A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
Ch 3 – Snape's version
When the guard returned a few minutes later, he was leading Severus Snape. He froze when he saw Hermione. He had been told that he was to meet with Draco's advocate. He certainly had not expected to see Hermione Granger. Given his treatment of her as a student, this hardly seemed like a good idea. He knew that Astoria had become friends with her, but Draco had never mentioned that they had any sort of professional relationship. Frowning, he reminded himself it was just a conversation; also, if Draco trusted her to represent him, perhaps he should give her a chance. She always was a bright girl, even though her unrestrained enthusiasm was often overwhelming.
Hermione's pulse quickened at the sight of her former professor. The last time she had seen the man before her had been nearly twelve years earlier, and she had believed he was dead. The man before her looked so much different than her memories. Professor Snape from her childhood had been deathly pale, frightfully thin, and painfully sour. The man before her looked healthier than she'd ever seen him look. His skin was still pale, but now it lacked the sickly grayish tinge she remembered. He had gained a bit of weight, and now his thin frame was well filled out. His hair was shorter than before, just barely dusting his ears. This also made his appearance less severe. The only thing that hadn't changed was his eyes. Dark and intense as ever, those eyes caught her gaze as he was led past her into the room. This time, however, she had an entirely different reaction to the intense stare. The guard instructed Hermione that the magical binding spell would lift once the door was closed and locked once again. She nodded to the guard. He left the room, and she heard the click of the lock behind him.
"Sir, you can imagine how shocked I am to see you like this here today. Shocked, and pleased, of course. Well, not to see you under arrest, but to see you alive and healthy. I had no idea you had survived. I'm so sorry we left you there like that sir; we had no idea there was any hope."
Apparently, the inability to hold her tongue was not a characteristic that had changed. Her appearance, though, was quite altered. He remembered her both as an awkward child and later as a pleasant looking young girl. He was not, however, prepared for the warm, alluring woman before him now. She wasn't a striking beauty, but she was undeniably attractive in many subtle ways, and the longer he looked at her, the more he realized that she had the potential to thoroughly enthrall a man. He snapped from his reverie, scolding himself for allowing his thoughts to stray in such directions.
"Do desist from your babbling. We have business to discuss."
She smiled shyly at his admonishment. She couldn't help but note that it had lost a great deal of its former bitterness. This man sounded mildly irritated, while the Snape she remembered would probably have bitten her head off by now.
"I'm sorry, sir. It's just so unexpected. Astoria didn't inform me that there were other defendants."
"No doubt she is preoccupied with her husband's well-being, Miss Granger. Or is it Mrs. Weasley now?"
"No," she said quietly. "It's still Granger."
"I see. My apologies if I've brought up a painful topic."
"It is okay, sir. Ron and I parted ways amicably after just a few months. " She couldn't help but be a bit shocked at his consideration for her feelings. "So, you have been living at the manor all this time?"
"Yes, Miss Granger."
"Who else knows of your survival?"
"It's not a secret, Miss Granger. I live a quiet life and I don't seek people out. But I venture out when I need to, and I have interacted with a few of my former acquaintances over the years. Lucius informed the Ministry of my whereabouts while I was ill. I was never officially pronounced dead by anyone except Mr. Potter. I'm sure most still believe me to be deceased, but there really has never been any attempt to deceive. If you don't mind, Miss Granger, I find this line of questioning to be irrelevant to the matter at hand.
"Very well, sir. I understand that you have been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Statute of Secrecy, as well as Conspiracy to Commit Bodily Harm against Muggles. I need to hear your account of the events, including your role specifically, as well as that of Draco and Ms. Lyra Malfoy."
"I developed a few magical potions to treat Muggle ailments. Miss Malfoy assisted me in the development of some of them, although as she is not a witch, she really cannot be held accountable for their development. Most of her work was in the analysis of the existing Muggle potions. She also assisted the Muggle authorities in testing the product to ensure it was safe to use and that all of the proper steps were taken based on Muggle laws and regulations.
"We knew that using magical potions outside the magical world was forbidden. The reason for that of course is to avoid detection of magic. So, I developed a sophisticated Concealment Charm that would make the potion appear to be a simple Muggle pharmaceutical. The decoy product was also safe and effective, though not as effective as the magical potion. There has been no ill effect; Muggles are no more aware of magic today than they were when we first began this venture.
"Draco funded the work, and he signed off on the production of the potion for distribution.
"In short, Miss Granger, technically, I am guilty of the charges, as is Draco. Miss Malfoy, as she cannot perform magic, is not responsible for any misuse of magic. As for the preposterous charge that we are attempting to harm Muggles, that is patently false.
Hermione noted with interest Snape's protectiveness of Lyra Malfoy.
"But she encouraged use of the potions on Muggles. She worked with the Muggle authorities to get the products approved. And she was aware that they contained concealed magic, and that use of such magic is forbidden. The charge is conspiracy, Professor Snape. One can conspire to misuse magic without actually using magic.
"She lamented that such advancements were not available to Muggles. I did the rest."
Hermione smiled. He was definitely protecting the woman. Could it be that Severus had found love with his old friend's daughter?
"What is your relationship with Miss Malfoy?"
"I hardly see how that is relevant, Miss Granger."
"Do you really think the prosecutor won't ask that question? I need to know the facts, sir."
"Lyra is very dear to me. She is a brilliant young woman, and she has fought long and hard to be respected."
"Are you trying to protect her because you have feelings for her?"
"It is unfair to subject a squib to the laws of the magical world. She did not coerce Draco or me into anything. All of our actions were our own. Therefore, she is innocent. End of story."
Hermione felt her stomach clench. She wasn't sure why Severus' answer, or, more accurately, his non-answer, bothered her so. Why shouldn't he find happiness with this woman?
"Thank you, Professor. I will likely have more questions for you later. Are you comfortable having me represent you in this matter?"
"Not so fast, Miss Granger. You have not told me how you plan to defend this case." He looked at her impatiently; his eyes seemed to be daring her to falter. Hermione suddenly felt eleven years old again. She pulled herself to her full height and affected her most poised Advocate demeanor.
"Professor, I seek to attempt to get the charges dropped entirely. It seems to me that what has happened here is a procedural problem. Malfoy Industries and Black Pharmaceuticals should have filed a formal request to market their magical products to the Muggle world, complete with a plan on how to avoid detection as well as how to protect Muggles from possible harm. It is not clear whether or not such a request would have been granted; however, both of those steps were taken with considerable care. There is clearly no malice involved. I will ask that you be allowed to present your case to the International Board for a retroactive exemption. If granted, Malfoy Industries and Black Pharmaceuticals will continue as before. If denied, the company and all of its agents will cease to market any potion with magical properties to Muggles.
"If they will not drop the charges, then at trial I will illustrate the good the potion has done. I'm sure I can find a Squib or two that have benefitted, or perhaps a Muggleborn witch or wizard who has a relative that has benefitted. Regardless of the illegality of your actions, good has been done here. To punish you for that, beyond a slap on the wrist, would be a failure of justice indeed."
Severus chuckled. "Well, I didn't expect to hear your completed closing argument Miss Granger, but I am satisfied that you have a solid plan for defending this case."
"Thank you, sir. I will see about getting the three of you released as well. As you all reside in the same place, they may want to consider house arrest until the trial."
"Very well, Miss Granger, I will accept your representation. " She handed him the form, which he signed. The guard came to the door at Hermione's request and led Severus away. Seeing him led away restrained pulled at her in a way she couldn't explain. She shook her head and told herself that she would get this fixed for him. No, she corrected herself. She would fix this for all of them and for everyone they could help in the future.