A/N- Sorry for the delay. Anyhoo_ Happy New Year y'all, and thanks go
out to Trish, for writing some fun smut and the nice little pleading
emails asking if I was alive, and to Fleab, who drew a phenomenal
picture for Fugue, I was blown away.
------
see disclaimers and warnings in Part One
Fugue State 10
******
Hermione stared at the invitation with absolute relief. The breath she
hadn't realized she had been holding for weeks released and she relaxed,
because she had hit the proverbial brick wall. All the books, all her
research had yielded absolutely nothing. Nothing, not even Skeeter with
her voracious desire for gossip, had had any results. Adding to her
frustration was her research into the trial procedures of the Wizarding
world. As distasteful as the proceedings had been, they had been legal.
Her thoughts returned to the image of Snape, shackled in that chair, and
she swallowed in distaste. Invitation in hand, Hermione went to her
kitchen for a drink of water. The cool water stifled the bile she had
felt rising in her throat and she sat back on the sofa, reading the
invitation once again. She gave a quick grin in relief and looked out
the window into the afternoon light, the shadows lengthening throughout
her rooms as she felt at ease for the first time in weeks.
Her eyes closed as she reclined into the couch, and she tried to make
sense out of the great amount of non-information she had read. Ginny had
sent her paper to Hermione a few days before and Hermione had read it
with a growing sense of unease. Ginny was, predictably, impressed by the
trial. Cynically, Hermione attributed that to the fact that half the
tribunal had been made up of her relatives. For all of Ginny's
insistence that the trial would be the centerpiece of her report, most
of the focus had been on Colin Creevey, star photographer. Warmed by the
last rays of the afternoon sun, she dozed off, her last thoughts being,
that perhaps she could get Harry to sign his trading card.
The following week saw Hermione walking once more up the path to Hogwarts.
The school had suffered some damage in the war to finally Rid the World of
the evil dark lord. Some of the gargoyles still remained limbless and as
such looked even fiercer than ever. Her eyes drifted over to the towers,
grateful that no sign of the fires and explosions remained. Entering once
more through the great doors, she looked around at the new students
hurrying to dinner, they looked so tiny and cute.
Professor McGonagall hurried down the hall and greeted Hermione with a hug
and smile. She smiled back and together they walked to the Headmaster's
office and the information she sought for weeks.
Half an hour later, Hermione was ready to scream in frustration. So far
the subjects covered had been: Quidditch, Charms and the state of
Hogwarts. She had answered the polite inquiries about her parents, herself
and even the state of her cat. Enough was enough.
"Headmaster, I actually had a few questions for you, Harry and Professor
McGonagall about Professor Snape and his past."
Headmaster Dumbledore smiled over his glasses and passed the peas to Minerva.
"I realized that, Hermione, but I felt that it might be prudent to save any
questions you might have for dessert."
"But I really had some questions for you about Professor's Snape tenure at
Hogwarts."
"Miss Granger, I do feel that perhaps Harry, Minerva and yourself would
benefit from a little chat. If you have any further questions, I'll be happy
to meet with you tomorrow, at your convenience, of course. If you three will
excuse me now, I must attend to some business," said Dumbledore, rising and
nodding his goodbye to the remaining diners at the table.
A strange silence hung over the table. Harry broke it with a grin.
"So, I heard you joined my fan club," He said smirking as he reached for the
dessert.
"Well, I thought about asking you to sign your trading card, but Crookshanks
ate it."
The three laughed as the tension surrounded the table eased and they all
relaxed.
"I guess I should start," said Hermione, playing with her fork and looking to
her best friend and Professor McGonagall.
"Go ahead, dear," replied Minerva.
"I'd never been to any of the Death Eater trials before," Hermione stated,
surprising even herself with the opening topic. "Are they always like that?"
"Like what?" Harry asked, "I've never been either."
Hermione was astounded by the information Harry had imparted to her. "I
thought you had given testimony at quite a few?"
"Well I had," answered Harry, helping himself to some tea and shortcake. "But
the Headmaster felt it best for me to testify by pensieve. I really wanted to
make people stop looking at me as the Boy Who Lived to Defeat the Dark Lord,"
said Harry with a grimace. Almost immediately following the defeat of the Vile
One, Harry had been stuck with his new moniker. One he hated as much as the
previous one. "I mean, I wanted to get on with my life, and both the Ministry
and the Headmaster felt it would be easier if I wasn't on display at the
trials. Plus it would be safer. There was a fair amount of resentment among
the families of the Death Eaters, and I really didn't need any blood feuds. I
was tired of it all. Besides, I had to start Quidditch training, and the
trials would have interfered with that."
Hermione looked at Harry with growing astonishment, "you mean it was
inconvenient to go to the trials to decide people's fate?"
"Hermione," said Harry, and for once Hermione could see the man who had faced
down the threat of a generation and survived, "they were Death Eaters. All
that remained was deciding their fate. My testimony was necessary, but my
presence wasn't. Besides," Harry said with a bite of shortbread, "it isn't
like the pensieves could be altered. They were my memories, that was hard
enough."
Hermione looked at her plate. She hadn't really considered that Harry might
have been sick of the whole thing. She had been. Once the battle was over, she
had put it out of her mind. She hadn't wanted to go near the trials either. It
only made sense that Harry had felt the same way. Somehow, she thought that
Harry was different. That his role demanded more from him than everyone else.
Her mouth twitched as guilt rose inside her, she was guilty of viewing Harry
as something other than her friend and classmate. She looked up from her plate
and saw her friend, just Harry, not the savior of the Wizarding world, but
Harry, the boy who hadn't known anything about his past and magic before he
come to Hogwarts. Harry smiled back at her and they grinned together.
"Hermione, what is it that you keep searching for?" Minerva asked.
"I guess, I just want to know about Professor Snape. I thought he was working
for the Order. I mean, why was he sentenced to Azkaban? Also, why is there no
mention of him anywhere? He isn't listed anywhere. It is although he never
existed."
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione with a serious expression. "That is
rather hard to explain. Suffice to say, Severus had, he did, quite a bit for
the Order and our side, however there were some extenuating circumstances that
held sway over him and his fate. Unfortunately, this time, they could not be
overlooked."
"What do you mean this time?"
At that question, Harry glanced at Professor McGonagall and she gave him a
quick nod. "Before, at the first trials," Harry began, "it was possible for
the Headmaster to vouch for Snape. But this time, he did some things that even
Dumbledore couldn't let him get away with." Harry answered.
"Like what?" Hermione asked, leaning forward and looking at Harry.
He shook his head and took a sip of tea. "I can't really go into that stuff
Hermione, it is still classified. But, Snape did disobey Dumbledore, he did
act outside what he was assigned to do and in doing so, he set his own fate."
Hermione was troubled by the information, but again reminded herself that
Snape did bear the Dark Mark. "But aside from his Death Eater activities, it's
as though he doesn't exist, he never existed."
"What do you mean?" asked Minerva, helping herself to the excellent cookies
from the plate in front of her.
"Well, Ginny brought this to my attention. Snape isn't listed anywhere. Not in
any accounts of the final battle, but more importantly, he isn't even
mentioned in any information about Hogwarts."
"Ahh. For that you'll have to speak to Albus. I do believe it had something to
do with both Severus' safety as well as that of the students. But certain
measures had to be taken to protect everyone when Severus began to teach."
answered McGonagall.
Hermione nodded and started on her dessert. Of course she had to ask the
Headmaster. After all, Headmaster Dumbledore had been the architect of the
victory as well as the Head of the Order. Only he would be able to answer
certain questions.
"Would I be able to see the Headmaster tomorrow morning? I have class in the
afternoon, and I'd like to get my questions answered. This has been bothering
me for weeks and weeks."
"I'll arrange it with Albus, Hermione. Perhaps you would consent to spend the
night here at Hogwarts so you can visit with Albus early in the morning." said
Minerva with a smile and a pat to Hermione's hand.
Hermione smiled back and nodded, "I would love to spend the night. I miss
Hogwarts."
"Only you Hermione, would miss school." Harry laughed.
The trio shared a laugh and the conversation turned to the students, both past
and present. It was, a very pleasant dinner.
*****
Day and night were irrelevant in Azkaban. The prison had no windows, no yard
for the prisoners to walk in, and nothing that marked the passage of time. For
the prisoners held in the higher levels, they were able to gauge their time by
the length of their hair. Little by little, month by month, their hair grew,
unchecked and wild. For them, they watched and felt as their bodies aged,
growing more infirm by each passing day. They sat, in their rags and waited
for their hair to turn white and the day it stopped growing, the day they
finally died. Slow and sure, they sank into the pit of death, watching as
their days grew shorter and their hair longer. For them, the passage of time
sapped their lives, inch by inch.
For those in the lower depths, time didn't exist. They waited for the moments
in which their cells were hosed down. The time between was static. They grew
more disoriented by the minute, lost in a sea of darkness and pain. The
Dementors flocking down upon them, seemingly without end. Their lives were
forfeit. Slowly and surely, these prisoners were drawn into a void. The only
release from the void were their thoughts, and even those became more
disjointed as their sentences passed.
Wolfsbane was complicated. Everything prepared in a prescribed order, the
ingredients kept in perfect balance. One wrong move and the entire mixture
ruined. If the balance was not maintained the result was futile and the beast
released. Checks and balances, one batch leading to the other. The mixture in
constant motion. Only a few people appreciated the poetry, the beauty of the
cauldron, ever changing and always maintained. It was an exact science. Order,
sequence and control over the elements, to change the basic nature of the
beast. Mastery over the uncontrolled. From the cesspool that had engulfed his
life, loyalty to one, deceit to another, hated by most, sublimation of self;
there was love and beauty in the potions that ruled his life.
It was pure.
Within the cell, Severus screamed. In an instant it was gone, innocence,
trust, secrets, and joy; sucked in a whirlpool of pain, despair and betrayal.
Severus Snape lost himself again, this was his fate, his curse, him. His
identity.
He screamed.
The Watchers watched. Once again the prisoner sat on the floor of his cell,
his hands moving in a well-practiced rhythm, stirring and adding phantom
ingredients.
"Watch this." One said to the other. She released the Dementors from their
cage and five of Dementors swarmed around the figure writhing on the floor of
the cell. From their shelter far from the isle of Azkaban, the silent tableau
emerged before them. It was much better with sound. They grinned at one
another as one reached for his wand and tapped the bubble recording the images
for posterity.
"Sonorous," she sat back with her colleagues and listened to the concert of
screams from the prisoner, echoed by the other prisoners in the adjacent
cells. The frenzied feeding of the Dementors brings the voices into harmony,
creating a chorus of the damned.
"I wonder what he was brewing this time?" she said to the other watcher, the
scene continuing to unfold before them, his screams permeating throughout the
room.
"Would you like some tea?"
*****
The next morning, Hermione awoke, stretching in the familiar walls of
Hogwarts. She wondered if she would ever lose the wonder and sense of safety
she felt within these walls. From the moment she had entered Hogwarts, she
felt as though she belonged. With Harry's and Ron's assistance she felt able
to cultivate her mind without alienating people. Her classmates sought her out
to assist them in solving problems. Her intellect became a tool to be used,
not something that pushed people away. There was a solution to every problem.
An answer for every question. Within these walls, her desire to know, had led
to knowledge beyond her dreams.
Today, her questions would be answered.
Dressing herself, she freshened up and walked with a light step to the
Headmaster's office. At her approach the gargoyles stood aside and the
passageway opened up and she climbed the steps. She entered the room and
walked to the chair gestured to by the Headmaster with a quick smile and wave
of his hand. A quick apology and she was alone in the room as Albus attended
to some business. Relaxed in her chair, she looked around the office. It
seemed unchanged since her first visit to the office, yet here and there she
could see new nick-knacks and items, all blending in harmony with the rest of
the office.
Straightening as the Headmaster re-entered the office, Hermione waited to see
what he would say.
"Tea?"
"Headmaster?"
"Would you like some morning tea, Hermione? I find that the mind works better
once a small amount of caffeine has been digested. Although Minerva chides me
for drinking too much, I am British." said Albus with a smile and a gesture
that brought a tray of tea and breakfast cake to the desk.
Hermione accepted the tea gratefully and prepared herself as the Headmaster
leaned back in his chair and waited expectantly for her to begin.
"Headmaster," she hesitantly began, encouraged by the look Dumbledore gave
her, "I had some questions concerning Professor Snape."
"Surely you understand Miss Granger, that I'm bound by the trial and the
safety of all concerned, not to reveal anything about that." replied the
Headmaster.
"No, no, I understand that," Hermione quickly assured the Headmaster. "I have
a different question."
"And that is?" Albus gently encouraged her to go on.
"I wondered why there is no record of Professor Snape anywhere. Not in
Hogwarts: A History, not in any accounts of the final battle, in fact it is
although he never existed."
"The problem being?"
"Well, I certainly remember seven painful years of potions with him, I'd like
to know why he has been expunged from history." Hermione wryly explained.
"Unfortunately, Miss Granger, I have few answers for you. Severus was always
secretive. His activities did not allow him for many chances to, walk in the
limelight, one might say. And his eventual decisions cost him dearly. There is
much he never confided to me, and his final actions were a complete betrayal.
I can not answer your questions."
"But surely Headmaster you understand the importance of this information. If
only to stop anyone from following in his footsteps. If we know who he is,
what he did, we can stop anyone from becoming like him." argued Hermione.
Albus smiled, "I too would like to know the Severus' motives. Unfortunately,
on my last visit to him, he proved singularly uncommunicative with me. In
fact, he became rather agitated." replied Dumbledore.
"You saw him?" Hermione eagerly asked, leaning forward, her tea forgotten and
cooling on the desk beside her. "When? Before his trial? Because at the trial,
he seemed catatonic."
"No, my dear. Severus was unresponsive for quite a while following Voldemort's
defeat. Had he stayed that way, we would have watched over him and cared for
him until he died. Unfortunately, his return to awareness precipitated the
trial and the outcome. I last saw Severus a little over a week ago, near
Azkaban."
"I thought prisoners couldn't have visitors?" Hermione asked, puzzled at the
new information.
"There have been significant changes made at Azkaban after Percy Weasley
assumed charge, all for the better. One of these allows for the possibility
that some prisoners can receive visitors. Severus is one afforded this
privilege. He did serve us well, it is unfortunate the path he choose, but we
do care for him."
Hermione thought about the Headmaster's words, strangely comforted by the fact
that Snape hadn't been abandoned.
"Sir," she began, "would it be possible for me to see Professor Snape? If I
can get the answers from him, then we can use the information to identify
anyone else who might follow that path. Plus, it might do society good to know
what he became. That way, people can learn from his mistakes."
Headmaster Dumbledore considered her words, finally he responded, "I do agree
with you Miss Granger, however I caution you, this will not be a pleasant
experience. Severus is a prisoner in the harshest prison known to man. It is a
very taxing experience. I ask you to go home and contemplate if you are
willing to undertake this ordeal. No don't answer now." the Headmaster added,
cutting off Hermione's interjection.
"This is not something to jump into, no matter the reason. You must weigh your
desire to know, with the practicality of the situation."
Hermione found herself nodding and agreeing with the Headmaster's words. Her
brief exposure to the Dementors had been horrific. She would have to make sure
she would be safe before doing this.
"Would I be able to ask Percy about the details of the visit? How I would be
protected?" Hermione asked.
"I will owl Percy and ask if he will meet with you to discuss the particulars
of the visit. If after a week you still wish to go to the Isle, we can make
the arrangements."
"Thank you, Headmaster," said Hermione rising from her chair. "You've given me
a great deal to think about, but I should tell you, I think this matter is
fairly important. But, you are right, I do need to think about it," she said
with a smile.
"Remember, Hermione," the Headmaster warned, joining Hermione as he escorted
her to the door, "this won't be found in a book, for this, your primary source
will be Severus and he has never been one to divulge his secrets easily."
"I promise I'll think about it Headmaster. I won't disappoint you." Hermione
replied as she left his office, on her way out of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore walked to the window and waited for the sight of Hermione walking
down to the gates of Hogwarts.
"I know Miss Granger, and I doubt you will this time." He said to the back of
the figure.
******
TBC
out to Trish, for writing some fun smut and the nice little pleading
emails asking if I was alive, and to Fleab, who drew a phenomenal
picture for Fugue, I was blown away.
------
see disclaimers and warnings in Part One
Fugue State 10
******
Hermione stared at the invitation with absolute relief. The breath she
hadn't realized she had been holding for weeks released and she relaxed,
because she had hit the proverbial brick wall. All the books, all her
research had yielded absolutely nothing. Nothing, not even Skeeter with
her voracious desire for gossip, had had any results. Adding to her
frustration was her research into the trial procedures of the Wizarding
world. As distasteful as the proceedings had been, they had been legal.
Her thoughts returned to the image of Snape, shackled in that chair, and
she swallowed in distaste. Invitation in hand, Hermione went to her
kitchen for a drink of water. The cool water stifled the bile she had
felt rising in her throat and she sat back on the sofa, reading the
invitation once again. She gave a quick grin in relief and looked out
the window into the afternoon light, the shadows lengthening throughout
her rooms as she felt at ease for the first time in weeks.
Her eyes closed as she reclined into the couch, and she tried to make
sense out of the great amount of non-information she had read. Ginny had
sent her paper to Hermione a few days before and Hermione had read it
with a growing sense of unease. Ginny was, predictably, impressed by the
trial. Cynically, Hermione attributed that to the fact that half the
tribunal had been made up of her relatives. For all of Ginny's
insistence that the trial would be the centerpiece of her report, most
of the focus had been on Colin Creevey, star photographer. Warmed by the
last rays of the afternoon sun, she dozed off, her last thoughts being,
that perhaps she could get Harry to sign his trading card.
The following week saw Hermione walking once more up the path to Hogwarts.
The school had suffered some damage in the war to finally Rid the World of
the evil dark lord. Some of the gargoyles still remained limbless and as
such looked even fiercer than ever. Her eyes drifted over to the towers,
grateful that no sign of the fires and explosions remained. Entering once
more through the great doors, she looked around at the new students
hurrying to dinner, they looked so tiny and cute.
Professor McGonagall hurried down the hall and greeted Hermione with a hug
and smile. She smiled back and together they walked to the Headmaster's
office and the information she sought for weeks.
Half an hour later, Hermione was ready to scream in frustration. So far
the subjects covered had been: Quidditch, Charms and the state of
Hogwarts. She had answered the polite inquiries about her parents, herself
and even the state of her cat. Enough was enough.
"Headmaster, I actually had a few questions for you, Harry and Professor
McGonagall about Professor Snape and his past."
Headmaster Dumbledore smiled over his glasses and passed the peas to Minerva.
"I realized that, Hermione, but I felt that it might be prudent to save any
questions you might have for dessert."
"But I really had some questions for you about Professor's Snape tenure at
Hogwarts."
"Miss Granger, I do feel that perhaps Harry, Minerva and yourself would
benefit from a little chat. If you have any further questions, I'll be happy
to meet with you tomorrow, at your convenience, of course. If you three will
excuse me now, I must attend to some business," said Dumbledore, rising and
nodding his goodbye to the remaining diners at the table.
A strange silence hung over the table. Harry broke it with a grin.
"So, I heard you joined my fan club," He said smirking as he reached for the
dessert.
"Well, I thought about asking you to sign your trading card, but Crookshanks
ate it."
The three laughed as the tension surrounded the table eased and they all
relaxed.
"I guess I should start," said Hermione, playing with her fork and looking to
her best friend and Professor McGonagall.
"Go ahead, dear," replied Minerva.
"I'd never been to any of the Death Eater trials before," Hermione stated,
surprising even herself with the opening topic. "Are they always like that?"
"Like what?" Harry asked, "I've never been either."
Hermione was astounded by the information Harry had imparted to her. "I
thought you had given testimony at quite a few?"
"Well I had," answered Harry, helping himself to some tea and shortcake. "But
the Headmaster felt it best for me to testify by pensieve. I really wanted to
make people stop looking at me as the Boy Who Lived to Defeat the Dark Lord,"
said Harry with a grimace. Almost immediately following the defeat of the Vile
One, Harry had been stuck with his new moniker. One he hated as much as the
previous one. "I mean, I wanted to get on with my life, and both the Ministry
and the Headmaster felt it would be easier if I wasn't on display at the
trials. Plus it would be safer. There was a fair amount of resentment among
the families of the Death Eaters, and I really didn't need any blood feuds. I
was tired of it all. Besides, I had to start Quidditch training, and the
trials would have interfered with that."
Hermione looked at Harry with growing astonishment, "you mean it was
inconvenient to go to the trials to decide people's fate?"
"Hermione," said Harry, and for once Hermione could see the man who had faced
down the threat of a generation and survived, "they were Death Eaters. All
that remained was deciding their fate. My testimony was necessary, but my
presence wasn't. Besides," Harry said with a bite of shortbread, "it isn't
like the pensieves could be altered. They were my memories, that was hard
enough."
Hermione looked at her plate. She hadn't really considered that Harry might
have been sick of the whole thing. She had been. Once the battle was over, she
had put it out of her mind. She hadn't wanted to go near the trials either. It
only made sense that Harry had felt the same way. Somehow, she thought that
Harry was different. That his role demanded more from him than everyone else.
Her mouth twitched as guilt rose inside her, she was guilty of viewing Harry
as something other than her friend and classmate. She looked up from her plate
and saw her friend, just Harry, not the savior of the Wizarding world, but
Harry, the boy who hadn't known anything about his past and magic before he
come to Hogwarts. Harry smiled back at her and they grinned together.
"Hermione, what is it that you keep searching for?" Minerva asked.
"I guess, I just want to know about Professor Snape. I thought he was working
for the Order. I mean, why was he sentenced to Azkaban? Also, why is there no
mention of him anywhere? He isn't listed anywhere. It is although he never
existed."
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione with a serious expression. "That is
rather hard to explain. Suffice to say, Severus had, he did, quite a bit for
the Order and our side, however there were some extenuating circumstances that
held sway over him and his fate. Unfortunately, this time, they could not be
overlooked."
"What do you mean this time?"
At that question, Harry glanced at Professor McGonagall and she gave him a
quick nod. "Before, at the first trials," Harry began, "it was possible for
the Headmaster to vouch for Snape. But this time, he did some things that even
Dumbledore couldn't let him get away with." Harry answered.
"Like what?" Hermione asked, leaning forward and looking at Harry.
He shook his head and took a sip of tea. "I can't really go into that stuff
Hermione, it is still classified. But, Snape did disobey Dumbledore, he did
act outside what he was assigned to do and in doing so, he set his own fate."
Hermione was troubled by the information, but again reminded herself that
Snape did bear the Dark Mark. "But aside from his Death Eater activities, it's
as though he doesn't exist, he never existed."
"What do you mean?" asked Minerva, helping herself to the excellent cookies
from the plate in front of her.
"Well, Ginny brought this to my attention. Snape isn't listed anywhere. Not in
any accounts of the final battle, but more importantly, he isn't even
mentioned in any information about Hogwarts."
"Ahh. For that you'll have to speak to Albus. I do believe it had something to
do with both Severus' safety as well as that of the students. But certain
measures had to be taken to protect everyone when Severus began to teach."
answered McGonagall.
Hermione nodded and started on her dessert. Of course she had to ask the
Headmaster. After all, Headmaster Dumbledore had been the architect of the
victory as well as the Head of the Order. Only he would be able to answer
certain questions.
"Would I be able to see the Headmaster tomorrow morning? I have class in the
afternoon, and I'd like to get my questions answered. This has been bothering
me for weeks and weeks."
"I'll arrange it with Albus, Hermione. Perhaps you would consent to spend the
night here at Hogwarts so you can visit with Albus early in the morning." said
Minerva with a smile and a pat to Hermione's hand.
Hermione smiled back and nodded, "I would love to spend the night. I miss
Hogwarts."
"Only you Hermione, would miss school." Harry laughed.
The trio shared a laugh and the conversation turned to the students, both past
and present. It was, a very pleasant dinner.
*****
Day and night were irrelevant in Azkaban. The prison had no windows, no yard
for the prisoners to walk in, and nothing that marked the passage of time. For
the prisoners held in the higher levels, they were able to gauge their time by
the length of their hair. Little by little, month by month, their hair grew,
unchecked and wild. For them, they watched and felt as their bodies aged,
growing more infirm by each passing day. They sat, in their rags and waited
for their hair to turn white and the day it stopped growing, the day they
finally died. Slow and sure, they sank into the pit of death, watching as
their days grew shorter and their hair longer. For them, the passage of time
sapped their lives, inch by inch.
For those in the lower depths, time didn't exist. They waited for the moments
in which their cells were hosed down. The time between was static. They grew
more disoriented by the minute, lost in a sea of darkness and pain. The
Dementors flocking down upon them, seemingly without end. Their lives were
forfeit. Slowly and surely, these prisoners were drawn into a void. The only
release from the void were their thoughts, and even those became more
disjointed as their sentences passed.
Wolfsbane was complicated. Everything prepared in a prescribed order, the
ingredients kept in perfect balance. One wrong move and the entire mixture
ruined. If the balance was not maintained the result was futile and the beast
released. Checks and balances, one batch leading to the other. The mixture in
constant motion. Only a few people appreciated the poetry, the beauty of the
cauldron, ever changing and always maintained. It was an exact science. Order,
sequence and control over the elements, to change the basic nature of the
beast. Mastery over the uncontrolled. From the cesspool that had engulfed his
life, loyalty to one, deceit to another, hated by most, sublimation of self;
there was love and beauty in the potions that ruled his life.
It was pure.
Within the cell, Severus screamed. In an instant it was gone, innocence,
trust, secrets, and joy; sucked in a whirlpool of pain, despair and betrayal.
Severus Snape lost himself again, this was his fate, his curse, him. His
identity.
He screamed.
The Watchers watched. Once again the prisoner sat on the floor of his cell,
his hands moving in a well-practiced rhythm, stirring and adding phantom
ingredients.
"Watch this." One said to the other. She released the Dementors from their
cage and five of Dementors swarmed around the figure writhing on the floor of
the cell. From their shelter far from the isle of Azkaban, the silent tableau
emerged before them. It was much better with sound. They grinned at one
another as one reached for his wand and tapped the bubble recording the images
for posterity.
"Sonorous," she sat back with her colleagues and listened to the concert of
screams from the prisoner, echoed by the other prisoners in the adjacent
cells. The frenzied feeding of the Dementors brings the voices into harmony,
creating a chorus of the damned.
"I wonder what he was brewing this time?" she said to the other watcher, the
scene continuing to unfold before them, his screams permeating throughout the
room.
"Would you like some tea?"
*****
The next morning, Hermione awoke, stretching in the familiar walls of
Hogwarts. She wondered if she would ever lose the wonder and sense of safety
she felt within these walls. From the moment she had entered Hogwarts, she
felt as though she belonged. With Harry's and Ron's assistance she felt able
to cultivate her mind without alienating people. Her classmates sought her out
to assist them in solving problems. Her intellect became a tool to be used,
not something that pushed people away. There was a solution to every problem.
An answer for every question. Within these walls, her desire to know, had led
to knowledge beyond her dreams.
Today, her questions would be answered.
Dressing herself, she freshened up and walked with a light step to the
Headmaster's office. At her approach the gargoyles stood aside and the
passageway opened up and she climbed the steps. She entered the room and
walked to the chair gestured to by the Headmaster with a quick smile and wave
of his hand. A quick apology and she was alone in the room as Albus attended
to some business. Relaxed in her chair, she looked around the office. It
seemed unchanged since her first visit to the office, yet here and there she
could see new nick-knacks and items, all blending in harmony with the rest of
the office.
Straightening as the Headmaster re-entered the office, Hermione waited to see
what he would say.
"Tea?"
"Headmaster?"
"Would you like some morning tea, Hermione? I find that the mind works better
once a small amount of caffeine has been digested. Although Minerva chides me
for drinking too much, I am British." said Albus with a smile and a gesture
that brought a tray of tea and breakfast cake to the desk.
Hermione accepted the tea gratefully and prepared herself as the Headmaster
leaned back in his chair and waited expectantly for her to begin.
"Headmaster," she hesitantly began, encouraged by the look Dumbledore gave
her, "I had some questions concerning Professor Snape."
"Surely you understand Miss Granger, that I'm bound by the trial and the
safety of all concerned, not to reveal anything about that." replied the
Headmaster.
"No, no, I understand that," Hermione quickly assured the Headmaster. "I have
a different question."
"And that is?" Albus gently encouraged her to go on.
"I wondered why there is no record of Professor Snape anywhere. Not in
Hogwarts: A History, not in any accounts of the final battle, in fact it is
although he never existed."
"The problem being?"
"Well, I certainly remember seven painful years of potions with him, I'd like
to know why he has been expunged from history." Hermione wryly explained.
"Unfortunately, Miss Granger, I have few answers for you. Severus was always
secretive. His activities did not allow him for many chances to, walk in the
limelight, one might say. And his eventual decisions cost him dearly. There is
much he never confided to me, and his final actions were a complete betrayal.
I can not answer your questions."
"But surely Headmaster you understand the importance of this information. If
only to stop anyone from following in his footsteps. If we know who he is,
what he did, we can stop anyone from becoming like him." argued Hermione.
Albus smiled, "I too would like to know the Severus' motives. Unfortunately,
on my last visit to him, he proved singularly uncommunicative with me. In
fact, he became rather agitated." replied Dumbledore.
"You saw him?" Hermione eagerly asked, leaning forward, her tea forgotten and
cooling on the desk beside her. "When? Before his trial? Because at the trial,
he seemed catatonic."
"No, my dear. Severus was unresponsive for quite a while following Voldemort's
defeat. Had he stayed that way, we would have watched over him and cared for
him until he died. Unfortunately, his return to awareness precipitated the
trial and the outcome. I last saw Severus a little over a week ago, near
Azkaban."
"I thought prisoners couldn't have visitors?" Hermione asked, puzzled at the
new information.
"There have been significant changes made at Azkaban after Percy Weasley
assumed charge, all for the better. One of these allows for the possibility
that some prisoners can receive visitors. Severus is one afforded this
privilege. He did serve us well, it is unfortunate the path he choose, but we
do care for him."
Hermione thought about the Headmaster's words, strangely comforted by the fact
that Snape hadn't been abandoned.
"Sir," she began, "would it be possible for me to see Professor Snape? If I
can get the answers from him, then we can use the information to identify
anyone else who might follow that path. Plus, it might do society good to know
what he became. That way, people can learn from his mistakes."
Headmaster Dumbledore considered her words, finally he responded, "I do agree
with you Miss Granger, however I caution you, this will not be a pleasant
experience. Severus is a prisoner in the harshest prison known to man. It is a
very taxing experience. I ask you to go home and contemplate if you are
willing to undertake this ordeal. No don't answer now." the Headmaster added,
cutting off Hermione's interjection.
"This is not something to jump into, no matter the reason. You must weigh your
desire to know, with the practicality of the situation."
Hermione found herself nodding and agreeing with the Headmaster's words. Her
brief exposure to the Dementors had been horrific. She would have to make sure
she would be safe before doing this.
"Would I be able to ask Percy about the details of the visit? How I would be
protected?" Hermione asked.
"I will owl Percy and ask if he will meet with you to discuss the particulars
of the visit. If after a week you still wish to go to the Isle, we can make
the arrangements."
"Thank you, Headmaster," said Hermione rising from her chair. "You've given me
a great deal to think about, but I should tell you, I think this matter is
fairly important. But, you are right, I do need to think about it," she said
with a smile.
"Remember, Hermione," the Headmaster warned, joining Hermione as he escorted
her to the door, "this won't be found in a book, for this, your primary source
will be Severus and he has never been one to divulge his secrets easily."
"I promise I'll think about it Headmaster. I won't disappoint you." Hermione
replied as she left his office, on her way out of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore walked to the window and waited for the sight of Hermione walking
down to the gates of Hogwarts.
"I know Miss Granger, and I doubt you will this time." He said to the back of
the figure.
******
TBC