Disclaimer: If you sue me, all you will get is about twenty pound and nice collection of DVDs. So don't bother.

A/N: Snape has been bothering me ever since I read HBP. So I decided to get Hermione to work him out as she is a genius know-it-all. If it sounds like a load of rubbish please say so, at least that way I can take it off and bin it.

Deciphering Snape

The autumn leaves had begun to fall all around The Burrow. It had been months since the death of Albus Dumbledore and the shadow still refused to lift itself from the air. Ever since Hermione had gone back to The Burrow, something had irked her about Dumbledore's death and the way it was conceived. Before they had gone to Godric's Hollow to see Harry's parents' graves, Hermione tried to search for any old articles about Snape which might have given her an insight into the man's life, and what lead him up to killing the old man. The man that had taken him in, when everybody else would have seen him rot in Azkaban. The man who fought for his innocence. The man who gave him a job, a life. But time was of the essence and Hermione was left with nothing but a short article from the Daily Prophet about a woman named Eileen Prince who had married a Muggle called Tobias Snape.

Well, at least that explained the Half-Blood Prince theory, Hermione thought wistfully. But why did he do it?

But why?

Those two words had circulated her mind ever since that fatal night. Why had he done it? Why did Snape really kill Dumbledore? If he really hated Dumbledore, he would have done it sooner. He's a clever man. Snape would have had fifteen years worth of time to plot and kill Dumbledore. If he laid low for the past thirteen years, Snape still has had two whole years since Voldemort returned. Why that night?

Hermione stood gazing over hills and the fields surrounding The Burrow, mulling over everything that Harry had said about Severus Snape. She had even got him to reflect on the occumency lessons that Harry had taken with Snape, especially when Harry broke into Snape's mind by accident and saw a glimpse of the man's memories.

"Memories of a little boy who was crying in the corner while his mother argues with his father…Snape as a little boy shooting fly's out of the air with his wand in a dark room…"

Dark room… Basement…Dungeons. Snapes lifestyle. Black clothes, Dark Arts, Potions…His mother must have loved him.

His mothergave him her book on potions, she protected him from his father.

His father...

Was he abusive? Hermione wondered. He must have been. That would explain the hate. But why? Hermione recalled what Remus had said about Snape as a kid. How he described him. Looking down at her note pad, she saw the words 'Scruffy', 'faded robes' and 'tatty books'. Could his father have been unemployed? Like most men, Tobias Snape would most proberly have drowned his sorrows with a bottle of whiskey and lashed out at who might have caused it. So that explained why he was abusive.

But to Severus? What had Severus done to deserve such treatment? Was he the result of unemployment?

If Eileen Prince's family were a proud pureblood family then she would be left penniless. By having a child that would have reduced money. It would have cost him. It was all Severus's fault hence the anger towards him. His mother would have protected him from such attacks and prepared him. And when he got to Hogwart's? Well, all the kids hated him because he had never really socialized.

He didn't know how to, Hermione thought with despair. Even forty odd years later, he still doesn't know how to socialize properly. That would have made him a loner. After eleven years alone, he would have adapted to the 'loner' title. He didn't need friends. He was too clever for them. That made him an easy target for being bullied.

Hermione looked down at the Daily Prophet that lay across the floor. Snape was a front-page headline, his moving picture showed him to be sneering at her, his black curtained hair falling over his face. Bending down, Hermione picked up the picture of the most wanted man in Britain. Walking slowly over to the wall, she pinned Snape up and stared at his scowling face.

"Did you really hate Dumbledore or did you kill him on orders?" Hermione muttered to the picture. Snape turned his head and glared at her. Hermione sighed but kept a fixed gaze on the picture of the man in front of her. "No, of course you didn't hate Dumbledore. But why did you kill him? What made you turn to Dumbledore in the first place? Did Voldemort ask you to spy when you overheard the prophecy? He wanted the whole thing didn't he? So he asked you to go into Dumbledore's fold and pretend to reform your self. "Why did you join the death eaters? It was because of your father, wasn't it? You hated your father because he hated you. He thought you were nothing but a wuss. A coward. But your mother didn't did she? No, she thought you were a very clever young man who was a little over sensitive. Sensitive..."

Hermione stared right into Snape's cold black eyes. Sensitive.

"You joined the death eaters because you wanted respect. Revenge for what the world had done to you. For what your father had done to you. And once you realised what you had done, you were too far in the projects to get out. You grieved for the people you killed, but you carried on because you are not a coward. But when Voldemort asked you to spy, you took that as your opportunity to reform yourself, to prove yourself. After all, you never went in by your free will because you're not a coward.

"Do you regret killing Dumbledore?" Hermione asked the picture of Snape who was still glaring at her with disgust. "Yes you do, don't you? You're sensitive. You regret it. But why did you do it? Certainly not for yourself, for Draco perhaps? Yes, for Draco. You did seem to favour him a lot. But why?"

Hermione arched her eyebrow as if listening to Snape's reply to her question.

"He was special to you? But how? Was he you're godson? Yes, I think he is, isn't he? He's you're godson. You have been trying to dissuade him from the projects for a long time. But Lucius kept dragging him in more, offering him an empty promise of glory and respect. Not only that, Lucius could not give a damn about his son's welfare. Only what he grew up to be. Like most purebloods, he cared more about his dead ancestors than he did the living. It was Narcissa that cared for him she spoiled him rotten. So, you took the unbreakable vowel because Draco is you're godson and Narcissa cared for him. Same scenario as you. You both grew up with a father that didn't love you, that expected better of you. You felt drawn to him. You saw the similarities between you and took him under you're wing. He's like the son you never had. And you like Narcissa because she has stood by her son; she also shows you some respect as well."

Hermione began pacing up and down near the wall, trying to place everything she had just said into perspective. Kicking an empty cardboard box out the way, she started to imagine and piece together what happened the night Dumbledore died.

"So, you run up to the tower where Draco is. You know that he will never kill Dumbledore, so you save him from his fate. That's why you took that vowel. You knew Harry was there as well, didn't you? You saw the two broomsticks; you put two and two together and knew that Harry was under his invisibility cloak. You leave him there; it's obvious he can't do anything because you know Harry is stupid enough to stand and fight to save Dumbledore. You have already, by the look on Dumbledore's face, realised that sometime soon he is going to die anyway. So you kill him. Avada Kedavra, quick and painless, then you flick him off the tower for effect. If you left him there, it would be pointless. No heroic stories of Snape, so you flick him off the tower to prove that he is really dead and to give it the dramatic effect."

Hermione started to act it out as if the whole scene lay before her. Flicking her hand, she lifted her head up and down as if she were Severus Snape. Pretending to grab thin air, she ran across the room acting out the escape.

"Now you know Harry is following you. You see him trying to flick spells at you. But you bounce them off effortlessly because you are a genius when it comes to duelling. Harry is doing pathetically so you give him a little advice: "Keep your mouth shut and your mind closed…" But he calls you a coward, he tells you to fight back. That triggers a memory of you father, doesn't it? You go mad and lose your self-control that you have tried to build up over the years. You almost hit Harry. So, if you were really the bad guy, why didn't you take Harry with you?"

Hermione ran back over to the wall that Snape's picture was on. Putting her hand on her head and turning around, Hermione brushed her fringe back, thinking. Turning suddenly, she strode back up to the wall.

"Because you are giving him the chance to kill Voldemort. You know most of the prophecy and you are clever enough to fill in the gaps. Dumbledore would have wanted you to save Draco from an awful fate. So you killed him instead. As soon as you saw Dumbledore, you knew he was dying and there wasn't anything you would be able to do for him. Or did you? You weighed up the pros and cons of the situation. Who was more important? You or Dumbledore? Live or die? The answer was obvious. YOU were more important. You could save Draco and Harry and then keep spying for the light side. But who would believe you on the light side? Harry? Definitely not. Me? Perhaps…or Remus?"

Hermione stared at the wall for a few seconds before getting back to her tirade.

"Remus Lupin, everyone's favourite werewolf. But you know he is spying for the light side, so why don't you tell the dark lord? Because he is our only chance at getting information about the dark sides plans. Anyway, you hate werewolves! You don't want to associate with them! EWWW!"

Hermione screwed up her face in disgust and waved her hands around. She then looked at Snape's picture and walked towards it until she was standing very closely to it.

"Why do you hate werewolves? It's not because of Remus. It runs deeper than that doesn't it? Yes, a werewolf attacked your mother, didn't it? A werewolf killed her, so you despise the whole damned species. Anyway, somehow, you decided that one of us was going to realise that you were still on this side. You're a genius. But you still haven't answered my question,"

Hermione gave Snape's picture a stern look, putting her hands on her hips, as if he were a child she was about to scold for not doing his homework.

"Why did you do it? What's in this for you? You are definitely on our side, but you killed our leader and went to their side. All for Draco. Why? Because you don't want him to end up like you did. You want to protect him, but also, you can help Harry. Why Harry? You despise him! Oh, you want to protect Draco. It all comes back to him doesn't it? Yes, because even when the dark lord is gone, people will still want this blood. He's a Malfoy after all, a traitor just like you. Yes, you are still on our side. You want to help, but we have to contact you. But how? We don't know where you are, what you're up to or anything? We have to spend ages searching for you, yes indeed. You are the innocent victim, here. Dumbledore was old and dying so you helped him along the way. You will help us, I know you will. We have to gain you're trust, just like you have to gain ours. A game of cat and mouse."

A sudden clapping came from behind Hermione and she started. Spinning around to see who had interrupted her thoughts, Hermione came face to face with some of the order. Remus, Charlie, Tonks, Ron, Ginny and Moody were all staring at her with a mixture of admiration and hope on their faces.

"Well done," Remus said to her astonished face. "A brilliant conclusion, as always."

"How much did you here?" Hermione whispered, still rooted to the spot with a mixture of shock and embarrassment. She had been caught talking to herself and to a newspaper cutting.

"Most of it. I heard a lot of movement so I came to investigate, everyone else followed as they wondered what was going on," Remus indicated to the captive audience that had accumulated around the doorway.

"I still think Snape's a murdering bastard, though." Moody put in gruffly.

"We need to find him, he will help us," Hermione said turning her head back to Snape's mug shot on the wall and staring intensely at it."Despite the fact he is a miserable bastard." She added with a slight smile.

"How will we convince Harry? He won't be very happy," Ginny said with a little sorrow in her voice.

"I don't know, perhaps it's best not to for now until we have evidence." Hermione answered with a hint of determination in her voice.

What do you think? Good? Bad? Or just plain rubbish?