August 1, 1996

"Chief Warlock?" Harry tried again, trying to get a response from the clearly shell shocked old wizard.

"I… yes Harry my boy?" Albus looked up at the young man sitting above him.

"First off, the correct form of address is Your Highness," Harry corrected calmly. "Second, tradition is that the Chief Warlock represents the King, both in action and in deed. I find that your actions, as Headmaster and as the leader of this convocation, are not in line with my wishes. You have repeatedly overstepped your authority, ignored laws, and voted for laws restricting the citizens I am responsible for. These laws have also alienated our neighbors and friends, removing aid and resources that could have made life better for our citizens. Due to these actions, I ask you to remove yourself from the post of Chief Warlock and take your normal seat."

"Point of order, if I may?" a calm female voice spoke from the gallery. Looking up to see who it was, Harry was unsurprised that it was Madam Longbottom, Neville's gran, who had risen and spoke.

"Yes Dowager Lady Longbottom?"

"Your Highness, if memory serves, Mr Dumbledore only holds proxy seats within this hall, not a seat of his own. Those seats are for underage witches or wizards who are orphans, with no family to stand for them."

"I see." Harry turned his eye to Dumbledore and recognized occlumency forced calm on the old man's face. "Mr Dumbledore, is this true?"

"I hold several proxy seats, yes."

"For whom?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Who do you hold proxy seats for?" Harry repeated. "Name the heirs you have obtained permission to vote for in their stead."

"I hold the votes for Fitzclearence, Blaire, Williams, Hornby, Potter, and Forsythe," Albus listed quickly, but not quickly enough.

"And you have wills or written statements from the heirs to this effect?" Hermione asked harshly, her eyes narrowed in such a glare that if looks could kill, Albus was sure he'd be a charred cinder.

"Miss Granger-"

"It's Lady Potter now. Sooner than we planned, but a king must have a queen after all. And because of that, to you and most here, it is simply, Your Highness," Hermione cut him off sharply. "Now your answer, Mr. Dumbledore?"

"I would not hold those proxies if they were not proper."

"Ah, but that is the crux of the matter, isn't it?" Hermione spoke with malicious joy in her voice. "In any law abiding system, you would be completely correct, but as we have already established you regularly ignore laws not to your liking. What is one more if it gets you political power? Let's check shall we? Recorder, how do your records show Mr Dumbledore holds the Potter proxy?"

"The lists merely state that Mr Dumbledore holds the Potter proxy by writ.," the cowed voice from the recorder spoke up. "That usually denotes written permission or a will."

"Thank you. Do you have a record of which it is? If it helps I do believe he assumed that particular proxy around November of 1981."

"I do not have that record here My lady," the recorder apologized. "I can summon it if you'd like."

"No need, this is easy enough to figure out." She turned to Harry who was sitting enjoying watching his lovely wife eviscerate Albus Dumbledore. "My love, have you ever given Albus Dumbledore permission to sit as your proxy for House Potter?"

"I have not, so I say, so mote it be," Harry answered, his staff flashing to signify the magical oath he intoned.

"Then it must be by will then," Hermione spoke almost giddily. "Recorder, please retrieve the will of James and Lily Potter, so we may verify that Mr Dumbledore is named the proxy."

"I… My lady, the will is not able to be summoned, I don't know why."

"I do," Hermione turned to the almost fearful Dumbledore. "I, Hermione Jean Potter, Queen of King Harry James Potter, break the seal then Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore placed on the wills of James and Lily Potter."

"No, you can't do that!" Albus finally found his voice.

"Summon the wills now recorder," Harry directed, before turning to the wizened old goat before him. "Why are you so intent to keep this will sealed? Are you afraid of what it says? Or merely don't want to give up your power?"

"This farce has gone on long enough!" Albus drew himself up, speaking with all the authority he could muster. "Britain has no king, it has a Minister and a Chief Warlock. I'm sorry you disagree with that but that doesn't change a thing. Stop playing at things you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand a great many things. I understand abuse of power, I understand god complexes. I understand that your vaunted 'Greater Good' that you preach is merely the greater good of Albus Percival Dumbledore. Oh yes, I know you added Wulfric and Brian to your middle names just to sound more important, but really, three middle names? Vain much?"

"Love, the will has arrived," Hermione placed a hand on her husband's arm, nodding to the clerk.

"Ah good, have a seat Mr Dumbledore," Harry waved dismissively at the former Headmaster, former Chief Warlock, and overall pain in his ass. The old wizard was shocked to be thrown back, caught by a stiff wooden chair, and stuck in place. He tried to object, to get up, to do anything as Harry directed the recorder to read the will. Nothing he tried worked, not even calling Fawkes.

As for the rest of the Wizengamot, they sat in shock as the will was read. Many were near apoplectic with rage as the will revealed its secrets. Dumbledore had cast the Fidelius that kept the Potters safe, knowing the secret keeper was not Sirius Black but Peter Pettigrew. Several members were named as potential guardians to Harry, yet none had received him. They gasped as they recalled he had been raised by his muggle relatives, which the will specifically denied. And it had all been witnessed by Dumbledore.

"Given the facts now known, I move that all proxies held by Mr Dumbledore be removed and held unassigned until the heirs in question can make their will known." Harry spoke into the silence. "Any objections?"

Silence answered him.

"Very well. Director Bones, please remove Mr Dumbledore and begin an investigation into his actions over the past two decades. I recommend against assigning Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, or Leanne McKinnon to the investigation, as they are members of his burnt chicken club and have given loyalty vows to him."

"It shall be as you say, Sire," the redheaded woman spoke with reverence and respect, before signaling several aurors to attend to the fallen wizard.

"Now if there are no further issues to resolve…" Harry paused waiting to allow any to raise a point. "Then there is one more issue I have that needs resolved. There is a Death Eater who has been claimed as a reformed one, who was claimed as a spy for the light. I call Severus Snape to appear before us."

The tall dark potions master strode into the room, his robes billowing behind him as he stopped in the center of the room. Glancing to the sides, then finally up at the empty Chief Warlock's seat, he cocked an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Severus Snape, you have been called here today to give testimony about your actions and the actions of others during the blood war that ended in 1981, and some actions since," Hermione spoke clearly. "Please be seated in the witness chair."

"If I may, Miss Granger," Snape spoke in his own unusual cadence,. "I would like to make a statement first."

"That is your right," Hermione acknowledged. "But it is Lady Potter now, Queen actually."

"I apologize, your Highness, I was unaware," Snape bowed slightly to the woman, before turning and letting his eyes stop on Harry. "Lord Potter, I'm not sure if you are aware but I was once a friend of your mother. I knew her and your aunt when they were very young. We attended Hogwarts together and to my great regret, my own upbringing left me ill capable to be the friend she deserved. I won't get into the how's and why's here, but I did something very foolish and it cost us that friendship. It was much to my detriment, as she was the one thing that had been preventing my fall. I did fall, I willingly became a Death Eater, and while I may not have agreed with everything he believed in, I did follow the one called Lord Voldemort. You were wrong about one thing at the Halloween feast though. The Dark Lord did not require the standard price for my mark, for I would lose the ability to create some of the more powerful potions if I were to stain my soul that way. But it was stained anyway. I let the anger and regret burn inside me, even reporting a half heard prophecy to him. It was only later that I realized the prophecy referred to you, her son.

"That forced me to really think about the consequences of what I had done. Before I brushed it off, ignored it, and told myself it didn't affect me. Your mother was my first and best friend, and I cost her her life. She was possibly the only woman I've ever loved. On the day I figured that out, I went to Albus Dumbledore, I told him everything, and I became his spy. I put my faith in the wrong man, and for that I'll never forgive myself. But I did try. I wish I had not taken the oaths he asked, the ones that forced me into this persona, to play this game, but I did. They have fallen now, and for the first time in far too long I can speak as myself. I ask no special treatment, I give my truths to you willingly. I just hope that one day you can forgive me, even though I'll never forgive myself."

A bright piercing light welled up from the middle of the room, images of flame burned themselves into everyone's eyes before they could look away. Once it faded and people started to look back, they found a small black dragon sitting calmly on its haunches. A dragon both Harry and Hermione recognized. Before anyone else could react, they spoke loud and clear.

"My Lord Zir, you bless us with your presence," They spoke as one, bowing deeply. Murmurs spread, and quickly everyone in the gallery was bowing.

"Well met my children," Zir puffed a bit of smoke. "You have done well, though your task is far from over. As for you ,Severus Tobias Snape, you are a rare creature. You have seen the abyss, even answered its call for a time, but have chosen to return to the light. Very few have had the will and the honesty with themselves to confront the darkness within themselves so. You have done so, and in so doing saved your soul. Give me your arm."

Haltingly and unsteady on his feet, Snape approached the black dragon and presented his left arm to the god of magic. Slowly, Zir reached out and cut away Snape's robe cuff, exposing the dark mark to the world. Gently, he pulled the exposed arm to his face and calmly exhaled. A blue white mist exuded from him, like the ghost of flames, and burned the mark from Snape's arm.

"No more shall you carry such taint upon your body and soul, Severus Snape," Zir said calmly as Snape stared at the puckered red flesh where his mark had once been. "You are not a pure man, but you are an honest one. On the day you stand before me in judgement, know I shall take all actions into account, both good and bad, as well as your intentions. Rest assured however, if you were to be judged today, your soul would be safe."

With another flash Zir had vanished, and pandemonium reigned. In the end, Snape got the punishment he asked for. It took hours as he testified to everything he could, from the actions of Death Eaters he had witnessed to the information he had passed and the actions Dumbledore had taken. As time passed, Harry and Hermione watched the shiny leader of the light persona Albus had gathered about himself tarnish and fall. Finally, it was time to determine the punishment for Snape.

"Severus Snape, you present us with a conundrum," Hermione spoke softly. "You have had this persona forced upon you, yet many of us only know that persona. You have admitted to many evils, whether by your actions or inactions, yet Zir has claimed you free of taint. So I ask you sir, if you could pick, what would your punishment be?"

"My Lady, you speak the truth, but to me the greatest evil I have committed would be corrupting the youth of Hogwarts and denying them proper instruction. Were I to sentence myself, I would send me back to Hogwarts, free of my oaths, to correct those injustices."

"I find this fitting," Harry spoke as the Wizengamot considered his words. "It shall be as you say, you have spent fifteen years being a negative influence on the students, then you shall spend the next fifteen years correcting that. You shall also offer discounted night classes to former students, those who you robbed of a proper education in Potions. I will ask Headmistress McGonagall for regular updates on your actions and should you falter, your new residence shall be another castle, this one in the north sea inhabited by demons. Am I clear?"

"Yes, your majesty," Snape bowed deeply to the couple.

"Are there any objections?"

"May I suggest a grace period? I know I have reasons to despise this man, given that his actions caused him to become my grandson's boggart, but he was forced into that. I'm not the only one, and the current students are among those. It will take time for their attitudes to change, to let him begin to make those changes." Once more Augusta Longbottom spoke up, and Harry found himself nodding.

"Your words ring true, Lady Longbottom, and remind me of another reason the Chief Warlock is there. As King I hold great power and responsibility, but it is also possible to abuse that and lose sight of those affected by my decisions. This is one reason I so value the witch by my side, for she keeps my head where it should be. This is twice you have spoken, both in support and in contravention, so I ask you, Lady Longbottom, would you accept the role of Chief Witch, to represent me when I am not here, and to keep me from giving in to the impetus of youth?"

"It would be my honor, your majesty."