A/N: Not mine. Unless you want to give them to me Miss Rowling?
Not too fond of the end of this chapter, if anyone could give me a poke as to how they think it should go?
Chapter 3: The Chambers of the Wizengamot
Severus jumped a little at the name of the Prosecution. Here was Harry Bloody Potter back to make his life a living hell again. Only, this time, he literally held his life in his hands. The Boy Wonder had changed viciously since the last time he had seen him. Had the war really taken that much of a toll on him, that after only six years, his hair could be graying at the temples? He was only 22, for Merlin's sake! His features had matured, past the point that his father's ever had. The resemblance to James was still there, but no longer as prominent. He had lost the boyish look in his eyes, now replaced by a devastated sadness to them, no doubt due to the loss of his two best friends, one of them recent. How recent had it been? He hadn't even thought to ask the girl how long Granger had been dead.
Dead. The word shot through his heart that he had thought long ago to be frozen. Could he have saved Granger, and even Weasley, had he not been in Azkaban feeling sorry for himself? Could the war have been over by now had he not let grief overtake him and fall into the hands of the aurors? Did he matter that much to the outcome of this damned and endless battle?
As he looked over the members of the Wizengamot, he saw the drastic changes in the members. Had that many fallen to either the light or the dark? How was it that in a span of six years he no longer recognized a single member of the Wizengamot for what they were? He recognized a few from the back of his mind, but as current and former students. They had risen this far this fast? It made a strange feeling of pride swell in him to know that some of the students he had taught, whom he had thought would never amount to anything, could manage to become prized and respected wizards on the council of elders.
The entire Wizengamot had aged, now that he looked at them. He knew that stress could do a lot to a person, but was it possible that it could make them all age twenty years in six? Did that honestly work? All he knew was that none of the faces looked friendly, not a single one was rooting for him.
"Welcome, Auror Potter. As the senior council, you have the right to decide if you'd like to go first, or if you'd like to let the defense open?" The Chief Wizard, as was custom in serious, Dementor's Kiss cases such as this, was the only one who would speak. Each time he did, the lights in the room changed, becoming dimmer everywhere but on him, as to demand attention completely on the Chief.
"I believe it was our decision that I would start, was it not, Miss Weasley?" Potter turned his head toward the girl at his left as Severus's jaw dropped. Weasley? That girl was a Weasley? Where was the red hair? The freckles? The Goddamn thick headedness? Could he have misjudged her this much?
When he turned his eyes onto her, he saw that she had been shooting him apologetic glances that he refused to acknowledge. She was a WEASLEY. He was trusting his life to a Weasley.
Potter seemed to realize that he had done something that she had been attempting to avoid, but before he could say anything, the girl regained her composure and nodded. "That was our agreement, Auror Potter. If you would."
Potter tore his attention away from Severus and focused on the members of the Wizengamot. "Good Witches and Wizards, it is a known fact that this man, Potions Master and Former Professor Severus Snape was involved in Death Eater Activities. And this is not what we're here to discuss. He had been cleared of nearly all charges filed under that heading due to Albus Dumbledore's testimony. It is the fact that heruthlessly murdered the aforementioned Headmaster in front of not one but two students, myself and Draco Malfoy, now a proved Death Eater, that is on trial today." He strode over to the right side of Severus's chair and nodded toward Weasley.
The abrupt and brief opening statement had the entire Wizengamot shocked, and although he may have imagined it, he thought he saw the Weasley girl shoot Potter a warning glance. Was his defense council not only an incompetent Weasley, but rooting for the prosecution as well? Maybe she had been lying earlier when she claimed to even give half a rat's arse about his well being.
"Very well. Miss Weasley, if you will?"
The girl stepped forward, making eye contact with some of the lesser members of the Wizengamot. "As Auror Potter stated, Master Snape has been cleared on nearly every single charge of Death Eater Activity, excluding the one revolving around Albus Dumbledore's death. Therefore, any mention of the charges should not be admissible in this court. As such, I'd like to request that any mention of the cleared charges be excluded and that if Auror Potter continues to bring that up, that he be removed." She shot a look Potter's way, as if daring him to respond.
"But Your Honor, his history is what most of the case is based on!" Potter stepped forward on cue in protestation.
"Then the prosecution had better have another angle to go from. Request for the defense granted. Any cleared charge, according to the Wizengamot law, is inadmissible."
Potter looked as if he wanted to protest, but stopped himself, nodding toward the Chief Wizard. "Yes, Your Honor. Does Miss Weasley wish to continue with her opening, or skip to the testaments?"
Weasley seemed to think about it for a moment chewing her lip in what Severus was beginning to recognize as her plotting motion. "Let us continue on to the testaments. I believe we agreed, Auror Potter, that you would also start the testaments? Please, begin."
Potter walked over to Severus. "Thank you, Miss Weasley. Master Snape." He looked down at Severus with hatred in his eyes. "First of all, I have to ask, did Miss Weasley share with you what the date is?"
Snape was puzzled at the line of questioning. What was Potter playing at?
"Well, Master Snape, let me be the first to welcome you into the new millennium. Although, it is thirteen years late, I suppose."
Severus began coughing and sputtering. Thirteen years?! That would make it 2013. As in, seventeen years after he had first been imprisoned. No wonder Potter looked so much older! No wonder he didn't see anyone on the Wizengamot that he recognized. The usual term of a member beside the Chief was 10 years.
That would also mean that Miss Weasley had lied to him about the child. She couldn't be his, she had only been six. No way he could have fathered a child in prison.
What else had the chit lied to him about?
"Are you quite alright, Master Snape? Didn't Miss Weasley tell you about the year? Did she at least tell you that if you lost the case, you'd be up for the Kiss?"
This time, Severus had the presence of mind to at least nod.
"Well then, we both know how much would be at stake if you would admitted to anything. So, I think that a dose of truth potion would be in order—"
"Objection!" The Weasley girl darted out from beside him, throwing up her hands. "The defendant should be given the ability to speak about the event the way he pleases, and he at least should be given the chance to tell the truth on his own! What about the twenty-fifth law of the Wizengamot? The right not to incriminate yourself?"
Potter nodded toward the girl. "Withdrawn." And she shot him another look. Ignoring it, he continued on. "As I was saying, Master Snape…" he trailed off, eyeing the large hour glass which had begun to tick down ten minutes since he had started his questioning Severus. He had four minutes left. "Could you please tell the court where your loyalties lie?"
"Objection again! His loyalties are not what are on trial here! Please, Auror Potter, stay within the realm of Albus Dumbledore's death!" The Chief Wizard watched the exchange between the two with suspicion in his eyes, but simply waved his hand to get them to continue.
"Continuing on, Master Snape…" Potter again, looked over toward the hourglass. "Please tell me about your relationship with Albus Dumbledore."
For the first time, Severus had to open his mouth to speak. "Albus was my employer, obviously. He was a colleague of mine, and we had good conversations from time to time."
"When did you decide that he needed to be killed?"
"Objection!"
"Sustained. Auror Potter, watch your step, lest we become forced to remove you from this case!"
The Weasley girl, again, gave Potter a warning look, and he nodded toward her. "Well, I have thirty seconds left, I believe. But I think I will forfeit those seconds, as I know I will only get in trouble with them again." He gave one of his charming Potter smiles, and suddenly Severus saw James again in the face, no matter how old it was. It was James all over again, this sick, sadistic bastard who was trying to kill him.
He prepared himself for the Weasley girl's questioning, and she walked up to face the Chief Wizard. "Your Honor, if I may, I'd like to wave the chance to question my client." Again, the girl had lied to him. Closing his eyes, he wondered if it hurt when they sucked your soul out. Did it feel like someone was tearing a part of you out, slowly, forcefully? Or was it a quiet half-death? "Instead, I'd like to take my ten minutes to speak to the Wizengamot, and to show a piece of evidence that I think is critical to the case of Master Snape." The Chief nodded his approval, and she pulled herself up to her full height.
"I am first going to address the matter of Master's Snape's 'betrayal' to Voldemort." Even after 16 years, there were still flinches. "For all of my life, I've heard stories of his betraying the Headmaster. I've heard tales about his death, and I've heard dramatized versions where Master Snape transformed into the very devil to kill the Headmaster. But from countless points of view, he was a sarcastic, bitter man who rarely spoke to anyone other then the Headmaster. The only person he respected worth a grain of salt in that school was Albus Dumbledore." From the look on her face, it was obvious to Severus that she, too, respected Albus Dumbledore, despite the fact that her age told him that she could not have met the late Headmaster. Who had told her the stories late at night? If she so obviously believed in his innocence, someone would have had to have spoken at least decently about him. But the only person who had ever even trusted him with a wand in their presence was Dumbledore. And he had been dead by then. What was the girl playing at?
"So, the big question here is why. Master Snape, by account of those he had attended Death Eater meeting with, was never a pretentious Death Eater. He had never outdone himself to look good in the eyes of Voldemort. So why, seventeen years ago, would he have stabbed the one man who cared about him in the back? Unless it had some bigger meaning behind it." She pulled a vial out of her pocket. "Your Honor, if I may?" The Chief Wizard didn't respond, watching her every move as if afraid that she was going to break some rule. Taking this as a sign to continue, she did just that.
"What I have here are memories from three people. Narcissa Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Albus Dumbledore." At this, the normally silent members of the Wizengamot started wildly speaking to each other, muttering and staring at the girl standing before them, holding the silvery liquid.
"Silence, silence!" The Chief Wizard stepped out of his spot in the circle, and the lights in the room all completely darkened other then that on him. "Silence!" The lights returned to normal, and he turned to face Weasley. "And I am sure that these memories have been tested for authenticity?"
Weasley nodded. "Yes, Your Honor, by both myself and Auror Potter, as I didn't think that the word of a sixteen year old girl would sate anyone's suspicions. We have both come up with the conclusion that the memories are that of whom I have named." As she spoke, she headed toward a large machine at the edge of the room that Severus suspected she conjured while speaking. Pouring the contents of the vial into a basin at the top of the machine, the memories were suddenly projected onto the screen in front of them.
The first two memories were that of Harry Potter and Narcissa Malfoy, the killing of Dumbledore and the Unbreakable Vow, respectively. The third one took place in the Forbidden Forest almost eighteen years ago.
Albus Dumbledore stood in front of a tree, with Severus Snape beside him, looking around wildly. "Why have you brought me here, Albus. What is it that you could not tell me in the school?"
Albus simply raised his hand to his lips and waved his wand around the area, closing it off and making it invisible to anyone or anything walking through the woods at the time. "I could not speak of it in the school, my boy. And you cannot tell anyone of what I tell you out here, do you understand me? If a word of this is spoken to anyone, not only is your life in danger, but that of any one of the students."
Severus looked at Dumbledore in concern, suddenly understanding how important the matter at hand was.
"Listen to me, Severus. I am dying."
"Albus—"
"No!" Albus waved his hand impatiently and violently, effectively shutting Severus up. "You have to let me finish! I'm dying. The ring, when I destroyed it, destroyed me. I took in too much dark magic. My body is not dying, just my spirit. Voldemort made it such. If I let it, the magic will take me over until Voldemort effectively takes over me. And I can't let that happen. No one would notice the difference until far to late, and I will not let myself hurt students like that. So you have to kill me."
Severus recoiled. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Severus. When the time is right, I will tell you. Just promise me that you will keep yourself safe after I die. Don't let the darkness back in."
"Albus!"
"Severus, hold on to her. Yes, I know. Just don't let her go, do you hear me? Promise you'll do as I ask, protect yourself, Harry and her, and kill me?"
The memory slowly faded into darkness as the lights in the conference room slowly came up again. Severus had turned his head away from the projection, his eyes closed tightly. Potter, as well as many of the members of the Wizengamot, had tears streaming down their faces, and Weasley looked somber.
"For these reasons, I request that Severus Tobias Snape be released from Azkaban and his record cleared. He was only doing as Dumbledore asked, and who can fault him for that?"
It took two hours for the Wizengamot to reach a decision, all the while Severus was bound to the chair, and the Weasley girl stood behind him, fear and worry etched into her face. She bit her lower lip, this time not in concentration, but in fear. Severus was tempted to say some comforting word to her, trying to make it better, but knew that any words of his would only make things worse. Had he even had any confidence in his skills, every time he opened his mouth to say something, all of the things she had told him popped through his head, and he shut it again. She deserved to worry.
At one point, she had started bouncing her whole body as if fighting the need to pace. She turned to him, about to say something, when the doors of the room opened loudly, and the Chief Wizard stepped in to the room, alone.
"We, the Wizenmagot of Wizarding England, Scotland and France, do find Severus Tobias Snape cleared of the murder of Albus Dumbledore. However, we are not convinced that his record should be cleared, and for these reasons alone, we are putting him on probation. If we are to hear of any dark behavior from him, he will be found guilty of treason. Defense council will explain to him exactly what would happen should he be found guilty, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, the Chief rose his hand and looked around the room, then brought it straight down in a grand gesture. When it reached the bottom, all of the doors flew open, and the press began streaming in. "Case Dismissed."
The straps on the chair were released, and the Weasley girl grabbed his arm before he was even able to stand up. "We're leaving!" she said breathlessly, and pulled him through the crowd. She looked back and made a gesture toward someone that Severus couldn't quite see.
"No comment!" she screeched loudly to the press in the way, and pushed her way though. Apparently, without his knowledge, his had become a large case in the news, and everyone wanted to know something about the outcome. That's when it hit him. The Dark Lord would hear about the outcome, and the reason for the outcome. He would be dead within a matter hours.
Weasley dragged him toward the room they had been in earlier, shoving him roughly in and slamming the door behind her. Breathing heavily and shaking her head, she sighed. "Monsters, every last one of them."
"Miss Weasley, I thank you for your help, but I assure you, I am quite fine from here." He reached out for the door knob, but she put her hand on his chest.
"No, you're not. Now sit down and wait for—"
"I do not have to wait, Miss Weasley. Now please move." He grabbed the doorknob and flew backward forcefully, his whole body hitting the wall behind him and crumpling to the floor.
"I tried to stop you. The door is set to only respond to me and—"
The door opened again, and she huffed. "Can I never finish my sentences?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot while she waited for whomever it was to step through the wards and show himself.
When Potter walked in, Severus was taken aback. Hadn't that man just attempted to feed him to the dementors? And now he was standing in their safe room?
"Nice job, kid. I would have freed anyone you fought for like that." He smiled at her and opened his arms for a hug.
She glared at him for a minute, before accepting the hug. "You pompous ass, you nearly got us caught. You were not supposed to do that badly. The Chief was suspicious. I think he knew, that's why he's not completely cleared yet."
Potter shook his head. "We're fine."
Weasley shrugged. "Thanks for the help, Uncle Harry. And, are you sure you're okay with this?"
Potter looked at her straight in the eye. "Would it change anything if I weren't okay with this?"
She shook her head, and Potter sighed. Then she turned her attention onto Severus. "I guess I should introduce myself since someone went and spilt my secret. My name's Aradia Granger Weasley. Awkward name, and yes, it was hell to learn to spell as a child." She rolled her eyes and continued. "My parents were Hermione and Ron Weasley, and both of them are dead. I, more often then not, would talk to my mother about your case, and that's how I got her statement. A few days after her death, I got an owl from Dumbledore saying that you were innocent. That's where the memory came from. I went to Uncle Harry, who I'm staying with, and we confirmed that it was real."
She paused here, looking to Potter for reassurance.
"And I have a plan to get you back into Voldemort's inner circle, like you were sixteen years ago. The Order needs it's spy back."
His eyebrows rose at her audacity. "First of all, what makes you think I actually was a spy and that you didn't just release a Death Eater onto the wizarding world again? Secondly, what, pray tell, is this plan?"
"My mother believed in you, and that's enough for me." She smiled at him, and for the first time he saw how much the girl looked like her mother the year that all of this had started. The year she was conceived, apparently. "And the plan is that if you bring someone that Voldemort views as a threat to him, that he'll at least trust you again."
"And who do you propose I bring?"
She gave him a full on smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Me."