Part Four (as usual, see disclaimers in part one)
Fugue State 4
******
Two days later, one year and three days after the death of He Who Was Now Very Dead and Rotting, Hermione and Ginny met outside the Ministry of Magic in London. They entered the building together. Hermione took a step back as the grandeur and the scale of the entrance hall caught her notice. She was reminded of the first time she had walked into the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but smiled with a sense of irony. She had been so fixated on proving to all the non-muggle born witches and wizards that she had just as much right to be at Hogwarts as they, that the wonder of the Great Hall had been lost to her as she explained the magic to her classmates. Now there were no classmates to impress. She had proven herself as one of the more accomplished students ever to leave Hogwarts. Her masters program was one of the best. Hermione could congratulate herself on a bright future in the field of Charms. But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the splendor of the Ministry.
The stone walls seemed to rise above ten stories. Capped with gothic arches, the ceiling surpassed anything that Hermione had ever seen. The windows were set in magnificent stained glass that allowed a multitude of colors to shine throughout the hall. Hermione had never seen Wizard stained glass before and her attention was drawn to the windows as the colors shifted in irregular patterns, jumping from one window to another, bringing new light combinations to the hall. From the outside these windows had appeared black and opaque, yet the light on the inside spoke of centuries of craftsmanship and care. Hermione looked closer at the glass and realized that the windows themselves were made of Foe glass. The marbled floor beneath her feet absorbed the sound of her footsteps and those of others. The hall itself was filled with Ministry officials and others, each hurrying silently on to his or hers task. Ginny tugged on her arm impatiently and drew Hermione to the large desk at the center of the Hall. Here all visitors announced themselves and were escorted to their destinations. As the people gave their destinations, elves popped in and out, leading them on their way.
This too, was a consequence of the War. Voldemort had never been able to attack the Ministry itself for the spells protecting it were as old as the Wizarding world. He had contented himself with attacking Ministry personal directly, either through attacks on their homes or persons. In a few cases, Death Eaters had penetrated the Hall and attacked the people within it. As a result of this, floating in and around the Hall were thousands of sneakoscopes and sensory sensors, scanning each individual as they made their way through the Hall. Hermione felt one or two scopes brush her hair as they passed by her and shuttered as the thought passed through her head of all the times she had fibbed to her parents and snuck out after curfew at Hogwarts. Hoping that the sneakoscopes were able to distinguish between some minor infractions of the rules and plans to destroy the Ministry, she allowed Ginny to lead her to the main desk and they waited their turn the queue for a pass to the trial room. Her attention was again drawn to the movements in the Hall as everyone within it moved with a singular purpose to accomplish their chosen tasks. Finally, as she and Ginny reached the front of the desk, they were able to give the purpose of the visit.
"We're here to witness the trial to be held today." Ginny told the witch at the desk. There was a strange silence around them as several of the witches at the main desk looked to the two girls. In contrast to the earlier judgments, witnesses at the trials were no longer a common occurrence. Most trials were held with a minimum of people in attendance, in contrast to the first trials in which hundreds of people had witnessed the proceedings. Those trials had been a test for the Ministry, as the victims of the Death Eaters and the curious had been present. Most to assure themselves that the followers of Voldemort would be punished at last. The replacement of Minister Fudge with Arthur Weasley had calmed most people.
The revelations that some of the oldest Wizarding families, had in fact, been supporters of Voldemort shocked most observers. Never again would a person's position in society allow them to escape justice. The public had been assured by the swift and measured judgments of the tribunals, purging the Wizarding world of those that had followed the Dark Lord Who Was Now Very Dead. But now, months after the original trials, the adjudicators, advocates for the defense and a reporter for the Daily Prophet were the only ones who attended the trials now. The arrival of two young women, who seemed barely out of school, drew some attention.
"We have a note from my father, Arthur Weasley and my brother, Percy Weasley. I'm following the trial for an assignment at Hogwarts and they're allowing us to witness the trial." Said Ginny, producing the note from her robes. The witch checked the official seal of the Minister of Magic that accompanied the note and sat up a little straighter.
"My apologies for not recognizing you sooner, Miss Weasley. Please wait for a moment while I summon an elf." The witch quickly summoned a most senior elf to escort the two young women, hoping to gain the notice of the Minster for her able handling of the young women. She wondered if Miss Weasley would speak favorably to her father for the professionalism in her handling of the situation. After all, it wasn't every day that the daughter of the Minster of Magic came into the Hall. She could be forgiven for her earlier skepticism of their purpose, wouldn't she? If not the witch envisioned a long career as a people greeter in the Hall, never allowed to enter the walls beyond the Hall. She wondered if she should escort the girls herself, before realizing that the doors would never let her pass. She was too junior to be admitted to the main rooms of the Ministry. The best she could do would be to summon the very best elf they had and hope the Minister would notice the care she had taken with his daughter and her friend. "Please enjoy your visit to the Ministry, Miss Weasley, if you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. Anyone will be happy to help you." "Thanks," grinned Ginny. An elf popped into place beside the girls and bid them to follow him as he lead them through the Hall to the doors that separated the main hall from the Ministry itself. The doors opened before the girls and together with the elf they disappeared into the Ministry, and the trial of Severus Snape.
Hermione couldn't help herself as her eyes darted from side to side as she took in the main Ministry. Here was where the Wizarding world governed. She felt honored and, if she was completely honest with herself, a little intimidated. The Ministry looked like an amalgamation of many eras. The rooms and corridors twisted and turned, without the elf leading the way, Hermione knew she would be lost amid the corridors and pathways until she died. "Have you ever been here before, Ginny?" she asked as the elf walked further into the bowels of the Ministry. This far inside the building, there were no windows, the light source unknown. Hermione was sure that there were very complicated charms lighting the halls. She resolved to ask Master Juglenot about the charms when she returned to her studies in a week. It was fascinating. Her attention was drawn back to Ginny as she replied to Hermione's earlier question.
"Not in the main halls of the Ministry. We were in Dad's office for his induction ceremony, but the way to his office is really different. Percy works somewhere here, but for the most part civilians aren't allowed here. Isn't it exciting? Most people never get a chance to see this. The other trials were held in that public hall where they gave the honors. Did you go to any of them?"
Hermione shook her head. By the time the first trials had come up she had been exhausted. The culmination of years of following after Harry, trying not to get killed and pass her Newts. She hadn't really needed to see the Death Eaters go to trial and judgment. She'd been there for the final Battle and had gone on vacation with her parents and then started her apprenticeship. She'd neither the time or inclination to follow the trials of Death Eaters.
The elf abruptly stopped outside a door that looked exactly like the hundreds of other doors they had already passed. There were no markings on the outside to indicate anything. He opened the door for the two girls, "Please Miss and Miss, this is the room. Gret will wait here for you to be done." "Thank you Gret," replied Hermione as she and Ginny entered the room and the door shut behind them, sealing the room with a 'pop'. They were finally there. At the trial of Severus Snape. Hermione gave a slight shutter as she heard Ginny's barely concealed excited inhalation at the sight of the room.
The room was cavernous. The table where the judges sat at the opposite end of the room. In the center sat a chair with a tall back, presumably for Snape. The chair was surrounded by a small walled partition that came up to the seat of it. One either side of the chair were podiums, for the opposing advocates. A little off to the side were a series of Pensieves. Hermione realized with a start that the Wizarding world had little use for a stenographer. They could use pensieves to record the proceedings. Along both sides, spanning the length of the room were two galleries for the observers. On either side of the door, next to the chair and behind each judge's chair were Aurors, silent and watchful. Passing through the door, Hermione heard more sneakoscopes and spells. She sensed them scan her and breathed a sigh of relief as she was allowed to enter the courtroom.
Ginny waved to the far corner of the gallery and Hermione realized that there was someone else in the room besides the Aurors, her and Ginny. Seated so he full view of the judges and the defendant's chair was Colin Creevey. Of course, she thought, the Prophet covers the trials. It makes sense that someone would be covering the trials. Ginny jogged through the room and sat down next to Colin, giving him a quick hug.
"Hi, I never thought I'd see you here. I've got a copy of your picture on my wall. Do you think I could get another with your autograph? It's so neat that someone I know has this poster that everyone has. But if you autographed it, mine would be really special." Ginny said in one, quick, excited breath.
Hermione followed at a more sedate pace. As she neared Colin and Ginny, she looked around the room again. There was no one else in the room. Just her, Ginny, Colin and quite a few Aurors. Hermione gave a slight shutter and sat down on the opposite side of Colin. The view was perfect. From here she could see the chair perfectly.
"What are you doing here Colin?" Hermione asked.
"I've been covering the trials for the Prophet. I'm trying to move up from just taking photographs and I've been assigned this. It's really boring and my articles don't get much notice, but hopefully I'll be assigned to features soon. Anything to get out of this backwater assignment." Colin replied.
Hermione frowned and then realized it had been months since she had even looked at any reports on the Death Eaters. If this hadn't been Snape, she would have been more than happy never to read about the trials again. "Have you been to a lot of these Colin?" Ginny asked.
"About ten so far. Most of the trials have already taken place. These are just the leftovers. But I think it's my last one. My editor was talking about sending me to Egypt to cover the new tombs discovered there. I can't wait. And I'll be happy to send you an autographed copy tonight Ginny." Colin said with a smile to the younger girl. Ginny blushed and then gripped Colin's arms as a side door opened and the three Judges entered the room.
Hermione, Ginny and Colin all stood as the Judges came behind their chairs. Ginny couldn't help her excited gasp as she recognized both her father and brother as two of the judges. Arthur Weasley looked over to the two girls in the gallery and gave them a wink and grin before sitting in the center seat, flanked by Percy and the other Minister. The trio of onlookers sat and waited for Arthur to speak.
To Hermione's surprise, it was Percy who spoke first. "Pensieve placeious." He intoned. Hermione watched as pensieves flew off the table beside the judges and positioned themselves behind all the individuals in the courtroom. Once they were in position, he nodded at his father. Arthur cleared his throat and spoke for the first time. Despite the size of the room, his voice filled it.
"If the Aurors would bring in the prisoner." Arthur began as he and the other judges sat back to wait for the arrival of Snape. Ginny took out her quill and parchment and began to take notes as well. Colin gave her a quick grin and raised his camera. "Say Ginny, after the trial, would you like to get a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron? I can show you some other pictures that I took of the Battle that never made the papers." Ginny blushed again, gave a quick nod and looked up as the Aurors led Snape up into the room.
Hermione looked again at the retaining wall around the chair that Snape would be seated in and saw that there was a pathway even further into the depths of the Ministry. Right, she thought, they would have to be kept in a really secure place and it probably wouldn't do to have accused Death Eaters roaming the halls, even if they were accompanied by Aurors.
Hermione gasped at the sight of her former teacher before she realized that the sound had permeated the entire room. Percy gave a quick glance her way and Hermione forced herself to stifle her reactions. Snape was manacled at the wrists, feet and waist. He walked with a little shuffle. Instead of the black robes she was accustomed to seeing him clad in, he wore a gray uniform. His long and frequently greasy hair had been shorn off, and his face skeletal. The most disturbing feature of this version of Snape were his eyes. Instead of the piercing looks and glares she was accustomed to, he stared blankly at the floor in front of him, never blinking, his expression unchanged from one of total blankness.
The Aurors led Snape to the chair. As he was seating in the chair, the chains and manacles moved around him, securing him to the chair by the chest, arms and legs. His blank expression never faltered. Hermione looked away from Snape to the blank spaces beside him, wondering where the lawyers were.
Frowning a bit, she heard Arthur begin. "Severus Snape, you have been charged with four counts of treason, conspiring with known Death Eaters, assisting Voldemort, bearing the Dark Mark, disobeying direct orders from the Order and twenty-five known uses of the Unforgivable Curses. I understand we have a plea in this matter?" Arthur said turning to his fellow judges.
"Yes, Minister." Percy replied. "Guilty to all charges." Hermione looked to Percy in astonishment. Snape hadn't uttered a word and there was no one representing him. Looking to Snape again, she realized he hadn't changed position since being placed in the chair. Although she wasn't sure that she could, he seemed to be tied up really tightly. Colin snapped a few pictures, Ginny was writing furiously on her parchment and Hermione turned her attention once more to Percy who was continuing. "There has been a request to allow for some clemency."
"Am I to understand that we have pensieves against Snape?" Asked the Minister to the other side of Arthur.
"Yes," replied Percy. "There have been admitted pensieves by Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Minerva McGonagall. All of these detail the crimes of the prisoner. But Headmaster Dumbledore did issue a request that the defendant, Severus Snape be allowed to live."
Hermione started at the last statement. Percy had said that Snape wasn't facing the Dementor's Kiss. And frowned as she realized that Harry had known what was happening and said nothing to her.
"Very well, in accordance to the laws of the Ministry, I sentence Severus Snape to life imprisonment in Azkaban. If the Aurors would transfer the prisoner to Azkaban. I'd like to thank my fellow Ministers for their council in this matter. Court is dismissed." Said Arthur as he and his fellow judges stood and exited the room. Colin and Ginny stood, Hermione following automatically as looked over to Snape in the center of the room. He had been placed in a standing position and the manacles had been moved to his body once again. The entire proceeding had taken less than thirty minutes. As the Aurors led him back down the stairs, Hermione hissed to both Ginny and Colin, "This was nothing but a Kangaroo Court." Ginny and Colin looked to Hermione in puzzlement. In her anger, Hermione had forgotten the excellent acoustics of the room. Unnoticed by everyone except for a pensieve or two, Severus Snape's eyes flickered to where Hermione stood, before his face once more drew into the unblinking stare he had held during the trial. In the company of the Aurors, he shuffled down the stairs and to his fate.
*****
TBC....
Fugue State 4
******
Two days later, one year and three days after the death of He Who Was Now Very Dead and Rotting, Hermione and Ginny met outside the Ministry of Magic in London. They entered the building together. Hermione took a step back as the grandeur and the scale of the entrance hall caught her notice. She was reminded of the first time she had walked into the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but smiled with a sense of irony. She had been so fixated on proving to all the non-muggle born witches and wizards that she had just as much right to be at Hogwarts as they, that the wonder of the Great Hall had been lost to her as she explained the magic to her classmates. Now there were no classmates to impress. She had proven herself as one of the more accomplished students ever to leave Hogwarts. Her masters program was one of the best. Hermione could congratulate herself on a bright future in the field of Charms. But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the splendor of the Ministry.
The stone walls seemed to rise above ten stories. Capped with gothic arches, the ceiling surpassed anything that Hermione had ever seen. The windows were set in magnificent stained glass that allowed a multitude of colors to shine throughout the hall. Hermione had never seen Wizard stained glass before and her attention was drawn to the windows as the colors shifted in irregular patterns, jumping from one window to another, bringing new light combinations to the hall. From the outside these windows had appeared black and opaque, yet the light on the inside spoke of centuries of craftsmanship and care. Hermione looked closer at the glass and realized that the windows themselves were made of Foe glass. The marbled floor beneath her feet absorbed the sound of her footsteps and those of others. The hall itself was filled with Ministry officials and others, each hurrying silently on to his or hers task. Ginny tugged on her arm impatiently and drew Hermione to the large desk at the center of the Hall. Here all visitors announced themselves and were escorted to their destinations. As the people gave their destinations, elves popped in and out, leading them on their way.
This too, was a consequence of the War. Voldemort had never been able to attack the Ministry itself for the spells protecting it were as old as the Wizarding world. He had contented himself with attacking Ministry personal directly, either through attacks on their homes or persons. In a few cases, Death Eaters had penetrated the Hall and attacked the people within it. As a result of this, floating in and around the Hall were thousands of sneakoscopes and sensory sensors, scanning each individual as they made their way through the Hall. Hermione felt one or two scopes brush her hair as they passed by her and shuttered as the thought passed through her head of all the times she had fibbed to her parents and snuck out after curfew at Hogwarts. Hoping that the sneakoscopes were able to distinguish between some minor infractions of the rules and plans to destroy the Ministry, she allowed Ginny to lead her to the main desk and they waited their turn the queue for a pass to the trial room. Her attention was again drawn to the movements in the Hall as everyone within it moved with a singular purpose to accomplish their chosen tasks. Finally, as she and Ginny reached the front of the desk, they were able to give the purpose of the visit.
"We're here to witness the trial to be held today." Ginny told the witch at the desk. There was a strange silence around them as several of the witches at the main desk looked to the two girls. In contrast to the earlier judgments, witnesses at the trials were no longer a common occurrence. Most trials were held with a minimum of people in attendance, in contrast to the first trials in which hundreds of people had witnessed the proceedings. Those trials had been a test for the Ministry, as the victims of the Death Eaters and the curious had been present. Most to assure themselves that the followers of Voldemort would be punished at last. The replacement of Minister Fudge with Arthur Weasley had calmed most people.
The revelations that some of the oldest Wizarding families, had in fact, been supporters of Voldemort shocked most observers. Never again would a person's position in society allow them to escape justice. The public had been assured by the swift and measured judgments of the tribunals, purging the Wizarding world of those that had followed the Dark Lord Who Was Now Very Dead. But now, months after the original trials, the adjudicators, advocates for the defense and a reporter for the Daily Prophet were the only ones who attended the trials now. The arrival of two young women, who seemed barely out of school, drew some attention.
"We have a note from my father, Arthur Weasley and my brother, Percy Weasley. I'm following the trial for an assignment at Hogwarts and they're allowing us to witness the trial." Said Ginny, producing the note from her robes. The witch checked the official seal of the Minister of Magic that accompanied the note and sat up a little straighter.
"My apologies for not recognizing you sooner, Miss Weasley. Please wait for a moment while I summon an elf." The witch quickly summoned a most senior elf to escort the two young women, hoping to gain the notice of the Minster for her able handling of the young women. She wondered if Miss Weasley would speak favorably to her father for the professionalism in her handling of the situation. After all, it wasn't every day that the daughter of the Minster of Magic came into the Hall. She could be forgiven for her earlier skepticism of their purpose, wouldn't she? If not the witch envisioned a long career as a people greeter in the Hall, never allowed to enter the walls beyond the Hall. She wondered if she should escort the girls herself, before realizing that the doors would never let her pass. She was too junior to be admitted to the main rooms of the Ministry. The best she could do would be to summon the very best elf they had and hope the Minister would notice the care she had taken with his daughter and her friend. "Please enjoy your visit to the Ministry, Miss Weasley, if you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. Anyone will be happy to help you." "Thanks," grinned Ginny. An elf popped into place beside the girls and bid them to follow him as he lead them through the Hall to the doors that separated the main hall from the Ministry itself. The doors opened before the girls and together with the elf they disappeared into the Ministry, and the trial of Severus Snape.
Hermione couldn't help herself as her eyes darted from side to side as she took in the main Ministry. Here was where the Wizarding world governed. She felt honored and, if she was completely honest with herself, a little intimidated. The Ministry looked like an amalgamation of many eras. The rooms and corridors twisted and turned, without the elf leading the way, Hermione knew she would be lost amid the corridors and pathways until she died. "Have you ever been here before, Ginny?" she asked as the elf walked further into the bowels of the Ministry. This far inside the building, there were no windows, the light source unknown. Hermione was sure that there were very complicated charms lighting the halls. She resolved to ask Master Juglenot about the charms when she returned to her studies in a week. It was fascinating. Her attention was drawn back to Ginny as she replied to Hermione's earlier question.
"Not in the main halls of the Ministry. We were in Dad's office for his induction ceremony, but the way to his office is really different. Percy works somewhere here, but for the most part civilians aren't allowed here. Isn't it exciting? Most people never get a chance to see this. The other trials were held in that public hall where they gave the honors. Did you go to any of them?"
Hermione shook her head. By the time the first trials had come up she had been exhausted. The culmination of years of following after Harry, trying not to get killed and pass her Newts. She hadn't really needed to see the Death Eaters go to trial and judgment. She'd been there for the final Battle and had gone on vacation with her parents and then started her apprenticeship. She'd neither the time or inclination to follow the trials of Death Eaters.
The elf abruptly stopped outside a door that looked exactly like the hundreds of other doors they had already passed. There were no markings on the outside to indicate anything. He opened the door for the two girls, "Please Miss and Miss, this is the room. Gret will wait here for you to be done." "Thank you Gret," replied Hermione as she and Ginny entered the room and the door shut behind them, sealing the room with a 'pop'. They were finally there. At the trial of Severus Snape. Hermione gave a slight shutter as she heard Ginny's barely concealed excited inhalation at the sight of the room.
The room was cavernous. The table where the judges sat at the opposite end of the room. In the center sat a chair with a tall back, presumably for Snape. The chair was surrounded by a small walled partition that came up to the seat of it. One either side of the chair were podiums, for the opposing advocates. A little off to the side were a series of Pensieves. Hermione realized with a start that the Wizarding world had little use for a stenographer. They could use pensieves to record the proceedings. Along both sides, spanning the length of the room were two galleries for the observers. On either side of the door, next to the chair and behind each judge's chair were Aurors, silent and watchful. Passing through the door, Hermione heard more sneakoscopes and spells. She sensed them scan her and breathed a sigh of relief as she was allowed to enter the courtroom.
Ginny waved to the far corner of the gallery and Hermione realized that there was someone else in the room besides the Aurors, her and Ginny. Seated so he full view of the judges and the defendant's chair was Colin Creevey. Of course, she thought, the Prophet covers the trials. It makes sense that someone would be covering the trials. Ginny jogged through the room and sat down next to Colin, giving him a quick hug.
"Hi, I never thought I'd see you here. I've got a copy of your picture on my wall. Do you think I could get another with your autograph? It's so neat that someone I know has this poster that everyone has. But if you autographed it, mine would be really special." Ginny said in one, quick, excited breath.
Hermione followed at a more sedate pace. As she neared Colin and Ginny, she looked around the room again. There was no one else in the room. Just her, Ginny, Colin and quite a few Aurors. Hermione gave a slight shutter and sat down on the opposite side of Colin. The view was perfect. From here she could see the chair perfectly.
"What are you doing here Colin?" Hermione asked.
"I've been covering the trials for the Prophet. I'm trying to move up from just taking photographs and I've been assigned this. It's really boring and my articles don't get much notice, but hopefully I'll be assigned to features soon. Anything to get out of this backwater assignment." Colin replied.
Hermione frowned and then realized it had been months since she had even looked at any reports on the Death Eaters. If this hadn't been Snape, she would have been more than happy never to read about the trials again. "Have you been to a lot of these Colin?" Ginny asked.
"About ten so far. Most of the trials have already taken place. These are just the leftovers. But I think it's my last one. My editor was talking about sending me to Egypt to cover the new tombs discovered there. I can't wait. And I'll be happy to send you an autographed copy tonight Ginny." Colin said with a smile to the younger girl. Ginny blushed and then gripped Colin's arms as a side door opened and the three Judges entered the room.
Hermione, Ginny and Colin all stood as the Judges came behind their chairs. Ginny couldn't help her excited gasp as she recognized both her father and brother as two of the judges. Arthur Weasley looked over to the two girls in the gallery and gave them a wink and grin before sitting in the center seat, flanked by Percy and the other Minister. The trio of onlookers sat and waited for Arthur to speak.
To Hermione's surprise, it was Percy who spoke first. "Pensieve placeious." He intoned. Hermione watched as pensieves flew off the table beside the judges and positioned themselves behind all the individuals in the courtroom. Once they were in position, he nodded at his father. Arthur cleared his throat and spoke for the first time. Despite the size of the room, his voice filled it.
"If the Aurors would bring in the prisoner." Arthur began as he and the other judges sat back to wait for the arrival of Snape. Ginny took out her quill and parchment and began to take notes as well. Colin gave her a quick grin and raised his camera. "Say Ginny, after the trial, would you like to get a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron? I can show you some other pictures that I took of the Battle that never made the papers." Ginny blushed again, gave a quick nod and looked up as the Aurors led Snape up into the room.
Hermione looked again at the retaining wall around the chair that Snape would be seated in and saw that there was a pathway even further into the depths of the Ministry. Right, she thought, they would have to be kept in a really secure place and it probably wouldn't do to have accused Death Eaters roaming the halls, even if they were accompanied by Aurors.
Hermione gasped at the sight of her former teacher before she realized that the sound had permeated the entire room. Percy gave a quick glance her way and Hermione forced herself to stifle her reactions. Snape was manacled at the wrists, feet and waist. He walked with a little shuffle. Instead of the black robes she was accustomed to seeing him clad in, he wore a gray uniform. His long and frequently greasy hair had been shorn off, and his face skeletal. The most disturbing feature of this version of Snape were his eyes. Instead of the piercing looks and glares she was accustomed to, he stared blankly at the floor in front of him, never blinking, his expression unchanged from one of total blankness.
The Aurors led Snape to the chair. As he was seating in the chair, the chains and manacles moved around him, securing him to the chair by the chest, arms and legs. His blank expression never faltered. Hermione looked away from Snape to the blank spaces beside him, wondering where the lawyers were.
Frowning a bit, she heard Arthur begin. "Severus Snape, you have been charged with four counts of treason, conspiring with known Death Eaters, assisting Voldemort, bearing the Dark Mark, disobeying direct orders from the Order and twenty-five known uses of the Unforgivable Curses. I understand we have a plea in this matter?" Arthur said turning to his fellow judges.
"Yes, Minister." Percy replied. "Guilty to all charges." Hermione looked to Percy in astonishment. Snape hadn't uttered a word and there was no one representing him. Looking to Snape again, she realized he hadn't changed position since being placed in the chair. Although she wasn't sure that she could, he seemed to be tied up really tightly. Colin snapped a few pictures, Ginny was writing furiously on her parchment and Hermione turned her attention once more to Percy who was continuing. "There has been a request to allow for some clemency."
"Am I to understand that we have pensieves against Snape?" Asked the Minister to the other side of Arthur.
"Yes," replied Percy. "There have been admitted pensieves by Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Minerva McGonagall. All of these detail the crimes of the prisoner. But Headmaster Dumbledore did issue a request that the defendant, Severus Snape be allowed to live."
Hermione started at the last statement. Percy had said that Snape wasn't facing the Dementor's Kiss. And frowned as she realized that Harry had known what was happening and said nothing to her.
"Very well, in accordance to the laws of the Ministry, I sentence Severus Snape to life imprisonment in Azkaban. If the Aurors would transfer the prisoner to Azkaban. I'd like to thank my fellow Ministers for their council in this matter. Court is dismissed." Said Arthur as he and his fellow judges stood and exited the room. Colin and Ginny stood, Hermione following automatically as looked over to Snape in the center of the room. He had been placed in a standing position and the manacles had been moved to his body once again. The entire proceeding had taken less than thirty minutes. As the Aurors led him back down the stairs, Hermione hissed to both Ginny and Colin, "This was nothing but a Kangaroo Court." Ginny and Colin looked to Hermione in puzzlement. In her anger, Hermione had forgotten the excellent acoustics of the room. Unnoticed by everyone except for a pensieve or two, Severus Snape's eyes flickered to where Hermione stood, before his face once more drew into the unblinking stare he had held during the trial. In the company of the Aurors, he shuffled down the stairs and to his fate.
*****
TBC....