Chapter 10 – Parting or Falling Apart

Unlike the day of the Muggle funeral, the day of the Parting of Harry Potter was bright and sunny. One stand had been set up at the Quidditch Pitch, in addition to the usual stands used at matches. The ceremony was to take place at three o'clock, unlike ordinary Partings that were held at sunset. In this case, that was nearly impossible for the amount of guests that were to come over. The Hogwarts Express had sprouted additional carriages, while most of the wizards and witches would Apparate to Hogsmeade. Every now and then people would arrive and search for their relatives attending Hogwarts. Needless to say that classes were cancelled; in the week after the defeat of Voldemort and the demise of The Boy Who Lived, the wizarding world was turned upside down. Measures were taken to keep the relieved and overenthusiastic wizards from exposing their world to the Muggles: they were strictly told to keep to the Wizarding parts of England; travel by broomstick was prohibited and owl post was limited to the delivery of the Daily Prophet, which was about trice the size it ordinarily would be.

In Albus' opinion, Severus and Hermione had deserved a seat in the Stand of Honour, as Severus called it in his mind. He had rather had a seat among his colleagues and students, away from the spotlight, but Albus had refused him that. Hermione and the younger Weasleys were the only minors in the stand, which was otherwise occupied by members of the Order of the Phoenix and ministry officials. Among the latter category Severus discovered to his horror the Malfoy family, offspring included. He certainly would have to try and do something about the smug smiles on their faces. Of course, the smiles were for the fact that they were up on the Celebrity Stand as well as the fact that Harry Potter was dead.

When what looked like every single wizard and witch in Britain had finally found a seat, Albus Dumbledore rose and the public fell silent. A Sonorus charm made sure his voice was amplified to be heard by all.

"We are gathered here today, to remember a great wizard. He sacrificed his life, fully aware of what he did, to defeat Lord Voldemort. The wizard I speak of is, of course, Harry James Potter. He has been called The Boy Who Lived. In truth, this boy has never actually lived. His parents dead, he has been raised by his Muggle aunt and uncle, for the protection of his life. They treated him badly, but he survived."

"When he arrived here, at Hogwarts, he discovered a whole new life. Again, this life was taken from him, as every single year something happened that made he could not enjoy life, carelessly like his peers."

"Ultimately, now, in his final year here at Hogwarts, he was involved in an attack by Voldemort and several Death Eaters during a weekend in Hogsmeade. He had a highly deadly poison with him. When he administered this to Voldemort, he got a dose of his own and suffered a most painful death."

"Harry, I am sorry. I am sorry I couldn't give you the life you deserved. Farewell, Harry Potter."

Those in the Celebrity Stand could see the ancient wizard sitting down heavily. Severus, sitting only two seats away, could see a tear falling down along his wrinkled face. Cornelius Fudge was now the one to rise. Severus sighed, as he didn't look forward to this speech. The Minister of Magic had always been one to talk without speaking and this time was no different.

Severus soon became distracted, immerged in his own thoughts. He looked behind for the girl, who was sitting between Ronald and Ginny Weasley. The boy had again put an arm around her shoulders and she was looking particularly unhappy. She looked in his direction and caught his gaze. He let a flash across his face. She had apparently seen it, for she gave a watery smile back. He wished he was the one putting the arm around her shoulder and immediately gave himself a mental reprimand. He was almost twenty years her senior and she had just lost her parents and her best friend. He could not take advantage of the fact and see her hurt.

Fudge had now finished the first part of his talk and was awarding 'a posthumous Order of Merlin, First Class, for great services to the Wizarding World as well as the Muggle.' A ministry official placed the medal on the coffin, as there were no relatives. In the meanwhile, Fudge was blabbering about a statue in the central Hall of the Ministry, where the Fountain of Magical Brethren had stood.

"Another token of false gratitude, as it had been for the Magical Brethren. Good thing Albus blasted it. He even managed to put it to good use." He thought to himself while staring in the general direction of the pyre. Suddenly he received a painful nod in his side from Minerva McGonagall.

"Rise," she hissed. "Order of Merlin, First Class." Absently rising, he noted people applauding. Fudge came his way now, sporting a flat box he had opened. In it he discerned a great round medal, made of gold with some sort of inscription. There was also a smaller golden item, which Fudge took with his fat fingers. The fingers made their way to the collar of his cloak. Severus had to restrain himself from taking the medal, reluctant as he was to be touched by anyone. And Cornelius Fudge was hardly better than the Dark Lord in his desire for flattery.

"To Severus Snape, I award an Order of Merlin, First Class, as a token of the gratitude of Wizardkind for his service to the light. I am told that without this man risking his life, we would have been surprised by the actions of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Severus felt bile rising in his throat. In the eyes of the Minister he could read the insincerity of the words. He clearly only said this to please Albus. Finally, the man had placed the ornament on his collar. Though Fudge had only touched the collar briefly, Severus felt like he had been strangled. He nodded once to the general public, and then turned around to nod to the Celebrity Stand... and found himself looking straight into Hermione's eyes. They were full of warmth, and something else he couldn't quite place. There was something, something in her eyes that made him smile.

He sat down again and let Albus take over the Ceremony. According to tradition, four people were to light the pyre. Albus, Cornelius, Hermione and Ronald rose and walked to the pyre, bearing torches burning in different colours.

On Albus' count of three the torchbearers put their torches into the corners of the pyre, which instantly emitted high and searing white flames. Albus, Hermione and Ronald bowed their heads in deference. Cornelius Fudge, on the other hand, merely nodded to the pyre and made for the castle. The wizards and witches in the celebrity stand rose and followed suit. Severus lagged behind a little. He wasn't planning on staying in the Great Hall any longer than necessary, as that would only give people opportunity to include him in their small talk. An Order of Merlin, what a farce.

Of course, there was a feast after the ceremony. The Entrance Hall had been filled with tables and the usual house tables were crammed with the parents and siblings of the students. The only place were one had enough space to sit was the Head Table, though even that had twice the number of occupants it usually had. The house elves had surpassed themselves with the cooking. Severus ate slowly and used his trademark glare to keep people from asking questions, or worse, congratulating him on his Order of Merlin. He was placed nearly at the middle of the table, next to Minerva McGonagall.

"Why, Severus, you look like you've been given a life sentence in Azkaban instead of an Order of Merlin!" she said when he had grunted at the people who were near enough to him to congratulate him. He left as soon as possible according to the laws of courtesy.

-^-^-

He threw the box containing the medal on his desk and shed his robes. He needed a hot shower and a drink, but not necessarily in that order. He poured himself a generous helping of Ogden's and fell down in a chair

He very nearly jumped at the knock on the door. He walked towards it, while undoing the wards and opened it. He was surprised to find Hermione standing behind it. She was putting away an old piece of parchment.

"Miss Granger? What are you doing here? And how do you know where my chambers are?" She looked at him pleadingly.

"Can I come in please?" she asked. He raised one eyebrow, but stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind her.

"Can you answer my previous questions?"

"I have a map of Hogwarts which shows your chambers. As for the other question, I just needed someone kind to talk to," she answered. "Can I have a glass of that too?" she added in one breath. "I could really use that right now."

"So could I," he said, while summoning a glass. He poured her some of the Whiskey in it and handed it to her. When taking the glass, she touched his hand a little longer than necessary.

"Congratulations, by the way," she said with a mischievous grin. He grunted.

"It's an honour, you know, to get an Order of Merlin. And First Class, too. You should be proud," she continued.

"You can take it," he retorted. "What good does it do, anyway? It doesn't bring anybody back to life. It doesn't turn back time."

"It announces to everybody that you risked your life. It remembers them you do not belong in Azkaban," she answered. And at his glare, she added: "Oh, I did see the Ministers face when he handed it to you. He doesn't trust you. But not everybody believes him. There are many people who'd rather see him go than stay."

"I know. But an Order of Merlin doesn't make the people who do not trust me, trust me anyway. Without the protection of Albus, I am bound for Azkaban nevertheless. Now, why did you come here?"

"I got tired of the crowds. There are wizards and witches everywhere. And in the common room there's always Ron bothering me. It's just... I am not used to it anymore." He nodded, but didn't answer. He silently suspected her of another reason, but didn't dare to ask her. They silently emptied their glasses.

"Are you going to take your NEWTs?" he asked suddenly. She looked up in surprise.

"Yes, of course. I probably could have passed most of them in my sixth year." He nodded. 

"What are you going to do when you leave Hogwarts?" was his next question.

"I don't know. I like most of my subjects. I thought about being a Mediwitch, or an Auror, or maybe doing some research somewhere. I don't know." He nodded again, while a plan formed in his mind. He'd have to talk to Albus first, though. She looked at her watch.

"I should go," she stated. "It's well past curfew, and though I probably won't see you patrolling the corridors tonight, I doubt Mr. Filch will be too lenient," she said while rising. He nodded and rose as well. He walked to the door and opened it for her, but could think of nothing – appropriate – to say. He finally settled for,

"If the noise of the common room gets too much, feel free to knock at my door." Again, she looked surprised. Then he glanced into the corridor, which was entirely empty, and planted a little kiss on her cheek.

-^-^-

Author's Note: As I said, I got the Parting Ceremony from Abby (from the sequel of The Other Side of Darkness, called Survivals and Remembrances).