Disclaimer: I am not delusional enough to believe they are really mine. They will always belong to Jo. Thank goodness for fanfiction where we can at least play with them for a spell.
Chapter One: The Ball and Chain
Deep inside the Ministry of Magic, on Level Ten in Courtroom Ten to be precise, two men had been sitting in silence for the better part of an hour. One of the pair had not moved so much as an inch during the entire time they had been left alone. Of course, it was not surprising that he had not moved as he was restrained with heavy chains to a chair in the middle of the room. The only sign that he was cognizant of his surroundings was the occasional scanning of his dark eyes over the chairs that, once filled, would decree his fate. Finally, a quiet voice broke the silent monotony.
"It will be all right, my boy."
The chained man's lips curled into a cynical sneer as he spoke to the man representing him. "I highly doubt it, old man. The fact that I am sitting here chained next to man I supposedly murdered should be enough to tell you that it will not be bloody all right!"
"Severus, they cannot punish you for a crime you blatantly did not commit."
With great effort, the chained man turned his head to glance despondently upon his friend's face. "But they have and they will, Albus."
Rufus Scrimgeour had, in fact, made sure that Severus Snape was incarcerated in Azkaban for a crime he had not committed, and the Minister of Magic was determined to see him remain there. While not as incompetent as his predecessor, Cornelius Fudge, Scrimgeour was still a politician needing to win the public's approval, and since no man was more hated by the public than the one currently chained to a chair in Courtroom Ten, Scrimgeour had invested who knows how many Galleons in the proper pockets in his efforts to lock Severus Snape away for good.
Certainly, if the Wizarding public had been told that Severus Snape had been spying on Voldemort on behalf of Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, if they had known that Dumbledore's murder was nothing more than a carefully planned ruse, then he might have been seen as a hero. If the public knew how Voldemort's demise had depended upon the distractions caused by Dumbledore's miraculous appearance and Snape's heroic defense of the boy-he-lived-to-hate, then they would given him an Order of Merlin First Class, thrown a parade in his honor, and generally made his life hell by singing his praises. However, the public did not know these things. In fact, Scrimgeour was making every effort to make sure that the public never knew.
Ministry officials had only arrived at the Final Battle after Harry Potter had fulfilled his destiny and killed the dark wizard. Furthermore, they had only arrived after the members of the Order had apprehended and restrained the surviving Death Eaters. If the public knew that the Ministry, specifically Scrimgeour, had nothing to do with the events that had finally brought peace to their world, well, needless to say, public opinion would have been right different. With a small contingent of wizards and witches backing Kingsley Shacklebolt in the upcoming election, Scrimgeour's place of power depended upon no one knowing the truth about Severus Snape.
Thus, no one outside the members of the Order and the members of Wizengamot even knew that Albus Dumbledore was still alive, and they could not tell anyone. Scrimgeour, professing that the facts of the trial needed to be kept confidential in order to protect the rights of the defendant, had tricked them into taking an Unbreakable Vow of silence. It wasn't surprising, therefore, that the chained man had little faith in the outcome of his trial, even if the living, breathing proof of his innocence was sitting next to him and speaking in his defense.
The silence in the courtroom was broken when the door to the outer corridor opened and loudly banged against the stone wall. Scrimgeour, acting as if he were the man of the hour and with an air that spoke loudly of the verdict he fully expected to be rendered, prowled into the room and took his place on a bench to the right of the defendant and his counsel.
"Enjoy your last minutes of freedom, Snape," he growled.
"You cannot expect to actually win, Rufus," Dumbledore spoke, without so much as a glimmer of a twinkle in his eye. "You have no case."
"I fully expect that the court, particularly under the leadership of our young but talented new Chief Warlock, will support the Ministry."
"Percy Weasley may have a tendency to bow down to the Ministry, Rufus, but I can assure you that he is a good boy. He will not let this travesty of justice stand."
Pawing at his thick beard, Scrimgeour chuckled. "Oh, he is a good boy -- good at doing whatever it is the Ministry wants him to do. You always underestimated people's desire for power, Albus."
"And how exactly do you expect to explain away my presence when all of this is over?" The elderly wizard's fuchsia robes, complete with orange and purple stars, shook in his attempt to control his anger.
"Do you forget taking an Unbreakable Vow, Albus? Did you honestly believe that I was going to release you and the others from your silence? For such a great wizard, you are a mug."
Whatever response Dumbledore might have given was interrupted when the door behind the judge's balcony opened, and the members of the Wizengamot quietly made their way to their seats. The two Aurors that had been stationed in the outside corridor entered the courtroom and stationed themselves on either side of the doorway. Once everyone was settled, Percy Weasley, the youngest Chief Warlock ever to have brown-nosed his way into power, began to speak.
"Severus Snape. You have been charged with treason against the Ministry as a follower of Tom Riddle, formerly known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, as well as Vold--. Yes, well, you have the idea. You are further charged with conspiracy to commit murder, as well as the use of an Unforgivable in the murder of Albus Dumbledore. Before we render our verdict, do you have anything else to say in your defense?"
Not a muscle moved in Snape's pale face, and no sign of emotion pierced the darkness of his eyes.
"Apparently not. Does the defendant's counsel have anything further to say in his defense?"
Dumbledore, peering over the rim of his spectacles, directed a firm gaze on the condescending wizard. "I do believe that nothing further is needed."
"Right. Well, then if there are no further arguments in favor of the defense, I would like to say a few words myself." A beastly cough from Scrimgeour prevented him from speaking any further.
"With all due respect, I believe that there remains nothing more to be said. If you could simply sentence the man, the rest of us would be glad to put this all behind us."
Percy Weasley turned sharply towards the interfering Minister. "Thank you for announcing your presence, sir." Before Scrimgeour could look too pleased with himself, the Chief Warlock continued. "What I have to say is particularly related to you."
This caught Snape's attention, and with one raised eyebrow, he allowed himself to show the first signs of interest in the proceedings. To his right, Dumbledore began to happily stroke his long white beard with his one good hand.
"To -- to m-me," the Minister blustered. "I fail to see what I have to do with anything."
"You see, sir, that is where you are wrong." He silently nodded at the two Aurors who had made their way from the back of the courtroom to stand on either side of the Minister.
"Sir, I am going to have to ask for your wand," one of them whispered.
"WHAT?!" Quickly standing, Scrimgeour found himself face-to-face with the wands of the two Aurors. "Weasley, what is the meaning of this?"
"Sir, you will hand your wand to Auror Smythe or I am afraid I will have to ask them to restrain you."
"Weasley, you wouldn't be sitting there now if not for m--" His rant was cut short by the woman on the Chief Warlock's right.
"Rufus, do -- what -- he -- says." Griselda Marchbanks enunciated every word precisely and fixed the protesting man with a sharp glare.
The Minister looked to his right and left, hoping to see that the Aurors might side with him, and seeing no sympathy in either of their eyes, he reluctantly handed over his wand. Once he was seated, Percy Weasley's voice again began to fill the stone courtroom.
"I have always had a great respect for the power and influence of the Ministry. I have always seen it as my duty to serve and work towards the goals of the Ministry. In all this time, however, I never thought I would see the day that I would be disgusted with those I served. Rufus Scrimgeour, you have made a mockery of this court and your position. You are to be taken to Azkaban and will be held until precise charges are determined and a court date set."
Before the Minister could start yelling again, one of the Aurors cast a quick Silencio, and the pair dragged him towards the back of the room. Chuckling, Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth and, with a contented sigh, waved good-bye to the irate politician with his blackened right hand.
"Sir, could we have your attention, please?!" Percy's haughty tone signaled that while he could rebel enough to lock away the Minister of Magic, he was still a condescending arse. Of course, as his friend's life hung in the balance, Dumbledore once again became serious.
"As for you, Mr. Snape. I would think that you would have a little bit more interest in these proceedings than you have shown." The pompous youth glanced at the still shackled man.
Knowing that it was in his best interest to do so, Snape managed, with only the merest pursing of his mouth, a brief nod at the Chief Warlock's comment.
"Mr. Snape, as Albus Dumbledore is blatantly not dead, we cannot prosecute you for his murder. As Dumbledore himself has testified that the events that led to this charge were on his orders and a product of an Unbreakable Vow between him and yourself, we cannot prosecute you for conspiracy to commit murder."
Dumbledore's shout of joy and clapping hands were abruptly silenced by a glare from the Chief Warlock.
"We are not, however, convinced that you are a redeemed Death Eater, and we are concerned for the safety of the public should we decide to set you free."
"Mr. Weasley! I --" Again, Dumbledore's outburst was interrupted.
"That is Chief Warlock Weasley, Mr. Dumbledore. With all due respect, sir, I am the one currently holding this position, not you. It would behoove you to cease and desist with your outbursts."
"Am I at least allowed to speak on behalf of Mr. Snape, Chief Warlock Weasley?"
"You were given that chance, sir," holding up a finger to silence the protest that was inevitably coming. "For now, I ask that you remain silent until we have explained our decision." If it was possible for Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes to glare, they were definitely glaring now.
"Now, Mr. Snape, while you and your counsel have provided evidence that you were, in fact, a spy during Voldemort's latest rise to power, we cannot ignore the fact that you were at one point a loyal Death Eater. Furthermore, in your so-called redemption, you have terrorized countless students, and while none of them have died in your classroom, none of us feel that any one of your former pupils would claim to have felt safe under your care."
"Chief Warlock Weasley, Severus Snape has already been tried for his former days as a Death Eater, and you cannot put someone on trial for their personality as a teacher!"
"Mr. Dumbledore, do I need to call the Aurors?"
The formerly presumed deceased headmaster and once head of the Wizengamot silently took his seat, uncharacteristic anger radiating off him in waves. To his left, Severus Snape's eyes narrowed in a flinty squint as he wondered where exactly this was headed.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Dumbledore. Now, we unanimously decided that we cannot simply let Mr. Snape free without any check on his behavior. After much deliberation, one of our members came up with a solution that we feel most fitting. Ms. Umbridge, if you would please explain your plan?"
With a girlish giggle and an adjustment of a pink bow perched on her head like a petrified butterfly, Dolores J. Umbridge stood from her seat in the judge's balcony. An almost imperceptible growl emerged from Snape, and Dumbledore placed his hand on the man's arm in an effort to calm him.
"Thank you, Chief Warlock Weasley." The echo of her voice against the stone walls made her high-pitched, squealing tone a reverberating annoyance. "One of the chief arguments in Mr. Snape's defense was that his poor decisions and often violent treatment of others was due to his unfortunate childhood. A boy raised without affection, an awkward teen abused by his classmates, and a lover rejected in favor of his greatest enemy. While we, the members of the Wizengamot, can sympathize with the circumstances of Mr. Snape's life, we need to be sure that he will not be driven to any more unfortunate choices. Thus, at my suggestion, we have determined that Severus Snape should be allowed to go free and become a fully functioning member of the Wizarding community if he forms an attachment with someone who will love him and keep him in line. Specifically, we order Severus Snape to marry, and if he chooses not to marry, he will be exiled from the Wizarding community and his wand will be broken."
SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS & SS &
A/N: I apologize for the cliffy. I know, I hate them as well, but they do make for more exciting chapters. This is my first attempt to write fanfiction, however, so feel free to offer me any advice. I'm a big girl. I can take it. Also, I am an American, and while I am doing my best to research proper British phrasings, I know I will make mistakes. Please let me know, if you find any errors.
Finally, this story was inspired by a fabulous plot bunny left by breemcgregorthefirst on the Snape Manor Yahoo! Group. Specific details of the lovely inspiration will be given in the next chapter, as to say too much now will destroy the lovely cliffy that I have just apologized for.