A/N: Hi there, so, this is a new one! It's already entirely written, I hope someone out there will like it as much as I love it myself.
This is just the Prologue, it poses the context of this particular AU, the action and story really starts with Chapter 1.
Prologue
Daily Prophet – November 1st, 1981
THE WAR IS OVER!
The deadly rise in power of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came to an abrupt end yesterday when the joint forces from the Ministry and Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix (to know more about Dumbledore's secret Order, refer to Page 12 of this edition) finally took out the Dark Wizard's hideout, killing the dangerous man himself and taking most of his remaining followers for prisoners.
There were some casualties among the victors' troops– a communication from the Ministry should be made available later this afternoon with the list of the victims – but the first testimonies from the battle seem to indicate that He-who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers incurred most of the losses.
Is Dumbledore the next Minister for Magic the magical folks of Great Britain need? This exact question was discussed (...)
Daily Prophet – November 17th, 1981
DUMBLEDORE'S SECRET WEAPON!
The whole of Wizarding Britain was waiting for it: Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the man expected to become the next Minister for Magic by popular demand, finally gave his version of all that took place at the end of the war. Dumbledore has revealed everything that led to the final Victory during the Battle of Little Hangleton on October 31st.
Prepare to learn about Dumbledore's secret Death Eater spy, Voldemort's single-minded belief in an unreliable Prophecy and how that misplaced faith in approximative Divination led to his ultimate downfall. Dumbledore also alluded to secret, targeted operations, which took place between October 18th and the final battle on October 31st, and were organized in conjunction with the Ministry Aurors and Intelligence forces (to learn more about the Prophet investigation on these still classified operations, and how some clues point towards the destruction of Dark Objects using an unknown detection technology from the Department of Mysteries, refer to the Special Investigation Dossier from Page 24 of this Edition.)
Dumbledore began his allocution by strongly condemning all the acts of violence against presumed Death Eaters that took place all around the country after the final battle. He called for "Justice and not revenge, as only the former would allow society to reconstruct itself for everlasting peace and prosperity, while the latter was the sure catalyst for a repeating circle of violence".
The current Minister for Magic denied all rumors of a rift between the Ministry and Dumbledore at this time (...)
Daily Prophet – January 9th, 1982
SEVERUS SNAPE, HERO OR DEATH EATER?
Since the revelation of his very existence by Albus Dumbledore just after the final day of the war, Severus Snape, the Order of the Phoenix's spy, has been shrouded in a thick cloud of mystery and scandal.
The young man, aged twenty one at the time of his torture at the hands of his previous associates, has been at the heart of the first public divide in opinion since the demise of Lord Voldemort. Half of Wizarding Britain seems to consider that, spy or not, a Death Eater has to to be tried and condemned, while the other half has been petitioning for his total exoneration.
While the man himself is still laying unresponsive in a highly-secured room at St. Mungo's, let's take the opportunity of his upcoming trial to discuss the controversial figure.
(...)
For Severus Snape, a half-blood with no connections, getting to know powerful friends at Hogwarts must have been the opportunity of a lifetime. Maybe that's what tempted him into following Voldemort's ideas and signing up his life to a madman? The reasons for his turning spy for Dumbledore are even harder to understand, and all types of conjectures have been thrown around, from love to self-interest. And we have to wonder: what if the young man had chosen betrayal the same way as he chose to become a Death Eater in the first place? Both could have been seen as a very convenient opportunity. He has now found himself on the victors' side, a very comfy place to be for a proven Death Eater.
Regardless of Snape's motivation to switch sides, his true act of heroism, according to his supporters, appears to have been an act of murder. Indeed, the events that would later lead to Voldemort's downfall seem to have started on the fateful night of October 18th, 1981. The night Severus Snape killed Peter Petigrew, a member of Dumbledore's Order who had become a spy for Voldemort and who was about to betray the location of James and Lily Potter, parents of the child who Voldemort thought was prophesied to defeat him (please refer to last week's special edition on Harry Potter, and how Voldemort came to fear a baby more than anything else on earth).
Snape was thus unmasked as a spy – as the murder of Pettigrew happened in front of Voldemort himself and a crowd of his followers – and tortured as a cautionary example for any followers getting cold feet.
Young Snape, however, whatever else he may be, appears to be quite resourceful. Dumbledore himself confirmed that the young man used Bellatrix Lestrange's wand to send an encrypted message to Dumbledore, a message that contained the crucial information that led to the fall of Voldemort's organization.
The official sources keep repeating that Severus Snape is currently lying unresponsive, so deeply shook by torture that he is probably lost somewhere Healers can't reach, and maybe won't ever be able to reach. However, no one from the press or the general public has been allowed to see the man since he was evacuated to St. Mungo during the Battle of Little Hangleton. Why so much secrecy surrounding the man? Who is Severus Snape, really? And the most important question that has been agitating our society since the announcement of his trial: does being tortured allow for an automatic amnesty?
All of these questions and more (...)
Daily Prophet – February 23th, 1983
A WALL OF VARIOUS WAR HEROES
A war is obviously a traumatic event for society, but how does it affect the lives of those who actively took part in it? After conducting an investigation that lasted for several months and interviewing a diverse group of War Veterans, here is what we found out.
After refusing to be a candidate for the post of Minister for Magic, Albus Dumbledore, current Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, (...)
(...)
Young Sirius Black, handsome and sporting a dazzling smile, is the new hot topic in Diagon Alley. Following his particular brand of entrepreneurial blood – the pleasant man is after all the only Heir of one of our most ancient wizarding bloodlines – and jokester tendencies, the young man has opened a magical toy shop of such refreshing quality that it made the pages of this very paper only a month after its opening (for more information about Black's innovative toy shop, refers to page 8).
(…)
Alastor Moody, who's been known as one of Albus Dumbledore's rare close friends, even if the two men are not very talkative about their relationship, didn't accept any requests for an interview. However scarce the man has tried to make himself, his climb through the Aurors' ranks cannot be kept as secret as the rest of the harsh man's life. Anonymous colleagues describe him as hard to work with, easy to anger and demanding.
Moody has recently been named Head of the Auror Department. One has to wonder if a certain high-level friendship came into good use for the advancement of this particular Auror's career. Moody, of course, has some successes under his belt, but his nomination – instead of Bartemius Crouch's – came as a surprise to most.
(...)
Daily Prophet – March 14th, 1983
NO AZKABAN FOR THE DEATH EATER SPY!
Severus Snape's trial, a lengthy and gruesome affair that took a good portion of our Justice System's resources for months, has finally come to an end.
The man, who's still lying unresponsive in St. Mungo and whose healers don't think he will ever wake up from his comatose state, was sentenced to financial reparations only. As a reminder, a lot of speculation regarding Snape's state of health surrounded half of the trial. Reporters were eventually allowed in the man's room, allowing the public to finally have access to a clear description of his state of health. To learn more about Snape's disfigurement and gruesome injuries, please refer to last month's Special Edition about 'The Monster', thus nicknamed for both his horrifying disfigurement and his Death Eater status, and also known as the controversial spy of the Order of the Phoenix.
James and Lily Potter's moving cry for total exoneration during the last week of the trial certainly contributed to the softening of the sentence. The Potters have been known to be close to Dumbledore, who had himself advocated for the abandonment of all charges against his spy, on the ground that the war couldn't have been won without Severus Snape. Has this friendship played a role in the Potters' sudden rise to Snape's defence? Public uproars certainly think so, and while there is no proof that (...)
Daily Prophet – January 6th, 1984
THE MONSTER IS AWAKE!
Severus Snape, that obscure half-blood Death Eater turned spy, whose trial last year caused a lot of trouble for the Ministry when it ended up with no Azkaban sentence, has finally awakened from his comatose state.
The man, who has been nicknamed "the monster" after pictures of his disfigurement were spread around during his trial – and found to match his crimes, by some – is apparently recovering at a fast pace from his two-year slumber.
One has to ask how the Ministry, already criticised for its weak policy regarding (...)