Chapter 3 – All Things Are Considered More

The door banged open and Lupin rushed into the small cell in a great hurry, clutching the letter in his hand. He looked flustered. Snape had to admit that he hadn't expected to see Lupin again, let alone so soon.

"Severus, your trial has been set for this afternoon." Lupin told him, struggling to regain his breath. A sudden mass of feelings overcame the dishevelled prisoner. It had been easier to become accustomed to the perpetual limbo that came between the arrest and the trial. Now the trial, and judgment, was upon him. His fate would finally be decided and it placed a fear on him that he had never felt before. He found himself thinking that it would be easier to deal with the Dark Lord than this, but on top of all that Lupin had been true to his word. He had come to defend him. That revelation, alone, was more than he could fathom.

"How are you feeling?" Lupin asked, sitting down. Snape offered a sour look in return and Lupin instantly regretted the question, inwardly knowing how the defendant must be feeling… knowing and yet not quite knowing. After all, how could one ever really understand what it would be like to be in such a position?

"Of course," Lupin muttered to himself. He composed himself and went on. Like it or not, there were things to attend to if they had any hope of a favourable outcome at the trial. "Is there anything you haven't already told me?" He asked, earnestly. "It's important that I know everything if we're going to have any sort of chance."

"You know everything of relevance, Lupin." Snape answered, tersely. It was clear that the prisoner didn't care to revisit the events of that night if he could help it. Lupin understood. It was difficult for all of them, but they would need to be strong if they were to have any hope at gaining an acquittal. There would be time to grieve later.

"There is a list of charges that we will need to answer," Lupin told him, moving on. He glanced over the sheets of parchment once more and began to read the charges. "Murder, conspiracy, death eater activities…"

Snape showed little interest as Lupin began to read the charges, though he suddenly looked up when Lupin read the charge that pertained to being a death eater. "Unless I my memory is inaccurate, I endured a trial in my younger days to answer the charge of being a death eater and I was acquitted of all charges. I was under the impression that one could not be tried for the same crime twice, or do you mean to tell me that Wizarding law has changed?"

Lupin considered this for a moment. "That's true, but these charges could relate to activities that have taken place after your trial for that." He gravely explained. "Not only that, but if the Wizengamot believe you hoodwinked Dumbledore..." Lupin noticed that the interest Snape had shown was now gone and at once, he realised his mistake. Snape knew he had little to hope for now and that a favourable verdict was almost beyond their reach. In a few short seconds, Lupin had managed to extinguish what little fight Snape seemed to have left. "I'm sorry." He said, guiltily. "It will still be an important point to argue." He went on, though the expression Snape was now wearing made it clear that he thought Lupin was merely pacifying him now.

"The Wizengamot will probably be strict. The Minister will be expecting a strong outcome." Lupin said, changing the subject. "It's important that you show contrition. Our whole case will be depending on whether or not they believe that you really are one of us."

Snape scowled at Lupin's remark, to which Lupin promptly replied "and that won't help". Lupin knew he was being more forward than he usually would have been, but now was not the time for niceties with the trial so near. There was no time to tiptoe around the matter. It was clear, however, that Snape had not taken it that way.

"I did not entrust this task to you so you could insult me. You have your freedom, Lupin. You have your pride. I no longer have these things. It is inappropriate for you to speak to me in such a manner."

Lupin understood. Circumstances were dire for Snape. But there were things Snape needed to understand as well. "It is because of that trust that I speak to you so frankly. Severus, this may well turn out to be a fight your life. You need to trust what I tell you." The two men stared at each other for a moment, the atmosphere heavy despite the silence. Finally, Snape's eyes softened. It wasn't much, but under the circumstances it was all he could muster the energy for. Lupin, in turn, managed a small smile. Snape was an incredibly difficult man to get on with, much less defend, but they had come a long way and the heaviness on Lupin's heart was continuing to lift.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, which subsequently opened to reveal the guard. "It's almost time." He said.

It was funny how fast time seemed to pass when time was exactly what you needed more of, Lupin mused to himself, and now the time of the trial was almost upon them Lupin began to feel incredibly nervous. Nervous, perhaps, was not the right word. Lupin's feelings had undergone a big overhaul in the last few days. His entire outlook had changed. Now the situation was more than merely an injustice to be dealt before wizarding law. Now it was about an innocent man, a man whom he had come to care for, whose very life was at stake. To say that Lupin was nervous about the trial was an understatement to say the least.

For the moment, however, all Lupin could do was watch as the guard restrained Snape with a mere flick of his wand. For one brief moment, Snape's eyes connected with Lupin's and it immediately became clear to Lupin just how disgracing the whole ordeal was for Snape, who had once been such a proud and skilled wizard. It was a terrible irony and it fuelled Lupin with an anger, and need to fight, that he had never experienced before.

No-one said anything as Snape was accompanied through the corridors of Azkaban. The guard walked a step ahead, sporting a hard and emotionless expression. He held his wand high in front of him, using it to force Snape to move along behind him. The guard signalled for Lupin to accompany him in walking ahead of Snape, but Lupin took an immediate dislike to the uncaring manner in which the prisoner was being treated. Instead he opted to walk beside Snape, preferring to share the company of a man who had never once sacrificed his integrity, even in the darkest of times.

Finally, the guard came to a stop before a desk at which sat another man who sported a similar unfeeling expression. With another flick of the guard's wand, Snape came to a harsh standstill, his arms and legs painfully pinned together. The man at the desk brought out a piece of parchment and a quill which he handed to the guard. The guard signed it and immediately thrust it in front of Lupin, explaining that a prisoner's legal representatives were required to sign for a prisoner's transfer to the Ministry of Magic's holding cells. Lupin frowned and took the time to read what was written on the parchment before taking the quill. Only when he was satisfied, Lupin signed the parchment and handed it back to the wizard who sat behind the desk. The wizard accepted it and immediately stood up to lead them out into a courtyard, Snape being jerkily pulled along behind by the guard.

In the courtyard awaiting them was a small, but ugly, carriage. The receptionist opened the carriage door with a flick of his wand and waited while the guard directed Snape inside. Lupin followed and took a seat beside Snape. The seat covers had split in places, and scorch marks adorned the walls, making Lupin squirm as he wondered what struggles had taken place there. No sooner had the guard entered than they were off, the carriage rocketing ahead at such a speed that Lupin had to grip his seat with both hands.

The journey was not a smooth one. Since Azkaban was situated on an island, separating it from England's mainland and the English wizarding community, the prison carriage was required to travel over the stormy ocean, which it did by leaving the ground completely and flying a few metres above the water. While this meant that they were able to travel to the mainland without much hindrance, it also meant that the journey was a rough one when the weather was bad. Today the winds were high, which meant that the water was choppy, and swells and spray battered the carriage as they passed overhead. Lupin was thankful and relieved when the carriage finally came to rest on solid ground once more, though this did not mean that their journey was to get any easier. The paths they travelled were unsealed gravel tracks and the carriage sat low to the ground, meaning that they were jostled with every bump the carriage encountered.

After a few hours of journeying in this fashion, the carriage came to a screeching halt that was so sudden that it almost threw Lupin clean from his seat and he was grateful when the time came for him to step out of the horrible little carriage. When he took a look at his surroundings, he saw that they had come to stop in another courtyard, not unlike the one at Azkaban, and he could only guess at where they were. Once more, the guard led the way to a door, at which they were met by Kingsley Shacklebolt, much to Lupin's surprise. When Kingsley saw that Lupin was accompanying none other than Severus Snape, the accused killer of Albus Dumbledore, he raised an eyebrow in surprise and suspicion, but he said nothing and ushered them into a corridor.

Kingsley led them through the new building and to a row of holding cells. These were smaller than the ones at Azkaban, though they at least looked a little more hospitable since they included a chair and a wash basin, in addition to the standard prison issue bed that the cells at Azkaban contained. The guard was left to attend to Snape, who was now being taken into one of the cells, and Kingsley took the opportunity to signal to Lupin to follow him. Lupin knew his presence there didn't look good. He hadn't expected to come across any Order members until he had at least arrived in the court room where there would have been no opportunity for discussion of the matter, leaving him completely unprepared for the inevitable discussion he was about to have with Kingsley now.

Kingsley led him through a door and into a small office. It was clear from the way that the office had been set up and decorated that they had at last arrived at the Ministry of Magic. Kingsley offered him a seat and took his own seat behind the desk. Lupin sat tall, trying his best to give an air of confidence.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Said Kingsley, his voice dripping with emphasis.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Lupin responded, defensively.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that it doesn't look good for you to be seen keeping the company of Dumbledore's murderer." Kingsley replied, pointedly.

"Dumbledore trusted him. As do I." Lupin told him.

"Dumbledore was wrong and look where it got him." Kingsley fought back. Ordinarily, Kingsley Shacklebolt was a kind and even-tempered wizard. It seemed that Dumbledore's death had impacted the wizarding community far more than Lupin could have comprehended.

"The people don't know the truth. There are reasons that the ministry needs to hear." Lupin said, not giving in.

"The people want justice!" Kingsley retorted. "Snape killed Dumbledore. They want blood. What did you think you could achieve with this?"

"I trust him and I am prepared to fight on his behalf before the Wizengamot. The truth will out." Lupin trembled as he said the words. His usual mandate of retaining care and diplomacy in everything he did had been cast aside, and it was one of the most terrifying acts of his life. In many ways, though, it was liberating as well. It wasn't always easy being the careful one, so to finally be able to speak for something he truly believed in was very freeing.

At that moment, a small winged golden envelope flew into the office and landed on the desk. Kingsley took it and read its contents, tensely. After a moment, he announced that the Wizengamot were ready to convene.

Lupin stood up and left the room without another word, followed by Kingsley. Kingsley uttered instructions to the Azkaban guard who promptly opened one of the cell doors and re-emerged with Snape who had once more been magically forced to walk behind him.

Kingsley led the way through another corridor and out into a large courtroom. Lupin, again, walked beside Snape, as they entered the room, and cast a nervous look at his surroundings. The Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, was seated at the front of the room, his arms folded and a grim expression on his face. Seated to his left was the Wizengamot and to Scrimgeour's right were the Ministry's highest ranking officials. Then there was the spectator's stand, which was full with reporters and other high ranking people. Lupin immediately noticed McGonagall among them. Her expression was unforgiving, but when she saw Lupin emerge from among the holding cells beside Snape her expression changed to that of utter shock. Lupin immediately felt a surge of guilt which he tried to squash by reminding himself why he was here. Lupin's sense of fight was immediately quelled, however, when he noticed that Tonks was sitting beside McGonagall. Tonks looked disappointed as she watched Lupin walk into the courtroom. Lupin looked away and cast his gaze back to Scrimgeour. All at once he felt rush of anger. The wolf inside him knew what it was like to be shunned by society and mistreated. The wolf inside him was angry that his colleague was being treated the same way. The wolf inside him was hungry for justice. Lupin's eyes blazed as he stared, unblinking, at Scrimgeour, the rush of hot emotions crashing tumultuously through him.

Kingsley was ushering him away from Snape now. Lupin saw that he was being directed to what could only be a witness box, while Snape was being led forward to another box in the centre of the room that was designed to hold the accused. At the very last moment, Lupin leaned across and placed a hand on Snape's shoulder. Snape looked back at him with an unreadable expression, though in his eyes Lupin could see that Snape was feeling a mixture of both terror and shame that he had been reduced to such a spectacle.

"Just remember everything I told you and I'll take care of the rest." Lupin told Snape before Kingsley pushed him towards the witness box.

Voices spoke in hushed tones as Lupin took his seat. He knew his presence there was both unexpected and shocking for many, if not all, of them.

"Order!" Called Scrimgeour, and quiet immediately fell over the room. "The Wizengamot are convened to judge the actions of one Severus Snape. The defendant will be formally represented by one Remus Lupin." Scrimgeour began. When Lupin was announced as Snape's legal representative a quiet chatter broke out among the spectators and Lupin couldn't help but cast a look at McGonagall, who looked murderous. Tonks on the other hand, had an expression of simple disbelief. Lupin tore his eyes away and tried to focus on the proceedings.

Snape barely registered what was being said as the charges were read out, but focused on Lupin instead. True to his word, Lupin performed admirably in his defence. It was almost as though he really did believe the things he said. It was surprising, and yet strangely comforting, to know that the other man hadn't reneged on his promise to help, even now when it meant publically allying himself to a confessed murderer. This didn't mean that Lupin wasn't having a difficult time in defending him, however. Scrimgeour, it seemed, had already made up his mind about Snape and was merely using Lupin to confirm this decision. Not only this, but the very fact that Lupin was a werewolf wasn't helping either. The chief warlock of the Wizengamot had questioned him respecting his nature and when Lupin had explained he had been greeted with sneers. The werewolf within became frustrated as he grew increasingly irritated with the joke that was wizarding justice.

Scrimgeour completely disregarded Snape's testimony, and Lupin could see that his face was becoming steadily paler as all hope began to fade from the trial. It was clear that Scrimgeour did not believe a word that had been said.

"Outrageous!" He shouted as the crowd began to murmur once more.

"May I request a recess, Minister?" Lupin shouted over the ruckus. In the chaos, Scrimgeour agreed and immediately Snape was led back toward the holding cells. Lupin rushed after him.

When they were alone, Lupin took a deep breath. He would like to have sunk to his knees on the floor and begun screaming in exasperation but he knew he had to stay strong.

"I'm sorry, I just had to get out of there for a few minutes. We need a different tactic, and I need a moment to gather my thoughts." Lupin said, trying to hide beneath a business-like cover.

"Be honest, Lupin. We're losing. I need to face up to that." Snape replied. Though his voice was strong, his eyes betrayed feelings that were anything but.

"There must be something we can do. Isn't there some sort of evidence we could use?" Lupin asked, exasperatedly.

"I could offer my memories." Snape replied, after taking a moment to think. "They will reveal all that needs to be known."

Lupin took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course! That's it!" He exclaimed. Wasting no time, he turned to the door of the cell and called for the guards to take them back to the courtroom.


"Minister, Snape is willing to relinquish his memories pertaining to the testimony given prior to the recess and has agreed to have the said memories entered as evidence." Lupin told Scrimgeour, determinedly ignoring the rest of the congregation.

"Denied." Scrimgeour replied. Lupin's face turned a nasty shade of puce. "A wizard with Snape's level of skills would make easy work of memory modification. Any such evidence will not be credible and so will not be entered."

"Veritaserum, then! Minister, please!" Lupin pleaded, wildly.

"We have heard enough." Scrimgeour responded. "We will take another recess while we confer about the verdict."


It was dark. The room was lit by a single candle. A robed and masked figure knelt at the feet of a man with a snake-like face.

"My Lord." The kneeling man began, "Severus is facing the Wizengamot. His trial isn't going well. He needs our help."

Voldemort let out a cold laugh. "Severus has proved himself to be useful these past months, but to be caught so easily makes him a liability. His plight is of little consequence to me. Let the fools decide his fate. I care not." And with that, Voldemort turned his back on the pleading death eater and swept out of the room.