Chapter Eight
In which Severus answers some questions
The corridor was narrower than the one of which she had dreamed and better lit as well. She still shivered as she walked down it with Severus at her side and Ron and Harry just behind them talking quietly of less important things.
"The class reunion's next summer. You going, Harry?" asked Ron.
"I don't know ..." shrugged Harry.
"You've got to be there! It wouldn't be right if you weren't." Ron objected.
"Hermione, you going?" asked Harry, deflecting the question.
"I don't think so. Less than half our house will be there ..." she replied quietly.
"Not to mention only about one in three of our professors." nodded Harry.
"I never looked at it that way." said Ron with a heavy sigh.
Severus cautiously squeezed Hermione's shoulder. His house, both in his school days and in hers, had been likewise decimated, but most of them were for the other side. She gave him an encouraging smile. Harry watched them and felt his stomach sour slightly, but said nothing.
"This shouldn't take more than hour, perhaps an hour and a half." she told Severus.
"And their decision?"
"Will be immediate."
"We could have brunch afterwards then." Severus suggested in an attempt at humor, a slight tremble in his voice betraying his anxiety.
"All four of us?"
Severus glanced at the two grown-up Gryffindors and shrugged, "Why not?"
It was Ron's turn to feel a little sick at the thought.
Their paths diverged once they reached the end of the long hallway. Severus was guided one way while Hermione, Harry, and Ron walked up the stairs and into the section of the upper galleries reserved for judges, counsel, witnesses, and others of such positions, including legal aides and persons of power. Hermione glanced at the number of people making statements for the prosecution and felt suddenly inadequate. She recognized Mad-Eye Moody and Sirius Black, but there were a few unfamiliar Aurors and several former Slytherin students of various ages among them as well. It was certainly a crowd compared to her two companions.
"This looks bad." whispered Ron.
"If only Dumbledore were here," murmured Harry, "he could set them straight just like he did the first time."
Hermione looked at Harry and realized that he was genuinely angry about the miscarriage of justice going on right before their eyes. He wasn't just there because he was her friend. He was there because he considered the matter of Snape's past closed. She was more grateful than ever.
She glanced down into the court below where Severus was talking to one of the court wizards, who had taken the place of the dementors that once ensured the good behavior of those brought to judgment. The wizard shook his head and gestured for Severus to have a seat. He did so without another word. Hermione gasped aloud when the restraints wound themselves around his arms, binding him fast to the chair. His hands clenched, but he did not struggle. There was a proud and angry look in his eyes that was slow to fade. The restraints around his wrists and arms seemed to twist tighter. His hands unclenched, and his face twisted into a grimace of pain.
Hermione rose to her feet and turned toward the Ministry official, Arturo Blood, presiding over the inquisition, or rather, inquiry.
"Mister Blood! That's quite enough! My client did come here, of his own will I might add, to be tortured for the entertainment of the Ministry. Please instruct the chair to cease and desist right now!" she yelled to the pasty, aging former Ravenclaw a few benches away.
He glared at her, but gestured to the court wizard to have the tightening stop before bringing the court to order.
Blood began with a few questions, obviously prepared by the Ministry's team of lawyers due to their shrewd nature.
"Were you involved in the deaths of Aurors Jonathan Ames and Cecil Tibbs?"
"I was there." Severus admitted.
"Did you kill them?"
"No." he replied, looking at Hermione in the gallery.
"Did you cast any spells on them?"
"Yes."
"Which ones?"
"A disarming spell."
"I see." said Blood, waiting for him to say more.
"They were hurting my friends." Snape added, unable to remain silent, unable to follow his counsel's advice.
"Names."
"Malfoy and Lestrange."
"Death Eaters then."
"I would have acted no differently had they been anything or anyone else."
That reply caused Blood to pause and shuffle his notes. He had not expected it. He was a calculating man who wrongly believed that he could instantly size up people, instantly know them, because of his keen intellect. Not surprisingly, he was often wrong.
"Moving on then. Angelos Weatherall. What do you know of his death?"
"I'm not familiar with that name."
"He was a shopkeeper on Knockturn Alley and what was commonly referred to in less polite circles as a squib." said Blood.
"I believe I know who you mean."
"Did you murder him?"
"No."
"Did you ... cast any curses on him, legal or otherwise?"
"I ... No." said Severus, hesitating.
"Reports have indicated that more than one person cast the unforgivable curse Avada Kedavra on him ... and our sources say that you were present. Care to reconsider your answer?"
"I did not cast the spell."
"No matter. We have evidence on the incident that is more than sufficient." said Blood. "We will undoubtedly have more specific questions for you at a later time, Mister Snape." he added.
The morning dragged on as statement after statement was presented by the prosecution, some more damning than others. Sirius, who had been acquitted only four and a half years earlier, spoke of Snape's thirst for revenge and his cooperation with the dementors. Moody dredged up obscure unsolved cases where potions were used, not to mention cases of extreme torture where Snape was implicated as either involved or complicit. There were even veiled hints that Moody believed that Snape drank the blood of good wizards. Two Aurors testified concerning two muggle hikers, also an unsolved case, using circumstantial evidence to make their claims. And some of Snape's own former students testified that they had seen him going and coming from midnight rendezvous with Voldemort.
When they were finished, Hermione called upon Harry to speak for Snape, and the courtroom grew strangely quiet as The-Boy-Who-Lived rose to his feet. Hermione watched him glance at his godfather with a wounded expression on his face. Sirius had the decency to duck his head uncomfortably.
"He saved my life. Severus Snape saved my life on more than one occasion. He was never my friend. But he still chose to do what was right, what all of us believe in our hearts to be good and decent. He risked his life for mine. What more can any man do for another? I've sat here listening to all of these people who hate him run him down, and maybe I have agreed with some of them. He's not very likable. He's damn near the most secretive and creepy person I have ever known. But he isn't one of them. He isn't a Death Eater anymore. I understand that all of you want to see everyone who aided Voldemort in any way punished and punished severely. I was glad to see Lucius Malfoy dragged out of here in chains three years ago. I was glad to see the whole lot trotted off to Azkaban. But if that's what happens to Severus Snape, a great injustice will be done. Because you won't be punishing the Death Eater, you'll be punishing the man who saved my life, maybe all our lives, from Voldemort. This wasn't the statement I had prepared. I didn't come here planning to say any of that. But ... it's what I believe had to be said." Harry told them before sitting back down.
"My God, Harry, you'd make a better lawyer than me!" Hermione whispered in his ear.
There was little applause for the brave words from The-Boy-Who-Lived, only a vague murmuring that was quickly silenced by Blood.
"There will be order in this court!" he said in a loud voice.
When everyone had settled down again, Ron Weasley stood and said his piece, but his words were not nearly so powerful as those Harry Potter spoke. Hermione looked down at Severus while Ron spoke and saw tears on his face that he could not wipe away. The things that Harry had said, not all of them complimentary, had moved the former potions' master more than she, or he, would have expected. Their eyes met for a moment. His coal black eyes no longer seemed so sad, so hopeless. The look in them was a very determined one.
After Ron finished making his statement, which involved a good deal more facts than feeling, he sat down, and everyone turned their attention to Arturo Blood.
Hermione first had an inkling that the inquiry had been a sham, a mere formality, when he coolly glanced at his notes and looked out at Snape.
"I see no need for further questions. It is all too clear that a trial is in order here." said Blood. "The trial will be held one week from this date. Until that time Severus Snape is to be held in the wizards' prison of Azkaban."
"Wait!" cried Harry and Hermione, coming to their feet. Ron rose with them, looking angry, but not giving voice to that anger.
Blood turned and looked at them as two wizards approached Severus, prepared to take him from the chair and directly to Azkaban.
"If it pleases the court, I would like to request that Mister Snape be remanded into my custody for that duration." said Hermione.
"He may be a dangerous criminal." said Blood doubtfully.
"I am willing to vouch for him, sir. As an Auror I believe I can safely say that Snape is not a danger to the community or Herm ... the counsel for the defense." said Ron hastily.
"And I will too, sir, if my word means anything." said Harry.
Blood, knowing how well beloved all three of the young wizards and witch were in the wizarding community at large, hesitated to refuse.
"He doesn't even have a wand." Hermione pointed out.
"Very well. I will remand him into your custody, Miss Granger. See that he returns to this place in a week's time for trial." said Blood.
There were no words for the relief she saw on Snape's face as the chair released him and he climbed shakily to his feet.
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A/N: As always, I am very grateful to all who reviewed: Khads, Taryn, cloudshape, fizzysoda, linnetjo, EireVerde, ress, dinky, Arinya, Kiwi, and Jenni! Thanks!
In which Severus answers some questions
The corridor was narrower than the one of which she had dreamed and better lit as well. She still shivered as she walked down it with Severus at her side and Ron and Harry just behind them talking quietly of less important things.
"The class reunion's next summer. You going, Harry?" asked Ron.
"I don't know ..." shrugged Harry.
"You've got to be there! It wouldn't be right if you weren't." Ron objected.
"Hermione, you going?" asked Harry, deflecting the question.
"I don't think so. Less than half our house will be there ..." she replied quietly.
"Not to mention only about one in three of our professors." nodded Harry.
"I never looked at it that way." said Ron with a heavy sigh.
Severus cautiously squeezed Hermione's shoulder. His house, both in his school days and in hers, had been likewise decimated, but most of them were for the other side. She gave him an encouraging smile. Harry watched them and felt his stomach sour slightly, but said nothing.
"This shouldn't take more than hour, perhaps an hour and a half." she told Severus.
"And their decision?"
"Will be immediate."
"We could have brunch afterwards then." Severus suggested in an attempt at humor, a slight tremble in his voice betraying his anxiety.
"All four of us?"
Severus glanced at the two grown-up Gryffindors and shrugged, "Why not?"
It was Ron's turn to feel a little sick at the thought.
Their paths diverged once they reached the end of the long hallway. Severus was guided one way while Hermione, Harry, and Ron walked up the stairs and into the section of the upper galleries reserved for judges, counsel, witnesses, and others of such positions, including legal aides and persons of power. Hermione glanced at the number of people making statements for the prosecution and felt suddenly inadequate. She recognized Mad-Eye Moody and Sirius Black, but there were a few unfamiliar Aurors and several former Slytherin students of various ages among them as well. It was certainly a crowd compared to her two companions.
"This looks bad." whispered Ron.
"If only Dumbledore were here," murmured Harry, "he could set them straight just like he did the first time."
Hermione looked at Harry and realized that he was genuinely angry about the miscarriage of justice going on right before their eyes. He wasn't just there because he was her friend. He was there because he considered the matter of Snape's past closed. She was more grateful than ever.
She glanced down into the court below where Severus was talking to one of the court wizards, who had taken the place of the dementors that once ensured the good behavior of those brought to judgment. The wizard shook his head and gestured for Severus to have a seat. He did so without another word. Hermione gasped aloud when the restraints wound themselves around his arms, binding him fast to the chair. His hands clenched, but he did not struggle. There was a proud and angry look in his eyes that was slow to fade. The restraints around his wrists and arms seemed to twist tighter. His hands unclenched, and his face twisted into a grimace of pain.
Hermione rose to her feet and turned toward the Ministry official, Arturo Blood, presiding over the inquisition, or rather, inquiry.
"Mister Blood! That's quite enough! My client did come here, of his own will I might add, to be tortured for the entertainment of the Ministry. Please instruct the chair to cease and desist right now!" she yelled to the pasty, aging former Ravenclaw a few benches away.
He glared at her, but gestured to the court wizard to have the tightening stop before bringing the court to order.
Blood began with a few questions, obviously prepared by the Ministry's team of lawyers due to their shrewd nature.
"Were you involved in the deaths of Aurors Jonathan Ames and Cecil Tibbs?"
"I was there." Severus admitted.
"Did you kill them?"
"No." he replied, looking at Hermione in the gallery.
"Did you cast any spells on them?"
"Yes."
"Which ones?"
"A disarming spell."
"I see." said Blood, waiting for him to say more.
"They were hurting my friends." Snape added, unable to remain silent, unable to follow his counsel's advice.
"Names."
"Malfoy and Lestrange."
"Death Eaters then."
"I would have acted no differently had they been anything or anyone else."
That reply caused Blood to pause and shuffle his notes. He had not expected it. He was a calculating man who wrongly believed that he could instantly size up people, instantly know them, because of his keen intellect. Not surprisingly, he was often wrong.
"Moving on then. Angelos Weatherall. What do you know of his death?"
"I'm not familiar with that name."
"He was a shopkeeper on Knockturn Alley and what was commonly referred to in less polite circles as a squib." said Blood.
"I believe I know who you mean."
"Did you murder him?"
"No."
"Did you ... cast any curses on him, legal or otherwise?"
"I ... No." said Severus, hesitating.
"Reports have indicated that more than one person cast the unforgivable curse Avada Kedavra on him ... and our sources say that you were present. Care to reconsider your answer?"
"I did not cast the spell."
"No matter. We have evidence on the incident that is more than sufficient." said Blood. "We will undoubtedly have more specific questions for you at a later time, Mister Snape." he added.
The morning dragged on as statement after statement was presented by the prosecution, some more damning than others. Sirius, who had been acquitted only four and a half years earlier, spoke of Snape's thirst for revenge and his cooperation with the dementors. Moody dredged up obscure unsolved cases where potions were used, not to mention cases of extreme torture where Snape was implicated as either involved or complicit. There were even veiled hints that Moody believed that Snape drank the blood of good wizards. Two Aurors testified concerning two muggle hikers, also an unsolved case, using circumstantial evidence to make their claims. And some of Snape's own former students testified that they had seen him going and coming from midnight rendezvous with Voldemort.
When they were finished, Hermione called upon Harry to speak for Snape, and the courtroom grew strangely quiet as The-Boy-Who-Lived rose to his feet. Hermione watched him glance at his godfather with a wounded expression on his face. Sirius had the decency to duck his head uncomfortably.
"He saved my life. Severus Snape saved my life on more than one occasion. He was never my friend. But he still chose to do what was right, what all of us believe in our hearts to be good and decent. He risked his life for mine. What more can any man do for another? I've sat here listening to all of these people who hate him run him down, and maybe I have agreed with some of them. He's not very likable. He's damn near the most secretive and creepy person I have ever known. But he isn't one of them. He isn't a Death Eater anymore. I understand that all of you want to see everyone who aided Voldemort in any way punished and punished severely. I was glad to see Lucius Malfoy dragged out of here in chains three years ago. I was glad to see the whole lot trotted off to Azkaban. But if that's what happens to Severus Snape, a great injustice will be done. Because you won't be punishing the Death Eater, you'll be punishing the man who saved my life, maybe all our lives, from Voldemort. This wasn't the statement I had prepared. I didn't come here planning to say any of that. But ... it's what I believe had to be said." Harry told them before sitting back down.
"My God, Harry, you'd make a better lawyer than me!" Hermione whispered in his ear.
There was little applause for the brave words from The-Boy-Who-Lived, only a vague murmuring that was quickly silenced by Blood.
"There will be order in this court!" he said in a loud voice.
When everyone had settled down again, Ron Weasley stood and said his piece, but his words were not nearly so powerful as those Harry Potter spoke. Hermione looked down at Severus while Ron spoke and saw tears on his face that he could not wipe away. The things that Harry had said, not all of them complimentary, had moved the former potions' master more than she, or he, would have expected. Their eyes met for a moment. His coal black eyes no longer seemed so sad, so hopeless. The look in them was a very determined one.
After Ron finished making his statement, which involved a good deal more facts than feeling, he sat down, and everyone turned their attention to Arturo Blood.
Hermione first had an inkling that the inquiry had been a sham, a mere formality, when he coolly glanced at his notes and looked out at Snape.
"I see no need for further questions. It is all too clear that a trial is in order here." said Blood. "The trial will be held one week from this date. Until that time Severus Snape is to be held in the wizards' prison of Azkaban."
"Wait!" cried Harry and Hermione, coming to their feet. Ron rose with them, looking angry, but not giving voice to that anger.
Blood turned and looked at them as two wizards approached Severus, prepared to take him from the chair and directly to Azkaban.
"If it pleases the court, I would like to request that Mister Snape be remanded into my custody for that duration." said Hermione.
"He may be a dangerous criminal." said Blood doubtfully.
"I am willing to vouch for him, sir. As an Auror I believe I can safely say that Snape is not a danger to the community or Herm ... the counsel for the defense." said Ron hastily.
"And I will too, sir, if my word means anything." said Harry.
Blood, knowing how well beloved all three of the young wizards and witch were in the wizarding community at large, hesitated to refuse.
"He doesn't even have a wand." Hermione pointed out.
"Very well. I will remand him into your custody, Miss Granger. See that he returns to this place in a week's time for trial." said Blood.
There were no words for the relief she saw on Snape's face as the chair released him and he climbed shakily to his feet.
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A/N: As always, I am very grateful to all who reviewed: Khads, Taryn, cloudshape, fizzysoda, linnetjo, EireVerde, ress, dinky, Arinya, Kiwi, and Jenni! Thanks!