Sigh. I don't own Harry Potter, for the last time.

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And I think everyone will enjoy this chapter, it's so long!

Chapter 15: "Severus Speaks Up"

Severus apparated directly into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement to avoid prying eyes in the Atrium. He was in a large, circular, blue room, and he could see a corridor at the back of this room, which he guessed led to the other offices that were incorporated in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He heaved Sirius' dead body onto the floor and it landed with a thump.

There were about twenty small cubicles in the room, and a larger one at the center of the room, which he supposed was the receptionist/secretary desk for the Department. He found that all of the residents of the cubicles were staring at him. Some of them stood so they could see better, and Severus could hear them beginning to whisper quietly among themselves. He knew they were staring at the body, and at the slash in his robes over his chest, where blood was covering him from his wound. He cleared his throat nervously; he was afraid he was going to be thrown into prison, but he knew if he hadn't brought Sirius to the attention of the authorities, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Severus went up to the robed official in the largest cubicle and not knowing how else to explain, said," There's been an accident..." Even though it wasn't an accident, he didn't want to go blurting out that he had just killed a man.

"What happened?" the secretary, Robert Jesset asked, looking over Severus' bloody robes with interest.

"I, well, he attacked me and my.. friend, Lily. His friend has been harassing Lily, and threatening her and using illegal potions and spells, and then I went to get her, and she wouldn't tell me what was happening, and they were using the Cruciartus Curse and.." Severus blurted out nervously, knowing that what he was saying didn't make any sense.

Jesset held up his hand. "I don't understand any of this. I think you should go to the Auror Office, since it sounds like this involves Unforgivables. They'll sit you down, and you can explain everything more clearly to them."

Jesset pointed to the corridor at the back of the room, and Severus nodded, retrieved the body, and headed to the Auror Office. Luckily, it wasn't too far down the corridor so he didn't have far to go.

He entered the office. As in the main office, there were many cubicles, but this office was as messy and disorganized as the other one was neat and clean. There were Daily Prophet clippings, mug shots of criminals, and papers covered in notes scattered around on the desks and the floor, as well as taped to the walls.

A tall, dark Auror dressed in purple robes looked up when Severus entered. His eyes widened at the sight of the dead body, and he got up from his desk immediately and headed over to the young black-haired man.

"What is this about?" the Auror led Severus to his cubicle after telling him to leave the body where it was and someone would take care of it. "Usually we don't have people lugging dead bodies in here, but I have seen stranger. My name is Kingsley, by the way, Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"I'm Severus Snape. Uh, the thing is, well, it's a long story," Severus sighed. He really didn't feel like going into all the details with a total stranger, but he knew it was the only way anyone could understand.

"I'm not doing anything right now," Kingsley gestured to his desk where there was an open magazine beside a steaming mug of coffee. "Why don't you have a seat, and tell me everything. Do you need any medical attention first?" Kingsley had noticed the slashed robes, and the blood, as everyone else had. He didn't want this man passing out in the middle of this questioning.

"No, I'm fine. I closed the wound right after it happened."

"If you're sure, then please begin." It did look pretty bad, Kingsley could just see the wound through the ripped robes, but as long as the man was conscious and able to talk, he figured it was fine.

"All right. Um, well it started when I was in school. There were these two boys who used to tease me, James Potter and Sirius Black." Severus did not want to tell him these things, it was embarrassing, and not to mention difficult for him to talk about the Marauders. He was dreading when he would have to talk about Lily and his feelings.

Kingsley's eyes widened. "Sirius Black? We've been looking for him. He's wanted for several crimes against muggles, and wizards, too."

"You've got him now, not that it'll do much good." Severus gestured grimly and pointed to the body.

"What happened to him exactly?"

"I told you it was a long story, and to understand, you'll have to listen to the whole thing." Severus was afraid that they would throw him in Azkaban if he told them straight out that he had killed Black, but if they heard his side first, and knew what Black and Potter ad done, maybe they would generous with him and let him go.

"Very well, please continue." Kingsley nodded at the nervous young man in front of him.

Severus squeezed his hands together before opening his mouth to continue the story."There was also this girl, Lily Evans. She's a muggleborn. She was friends with me until she got totally obsessed with James Potter. Eventually, they started going out, once he realized that she liked him. I hadn't seen her since I left school, but I never forgot about her..I always thought about her." Severus stopped, blushing a bit at how much information he was telling this man. It just felt so strange, sitting in the Auror office, telling an Auror about his school bullies and his life-long crush. He noticed that some of the other Aurors had leaned toward them and were trying to listen. Kingsley noticed, too, and waved his wand so that it created a soundproof barrier around them, thinking it might make Severus more comfortable if nobody else could hear.

Kingsley didn't take his eyes off Severus. He could tell that the young man was having trouble talking about this. Obviously he cared for this girl, and she had picked someone else. and to have her pick someone that bullied you, well, he could understand why he was having trouble talking about it to a stranger.

"Go on," Kingsley said softy. The others Aurors often put him down for being a bit soft and caring, but he thought it was an attribute in this type of situation.

Kingsley's deep voice relaxed Severus a little, and he didn't feel as embarrassed as before. He noticed that Kingsley's had waved his wand, and saw that the other Aurors went back to their work, so he figured it was a charm so nobody else could hear them talking.

"I work in a Potion's shop in Diagon Alley, and Potter and Black came in a few days ago with a list of ingredients they needed for a potion they were brewing. I heard them talking about Lily becoming immune to a curse, and I was worried about her. When we were younger, I tried to tell her how Potter was, but she didn't listen. So when I heard that, I thought maybe he had done something to her so she would stay with him, because I always thought it was weird that she was with him for that long. I decided to go by her house and talk to her that same day, even though I hadn't spoken to her in about four or five years. She didn't even know who I was at first." Severus said quietly, looking down at his hands. "Then I asked her if she was happy with Potter, and she said they had a fight the night before. She started crying; she seemed really upset. And then she told me to leave because she had to go see Potter. I thought that was it, until she asked if I could back the next day to talk. I don't know what happened in the meantime, but when I came back the next day, she told me she didn't want me coming around anymore, that she was marrying Potter, and he wouldn't like it. I knew by the tone of her voice that she really didn't want to be with Potter, and then she, she ah..kissed me. That made her really upset, and she ran into the house and left through the back door. Potter had threatened to hurt her family if she didn't marry him, and he had taken her wand, too, so she had no protection. She didn't want to put her family in harm's way, so she ran away. After I talked to her parents and got an idea of what was going on, I went after her. They had told me Potter was controlling her with potions and curses so she could never leave him, and he could do whatever he wanted to her."

"Do you know what these curses and potions were?" Kingsley interrupted, leaning back in his chair. "I would like to have them on record."

"No, but Lily might know. I'm not sure what Potter actually told her, but I'm sure she would not object to you questioning her."

"Where is Lily now?"

"At her home with her family."

"Well,continue the story, so I know how she got there." Kingsley was finding this very interesting; it was a bit like a muggle soap opera, with love triangles and betrayal and such.

"Anyway, I saw her go around a corner into an alleyway, and I followed, trying to catch her. Potter and Black were there with her. Black attacked me and I lost my wand. Lily told Potter about us, under his mental influence. He made Lily use the Cruciartus on me, several times. She finally broke free of him, I don't know how, but Lily is strong. But she passed out from the effort of freeing her mind. I took Potter's wand from Lily. I was fighting with Black, then Potter, and Black got me from behind. Potter got away. Black used some spell that ripped open my chest." Severus pulled open the two ripped halves of the front of his robes, revealing an angry red slash that was mostly closed up on his torso. It was still trickling a bit of blood, and looked red and inflamed.

"He started doing things to Lily," Severus twitched when he said this, trying to block out the image of Black defiling Lily. "She was fighting, and screaming. I got so angry, I just didn't realize what I was doing, I used the Killing Curse on him. I didn't even think about the consequences, I was living in the moment, thinking about everything he's ever done to me, and then what he was doing to Lily. Then I.. I came here. I wanted to do what was right." Severus was shaking slightly now, his thoughts full of dementors and dark cells.

The auror was studying Severus thoughtfully. This certainly was a difficult one. In theory, both Lily Evans and Severus Snape should be thrown in Azkaban for using Unforgivables. And James Potter and Sirius Black, too for assault and using Dark Magic. But Lily was being controlled by Potter, so that took her out of the equation. And Severus was trying to protect himself and Lily. There was no arguing that he could have used a different spell, but Kingsley could understand why he had used the Killing Curse. And the young man certainly seemed sorry that he had used it. He did not know exactly what Black was doing to Lily, and he could only imagine how Severus felt, watching his loved one being attacked by Black. He looked up at Severus, and saw the fear in his black eyes, saw how his hands were shaking on the arms of his chair.

"Look, personally, I wouldn't throw you in jail, but it's not up to me. I could set up a trial for you, and I could come and defend you on your behalf. It might help your case that Black has several warrants out for his arrest for assaults against both muggles and wizards, and also robbery. He was also brought up on attempted murder of his parents, but he left before we caught him. The family's house-elf had protected his parents with its magic, and by the time we got there, he was already gone. He must have realized he would be arrested if he stayed. We haven't been able to find him, and the fact that you did, and put an end to his existence is a plus. But I can't say what the jury will decide."

Severus put his head in his hands. One curse. That one curse could tear him away from his life, and from Lily forever. He wouldn't be around to protect her from Potter. He would live in a cell with real criminals and the dementors in the middle of the ocean, and he would stay there until he died. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kingsley was standing above him with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I'm really sorry, but if you want to do this the right way, this is how it has to be done. You had enough courage to come out and tell the truth instead of dumping Black's body somewhere, and I appreciate that. Hopefully the jury will, too, and they'll let you off. But I can't promise you anything. What I can promise is that I will be there to help you." Kingsley said. He felt horrible for Severus. He had a bad feeling that the jury would not rule in his favor. He would lose the woman who he had fought for, had killed for.

"Thank you." Severus said softly. The thought that someone was actually going to stand up for him and help him for once was almost unbelievable. His whole life he had gotten pushed around and nobody had even done anything, or even noticed, not even Lily. It was a little comforting to know that this stranger was willing to stand up for him.

"Listen, we don't normally do this, but why don't you go, maybe go get fixed up at the hospital, and I'll get in touch with you about the trial, okay?"

Severus nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted and drained from the happenings of the day, and the stress of thinking that he might be going to Azkaban. Severus stood up, ready to leave, when he remembered Potter.

"There's one more thing," Severus said. "Potter is still out there, and I think he might come back for Lily. If I go to prison, I won't be here to protect her."

Kingsley looked at the young man. He was faced with a life sentence in Azkaban, and he was still thinking of Lily first.

"I'll send an Auror home with you now, and I'll come later to replace him, alright?" Without waiting for an answer, Kingsley motioned for a older wizard to come over. He was short, and a little chubby, wearing worn-out robes with dark brown eyes, and a scruffy beard. He was balding on top, and there were deep wrinkle lines etched into his gruff face.

"That's Ralph Dorson. He doesn't really see too much action anymore, but we try to give him jobs here and there. He really is a great Auror, though, don't get me wrong about that. He just takes things really seriously."

"What's going on?" Dorson had joined them.

"Can you escort this young man home, and stay with him until I get there? Thanks."

"Come on," Dorson grabbed Severus' arm roughly and pulled him toward the corridor.

Severus couldn't help but think that Kingsley was sending this Auror with him to keep an eye on him rather then protect him, but he pushed the thought from his mind. He wanted to trust Kingsley, and he just hoped that he could count on him for help.

He noticed Dorson shooting him curious glances, especially at his chest, but to his relief, the Auror didn't question him.

Dorson led him to the rickety elevator, which brought them down to the Atrium.

"We'll apparate from there," Dorson pointed to an area on the right side of the Atrium where people were appearing and disappearing. "Just head where you want to go, and I'll tag along."

When they got to the correct spot, Dorson nodded, and Severus spun on the spot, feeling Dorson by his side. They appeared in front of Lily's house. The Apparation took the rest of Severus' energy, and he almost fell to the sidewalk, but Dorson supported him.

Lily suddenly pulled the front door open and rushed to them. "Oh, Sev, I've been watching for you at the window!" she grabbed him tightly and hung on.

Dorson let go of Severus and stepped back, surveying the area for potential danger.

"Lily," Severus whispered into her ear, and she heard the weakness in his voice.

"Let's go inside and I'll fix you up." Lily looked at the older man who had come with Severus.

"I'm Dorson. I'm here from the Auror Office to watch over you." Dorson said quickly.

Lily nodded and he followed her inside. Dorson closed the door behind them, and muttered some protective charm over the door. Then he summoned a chair, placed it by the window and sat down, watching the street from the window.

Lily brought Severus to the living room and guided him to the couch. She had basically been supporting him, and her shoulders thanked her when she set him down.

"Lily, dear, is that Severus?" Mrs. Evans and her husband and Petunia had just entered from the kitchen, hearing the front door open and close.

"Who's that man by the window?" Mr Evans asked, staring at Dorson's back.

"He's here to protect us, don't worry about him. I have to take care of Severus right now." Severus had laid down on the couch, and Lily noticed how pale his face was. Probably from the blood loss and being crucioed too many times. She laid her hand on his face. It was warm. "Sev, you'll be okay, I'm going to help you."

Severus smiled. "I know you will, Lily."

"Do you need help with anything, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"No, you guys can go back to the kitchen. I can handle it." Lily didn't want her parents listening when she talked to Severus.

"Alright, then you're sure there's nothing I can get for you?"

"Maybe just a bowl of warm water and a cloth." Lily said. The other three members of the Evans family retreated back into the kitchen.

"I'm just going to take this off," Lily gently pulled Severus' ruined robes off over his head so she could see the wound better. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to get any healing potions from the hospital, or maybe I can send Dorson..." Lily got up and went to ask Dorson to pick up some things from the hospital.

"Just tell them that Lily Evans needs these potions," Lily said handing him a piece of paper she had just scribbled what she needed on.

"I don't know if I should leave.." Dorson said, staring at the paper. Kingsley had told him to stay here until he came later on.

"Please, Severus really needs them, and we'll be safer here then moving him to the hospital. It won't take long, please." Lily put her hands on her hips and starred him down. "If you don't go, I will."

Dorson sighed. "Fine." His robes flashes as he disapparated, and then he was gone.

Mrs. Evans met Lily at the entrance to the living room with a bowl of water and a soft cloth. "Here you go, and just call if you need anything else."

Lily nodded before taking the items from her mother. She still felt guilty about how she had locked her parents up, but she had felt that it was the right thing to do at the time. But everyone was safe now, so it didn't matter.

She sat back down beside Severus. The wound still looked horrible, even though it was mostly closed up. She dipped the cloth in the water and began cleaning off the blood that was on Severus' chest. She glanced at Severus' face when she heard an intake of breath.

"Am I hurting you?" Lily said, worried that she had pressed too hard.

"No, you're not." Severus sat up, wincing a bit. "Come here."

"You should really lay down, or it may start bleeding again..." Lily said, but the rest of her speech was cut off by Severus' lips meeting hers. He had kissed Lily a couple of times today, but this time was better then the others, because he knew what she truly felt now. He put his hands around Lily and pulled her closer to him. He didn't want to tell her that he might be going to prison. He wanted to enjoy the time he had with her now, and not mar it with any horrible news.

Dorson had arrived back, and was watching the two, not wanting to bother them, but he stepped into the room anyway and cleared his throat loudly.

Lily jumped away from Severus quickly and looked up. "Do you have the potions?"

Dorson silently placed the items on the coffee table next to Lily and exited the room, returning to his seat by the window in the hallway.

Severus laid back down, wishing that Dorson had not interrupted them at that moment. Lily reached for the bottles on the table, and examined them before instructing Severus how much to take of each one. There were several potions: blood-replenishing, one to reduce infection, one to keep down the swelling, and one that numbed the area so it would less painful.

As Severus swallowed each of the potions that Lily gave him, Lily continued to clean the blood off his chest. He placed the last bottle back on the table and smiled at Lily; she had a slight frown on her face as she concentrated on the wound, wiping gently so she wouldn't hurt Severus.

It felt nice to finally have someone taking care of him for once. He remembered in his school days when the Marauders had given him some particularly bad injuries, and he would sit alone in his dorm room and clean himself up with all sorts of healing charms and spells. Now Lily was doing that.

"There. All finished." Lily lay the bloody cloth next to the bowl of rusty-colored water that she had been rinsing it off in. She grabbed a blanket that was folded on the back of the couch and laid it over Severus. "Now you just need to rest while the potions take effect. I don't know if the scar with ever disappear all together, but it'll heal pretty quickly, since you pretty much closed it up just as it happened."

Lily leaned back on the couch, squeezing in between Severus' feet and the couch's armrest. She sighed. "I'm really sorry that this happened to you, Sev. I should have told you everything in the first place, but I was afraid James would hurt you and my family. And you got hurt anyway." Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Severus, who was feeling sleepy, suddenly felt alert again at the sight of Lily crying. "Lily, don't, please. I'll be fine. And your family is fine, and you are, too. And Black is gone, so we just have to worry about Potter."

"Oh, Sev, you never told me what happened at the Ministry." Lily suddenly remembered about Severus going to the Ministry. She had forgotten to ask him when he got back because he looked so horrible and she wanted to fix him up. "They're going to let you off, right?" Lily looked at him hopefully.

"Well, I'm not really sure. There's going to be a trial, and I don't know how the jury will rule." Severus said. He didn't want to tell her, but he couldn't lie to her, especially when she was asking in such a straight-forward manner. Fear burned in his heart again, and he grabbed for Lily's hand.

Lily stared at him in horror. "But, he was a criminal! You can't go to jail! It'll be all my fault!"

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine because I was too stupid to think before I acted. My emotions took over, and I couldn't control myself. And now I have to pay." Severus' voice trembled as he squeezed Lily's hand tighter. He was terrified, really terrified, for the first time in his life. This did not even compare to the fear he felt when he was hiding from his father, knowing he was about to get a beating, or when the Marauders were after him. Just when he had everything he ever wanted, it would be taken away because of one stupid action, and he was terrified.

"No, I won't let them take you!" Lily let go of Severus' hand and jumped up, panicking at the thought of Severus locked up in a dark, dirty cell surrounding by cloaked dementors. "I'll take you away, we'll run away."

"No." Severus said quietly. What kind of life would that be for Lily, always running and hiding? And if they were ever caught, Lily would be arrested too, and he wouldn't be able to take it if that happened. "It's not the right thing to do."

Dorson had been listening to the couples' conversation in the next room, and gathered a vague idea of what had happened. Obviously, Severus had killed someone while trying to protecting Lily. And now he might be thrown in jail. In Dorson's opinion, Severus should have used a different spell. There is no excuse for using an Unforgivable. But the fact that he did it only in defense, he should be given a shorter sentence. When Lily talked of running away, Dorson wondered if he should go in and stop them, but then Severus had refused, much to Dorson's surprise. Dorson shook his head; many people would run if they had the chance when faced with the prospect of a life sentence in Azkaban. Obviously, this man was not a coward. He leaned forward in his chair and continued staring out the window, still eaves-dropping on the talk in the other room.

Lily kneeled beside the couch next to Severus' head. "I don't want to lose you, Severus. Not after all this." She leaned down and touched her forehead to his. "I need you with me, and you need me. We were made for each other, and I can't believe I never saw it before. But now that I know, I don't think I'll be able to live without you."

A lone tear trickled down Severus' cheek. How long had he been waiting to hear those words? It felt like a lifetime. And now, it might be for nothing. He would be in Azkaban, and Lily would be here, but miserable without him.

"Severus, do me one favor." Lily laid her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. "Marry me."

"What?" Severus was stunned by Lily's sudden proposal.

Lily could feel his heart beating very quickly. "Marry me." she repeated.

"But if I'm going to prison..why would you want that?" Severus didn't understand why she would want to be bound to him when he would live and die in Azkaban.

"Because I love you, and I'll love you forever. There will never be anyone else for me but you." Lily tucked the blanket back up under Severus' chin and brushed his dark hair lovingly off his face. "I want to be with you forever, and if you're in Azkaban, I can't do that. Unless you marry me. Then I'll be yours forever. If someone asks me, I'll tell them I'm taken already by Severus Snape."

Severus was touched. She would ruin the prospect of finding another man to be with for him, and be alone for the rest of her life?

"Please, do it for me, Sev." Lily eyes were burning into his, pleadingly asking. Severus slowly nodded, hoping she would not regret this in years to come.

"Thank you." Lily kissed Severus again, and this time they were not interrupted by Dorson.

So, what do you think? Did you like Kingsley? Please review and let me know. And I didn't forget about Lily still being attached to James. We'll have to see what's going to happen with that.

Dementors