Snape entered the all-too-familiar courtroom and sat down in the chair.
Fudge sat in the highest chair, surrounded by several people who wanted to
see Snape dead. Great, he snorted silently, this is going to be really
fair. He looked around the room, looking for a familiar face. Albus
Dumbledore smiled back at him. Then he saw someone else he knew. Thomas
Parkinson sat with Rita Skeeter, whose quill was already flying a mile a
minute.
Avery and Flint were sitting in the witness stands, along with some seventh year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Things were not looking good for Severus Snape.
Fudge stood, speaking very proudly, "We have assembled to put on trial Severus Snape, who is charged with two counts of assault and one count of cold-blooded murder. The Muggles he attacked will, of course, have their memories Obliviated after this, but their testimonies are needed." Snape was confused. He didn't see any Muggles in the witness stand or anywhere else in the audience.
As the trial progressed, Snape soon realized they thought Avery and Flint were the Muggles, and everything hit him at once. They didn't see Avery and Flint as wizards; they had a charm on them.
"They're not Muggles! They're Dark Wizards! They-" Fudge quieted him with a word, literally, and he ranted in silence.
"You're turn to speak will come, but in your current state of mind, this board will not allow you to defend yourself. I'm also afraid Dumbledore can't help you this time. We have, in fact, many witnesses who saw you kill an innocent Muggle. I do not know what prompted this attack, but these witnesses and victims are prepared to testify." Snape looked over at them and saw that the students who had been summoned really didn't want to be there. He also noticed that they had assembled those students with which he had had the most volatile encounters. He suddenly realized Fudge had made it personal, and he was doing everything he could to make sure Snape went down.
After the "victims" testified, the students got up, telling what they saw. Most of them were quite vague with their information, but Michelle Christensen's best friend was obviously still angry with the Death Eaters. Her testimony was almost as forceful as the victims' had been.
Things were not looking good at all, and when Snape looked at Dumbledore, the seriousness of this incident smacked him in the face. Not only was Dumbledore not smiling, but as Fudge stood to pronounce judgment, a tear rolled down the old wizard's face.
"Severus Snape, please stand. Nothing like this has ever happened in the wizarding world before. In the eyes of this board, violent, cold-blooded murder is in fact equal to the atrocities of You-Know-Who." A quarrel could be heard out in the hallway, but Fudge ignored it and continued, "This coupled with that fact that you were a Death Eater is unforgivable." The quarrel had moved to just outside the door, then all that was heard was a profuse apology and the door opening.
The entire congregation gasped as Harry Potter entered the room, with the guard right behind him.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but Harry Potter is here. At first I didn't believe him, but he has the scar!" Fudge came down, smiling at Harry. Great, Snape thought, probably wanted to add his two knuts and watch me sentenced to death.
"Harry my boy! How are you? You are just in time to watch justice be served." Harry stopped in his tracks, but only because Snape had grabbed his arm.
"Potter, I do not know why you are here," he began, but was cut off by the look of defiance in his emerald eyes. He let go, now extremely curious as to what this boy was doing here.
Fudge was speechless, "How dare you accost this boy Snape!" Fudge moved to grab Harry, but the boy turned his fiery gaze on him. He faltered, but covered it up and plunged ahead. "Harry my boy, why have you intruded? I was just about to pass judgment."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "You mean 'we' don't you sir. This is a BOARD of ministers is it not? Surely you were not about to make a decision that would affect Professor Snape's life without consulting the board." This received murmurs from the crowd, and Snape smirked inwardly. Harry pulled out the book Snape had given him from under his robes. "Besides sir, Professor Snape is telling the truth." Gasps were heard throughout the crowd, and Snape stood there, not believing he was actually hearing this.
"Harry? This man, this Death Eater, killed an innocent, and attacked two others. Harry, this man stood by and watched as You-Know-Who murdered your parents." Harry nodded slightly, then opened the book.
"You can't see them," he gestured to the two "Muggles" in the witness stand, "for who they are because Vol - You-Know-Who cast a spell on them. I can them for who they really are." He leveled a gaze that would have made Snape apprehensive if he'd seen it.
"How?" Snape asked.
"Quiet Death Eater!" Parkinson's voice called out and Snape glared at him.
"Merlin's Blessing, Professor. Roll up your sleeve, sir." Snape smirked and did as he was told. Even Fudge gasped at the absence of the Dark Mark. "The spell removed his mark, Fudge, just as it protected me from You-Know- Who 14 years ago. Something about the spell stays with the person on whom it's cast. It protects the bearer from Ancient Dark Magic, but the lingering effects must somehow counteract the minor Ancient Dark spells."
Fudge scoffed, "This is ridiculous boy! Give me that book," Fudge grabbed Harry's arm, but Snape grabbed his. Something akin to fear crossed the minister's features and he let go. Harry seemed unfazed by the force that had just been laid upon him.
"If the, uh, Muggles would allow, a simple spell will tell us if they are who they say they are."
Avery stood, "I'll have no witchcraft placed upon me!"
"Nor I!"
Harry smiled deviously, "Then how can we be sure you're not Dark wizards?"
"We haven't got wands!" Avery exclaimed.
"And we never went to Hogwarts!" Flint yelled. In the crowd, Parkinson groaned softly.
"I'm sorry, where?" Harry asked innocently.
"Hogwarts! The wizarding school!" Flint knew immediately he had messed up when Fudge fell over. Flint was strong and stupid, and Harry had played that. He was also a bit too eager to please his new master, and that was his weakest point. Dumbledore was smiling proudly, and Snape was looking at Harry with a newfound respect.
In one swift motion, Harry pulled his wand and a knife. Before Snape could grab him, he dashed over to the two "victims." The two were too frightened that they'd blown their cover that it really didn't register. As Harry approached them, they watched with incredulity as he closed his eyes tight and sliced his left forearm. As the blood poured from the open wound, he dipped the end of his wand into the cut and then tapped the page of the book.
"Reverto fidelus forma pro totus video," he chanted, and a strange red glow encompassed the two imposters. When the light faded, Avery and Flint stood there, and Fudge was gaping. Harry was so excited that it had actually worked, he really wasn't paying attention to all the blood pooling onto the floor.
Fudge acted immediately, and the Security Squad grabbed the two Death Eaters. Fudge then turned on Snape.
"The fact remains you attacked two people, and killed one. We cannot let that simply pass." Snape's cold glare was enough to make McGonagall run in terror. Harry, still excited about his accomplishment, rushed over to Fudge's side.
"What do you mean? They were Dark Wizards! You were just going to kill them anyway!" He was frantic, partially because he'd lost quite a bit of blood and was a little light-headed. Fudge sighed heavily, wondering if he should risk his reputation by arguing with The Boy Who Lived. Standing up against Harry would certainly turn him out of favor with most of the wizarding world. He still didn't understand why Harry was so vehemently defending this man, but he also didn't want to keep Harry so long, as he was losing an awful lot of blood from the deep gash in his arm.
"Very well, Harry. I will clear him of THESE charges since you insist, but you need to go see a doctor." He laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder and nodded to Dumbledore, who had come up to join them.
Harry whispered his thanks as he collapsed. Snape had seen it coming, and moved quickly to catch him, before he cracked his head on the stone floor. Dumbledore smiled down at him.
"We need to get to the Hospital Wing. Pick him up." Snape looked at the Headmaster in disbelief, but he only smiled down at his young friend. Snape snorted and did as he was told; he needed Potter alive to yell at him for showing up in the first place, not to mention saving him when Snape certainly hadn't asked for his help.
As they rounded the corner, he realized that wasn't really what was bothering him. What irked him more than anything was that Har - er - Potter had broken his promise; he had used a spell from the book. Even though he despised the boy, Snape had thought *he'd* keep a promise. So much for Gryffindor honor, he scoffed.
Avery and Flint were sitting in the witness stands, along with some seventh year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Things were not looking good for Severus Snape.
Fudge stood, speaking very proudly, "We have assembled to put on trial Severus Snape, who is charged with two counts of assault and one count of cold-blooded murder. The Muggles he attacked will, of course, have their memories Obliviated after this, but their testimonies are needed." Snape was confused. He didn't see any Muggles in the witness stand or anywhere else in the audience.
As the trial progressed, Snape soon realized they thought Avery and Flint were the Muggles, and everything hit him at once. They didn't see Avery and Flint as wizards; they had a charm on them.
"They're not Muggles! They're Dark Wizards! They-" Fudge quieted him with a word, literally, and he ranted in silence.
"You're turn to speak will come, but in your current state of mind, this board will not allow you to defend yourself. I'm also afraid Dumbledore can't help you this time. We have, in fact, many witnesses who saw you kill an innocent Muggle. I do not know what prompted this attack, but these witnesses and victims are prepared to testify." Snape looked over at them and saw that the students who had been summoned really didn't want to be there. He also noticed that they had assembled those students with which he had had the most volatile encounters. He suddenly realized Fudge had made it personal, and he was doing everything he could to make sure Snape went down.
After the "victims" testified, the students got up, telling what they saw. Most of them were quite vague with their information, but Michelle Christensen's best friend was obviously still angry with the Death Eaters. Her testimony was almost as forceful as the victims' had been.
Things were not looking good at all, and when Snape looked at Dumbledore, the seriousness of this incident smacked him in the face. Not only was Dumbledore not smiling, but as Fudge stood to pronounce judgment, a tear rolled down the old wizard's face.
"Severus Snape, please stand. Nothing like this has ever happened in the wizarding world before. In the eyes of this board, violent, cold-blooded murder is in fact equal to the atrocities of You-Know-Who." A quarrel could be heard out in the hallway, but Fudge ignored it and continued, "This coupled with that fact that you were a Death Eater is unforgivable." The quarrel had moved to just outside the door, then all that was heard was a profuse apology and the door opening.
The entire congregation gasped as Harry Potter entered the room, with the guard right behind him.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but Harry Potter is here. At first I didn't believe him, but he has the scar!" Fudge came down, smiling at Harry. Great, Snape thought, probably wanted to add his two knuts and watch me sentenced to death.
"Harry my boy! How are you? You are just in time to watch justice be served." Harry stopped in his tracks, but only because Snape had grabbed his arm.
"Potter, I do not know why you are here," he began, but was cut off by the look of defiance in his emerald eyes. He let go, now extremely curious as to what this boy was doing here.
Fudge was speechless, "How dare you accost this boy Snape!" Fudge moved to grab Harry, but the boy turned his fiery gaze on him. He faltered, but covered it up and plunged ahead. "Harry my boy, why have you intruded? I was just about to pass judgment."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "You mean 'we' don't you sir. This is a BOARD of ministers is it not? Surely you were not about to make a decision that would affect Professor Snape's life without consulting the board." This received murmurs from the crowd, and Snape smirked inwardly. Harry pulled out the book Snape had given him from under his robes. "Besides sir, Professor Snape is telling the truth." Gasps were heard throughout the crowd, and Snape stood there, not believing he was actually hearing this.
"Harry? This man, this Death Eater, killed an innocent, and attacked two others. Harry, this man stood by and watched as You-Know-Who murdered your parents." Harry nodded slightly, then opened the book.
"You can't see them," he gestured to the two "Muggles" in the witness stand, "for who they are because Vol - You-Know-Who cast a spell on them. I can them for who they really are." He leveled a gaze that would have made Snape apprehensive if he'd seen it.
"How?" Snape asked.
"Quiet Death Eater!" Parkinson's voice called out and Snape glared at him.
"Merlin's Blessing, Professor. Roll up your sleeve, sir." Snape smirked and did as he was told. Even Fudge gasped at the absence of the Dark Mark. "The spell removed his mark, Fudge, just as it protected me from You-Know- Who 14 years ago. Something about the spell stays with the person on whom it's cast. It protects the bearer from Ancient Dark Magic, but the lingering effects must somehow counteract the minor Ancient Dark spells."
Fudge scoffed, "This is ridiculous boy! Give me that book," Fudge grabbed Harry's arm, but Snape grabbed his. Something akin to fear crossed the minister's features and he let go. Harry seemed unfazed by the force that had just been laid upon him.
"If the, uh, Muggles would allow, a simple spell will tell us if they are who they say they are."
Avery stood, "I'll have no witchcraft placed upon me!"
"Nor I!"
Harry smiled deviously, "Then how can we be sure you're not Dark wizards?"
"We haven't got wands!" Avery exclaimed.
"And we never went to Hogwarts!" Flint yelled. In the crowd, Parkinson groaned softly.
"I'm sorry, where?" Harry asked innocently.
"Hogwarts! The wizarding school!" Flint knew immediately he had messed up when Fudge fell over. Flint was strong and stupid, and Harry had played that. He was also a bit too eager to please his new master, and that was his weakest point. Dumbledore was smiling proudly, and Snape was looking at Harry with a newfound respect.
In one swift motion, Harry pulled his wand and a knife. Before Snape could grab him, he dashed over to the two "victims." The two were too frightened that they'd blown their cover that it really didn't register. As Harry approached them, they watched with incredulity as he closed his eyes tight and sliced his left forearm. As the blood poured from the open wound, he dipped the end of his wand into the cut and then tapped the page of the book.
"Reverto fidelus forma pro totus video," he chanted, and a strange red glow encompassed the two imposters. When the light faded, Avery and Flint stood there, and Fudge was gaping. Harry was so excited that it had actually worked, he really wasn't paying attention to all the blood pooling onto the floor.
Fudge acted immediately, and the Security Squad grabbed the two Death Eaters. Fudge then turned on Snape.
"The fact remains you attacked two people, and killed one. We cannot let that simply pass." Snape's cold glare was enough to make McGonagall run in terror. Harry, still excited about his accomplishment, rushed over to Fudge's side.
"What do you mean? They were Dark Wizards! You were just going to kill them anyway!" He was frantic, partially because he'd lost quite a bit of blood and was a little light-headed. Fudge sighed heavily, wondering if he should risk his reputation by arguing with The Boy Who Lived. Standing up against Harry would certainly turn him out of favor with most of the wizarding world. He still didn't understand why Harry was so vehemently defending this man, but he also didn't want to keep Harry so long, as he was losing an awful lot of blood from the deep gash in his arm.
"Very well, Harry. I will clear him of THESE charges since you insist, but you need to go see a doctor." He laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder and nodded to Dumbledore, who had come up to join them.
Harry whispered his thanks as he collapsed. Snape had seen it coming, and moved quickly to catch him, before he cracked his head on the stone floor. Dumbledore smiled down at him.
"We need to get to the Hospital Wing. Pick him up." Snape looked at the Headmaster in disbelief, but he only smiled down at his young friend. Snape snorted and did as he was told; he needed Potter alive to yell at him for showing up in the first place, not to mention saving him when Snape certainly hadn't asked for his help.
As they rounded the corner, he realized that wasn't really what was bothering him. What irked him more than anything was that Har - er - Potter had broken his promise; he had used a spell from the book. Even though he despised the boy, Snape had thought *he'd* keep a promise. So much for Gryffindor honor, he scoffed.