he would," said Dumbledore. "Speaking of Severus, I believe he needs some help." Dumbledore looked at McGonagall.
"That he does," confirmed the Headmistress. "Nobody except those here present and Poppy know that he is currently residing in the hospital wing. But I don't know how much longer I can keep the more blood-thirsty Aurors at bay," she finished dejectedly.
Albus' eyes sought out Hermione. "Miss Granger, do you still have any hold over Rita Skeeter? If you find a way to get her to speak the truth, the Ministry will back off, not only where Severus is concerned, but they'll stop chasing Draco as well."
By the end of the afternoon, plans were ready to save Snape's and Draco's necks with the help of Rita Skeeter, who had been owled by Harry Potter with the offer of an exclusive interview as long as she was willing to ask a few specific questions and ensure that Harry's precise answers would be printed.
Harry and Ron had been harder to convince than Hermione and Draco, but after all had been encouraged to view Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve–in which he had stored memories of such nature that it was indubitably the Headmaster himself who had insisted that Snape would kill him should Draco fail in his mission–even Harry agreed to do Dumbledore's bidding and keep the Potions master out of jail.
While Harry, Hermione, and Ron were humouring Rita Skeeter by answering her endless supply of curious questions, Minerva and Tonks were doing their part to convince the Ministry to refrain from pressing charges against either Snape or Draco with a little help from Dumbledore in the shape of his Pensieve.
Reinstating Severus Snape as Hogwarts' Potions master was, as far as Minerva was concerned, a mere formality. Even the Ministry backed off when, one week after the Final Battle, The Daily Prophet published a poll that ranked Severus Snape amongst the Top Five War Heroes according to public opinion in the wizarding world.