Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Chapter 37
There was a stunned silence. The Minister nodded. Snape leaned against his binds looking at the boy as though he was looking at a fifty-foot, fire- breathing Hungarian Horntail for the first time.
"Are you related to Severus Snape?"
"Yes." The Minister sighed impatiently. It was obvious that the boy was reluctant to tell them, even with the Veritaserum.
"How are you related?"
"He's my father." There was another moment of silence, where Harry had to almost pry his jaw off the floor.
"Where is your mother?"
"She's dead. She died when I was a baby and he," the boy pointed at Snape accusingly, "was the cause of it. She died right in his arms and HE didn't do anything to save her! He then left me on someone's doorstep. Didn't want to be burdened with me. He was considering leaving us, before Mum died anyway." The room was looking at Snape. Snape's eyes never left his son's. The look on his face was unreadable.
"How did you feel about that?" The Minister continued.
"Furious. The backstabber! He left us, then he left my master's side." The Minister nodded and looked at Nemesis Snape.
"Who is your master?" He said. He needn't have asked, everyone knew.
"The Dark Lord Voldemort! I knew my father had to pay for what he did to me and my mother. Had to pay for betraying my Lord."
"How did you do that?"
"I am an Animagus. A cat. That girl," he now pointed at Hermione, "bought me at a pet store. Perfect too, she was a student of my fathers and a friend of He-Who-Robbed-My-Master."
"You mean Harry?"
"Yes, of course! Potter also had to pay for making a fool of my master."
"You also thought of how wonderful it would have been for you to be the one to deliver Harry to Voldemort." Dumbledore spoke.
"Yes, I did. I would be welcomed graciously into the inner circle of Darkness!"
"What did you do after Hermione brought you to Hogwarts two years ago?"
"I had to wait. My master wasn't strong enough yet to appreciate my sacrifice for him. I helped Sirius Black into the castle thinking he was on the dark side too. Rumours say that he was Voldemort's right hand man before he went to Azkaban. I thought that he could help me to catch Potter and kidnap him until my master was ready to receive him. But I was wrong. Black wasn't out to kill Potter, he was out for Wormtail. I slunk into the shadows for a while after school ended two years ago. Last year I would have interfered again, but I had learned my lesson. I would wait to strike Potter until my master was complete and strong again. Last summer my master was re-born. I swore to him that I would deliver Potter to him as I had won the trust of Potter and his friends over the two years. My Lord was grateful to me for my faithfulness to remain a cat for two years just to win their trust. He gave me a freehand on what to do. I entered Potter's mind and spoke to him. I tried three times this year to draw Potter away from the crowds. I conjugated up a silver orb, which caught his attention. I first tried to lead him down to the dungeons to attack him there, but that Professor McGonagall found Potter wandering around. I realised the next time that I had to ensure that no one would be wandering the halls. I put sleeping draughts in all the teacher's drinks and closed all the entrances to the Common rooms. I tried to lead Potter out; knowing of a better spot to attack him, where there would be no one to stop him. Unfortunately, his meddling friends had suspected something and ran to his rescue. The third time I had wizened up and managed to get Potter out into the Forbidden Forest with no interruptions. Then that bloody enchanted car came to Potter's rescue and whisked him away."
"What about your father?"
"At the time that I was trying to get Potter I was also trying to frame my father. I listened to most of the meetings that the Order of the Phoenix holds using Potter's invisibility cloak. I then relayed the information to my Lord who used the information to his advantage. The fact that the information was reserved purely for the Order and that many people didn't trust the thought of a spy anyway, just helped to spin my 'revenge-ball' in motion."
"What about when we used the Veritaserum?" The Minister continued.
"The first time he was telling the truth because, of course, he wasn't actually telling the Death Eaters, I was. I wasn't prepared for the fact that you would be questioning him so you got the truth. The second time you questioned him I was ready. I changed the Veritaserum with ordinary water, just coloured slightly to match the colour of the serum. I then put my father under the Imperus Curse and told him what to say."
"So you are saying that your father is completely innocent for the charges he has been accused of?"
"Yes, of betraying the Order and the Light Side. He is guilty of everything he did to me and my mother!" The Minister turned to Severus Snape who sat, still tied up in the chair. The Minister waved his wand and the bonds loosened and Snape shook them off, rubbing his wrists.
"I sincerely apologise, Severus. I hope you can forgive me." Snape nodded and muttered something about the Minister just doing his job. The Minister then turned to Sirius.
"Sirius, I apologise, too, for what you have been through these past fifteen years, in Azkaban, then on the run. You will both be receiving a full pardon.
"But-But what happened to Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort and Pettigrew?" Harry asked suddenly.
"They all got away. We know that your godfather is innocent because Moody and Dumbledore both saw him as he was awakening Malfoy to get away."
"So, Malfoy got away too." The Minister nodded.
"I'm afraid so. Unfortunately we don't have any evidence to say that Malfoy was present at that spot last night. Neither Moody nor Dumbledore saw Malfoy's face. Four witnesses and he can still get away with murder." The Minister muttered angrily. The Minister left the room and returned a minute later followed by some Ministry officials. They arrested the protesting son of Snape. Arabella hugged Snape tightly and told him that she always knew he was innocent. Snape apologised to Sirius about Remus and Dumbledore asked for forgiveness from Snape. Harry remained sitting between Ron and Hermione through out the whole thing. His mind was whirling. He felt tired and weary.
"Maybe Ron, Harry and Hermione should go back to the Infirmary." Dumbledore's voice broke through Harry's thoughts.
"You all look so tired a good rest will fix you up. You won't go back to Gryffindor Tower until you are fit to go through all the overwhelming excitement and questions that are sure to follow you." The Trio nodded and left the room quietly.
*Why always me?* Harry wondered wearily. *Why do I have to have death and destruction attached to my name?*.
There was a stunned silence. The Minister nodded. Snape leaned against his binds looking at the boy as though he was looking at a fifty-foot, fire- breathing Hungarian Horntail for the first time.
"Are you related to Severus Snape?"
"Yes." The Minister sighed impatiently. It was obvious that the boy was reluctant to tell them, even with the Veritaserum.
"How are you related?"
"He's my father." There was another moment of silence, where Harry had to almost pry his jaw off the floor.
"Where is your mother?"
"She's dead. She died when I was a baby and he," the boy pointed at Snape accusingly, "was the cause of it. She died right in his arms and HE didn't do anything to save her! He then left me on someone's doorstep. Didn't want to be burdened with me. He was considering leaving us, before Mum died anyway." The room was looking at Snape. Snape's eyes never left his son's. The look on his face was unreadable.
"How did you feel about that?" The Minister continued.
"Furious. The backstabber! He left us, then he left my master's side." The Minister nodded and looked at Nemesis Snape.
"Who is your master?" He said. He needn't have asked, everyone knew.
"The Dark Lord Voldemort! I knew my father had to pay for what he did to me and my mother. Had to pay for betraying my Lord."
"How did you do that?"
"I am an Animagus. A cat. That girl," he now pointed at Hermione, "bought me at a pet store. Perfect too, she was a student of my fathers and a friend of He-Who-Robbed-My-Master."
"You mean Harry?"
"Yes, of course! Potter also had to pay for making a fool of my master."
"You also thought of how wonderful it would have been for you to be the one to deliver Harry to Voldemort." Dumbledore spoke.
"Yes, I did. I would be welcomed graciously into the inner circle of Darkness!"
"What did you do after Hermione brought you to Hogwarts two years ago?"
"I had to wait. My master wasn't strong enough yet to appreciate my sacrifice for him. I helped Sirius Black into the castle thinking he was on the dark side too. Rumours say that he was Voldemort's right hand man before he went to Azkaban. I thought that he could help me to catch Potter and kidnap him until my master was ready to receive him. But I was wrong. Black wasn't out to kill Potter, he was out for Wormtail. I slunk into the shadows for a while after school ended two years ago. Last year I would have interfered again, but I had learned my lesson. I would wait to strike Potter until my master was complete and strong again. Last summer my master was re-born. I swore to him that I would deliver Potter to him as I had won the trust of Potter and his friends over the two years. My Lord was grateful to me for my faithfulness to remain a cat for two years just to win their trust. He gave me a freehand on what to do. I entered Potter's mind and spoke to him. I tried three times this year to draw Potter away from the crowds. I conjugated up a silver orb, which caught his attention. I first tried to lead him down to the dungeons to attack him there, but that Professor McGonagall found Potter wandering around. I realised the next time that I had to ensure that no one would be wandering the halls. I put sleeping draughts in all the teacher's drinks and closed all the entrances to the Common rooms. I tried to lead Potter out; knowing of a better spot to attack him, where there would be no one to stop him. Unfortunately, his meddling friends had suspected something and ran to his rescue. The third time I had wizened up and managed to get Potter out into the Forbidden Forest with no interruptions. Then that bloody enchanted car came to Potter's rescue and whisked him away."
"What about your father?"
"At the time that I was trying to get Potter I was also trying to frame my father. I listened to most of the meetings that the Order of the Phoenix holds using Potter's invisibility cloak. I then relayed the information to my Lord who used the information to his advantage. The fact that the information was reserved purely for the Order and that many people didn't trust the thought of a spy anyway, just helped to spin my 'revenge-ball' in motion."
"What about when we used the Veritaserum?" The Minister continued.
"The first time he was telling the truth because, of course, he wasn't actually telling the Death Eaters, I was. I wasn't prepared for the fact that you would be questioning him so you got the truth. The second time you questioned him I was ready. I changed the Veritaserum with ordinary water, just coloured slightly to match the colour of the serum. I then put my father under the Imperus Curse and told him what to say."
"So you are saying that your father is completely innocent for the charges he has been accused of?"
"Yes, of betraying the Order and the Light Side. He is guilty of everything he did to me and my mother!" The Minister turned to Severus Snape who sat, still tied up in the chair. The Minister waved his wand and the bonds loosened and Snape shook them off, rubbing his wrists.
"I sincerely apologise, Severus. I hope you can forgive me." Snape nodded and muttered something about the Minister just doing his job. The Minister then turned to Sirius.
"Sirius, I apologise, too, for what you have been through these past fifteen years, in Azkaban, then on the run. You will both be receiving a full pardon.
"But-But what happened to Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort and Pettigrew?" Harry asked suddenly.
"They all got away. We know that your godfather is innocent because Moody and Dumbledore both saw him as he was awakening Malfoy to get away."
"So, Malfoy got away too." The Minister nodded.
"I'm afraid so. Unfortunately we don't have any evidence to say that Malfoy was present at that spot last night. Neither Moody nor Dumbledore saw Malfoy's face. Four witnesses and he can still get away with murder." The Minister muttered angrily. The Minister left the room and returned a minute later followed by some Ministry officials. They arrested the protesting son of Snape. Arabella hugged Snape tightly and told him that she always knew he was innocent. Snape apologised to Sirius about Remus and Dumbledore asked for forgiveness from Snape. Harry remained sitting between Ron and Hermione through out the whole thing. His mind was whirling. He felt tired and weary.
"Maybe Ron, Harry and Hermione should go back to the Infirmary." Dumbledore's voice broke through Harry's thoughts.
"You all look so tired a good rest will fix you up. You won't go back to Gryffindor Tower until you are fit to go through all the overwhelming excitement and questions that are sure to follow you." The Trio nodded and left the room quietly.
*Why always me?* Harry wondered wearily. *Why do I have to have death and destruction attached to my name?*.