"I'm going to be asking you some questions, if that's alright."
Obviously, I cared little for his approval. His smirk simply quirked higher.
"Perhaps we could start very simplistically? Perhaps with a date of birth, your middle name…?"
Of course, I had this information, the consummate researcher that I am. I asked the question purely to see if he would respond.
A few moments passed while Snape's smirk held.
I had certainly encountered people reluctant to interview. Witches refusing to answer questions about their cheating husbands in the ministry, followed by said wizards threatening to hex me. However, that was not the time nor the place to try anything… aggressive.
Luckily, I had quite the wand up my sleeve.
"Ah, I was afraid you wouldn't want to talk today, Mr. Snape… or should I call you Severus?"
He predictably made no reply.
"No matter. I believe I'm aware of some information that may spark your interest."
Still smirking at what he probably felt was my idiocy, I returned a sneer in kind.
"I know why you're truly in Azkaban, Mr. Snape."
I had to look closely to notice, but his smirk ever so slightly faltered. Excellent.
"Yes! You probably didn't think I knew that. In fact, that is part of my purpose here."
Snape, his hair long and a black that seemed to absorb any light, his muscles tense but unmoving, and his eyes as guarded as they had been since I entered, let his smirk drop further, but still did little to respond.
Understandably, he could have thought I was bluffing.
I stuck a hand into my robes, rustling around in the enchanted space to pull out a roll of parchment. With the scroll came a dusty smell, the kind of not wholly unpleasant stench of a library. I raised my eyes to briefly catch Snape's less guarded smirk of interest. In his own fashion, he was hooked.
I unrolled the parchment, the slightly yellowed paper unrolling until it reached the edge of the table in front of Snape. His eyes flicked downward briefly, failing to examine the minute writing that filled the page. I smirked, tapping the end of the parchment with my wand and muttered, "Reveal yourself." Words suddenly filled the small blank space.
Severus Tobias Snape.
The House of Prince.
Birth: 9 January 1960.
Guilty of Sexual Deviancy, 1st Degree.
Guilty of Inappropriate Conduct with a Student, 1st Degree.
Guilty of Sexual Conduct with a Student, 1st Degree.
Guilty of Sexual Relations with an Underage Witch, 3rdDegree.
Snape's eyes, emotionless, stared at the end of the parchment for a heavy moment.
"Funny how they seemed to get you on everything they could, couldn't they? Sexual deviancy? That's a conviction that was more suited to Aberforth Dumbledore than you, I'd say. Underage sex with a witch, 3rd degree? It's a very obscure wizarding rule not adhered to very often; the purebloods on the Wizengamot always overlooked it when their marriages were concerned. On top of that, I had to do a bit of date searching to figure out how they even got you on that one; couldn't wait a month till her birthday, eh?"
Snape's jaw was visibly tight, his cheeks sucked in slightly to try and belie the evident tension.
"What's particularly fascinating to me is that only a simple charm was disguising your true charge. Poor work on the Wizengamot's part, really. One need only investigate the dates of 'evidence' and events to figure out that you getting locked up for Dumbledore's death just didn't make sense. Obviously, they didn't think anyone would be appealing on your behalf. Not too many people like you."
He snorted.
I was pleased to see a nearly verbal reaction. I had thought that revealing to Snape that I knew more about him than, Merlin, most of Wizarding Britain, could go one of two ways: Snape would become even more reserved or… not.
Luckily, I saw the latter in our future.
"You see, Mr. Snape, your interview may transform into something of a biting critique on the injustices being performed by the Wizengamot. Since…ah… Dumbledore's loss on the court, Umbridge in the Chief position has left the public rankling. Scrimgeour unduly influences the court as a blatant abuse of power; he's just as corrupt as Fudge ever was. Needless to say, elections are coming up… and I may be attempting to swing the Prophet's endorsement to Shacklebolt."
Throughout my flurry of words, Snape remained impassive. However, he was listening intently; he was interested, of that I was sure.
"I think we could begin our interview, if you'd like?" I said, hoping the non-sequitor could perhaps shock him into verbiage.
Unsurprisingly, Snape was more cautious than that. He simply regarded me with slightly narrowed eyes.
I had one more trump card to play.
"I understand that the, ah, student you were involved with went missing after the Final Battle."
Ah, there was that jaw tension again.
"I did a bit of research. I can easily see why the Ministry told the public you went in for Dumbledore's murder; obviously, that would predispose the public against you… further. Nevermind that his will left Minerva McGonagall certain Pensieve memories to be released to the Wizengamot should you be placed under trial. To think! Everyone thinks you're fairly in Azkaban for something you were not even charged with."
Snape was cocking his head slightly, eyes even more narrowed than before. I assumed he was unaware that anyone knew the truth; surely being locked away on an island, where all known opinion on the outside was for a singular lie, would leave one rather prone to mistrust.
"But on more research… I was rather surprised at the student. Harry Potter has championed her name as a hero; there are plans for a statue to be erected of her at Hogwarts! To think, a hero of war who was barely 18 is the reason you're sitting in front of me."
Snape gritted his teeth.
"Hermione Granger and Severus Snape! Who could have predicted such a pair?" I said, nearly gleeful at revealing my dirty "scoop," even if the knowledge was well known to the prisoner in front of me. It was that untamable journalist's spirit within me.
For a long moment, Snape regarded me slowly, his narrow eyes slowly scanning my face. I shifted my eyes briefly, suddenly nervous that my mind could be invaded. I had heard Snape had been a skilled Legilmens; surely he couldn't do such a skill without a wand?
Just as my discomfort at a possible invasion of my thoughts began to peak, Snape cleared his throat.
I couldn't help but stare, visibly excited. I was met with a disdainful glair from the pale prisoner in front of me.
With a voice that was deep and scratchy, as if he could only cough his words after years of remaining silent, Snape muttered as smoothly as he could.
"What do you wish to know?
Note: In the next chapter, we'll have slightly more set-up, then get into the meat of the story, and a predominantly Snape perspective. Thanks for all the reviews so far, I appreciate them! I hate to be that fanfic author, but I have to ask... please review? So many of you subscribed me to your story and author alerts, I was floored, but I'd love hearing from you; feedback is what makes plot bunnies grow into healthy, well-adjusted rabbits. Really, though, I hope to see reviews from all of you who are observing this story from afar! Next chapter should be up next week.