I walk into the kitchen and take a seat at the table. Gen walks in and sits down across from me.
"Hey, how are you?"
I look at her suspiciously. "Are you just pretending that we didn't meet earlier?"
"Some times I think you need an attitude adjustment. A bunch of it comes from hanging out with James and him," she says nodding a Sirius.
"You know," I say trying not to get angry. "For a best friend sometimes you really suck."
"You need to concentrate your temper on the death eaters."
"Yeah well everyone knows Snivellus is one. He's got the friggin' dark mark burnt into his arm." I go to take a swig of my drink but stop with the cup halfway to my mouth as a foolproof way to free Sirius explodes into my brain.
"He was a death eater, you know that and…what Ruth?" Gen stops in mid angry retort seeing my change in expression.
Smiling I put my cup down. "I have a foolproof way we can win Sirius' case. All the death eaters have the dark mark but he doesn't therefore he can't be a death eater."
"All the captured death eaters escaped from Azkaban three days ago," Remus reminds me.
"Maybe so but everybody knows Snivellus was a death eater, he was one of the few to get a trial and was only let go because Dumbledore proved he'd been a spy for us. So all we have to do is get him to come with us on the day of the trial."
"Has it occurred to you," says Gen. "That he wouldn't do anything for Sirius or you."
"Yeah, but you're friends with him. You could talk him into it."
"No."
"What!" I splutter seeing my plan disaggregating before my eyes. "Why not?"
"You'll have to ask him. I'm sure if you were nice he'd do it."
I sit there at loss for word, be nice to Snivellus!?!
"It won't kill you," Gen says smiling. "That goes for you too, Sirius."
I slump back in my chair appetite lost. The problem is there is no other way. We have no captured death eaters and words can be twisted. "I guess," I mumble. "There's really no other option."
Gen smiles.
"But after the trial's over I'm not promising anything."
Fudge's owl arrives the next afternoon. The trial is at eight o'clock in the evening in two days. Now if only Sniv…Snape ( I have to start thinking of him as Snape now so I don't call him Snivellus when I see him) would show up so I can talk to him. The problem is he's on some kind of mission for the Order right now so there's no knowing when he'll get back.
The days pass by and the closer it gets to the time of the trial the more nervous I get. I've been planning what I'm going to say, but I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that it wont be enough.
It's impossible to eat at dinner. Not when I know that in a couple hours time Sirius could be sentenced to the Dementor's kiss.
I'm not the only one who can't eat. Sirius hasn't even come down to dinner and Remus and Harry have, like me, barely touched their food.
Dinner ends just after seven – no one had eaten much – and I go up to see Sirius. As I'm half way up the stairs Dumbledore walks in followed by none other then Severus Snape. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see either of them in my life.
"Well?" Dumbledore says to me.
"Sirius' trial is tonight at eight."
Dumbledore frowns. "They wouldn't give him an pardon."
"Not without the trail."
Snape has slunk off in the direction of the kitchen.
"Hey, err…Snape," I call after him. "Can I have a word with you."
He looks at me suspiciously then nods slowly.
I take a deep breath. "For Sirius's trial we were planning to…err, well we figured that since all the death eaters have the dark mark," Snape's left arm twitches. "And he doesn't we could prove he was innocent by showing them he doesn't have the mark. Problem is we don't have a death eater so…"
"No," he snaps cutting me off.
"Severus," Dumbledore says gently.
"No Dumbledore, I refuse. They can't make me go in there and show it to the whole ministry just to free him."
I feel like the wind has just been knocked out of me.
"You can, and you will." Says Dumbledore. "A man's life is on the line. It is time for you to lay old hatred aside."
There is a long silence.
"Fine," Snape snarls. "But never again Dumbledore."
"Now that's settled I suggest you get mister Black because it is time to leave," Dumbledore says looking at me.
I nod and dash up the stairs. "Sirius. Hey Sirius, it's time to go."
"It's no use." He's sitting in the dark.
"It'll be fine. Dumbledore's here and he's getting Snape to come."
Sirius looks up, with a bit of hope on his face at the sound of Dumbledore's name.
"In a couple hours you'll be free," I say. "I promise."
Slowly he gets up and follows me downstairs.
A/N: big long conclusion next chapter, includes the reason why Fudge and Ruth hate one another for all you people who were wondering.