Chapter Three: The Time of Reaction
THE SPY WHO SURVIVED
Special Editorial
In recent months the editors of the Daily Prophet have been reviewing the highly controversial interview with former Hogwarts Headmaster Severus Snape, a confirmed Death Eater and rumored ally to the secretive Order of the Phoenix, once headed by Albus Dumbledore. We are pleased to present highlights of that interview with commentary from leading experts.
The original story regarding Snape as a spy was first released by Harry Potter during then after the Battle of Hogwarts. There was no possibility of verification at the time but we were soon alerted to the possibility of Snape surviving with the aid of the Healers at St. Mungo's. It was through the words of Harry Potter that convinced acting Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt to pardon the one time Death Eater.
Until recently Snape had been unable or unwilling to answer the Ministry's questions regarding his part in the rise and fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. At the insistence of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement an interview was obtained as witnessed and recorded by Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. It should be noted that this interview was not done under the influence of Veriserum as the Head of Magical Law wished. Also that it was done in the privacy of Mr. Potter's residence, which is most unusual. (cont' p. 3)
The paper filled a corner of an already paper laden table. Some stranger had seen fit to send the article as well as a hateful letter condemning Severus to a painful death for his part in the war. The letter filled a growing stack of partially read parchment. He already knew the world despised him and this was evidence to prove him right. Not for the first time he wondered if the world would have been better had he died that night in the Shrieking Shack.
He was only sorting through the letters because one had caught his attention. It was from a Slytherin student by the name of Penny Abergaile. A fourth year at the time of the Battle of Hogwarts.
Dear Professor Snape,
My mother showed me the article this morning and wondered how true it was. I knew some of it was, but since they did not let any Slytherins participate I didn't hear what Harry Potter said until after we all went home. But I do know they were wrong about blaming you for the torture of the younger students. If they actually thought about what punishments you personally gave out they were much lighter than the Carrows. My sister, Rose, is in Ravenclaw and told me about what the other houses went through. Rose told me that it was because of you her punishment was to go into the Forest with Hagrid rather than whatever the Carrows wanted. Thank you, Professor. Rose was only a first year. If it wasn't for you she might have had a worse year and not wanted to go back. I hope you come back. You were an excellent teacher.
Sincerely,
Penny
After finding that letter, Severus debated the odds of finding others that might support him, or at least not condemn him. There were only two so far. All the howlers were incinerated before they could get started. The majority cursed, insulted, or otherwise blamed him for the entire war as if he had been in control rather than the Dark Lord.
Severus tossed another letter into the discard pile and sighed when he heard the front door open. Only one person was able to enter this house. "Professor?" Harry Potter's voice filled the rooms as the door clicked shut. Soon enough the young man entered the kitchen where Severus was tossing papers into the fire. "Oh, I see you already know. They must have started early." Severus only glared for a moment before returning to the letters. Potter blithely continued, "They never told me they would release the interview to the public. Though I guess it was the logical next choice. The Ministry had to feel like it accomplished something. Why the piles? Thought you'd just burn them all." Scowling, Severus tossed the two letters that gave him support. Harry took them and read quietly. "From Hermione and who is Penny?"
"A Slytherin student. She was among the Slytherins who wanted to fight against the Death Eaters but were not allowed. She is quite brilliant. Working on her fifth year. I suspect she'll have top OWLs in all the classes she took." Severus did not look up as he spoke. He did not like the growing ability of Harry to read deeper into his emotions and mind. The growing pile of letters lost their meaning as the words blended into nothingness. He knew the world hated him. Why was he continuing to punish himself with these hateful correspondences?
There was an unusual silence as Potter returned the letters to the table. Severus was hesitant to break it. Choosing to focus on the hate mail's destruction rather than the intruder to his home. Whatever it was Potter wanted, it would not be pleasant.
True to form, Potter opened his mouth and the words filled Severus with dread. "The anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts is approaching. I know you don't want to attend and I don't blame you, particularly after this… But I was hoping you'd reconsider. Or at least make a statement in the Daily Prophet."
"What part do you not understand?" Severus motioned to the pile of ash from the Howlers. "This memorial you insist I attend will be filled with these people. These victims. They do not want to hear the truth, nor do they want an apology. They have passed judgment and expect punishment."
"I just… I … thought maybe," Potter began speaking in a tight hesitant voice. Severus chanced a glance at the young man and noted the clenched fists and locked jaw of someone uncertain of the reception his words. "Maybe you would..."
"Spit it out, Potter. I don't have all day to listen to your muttering." Severus knew his encouragement was less than pleasant, but it caused Potter to snap his jaw shut and glare at the one time professor.
Angrily Potter quickly clipped out his words, showing more backbone than he had since his days in school. "I just thought maybe you could help me show the world that we can work to a new future, putting our differences aside. But I see that is impossible. Sorry for expecting you to put the war behind you. Enjoy your solitude." Potter turned sharply and vanished out the front door, abusing the woodwork.
In the following silence, Severus watched the growing pile of letters scatter to the floor. Owls continued to bring the hate mail, even howlers broke open and filled the house with screams. Severus heard none of this. Deep inside his mind he could only think of the desperation of a lost soul. Someone who did not know how to make his way in the world and had lost the one signpost he could rely on. Severus had seen the depth of Potter's sincerity and confusion. On considering the whole event of past few moments, Severus suddenly incinerated every letter in sight, no longer caring if there might be a solitary note of support.
He hated Potter for the boy's audacity. Those few words drove all comfort from his safety in solitude and revealed it to be cowardly fear. He had never been a coward before. How had things changed? Why was he now content to hide when before it matter little of what the world thought of him? The difference now was he didn't have a goal or task to keep him busy. The time that had been filled with teaching or orchestrating the downfall of the Dark Lord was now empty. His physical body was still healing but it was also out of danger. His mind craved stimulation.
The truth was that he had not died in the Shrieking Shack. He had survived the Dark Lord's attack. If he did not want to face the world following the terror of the Dark Lord then he should simply commit suicide and let the rest of the world worry about rebuilding. But he was alive. He was part of this post war recovery whether he liked it or not. All thanks to Potter. The boy who couldn't leave well enough alone.
The question remained: How would he survive this new world when it blamed him for the faults of the last?
Minerva walked the halls following an early Saturday breakfast. Most students were not yet awake and that suited her just fine. The front page article from the Daily Prophet bothered her greatly and she needed time to consider her true feelings on the matter. Severus Snape had been an excellent, if distant, colleague and even during the reign of terror with the Carrows, he had been a mitigating force. She could see past his bitterness and callousness of the time now that she knew the truth. But she couldn't quite forgive him.
It had been a horrific year and the battle alone still kept her awake at night. So many good men, women and children had died that day. Lives she was supposed to protect while they attended Hogwarts. She still carried the memory of her students, hoping it would be enough to quiet the ghosts. Though no ghosts had appeared following the battle, one could never be certain.
Her cane clicked loudly on the stone hallway. Minerva was still adjusting to the sound as she was accustomed to being as silent as a cat. At least her first year as Headmistress had been uneventful. The year was coming to a close. They would host the Memorial Service for the One Year Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts then the term would end quickly with the final exams. Even with all the recent pain, it was good to have this year of routine. It didn't make the loss vanish, but it did give hope to the future.
"Professor!" Minerva turned when she heard a familiar voice. Hermione Granger came trotting down the hall, a newspaper in her hand. "Professor McGonagall, have you seen the article about Professor Snape?"
Minerva waited patiently for her student to approach, nodding. "Yes. It is troublesome that they have managed to turn him into a villain. He may have his faults, but I had hoped the truth would limit the violent backlash."
"They've basically accused him of everything. It's as if Voldemort's role was an after thought."
"Miss Granger, I know it sounds unfair, but you must remember how the world saw him. He was the most powerful Death Eater and the one with the most visible position. One voice with the truth will not change that image over night."
"The editors have turned him into a monster. There is no way he will be able to clear his name from this."
"How certain are you of this? Remember that we support him and correct any misinformation that we can. Just look at how well the Malfoys are recovering. No one is calling for their imprisonment even after the truth of their involvement was revealed. Patience, Miss Granger. Even those of us who know the truth are finding it hard to forgive him." Minerva continued walking towards the Headmistress's Study. She motioned for Hermione to join her. "No matter how much planning and inevitability was involved, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for Albus's death. Come, let's get a pot of tea and figure out what we can do to help counter this wave of hatred. I take it you have already written the editors."
"I don't know what to do anymore. He's entrenched himself in his house. Nothing I say will get him leave." Harry scowled at the mug of Butterbeer in his hands. He, Ron and Neville were sharing a drink after a grueling day of trying to hunt down the last remaining Voldemort supporters. The holdouts were proving dangerous. Several Muggles had been hospitalized because of their terrorist acts. Thankfully no one had died yet, but Harry suspected they were waiting for the right moment.
"Well, what do you expect? No one really wants him involved. Didn't you see the response to that article?" Ron pushed the paper towards Harry. "The Prophet wasn't exactly kind to him."
"But the man we knew from school wouldn't let this dictate his actions." Harry insisted.
Neville shook his head. "He's not the man we knew from school. The man we knew was hateful and spiteful and found every chance to ruin a perfectly good day. But if you were paying attention to the interview you would know that he cared a great deal. And he let two men dictate his actions. I doubt any of this is easy for him."
"Since when did you become sympathetic towards Snape?" Ron asked. Though the query seemed callous, Ron's quizzical expression showed that he couldn't hold on to any malice regarding Snape. It was simply a request to set a timeline straight. None of the three young men could hold on to their hatred towards the man in light of the truth. Though dislike still permeated the discussion.
"Well think about it from his perspective," Neville continued. "The world sees him as a traitor. Doesn't matter which side you talk to. The Death Eaters hate him because he helped Harry defeat Voldemort. The ones we have imprisoned at least would love a chance to escape and kill him. You can bet the ones still out there think the same. And the rest of the Wizarding World hate him because of his iconic position as Voldemort's Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's not so much what he did, it's who put him there. Not to mention the fact that he did kill Dumbledore. Haven't you heard Bellamy, they want to prosecute and convict Professor Snape for that crime even if they do nothing else."
"Almost forgot about that, considering what's happened." Ron swigged the rest of his butter beer and idly played with the empty mug. "If Snape ever officially made a public appearance, Bellamy would have him arrested on the spot."
"But Kingsley pardoned him," Harry protested. "Bellamy would have nothing legal to go forward with."
"Face it, Harry. Most people don't care." Ron shrugged and called for another round.
Neville nodded in agreement, adding quietly, "It's not even one year yet. Memories are still fresh and there are some funerals that haven't been held." He referred to many of the injured that were succumbing to their wounds. "Give it time. Let the people find something else to think about."
"It's just not fair."
"No, it's not," Neville agreed with Harry. "But I think Professor Snape is well aware of that."
All around them snippets of conversations fluttered into their ears. It was impossible to ignore some of the loud drunken voices. One thing they shared was a hatred of Severus Snape and they were vocal about how he should be punished for his actions. None of them mentioned the role he had in bringing the downfall of Voldemort. But then the article never mentioned it. The editors of the Daily Prophet focused on the passages that described the terrible deeds he did under Voldemort's orders. At this point Harry was not sure if publishing the entire interview would help. He was furious with whoever passed it on to the press. He knew it needed to be released, but he would never have allowed the Prophet to butcher their effort to clear Snape's name.
Days passed and letters still flew into his house. Severus had already suspected Potter's spell to be faulty, but at least nothing dangerous had entered. As a safeguard and attempt to maintain sanity, he set a charm to dispose of all letters before they reached the table. He wondered if there was a wizard or witch out there that had not sent him hate mail.
Severus had started to brew potions for no better reason than he needed to occupy his time. He chose the most complicated from his vast collection and sought ways to improve them. Obtaining the ingredients had been the most difficult task until in one inane conversation weeks ago, he let it slip that he needed powdered dragon scale. Potter had consistently brought whatever had been listed. Of course the funds came from Severus's account, still he could not believe that Potter would go out of his way to assist him in remaining hidden. Now that it had been several days without the young man, Severus wondered if the Fidelius Charm would break suddenly from the return of the boy's hatred.
He was in the repurposed kitchen, surrounded by a multitude of vials filled with expensive and otherwise useless potions, when the front door clicked open and Potter announced his presence. "Professor Snape? Sorry I'm late. There was a terror attack in London that we had to clean up. We're not sure if they were actual Death Eaters or sympathizers. No one died, thankfully. All of them got away though." Potter continued to chat as though someone cared. It was perhaps the only way Severus received updated news, though he never asked.
Corking a bottle of freshly made Polyjuice Potion, Severus set it aside in favor of entering the living room to discover why Potter chose to barge in this time. A large cardboard box sat on the coffee table and Potter was rifling through the contents which appeared to be stacks of papers and photographs. One muggle picture fluttered to the ground. It was a poor composition, probably taken hastily, of a crowded subway train. The primary subject seemed to be a man walking quickly through the car doors in an effort to leave. A teenage boy had bumped into him and obviously delayed the man, thus allowing the photograph to be taken. Severus continued to stare at the profile of the man, certain he had seen those features before, but uncertain where.
"Do you know him?" Potter's voice broke the contemplative silence. "We think he was involved." Severus shook his head but did not remove his eyes from the photograph. The man was tall and lean, sharp angles on the nose and chin. An angry glare from dark haunted eyes. He had a ratty homeless look about him, despite an attempt to appear middle class. The ill fitting, second hand clothing gave it away. It could almost be mistaken for a wizard who knew nothing about muggle clothing, but there was cohesion and familiarity with the chosen garments. Severus knew this look all too well.
He brought the picture closer to his eyes trying to find the needed detail to confirm his suspicions. "When was this taken?"
"Uh… Two days ago? Maybe? We've been trying to follow this man but no one seems to know anything about him. Not even a name. But he's been present at multiple attacks on Muggles."
Severus absently sank into his chair still studying the photograph. Potter took the sofa and waited, uncharacteristically silent. Two days ago. The moon had been full. Severus scowled and tossed the picture to the coffee table. "You're dealing with a werewolf. Possibly left from Greyback's pack. Most likely a footman for a wizard rather than the mastermind."
"Do you know him though?" Potter asked again.
"Know him? Not at all."
"Then you don't know of who might be giving him directions?" Potter looked earnest.
Severus scowled at the box of paperwork, having already pieced together the boy's plan to drag him into the investigation yet again. He had refused numerous times before, but it seemed Potter would continue to insist. It was bad enough that he brought the work to entice his curiosity. Instead of answering the question he asked one of his own, "Lucius has been assisting in your work, has he not?"
"Yes, but he doesn't know everyone either. The more who assist the better we are at finding these men. Most of them don't have the Dark Mark. Those have already been killed or imprisoned." At the mention of the Dark Mark, Potter reflexively glanced at Severus's left arm. Severus himself stiffened in an effort to not grip it immediately. "At least we think we've found them all." Potter continued. "It's hard to know, though I suspect Voldemort revealed his Inner Circle to each other following his rise to power."
"You suspect?" Severus found this phrase unusual. As much as he did not want to participate in searching out rouge Death Eaters and their sympathizers, this caught him off guard.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy and Draco seemed to indicate that there was no need to hide their faces anymore at that point. So it stands to reason that the Inner Circle would know each other, right?"
"But Lucius was not certain of it." Severus filled in the missing statement. Potter nodded the affirmative. It was too late. Potter had succeeded and Severus was now drafted into assisting with the investigation. Though Lucius had been highly favored by the Dark Lord, he had lost much of that privilege after failing at the Ministry. Following his release from Azkaban, he had spent most of his days inebriated.
With Potter looking on expectantly, Severus returned his gaze to the box. "It is possible that the entirety of the Inner Circle was known to us. But it is also unlikely that the Dark Lord would reveal all of his secrets even in the days when he was most powerful. Secrets were what kept him in power, along side fear. Notice he kept Pettigrew secret until his rebirth and that man was never part of the true Inner Circle. If he could gain information by making someone think they were important, then it is easy to suspect he had other inferior stodges spying on the lower ranks."
The information seemed to surprise Potter, judging by the confusion that passed across his face. "Then, is it possible to find them?"
"Potter, did you not hear what I just said? There is no way of knowing for certain if such a man exists. All this may simply be caused by sympathizers that want the glory and recognition that believed they had during the Dark Lord's reign. You're following a werewolf. Whether he is a wizard or muggle means little if he remembers the false promises the Dark Lord gave them to entice them to fight for him." Severus stood and returned to the kitchen, at least brewing these potions did not require detailed and painful incursions into his memories.
"Professor Snape, wait. There's something else. Mr. Malfoy seemed to imply that the Dark Mark might not be completely dead." Potter followed him through the small hallway.
"You're searching for fantasies."
"Well, until it's proven I don't have much of a choice." Potter's voice died suddenly as they turned the corner. "Wow… You've done all this?" His eyes followed the many multicolored vials in admiration.
"What do you think I was doing?"
"Well… I don't know… I just… What are you going to do with all of them?" Potter waved at the overloaded shelves of potions. Severus simply shrugged and started cleaning the cauldrons piled by the sink. Silence ticked by as Potter tried to regain his train of thought. It gave Severus time to wonder why the boy was acting as though they had never had the argument several days ago. In fact after every argument they had ever had, Potter would return and behave as if none of it had happened.
Severus was not sure if it was a defense mechanism Potter had developed to deal with set backs, or if Potter was trying to find reasons to maintain a good relationship with him. Restarting old arguments was certain to maintain animosity and something Severus was familiar with. Ignoring the past was not something he could do. One thing was certain. Potter had sparked his interest in the post Voldemort world. "Potter, perhaps you should stop trying to search for individuals and start trying to find where likely attacks could take place."
"Huh? They've been random so far. Just things to incite fear."
"They've also spread the Aurors and Hitwizards thin in searching for perpetrators of these minor crimes."
"Are you saying we should just ignore the injuries and damages they've done?" Potter was furious at the suggestion.
Severus continued on. His views never won him immediate praise, if any at all. "Yes. Leave these petty crimes to lesser organizations and focus on the bigger picture. What are the two things a Dark Lord sympathizer wants?" Potter only gave him a blank stare. "Think, idiot boy. You're suppose to be an Auror now." The world was doomed to have such people in charge. When Potter could not provide any explanation, Severus dutifully filled in with a long drawl. "They want power and failing that on their own, they want the return of the Dark Lord who gave them power. They also want revenge. With that in mind, surely even a dunderhead like you can think of a few targets they might try."
"The Memorial Service…" Potter's first assumption seemed a very sound one. Everyone who was involved in the defeat of Voldemort would be present. Harry Potter himself would likely have a prime location on the podium along side the current government officials. It would be a tempting target. Yet another reason why Severus refused to attend. "Sorry, Professor, I've to go. Thanks! And you really should start an Apothecary. If it is mail order no one will have to know who's actually making the potions." Potter's grin as he darted from the house troubled Severus. It made him wonder if the boy had gone and done something outrageously stupid.
The conversation did make him think. Not about the potions he had been making, but the scar on his left forearm. He tried not to focus on it, just has he tried not to focus on the scars on his throat. But he was starting to wonder about what Lucius had told Potter. What if the Dark Mark was not as dead as they believed? They had all thought the Dark Lord had died the first time when the Mark faded. Now it had faded further, but it was still present. They were unable to call the Dark Lord, certainly someone would have tried. That was the same as before. But no one knew the spell the Dark Lord used to call them. What if it was possible to recreate that feeling? Would it be possible to ferret out any remaining Death Eaters and quell the uprisings? Or would it not matter and Potter would actually fix the security for the one year anniversary ceremony.