Sigh..

Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed!! I know that I left you all hanging.. so sorry about that. snickers

After I posted that last chapter, fully knowing that I had left a terrible cliffhanger, I ran around my house three times shouting in obvious madness. I've lost it. I am completely insane.

But we already knew that.

After all, I do writer Harry potter fanfiction.

People are asking about relevance.. well, obviously, the prosecutor has to find some way to undermine Harry's credibility. What better way to do it than to bring out the fact that his father was a death eater??

To R.I. Red- give me my sword, ho!

Enough of this, I think, hmm?? On with the story!!!

~~**~~

As can be imagined, the audience was now in shambles. Mass Chaos reigned.

Sirius was going absolutely berserk, being held off by Fred and George Weasley as he tried to get at Snape.

Harry's school friends were speechless, and the adults had gone completely nuts. Needless to say, they would not be settling down for quite a while.

**

The place had had to be cleared out. There were no more proceedings that day. There couldn't be, after Sirius had gotten free of the twins and nearly destroyed everything in sight. Benches were overturned, cut in half, or merely remains. Chairs were bent or smashed. The floor was entirely littered with debris.

Harry had sat in the stand for what seemed like hours, watching everything take place. Sirius would never speak to him again, he was sure. The man had never once looked Harry in the eye, not any time during his half-hour tromp through the courthouse. Really, no one had looked Harry in the eye. Even Hermione had turned away from his gaze, like he was something dirty.

So that's where Harry was, forty-five minutes later, when everyone had finally left. Everyone except for Remus, Minerva, Albus, Severus, and the judge. He was sitting in the witnesses' chair, looking away, a solitary tear sliding down his cheek.

"Albus, old friend, Harry will need to be returned to his cell when you're done talking. I suppose you'll take care of that?" asked Judge Munnegin, looking solemn.

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, Alfred."

"Good. I wouldn't want to be around Fudge if he found out that Harry hadn't been returned. The man would probably blast us all. Good night," he said, leaving the small group alone in a very empty courtroom.

There was silence, with only the patter of footsteps marking the judge's exit. Silence until Remus walked over to Harry's paralyzed form and engulfed him in a hug. He smoothed Harry's hair and spoke softly to him while Harry cried into his shoulder.

The other three wizards watched in utter despair as Harry clung to Remus. No one was able to do anything.

It had been a backbreaking day for all.

~~**~~

"Cornelius, please let him stay with me. Just for tonight. You saw what happened in there! He's not stable enough to be by himself in that cell all night!" Remus pleaded with the minister, who had come to the courtroom by himself later that evening looking for Harry.

"I don't care about his emotional stability. He's a murderer. He belongs behind bars!" Fudge yelled back at Remus.

Dumbledore and Lupin had managed to get Harry out of the witnesses' chair and into another spot in their small room, where all of the professors had briefly exchanged thoughts as Harry sat, still totally speechless.

That was, of course, when Fudge had walked in and demanded that Harry be given to him to take back to prison.

"I am NOT a murderer!" Harry yelled, just as Snape yelled, "He is NOT a murderer!"

Harry's face turned bright pink at Fudge's condescending smile.

"Well, like father, like son. Funny that I didn't see it before. You do look exactly like Severus. You're probably a Death Eater, too, just like he-"

"STUPEFY!" Harry shouted.

Electricity whirled through his fingers and right into the minister's chest. He dropped to the ground, unconscious for a while, in any case.

Harry was trembling with rage, standing over Fudge's unconscious form with a look of fury imprinted on his face.

Minerva touched Harry's arm, half in fear and half in comfort, afraid of what he might do. To her immense relief, he turned and gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"I think you need sleep, Harry. You're not well. Not after today. I think that all of us need some rest," said Dumbledore gently.

"Yeah. Yeah," said Harry absently, his eyes glazing over yet again. He was getting hysterical, he knew that. The whole day had been an emotional roller coaster, and he hadn't even spoken to Snape yet..

Harry looked over at Fudge, obliviated the memory of the last few moments, and woke him up.

The man woke and seemed incredibly surprised to find himself on the floor.

"You tripped, Fudge," said Snape, with a definite smirk.

"Oh," said the minister, blushing, "well then, Mr. Potter, come with me. Off we go."

Harry made no motion to rise.

"Now, Mr. Potter! Move it!"

Harry stood up, and after a brief nod to his professors, he followed Fudge out of the room and back to the basement of the Ministry of Magic.

~~**~~

That night, Harry sat alone in the corner of his cell, thinking about what had happened that day. He had released his most inner secret to the public, completely against his will. It was also the first time that he had actually admitted that fact out loud. Both he and Snape knew, of course, but they hadn't talked about it. It was a forbidden topic, or so it seemed.

It had been hard to say what he had said in the courtroom. It had been even harder to see the looks of disbelief on his friends' faces. He hadn't looked at Snape at all, in fear that there would be shame, or anger, or something there..

He wouldn't have been able to take it.

**

Severus Snape lay on top of his comfortable bed in his beloved Hogwarts dungeon. They had gone back for the night, since all of them needed their sleep. They all needed the comfort of being at home.

But Severus couldn't enjoy his bed, not tonight. For the one who really needed sleep, who really needed to be comforted and to be home, was sitting in a dirty jail cell far away from the comforts of Hogwarts.

And to think that he had ever hated Harry Potter. He certainly didn't like the child, not much anyway, but he didn't despise him anymore. He was actually somewhat likeable.

Amazing.

"Shut up, Severus," he muttered into the darkness, "you know you're only lying to yourself."

Yes, he knew that he was lying. He knew that he cared for the boy. Cared for him far too much. And these weren't entirely new feelings, either. He had never truly hated the boy. He had always felt the need to protect him, ever since he first came to Hogwarts. Severus had thought that he felt the need because Potter was Lily's child, and he had once loved Lily.

Now he knew better. Parental instincts.

Snape laughed at the idea, a harsh, bitter sound that echoed off the stone walls of his dungeons. Parental instincts. There was no way that he could ever be a parent. And he didn't want to be a parent, either. Especially not to Potter.

Or did he?

Snape sighed and rolled over. God, he was so confused. That day at the trial, the boy had apologized, APOLOGIZED, before answering the prosecutor's question. Like it was going to hurt Snape for him to tell the truth. What did Potter think- that Severus would be angry?

Oh. Of course he did. Snape had never been anything but nasty to the boy, for all of the years that he'd known him. He would have to try to be more agreeable.

Severus hadn't forgotten the people's reaction to Harry's statement. He hadn't turned around, but he hadn't needed to in order to know what was going on. He had watched Harry the whole time, even if Potter hadn't glanced his way. Everything that was going on had been reflected in Harry's face.

Snape had heard Sirius, of course, and he had seen how his reaction had hurt Harry, even though Harry had prepared himself for it. He had noticed a look of sorrow cross Harry's face when he looked out into the crowd.

Severus sighed and snuggled into his pillow. He was never going to get any sleep. And he knew that Harry wouldn't, either. He wondered-

Potter?

P-Professor?

You're not asleep?

No. Like I could ever sleep. Plus, this floor is about thirty degrees below zero and quite hard. My back would be screaming at me in the morning. Why aren't you asleep?

Too many things on my mind, I suppose

I'm really sorry, Professor. I didn't mean- I couldn't fight the potion- please don't be angry with me.

I'm not angry. Not at you.

You're- you're not?

No. But I-

What happened today wasn't your fault, Potter. People were bound to figure it out, anyway. You do resemble me.

I suppose so. Bu that's not the way I would have liked them to find out. I mean, you and I haven't even talked about this yet.

I quite agree.

I apologize for Sirius.

DON'T apologize for him. It's his own fault, not yours. He should be the one apologizing to you.

His behavior was no less than I expected. But it still, I just-

It hurt?

Yeah. He's my godfather. He's supposed to be there for me, not try to destroy me or you.

He'll realize his actions soon. It may take some time.

I suppose.

Today was.. exhausting.

Definitely. Too bad I can't sleep.

You did well on the stand.

I did okay until he dug his nose in places it didn't belong. Then I got crushed.

No. You protected your secret as well as you could. You even defied the potion, however you managed that.

And if he hadn't demanded that I answer the question, I would have kept defying it.

I'm sure.

Why do you think he cared who my father is, anyway?

He was desperately searching for any way to undermine you. He couldn't find fault with you earlier, so he used your reluctance to speak against you.

And the fact that you're my, erm, father, would undermine me because..

Isn't it obvious? I was a death eater, Potter. I'm hated by many. He will use our relation against you. Plus, it will cast some doubt and suspicion on you. Which is what he wants.

I'm my own person. I shouldn't be judged by stereotypes against you.

No, you shouldn't, but you will be.

This will hurt me, won't it?

Probably. But don't worry too much about it. Dumbledore had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Okay. Good night, Professor. Thank you.

Good night, Potter.