Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Warner Brothers bought me out.
"Colin, now's not a good time," Harry said, trying not to sigh. "I've got potions in…" Harry looked down at his watch. "… in six minutes."
"It'll just take a second!" Colin squeaked, running into his dormitory. Harry waited anxiously, but Colin still hadn't come back down the stairs after a minute. Harry groaned and went up the stairs. Harry entered the 4th year dorms and saw that Colin was rifling through photographs.
"Just a minute!" Colin called.
Harry looked down at his watch, and grimaced. Colin whispered to himself, "Now, where did it go?"
"Colin, I'm going," Harry said impatiently.
"Here it is!" Colin said, thrusting a photo into Harry's hands. Harry didn't even look at it and instead put it into his robe pocket.
I'll never make it in two minutes, Harry thought glumly, half-running down to the cold dungeon. Sure enough, as he threw open the Potion classroom's door, Snape was already lecturing.
"Well," drawled Snape, "it seems that Mr. Potter is late. Again." Harry bit back a reply – Crabbe and Goyle had both been late more in the last month than Harry had the entire year – and made his way to his bench.
"Perhaps 100 points from Gryffindor will prevent this from happening again," Snape said as Harry settled in.
"What?" Harry said, alarmed. He was only two minutes late, and Snape was taking 100 points?
"Make that 200," Snape caustically replied, his back still turned.
Never – in the entire history of Hogwarts – had anyone lost two hundred points at once. Harry knew better than to complain, but he couldn't help a strangled yelp from emerging from his throat.
"500!" Snape yelled, whirling around to face Harry. "And you would do well to shut your mouth, Potter!"
Harry had had enough. He stood up and defiantly said, "That's not fair!"
"You've given me no choice, Potter," Snape said in an unusual tone of voice – it was almost… sincere. The Potions Master cleared his voice and continued in his ordinary tenor, "Obviously someone needs to teach you a lesson."
Snape pointed his wand, which Harry had only seen a few times so far, and suddenly was thrown upward at the ceiling. Harry's head hit the stone overhead hard, but right after the rest of his body connected with the ceiling as well, he was thrown to the side at the back wall. Harry awkwardly flailed as his body was flung magically through the air at another stone surface. Harry felt his vision going as his body hit the wall with a sick thud. The last thing Harry saw before he blacked out completely was Ron, Dean, and Seamus trying to restrain the berserk Potion's Professor while another stone wall was rushing dizzyingly fast at him.
"Ugh," Harry groaned, opening his eyes. "What happened?"
"Depends," came the comforting voice of Ron. "What do you call it when the ugliest professor in the school smacks you silly against the ceiling and walls?"
"Where is he now?" Harry asked, realizing the answer was sure to be 'Back with You-Know-Who.'
"Waiting for you," Ron said with a nasty smile.
"What?" Harry asked, sitting up. He was glad to see his body was well healed by Pomfrey – he only had some minor twinging aches in his chest and arms.
"There's going to be a council in the Great Hall as soon as you arrive," Ron answered, helping Harry out of bed.
"Council? What kind of council?"
Ron smiled even wider and answered, "The kind of council I've been hoping for every potions class." Ron's statement was made clear when the pair entered the hall and found around twenty students from Gryffindor, every professor, and a panel of ministry officials – all of whom were seated facing Severus Snape, who was sitting all alone in the middle of it all.
Dumbledore rose and said, "I believe the best way to proceed with the meeting is to get directly to the point. As most of you are aware, Professor and Potions Master Severus Snape recently assaulted a student, resulting in that student – Harry Potter – requiring medical care for several hours. This meeting, observed by the board of directors, will ascertain the fate of Professor Snape."
Harry watched mutely as Gryffindor after Gryffindor spoke before the crowd one at a time about the injustices done by Snape, eventually reaching the 5th years who gave an account of the latest potions fiasco.
Yet, despite all of this, Harry realized this was just filler for his testimony and delaying when he'd have to go up and speak. He mentally thanked Dumbledore for arranging some time to orient himself from the injury.
Harry watched as Ron recited every unfair practice Snape instituted, every unjust paper graded (most of them Hermione's.) As Ron spoke at length about each inequality, Harry grew more and more surprised; he hadn't expected Ron to give so much effort in bringing about Snape's downfall.
Finally, Harry was gently guided to the front, and he stammered, "I… really don't know what to say. I don't know whether Professor Snape should be fired or not – I guess that's your job. I do know that I didn't do anything to legitimately provoke him. He took 500 points from Gryffindor because I was a few minutes late. He attacked me because I said something wasn't fair."
Harry didn't know what else to say, so he stepped down and made his way back to his seat next to Ron. The head of the governor's board motioned to Snape, and the professor made his way to the front.
Snape faced the board and said, "Of course, you must fire me. Only a fool wouldn't." At this, most of the crowd murmured – they clearly expected some sort of a defense, not a confession. "But then," continued Snape, "a fool would ignore the return of the darkness, and a fool would stand against it. You won't see me unmasked again. I've been given no other choice, thanks to the headmaster."
The board of governors looked confused as Snape left the hall swiftly, but Harry realized just what Snape meant – he intended to return to the death eaters. In sincerity.
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I… uh, hope the Snape fans aren't too offended that Snape just mauled the boy-who-lived and was removed as potions master… :)
I'm also pretty amazed how many people managed to review in a single day, given the fact that last chapter was the first in two months. Thanks, everyone!
Katani: Glad you like it! This whole story WILL be done before book 5 is released, but I might shoot for finishing it within the week.
Castus: Thanks!
Chaser: Ah, the boilerplate… thanks!
Erinamation: I'm not liking the sound of that 'YET'. :)
Anyway, feel free to review.
