I own nothing you recognize. I simply play in JKR's universe for fun.
The Interview
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"Whoever invented the term Green Room couldn't have had this in mind," said Hermione, looking appalled.
"It's a muggle term, isn't it?" asked Ron, looking amazed.
"I think it's the standard term for a waiting room for guests waiting to go on a television talk show," she replied.
Severus said nothing, other than to transfigure a magazine into a pair of dark-lensed sunglasses and put them on.
Hermione considered doing the same as she looked at the olive green sofa located next to the tea green painted end tables. The lime green walls with the celadon trim made her nauseous.
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Rita Skeeter pushed her spectacles up her nose and prepared to step onto the set. She smoothed the skirt of her lavender satin suit over her hips. When the director signaled, she stepped out from behind the curtain and took her place in the elegant chair in the center of the stage.
"Tonight, we have three truly exceptional guests," she began. "In 1998, the Dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort fell, ending his reign of terror. The only people still alive who witnessed this event are finally breaking their silence. Welcome with me: Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Severus Snape."
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The three took seats in the chairs that magically appeared to Skeeter's right.
Severus, minus the sunglasses, thought that the set was more pleasant than Courtroom Ten. He hoped things would go more easily than they did the last time he had been in that room.
Hermione made a concerted effort to relax. She had nothing to be nervous about, she told herself.
Ron was terribly uncomfortable. He hated the idea of talking to Rita Skeeter almost as much as he hated talking about how Harry died. He knew he needed to do it to make things right with Hermione.
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"I was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange and trying to keep two other Death Eaters back so Harry and Hermione could work their way forward to get to Voldemort," said Ron, trying to keep his voice steady and his hands still. "Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew, and Severus Snape were right there next to him. Malfoy and Pettigrew moved towards them and Hermione hexed Malfoy with this weird face-melting spell. Malfoy was screaming and Lestrange went wild. Pettigrew was trying to grab Harry with that silver hand of his. Malfoy stopped screaming and Lestrange got past me and everybody stopped for a moment."
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"Harry and Voldemort were staring at each other," he continued. "Right then, Lestrange started to move towards Harry, so I got her in the back with an Exosso and she collapsed. After that, I had Mulciber and Yaxley firing at me and never got another look at what was going on. I took out Mulciber and realized Yaxley had stopped to stare at what was happening behind me. I turned around and saw Hermione aiming her wand at Harry. She yelled "Viscus Strigo" and Harry fell. I knew he was dead.
"I was so shocked, I couldn't think," said Ron.
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"According to transcripts from the hearings before the Wizengamot," said Skeeter, turning to Snape, "that's when you took action?"
"It was," replied Severus with a formal nod. "I saw Potter fall and a mist issued from his head. I knew from my research that it meant the horcrux had broken and the piece of Voldemort's soul was looking for a place to go. It could not return to the Dark Lord's body unless Voldemort freed it personally, a price of creating the horcrux to begin with. I had only seconds to cast Avada Kedavra at Voldemort to kill his body."
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"Why didn't the soul fragments from Potter or Voldemort hide in one of the nearest bodies or objects?" asked Skeeter.
"The secondary fragment from Potter's body was instinctively pulled towards Voldemort, but could not enter his body. When I killed the Voldemort's body, the primary soul fragment attempted to move into Pettigrew's body. For the last year, I had been slipping Animan Edere potion into Voldemort's food and drink whenever possible. It prevented his soul from being able to take seat in another body. The soul fragments had only seconds to get into something or dissipate. They were too late."
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"We've heard this before from your testimony before the Wizengamot," replied Skeeter, carefully. "It is hard to believe that Albus Dumbledore, the hero of the Grindelwald War, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin, First Class, and founder of the Order of the Phoenix had been planning Harry Potter's execution all along."
Ron blanched and Hermione hid her hands under the table.
"We looked for another alternative," said Severus, shaking his head regretfully. "Voldemort never planned to turn infant Potter into a horcrux. He planned to kill Harry Potter and use his death to create a horcrux out of Ravenclaw's wand."
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"When Lily Potter stepped in the path of the killing curse intended to slay her child, she disrupted the horcrux spell. Ravenclaw's wand was destroyed in the blast that took Voldemort's soul out of his original body. His soul was forced to split again and the piece took refuge in the only living body left in that house. We had to face this fact when we looked at the growing body of evidence: Potter was a Parselmouth and he was mentally linked to the Dark Lord. Voldemort passed along some of his abilities and the connection along with his soul."
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"When we understood the ramifications of this," said Severus, "we sought the means to remove Voldemort's soul from Potter's body. We could find none that did not require his death. Albus felt it was his duty to find as many horcruxes as possible and destroy them. He believed he had made enough mistakes in dealing with Tom Riddle that he owed everyone to take this responsibility himself. When we were faced with the choices of Astronomy Tower, Albus used our skills in Legilimancy to request his own death. It saved my life and released him from duty as Potter's executioner."
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"Albus Dumbledore loved Harry Potter like a grandson," continued Severus. "It tortured him to think of having to kill him in order to free the wizarding world of the threat posed by Riddle. At the same time, he would not ask anyone else to assassinate the boy. Albus was dying with no time to counter the poison he drank while retrieving the false locket. What the Death Eaters and Potter interpreted as Albus Dumbledore begging for his life was Albus Dumbledore asking to die so he might be released in a manner that would allow another to fulfill his role."
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"Are you claiming that murdering Albus Dumbledore was some form of mercy killing?" asked Skeeter skeptically.
"The only mercy was that it saved Dumbledore from being slain by Fenrir Greyback or another Death Eater who would have tortured him first. He was not going to leave that tower alive. Albus might have counted it a mercy that it spared him from being Potter's executioner. He had made arrangements, in the event of his death, for letters explaining the situation to go to Order members Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They were to aid me at the proper moment."
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"When that moment arrived, two of them were already dead. Kingsley Shacklebolt was killed in the raid on Diagon Alley. Remus Lupin died after killing Fenrir Greyback. Moody did not receive a summons from me as previously agreed, because Potter and his friends took us by surprise. Potter had slain Nagini, destroying her horcrux, but the three of them did not get out fast enough. I fully believed that Potter was about to be killed by Voldemort, which would reunite the piece of his soul in Potter's body with the primary soul in Voldemort's. I was convinced we were undone."
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Hermione's soft voice interrupted.
"We didn't know that Professor Snape was our secret ally among the Death Eaters," she said, looking at Skeeter. "I learned later on that this information was kept from us so Harry couldn't accidentally reveal it through his mental link to Voldemort. All we knew was that we had to destroy the horcruxes and then Harry would be able to kill Voldemort for good. We thought that Nagini was the last horcrux."
"We were wrong," she said. "Harry and Voldemort were staring at each other. Voldemort had possessed Harry before during the raid on the Ministry."
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"It was Harry's eyes that gave it away," said Hermione, struggling to keep her voice even. "They were turning red. Voldemort was using their link to take over Harry's body. That's when I realized what was really happening. All of the pieces fell into place in an instant and I knew that the lightning scar on Harry's forehead represented a horcrux. Voldemort was either going to possess Harry the way he had Professor Quirrell or he was going to kill Harry and take the piece of soul back. Harry's green eyes were flashing red and he was losing the fight."
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"I couldn't let it happen," she said, fighting for control even after all these years. Severus reached over and took her hand. Taking a breath, Hermione continued.
"I couldn't let Voldemort do that to Harry. We'd lose everything Harry believed in and fought for." She raised her head and looked at Ron. "We had studied Dark magic in order to understand what we were fighting. I used Viscus Strigo to stop Harry's heart. He was looking at me in horror, his eyes red, and he put up no defense."
"It was a mercy killing," said Ron. "I didn't understand, then."
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"I wasn't watching Harry and Voldemort," Ron reiterated. "I was holding off Yaxley and Mulciber. Then, I heard Bellatrix Lestrange screaming. I turned and saw Hermione casting the Viscus Strigo. Hermione was pointing her wand at Harry and his body hit the floor. That's the only thing I could see and I completely lost it when I realized that Harry was dead. I know that Snape used Avada on Voldemort, but it barely registered. I was too focused on Harry.
"Hermione did something to Harry and he was dead," said Ron. "I went totally nuts and wanted to destroy her."
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Rita Skeeter gave her full attention to Ron Weasley.
"According to sources at St. Mungo's and testimony presented to the Wizengamot, Hermione Granger very nearly bled to death after you used a series of slicing hexes on her. Severus Snape saved her life by putting you in a Body Bind after he stunned the remaining Death Eaters.
"According to your friends and my own observations, she was your girlfriend. You two had been the best of friends since your first year at Hogwarts. What was going on in your head that you could turn on someone you professed to love?"
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Author's notes
Yes, the evil cliffhangers continue.
Yes, this story will be done before Deathly Hallows comes out.
Exosso: Bone removing spell
Animan Edere: Give up the ghost potion
Viscus Strigo: Stop internal organs spell