Part II – The Trial of Severus Snape
Severus Snape was captured during a raid on the Granger house. The proof against him is overwhelming, yet Dumbledore believes him not guilty. A split in opinion of the light side quickly occurs.
… - …
Sunday – 21 July
Amelia Bones, Director of Magical Law Enforcement was having a great day. Less than an hour before she had received a frantic call from Dr. Emma Granger stating that the Granger residence was under attack from five Death Eaters. By the time the first team of Aurors had responded, four Death Eaters had already been subdued, with no deaths, no serious injuries, and property damage that was largely repairable. Her team of Aurors had stunned the last Death Eater, again without any casualties on her side.
The residents of the house, as well as the two of the three visitors to the house had been interviewed. Their descriptions of the events were lucid and consistent, usually a good indication of accuracy. The Grangers and their guests had been encouraged to leave the area for a few hours until their house could get set back in order. They had left before that pesky reporter from the Daily Prophet and her photographer Bozo had arrived. The photographer had taken several photos of the unmasked Death Eaters, and some of the physical evidence including a long rope with a hangman's noose at one end.
For the second time in four weeks, the score in the battle between good and evil had favored the light side. A month ago at the Department of Mysteries, ten Death Eaters had been captured with only one loss of life, a member of Dumbledore's (more or less secret) Order of the Phoenix, Sirius Black. While Harry Potter had been a central figure in that action, he appeared to be only an auxiliary figure in today's attack. Based upon the descriptions given by three of the five defenders, Hermione Granger had been the primary target. The Death Eaters apparently were ready to use her as the victim in a muggle born witch lynching.
The Department of Magical Reversals unit was finishing the repairs on the house. Amelia had gotten preliminary statements from the Auror team. They were getting ready to transport the captured Death Eaters. Tonks, Jones, and Dawlish were checking the anti-apparition manacles, when the features of Bellatrix began to change. The hair darkened, the facial features enlarged. Tonks yelled, "Director Bones, come over here quick. I don't believe it."
It was Severus Snape!
Flash, Bozo took another photo. Rita Skeeter was beside herself. Deprived of the opportunity for any live coverage last month, she was at the right place, at the right time today. Professor Severus Snape, ugly git greaseball, who Dumbledore had defended fifteen years ago in a closed-door session had been caught with his hand deep into the cookie jar! Flash, Bozo took another for good measure. There hadn't been live photographs or coverage of a Death Eater capture in her career. She was going to run this one for all that it was worth. Three kids, a long suspected Death Eater, and Professor Severus Snape – all dressed up in full regalia. She also had Bozo roll the Death Eaters over, face up, and take a picture of them unconscious with their white masks posed on their chests. Her career was back on the rise, even without resorting to the trash reporting that she had promised to avoid. Snape was rolled back onto his stomach, and Bozo took another photo of the five prisoners. Bozo also took one of Goyle Sr. with his sleeve rolled up revealing the Dark Mark.
… - …
Amelia Bones wanted to get going. She knew that she would need to make a statement to Skeeter. According to the rules of engagement that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Daily Prophet had previously agreed to, there would be no mention of the intended victim's name or address. Nothing would be more specific than the home of a muggle born witch living in Crawley County being attacked. There would be no mention of the Granger's name, the fact that Hermione Granger was a student at Hogwarts, or that Harry Potter had personally put down several Death Eaters. The names of the suspects would not be published until the Prophet had received the go-ahead from Bones indicating that they had been/will be charged. The only picture that would be published immediately was a shot of the five taken with their backs to the camera with their Death Eater masks.
"At 10:00 this morning we received news that a probable Death Eater attack was under way in Crawley. Five apparent Death Eaters were captured and will be taken into custody for questioning. There were no deaths or injuries. I will have more information for you as we get it. Thank you." Amelia concluded her statement. There would be no questions asked, or answered.
Bones would have a much different Sunday afternoon than she had envisioned when she first started the day. The prisoners were transported back to the holding cells at the Ministry of Magic. There they would be strip-searched and await interrogation in individual anti-apparition cells. Wizard law did not require a visit with a solicitor within a stated amount of time. Instead it was more along the lines of British muggle law, "at the Queen's pleasure" meaning that the prisoners could easily be held a week or longer without being charged. Only Minister Fudge or Wizengamot head Dumbledore could exert enough pressure to overrule her on this point. Amelia felt it highly unlikely that Fudge would interfere on any of the five given his own political problems. If anything, he would likely hail the capture as a successful indication of his 'get tough on crime stance,' at least as soon as it occurred to him that actually having a stance on an issue could be politically advantageous.
Amelia did not have the same opinion regarding Dumbledore's likely reaction. Dumbledore had been a supporter of Snape for many years, having provided impassioned testimony in the last war that she believed saved Snape from fifteen years prison time. It would likely take a plea from Merlin himself to get Snape out of this mess. As such, she fully expected news of Snape's capture to reach Dumbledore's ears within the next twenty-four hours, and anticipated a visit no later than Tuesday morning.
She requested that each of the Aurors submit their written report by midnight that evening. She suspected, but did not know that Shacklebolt may be a member of Dumbledore's private organization. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't mind, or have an opinion on the topic, but believed that there was a clear conflict of interest in this situation. Four of the five suspects/Death Eaters had current connections to Dumbledore. Three were current students, the other was a tenured professor. Amelia wasn't certain, but thought it likely that the three students were in Slytherin house, which Snape was head of.
Tonks was feeling crappy – crappy about the arrests, crappy about almost certainly losing out on two weeks of leave. What an unexpected set of perpetrators - three teenagers, the Order's spy, and an imbecile. She was certain that Potter's description of the green light jets being Avada Kedavra spells was accurate. Cor, the kid had seen the spell cast at him a dozen times more than she had! The blast marks on the kitchen walls were consistent with the spell. The eleven wands that were confiscated would all be tested, but it would be very difficult to identify whom some of the spare wands belonged to. They could probably get Ollivander's help for at least some of the wands. The others were probably smuggled in from the States. The teens were most likely using their registered school wands.
Bellatrix/Snape was already down by the time that Tonks and the other Aurors had arrived on the scene. Dawlish had searched Snape and had found two wands. Possession of the second wand by a civilian was worth a hefty fine. Both wands would be tested using the Priori Incantatem charm. If either wand had an unforgivable registered as the last spell, Snape's goose was cooked. Since he had been stunned, it was unlikely that he could have cleaned the wand by means of casting a non-violent spell.
Based on the physical evidence Tonks believed that Potter had hit Snape in the first returned volley. Malfoy was probably hit in the second returned volley. It looked like he had wet himself after the first spells were cast. The Aurors had stunned that imbecile Goyle Sr. He'd been stunned by the Aurors standing about fifteen feet away from Malfoy. The other two morons Crabbe and Goyle had been stunned and/or knocked unconscious from a thrown wine bottle while charging in the front door of the house. It was unclear who stunned Jones, or Shacklebolt. It was also unclear who had tried to murder Fletcher.
She wondered how long the three kids had been Death Eaters. It was somewhat likely that they'd taken the Dark Mark since school let out, and this was probably their first mission. Why would Snape have been there disguised as Bellatrix?
Tonks was concerned about Hermione. She liked the girl, and was worried that the attack would darken her aspect. Sometimes surviving what was obviously intended to be a sick-minded attack was almost as bad as succumbing to it.
Hestia Jones was writing her notes to the case. She remembered seeing Shacklebolt go down, and remembered calling out to Harry. The next thing she remembered was being revived by Tonks. She had been assigned the duty of searching the back yard. She logged finding a hangman's noose and seven wands.
Auror Nathan Dawlish was also writing his case notes. He'd been responsible for securing the front of the house. By the time that he'd gotten to the front door, 99 percent of the work had been done. The Potter boy had stunned one of the Death Eaters, and a muggle woman had hit the other Death Eater with an expensive wine bottle. The Death Eater had a fractured skull that likely would be the least of his problems in years to come. Dawlish laughed to himself - the kid may not have been much of a student, but his future was pretty well defined for him now. He had found and identified four wands. Two were lying loose on the floor of the living room, and two were in leg holsters. Each kid had been carrying one.
Auror Nick Straighthand was writing his case notes. His largest field contribution was re-stunning the Death Eater that he thought was Lestrange, getting the manacles on tightly, and transporting the unconscious prisoners into their cells. Not being a famous Auror, he did most of the grunt work. Stripping the Death Eaters in their individual holding cells was disgusting work. He'd had a hard time getting the black "Death Eater" gloves off a lot of the suspects, especially that Malfoy kid, who'd soaked himself. Each item was examined, inventoried, and put into bags. The cavity search was ugly. Why couldn't they ever go after people who practiced good hygiene? Greg Goyle's cut head had been cleaned and attended to. Someone else could look at him again tomorrow. He had collected the eleven tagged wands, put them in an evidence box, and hand carried them to Director Bones.
Jones was finishing her notes. Of the seven wands found in the back garden, four were spare class wands, all identical. The yanks would refer to them as Saturday night specials. The other three were well made, most likely Ollivanders. Two wands were on or close to the Malfoy kid. Most likely his own wand was in his leg holster, and a spare was found in his hand. Two wands were found in direct possession of Goyle Sr. To the left of Malfoy and Goyle they found Bellatrix/Snape. An Ollivander wand was in his leg holster. A spare was found a few feet away from him. Another was laying nine or ten feet away from where he fell. Snape probably had the extra wand so there would be virtually no chance that he would have to use his school wand. She speculated that Dumbledore might have the means of doing multiple spells testing on a wand to see farther back than the last spell, and Snape didn't want to get caught. Hestia was satisfied with her report. She signed it and made two extra copies. She sent the original off to Director Bones. It was standard procedure that each Auror complete their reports individually. Only later would they be compared for consistency.
Kingsley Shacklebolt completed his report, omitting the reason that he had been on the Granger property in the first place. He had not heard his assailant, and would not know that Hestia had seen the five Death Eaters apparate until they had their meeting on Monday afternoon. He'd been revived by Tonks, and had found Fletcher at about the same time as Straighthand. Kingsley had examined the kitchen, noting three spell blast marks on the wall by one of the broken windows. Each was approximately shoulder to head high.
Having each turned in their reports, they left for the day by 8PM. As Tonks had been in the better position than Shacklebolt or Jones, she agreed to talk to Dumbledore. She apparated to Grimmauld place to use the fireplace to call for Dumbledore.
No one was there when she arrived. She walked to the fireplace and called "Headmasters Office, Hogwarts, Canary Creams, Albus Dumbledore. Are you there?" After about a minute, Albus Dumbledore walked through the fireplace and helped Nymphadora back onto her feet?
"Good evening, my dear. How are you?"
"I am fine sir, thank you. Can we sit down for a few minutes? There was an attack today that you should know about."
"Please tell me everything that you can." It was understood that the active Aurors were not asked to divulge confidential information.
"There was a Death Eater attack late this morning at the Granger residence. It appears that all five Death Eaters had been captured. There were no serious injuries among the defenders. Dr. and Dr. Granger were there, Hermione, a friend of the dentists, Harry Potter, and Mundungus were there. Harry and Hermione had stunned three of the Death Eaters. One was knocked out with a thrown wine bottle. Dawlish and I stunned the last one."
"I see. Please continue."
"Sir, we were collecting evidence, and discussing our findings before transporting the prisoners. It turned out the Severus Snape had taken Polyjuice potion, and had posed as Bellatrix Lestrange. He was tied up and in anti-apparition manacles when he changed back. He was seen transforming by myself, Straighthand, Dawlish, Director Bones, Rita Skeeter, and photographed by her photographer, Bozo."
"Who were the other Death Eaters?"
"Goyle Senior, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Draco Malfoy. The Dark Mark was visible on each of their arms."
"Did any of them see Severus?"
"No. They had all been stunned, and would not have been awakened until they had been placed in the individual holding cells, and strip-searched. There is no sightline from one cell into the next, and the cells themselves are soundproof."
"Where are they now?"
"Sir, Director Bones would need to tell you that."
"I understand. How was your department notified?"
"Dr. Emma Granger called Director Bones indicating that there was a probable Death Eater attack. Specifically, she said that there were five Death Eaters in the back yard."
"What else can you tell me? Anything at all?"
"We don't know who stunned Shacklebolt or tried to kill Mundungus. Hestia believes that Shacklebolt may have been down before she was hit. She saw five Death Eaters apparate in the back yard, one of which stunned her. Each of the Death Eaters had at least two wands. A total of eleven were confiscated and will be tested tomorrow."
"Harry and Hermione's preliminary statements were specific and remarkably consistent. Dr. Emma Granger and Dr. Turnbull's statement regarding the attack from the other two Death Eaters were also specific and consistent. Dr. Dan Granger witnessed the attack on Mundungus. His description was consistent with an A-K spell. The evidence was consistent. Fletcher was carrying in a case of Cognac that Harry had given to the Grangers, and the spell hit the crate. Fletcher hit the floor, breaking a case of Cognac. I expect that he made a fair amount of noise going down. He was unconscious for several hours before being revived."
"Vincent and Gregory were attacking the front door when they went down. Snape, Goyle Sr. and Malfoy were downed in the back yard. According to Potter:
Jones called out a warning
Someone called for the mudblood to come out
A kitchen window was shattered
Harry stood up and stunned one of the smaller Death Eaters
At about the same time three A-K spells were shot at Potter and missed
Another window was shattered
Harry and Hermione both stood up at the same time and stunned the other smaller Death Eater
Crabbe and Goyle Jr. crashed through the front door. Emma Granger and Diane Turnbull threw wine bottles. Emma's bottle hit Crabbe on the side of the head, cracking his skull.
Potter and Granger each stunned one of the kids (Goyle/Crabbe)
The Aurors arrived and stunned the fifth Death Eater
Bones called to Potter and Hermione
The yard was searched. A Hangman's rope and Mundungus were found.
After brief statements, the Grangers, Dr. Turnbull and Harry where asked to leave for a long lunch so the house could be more or less set right.
Tonks concluded, "I haven't seen Harry since, but believe that he is staying at the Grangers for the weekend. We were told to file our reports before leaving. That's all that I can think of sir."
"Your report was very complete and I'm certain will be of much help. Tell me Tonks, are there any pieces of this puzzle that seem a bit strange or out of place to you, anything at all, no matter how small?"
"Let me think about it sir."
"Good night Tonks. You did well today, and I'm very glad that you were not hurt. Please go home and get some well-deserved rest."
She smiled at him. Dumbledore was a very good leader. He always took the time to remember people, and thank them for their work. Dumbledore returned back to the castle. He had a lot to think about that night.
About the time that the Aurors were filling out their reports, Peter Pettigrew was getting ready to deliver his. He told the Dark Lord of a plan that had started off flawlessly then completely fell apart. Wormtail had stunned Fletcher, and the Auror Shacklebolt. One of the Death Eaters had stunned another Auror immediately on arriving.
The plan fell apart for several reasons. That aristocratic arse Malfoy had insisted on calling for Granger to come out of the house, effectively warning them, and there was a second wizard in the house who had stunned Bellatrix in the first volley. Malfoy had clearly not planned on there being so many wizards there. His plan fell apart with the first returned spell. Bellatrix had the portkey to return with. Her getting stunned effectively doomed the mission. Wormtail had disabled the guardians (more or less) and left at the time the Aurors had arrived, exactly as he had been instructed to. It was the second of three raids in two months that had completely collapsed due to an underestimation of the size of the opposing force. It was the second of two raids where they faced Harry Potter.
Voldemort's red eyes flashed menacingly. "Wormtail, what do you mean Bella was stunned? I saw her in her room a few hours ago. Do not lie to me Wormtail. Crucio." After a few seconds, Voldemort let up. "Go get Bella from her room."
Bellatrix appeared a minute later. "Master, I must have been sleeping all day. I was supposed to take Draco, Goyle and two of the new recruits on a warm up outing to torch the mudblood Granger's house this morning."
"Crucio. Bella you have failed me again. Why were you sleeping? Who went in your place? Wormtail told me that five Death Eaters arrived as planned, and bungled up the mission. They most likely were all captured, or killed, since no one has returned."
"Who was so eager to kill the Granger girl that they would spell you asleep and go in your place? Let us wait and see how this plays out. Wormtail, go find tomorrows edition of the Prophet." Voldemort walked away.
As Wormtail left the manor he thought to himself, 'effing psycho.'
Dumbledore had slept poorly last night. Yesterday has been disappointing to him from many dimensions. While he had fully expected that Crabbe and Goyle would blindly follow their fathers' footsteps, he had hoped that Draco would exercise better judgment. Unfortunately Lucius' lifestyle had worked for him so well and so long that it would be easy for Draco to be seduced by his success. For most aspiring Death Eaters the rich and powerful Malfoy lifestyle was the dream. For most of them the reality turned out a bit different than the dream. Being a Death Eater typically resulted in one of two outcomes - becoming a killer and learning to live with it, or becoming a killer and dying because of it. Neither ending bore much resemblance to the promise of "power and prestige." For better or worse the three boys would likely spend ten - fifteen years in Azkaban. In the unlikely event that they actually survived, they would be nothing more than wasted human beings, no magic remaining, no family, and no prospects. He doubted that any of them possessed sufficient strength of will to survive five months.
Dumbledore was puzzled over Severus' actions. He had mentioned that Voldemort was actively recruiting, but had not mentioned any of the boys specifically. He had not mentioned being called to go in a raid. Why would he have disguised himself as Bellatrix? Had he been asked to substitute at the last minute? If so, why go as Lestrange? If the raid had been sanctioned, why not simply go as Snape, unless he was worried about being seen by any of the defenders?
There had to have been one or two others involved. Kingsley and Fletcher had been quietly stunned. The men had good hearing and reflexes, so most likely they would have heard an apparition pop unless the Death Eater(s) doing the apparition was a master.
The raid at the end of June must have been crippling to Voldemort's Death Eater bench strength. Lucius doubtless had been financing much of Tom's activities, much the same as Devlin Whitehorn, the Nimbus broomstick designer was heavily contributing to the Order. The Lestranges along with Dolohov and Nott were the Death Eaters most able to go out and execute a planned raid. Rookwood, Avery, and McNair were also capable soldiers, but were not leaders. Jugson and Crabbe were little more than followers, muscle on demand, and easily replaced.
They never did find who was responsible for the raid at the home of Susan Bones and her parents on 3 July. It was fought to a standoff until the Aurors arrived. The Death Eaters had left upon seeing them. It was probably another training mission.
Harry had reported seeing 25 – 30 Death Eaters during Tom's ascension 14 months ago. Dumbledore mentally ticked through the list as he knew it.
Killed or captured:
Eleven (not counting the kids from this week)
Known to be active:
Bellatrix
Pettigrew
Travers
Rosier's son
Rookwood's nephew
May be active:
Severus Snape
Narcissa Malfoy
Mrs. Goyle
Mrs. Crabbe
Igor Karkarov
Lindon Bagman
Thomas Borgin
Rachel Borgin
Candidates for recruitment:
Pansy Parkinson
Delores Umbridge
Carl Warrington
Willie Widdershans
Marcus Flint
Millicent Bullstrode
Roger Derrick
The numbers didn't seem to add up. Who were the others? Those mysteries would have to wait for another day. In the short term he needed to develop and execute a plan to keep Severus' name out of print. If his name were to be published, it would become much more difficult to win his release. At a minimum, his teaching career would be finished, even out of the country. Any school with the possible exception of Durmstrang would disqualify him over the arrest as part of it's hiring process due diligence.
The Prophet would not publish a name or print the face of a suspect until they have been charged, unless there had been a previous conviction. Thus of the five prisoners, only Tom Goyle could possibly be mentioned in the morning edition. Dumbledore would find out in about an hour. If, as he suspected, Snape was not mentioned by name, Albus would contact Amelia late in the morning, after the interrogations and wand testing.
Minerva joined Albus for breakfast. She sat down, took one look at him and asked, "What's bothering you, Albus?"
"Severus, three students and a known Death Eater were arrested yesterday attacking the Grangers at their home. No one was killed, or seriously hurt, but there are a lot of details to sort out."
"What was Servrus' role?"
"I'm not certain yet. I believe that there may be sufficient evidence and testimony for the Wizengamot to convict most or all of them."
"Albus, I'm going to ask you a question that you don't want to hear. You've said for sixteen years that you trust Severus. How can you be so sure? His actions over the years have put him so close to walking a fence line. How do you really know where his heart is? You must believe that he has participated in raids on muggles or muggleborns in the past. Some of his alibis are as weak as the American President's story that he never inhaled. If Severus were ever caught by either side, it came with the understanding that there would be a consequence. You cannot have a published Death Eater on staff. The outcry would make what you faced with Lupin's condition seem like a church picnic. Your position here isn't that strong right now. You may need to look at this situation in the light of being a greater good case, and accept a sacrifice."
Dumbledore sat in silence, waiting for his friend of nearly sixty years to finish.
"Who else knows the specifics of the attack?"
The three Grangers, Dr. Turnbull, Harry, seven Aurors, Amelia, Rita Skeeter, and her photographer. However, they may not all have seen Severus."
"Albus, fifteen people won't keep a secret, especially if fully half of them are disinclined to."
An owl fluttered to their table. They looked at the paper together.
Death Eater Attack Foiled
By Rita Skeeter
Five Death Eaters were captured red-handed yesterday during a raid on a Witch's home in West Sussex county. When Ministry Aurors arrived on the scene, several of the Death Eaters had already been stunned. The Auror Response Team led by Auror Nymphadora Tonks snared the rest. Amelia Bones, Director on the Magical Law Enforcement Division had this comment. "At 10:00 this morning we received news that a probable Death Eater attack was under way in Crawley. Five apparent Death Eaters were captured and will be taken into custody for questioning. There were no deaths or serious injuries. I will have more information for you as we get it."
This reporter was on the scene and noted that three of the Death Eaters appeared to be younger than the other two. Fully in co-operation with the Ministry, we are able to release this photo at this time.
Minerva looked at the photo of the five Death Eaters lying face down on the ground, handcuffed with their hands behind their back. "Let me guess, Snape, Goyle, Crabbe, Malfoy, and Goyle's father Tom."
"You are of course correct, Minerva. However, we were shown as much kindness from Ms. Skeeter as we could hope for. More actually. She certainly could have let more information slip by inference if she had chosen to.
"Albus, I recommend making plans to replace a second professor for September. The board of governors will almost certainly hear of this, and they will never allow him to return."
"Let us see how the day turns out, before we put out a position available notice. I will see you later."
… - …
Meanwhile, Amelia was preparing her list of questions to ask each of the prisoners.
What is your name?
When did you become a Death Eater? – Had the kids taken the Mark in school?
What was your mission yesterday? – She wondered how much they had been told.
Who else came with you yesterday? – Would anyone name Snape?
What spells did you cast? – This could confirm the wand ownership.
Who sent you to the Grangers? – This should identify who led the mission
How did you get there? – Apparition or portkey?
Where were you to go after the mission? – Would anyone name Voldemort's address?
Who selected the Grangers as targets? – Was this a school grudge, or something deeper?
Thomas Goyle was the first to be questioned under Veritaserum. Kingsley was doing the actual questioning.
What is your name? "Thomas Goyle."
When did you become a Death Eater? "1976."
What was your mission yesterday? "To kill the Grangers, burn their home, and lynch the witch."
Who else came with you yesterday? "Vincent, Gregory, Draco, and Mrs. Lestrange."
What spells did you cast? "Avada Kedavra."
Who sent you to the Grangers? "Draco selected the target. Mrs. Lestrange approved the operation."
How did you get there? "Portkey."
Where were you to go after the mission? "To report back to the Dark Lord."
Who selected the Grangers as targets? "Draco selected the Grangers."
Amelia wondered if Voldemort had give Goyle his 20-year Death Eater pin.
Vincent Crabbe was next.
What is your name? "Vincent Crabbe."
When did you become a Death Eater? "Two weeks ago."
What was your mission yesterday? "To burn their house, and kill the people inside."
Who else came with you yesterday? "Greg's Dad, Greg, Draco, and Mrs. Lestrange."
What spells did you cast? "I didn't cast any spells."
Who sent you to the Grangers? "Mrs. Lestrange took us there."
How did you get there? "Portkey."
Where were you to go after the mission? "Back to report to the Dark Lord."
Who selected the Grangers as targets? "Draco."
Amelia wondered if this kid even had the brains to cast a spell.
Greg Goyle was next.
What is your name? "Greg Goyle."
When did you become a Death Eater? "Two weeks ago."
What was your mission yesterday? "To kill the people, lynch Hermione, and burn the house."
Who else came with you yesterday? "Vince, Dad, Draco and Mrs. Lestrange."
What spells did you cast? "None."
Who sent you to the Grangers? "Mrs. Lestrange took us there."
How did you get there? "Portkey."
Where were you to go after the mission? "Back to the Dark Lord."
Who selected the Grangers as targets? "Draco."
Amelia knew that Greg had obviously inherited his father's intelligence.
Draco Malfoy was next.
What is your name? "Draco Malfoy."
When did you become a Death Eater? "Eight months ago."
What was your mission yesterday? "To kill the mudblood Granger, her parents, and anyone else that we found there. When we were done, we were to hang the mudblood from a tree in their back garden. I was going to have her gang-raped as well."
Who else came with you yesterday? "Bellatrix, Greg, Vince, and Vince's Father."
What spells did you cast? "Avada Kedavra and Reducto."
Who sent you to the Grangers? "Bellatrix was leading the mission. I co-planned the mission."
How did you get there? "By Portkey. Greg and Vince never learned to apparate."
Where were you to go after the mission? "Back to tell the Dark Lord of our success."
Who selected the Grangers as targets? "I did. She deserved it."
It sickened Amelia to believe that anyone could harbor so much hatred. She hoped that Draco would enjoy his time with the dementors.
Finally it was Snape's turn. Kingsley gave him the Veritaserum and waited a few minutes for it to take effect.
What is your name? "Severus Snape."
When did you become a Death Eater? "1979."
What was your mission yesterday? "To accompany Vincent, Greg, Draco and Thomas on a mission. I substituted myself for Bellatrix. I was trying to keep anyone from getting killed."
Who else came with you yesterday? "Vincent, Greg, Draco and Thomas."
What spells did you cast? "Reducto."
Who sent you to the Grangers? "I sent myself."
How did you get there? "I made a portkey. We all used it."
Where were you to go after the mission? "Back to Riddle Mansion."
Who selected the Grangers as targets? "Draco did."
Amelia handed Kingsley another list of questions.
How did you substitute yourself for Lestrange? "I slipped her a sleeping draft, and used Polyjuice potion to disguise myself as Bellatrix."
Does she know it was you who took her place? "I don't think so."
Why did you substitute yourself? "Bellatrix would have either killed everyone there, or gotten everyone killed trying. Years ago I had made a Wizard's pledge to Narcissa Malfoy to do what I could to keep Draco from getting killed."
Who cast Avada Kedavra at Harry Potter? Draco and Thomas…I'm not sure. I was just getting stunned by Potter.
Can you overcome the effects of Veritaserum? "Yes."
Is there a truth serum that you cannot overcome? "No."
"Thank you. Guard, we are ready to go."
It was nearly lunchtime.
On Monday morning, Hermione handed Harry the Daily Prophet. "Harry look at today's paper."
They looked at the article together and the photo together. Harry spoke first. "Goyle, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy and Goyle. Wait. Who is on the end? That isn't Bellatrix."
"That looks like a man with long black hair. Harry, is that Professor Snape?"
"Yup, I'd bet that it is. I can think of only one way that he got there. We left about 45 minutes after the attack, which was over within five minutes. If he'd taken Polyjuice, it would have worn off minutes after we left. The paper doesn't mention anyone escaping, and I'd stunned her first."
"Right. Oh Harry, this is awful. If he did try to kill you, what else has he done? If he didn't, he will have a horrible time convincing anyone. This will split the Order like a wedge. What time is Remus coming?
"8:00. That's twenty minutes from now. Let's get breakfast ready."
"We'll help. Did I understand that one of the attackers from yesterday was disguised in something other than those ridiculous masks?"
"We believe that it was Professor Snape. I'll cook the sausages. Hermione can you make the coffee? Dr. Granger, could you get the toast and jam? Dr. Granger could you get the juice?"
Harry, please call us by your choice of Mum, and Dad, Dan and Emma, or Mr. And Mrs. Granger. Doctor is too confusing."
"OK sir."
"Harry…"
"I'll work on it, Mr. Granger."
The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," said Hermione.
"Good Morning, Professor Dumbledore."
"Good morning, Miss Granger. May I come in?"
"Of course. Can we get you coffee or breakfast? Please sit down."
"Coffee please. Good morning Doctor, Doctor, Harry."
"Professor."
"Harry, I know that you have a busy day planned. If you take me to your property, I will cast a set of comprehensive protection wards for you."
"Yes sir. I am expecting Remus any minute. Can he join us?"
"Of course. Ah, here he is now. Afterwards I would like to hear about the events from yesterday."
Emma interrupted. There was no trace of her usual smile. "Professor, we would like to be in on that discussion too. I am curious to understand how three of your students and one of your professors came to the conclusion that murdering our daughter and probably the rest of us would make for good sport."
"Yes we should all talk about that. It may prove to be a lengthy discussion. Perhaps we could meet this evening at seven. Would that be convenient for each of you?"
"Yes. We look forward to hearing from you," said Emma
"I'll drive," said Remus. "It isn't far."
"Professor," asked Hermione, "How does warding work?"
"A good question Hermione. A ward is a spell that prevents an action from taking place at a location for a given length of time. For instance you can set a ward up at a location so prevent apparition, or to prevent a wizard or a muggle from seeing an object. If you recall at the world cup Quidditch finals, the stadium was warded with anti-muggle spells."
"Harry, in your case, since the area lower area of your building has a muggle pub, it may be best to ward the upper area from wizard eyes. It would work on a secret keeper basis, much like Grimmauld place. You would have to share the secret with any witch or wizard that you wanted to invite into your home. Anyone else would see a one-story building. Since you will only be here a few more weeks this summer, I recommend that any fireplaces not be hooked up to the floo network. I realize that would make visiting your friend Mr. Weasley more inconvenient, but you would be much safer. I also recommend warding the living space itself against apparition, or disapparition. The decision is, of course, yours."
"Thank you Professor. How long will the wards that you set up today last?"
"Harry, they will last at least a year. During the school year, I will teach you warding techniques so that you can protect your home yourself. Miss Granger, I will of course show you too."
"Thank you, Professor," they both said.
They unlocked the lower door and walked up the stairs. Harry unlocked the upper door, and they all walked in. Dumbledore tented his hands under his nose, closed his eyes for half of a minute, held his arms out to each side and turned around twice. The space glowed blue for just a few seconds, then the light disappeared. Dumbledore handed Harry a piece of parchment and asked Harry to write, Harry Potter's place is located above the Black Dog pub, on the parchment. He then asked Harry to show the people that he wanted to know where he lived the parchment, and to keep the parchment safe in his wallet. As soon as they walked out of the building this morning, Harry would be the only wizard to know the location, or be able to see the door leading up to his space.
"Now, Harry, Remus, and Hermione, I must take my leave. I shall see you at your parents' house this evening at 7:00." He walked down the stairway, and out the door, and disappeared.
… - …
Back at the Office of Magical Law Enforcement, when Amelia got back to her office after the interrogations, Dumbledore was waiting outside her door. "Dumbledore, I was expecting you. Please come in."
"Thank you Amelia. How is the investigation proceeding?"
"Quickly. The Veritaserum depositions were quite consistent. It appears that the graduating class of 1998 will be short several students."
Dumbledore ignored the remark. "Have the wands been tested?"
"Dawlish is coming here in a few minutes. Would you care to act as witness?"
Dumbledore nodded slightly. Dawlish walked in, and whispered a few words to Bones, and said "We are ready to begin."
Wand 1 marked property of Severus Snape - Reducto
Wand 2 marked property of Severus Snape - Portus
Wand 3 marked property of Severus Snape – Avada Kedavra
Wand 4 marked property of Vincent Crabbe - Scourgify
Wand 5 marked property of Vincent Crabbe - Cruciatus
Wand 6 marked property of Thomas Crabbe – Avada Kedavra
Wand 7 marked property of Thomas Crabbe - Silencio
Wand 8 marked property of Draco Malfoy - Reducto
Wand 9 marked property of Draco Malfoy - Avada Kedavra
Wand 10 marked property of Greg Goyle - Cruciatus
Wand 11 marked property of Greg Goyle - Cruciatus
"Thank you Auror Dawlish. Please file your report."
"Yes Director Bones. Good Day Professor." He left and closed the door.
"Well Albus, Your potions professor has got himself a rather sticky wicket. Potter and the Grangers are going to testify that three killing curses were fired at more or less the same time. Everyone believes that there were three Death Eaters in the back garden. All of the physical evidence is against him. Unless you come up with another confessing Death Eater that no one saw, I see no hope for him."
"Albus, I've heard the rumors in the past that Snape was acting in the role of Spy for your Order. Let's assume that much is true. Please don't say anything yet. Let's assume that everything in his deposition is true. The other Death Eaters we have don't know that Snape was there. Voldemort must known that his raid was scuttled – they all said that Bellatrix was to lead it and that it was a sanctioned raid. All Voldemort would have to do would be to have a roll call and see who was missing. If Snape went back, he would be dead."
She continued, "Please consider that Skeeter and Bozo know that Snape was there. Who knows whom they told. The Grangers and the other victims are not peasants that can be bullied. They're all well educated, muggle doctors. They're bound to go through the muggle court system if we let Snape off. Potter and Hermione would side with her parents in a blink. Severus Snape is screwed, pure and simple."
"To get him back as your spy, you would need to;
Convince Potter and the Grangers that there was another unseen person in the back garden.
Find the person who fired the third spell, and tossed their wand at Snape.
Convince Potter and the Grangers that Snape was there acting in their best interest.
Tamper with a mountain of evidence.
Find out who Skeeter and Bozo told.
Destroy all of the photographs.
Obliviate them and everyone that they told.
Invent some story for Snape to tell Voldemort that wouldn't get him killed.
Which still leaves you with the rather large problem that if someone believed that Snape was there, the published photograph would do nothing to dissuade their opinion."
"To keep Snape out of Azkaban you would need to do at least the first 3, which would still leave him with steep fines for possessing a second wand and Death Eater paraphernalia."
"To keep him out of muggle prison, you'd need to obliviate the entire Granger household. Is that what you really want to do? Albus, I'll sit on this case for 24 hours. You need to be back here with your plan by 9 AM on Tuesday. I do intend to charge the other four later this afternoon."
She concluded. "Albus, what makes you want to believe him so badly? By department reputation, he is a master oculmens. By his own admission, he has learned to overcome veritaserum. His actions place him in a sort of no mans land – not really on our side, not really on Voldemort's. Let's say that he has told you a hundred things in his role of spy. How many turned out to be timely, critical pieces of information? How much information did he have to give Voldemort in return? I recognize that I have a bias against using spies and double agents. Albus, in this case, I flat out do not trust your man. Read their depositions if you would like and leave them on the table behind you before you leave. Cheers."
After reading the depositions, Dumbledore left Director Bones office and went to the holding cells to talk with Snape and Malfoy. Perhaps one of them would have additional information. As it stood, Amelia was right, Severus was like a man flailing his arms in icy water, with few prospects for rescue in sight.
"Hello Severus. Have some tea. Are you OK?"
"Fine Headmaster. Thank you. I apologize to you personally for my actions. If you have a quill and parchment, I'd like to offer my resignation as Potions Master from Hogwarts."
"As you wish Severus, but that may not be necessary. I will hold it for you for a few days if you would like. Please tell me why you assumed Bellatrix's form."
"Draco's grand plan was to capture the Granger girl, gang rape her in front of her parents, lynch her, burn their home and leave her parents mortally wounded to die slowly. Years ago, I made a Wizard's pledge to Narcissa, that I would do what I could to keep Draco alive. I recently found out that Draco had taken the mark during the last winter holidays. Draco had obtained the Dark Lord's approval for the raid. If Potter's guard hadn't been there and called a warning, there's every reason to believe that everyone in the house would have been killed. It was Draco's miscalculation that Potter was in the house, and Jones was there. Unfortunately, Potter stunned me first with a lucky shot, and somehow they managed to hold the rest off until the Aurors arrived to save them. As such, I wasn't able to stun Draco, and the others, and then get away. It was my idea to have him arrested for a comparatively minor offense. Obviously I failed to execute my plan. Again I apologize."
"Severus, there were three killing curses fired at Harry, and one at Mundungus. Draco, and Thomas did the first two. Who cast the third curse?"
"I don't know sir."
"Who stunned Kingsley?"
"I don't know Headmaster. I didn't know that he was there too. We didn't stun him. I stunned Hestia to keep Draco from killing her. Bellatrix may have planned for an advance man to be there. Does Kingsley remember anything? Was anyone badly hurt, or killed?"
"If Kingsley saw anything, he didn't say. I haven't talked with him yet. Tonks informed me of the attack late Sunday evening. Mundungus was there as well, but suffered no lasting injury. Was Peter at the Riddle house when you left?"
"I didn't see him. Bellatrix may have assigned him as the advance man for the raid."
"Severus, what would you have me do?"
"Please accept my resignations Headmaster. I will not survive a week in Azkaban if they believe that I'm your spy. Without Peter or a witness that may have seen him, I'll certainly be convicted of casting the third curse. What defense would you have me use -Being under the affects of an Imperious curse? Potter knows that the three curses were fired simultaneously, and without evidence or a confession, you will never convince him or the others that there was someone else in the back garden."
"I will ask to see his pensive memory, as well as Kingsley's and Hestia's. One last question – Do you have any theories as to who may have attacked Mundungus?"
Snape asked, "Where was he found?"
"In the Granger's garage."
"A single person could have attacked Fletcher and Shacklebolt if they were fairly quiet. It certainly could have been Pettigrew. It seems odd that he tried to kill the one, and only stunned the other."
"I agree. I will ask Amelia to question both of them, and examine their memories. Do not lose faith, my friend. I will not accept your resignations, rather hold them for a week."
"Thank you, Headmaster. I do appreciate your help. Please remember that I did recognize the risk of my actions if caught, regardless of my intentions. Don't allow the Order or the others to become splintered over my fate."
"I'll do what I can, Severus. I will not abandon you. I'll inform the Order tomorrow, and I'll visit you again on Wednesday."
"Thank you, Headmaster."
Next, Dumbledore went to talk with Draco Malfoy. His opinion was that Draco carried a lot of pride, and kept a lot of anger bottled up inside. He believed Draco to be of at least average intelligence, but lacking in strength of will, and considered himself to be a young Don Juan. Draco had never had to work for anything, instead relied on people's fear of his father, or his money. The entire firefight couldn't have lasted thirty seconds, and Draco had wet himself. Perhaps he could be bullied into giving up some useful information.
"Good morning, Draco."
Draco sat up. His normally slicked back hair was unwashed. Being in wizarding jail, even 24 hours seemingly had not agreed with young Mr. Malfoy. A lot of his confidence seemed to have evaporated.
"Professor Dumbledore. What brings you here?"
"I'm here in my capacity as Head of the Wizengamot, an organization that, unfortunately will not take kindly to your recent actions. I'm here to ask you some questions. Shall we do this with, or without Veritaserum?"
"It is your choice, Professor. I will not lie to you." Some of the bored drawl seemed to have vanished from his voice.
"Very well. I will choose to believe you until you give me reason not to. Why Draco? Why did you choose to become a Death Eater?"
"Professor, It was my destiny. The Dark Lord will help us to purify the Wizarding world. It's not a position that a mudblood lover like you would agree with, but many others believe it to be necessary."
"You are aware that Tom Riddle's father was a muggle businessman. Not a squib, but simply a muggle. Wouldn't his heritage create something of an inconsistency in your way of thinking? Draco, Tom is as deranged a man as I have ever known. I am very disappointed that you have chosen to follow him. Do you remember the school closing ceremony from the end of your fourth year? My message was about choosing what was right rather than what was easy. That closing message was directed largely at you."
"Professor, you didn't come here to talk politics, or to win hearts and minds. What do you want?"
"Draco, I want you to tell me who helped you train for your mission against the Grangers?"
"Mostly I worked with Bellatrix. Occasionally I talked about it with Peter and Delores. The Dark Lord repeatedly asked if the house was guarded. Bellatrix and I had came by one time two weeks ago at lunch time to check. The mudblood and her mother were home alone."
"What other missions are being planned?"
"I won't tell you."
"Fifteen years is a long time to spend in Hell, Draco. I don't believe that you will survive six months. There is some sentencing discretion in cases where no one was seriously injured. Besides, I can use Veritaserum, and ask you at my leisure. You had many rights and privileges as an up-and-coming Hogwarts student that you do not possess as a prisoner."
"It won't be long before the Dark Lord wins. Besides you, there are no serious threats against the Dark Lord. Fudge doesn't have the stones to go to war."
"You may be right, but for now, I am sitting on this side of the bars, and you on that side. I'm going to have dinner with the company of two young ladies tonight. What are your plans? I will come back one last time Wednesday for your answer. Enjoy your day Mr. Malfoy. I'll have your OWL results sent to your new address."
… - …
Earlier that day Harry, Hermione, and Remus were waiting in the pub for the Harrods deliverymen to deliver his furniture and kitchen wear. Remus was very happy for his young friend. "After they drop your furnishings off, what else will you need?"
"We need some groceries, sodas, and butterbeer. I'd like to get some CDs, DVDs, a few gifts for the school year. I'd like to buy Hermione something special. We will need to get our school stuff as soon as the OWLs arrive. You and I should go shopping for some robes, and I would like to get Hermione a very special set of dress robes in case there is a school dance this fall. Are there owl-order catalogs we can use, or should we spend the next few weeks shopping?"
Hermione giggled quietly to herself. She really liked having Harry live so close to her parents' home. She had never had a summer boyfriend before, and was really enjoying it.
Talking quietly, they began to tell him the details of Sunday morning. Remus wasn't surprised that Vince, Greg, and Draco had chosen the path that they had. "I believe that they had chosen their side in life by the time that I had met them three years ago. I think the best that we can do is to provide them a fair education until they abuse their privilege. Perhaps Dumbledore could have mentioned his concerns to the ministry, but very few people wanted to hear that a rich man's son was going wrong. Fudge was so indebted to Malfoy that he would have had a deaf ear. It was the same when we were in school, but with Barty Crouch Jr."
"What about the others, Zabinni, and Parkinson? They are kids who're on the fence – their parent's aren't Death Eaters.
"I don't know Harry. It's different trying to teach facts or skills, from beliefs and values. You and Hermione have outstanding values. Surely you don't credit Binns or Tralawny?"
The Harrods truck pulled up. Harry went out to meet the drivers. "Hiya sunny. Is your mother home?"
"No sir, she is not available. I purchased those things. I live in the upper floor. Please leave everything in the big open space. I'll be waiting down here when you need me to sign the delivery receipt."
"OK Guv. No offense meant." The deliveryman probably didn't have very many not quite sixteen-year-old customers.
Harry thanked them when they had finished, and the three went up to decide where to put everything. Moving the bedroom furniture into each of the bedrooms made the pile a little smaller. Hermione giggled as Harry and Remus levitated the sofas and chairs from one spot to another, allowing her to decide where everything looked best. Harry really was glad that Director Bones had given him his magic license. Remembering lessons from little professor Flitwick, Harry exercised a perfect "swish and flick" with his wand.
The glassware, dishes and flatware took a while to put away. Harry vanished the packing material, and soon enough, they were working on hooking up the television, DVD player, and the CD player. The three of them were quite proud of themselves when they turned on the television, and the beeb appeared on the screen. Remus joked that they should exercise extra care in the event that Arthur Weasley came by. "He would have half of the flat taken apart investigating how everything worked."
… - …
Dumbledore left the holding cells and met up with Harry back at his home to see if there were any details in his memory that could clarify things. He was quite surprised how quickly Draco had implicated Delores Umbridge, and believed that he could prove to provide quite a bit of useful information in the future. Dumbledore helped Harry extract his memory of Sunday and place it in the swirling bowl of Harry's pensive.
Remus and Hermione announced that they were going grocery shopping, and would be back in an hour.
Harry made Dumbledore a mug of cocoa and opened a butterbeer for himself.
"Harry, I would like to talk with you about the attack at the Grangers."
"What's troubling you, Professor?"
"The wands. In my rather considerable experience, I have known only one man to bring three wands to a battle."
"Let me guess, Moody?"
Dumbledore grinned at Harry. "Correct. There were eleven wands found in total, seven of them in the back garden. I can think of only two logical explanations. One is that Severus may have acquired an extra wand, and had intended to stun his fellow attackers without exposing himself. The other is that there was someone else there that we do not yet know about. I am inclined to believe the second explanation is more likely because of the injuries to Mundungus, Kingsley, and Hestia."
Dumbledore conjured a chalkboard and chalk. "Let us diagram where the attackers were. He drew a rectangle to represent the house and another smaller square to represent the detached garage. Crabbe and Goyle would come in the front. Goyle Sr. Malfoy and Severus were in the back. By your recollection where were the attackers?" Harry drew the stick figures of the five. Where were Hestia and Kingsley?
Harry drew Hestia in the back of the garden, and Kingsley closer to the side of the house.
If you wouldn't mind, please list the major actions of the attack
Harry wrote on the chalk board next to the diagram.
Hestia shouted
Malfoy called
Emma called Director Bones
Snape broke the first kitchen window
I hit Snape
Malfoy, Goyle, and fired killing curses
Hermione and I hit Malfoy
The attack at the front door
The Aurors hit Goyle"
"Let's look at your memory. I will time it, and you watch for wands."
When Harry fired his first stunner at Bellatrix/Snape, there were no wands on the ground, and Snape only had one in his hand. When they fired at Draco, the only wand near Snape was the one that he had dropped. When they stood up the third time, a second wand had appeared near Snape. Draco's was by his side.
"Thus the wand most likely came from another Death Eater that was not within your field of vision. From Hestia's warning that the Death Eaters had appeared until the Aurors stunned Thomas Goyle was approximately thirty seconds. We can deduce that Kingsley and Mundungus were not stunned by Crabbe and Goyle. My theory is that Pettigrew stunned Kingsley and Mundungus and traveled to the back garden in his rat form to escape."
"Harry, I would never ask you to change your story, or tell a falsehood to the court. Severus certainly broke the law on Sunday and committed some minor offenses. He did damage Miss Granger's house and did not do everything that he could to stop the attack. Please believe that Severus did not cast a killing curse at you. Had you not stunned him, he probably would have tried to stun Draco and Thomas Goyle. Admittedly he did not have much of a plan. It is likely that your testimony will carry the most weight with the court. I will not say more of this now. Harry thank you for sharing your memory with me. You can not be forced to do so in open court, and no one will ask you to take truth serum."
He concluded. "I must leave now. Before I leave, I want to tell you how proud I am of you for having defended the Grangers so ably. Few of the Aurors would have done as well. Please enjoy your new home."
"Thanks. Good bye Professor."
… - …
Meanwhile, Remus and Hermione had driven over to the Tesco grocery store in Crawley. They were going up and down the isles, loading their cart with groceries, cleaning supplies, paper products, and the like. She asked him what sort of things he liked for dinner, brands of soap, and the everyday sort of stuff that he had been missing most of his life. Remus suggested that Hermione's parents could come over for dinner one night during the week, perhaps Thursday or Friday.
Remus could not remember a better few days in the last fifteen years. He was so happy spending carefree days with Harry and Hermione. He paid for the groceries, they bagged everything up, and found the car in the parking lot. Once they got in the car, Hermione turned to Remus, and asked "Remus, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Of course. You can always ask anything that you want."
"How much discrimination will I run into as an adult witch, being muggle born?"
Remus rubbed his face. "Ah, discrimination. There's a subject that is near and dear to my heart." He shifted the car back into park, and turned off the engine. "The wizarding world is much like what I would imagine a fancy country club to be. The old money people somehow think they are a little better than the new member who is self-made. They both pay the same dues, and on paper have the same playing privileges, but the old money players somehow are given the best tee times. The old blood wizards help each other's children start their careers, much the same I'm sure as in the muggle world. The attitudes vary. You would never notice it with Neville, but I'm certain that you would see it in his Grandmother. Your children would see none to a moderate amount, depending on who their father was."
He continued, "Hermione, is there a single doubt in your mind that Harry doesn't believe that you are completely worthy, and every bit as good as anyone he knows?"
Hermione blushed slightly. "Remus, you're right. I suppose that every girl has doubts about something - are they pretty enough, shaped properly, smart enough, you know. Before Hogwarts, I never had any real friends."
"Hermione, I do know what you mean. For twenty-six days each month, I try to be a decent fellow. For a few days and one night a month, I'm pretty tough to live with. I have never been able to get a decent job in the wizarding world, except for the year I spent at Hogwarts. My advice is to be aware that some people have small-minded attitudes, but not to dwell on it. I'm absolutely positive that Harry believes you to be a perfect witch – very pretty, smart, a great personality, and most importantly, you are willing to put up with him." He winked at her. "Just kidding."
"Thank you, Remus. I see the best in you too."
"Thank you. Let's get the groceries upstairs. Okay?"
"Okay."
They brought up the grocery bags and found places to put everything away. Remus asked Harry how things went with Dumbledore.
"Good. We watched my memories of the attack a few times. He thinks that there was another person there that tried to kill Mundungus, and stunned Kingsley. We're pretty sure that it was the attacker's wand that was found next to Snape. That was the wand used to cast the third killing curse at me. Dumbledore was going to check with Mundungus and see if he had gotten a look at the other attacker."
Remus asked if Hermione would like to stay for dinner. Hermione called her mum at her office from Harry's cell phone.
"Hi Mum."
"Hi Hermione. What's up?"
"Mum, would it be OK if I had dinner with Harry and Remus tonight? They wanted to have someone over for their first dinner at their new home."
"Who's cooking?"
"Harry."
"Good for him. Okay Honey. Please be home by ten."
"I love you Mum. Bye."
"I love you too sweetheart. We both love you. Have fun. Say 'Hi' to Harry."
One benefit of living at the Dursleys all those years is that Harry actually did know how to cook. This evening he made homemade pizza. He prepared a salad, set the table and soon they were seated. It really was good. They had a great dinner together.
For Remus, it was a dream come true to be living with those that he could honestly call family. He was grateful that Harry had agreed to his staying there. He really had lived a lonely life. Few people had ever really accepted him as a person, and most of those who had were now dead. With the gift that Sirius had left him, he could live a very comfortable life, but galleons in the bank wouldn't give him true acceptance. Harry was the brightest spot in Remus' life, and Remus was enjoying every minute. They really did enjoy each other's company. Having Hermione spend time with them was the icing on the cake. He'd had a wonderful time grocery shopping with Hermione. Her smile was contagious. She was a very happy young woman. Remus thought to himself, that this was the first time that he could remember grocery shopping when he didn't have a concern that he would have enough money to pay at the check-out. They had a great evening watching an old movie on Harry's television.
… - …
Meanwhile Dumbledore's conversation with the Grangers was not going as well as he had planned. With their daughter's absence, Emma was being rather candid.
"I don't care if he's James Bond. I am not going to ignore the fact that he led a team of four killers into my back garden. They tried to kill our daughter, her boyfriend, my best friend and my girlfriend, as well as myself. They were going to hang her from our tree, and do who knows what else. Professor, I have heard you use the term unforgivables – well my friend, that is exactly what our position is - unforgiving. If your wizard court lets him off, we will start with the British Police M5 unit and work our way up. Is there any part of what I am telling you that is ambiguous? Good. According to your newspaper, the idiots that he led here will get terms of fifteen years each. Being the charitable person that I am, I will settle for 2/3 of that at the prison of your choice. He can go free early if both Voldemort and Bellatrix are killed, and the kids are unhurt. I reserve the right to do an unannounced visit twice a year to verify that he's there. Do we understand each other?"
Emma was on a roll, and still gathering steam. Dumbledore let her continue without saying a word.
"I don't care if he made a promise to some spoiled brat's mother, or to the Queen Mum herself. He should have known better. A responsible parent or teacher would have put a stop to it months ago, or from what my daughter has told me, years ago. How many crimes has that kid been an accessory to? How many times has that snot nosed kid been aware of crimes to come, bragging all over school about his father's exploits? He's a sick son of a witch. Are you so afraid of those kids that you don't have the stones to expel them? Are you trying to tell me that your chemistry professor didn't have enough insight that these were very troubled, high-risk children? Was he too busy playing the role of "the bad guy" to offer the discipline and common sense that any responsible parent would expect from a boarding school head of house? Does he actually possess any teaching or parenting skills? Harry's aunt, rest her soul may have had the right idea – St. Brutus' School for Incurably Criminally Boys. Did you miss any of this?"
There was silence, and Dumbledore took it as his turn to respond. "You are of course right, Dr. Granger. There were and are what any objective person would term some "bad kids" at the school, partly because there are so few schools of its type. I must say, partly in an optimistic hope that a few of the marginal kids will make good choices, and turn their lives toward the light side that I always try to see the best in people. There were many who sought to expel Harry a year ago."
"Stick to the case at hand Professor. If by the grace of God and a lot of skill, Harry hadn't been able to protect us, what would your excuses have been? You have our terms professor. I'll give you a week to take action. Goodnight."
… - …
A half hour later, Harry had walked Hermione home. Remus remained a discreet distance behind. She kissed Harry at the door, and whispered, "I had a great time today Harry Potter. Thank you for letting me spend the day with you."
Harry told Hermione that he loved spending time with her, and that he could hardly wait to see her tomorrow. The both whispered, "I love you" at the same time. Hermione went inside. Harry walked back to Remus. Remus told Harry that he had found a great girl, and that he was so happy for them.
… - …
As Dumbledore sat in his office, he thought to himself, 'Sometimes there isn't enough cocoa on the planet to brighten my day. Perhaps Alberforth's idea of tending bar and watching his goats isn't such a bad life.' He decided that the Grangers' were remarkably rational in their position and insightful in Severus' shortcomings as head of house. Snape's excessive allowances of inappropriate behavior, either real or in his role as spy could not have been beneficial to any of the students, particularly the good kids whose politics were on the fence. Either Snape, or his replacement would need to act more in line with the rest of his team.