Revert To Type

Disclaimer: I own little to nothing of what it is named/referred to and am making even less from it.

Chapter 27.

>Arthur had not been happy with the idea of Remus having to be here this morning, and judging from his appearance now his misgivings had been well founded. He had stood up relatively well throughout the questioning until the not so gentle probing of his own son. They had had little choice but to watch as the colour drained from his face as he had not only had to recount what had happened while they were at school but also the incident with Sirius Black and Peter. As Remus took his seat he left it to Severus to reassure his partner while he tried to establish whether or not they were going to call someone else to the stand before they recessed. He could see that Amelia Bones had obviously clocked that Remus was struggling and could tell that she was watching them all carefully. Checking the clock he realised that it was in fact only a little past eleven and that they were in fact being more than slightly optimistic in their hope for a lunch break now.

"Right," The Chair began removing her gaze from the couple and reverting to looking not only between the two representatives but also the rest of her panel. "I think now would be a good as time as any for me to call a recess, lets say till, half past two. That'll give us time to contemplate what we've heard already. Panel dismissed." She added, standing and gathering her belongings before there was a chance for anyone to object. The general silence that had engulfed the public and press broke at that moment, the latter either running for the door to try and make a deadline or surging forward to get a picture or quote.

"Just keep your heads down and don't say anything." Arthur suggested ushering the two slightly shocked men towards the masses they were going to have to get through in order to reach the door from which they had entered. He forged his way through for them while Severus seemed almost protective of his partner. When it became clear to the journalists that they obviously weren't going to be saying anything particularly interesting they backed off and by the time they had reached the foyer they were more or less alone.

>They paused for a moment, and looking over Remus's shoulder checking for anyone lingering nearby, Arthur saw Molly approach.

"I was thinking that the best plan would likely be to floo back to the flat." Severus said quietly, he too obviously checking to see who was nearby.

"Probably a good idea." He agreed.

"You're more than welcome to join us." Remus offered sounding fairly steady and standing on his own two feet now. Molly came to stand next to him and placed a hand on his back.

"If you're sure…" Arthur began.

"You're both more than welcome, it makes sense really."

"Well then," Molly spoke up obviously slipping into her motherly role. "I'll go and pick up some bits and pieces for lunch and meet you there then." It was not a suggestion so much as there were orders and no one thought to dispute her.

>Severus stepped through the fireplace first and after having given him a moment to re-set the floo controls, Arthur followed. He stretched out his back and stepped forward and away from the grate as the sound of Remus arrival filled the room. He turned around to greet him and was just in time to see him stand just prior to Remus' eyes suddenly began to roll back in his head as his knees crumpled sending him toward the floor. Severus who was already across the room was back by his side in an instant, though by the time he hit the ground Remus seemed to have come back round.

"Ok, don't worry…" Arthur was surprised by the tenderness in the potion master's voice as he knelt down and brushed the hair out of the Werewolf's eyes.

"Uhhhh…"

"Yes well, somebody didn't want to take their potion this morning." Severus said with mock irritation barely covering his affection.

"Makes me sleepy." Mumbled Remus trying to push himself upright.

"Yes well, maybe that would the best idea right now. Arthur," Severus asked looking up at him.

"Yes?"

"If you go out into the corridor and go through the first door on the right on the opposite wall, you'll find my lab. If you could bring the large opaque bottle on the first shelf…"

"Of course." Arthur replied already on his way out of the room by the time that Severus was helping his partner up onto his feet.

>Arthur fetched the concoction that he suspected the Slytherin had made especially for Remus and when he came back out into the hall could see where Severus had taken his partner as the door was still open.

"Here you go." He said as he stood in the door offering them the bottle.

"Thank you." Remus said, as Severus took it from him and pouring out a measure into a glass he had picked up from the bedside table. The werewolf was sitting, propped up by pillows looking somewhat sheepish.

"Drink up and I'll wake you in time to have lunch before we head back." Severus said, waiting before he took back the glass, giving the other man an affectionate shoulder squeeze before retreating and turning out the lights. Molly arrived at the door shortly afterward with several bags of food and soon set about the kitchen as he and Severus sat at the kitchen table with cups of coffee.

"He's not usually this bad, but he hasn't been sleeping well and he didn't take anything this morning. He has a point in that it tends to make him somewhat dopey."

"Well, never mind dear, I'm sure he'll feel much better when he's had a sleep and you'll be much better off after some lunch." Arthur turned his attention in turn upon his wife and the professor as the prior bustled around the unfamiliar kitchen and the later played listlessly with the dregs of his coffee.

"In all honesty Arthur," Severus began looking up suddenly. "What do you think our chances of success are?" Arthur didn't know quite what to say, after all they were all well aware of the odds that were stacked against them and up until now neither of them had seen fit to ask him exactly what he thought their chances were, as if it was never a question.

"Honestly – I really couldn't say at this point. In order to get a decision in your favour you must get a three-quarters majority of the panel to decide for you. Now there are seven of them including Amelia Bones, so we need five including Amelia, she caries the deciding vote…" It sounded an insurmountable task when he thought back to the faces that watched them from the bench.

"I think you're both being far too pessimistic." Molly declared as she places plates of fruit, salad, bread and cheese before them. Arthur looked up at her quizzically at once not understanding what it was she meant and being buoyed by her unending ability to surprise him. She would work her away quietly in the background but all the same she would be mulling things over, and in the end provide a brand new perspective on things that was often invaluable. Seating herself down, she poured water for both of them before folding her hands neatly in front of her plate and expanding on her previous statement.

"Well look at it this way, all things considered I would say you've got Amelia's vote straight off which is going to be a big help. Now I'll admit that there's no way on this earth that you'll get Umbridge to support your application so that's one either way but don't forget the weight behind Amelia's choice. I suspect, though I may be entirely wrong, that Simon Finknottle is gay and by the way he was looking at Remus I would suspect you might be facing a little competition Severus, which I would say is going to be an advantage for you in the end. It's fair enough to assume that most of the others probably weren't on your side to begin with but if at least a few of them aren't turned by what Albus and Poppy have to say then I'd be genuinely surprised. Then there's at least one ummm Margo Vale, I'd bet she was a mother and if Anna's it brought into the court I'd guarantee that she'll support you whether because she has a chance to see how good the two of you are with her or whether she can't bare to think of the child returning to the custody of the Ministry the result would be the same…" She paused for a moment, looking down at the table before back up at towards them and making sure to catch both their eyes before she spoke again. "Don't get me wrong – it's not for certain and it wont necessarily be easy. But there is a chance – a good one that you've got to grab with both hands and hold on to with every ounce of strength you have." She was so compelling he felt for a moment as though it had been she who had seen the shell of a child that had cowered in that quarantine room and he was reminded so vividly of what it was they were fighting for that he wanted to weep for her. "Now you all did stunningly well this morning," She began again, "despite that idiots best attempts. Dig in won't you?"

>When more than an hour later Severus went to wake Remus he was, as had been predicted, looking far better and having apologised unnecessarily he sat down to more than an ample spread. Their return to the courtroom was far less orchestrated than their original entrance. There was a far louder buzz of excitement running through the watching masses as they entered unannounced and took their seats with a good five minutes to spare. They kept their voices subdued, Arthur very aware that not more than two meters behind them sat the reporters who would undoubtedly be clamouring for some titbit of information or the other that the rest hadn't caught. Right on time the panel emerged from the door behind the long table and took their seats.

"It would seem that the Minister's representative has yet to arrive…" Amelia began but was interrupted by the bang of the doors being flung open followed by the sound of feet running down the aisle.

"My apologies to the chair." He muttered as he settled behind his desk before sitting. It was plain to see that the Chair was not best pleased.

"Mr Weasley, you are…" She checked her watch. "Almost four minutes late. I would thank you not to hold these proceedings in such disregard in future."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Well, I was going to allow you to have first question of the applicants two referees but I think that you'll play second fiddle thanks to your tardiness." Percy only nodded in response to this but Arthur was almost certain that his son was not overly upset about this 'punishment'.

"In that case," Amelia continued. "If Professor Albus Dumbledore could please take the stand." This time when the door at the back of the room everyone turned to watch this living legend walk down the aisle. Again, there was a murmur of interest throughout the room as his regal purple robes billowed behind him as he walked. Having known the man now taking the stand for quite some time, it was plain to Arthur that what was before them now was barely a shadow of that man. He had no doubt that Albus would fight Anna's corner, that he would love her and cherish her all the same but it was clear to anyone who could see that he would miss Minerva terribly.

"If you could confirm your name, date of birth and occupation for the records?" She asked.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. 29th of February 1840. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Thank you." Amelia said before gesturing for Arthur to once more take the floor. He greeted the Headmaster with a slight nod before he began.

"Could you please start of by giving us a brief impression of your relationship with Minerva McGonagall?" He asked after a moment.

"Objection! What possible relevance does that have to the question of whether Snape and Lupin are the best possible guardians for 246.01?"

"It has relevance as I am trying to establish what kind of motive that Professor Dumbledore might have to speak either way." Arthur retorted instantly.

"Do continue Mr Weasley." Amelia said indicating he should return to his witness. In turn he turned to Albus. The quiet sadness in his voice and eyes as he spoke so earnestly of how they had met through her work at the Ministry almost sixty, how he had suggested her consideration for the post of DADA professor. The quiet understatement giving more than enough of a hint of what he obviously felt for his wife in all but official record, to serve as a reference for his words to come.

"So it would be safe to say that you cared for her deeply?" He asked hating his bluntness but knowing that having him put it in to words would be helpful none the less.

"More than she or anyone else could ever know." He said, the intensity of the feeling behind the statement almost like a physical force as it swept through the room. "She didn't have a particularly easy life, even at an early age… I suppose that might be why I'm so determined that Anna should get the best possible start."

"Thank you." He said taking a moment to contemplate his next question. "In that case what can you tell us about Severus Snape?" This time it was the older man who took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"I had only a little sense of what a vital role that Severus would play when he was a student but when he sought out the castle that night in 1981…" He trailed off for a moment. "It was the school holidays and Minerva and I were the only ones in the castle at the time. When the wards alerted us to a visitor on the grounds we went to go see what was going on only to be confronted with this wreck of a boy. At first I was certain that he had been seriously if not mortally wounded, but he was adamant he was fine. Over the next few hours he poured out his heart, perhaps seeking for absolution at the very least some comfort and most importantly to try and do something to begin his repentance."

"Who was it that suggested that he go back to the death eaters?"

"It was my idea, one that Minerva found totally abhorrent, but he readily agreed just as he did when I asked him to return at the start of the second war."

"In your opinion could you have had the success you did without the information he gained and planted during both of these wars?"

"That is a question I asked myself many times when I saw just what living that life did to him. Yet, I am certain that our task would have been harder, that the war could well have lasted longer, resulted far more casualties and perhaps in the end have led to our defeat if it were not for his efforts." Once again he paused to allow this information to sink in.

"Do you trust him?"

"I trust him with the care of my students and would entrust my own life to him in an instant. He may not be the model of what most of us think of when we think of a teacher but he has shown time and time again that his style was what was needed in Slytherin House over the last fifteen years. He trod a very fine line of keeping several of the most vociferous parents happy and simultaneously managing to guide many of their children away from the draw of the dark. Besides, over the last three years I think there's been a spectacularly beneficial change come over him."

"Could you expand on that?"

"Well let's just say that Severus, for one reason or another has built many barriers around himself over the course of his lifetime, Remus has managed to penetrate them and in turn some of those guards have come down. I think the benefits are plain to see and have been advantageous to everyone who knows him. Not that he can't be more than a little prickly at times, but from what I know of Anna's past up until now, I suspect that's why she took an instant liking to him, he reminded her of her father. Anna has served to bring Severus further out of his shell and I genuinely believe that they would be wonderful for each other."

"You believe that Severus Snape and Remus Lupin would be the best people to look after Anna?"

"Without a doubt."

"No further questions." Arthur said with a general feeling of satisfaction. As much as these things could, that had gone as he had planned, and he had managed to get across the points he was hoping to with minimum discomfort to all parties.

>Having been given his leave by the Chair of the panel Percy seemed to take his time arranging his papers before standing.

"Professor," He began, pacing, his chin tucked into his chest and hands clasped behind his back. "Did, or did not, Severus Snape join the ranks of the Death Eaters of his own accord?" There was a pause, not uncomfortable in and of it's self but yet he could feel the Slytherin beside him stiffen next to him.

"As a young man he made a mistake that he's done his best to correct ever…" Albus began before his son turned on his heel to face him and slammed his hand down on the guard that ran around the stand.

"Answer the question Professor!" With a set face showing nothing but disappointment Albus did what he had no choice but to.

"Yes."

"No further questions." Percy said returning to his seat with an air of success that almost turned his father's stomach. An unnatural silence settled over the room, as though it's inhabitants could not believe what had just happened. In all honesty Arthur himself could barely comprehend what had just occurred. It was certainly a bold move from Percy if nothing else, whether it would be successful or not he couldn't say but it certainly had packed a punch. There was an odd combination of restrained anger, power and complete sorrow shrouding the headmaster as he stepped down from the stand and left the courtroom and despite his best efforts, Arthur could not catch his eye to try and reassure the older man. None-the-less he suspected Molly would be waiting outside to distract him if nothing else.

"Right then," Amelia Bones said, breaking through the atmosphere, "If Poppy Pomfrey could step forward." She said, and once again the character witness arrived from the back of the hall and once again the Chair indicated that he should take the first opportunity to question her. He asked her first about her role at Hogwarts and then about her relationship with each of the three individuals on whom this case pivoted. He asked her about the interactions she had observed between Severus and Anna, and stood back to let her speak quite eloquently not only about the child's nervousness and the fashion in which she gravitated towards the potion master. She told them of the afternoon she had spent in the bathroom with the child gently coaxing her out of her shell and made it quite plain to the panel that in her professional capacity as children's medic she could not understand why Anna was being held in a such a stressful, clinical environment, or stress how much damage this would likely do to her at such a vulnerable age. This caused the first outburst from Dolores Umbridge all day, something that he had expected much earlier.

"The witness is here to provide testimonial on the character of the applicants, she should not be discussing 246.01 at any rate and certainly not deigning to discuss her care, which she can't possibly know anything about." Amelia Bones did not look best pleased at this interruption but Arthur understood that she had no option but to request that they return to the point.

"In your professional capacity is there anything about either of the applicants that you think would effect their ability to be active parents?"

"Not really. There is of course, the obvious issue with Remus but I don't see why that should have a catastrophic effect on his ability o look after Anna. There are of course going to regular times when he wont be on top form but you're talking about perhaps two days a lunar cycle and the fact that he's in attendance here today shows that he's certainly not totally incapacitated. Besides there are advantages in and of the fact that werewolves are in general far less likely to get ill and have a longer life span than even your average witch or wizard. So in essence all you're doing is exchanging a series of predictable minor ailments for a longer and generally more healthy life."

>Poppy made her point well but as he once more took his seat his sense of foreboding in relation to what Percy was about to embark on. Having been given permission, Percy stood and yet again, seeming to relish in the attention that settled upon him as he made his way out onto the floor.

"Is, or is not, Remus Lupin a werewolf?" He asked in a very grave fashion.

"I never disputed that fact." Poppy replied firmly, obviously refusing to be cowed.

"And are or are not, werewolves, by their very nature, a danger to normal individuals whether they be adults or children?" Arthur went to object but Amelia got there first.

"I've warned you about the manor which you use in this courtroom once today already Mr Weasley – I won't make it a third." Percy nodded briefly in her direction before simply turning back to the medi-witch.

"Well of course, but I'm sure you've heard already that there are measures which Remus takes on every full moon, locks himself away despite the fact that thanks to the wolfsbane potion he has total control over the wolf's body."

"We've also seen however that he can't be relied upon to ensure this is always the case." His point was clear but yet he went on to labour it. "Can you tell the court what would happen to someone, a young child for example, who came across a werewolf on the fool moon, who was not under the control of the wolfsbane potion?"

"Objection!" Arthur said, standing swiftly, feeling at once Remus abject horror and Severus' anger rising next to him.

"I have every right to try and convey to the panel the possible problems with placing the individual with the applicants." Percy countered straight off. The Chair didn't say anything for quite some time.

"Objection overruled. I'd advise you to tread lightly however Mr Weasley." She said eventually and Arthur all but fell back into his seat.

"Madame Pomfrey?" Percy chided when the other women made no move to answer the initial question.

"If they were bitten they would become a werewolf also." She stated hollowly.

"That's always assuming that they survive the initial encounter though isn't it – after all Mr Lupin himself said that he was lucky to have survived the incident left him Lycanthropy…"

"Enough Mr Weasley!" Amelia Bones was at the end of her rag it seemed. "Would you kindly retake your seat. Thank you for your help Madame Pomfrey you're now free to go." She paused long enough for Poppy to leave the stand, flash an apologetic smile at them and head for the door before she continued. "Having consulted with the panel during the earlier recess it became clear that many of them are keen to have Anna…"

"246.01." Interrupted Umbridge.

"Also known as individual 246.01," The Chair continued with barely concealed irritation. "come to court and have a chance to see her for themselves. Having established that, I have made enquiries to fulfil my own requirements, after all I see little point in subjecting the child to this ordeal if we cannot have an impartial translator present in order that she can in fact communicate with us. I have found someone fluent and willing to help and have also applied to close the court room to public and press alike for the duration of her presence but will have to wait for a higher authority to grant or decline me this. In the meantime we recess until tomorrow morning when council will report to my chambers at 9 o'clock sharp to find out the state of proceedings. Hearing dismissed."

As Arthur gathered up his papers he contemplated what he well knew would be the make or brake of their case, how Anna reacted to the sight of her 'Daidein and Moony' would leave an indelible mark on the panel's minds. Having seen the shell of a child at the weekend and having heard what she had been like previously he was quietly confident that despite the trauma that the process of bringing her to court might have on her that this could be the final helping hand they needed to win.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this! Thanks to those of you have been reviewing PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!

It might also interest you to know that Anna will appear in the next chapter so keep tuned. ;)

Thanks again

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