Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't earn. Only writes in Mrs Rowling's world, because I don't have my own created (yetJ) 

So the war – at least the main part – is finished. Now we only have to clean all this mess.

It was very difficult time for all of us. We lived in incredible stress. We were waiting, with eyes and ears open, we slept lightly, prepared to be woken up by the smallest noise, with our wands under our pillows. We taught our children how to fight. What once was considered nobility – now was called weakness. We had to kill or to be killed.

We had to forget what was once our Decalogue.

We had to change our lifestyle in a way that was cruel. We had to become ruthless to live.

And we lived. We killed, and burned, and destroyed our enemies.

Yes… So where is a difference? We killed them. They wanted to kill us. But we were… what? Faster? More determined? We did exactly what they wanted to do.

I know the difference. It's that we wanted them dead not because we wanted them dead. The deed wasn't for it's own sake.

We wanted our children to live and die in peace. With dignity. We didn't want them to bow and kiss the hem of his robes. We wanted them to get what was not given to us – chance to be safe, not to fear morning owl arriving, because they may bring short note from the ministry, telling that they are sorry, but they have no longer parents, not to search the sky for ominous symbol in the air.

And we reached our aim. Now we must again change, and this will be difficult. We must once again begin to live. We must learn to sleep peacefully. We must bury these, who didn't live to see the end of the war and we must mourn those, who died, not only in the end, but also those who died through all this war, because before we didn't have time or occasion to do this. All our will we directed in the fight. We had to sharpen our weapon on their tombs, change our pain into strength. We had to yell instead of crying.

Now it's finished. We are free to show our emotions and wear our hearts on our cuffs. There is  no longer Voldemort to attack us, when we show a bit of weakness.

Are we any longer able to do so? To let our emotions, our feelings take our self-control away? Are we able to put our masks away? Or maybe they are no longer masks. Maybe now they are our faces.

I am a victim of the war, too. I have lost three of my children, but I've many friends. And I am a very proud father. All my children did well. William, Ronald and Virginia… Never lived to be called like that. They will forever remain Bill, Ron and Ginny. That's what is written on their tombs. Three new tombs with 'Weasley' on them.

Parents shouldn't outlive their children. Shouldn't bury them.

There is a lot of  sadness in us, who remained. But I made up my mind. I will not let these tragedies to rule our life, to deny us living. They wouldn't want it.

And our society is determined, too. We had to learn a tough lesson – we are as strong as we are united. Voldemort tried to 'divide et impera'. We united our forces. We had to forget what we were taught about the meaning of keeping the blood pure. About pedigrees. All these rubbish that Voldemort built his ideology on.

We had to think in 'we' not 'we and they' category.

And now we came into our test. We are going to prove if we learned our painful lesson. If we are able to look at a man we hated, distrusted and maybe even despised. Who, however risked his neck more than once, and was given, now, an evidence of our ungratefulness. Man we accused of being a traitor, really because we are afraid to look in his eyes. We are afraid we will see there that we were wrong about him. And so we were unjust.

I never trusted Severus Snape. He was a Slytherin, in every inch. He was very intelligent, maybe even brilliant. He was also brave, not in a way 'jump in unknown water', this kind of courage is rather a imperfection. He was brave in a way 'If it must be done, I don't question your decision, I don't ask to be spared, I go and do.'

But we always questioned and doubted. We weren't sure. We said that men don't change, not that much. We showed him, what we think of him, we were giving him these small hints like not asking him to stay for dinner and this kind of stuff. Negro did, Negro may go.

So today I will have to face him and look in his eyes. What do I expect to see in there?

I know he did a lot of horrible things, when he was a Death Eater. He killed and tortured. He was however dispensed from them, on Albus' request. Many people request he shall be punished because of his old sins. That's what they say, maybe even think. But what they really fear is that his presence will remind them about times they want to forget. We mustn't forget. We shall live but remember, not to let anything like that happen again.

And it's my decision. Who would have thought. I have never been ambitious. Percy is, Ron was. I appreciated my position, it gave me more time to spend with my family. And I, of all people was offered the position of the Minister.

One day they came and said 'Arthur, old fellow' and 'We need someone we can trust'. Of course I said I can't, as I know nothing about economy and this kind of stuff. 'You will have specialists to deal with this kind of stuff' they said. 'We need someone that will be just' and 'Who understands, and respects Muggles'. It was week after the Battle, so I am Minister for two weeks now. The diploma is still fresh. And the Muggle argument was what made me change my mind.

We are currently working on a Regulation on Muggle Rights and this is going to at last make them equals, though protected, as nearly defenceless against wizards or witches.

There were real massacres during Voldemort's rise. Thousands of Muggles killed just for fun, or to warn us 'Don't you dare try anything, or something like that, or worse, may happen to your family'.

And it has other advantages – as this. I am the Highest Instance. I always considered myself a just and fair man. Man of honour. And so I try my best to be just in all the cases we have. We have no longer dementors. I wouldn't give anyone to them.

Most of wizards want me to say 'Guilty' and lock him away. Moody asked me to do this. So did many others.

I won't do such a thing. He wasn't the traitor. I thought he might be, but we are sure now he wasn't.

You know, Voldemort tried to kill him himself during the battle. He usually didn't kill his servants in such moments. Than he used to kill his enemies. Servants he killed in free time.

I suppose the Daily Prophet will call this 'controversial' or something like that and I will lose a big part of my support. But I am not Fudge and I don't care about support. I care more about justice. And that's the problem. Because is it justice to let him go, with all his crimes? He changed. But still he wasn't punished for that yet. But even more then about justice I care about mercy. Sounds suspiciously like Christian's words? Yes, it does. I always thought it's one of most important things though. More mercy then justice.

I apparate to the gates of the Azkaban – as I am Minister the wards recognise me and I don't have to take the long trip with a boat. A wizard dressed in deep green uniform greets me and nods. I don't remember him, so I just politely nod and wish him good day. I go through the passages I've already got to know.

I go to the judge room to prepare myself. I dress in violet robes of judge. The Wizengamot is no longer existing, there are some judges for the less important cases but in the most important – so these that are connected with war – I must decide alone. Desperate times, desperate measures – like in Rome, when in case of war or something like that for a half of the year… Never mind.

I look at the clock hanging on the wall. It's dark-brown, beautiful thing. And it's time.

I open the door and for a very short moment I am blinded by the light in the room. If it makes me blink, it must be painful for the prisoners, that are kept in these not-well lit cells – I think for the first time. And decide to change it immediately.

The prisoner is being half dragged through the doors. It's a tradition that accused arrives as the last person, probably to impress him with the sight of the Wizengamot sitting and waiting for him.

I don't think that I am that impressive.

Anyway when Snape saw me he evidently was surprised. Well, no wonder. He doesn't know about Wizengamot and of course he couldn't have known about me becoming Minister. And that must be a surprise. I was surprised. I still am.

I see Harry sitting there, in one of last rows. He asked me some days ago if he could speak on the trial, and of course I agreed.

Remus Lupin also requested to speak. I allowed it, too.

I stand up and begin 'Mr Severus Snape, you are accused of the betraying the Order of the Phoenix to Voldemort, enemy of the wizarding world. You are accused of breaking the oath of loyalty, taken by Albus Dumbledore. Do you claim yourself?'

'Not guilty.' Came a weak but dry response.

A/N 'Lost my(wife and) children but I've many friends' is a quote from Leonard Cohen's song 'Partisan'

'Sharpen our weapon on their tombs' is connected with a popular polish war-song, and in the original version it's 'On fathers' tomb bayonet's sharpen steel' If you have seen Polanski's 'The Pianist' it was sung by Jews when the drunken SS-mann ordered them to sing something happy.

And now go and click the button 'submit review'. I know you want to… And I am very sorry, that for the first time it shown itself not-divided into paragraphs. It's fault of my stupidity when it comes to technic…