A/N: I am having writer's block probably due to being too distracted with my school work and schedule. The questioning part of the trials would be a little under-descriptive. I actually have no idea how to go with it but yeah, I tried though. Disclaimer: I have no knowledge about how trials are typically done.
Chapter 27
The day before the trials, Sebastian developed a fever. Harry, having gone through a number of Sebastian's fevers still can't help but over-worry. It was actually Severus who calmed him down.
Harry woke up that Sunday morning with a little tug on his shirt sleeves. He groggily opened his eyes only to see his son, red-faced and eyes tired, quietly whimpering.
"Daddy... head hurts," complained the boy helplessly. He had his bun-bun on one hand and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Harry instantly sat up and scooped Sebastian from the ground. He checked his temper and found their little boy was sporting a mild fever.
"Sev!" called Harry. He was a little panicked but managed to keep his voice down not to hurt Sebastian's head more than it already was. Severus only groaned in reply and turned his head to face Harry, reluctantly opening one eye.
The moment he saw Harry wide-eyed with a bundled up Sebastian in his arms, he was fully awake. "Harry? What happened? Why is Sebastian here?"
"He's warm. I think he's got a fever," muttered Harry, cradling the whimpering boy gently.
Severus moved closer and checked over his son. Sebastian had not had a fever since moving to the UK but thankfully, Severus kept emergency pediatric fever-reducing potions and pepper-ups.
"I'm going to get his potions," said Severus before pressing a gentle kiss on Sebastian's forehead and getting out of bed.
Harry settled the boy down on their bed and ordered warm broth from one of the elves. Sebastian had almost fallen back to sleep by the time Severus came back. Though they did not want to disturb their son, Severus needed him to take his potions.
"Baby, you need to take your potions," cooed Harry. Sebastian looked up at his parents with unfocused eyes but nodded all the same.
Severus carefully pulled the boy into a sitting position and tilted down the potion into Sebastian's mouth. He personally created the potion for his son thus it did not have a nasty taste to it.
After Sebastian downed his potions, Harry carried him back to his room and tucked him in, putting up a ward in his bed to notify them of any changes. Harry wanted to take Sebastian to the infirmary but there was a viral skin infection going in Hogwarts. Sebastian already had a low immune system, a minor contact with any sort of infection will be troublesome. In any case, Severus was knowledgeable enough when it comes to healing magic.
Throughout the day, Harry barely left Sebastian's room. It wasn't until Severus assured Harry that their little miracle won't get worse. Poppy had already came to check on their son and told both parents it was a mild case of the flu and totally normal. They would only need to wait it out.
That next morning, Sebastian's fever subsided a little but he was still lethargic. The little boy was extra clingy to Harry. Severus spent the whole day yesterday in the potions lab brewing more fever-reducing potions and pepper-ups while Harry stayed in the quarters and watched over their son.
Both Severus and Harry initially decided not to go to the trial but Harry knew Severus wanted to see Lance and the Lestrange brothers finally sentenced to Azkaban.
"Sev, just go to the trial. I'll be fine with Sebastian. His fever is down," said Harry. He placed a hand over Severus' shoulder while Sebastian had his head on his lap. The two were lounging on the living room, their son cuddled up with them, napping.
"I will feel like an inadequate father if I leave while my son is not well." Severus carefully combed his fingers through his son's hair.
"You're a great father, babe. If it wasn't for you, I would have seriously panicked," assured Harry and leaned over slightly to press a soft kiss on his cheek. "Going to the trial won't make Seb hate you."
"I know that. I do not think Sebastian is capable of hating," smiled Severus. "Are you sure it's fine if I go?"
Severus knew Harry never wanted to attend the trial in the first place. It was one of those things Harry liked to avoid especially after the countless death eater trials he went through after the war.
Harry chuckled softly, careful not to move much in case Sebastian wakes up. "It's perfectly fine, Severus. One of us has to know what happens anyway."
Severus nodded. The trial was scheduled at 1:30 in the afternoon and it was already a quarter to 12. He supposed he should get ready. He carefully stood up, knelt in front of Harry and their son and gave the boy a sweet kiss on the forehead. He leaned towards Harry and locked their lips together in a deep, promising kiss.
"I will go dress up. I will see you both later. I love you."
Severus stepped inside the Wizengamot trial court. Funnily enough, the room was not crowded. There were journalists but were only allowed up to the antechamber. Only those who had immediate business can enter the court which Severus highly approved of. There really was no point in letting spectators inside a trial.
Severus sat in the gallery beside Arthur and Longbottom, there to witness the trials of the wizards who caused his parents' insanity. Severus saw familiar faces in the Wizengamot committee and was thankful only a few were supporters of the Dark Lord's propaganda.
"Where is Harry?" asked Arthur. The man acted as Harry's guardian that was why he was allowed in court even though Harry was technically legal for quite some time.
"Sebastian had a fever since yesterday," replied Severus. "We decided at least one of us needed to attend. Harry hates these things so here I am."
"Oh, I hope little Seb will get well soon," said Arthur, giving Severus a small reassuring smile.
The trials started with Rabastan Lestrange. It was a quick process. Rodolphus' trials were very much the same. It was like they were tried for the sake of a trial which no one honestly minded. The Lestrange brothers were notorious Death Eaters with a staggering number of victims in both wars. Even without the recent murder attempt at Prince Manor, the brothers will never see the light of day again. Their crimes were punishable by the veil. They were carried to Azkaban not an hour after the proceedings started.
Lance Pierce, on the other hand, had a complicated trial. The Australian Minister was present and it was personally presided by Minister Bones instead of Chief Warlock Marchbanks.
Pierce was shackled on the chair with a smirk on his face. Everyone in the room felt a shiver on his expression alone. Severus knew right then that Pierce was not sane. He had the same look on his face as Bellatrix had when she got out of Azkaban. When Lance glanced at Severus, his eyes turned cold.
"The trial on Lance William Pierce shall commence," ordered the Minister, "Before we begin, I would like to inform every one in court that we will be including a set of questions from the Australian Wizengamot. Auror Shacklebolt, administer the Veritaserum."
After Kingsley gave the man three drops of the serum, he asked, "What is your full name?"
Lance answered in a dead voice and unfocused eyes, "Lance William Pierce"
"When is your birthday?"
"December 14, 1977"
Kingsley nodded and turned to Amelia, "Veritaserum is working, Minister."
The Minister inclined her head in acknowledgement before gazing hard on the shackled man in the center. "We will begin with the questions from the British Wizengamot. Mr. Pierce, Did you attempt to kill Harry Potter, Severus Snape, and Sebastian Potter?"
"Yes."
"How and When did you try to kill Harry Potter, Severus Snape and Sebastian Potter?"
"I once poisoned the boyfriend and the brat's food the first week of December. I provided the bomb to kill the three of them in April."
A few gasps were heard echoing in the room. The question was a standard procedure and wasn't needed to be included. No one imagined Lance Pierce had attempted to kill Severus Snape and Sebastian Potter before the bombing in Prince Manor. Even though Severus knew there was a possibility of Pierce having to do with their poisoning, to actually hear him say it was still shocking. The poisoning incident wasn't even included in their original case against him. All they had for Pierce was Sexual Harassment, three counts of Attempted Murder, and Malicious Disclosure of Private Information.
When Amelia and the rest of those in the room recollected themselves, she proceeded, "What is your reason for poisoning the Severus Snape and Sebastian Potter?"
"He took what was mine and the brat should never have been born" Even with the effets of the Veritaserum, the fury in Pierce's voice was still evident.
"What exactly is yours that he took?" Amelia asked, looking both curious and confused with how the questioning was advancing.
"Harry Potter."
Severus could not keep himself from snorting quietly but the anger inside him was building up. The man was indeed insane to think Harry was his. Harry was never his.
The Minister sighed in resignation, perhaps needing to order a sanity test on the accused. "How did you come to contact with the Lestrange brothers?"
"When I came to Britain in search of a cure from a strange erectile dysfunction I acquired, I discovered Henry Evans was actually Harry Potter. I wanted to punish him for choosing someone else. I heard Harry Potter had many enemies so I simply wrote to everyone from the list of escaped Death Eaters if they wanted Harry Potter dead. The Lestrange brothers were the only ones who replied and we got to planning."
"What exactly was your plan?"
"Take what was mine and kill the obstacles."
"And did the brothers agree with your plan?"
"No. They wanted to kill them both directly but I told them no. They did not have a choice because without me they would not even have a roof over their head." If the serum didn't surpress emotions, Severus was sure Pierce would have smirked and felt he owned two of the worst desth eaters in history.
"If you wanted Harry Potter alive then why did you participate in his attempted murder?"
"They got engaged. It was game over."
"Did you release the private details of Harry Potter's life to the media?"
"Yes."
"Why did you release the personal information of Harry Potter?"
"I wanted to scare him, get him to contact me and beg me not to release his dirty secrets."
Severus arched his eyebrow at the man's plan. They really had irritated him when they came out clean voluntarily.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the next set of questions are from the Australian MLE, is it true that you drugged, engaged in non-consensual sex with muggles and then obliviated them afterwards?"
"Yes."
"Are all these muggles? How many have you done this to?"
"Yes. Five men, two women."
"Have you forced yourself on Harry Potter sexually inside a muggle restaurant's men's room?
"No."
Severus who was quiet the whole proceedings instantly got to his feet and bellowed, "You imbecile! Harry said no!"
Most of the committee looked at Severus disapprovingly but a few, including Kingsley and Amelia, nodded in understanding.
"Take your seat, Mr. Snape. I am not finished questioning," said Amelia, arching an eyebrow at the man.
Severus did all he could do not to flush in embarrassment at his little burst and merely nodded before sitting quietly. Arthur patted his shoulder in solidarity but kept his gaze on the proceedings.
"Did you try to entice Mr. Potter to engage in any form of sexual acts with you?"
"Yes."
"Did Mr. Potter say no?"
"Yes."
"And did you continue what you were initially doing?"
"Yes."
"No further questions. Auror Kingsley, administer the antidote," ordered Amelia. She internally groaned at the number of cases they had against Lance Pierce. He could basically consider himself as a Death Eater by now. "The trial is now officially on break, the sentence will be delivered in half an hour after deliberation."
The moment Pierce was back to his normal, insane state, he began to cackle like a maniac, causing the atmospherein the room to drop considerably. Minister Bones immediately ordered him to be silenced while she and the Wizengamot discussed the verdict. While there was no doubt the man would be taken to Azkaban, they still needed to count how many years he should be imprisoned.
"As much as it pains me to say this, I don't think this Pierce guy will get a life sentence," muttered Arthur dejectedly.
Severus knew. It was one of those new laws he was a bit miffed with. His time as a death eater made him realize that sometimes a quick death was much more welcomed than being tortured alive. He only hoped Pierce will get what he deserved.
The wait wasn't that long. The judicial committee went back to their seats with grim faces. "The Wizengamot unanimously agreed that Lance William Pierce be found guilty and must serve 70 years for seven counts of rape, 5 years for one count of sexual assault, 50 years for five counts of attempted murder, and 10 years for two counts of hiding a fugitive. Lance William Pierce will be locked in Azkaban for a minimum of 135 years with no chance of parole."
Severus honestly found it adequate. Even if Pierce did not get the veil or a lifetime in prison, 135 years was more than enough. No prisoner in Azkaban will last more than 50 years in the cold, dark cells, especially for someone like Pierce who was used to a comfortable life. That was why most of the pureblood imprisoned after the war secretly prefered being thrown to the veil.
Severus stepped out of the courtroom after nodding his thanks to Kingsley and Amelia, and bidding goodbye to Arthur. He needed to get home soon to Harry and especially to Sebastian.
"How was it?" asked Harry the moment Severus stepped out of the floo.
The man sat next to Harry on the couch and sighed, "It was quick. The Lestranges got the veil. Pierce would be spending 135 years in Azkaban."
Harry wasn't really worried about the results of the trial. He knew Britain's justice system had come a long way after the war, add to the fact that the Australian Minister also looked over the proceedings, there was no way Lance would get out a free man. But it was still satisfying to finally know he can't hurt his family anymore.
"That's great!" exclaimed Harry, "Let me watch the memory after dinner."
Severus nodded and looked around, noticing a few of Sebastian's toys were littered on the floor. He glanced at Harry and raised an eyebrow in question.
Harry chuckled, "Sebbie's all better, it seems. I just put him to bed when you arrived."
Severus smiled at the welcomed information. He hated seeing his precious son ill and Harry tends to freak out whenever something happens to Sebastian even after having went through countless fevers and pains from teething.
"I already ate with Sebastian but your dinner is still on the table. I placed a stasis charm on it," said Harry. "Why don't you go eat while I watch the memory?"
Severus nodded, "That is fine." He pulled out his wand and summoned a vial before taking out the memory of the day's event.
He gave it to Harry with a kiss on the lips and walked to their connected kitchen. Harry immediately got to his feet and entered their bedroom where the Pensive sat on the nightstand drawer.
Harry gulped before pouring the memory onto the pensive and diving head first. While Harry watched the trials, Severus finished his dinner and entered their son's bedroom.
Sebastian was indeed asleep. He quietly sat on the edge of the boy's bed and watched his son's rhythmic breathing. It always calmed Severus to see the evidence of life in Sebastian. It was one of the reasons Severus decided to venture on his new project. He wanted to experience more. He wanted to get it finished in time for their wedding. Severus wanted to give Harry the best wedding gift. He knew Harry wanted more children. Hell, he wanted more children. He never thought he'd be that kind of person, to want children in general. When he first found out he had a son, that was all he thought, a son. One son. But now that he had Harry, he was aching for more, to give Sebastian a sibling, to hold a baby in his arms. His baby in his arms. Sebastian was the perfect little boy and Severus knew whatever child he had with Harry will be perfect in his eyes.
Severus brushed the locks of hair sticking out on Sebastian's face. The little boy sighed and unconsciously moved closer to Severus. The father leaned down and pressed a long kiss on top of the boy's hair.
"I love you so much, my little prince," whispered Severus.
When he stepped out of Sebastian's room, he found Harry standing outside the door, casually leaning on the wall, deep in thought.
"Harry?" called Severus.
Harry snapped his head towards Severus and shook his head slightly, perhaps coming out from his daze.
"What were you thinking? Have you seen the memory?" asked Severus. He stepped closer to his fiance and brought an arm to wrap around the man's waist, guiding him back inside their room.
"He tried to kill you and Sebastian to get me, Sev," said Harry with a tone of frustration and vulnerability. "I'm only yours, you know that, right? I've never been with Lance. I wasn't his... I wasn't his..."
Harry was beginning to get a little hysterical and Severus instantly pulled him in for a hug.
"Hush, my love. I know," whispered Severus. He rubbed soothing circles on the man's back and held Harry's head under his chin. "Lance was delusional. He was obsessed with you. He thought you were always meant to be his. I may even think he had narcissism and psychosis."
"He won't hurt us anymore," said Harry mostly to himself.
"Yes, Harry. He won't hurt us anymore."
A/N: a bit anticlimactic.And I know it's a bit maddening Harry not to attend the trial but from what I believe, Harry really does not like going to court even if it was just to view the proceedings.