The Last Request of Albus Dumbledore

My apologies for my absence. In this chapter, we find out what Albus Dumbledore would like to happen next, and of course, the big news - who will gain the Headship of Hogwarts?

~ SS19

Chapter Three:

Glancing around the small Hogwarts staffroom, crammed full with people, Severus Snape was pondering the ethics of friendship. He had known Albus Dumbledore almost twenty years, and not once had half of these people been mentioned. In his later years when he had lived side-by-side with the Headmaster for much of his time, he had not met half of these people, and he realised that it was only after death that friendships were shown for what they truly were. The people he did not know were not here out of grief - they were here for greed. What had Albus Dumbledore, rich and famed throughout the Wizarding World, left them in his will, which lay sealed in an envelope on the table before the Ministry of Magic's solicitor who had arrived for the dubious honour of reading it. Seated as far away from the crowd as he could, Severus had chosen an armchair he was not familiar to, but it allowed him to observe what was happening around him. All of the Hogwarts staff were present, and Severus did recognise some members of the Ministry - and seated opposite him was, of course, Harry Potter and his two friends and Arthur Weasley, possibly for support. Severus recognised signs of grief on the Boy-Who-Lived's face, and although he tried to quell it, he did feel a rush of sympathy and pity for the Gryffindor student. He had, after all, only just lost his godfather and Severus, still reeling from the loss of his mentor, understood just how much that could affect someone. He had struggled to come to terms with what had happened himself - losing Albus Dumbledore was unbelievable. Severus shook his head and returned his gaze to his lap. He had had the customary glances, the consoling pats on the shoulder from the other members of staff, and supposed he was meant to feel thankful or grateful for this, but it just reminded him of what had happened when he had attempted to block the memories with Occlumency, or at least a few too many beakers of Fire Whiskey. He just could not get the image out of his head - the voice echoing in his ears…

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I might have your attention. Unfortunately, I would have preferred to meet you under better circumstances - so I feel it is most likely best to get this task over and done with, as painlessly as possible." The solicitor was smartly dressed with hair that seemed slightly greasy to Severus, his face lined with age and his mouth pulled down into what seemed to be a perpetual frown. Severus had come across solicitors before, back when he had been a child after his parents' death and since in the Wizarding World, and he had never found one that he actually liked. Having said that, Severus did not like many people - and the one he had liked the most was waiting to be buried. He breathed in steeply and straightened his back as silence fell and all attention turned to the solicitor.

"Clearly, we are gathered here to read the will of the recently deceased Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I do not know the contents of the will, nor does anyone in this room." The solicitor slit the envelope and pulled out the piece of parchment. Severus remembered pulling the paper from Albus' desk and reading the words that headed the paper, and panicking. He had never felt such panic, as he had realised in that very second that Albus Dumbledore was going to die. He clenched the arm of the chair tighter, watching his knuckles turn white. He really did not want to be here.

"I shall now read the words written here, exactly as they are here on the parchment. This will be verified by an independent source after today." The solicitor - Severus was trying and failing to remember his name - cleared his throat once and spoke softly yet firmly too.

"I, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and generally fantastic wizard, do hereby dictate what will become of my possessions should the unthinkable happen, and I am incapacitated or killed."

Severus couldn't help but smile - Albus really had been an arrogant bastard.

"In my one hundred and fifty years, I have never seen a woman hate a wardrobe so much - so, just to spite her, I leave my complete wardrobe to my beloved Minerva McGonagall - she was always threatening me with various scenarios should I continue to wear magenta and yellow together, so I hope she finds some better use for them. Preferably not burning them, Minerva - but joking aside, I also wish to leave her my complete Transfigurations library, including my personal journals which she has been begging to see since she was a student of mine. How was I supposed to know, back then, that the girl who asked more questions than the Asker of Questions himself, would become my deputy and one of my closest friends?"

Severus hazarded a glance in Minerva's direction, seeing the drawn expression and the way she was blinking rather rapidly. He wanted to smile in her direction, but there was a lump in his throat, and smiling would be difficult.

"To Harry James Potter, I leave the box in my office with his name on - only he will be able to open it - I hope he will be able to use it, and its contents well. I also ask of him to put one old prejudice aside and accept help from an unlikely source, which will come to him in his hour of need."

Harry seemed to nod as if he was hearing the words from the revered Headmaster himself - just as Severus was.

"I have quite a lot of gold, really, much of it I do not want but certainly do deserve - to St Mungo's, to work on their advances into curing de-habilitating curses and illnesses. I admire their work greatly, and hope that this small token will help them to find the solutions they have been searching for."

A pause as the solicitor swallowed a mouthful of water. "To Lord -" He broke off, as Severus sat up. What was Albus doing now? "To He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I leave a message, which I am sure will be delivered to him. In this chess match, between you and I, I would suggest that you have won. It was a Dark curse, after all. However, I encourage you to take heed, for the battle is not yet won, and the King has not yet surrendered - for I am no longer the King. You have been a powerful opponent, Tom, but I remind you that you are not as powerful as your enemies, for you know nothing of love and devotion, and that - melodramatic as it sounds - will be your weakness."

"And finally, to Severus Tobias Snape. A son to me in all but blood - there can only be one thing for a rightful and honourable heir. My dear boy, I leave you my home - and with that, the Headship of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Intakes of breath from around the room.

"Now, before you all argue - I remind you that this is my decision to make, and I have my reasons for trusting Severus above all others."

"I don't want it." Severus interrupted.

"The will is not yet finished." The solicitor continued, "And you, Severus Snape - don't you dare say you don't want it. Wasn't it only last month you were telling me how much better the school would be if you were in charge, as a Slytherin? Well, I take you up on that challenge. The school is yours, and it is an ancient rite - you cannot get out of it. Checkmate, my boy. Checkmate." The solicitor stopped. "It's finished. That concludes the handwriting on the parchment - and thus the will."

Severus stood, "Let me see." How could Albus do this to him? How could he put the Dark Lord's advisor and spy for the Order as Headmaster? How could he protect the students with the Dark Mark carved into his arm? He snatched the parchment from the solicitor, expecting it to be some sort of practical joke - yet there, in Albus' neat and narrow handwriting, the words, confirming that he wanted Severus to be Headmaster. He shook his head, "There must be some way out of this - a mistake?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the incensed expression on Potter's face but his gaze remained on the only other sane person in the room at that moment.

Minerva looked at him for a long moment, something close to sympathy in her gaze, "Severus. He is right, it is a duty - and when you are offered that duty -"

"But I don't want it - you do - you can have it. I am not in the right position to be Headmaster. I do not have the experience or the…"

"Well, you have been a Head of House for nearly twenty years, Severus - that is plenty of experience." Minerva said gently, "I will still be your deputy. But, it's what Albus wants."

And Albus always gets what he wants. Severus left the final sentence unsaid as he turned and exited the room in a flurry of black robes.