Imprudence: Chapter 10

Why is summer break already close to halfway over! So sad!

**Please keep in mind, I really don't know much about law. All I know comes from the multiple cop shows I watch here in the US. I am probably missing a lot of proper procedure and such. Please be kind and enjoy!

*Warnings: Much angst and cruel Dursleys ahead! Some cruel and homophobic things ahead!

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter and don't make any money off of it. I wouldn't need so many scholarships if I did.

More Testimonies

Arriving at the Ministry was as anticlimactic as the first time. Auror Winthrop and Arthur Weasley greeted them again and all four of them started to go inside. The back of Harry's neck tingled as if someone was watching him, but he shook off the feeling. Being the Boy-Who-Lived made him used to the sensation, and he didn't think much of it.

Again, Draco and Lucius joined them in the court room. Narcissa unfortunately, could not join them because she had a meeting regarding the orphanage that she could not miss. However, she sent her love along with her husband and son. Draco greeted Harry with a kiss to the back of the Gryffindor's hand, and Harry couldn't stop his smile if he tried. See, David. I've moved on and I'm happy now, Harry thought.

The young Slytherin raised a brow at Harry's ensemble. His Intended was wearing a Gryffindor red button up with gold lion cufflinks that Draco knew were from the Potter vault. It wasn't as if Harry was wearing a Lion Head but it was clear enough he was showing off his Gryffindor roots.

"Not that it bothers me, but is there a reason for the wardrobe choice today?" Harry smiled at Draco and shrugged.

"I just got some advice early this morning." When Draco continued to look at him expectantly, Harry just shrugged again and said, "Luna." Draco suddenly nodded in understanding. Every so often one of the Golden Trio, and even Draco once, would receive a letter from Luna Lovegood. They were always interesting and always had some sort of advice for the day. Knowing their friend's inclination towards the "Sight" led even the skeptical Granger to heed her advice.

Both Harry and Draco's attention was taken up when the panel of judges filed into the room and the Dursleys were dragged in much like the previous day. The defendants looked more haggard and worn but also meaner, if it was possible. The two attorneys seemed more determined than yesterday to proceed with the trial. Harry knew his lawyer was hoping to make another grand spectacle while the defense attorney was going to be flinging mud with stones hidden in the muck. The Gryffindor took a deep breath and ran his thumb over James Potter's cufflinks.

The Head Judge nodded to everyone before seating herself.

"Prosecutor Thornsworth, you have the floor." The Prosecutor nodded graciously before turning to actually look at the stands where they were all seated.

"Thank you, Judge Femdt. The Prosecution calls Severus Snape to the stand." Severus didn't show the slight surprise he was feeling. He knew he was going to be called to testify at some point but he hadn't thought it would be so soon. With an encouraging smile at his son, Severus left the stands and sat in the testifying chair. As soon as he was seated the Prosecutor began.

"Professor Snape, you were stated as a legal guardian of Harry Potter-Snape in the will of Lily Potter nee Evans should anything happen to both of Mr. Potter-Snape's biological parents, correct?" Snape knew the questions were "necessary" but he just barely refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Correct," he drawled in his usual professor tone. Thornsworth nodded.

"And were you aware of this distinction prior to the Potter's untimely death and the hands of the Dark Lord?" Severus shook his head.

"I was not." Thornsworth walked back to his table and made a show of looking at the papers on his designated desk.

"How were you made aware of your new guardianship and why did you not take custody of the Boy-Who-Lived? Surely you would want to take care of the son of your childhood best friend." Severus had to take a deep breath and hold back a sneer.

"Albus Dumbledore informed me of Lily's request some time after their death, but at the time he became aware of the knowledge he had already placed Harry with his Muggle relatives." Severus emphasized his son's name to keep everyone's focus on the fact that Harry was not just the Savior of the Wizarding World but a young man who deserved to be recognized for his own worth instead of a title. "I was also in a precarious position as a new spy for the Light and rising in the ranks of the Dark Lord. We both agreed it would be safer for Harry to live in the Muggle world, hidden from our own and away from someone who could potentially be discovered and killed at any moment. I will admit…I did not fight for custody as hard as I should have. I was still a bitter young man who saw Harry as the son of not my best friend but of my worst enemy, James Potter."

At this point, Severus finally looked over to his son and made eye contact. Harry smiled at him with understanding, and Severus felt his shame crumble. He knew his son had forgiven him but it was much harder to forgive himself.

"So both yourself and Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light, believed he would be safe with his blood relatives. That seems an easy assumption to make. Tell me, what was your relationship like with Mr. Potter-Snape before the end of the war?" Here Severus knew he would get the most grief from the Defense so he had to prepare himself.

"It was necessarily harsh. I was essentially the left hand man of the Dark Lord and the Head of House for the children of a number of the Dark Lord's followers. If they knew or even suspected I was being remotely kind to the young man who had defeated their Lord, I would have been killed in an instant. I am ashamed to say that it was easy for me to act the part as I drew on my hatred for James Potter, and Harry's resemblance to the man did the rest. The boy's behavior seemed to me to be brash, disrespectful and arrogant. It took me a long time to realize that most of it was my own projections of his father's past actions and the rest was due to his natural distrust of authority figures." Thornsworth put on a semi-believable sympathetic expression.

"I assume your relationship with Mr. Potter-Snape significantly improved. You did, after all, take over his guardianship a year ago and adopt him just over six months ago. How did this change occur, Professor Snape?" Severus took a moment to collect his thoughts before explaining.

"I kept watch over Harry and his two friends, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, when they were hunting for ways to destroy Voldemort. I tried to aid them when I could but it was not often. Through this peek into their lives on the run I was able to get a glimpse of the young man Harry truly was: one who would do anything for his friends, one with a boundless bravery and one who was exceedingly humble and kind for all the world threw at him. When the war finally ended I woke in St. Mungo's, severely injured by Voldemort's serpent. I had promised myself during the year leading up to the Battle of Hogwarts that should we both survive, I would honor my friendship with Lily and honor her wish for me to be her son's guardian. Not long after I woke, however, Aurors came into my rooms and told me that I had been declared temporarily unfit to be Harry's guardian, and that the boy would be placed with a temporary magical guardian until I was well enough…"

From there Severus recounted the relevant parts of Harry's eighth year: how they grew closer, when he eventually revealed his guardianship status, how they reconciled, how they dealt with the rogue community in the Ministry trying to separate them, and eventually when he came to the decision to adopt Harry.

"It sounds like you and your son have come a long way and now truly care about each other," Prosecutor Thornsworth said followed by a smile.

"Yes. We have and we do."

"As Harry Potter-Snape's guardian, it would have been well within your right to pursue charges against his relatives. Tell me, why didn't you?" Snape ground his teeth together and raised a brow at the prosecutor. He didn't want to necessarily make his son's legal advocate look a fool…but then again, the man was doing it himself.

"Once Harry's home life was revealed to me and who his "temporary magical guardian" was, I was livid. I fully intended to eventually press charges against the Dursleys for child abuse and kidnapping, amongst other things. I intended to include Harry in the planning so he would be prepared for the event. Unfortunately, the matter was taken out of my hands." Thornsworth's eye twitched as he tried not to flinch back under Snape's impressive glare. The man had been trying to head off such a question from the defense but practically got reprimanded instead. He quickly cleared his throat and composed himself.

"No further questions." Judge Femdt motioned for the defense attorney to proceed. The Dursley's defense stepped forward.

"Professor Snape, tell me why you did not question the Aurors when they told you that your guardianship was temporarily revoked? Also, why did you wait to reveal to your adopted son that you were in fact his guardian?" Snape kept a composed expression on his face as he answered.

"When I was approached by the Aurors I had only just awoken from a very strong line of healing potions and spells. My observation skills were not up to par at that point. I also knew our Ministry would be rather shaky following the end of the war and I knew tensions would still be high. If I tried to fight at that point, I knew I would lose and potentially have my guardianship permanently revoked. As for not telling Harry…I reluctantly admit I was scared. At first I was scared to be his guardian, as I saw myself as a harsh, cold man who had no business raising a child, especially one as independent as Harry. Despite that fear I initiated contact with him and we began a series of dinners, over which we spoke a lot and got closer. When we got closer I began to fear that if I told him, he would be mad at me for lying and betraying his trust and that he would reject me. I had come to truly care for him after a month or so and I did not want to lose him." Defense attorney Madison frowned and began walking back towards his table where he picked up a folder.

"You say you saw yourself as unfit to raise a child because of your cold demeanor. Could it also be because you have a temper, that you worried you would start abusing him like you were abused by your own father? The defense would like to enter into evidence Severus Snape's disciplinary record from his time at Hogwarts." The Attorney handed the folder over to Judge Femdt and the Prosecutor looked outraged. "It seems, Mr. Snape, that you got into a lot of scraps as a student, primarily involving James Potter and Sirius Black. Everyone can see your son's resemblance to his biological father. How do we know your anger at James Potter, that you say you drew from to treat Harry Potter-Snape harshly in class, didn't boil over into say…physical abuse?"

Though they had all been expecting the question, the party in the stands could not contain their hisses of displeasure. Harry's jaw clenched tightly and he glared at the defense attorney's back, as Judge Femdt called for silence. Severus wanted to rage at the man for how dare he accuse him of ever striking his son in anger. However, the Potions Master held back his rage and settled for aiming a death glare at the attorney. The man barely twitched.

"I have never and will never strike my son or any other child in anger. As you have said, I was abused by my father when I myself was a child. I despised the man for what he did to me and vowed to never become like him. I also, as you say, have a temper, but everyone has a temper. That school record you flounce about clearly states that James Potter and Sirius Black instigated nearly every incident, despite their lack of punishment. Most of the time I was merely defending myself or retaliating after a particularly vicious "prank." None of that points to someone who would abuse their ward, only someone who has been hurt his entire life and has a temper. Besides, I wanted to bring charges against the Dursleys, fully knowing that their defense would likely try and attack me and blame me for the abuse Harry suffered." The Defense attorney shrugged and shook his head.

"How do we know you didn't want to bring the Dursleys up on charges to make yourself look good and less suspicious? How do we know that you haven't intimidated Mr. Potter-Snape into accusing them of hurting him when it was really you?" Severus snarled.

"Because I haven't and unlike your clients I am perfectly willing to take Veritaserum and prove it to everyone here." Attorney Madison put his hands in his pockets and gave Severus a smile.

"That won't be necessary. No further questions." Snape's mouth snapped shut in shock. He couldn't believe that the man was done already. He had barely…Severus' rage cracked like a whip in his chest. He let himself get wound up and show his anger, only bolstering the defense's argument. Though he was innocent of what the attorney accused him of, any of the judges in the panel that have a grudge against him or were skeptical of this whole trial would see Snape's anger on the stand as proof that he had likely hurt Harry as well.

He stood from the stand when bid, the Prosecutor did not want to cross examine again, and walked back to the proscenium seating. Severus sat down next to Harry and laid an arm over the boy's shoulder. Harry leaned into him for comfort (for both of them) and whispered reassurances into his ear. The respite from the trial was only for a moment, however, as someone else was now called to the stand.

"Draco Malfoy, please come forward."

This chapter flew by for me...and then my inspiration to write disappeared. Fingers crossed it comes back soon!

Please review ;)