Chapter nine
Kingsley, his aurors and Minerva arrived at Severus Snape's house in Spinners End. The aurors were concerned about the minister's safety because he would be out of their sight for a time. So Severus agreed to have all the memories brought out after the aurors gave their word to the minister that they would not repeat what they were about to see.
So Severus, who had already removed all the relevant memories, poured the first one into the pensieve the brought it out for all to see. One after another the group watched all the plans Severus and Albus put together to protect the students but still make it look like Severus was a death eater. All those meetings and all that Severus did do to stop the students being killed or seriously hurt. One memory was of Albus talking Severus into coming back to his side to help protect Harry.
Harry tightened his hold on Severus as the last memory played out, then looked at Kingsley to see what he was going to do.
'Alright, you actually stopped students being killed and stopped the staff being killed, so you will not be arrested. I will have to put part of this in a statement because parents of those students will want to know why you aren't facing trial over what happened at Hogwarts.'
'Yes, I expected you would. I just needed to show you the proof and I wanted Minerva to know exactly what I was doing.'
'Yes, some things make sense now Severus. You did save those children's lives. Since I do know the truth, I would like to ask if you would consider coming back to teach, but in your old position as potions master, Horace has decided to go back to his retirement.'
'Harry and I spoke about that and I would like to and Harry already said potions is what suits me and I quite agree with him. I enjoy potions, it's a passion of mine.'
'Which helped me Sev, all those potions you kept making for me so I would heal.'
'That's settled then, but now Mr. Potter, you and this relationship. Fine, you are an adult, so you can do what you want. But what happens when you return to do your last year?'
'We spoke about that as well Professor, I will treat Sev as a teacher, nothing personal will be shown by either of us. Behind closed doors is another matter and concerns no one but us.'
'As you are an adult, again I can't stop you. But both of you make sure no one sees, hears or knows anything is going on between you apart from a student, teacher relationship.'
'No one will Minerva, our private life is just that, private.'
'That's also settled, so I think we should head to the Burrow.'
'I wish to show two of these memories minister, so I will take the pensieve with me. I believe Molly and Arthur should see that I did protect their daughter and Mr. Longbottom should see that as well.'
'You could just tell them, but yes, seeing it will make them believe it. You did act well over the years Severus. None of us knew if you were a spy for Albus or Voldemort. Sometimes we thought Voldemort, other times Albus, like you would swap depending on which favoured you at the time.'
'I was Voldemort's up until Lily and James were killed as you saw yourself. But you will hear the last bit about that very soon.'
'Alright, let's head to the Burrow, they should all be there by now.'
They all left Spinners End and arrived at the Burrow. Kingsley led the group into the kitchen, where Severus placed the pensieve on the table before standing back with Harry and wrapped his arms around him.
'There's a lot to explain, starting from the time Lily and James were killed. Severus has agreed to show all of you two memories that will prove he actually protected the students even if he had to allow certain punishments to be used. Minerva and I just watched all of his memories of those times, so he will not be arrested for anything that happened at Hogwarts during that time.'
'I have also offered Severus his old job of potions master back, which I'm pleased to say he has agreed to,' Minerva said.
'But Minister, they used unforgivables on us and he allowed it,' Neville said as he glanced at Snape.
'I did, but you will see why I allowed that very soon Mr. Longbottom.'
'Severus, why don't you start with what you want to tell everyone about Lily and James Potter?'
Severus nodded as Harry looked up at him, 'You don't have to, I know the truth and it doesn't really concern anyone else.'
'No, but as I said love, no more secrets, everything out in the open once and for all. The war is over, he's dead, there's no need to keep hiding anything anymore.'
'Alright, you're decision.' Harry tightened his hold on Severus arms which were still wrapped around him, 'You know I forgave you and accepted it.'
'I know you do love,' Severus gave him a smile before looking back up at everyone else. 'Aberforth knows a bit about this as he was the one that found me that day.'
'I remember Snape.'
'This is about the prophecy that was made about Harry and Voldemort. Only Albus, Aberforth, Harry and I knew who made it and what happened that day,' Severus felt Harry squeeze his arms, 'Sybil Trelawney made that prophecy, she was a fraud most of the time, but she has made a few real prophecy's over the years. She was in a room at the Hogs Head, Albus went there to interview her for the position of divination teacher, which he was not going to have a divination teacher and was going to turn her down. But during their talk, she went into a trance that she still does not remember to this day. Albus sat there listening to the prophecy, I was outside the door also listening. Aberforth threw me out of his pub and told Albus later. I only heard the first half of it, which being a death eater at the time, I told Voldemort,' he took a deep breath then continued, 'The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, born to those that have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. That is all I heard,' Severus looked at Harry who nodded.
'And the dark lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as he seventh month dies.'
Everyone sat there stunned apart from Neville who whipped his head to Harry and the two young men stared at each other. Harry gave Neville a nod.
'Harry, that never said you're name or you're parent's names.'
'I know Neville and I know what you're thinking. My birthday is July 31, yours is July 30. Your parents were aurors working for the order of the phoenix alongside mine. Dumbledore told me that they defied Voldemort three times just as my parents did. So yes, it could have meant either of us.'
'Then how come Albus made Lily and James do the fidelius charm and not Alice and Frank?' Kingsley asked.
'He had both do it Kingsley, as a precaution, but he always believed Voldemort would chose me over Neville, which he did. If he chose Neville and things played out the same way, he would have the scar, not me.'
'You said chose you, why?' Minerva asked.
'As Dumbledore and I have told everyone, Voldemort was a halfblood, his mother a witch, his father a muggle, Tom Riddle. Dumbledore believed he would see me as being the child that the prophecy meant because I was a halfblood like him, Neville's a pureblood. It came down to a choice on blood status.'
'Blimey Harry, sorry to say this, but I'm glad he never chose me, I'd be dead.'
'You don't know that Neville, none of us do. I'm sure your mother would have done the exact same thing as mine. I only survived because of her, you could have too.'
'Alright, about Severus telling Voldemort, care to explain the rest?' Arthur asked.
'I had no idea who it meant, when I told Voldemort, he did a bit of research. He found out about Harry and Neville. As I was his right hand man you could say, he told me he knew it meant the Potter boy. I was scared for Lily as we grew up together, I loved her. Not as everyone believes, I thought of her as my best friend and sister. So I went to Albus and told him that Voldemort was going after the Potters, so I asked him to save them, to protect them any way he could. Albus asked me what would I give him in return for protecting them, even if he was going to anyway. He was always one step ahead with his plans. So from that moment on, I was his. Now even though Lily and James died, I stayed to help Albus protect Harry because he always believed Voldemort would return. Quirrell tried to kill Harry his first year at Hogwarts, I was able to stop Quirrell from getting Harry off the broom at that quidditch match. There were a lot of times that I worked things to keep Harry safe, but most of those weren't seen by others.'
'So even though he told Voldemort Harry, you're with him, I don't get that,' Ron said.
'When he explained, I already knew, I found out in our sixth year. I had a go at Dumbledore for not telling me it was Sev. Dumbledore asked me to keep that to ourselves, not to mention it to anyone, including you two. But Sev and I talked it all out and he did show me that memory of how he tried everything to keep us safe. He also spoke to my mother after Dumbledore explained about the prophecy. Severus would keep watch over all of us, he could not see the house of course, but it never stopped him. Day and night he would stay in hiding, watching and waiting. My mother saw him one day and they made up after their big fight at Hogwarts. She made Severus promise to do everything he could to protect me, which he did. He didn't know what Voldemort was going to do then Ron, he was different back then to what he was like the last few years.'
'He never killed unless it was absolutely necessary, he preferred torture until they agreed to go over to his side. That is how he got so many supporters back then.'
'Okay, I get it, he helped protect you, which none of us would ever believe. But what you said the other day, about him shagging woman. I was too shocked to really take in what that was about, so explain please Harry, I need to hear that.'
Harry looked up at Severus, 'Voldemort believed in keeping his death eaters happy. So he would take woman for them to use. I told Harry I never participated, but of course I never told Voldemort I was gay, he would have killed me on the spot. He wanted all pureblood to breed with other purebloods, the woman were just for him and his death eaters to use, for some fun.'
'So you see, I used to see that, feel it whenever he was shagging one of those women. But it was his feelings that confused me. I checked out Cho for a year, you know that, then Ginny, we dated for months and snogged a lot. It was those times when he was lusting after those women. Since I was confined to a bed, healing, Sev wouldn't let me move, I had a lot of time to think about that, well, about everything. I figured out my feelings weren't mine at all, they were his. Then I worked out I was gay because I remembered checking out a few blokes at Hogwarts, Cedric being one, he was cute, and you'll find this hard to accept Ron, but I liked the way Malfoy looked, I think it was his hair.'
'Oh gross, stop it Harry, how could you lust after the ferret,' Ron said then saw Professor McGonagall hide her face, 'See, even Professor McGonagall remembers why we called him that and you checked him out,' Ron shuddered.
'Ron, even I admit Malfoy was very nice looking, when he wasn't sneering at Harry.'
'Hermione,' Ron glared, 'I don't want my girlfriend saying something like that.'
'Let's forget about all that and if you three start we'll never get through all this,' Kingsley shook his head in amusement.
'That's just us Kingsley, I like making Ron's ears go red. Hermione always plays the logical person in our friendship and Ron, well he would just lose his temper or thought I was shagging the girl he liked.'
'Harry, you said we'd never bring that up.'
'We said everything out in the open Ron, including that. So tell Hermione how you saw us shagging.'
'What, Harry and I never, we're friends, how could you think we did that?'
'Alright,' Ron glared at Harry, 'The horcrux, the locket. Harry spoke parseltongue to open it, then wanted me to stab it since I'd just saved his life. So I was about to when I saw things.'
'Voldemort's disturbing and malicious mind having fun,' Harry said.
'Yeah, so there I am, standing in total shock as I see you and Harry naked, wrapped around each other, going for it. It's just lucky Harry broke through to me, so then I stabbed the locket with the sword. Hey Snape, sorry, Professor Snape, did you really bring us the sword?'
'I did, Finius Nigelus heard Miss Granger say the Forest of Dean. So I took the sword from behind Albus' portrait and placed it in the pond. Before you ask, only a worthy and courageous person can call for the sword. So Harry had to earn it, which is why I placed it in the pond. He asked why I couldn't put it up a tree as he's not a very good swimmer.'
'You're teaching me now though, but yeah, that blasted horcrux tried to kill me the moment I got near the sword. So I'm being dragged under, I needed air and thought this was it, I was going to die and no one would find me. Then arms pulled me out and it was Ron, he saved my life that night. Oh so you know as well, the doe patronus was originally for my mother as her patronus was a doe to match dad's stag animagus. But when my patronus ended up a stag, Sev thought we matched,' Harry grinned up at him before he planted his lips on Severus and they stood there snogging and didn't care that the kitchen were full of people.
