A/N Author looks at her main characters in exasperation.
I don't own you, do I?
They shake their heads, with eerily identical smirks.
Brats. If you want me to keep this story non slash you better cooperate and be nice to me. Just because I said I wouldn't write slash, doesn't mean I'm not CAPABLE of it…
Severus and Neville pale significantly.
It's the author's turn to smirk.
Don't worry. Same goes as for the previous chapters. No slash, and Severus and Neville belong to JK Rowling. And in some ways, I'm very glad for that...
Glares are shot between author and main characters.
"I can't believe that I'm back here so soon," Neville moaned.
Harry laughed.
"Sorry Nev. But we really need to sort this out. Where's Severus? We rather hoped he would be coming…"
"Too dangerous. He's in Holland. Said something about wanting to see the work of someone named Rembrandt and a few others. Not sure what line of work they were in. I'll be catching up with him there, and then we're leaving for the States."
"How are you two getting along?"
"Quite well. He's not at his most…stable, at the moment. I had hoped this time away would help him, but these stupid rumors aren't helping. I hope we can sort them out once and for all."
"Me too. Erm…there is one tiny little thing we kinda forgot to tell you…"
Neville raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
Harry squirmed. "Well…Remus…he eh…had a feeling we weren't telling him everything…so he 'borrowed' one of the students' Extendable Ears to eavesdrop."
Neville growled.
Harry bit his lip. "Don't hurt him, Neville, he's the only godfather I have left. Besides, McGonagall beat you to it. You should have seen the dressing-down she gave him when we caught him. I swear he nearly cried."
Neville smirked evilly. "Ok, I promise I won't kill him."
Harry wasn't much reassured.
Hogwarts was a busy place that week, with the students, staff and several Order members who were staying there while preparing for the memorial service. It would be held by the grave of Albus Dumbledore, which was considered appropriate, as he had been the leader of the Order for so long. Harry had been asked to speak, as well as McGonagall.
"I wanted to decline first," Harry confided in Neville as they walked up to the Headmistress' office to meet the others, "but they convinced me. Besides, if it isn't for me, who will praise Severus? Scrimgeour certainly won't."
He gave the Gargoyle the password and they entered.
Hermione launched herself at Neville, hugging him fiercely while Ron beamed and patted his shoulder.
"Umph...'Mione…it's only been a couple of weeks…"
The girl let go. "It's so good to see you again. It's such a shame it's too dangerous for Severus."
Neville smiled and shook hands with the Headmistress. "Hello, professor McGonagall."
She shook his hand and grimaced. "Honestly, you are not a student anymore. It's about time you called me Minerva in private."
Neville nodded and then turned his attention to the last member of the group. Remus Lupin kept his eyes to the floor and tried to blend in with the furniture.
Displaying that being around Severus constantly left its marks, Neville raised his upper lip in a feral sneer.
"Ah. Our resident eavesdropper."
The werewolf paled.
Neville advanced on him until the man was backed into a corner. Then he grinned.
"Good to see you back here, professor Lupin. I take it you have learned your lesson regarding the decency of eavesdropping?" He extended his hand.
His former professor took it, relieved.
"Yes, I have," he mumbled, casting a nervous glance at the Headmistress.
"Have they filled you in on the complete story after they were done shouting at you?"
Finally, Remus gave a small smile. "Yes, they did. Is he ok, Neville?"
"Yes, he's fine. Having fun with someone named Rembrandt."
He frowned when the werewolf burst out laughing. "What?"
Remus composed himself. "Rembrandt was a famous Dutch painter. He died centuries ago. I take it Severus is visiting some muggle museums."
Neville blushed. "I guess so, then. He did say he would stay in the muggle world just to be on the safe side."
The transfiguration professor nodded in agreement.
Two days later the Memorial Service took place. A large body of wizards and witches were seated opposite Dumbledore's grave. Minerva McGonagall stood in front, with the Trio, Neville and Lupin on the front row.
"Where is the Minister?" she said, worried, "We were supposed to start ten minutes ago."
Neville shrugged. "Just start without him, professor."
Another five minutes, and the Headmistress agreed with him.
"Good afternoon. Today we are gathered here to honor the memory of our fallen. I do not need to emphasize how difficult that is for all of us. The grave in front of us is a symbol of what we have lost. There are so many more graves. So many lives have been lost. Ours, but also on our enemies side. Voldemorts death eaters were once children, young people that for the most part attended this very school. They took a dark path, and they paid the price for that, yet we can still mourn the children they once were. The child Tom Riddle we may mourn, however thankful we are that Voldemort is no longer a threat to us.
But today is for our heroes. The ones that gave their lives to keep us safe. The list is long. Too long, but we may take comfort in what Albus always said: Death is but the next great adventure. Nothing can harm them now, and if Albus can be believed –and I like to think he can- they are having a wonderful time now while they await our arrival; many, many years from now one may hope. We have a world to rebuild…"
At that moment she was interrupted by the arrival of the Minister, with five Aurors, some Ministry workers and Rita Skeeter behind him.
"What is the meaning of this, Minister?" the Headmistress demanded to know.
"Well, Minerva, while you may conveniently have ignored the reports in the Daily Prophet, I have not. Rita Skeeter here has assured me her source is reliable, and I will need to varify facts…"
Minerva stared at him. "Varify facts…?"
Harry jumped up.
"No! Minister! Are you insane? You cannot defile their grave!"
It was then that the meaning of the Ministers words clicked in the guests minds, and chaos ensued. The general reaction ranged from outrage on the part of the Order members, to cooperating curiosity from those who still believed in the truthfulness of the Daily Prophet.
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but I cannot ignore this any longer. Stand aside, Headmistress. Butler, Yeats, open the grave."
Neville noticed his palms were starting to sweat. To his right, Harry and Remus shared a concerned glance. Hermione and Ron stared with open mouth, and the Headmistress had gone a strange ashen color.
The Ministry workers began to cast a strong levitation charm to remove the marble slab from the grave. Once set aside, they removed the layer of earth beneath it until they reached the second slate that covered the actual tomb.
After lifting that, the people surrounding the grave turned away. Scrimgeour looked like someone had hit him over the head with a troll's club.
Inside the grave were the decaying bodies of Albus Dumbledore…and Severus Snape.
"I hope you are happy now?" Harry said, his eyes blazing, "You defiled their grave and disturbed their rest. Not to mention that you made us see what no one should have to see, the rotten corpses of their loved ones. Go away, Minister, you have your answers. I will file a vote of no confidence against you tomorrow."
Scrimgeour, holding his breath against the smell and motioning his people to recover the tomb, was turning green from more then the odor. He knew perfectly well that if the Man who Conquered wanted him gone, he might as well start packing. He turned and left without another word.
Hermione sobbed. Minerva was in no state to continue, so Harry stood up and took over.
"I am very sorry for this. We didn't know this would happen…" he said, as the Aurors and Ministry workers joined forces to quickly replace the marble slab, "but we should not let it distract us from our purpose here. To honor our dead."
He waved his wand, and golden letters appeared, forming the list of the fallen, rising to the clouds.
"The most prominent among them, and most dear to me, of course, my parents, my godfather, Albus Dumbledore, and Severus Snape."
"All honorable and brave men, giving their best and suffering much to keep our world safe. But this memorial service would be in vain if we forgot what they fought for. To magic, there is no 'pure blood'. There are no 'better people' and 'inferior people'. There are simply 'people'. Lives that have to be respected."
"I was destined by a prophecy to fight Voldemort. I survived. Many others did not. How much of this could have been prevented, how different could my life have been if we had paid more attention? If we had paid more attention to the young Tom Riddle? Remember that it were OUR prejudices, not THEIRS, that started these wars. Our prejudice against Slytherin House caused many of its members to turn to someone who could make them feel welcome, and worthy. My own prejudice against Slytherin House kept me from getting to know many of its worthy members. It kept me from getting to know honorable men like Severus Snape, and Draco Malfoy, who were able to overcome the power of the Dark and come back to the Light. Now they rest in their graves, and we have ruined our chances of appreciating these men for what they were. I do not say they made no mistakes. I myself have made many. Mistakes that cost other people their lives. Some of them we honor here…" he said, motioning to the name of Cedric Diggory.
"I hope we have learned from our mistakes. I hope this world will truly be a better place. I would like to extend my hand to Slytherin House and apologize. To honor our dead, by offering peace. Thank you all, for joining us."
Neville got up and hugged Harry before taking the stand.
"I am Neville Longbottom. Many of you know me as the man who killed Severus Snape. I am here today to honor his memory. This may sound strange to many of you. Honoring Severus Snape may sound strange to many of you. But the fact that he is resting in this grave should explain something."
"Severus Snape was a spy for the Order for decades. He gathered much of the information that saved countless lives, at great cost. Finally, he maneuvered himself in such a position that he would die because of an Unbreakable Vow he made. He had to kill Albus Dumbledore or die. He chose to die. But Albus Dumbledore would not let his son throw away his life, and ordered him to kill him when the time came."
"It was nearly a year after he killed Dumbledore that I found him. I have relayed the story of his last days to Scrimgeour, our soon to be ex Minister of Magic. Suffices to say that we found out what had happened. To kill Voldemort he had to die himself. There was no other way. So he asked me to do the same thing he himself had to do a year earlier. He asked me to cast the spell, and kill him, so Harry could kill Voldemort. He could have fled, or refused, but he did not. So today, I honor him."
No one ever noticed that a shadow moved on the edge of the Forest where light should have been. No one noticed the few drops of moisture that fell to the ground seemingly out of nowhere. And with Neville's voice magnified, no one heard the slight 'crack' when the figure wrapped in an invisibility cloak disapparated.
Miles away, back in his hotel room in Holland, Severus Snape pulled off Neville's cloak and collapsed on the couch.
A/N: I know, I know, a lot of talking being done. Next chapter coming soon, I promise.