Hi there everybody. Thanks, once again to my reviewers and I am sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Also, thanks to my beta reader, Badbugz.

Okay, the next chapter will be out very soon, trust me. I have the chapter written out, I just need to send it to be betaed. 'The Secret' is wrapping up and there will only be a few more chapters.

Chapter thirty one- Azkaban? or Desperation

"Professor Dumbledore, did you have any idea that one of your own colleagues
was hiding Harry Potter right underneath your nose?"

"Headmaster, is it true that Harry Potter has gone over to the dark
side?"

"Did you help in disguising Harry Potter as Damien Snape, Professor?"

Dumbledore, Severus, and McGonagall made their way through the rapidly
growing crowd of reporters as they struggled to reach the doors of
Hogwarts.

Severus bowed his head, hoping that none of the idiot reporters would
notice him. He didn't think he'd be able to keep himself from killing the
people if they thought to badger him about Damien. Unfortunately, his wish didn't
come true. One of the reporters trampled over the hem of his robes, causing
him to stumble slightly. He grabbed onto Albus for support, which caused a
small highlight of him.

The uproar was almost as bad when they had first found out that Harry
Potter had somehow escaped from Hogwarts right under their noses. Nearly
every reporter tried to shove Dumbledore and McGonagall out of the way to get to him. They tried but only managed to get shoved roughly back by the
irate deputy headmistress while the headmaster watched with growing
annoyance.

"Professor Snape, is it true that Harry Potter is really your son?"

"Did you or did you not rape Lily Potter, Professor Snape?"

"Why leave him with his relatives, Professor?"

"Is it true that he is indeed a Death Eater, Snape?"

"Over here, Professor!"

Blinding flashes from the dozens of cameras went off, leaving Severus
dazed and not a little irritated.

"Mr. Snape! Look this way for a moment!"

"Over here!"

Severus growled and fingered the smooth wood of his wand as he saw red
spots dance before his eyes. Dumbledore, apparently, seemed to sense that.

"We will be answering no questions as of now," Dumbledore spoke calmly
over the barrage of questions.

That only caused more murmur to rise up. "Headmaster, why the secrecy?"

"I believe we all are entitled to our own privacy," Dumbledore said,
his voice hardening as he began to grow impatient. Severus looked as if he
was going to either have a stroke or pull out his wand and curse all of the
nosy reporters.

"Just one question!"

"Is it true that Harry Potter is Damien Snape?"

"Has Harry Potter gone over to the dark side, Headmaster?"

"Professor Snape! Is it true that Harry Potter has been your son all
this time and you have neglected your duties as a father? Why the sudden
care, Professor?"

Severus's control snapped and he yanked out his wand.

"Severus!" Dumbledore admonished.

Severus glared at him but didn't lower his wand. There was a burst of
noise and the cameras flashed madly at him. He growled in frustration, his
eyes automatically clamping shut at the sudden brightness. He raised a hand
to block it out, but they only seemed to flash more persistently at his
cringing form.

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, purple sparks issuing from his wand.
Silence fell immediately and some reporters even backed away.

Dumbledore stared at them with icy blue eyes, causing more to shrink
away. It was very seldom that you would see Albus Dumbledore loose control.
He took Severus's forearm and gently eased him to the door.

Minerva inconspicuously waved her wand, causing almost every camera to
explode in a small puff of black smoke. Exclamations of surprise and
anger rang out before she smirked and slammed the large door shut in their
faces.

"Now, was that really necessary, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked in a
slightly amused voice. He sobered, however, as he turned to his other colleague.

Severus had his arms folded as he glared up at the Slytherin hourglass,
which showed that it was in the lead by twenty-five points.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus…"

Severus scowled at the hourglass before turning to Dumbledore, shaking
his head. "He never has a break does he, Albus?" he whispered quietly.

Neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall answered.

The Potion's Master turned his back to them and stared at nothing in
particular. "Will he even be able to survive Azkaban anymore?" he asked
thickly. "With Lupin dead as well…" he abruptly broke off.

Dumbledore lowered his head in respect in memory of one of the men he
had considered a son. "Remus was a very good man," he said quietly, raising
his eyes to look at the man across from him. "Even you knew that. No one
would have ever guessed that he was a werewolf." He smiled bitterly. "That's
all he ever wanted, I suppose, to be treated like a human being instead of
being judged for something he couldn't control."

Severus and Minerva were silent. The former had his eyes averted to the
ground. "They're truly dead now, Albus," he said. "The Marauders are no
more; they're all dead now."

Dumbledore winced. "Not all of them, Severus."

"I don't think that either Black nor Lup…Remus considered him a
Marauder. They'd be insulted that you'd even suggest a thing." Severus paused and
continued what he had been saying before. "I have doubts as to whether
Damien is going to survive Azkaban again." He closed his eyes and
turned away. "He's just a boy, Albus, a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to be
just like everyone else. He shouldn't have to be worrying about a mass
murderer trying to kill him or being thrown in Azkaban because he tried to help
me." He shuddered. "Not to mention the fact that he has Remus's death as
well as Voldemort torturing him now to relive."

Minerva stepped up to him but didn't put a hand on his shoulder.
"Severus, Damien has your strength and Lily's determination. He will survive. He
is a survivor."

"Well that's easy for you to say considering you've never been in
Azkaban before!" Severus snapped, rounding on her.

"No, I haven't but I do know that your son is by far one of the most
strongest people I have met. His will is unbreakable, his strength
unlimited," she shook her head. "God, Severus, who would be able to
survive except him? We're not as strong as he is."

Albus took a step forward. "Yes, Severus, and Harry-"

"Damien," Severus corrected, turning his haunted gaze to him. "His name is
Damien, not Harry!"

Albus couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine at the ethereal look
on the other man's face. He looked so hopeless, helpless, as if he was
on his deathbed.

Nevertheless, Albus nodded slowly. "Of course. As I was saying, Damien
is not going to Azkaban."

Severus seemed to freeze, his black eyes suddenly very wide. He whirled
around to face the headmaster and grasped the man's robes. "What?" he
whispered hoarsely. "That's not possible, Albus. They will send him to
Azkaban."

Albus sighed, "No, they won't." He eyed the two teachers' impatient
gazes.
"You see, my dear Professors, what you do not know is that Minister
Fudge was killed at the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade. Hit by a stray
Killing Curse."

"He's dead?" Minerva whispered.

"Yes."

"Then what does that do to help Damien's situation?"

"Well, as you know, Dolores Umbridge was the deputy Mistress of Magic
so she is going to take his place."

Severus snorted. "Don't tell me she's going to give him a fair trial,
Albus. She hates him."

"I'm not finished, Severus," Albus told him and he scowled. "Anyways, she
probably would send him to Azkaban but since it was attacked-"

"It was attacked!" Severus exclaimed and Minerva glared at him.

"Yes, my dear boy," Albus nodded. "That was why Tom wasn't there at the
attack on Hogsmeade; there was another attack on Azkaban going on at
the same time. He freed all of his remaining Death Eaters in there and the
dementors are now truly on his side." He paused. "Azkaban no longer
exists."

For a moment, Severus felt relief beyond anything. Damien wasn't going
to Azkaban; he wasn't going to be around the dementors, he was going to be
okay. Dementors… He remembered the cold feeling of helplessness they
always gave him, making him want to die on the spot. He could still hear the
screams of his first victim as a Death Eater, a boy. He had been
ordered to torture and kill a boy who had been around Damien's age at the time. He
would never have to hear that again. Never. He felt an insane urge to
smile at that, before he remembered the second part. Voldemort had the
dementors….that could definitely prove to be worse. He felt a shiver go
down his spine. What if Voldemort caught Damien again? Would he torture him
by, not only Cruciatus, but by the use of the dementors as well? The answer
came to him immediately. Yes. Voldemort loved the sound of Damien screaming,
loved the sound of his cries and pained shouting.

Severus clenched his hands into tight fists as red spots appeared
before his eyes once again. He would kill him, kill him with his bare hands if the
bastard laid a hand on Damien. But he knew that his thoughts were
fruitless. He couldn't kill Voldemort, only Damien could.

All of the sudden he felt completely drained and incapable of seeking
any form of revenge on the monster he had once had the idiocy to call
'master.' What could he possibly do to help Damien in the final battle? He
couldn't kill Voldemort for him. If he could, he'd do it in a heartbeat if only
to spare his son the weighing feeling of killing someone, even if that
someone deserved to die more then anyone.

Once again, the feeling of helplessness washed over him and there
wasn't a dementor in sight.

&&&&&&&&&&

The first thing his muddled mind comprehended as he woke up was pain.
Pain shot through his eyes and to his head like liquid fire. He hissed,
clamping his eyes shut as he waited for the searing heat to fade away.

Damien cautiously peeked an eye open again before the other joined. He
was in a rotted jail cell. The iron bars were rusted dark red and the
concrete floor was wet with perspiration. As far as he could see, there were no
other cells in sight of his. He carefully climbed to his feet, swaying
slightly as he felt a rising nausea. Groaning he sat back down heavily, waiting for
it to pass with clenched teeth.

He breathed a sigh of relief before falling against the stone wall in
exhaustion as he eyed the cell, expecting to see Lisa Turpin or (he
shivered) Cho Chang, both who were still in Azkaban. He knew Cho was a
spy; she didn't deserve to be in this place anymore then Damien himself did.

But as he looked around at all the cells, each one empty, he couldn't
help but feel as if he should be colder then he really was. Where were the
dementors? Not that he wanted them to be here or anything, but he
couldn't help but feel that something was different about this place.

No.

This wasn't Azkaban; he could tell. The cells were too, while not
necessarily clean, they weren't as rotted as the cells were in Azkaban.
The torches that hung from the wall were still lit, they'd usually be burnt
out at the wizard prison.

Relief spread over him like warmth from a hot bath but it was
short-lived as another thought came to mind. If he wasn't in Azkaban, where was he?

Damien opened his eyes again and stared around the large room that was
filled when about a dozen cells. He couldn't recognize it but, then
again, he'd never been to a prison besides Azkaban, not even one with the
Dursleys.
He was startled from his musings as the bolted door opened.

Two wizards, both in Ministry robes, walked in. One looked
tight-lipped, and very stern, reminding Damien of a harsher, male version of McGonagall. The other was a younger man, looking very ashen and frightened as his pale eyes darted around as if he expected Lord Voldemort himself to jump out.
They approached Damien's cell and the older one spoke.

"Harry Potter, a.k.a. Damien Snape," he said in a strict but slightly
bored tone. "You have been accused of following You-Know-Who and practicing
heinous acts by means of being a Death Eater."

Damien blinked, but dared not breathe too loud, let alone speak.

"Penalty, of course, is lifetime in Azkaban without the involvement of
a trial," the wizard went on, glaring down at the boy.

Damien stared at him in confusion. Shouldn't this man be saying this in
front of the Ministry or something?

"However, as Azkaban no longer exists (Damien's eyes widened), that is
no longer possible. The next suggested penalty is death," he paused to
enjoy Damien's look of horror. "Unfortunately, our new Mistress of Magic has
no say about your penalty until she becomes the official Mistress so you
are sentenced to a trial to determine your penalty."

Damien let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. His
father's face flashed through his mind for a moment. Where was his father? Was
he okay? Hurt? Dead? He felt a knife cut through his heart at the thought
of his father being dead. Damien clenched his fists, his heart beating
faster.

"Your trial will take place tomorrow at ten thirty, so I suggest you
come up with something that might ease the weight of your penalty," the man
said snidely. "Though how that can be possible, I will never know."

Damien watched him leave dazedly before something occurred to him.
"Wait! What happened to Fudge?"

The older wizard continued on as if he hadn't said anything but the
younger froze like a deer caught in headlights. Damien gripped the bars of his
cell tighter. Maybe he could get the man to tell him if his father was okay.

"Minister Fudge was killed in the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade," the
remaining wizard told him nervously.

"What happened to Azkaban?"

"Y-you-Know-Who attacked it yesterday during the Hogsmeade attack," he
replied shakily. "He freed the Death Eaters and the d-dementors are now
on his side."

Damien resisted the urge to say "duh…" and instead asked quietly.
"Who's the new Mistress of Magic?"

"D-delores Umbridge," the young man glanced around, before turning to
go.

"Wait!" Damien yelled again once he had shaken off the shock and slight
fear of the news of the Mistress of Magic. "Please, just one more question.
Who….who else was killed at the attack on Hogsmeade?" he whispered,
almost afraid to know the answer.

The young ministry wizard hesitated. "A couple ministry wizards….a
professor at Hogwarts…" Damien's insides turned to ice. "…Remus Lupin."

Damien never would have thought that he'd feel relieved at the old news
on his defense teacher's death. His heart pulsed guiltily as he remembered
the cause of Remus's death. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the
concrete wall. How could he have forgotten about Remus? Remus, who had
given his life for Damien, like so many before him had. Like James Potter,
like Damien's mother, like Cedric Diggory, and Sirius…..

How many others would there be? Who else would die for and because of
Damien? Ron or Hermione? Ginny or Draco? His father or Dumbledore? His
heart clenched at the thought of any of his loved ones dying. No. They didn't
deserve to die, especially not for him. If anyone was going to die it
was going to be him, Damien. They all deserved a good, happy life and
Damien was the only one who could give them that.

With my luck, I'll have to die in order for Voldemort too, he thought
sagely as he absently watched the wizard make a quick exit. It was probably
true.
He'd never get a normal life, but if that was the price he had to pay for
his family (yes, his family) to live safely then he'd gladly give it
up.

'The price you pay for the people you love…'

&&&&&&&&&&

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, the headmaster would like
to see you," Professor McGonagall informed the brooding teenagers at
breakfast the next day before heading over to where Neville, Seamus, and Dean
were sitting. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other but Ginny continued
eating as if she hadn't heard anything.

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione said gently as she took the girl's arm. "You
heard the professor."

Ginny sniffed and turned to glare at her. "How can you not be mad at
them? They promised us that they wouldn't let anything happen to Damien and
now look what's happened…" She turned away.

"You can't blame what happened on Professor Snape-" Hermione began.

"It's not Snape that I'm blaming!" Ginny shrieked, her brown eyes
looking slightly wild. "It's that idiot of a headmaster we have!"

"Ginny!"

"What?" she snapped. "It is! It's his damn fault that Damien went back
to being Harry-"

"He would've had to do that anyways eventually, Ginny," Hermione told
her softly.

"Dumbledore could've just put him in hiding," she protested, stabbing
her sausage in half with her fork. "And he knew that! He just wanted his
precious golden boy back."

Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances. "Nevertheless, Ginny,"
Hermione said quietly. "We still need to go to the headmaster's office; it
probably does have something to do with Damien."

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "He's not dead yet." Hermione abruptly gave him a
sharp slap on the back of the head ("What'd I do!). "What Ron means to say
is that he still has a trial to go through. Remember what the Daily
Prophet said?"

"And here I thought the two of you had stopped reading it," Ginny said
scathingly as she proceeded to mutilate the now ground-up sausage.

Hermione bristled. "Now honestly, Ginny, you're really overreac-"

"Granger! Weasleys!" McGonagall called out sharply.

"Let's just go," Ron muttered, glancing sadly at his half-eaten plate
before picking up his bag and heading out of the Hall with Hermione, Ginny
trailing behind.

When Ginny entered the headmaster's office, her presumption that
Dumbledore was going to tell them that Damien had been sentenced to the death
penalty were immediately intensified as she gazed around the crowded office.

Neville was sitting nervously in one of the armchairs, looking worried
and confused. Seamus and Dean were on his left, sitting on a small couch.
Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were also sitting in two other chairs
off to Neville's right. Even Luna Lovegood was sitting dreamily in the
chair behind Lavender's. Ernie Macmillian along with Justin Finch-Fletchley
were seated on the available floor space in front of Dumbledore's desk.
Ginny nearly swallowed her tongue as she spotted Pansy Parkinson in a chair
way off to the left next to a window overlooking the Quidditch Pitch, which
she was currently staring out of.

Why would she be here? Ginny thought vaguely before sitting next to
Hermione on the floor.

Professor Dumbledore nodded to them all and stood up. Professors
McGonagall and Snape were standing behind him.

"Thank you all for coming," Dumbledore said, looking around at them.
"You are here because the Ministry has requested each of you as a possible
witness to be questioned at Damien's trial today."

A small burst of whispers escalated from the small group, but was
quieted almost immediately.

"But why all of us, Professor?" Hermione, of course.

"Because each of you have befriended Harry, or Damien, in some way,"
Dumbledore answered, surveying them all. "You do know that you will not
be given Veritaserum on the stand since you are underage, but I am hoping
thatall of you will be completely honest in all of your answers," his said
seriously as his blue gaze met each student's gaze individually.
"Harry's life is at stake, as you all know, and you may be able to help an
innocentboy escape yet another penalty that he doesn't deserve."

Ginny sat up a bit straighter as she stared around at her fellow
students impassively. If any one of them even dared to try and lie to get Damien
killed… She glanced over at her Potion's Professor and knew that the
man was thinking the same thing.

"You will all, of course, be excused from classes today," Dumbledore
went on. "The trial starts at ten thirty." He paused to eye Seamus's
slightly disheveled robes. "You have fifteen minutes to get ready and we will
meet back in here at ten fifteen to portkey to the ministry together."

"You can't just take us out of school like this!" Lavender exclaimed
suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at her and she blushed. "Er….can
you?" she asked hesitantly.

"I most certainly can, Miss Brown," Dumbledore told her. "I am the
headmaster of this school and the ministry requests each of you to be
present at the trial."

Lavender blushed deeper and ducked her head.

"You all may go now," Dumbledore informed them after his gaze left
Lavender. "Ten fifteen and do not be late!"

Only a couple of the students stood up to leave while most stayed
seated.

"Do you think any of them would actually want him killed?" Hermione
quietly asked Ron.

"Dunno," the male redhead replied. "A lot of them are rather at odds
with him," he shrugged, "either because he's Snape's son, or he's a Death
Eater, or maybe they just didn't get over all the rumors in the Prophet…"

"But, really Ron, to go as far as killing him? Isn't that a bit
extreme?"

"You'd be surprised."

Ginny tuned them out as she watched the three professors converse
quietly by the headmaster's desk. She wondered what they were talking about. Did
they actually believe that Damien would loose the case? She felt a shiver
run down her spine at the thought of him being sentenced to death. No, not
Damien, he was too strong too….defiant. He had been the Wizarding
World's hero for so long. How could they destroy a hero? Were they really that
stupid? Ginny shuddered; if the world was this bad now, then she could
only imagine the world that her children would be born into. For a moment, a
haze settled over her mind as she thought dazedly, If Damien dies, then will
I even have kids? It seemed absolutely impossible that she'd even dream
about being with anyone but Damien. He was the only one that she even thought
that way about anymore and the idea of her marrying or dating someone else
made her want to gag.

She watched dazedly as the other students filed back in, and they all
lined up to touch the three different porkeys their teachers had. She walked over
to Professor Snape and carefully placed a hand on the beater bat, feeling Ron and Hermione do the same. It comforted her slightly to know that
they were going to be there with her. If Damien couldn't be, then she'd much rather have them.

The last thing Ginny saw was Professor Snape's dark eyes boring into hers before the world melted around them.

A/N- Tell me what you think...