A/N: Part 2 of 2, as promised...glad y'all liked the whole pensieve idea. I wasn't sure it would work. Special thanks to Mark Darcy and Verity Brown, who have stuck with me and given me lots to think about!
Just to clarify, yes, Severus passed the first half of the prophecy on Albus's orders. But I don't want it to seem as if Albus was unaware of the risk he was taking -- he knew exactly what he was doing. I do think this is what really happened in cannon...Albus's reaction to Harry's finding out about Severus's involvement was just a little too calm and...resigned. So, what did Albus think he would be doing by telling Tom this information? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was to try and get Severus into the Inner Circle. Or maybe it was just to convince Voldemort that Severus was really spying for the Dark side, despite being in close proximity to Albus-- more of a "I'm not really on their side. See, I brought you cool info!" kind of thing. It was probably both of these, along with other reasons...
Chapter 35- The Defense Continues
"As I'm sure this memory will cause some questions to arise, my narration will pause here," said Dumbledore. "There are many memories in the box of meetings I had with Severus after various Death Eater meetings he attended, each one detailing attacks on prominent members of our community, both within the Order and outside it. There are also some from meetings I had with him after Voldemort was resurrected a few years ago, when I asked him to risk his life yet again and continue his espionage for the Order. If you need more evidence of Severus's character, Harry will be glad to replay them for you. My narration will continue with the events of the year prior to what I'm afraid will happen the day after this recording is made. Harry, when you're ready, there should be another blue vial in the box." Dumbledore's image faded away quickly, the mist disappearing into the air.
-- end of chapter 34
"Bloody hell," whispered Severus as the press began to murmur amongst themselves. Harry sighed and turned to face Scrimgeour as the Minister finally found his voice.
"Did you know about this prophecy, Potter?" asked Scrimgeour harshly. "Did you know about this all along and not tell anyone?"
"Of course I didn't," said Harry crossly. "Dumbledore told me the prophecy after the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Before then, I had no clue as to why I had been singled out by Voldemort. Voldemort was only aware of the first half, the part about the One with the power to vanquish him being born at the end of July, to parents who had defied him three times. There were two boys who could have fit that description – myself and Neville Longbottom. Voldemort chose me, thereby marking me as his equal." Harry pulled his hair back off his forehead, displaying his trademark scar.
"And how did You-Know-Who find out about the first half of this prophecy?" asked Dawlish. Scrimgeour sneered cruelly at Severus.
"Yes, Snape," growled Scrimgeour. "Tell us how he found out."
Severus glared at him, but spoke in a calm tone.
"I only heard the first half of it before the barman caught me listening that night," said Severus. "After the part of the meeting you just witnessed, Albus and I discussed what I had heard. He told me to give Voldemort that information at the next gathering I attended, along with the information that I had been hired at Hogwarts to teach. I did as I was asked. Following every gathering I attended since that night, I discussed everything from all the gatherings in detail with Albus so that he was aware of what Voldemort was planning. Voldemort never suspected me of my involvement in the Order at that time. I wasn't officially inducted into the Order until the following fall."
"How just how did you manage to pull that off?" asked Scrimgeour skeptically. "If you could have fooled the darkest wizard of our time, why should we believe that you weren't fooling Dumbledore as well? You could still be fooling all of us, waiting for a chance to get free and begin your own conquest."
"I never wanted the power," sneered Severus. "I only joined to keep Sam from being harmed. I had already been keeping her location and whereabouts from Voldemort using Occlumency. Albus worked with me to strengthen my mental protection, and in so doing, he saw every thought, every memory I had. If I was foolish enough to think I could lie to Albus Dumbledore for more than twenty years, I would not be sitting here in this chair. Albus would have thrown me into Azkaban years ago."
"Only if he knew he was being tricked," said Scrimgeour. Severus glared murderously at his smug face as he turned back to Harry. "I'm a bit confused, Potter. Why are you here defending the man who is responsible for your parents being murdered? Surely since Snape is responsible for telling You-Know-Who the prophecy about you, you would want him to pay for his –" Scrimgeour sneered at Severus, "—crimes."
"Severus had no idea what Voldemort would do with the information he passed," said Harry forcefully. "He had no idea that my parents were going to be the ones murdered. Severus was actually the one who warned Dumbledore that my parents were going to be attacked, so actually, I owe him my life." Harry rummaged through the box lifting up a couple of the silver vials. "I'm sure Dumbledore put a memory of that meeting in here, as my parents went into hiding after Severus reported that, but we would have to go through all of these others."
Harry glanced at Severus, giving him a quick wink. Percy looked over at Ginny in shock. She stared back at him, daring him to say something. Percy slowly climbed up the stairs and retook his seat next to Scrimgeour. Dawlish leaned over and whispered something in Scrimgeour's ear. The Minister recoiled, glaring at him. Dawlish raised an eyebrow, turning to face Harry.
"Mr. Potter, I don't feel it's necessary to look at all those memories right now," said Dawlish. Scrimgeour scoffed. "However," he continued, glaring at Scrimgeour, "they will be viewed at a later date, as I'm sure they implicate other Death Eaters that we have in custody. I personally would like to hear Dumbledore's explanation of his own death and how Mr. Snape fits into that."
Harry nodded. "Of course, sir." He lifted an empty vial, siphoning the contents of the small pensieve into it. He stoppered the glass tube and lifted another blue vial labeled "2" out of the box. He poured it into the pensieve, tapping the edge of the bowl with his wand. Dumbledore once again appeared in the center of the room.
"Hello again," said Dumbledore. "I will begin this part of my testimony with an explanation of how Lord Voldemort seemed to achieve immortality. Harry and Severus can fill in any details I leave out." Harry grinned as he sat back down in his chair.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would later be known as Lord Voldemort," began Dumbledore, "lived in a muggle orphanage for the first eleven years of his life. His mother, Merope Gaunt-Riddle, died in childbirth after her husband abandoned her. Tom Riddle Sr. was a muggle, whom Merope had enchanted to fall in love with her. The Gaunts were the last living descendents of Salazar Slytherin, and as such, had several heirlooms of the founder in their possession, namely a ring and a locket. However, young Tom knew none of this until he came to Hogwarts. There, he began researching his family tree and discovered that he was indeed the Heir of Slytherin, founder of his House. He began to delve deep into the dark secrets held inside the castle, including the Chamber of Secrets, which Tom opened in his fifth year killing another student."
"I can let you in if you want to see it," said Harry nonchalantly as Dumbledore paused in thought.
"Harry is the only known Parseltongue other than Tom himself," said Dumbledore. "They are the only two who can open it at the present time, if you want to see it. After Tom graduated, he began to experiment with the darkest of all the Dark Arts. He began researching the little known subject of Horcruxes, which are objects that will store a portion of one's soul, should one desire to do so. Even I am unsure of the entire process, but it does involve the splitting of the caster's own soul by murdering another soul. He was hired at Borgin and Burkes, working to discover artifacts that the owners could buy from clients and then resell. In his work for the shop, Tom stumbled across a chalice belonging to Helga Hufflepuff and his mother's locket in the possession of Hebzibah Smith. He murdered her, obtaining the artifacts for himself. He also returned to Little Hangleton and murdered his maternal grandfather, who possessed Slytherin's ring. He did somehow find another school relic belonging most likely to Ravenclaw, but at this time I am unsure as to what exactly it is or where Tom found it. Using these objects, along with a diary he retained from his school years and his pet snake Nagini, Tom made himself six Horcruxes, with himself being the seventh. If anyone wanted him dead, they would have to destroy all of the Horcruxes. Only then could Tom be killed completely."
Dumbledore paused again. Every reporter was scribbling madly across their parchments. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Now," he said. "Tom hid these artifacts in various places around England, except for Nagini, who accompanied him almost everywhere.After hearing the first part of the prophecy, Tom attacked and murdered the Potters to prevent this child from living. However, he underestimated how Lily's love for her child would effect the casting of the Killing Curse on Harry. The curse rebounded on him, in effect killing his body, but not his soul.When I arrived at Godric's Hollow later that night, I, along with Severus and Rubeus Hagrid, searched the rubble for Voldemort's body but found no trace of it. We feared that he was simply severely injured as opposed to defeated, so we maintained a close eye on the activities of known Death Eaters and listened for any hints of his return. Severus remained in my employment as Potions Master at Hogwarts."
"Harry started at Hogwarts in 1991. Over the course of that year, he discovered, along with his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, that Voldemort had possessed my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at the time and was attempting to regain a body through use of the Elixir of Life. Harry thwarted him in that attempt, postponing Voldemort's return. Harry's second year was also fraught with danger, as Lucius Malfoy obtained the diary Horcrux and planted it among Miss Weasley's belongings. It eventually began to be a conduit for Tom Riddle's soul trapped in its pages, causing Ginevra to be possessed by his spirit. Tom used herto reopen the Chamber of Secrets, setting loose the Basilisk within. Harry once again defeated Voldemort, destroying the diary and the Basilisk in the process. Lucius was unaware of the diary's power and value to his master until much later. "
Dumbledore sighed. "Alas, our worse fears were confirmed at the end of Harry's fourth year, when Voldemort was resurrected with the help of Peter Pettigrew. He once again attempted to take Harry's life, but Harry escaped. I asked Severus to return to Voldemort's service as my spy, which he did immediately. I recalled the old members of the Order, as well as recruited new members. Among the new recruits were the Weasley family, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, and to my extreme delight, Samantha McKinnon-Ives. We learned of Voldemort's quest for the prophecy in its entiretyearly that following summer, thanks to Severus. We began taking precautions, including preparing Harry against mental attack through his scar. Unfortunately, Harry and his Occlumency instructor did not see eye to eye on a great many things and discontinued their lessons." Dumbledore peered over the rim of his glasses towards where Harry was standing. Harry cleared his throat, blushing slightly.
"As the year went on," said Dumbledore, "I began to research the history of Tom Riddle. I talked to numerous people who had known him as a child and as a student. Through this research, I discovered Tom's obsession with immortality and his knowledge of Horcruxes. I also looked into what objects he may have used to make them. But my research was interrupted in June of that year."
"Voldemort's followers broke into the Department of Mysteries while Voldemort lured Harry here with a false vision of his godfather being tortured. The – ah—Headmistress at the time caught Harry attempting to contact Sirius at Order Headquarters via floo." McGonagall chuckled softly to herself.
"She assumed Harry was trying to contact me, and summoned Severus for a vial of Veritaserum in order to question Harry. Harry covertly alerted Severus to the situation, as he was the only remaining Order member at Hogwarts. Since some children of fellow Death Eaters were present, Severus was unable to help Harry in front of them, but he immediately contacted Sirius and other Order members after discovering that Harry and his friends had left the school grounds. Severus then notified me, filling me in on what had transpired. I rushed here immediately to find Harry and his friends engaged in a heated battle over the prophecy orb that Voldemort was so anxious to obtain. In the midst of everything, the orb was destroyed. Sirius was sent through the Death Veil by Bellatrix Lestrange, causing Harry to chase her to the Atrium. There, Voldemort arrived and once again tried to murder Harry. He was unable to do this, so he fled. He suffered a great loss in this battle, as his main core of trusted Death Eaters were now in Azkaban Prison."
"Over the summer, I continued my research on Voldemort's Horcruxes while Severus was promoted to the Inner Circle, Voldemort's most trusted advising council. Severus learned that a young Death Eater had been given the noble task of murdering me." Dumbledore smiled softly. "At that time, Severus had no idea as to the identity of the recruit. A week after learning this information Narcissa Malfoy, along with her sister Bellatrix, paid Severus a visit at his home. She made him swear an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco in his task, and to complete it if Draco was unable to do so himself. Severus realized that Draco was the one who was ordered to kill me, but could not refuse to take the oath in front of Bellatrix, who was formerly a member of the Inner Circle and would have killed him on the spot had he refused. He swore the Vow and came immediately to me afterwards. I told Severus to continue in his double role, keeping his eye on Draco and to try to find out as much as he could about what the boy was planning. I granted him the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts, while contacting Horace Slughorn to teach Potions, and began setting my affairs in order should the worst come to pass. This included choosing two new Secret Keepers for the Order and Headquarters."
"Before I visited Harry at his home to notify him of his inheritance from Sirius, I discovered the whereabouts of Slytherin's ring. I obtained it and destroyed it, suffering an injury in the process." Dumbledore lifted his right hand, his sleeve falling back to reveal the charred flesh of his hand. He lowered his arm, once again covering his hand. "If Severus hadn't been nearby, I probably would have died before the next school term started. But once again, he dedicated himself to helping me in any way he could. I told him of the Horcruxes, enlisting his help in gaining clues as to their locations. He promised to stay close to Voldemort in order to warn us if he ever became suspicious of our plan. The next school year began smoothly. I began meeting with Harry personally, showing him the research I had obtained on Tom Riddle." Draco shifted nervously in his chair.
"Over the course of the year, several attempts were made on my life," said Dumbledore. "None of them were successful, although they injured two of my students rather severely. I would like it known that I do not hold any malice or anger whatsoever at young Mr. Malfoy. He also was pressured into taking the Mark with threats of harm to his mother and took the Mark for her benefit. At this point, I believe there is hope for him and will not give up on him simply because he made a mistake." Draco sighed quietly in relief.
"Eventually, I told Harry about the Horcruxes, promising to take him along with me when I discovered the whereabouts of any of them, which I am going to do tomorrow as I have learned of the locket's hiding place. Severus and I have argued fairly often this year about when, if ever, he should announce his true loyalties to Voldemort. I want everyone to be very clear as to what I'm about to say." Dumbledore paused as if waiting for the room's attention. It was a needless gesture, as everyone was sitting on the edge of their seat listening raptly.
"I ordered Severus to maintain his position in the Inner Circle, even if it meant killing me," said Dumbledore slowly. "If anyone other than Severus or Draco kills me, Severus will die automatically due to the Vow he swore, and Harry will be left with no adult with adequate knowledge of my reasearch to assist him in his search. I am slowly dying due to the curse that has taken my hand. I fear whatever protections Tom has placed around the locket will be my downfall. In the twenty years he has been in my service, Severus has never disobeyed a direct order, even if it goes against his own intuition. As Draco's godfather, Severus will do everything in his power to save Draco. That includes fulfilling the Vow he swore to Draco's mother. If it is Severus who casts the curse to kill me, he does so with my blessing because in doing so, he will help to assure our victory. I hope that this testimony has shed light on the many years our fight against the man known as Lord Voldemort and his followers. I hope that one day you may all know the joy of freedom. Severus, I hope that this has proven to you that your contributions were not in vain. I wish you all the best, my child. Harry, I wish you the same. I hope that you have been successful in your quest. Go and live the life that you deserve. I will always be there to guide both of you, even if you cannot see me with your eyes."
Dumbledore's image dissipated. Severus closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his face. Harry exhaled shakily as he emptied the smaller pensieve, working in silence. He corked the vial, placing it back into the box with the others. When he finished, Harry sat back down in his green chair. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Ginny stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders gently as they waited.
Percy leaned forward, talking quietly to Dawlish across Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour frowned, looking back and forth between them. He sat forward to cut them off, clearing his throat as he shuffled some papers in his hands.
"Well, we've heard evidence as to the alleged actions of Snape," he said loudly. "However, this information has somewhat incriminated Malfoy."
"Dumbledore said that Mr. Potter would explain things," said Dawlish. "So explain, Mr. Potter. What occurred after Dumbledore's death?"
Harry conjured a goblet of water, taking a drink to wet his throat.
"I've known Draco since our first year at Hogwarts," said Harry as he set the goblet on the table beside him. "We didn't get along in school at all. I'm sure Headmistress McGonagall can fill you in on the details of our school-day rivalry." He smiled up at her. She winked at him, but maintained her stern demeanor.
"During my meetings with Dumbledore, I made a promise to myself that I would continue to search for these Horcruxes and destroy Voldemort for good. After his death, I began planning to do this. I met Samantha Ives through her cousin Remus Lupin. She had spoken to Severus on the day of the funeral. She had agreed to be Severus's new contact inside the Order, so that he could keep passing us information from the Inner Circle. He also agreed to assist me in my search for the Horcruxes. He continued attending gatherings, and was present when Narcissa Malfoy was killed for trying to protect Draco with the Unbreakable Vow." Draco hung his head. Harry gave him a sympathetic look as he continued.
"The first intelligence he passed after the funeral was about the attack on Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding, which was to be held at the Burrow. We had to arrange alternate ceremony plans and staged a fake wedding for Severus to attack." Percy's face paled as he looked up at his parents and brothers sitting in the stands. "In doing so, Severus was uncovered as the Order's spy by Voldemort when he showed up unexpectedly at the battle and discovered that the wedding wasn't really taking place. Severus announced his true loyalties and went into hiding, along with Samantha. They moved into Order Headquarters, along with myself, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I began extensive training with them, completing the N.E.W.T. coursework in about a month, along with some other specialized work in Occlumency, Defense and Transfiguration. We also worked on locating the rest of the Horcruxes. The locket that Dumbledore and I retrieved turned out to be a fake. We located the real one inside Order Headquarters, having been found by Regulus Black who was trying to destroy itbefore he was killed. We talked with Dumbledore's portrait in the Head office at Hogwarts and found out that Hufflepuff's cup might be at Borgin and Burkes, while the other Horcrux was some relic of Ravenclaw's. Severus and I found the cup underneath the floor of Borgin's and brought it back to Headquarters, where we destroyed it and the locket back in September, thanks to a potion Severus uncovered in Regulus's journal. We began researching possible items belonging to Ravenclaw when we were contacted by Draco."
Dawlish turned to Draco expectantly.
"I wanted out of the Dark Lord's service," said Draco. "I had been present at the attack on the Weasleys's and saw Severus betray the Dark Lord to his face. I knew if anyone could help me, he could. We arranged a meeting, where I told him my intentions. He began working with me, training me in Occlumency and advanced spell work, similar to what he did with Harry. I began to pass Death Eater intelligence through Severus and Harry to the rest of the Order. I warned them of the attack on Hogsmeade in November. We still suffered a few casualties, including Hermione and Ron, but we lost none of the villagers due to the Order's solid defense and planning."
"The same day that Draco contacted us, we had come across information about a chest that had been entrusted to Ravenclaw from Slytherin before he left Hogwarts. We knew that this was most likely the last Horcrux, since it had ties to Slytherin himself. This chest had passed into the Malfoy family, so Draco helped us make sure that it was no longer at Malfoy Manor." Dawlish's eyes widened in comprehension. Harry nodded at him.
"Yes," said Harry. "We were the ones who broke into the Manor and triggered the alarms. Since the chest wasn't at the house, we knew the Ministry had confiscated it during the last raid of the Manor. Since it was somewhat safe at the Ministry, at least for the time being, we focused on trying to get rid of Nagini. Severus brewed a toxic poison, while Samantha placed a time-release charm on it in order to provide us with enough time to find the chest and destroy it before the snake died and alerted Voldemort to our actions. Draco and I attended a gathering, where we fed the poison to the snake."
"The Dark Lord never suspected me of poisoning his snake," said Draco. "Nor did he realize that I was passing information to the Order. He was very frustrated when none of his planned murder attempts and attacks succeeded."
"Draco was at Headquarters for Christmas dinner when he was summoned," said Harry. "He was granted admittance to an Inner Circle meeting to discuss a possible attack on Hogwarts castle. Draco was given the task of finding any information on the Order in order to officially gain a position within the Circle. He alerted us immediately. We broke into the Ministry holding cells and retrieved the chest, bringing it back to Headquarters. Severus destroyed it in mid-February using the same spell that Dumbledore used on Slytherin's ring. Draco passed very sensitive information concerning the identity of the other Secret Keeper, allowing him to be officially promoted into the Inner Circle. There, he learned that the attack on the school was being planned for mid-March."
"Severus, Draco and I explained everything about the Horcruxes to the entire Order and planned for the defense of the castle. Draco remained in his position, deceiving Voldemort until the day of the battle where Draco killed Nagini, declaring his loyalty to the Order. He and I, along with Severus, killed Voldemort in front of the castle, while the rest of the Order and the Hogwarts house-elves captured all of the Death Eaters who attacked the castle. In fact, if it hadn't been for these two, I would have been toast and we would still be worriedthat Voldemort was going to come after one of us next. They are the real heroes of this story. I was just a sidekick."
Harry reached over for the goblet, drinking some water and leaning back in his seat. The reporters had given up recording every word, simply staring in awe at Harry. Dawlish looked over at Percy, who shook his head in shocked disbelief. Scrimgeour scowled at Harry, flipping through some of the papers in front of him.
"Well," said Dawlish breathily. "This is a pretty wild story. Secret societies, Dumbledore plotting his own death, redeemed Death Eaters defeating You-Know-Who – wow." He looked to the other members of the Wizengamot, before turning back to Harry's calm face. "And you're absolutely sure that he's not coming back? That he's not waiting for another ten years to start all over again?" Harry chuckled.
"I'm very sure," said Harry confidently. The room began to buzz as the cameras flashed off to Harry's side.
"Well," said Percy weakly. "If that is all, Mr. Potter, I think the decision is fairly straightforward." Harry nodded. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and covered it with his own.
"We will take it to vote," said Scrimgeour harshly. "All in favor of clearing both of the accused of all charges?" He looked around and started at the number of hands that were in the air, including that of his Undersecretary and Head of MLE, who looked at him with raised eyebrows. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again in consternation.
"All in favor of conviction?" asked Dawlish. A very scant few raised their hands, including Scrimgeour, only to lower them hesitantly at the disdainful looks from their neighbors.
"Mr. Potter, if you could hand me that box down there," said Dawlish with a grin. Harry grinned madly as he levitated the box and the pensieves up to him. "Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy, I speak for the entire Wizarding community of England when I say thank you for all of your sacrifice. We truly owe you our lives. Mr. Malfoy, the deed to Malfoy Manor shall be returned to you as soon as I can manage it, along with any non-Dark Arts related belongings. If you both are willing, we will contact you next week for testimony against the Death Eaters we have currently in custody. I will also be personally submitting your names, along with Mr. Potter's and Professor Dumbledore's, as candidates for Orders of Merlin, First Class. You are both cleared of all charges and are free to go."
Harry shouted with joy and he jumped out of his seat. The chains dropped from Severus and Draco's chairs as Samantha and Rachel ran past Ginny and Harry. Harry put his arms around Ginny as reporters immediately swarmed all three couples, who were courteously answering questions. Severus squeezed his way through to Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, James," said Severus quietly. Harry grinned at him.
"Anything for you, Dad," he answered. Severus gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he made his way back to Samantha, a huge grin on his face.
From the special edition of the Daily Prophet, dated April 2, 1998:
VOLDEMORT DEFEATED:
HARRY POTTER, SEVERUS SNAPE AND DRACO MALFOY MAIN PLAYERS IN DARK LORD'S FALL
Harry Potter, once known as the Boy-Who-Lived, defeated the wizard known as Lord Voldemort in an epic battle on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last week. Members of the secret society called the Order of the Phoenix, founded by the late Albus Dumbledore, were key in defending the castle from an attack of Voldemort's forces. But it was due to the actions of Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy, former Death Eaters who turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix, who especially helped young Potter defeat Voldemort.
"Draco gave us critical intelligence detailing Voldemort's side of the attack on the castle," said Arthur Weasley, Ministry employee and fellow member of the Order. "We acted on it and many other reports of attacks to prevent many people from being killed. We would have lost a lot more people had we not had the information that he and Severus obtained."
Both Snape and Malfoy were tried and cleared on all charges based on testimony left by Dumbledore before his death. Harry Potter also contributed to the defense of both men, explaining their roles in defeating Voldemort. Potter made this statement after the acquittal:
"Many people were instrumental in my defeat of Lord Voldemort, but Severusand Dracowent above and beyond what most wizards would dare to do, risking their lives for people who hated them and who judged them based on how their actions appeared on the outside. I was once guilty of thinking the same thing about them. But in working closely with both of these men for the past year, I have come to respect them greatly. They are my family. Their love and support of me and each other, in addition to the other members of the Order, is what helped us to win. We owe them everything."
The Wizarding World can now focus more on other areas of life that have been disrupted due to Voldemort. One of these areas is the reopening of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which has been closed since Dumbledore's death. The Board of Governors will be in meetings over the next few weeks, discussing how the curriculum will account for the interruption of studies and who will be filling the four professorships that as of now remain vacant.
"I am very excited that the school will be open once more," said Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. "I have truly missed my students. We are free to begin our lives anew.We will begin with our children." (cont. on pgs 2, 3 and 4)
N.E.W.T and O.W.L. test schedule, page 5
Harry Potter: A Brief History of the Chosen One, page 7
Details of the Snape/Malfoy Trial, page 10
The Order of the Phoenix: The Brave Few, page 15