The title for chapter nine is from…25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Wickedgreenchild, GreenCowsGoMoooo, and thedivinemissk.

Okay, so, since I know zip about trials, Mara basically wrote most of this and I beta-ed. Well, alright, I suppose I wrote Harry's testimony and the end, but Mara wrote everything else. Woot!

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story.

Chapter 10: Cell Block Tango

"So you're saying that Professor Snape's not a Death Eater?"

"No, I'm saying that he is a Death Eater—although not by choice."

"How can you not be a Death Eater by choice?" the lawyer asked, confused.

Elphaba might not have known much about trials, but she knew enough to see that the lawyer defending Snape was horrible. She groaned as Dumbledore passionately tried to explain how Snape was simply a spy, a pawn in the bigger game, not an actual accomplice to Voldemort. However, this shrimp of a man defending Snape seemed completely oblivious to what was happening in the world around him.

"As I explained before," Dumbledore said with forced patience, "Severus Snape is a trusted friend—he is spying on Voldemort for us under the guise of being a faithful servant to the Dark Lord although in actuality, he is not. Although he was a Death Eater, before Voldemort's first downfall, he turned traitor for us and has worked for the final defeat of Voldemort ever since."

"Thank you, no further questions Your Honor," the lawyer, a Mr. J. T. Brimble nodded at the judge before sitting down.

"So, how long have you known Snape, Professor Dumbledore?" the lawyer from the other bench, Aaron Cheftin, stood up. Elphaba could instantly tell from his tone of voice and the way he held himself that he was a cocky, arrogant man—who probably (and unfortunately) was a much better lawyer than Mr. Brimble.

"Since he began teaching at Hogwarts, twenty years ago."

"And how long has Snape been a Death Eater, Dumbledore?" Cheftin continued.

"Since before Voldemort's first downfall at the hands of Harry Potter," Dumbledore answered yet again. Most of the eyes in the courtroom flicked to Harry's scar, much to said man's annoyance.

"And in all that time, sir, has Snape been telling you what You-Know-Who is doing?" Mr. Cheftin asked.

"Ever since he became a spy for us, yes."

"Do you have any way of knowing for sure whether Snape is telling you the truth?" Merlin, Elphaba though. Why couldn't we have this man as Snape's lawyer instead of Brimble? At least he knows what he's doing, I'll give him that.

"Considering the fact that Snape often tells us what Voldemort is planning to do, and then, he or the other Death Eaters actually follow through with their plan, yes, I would say we know for sure."

"And how do you know that Snape isn't telling You-Know-Who about your plans?" Cheftin challenged.

A murmur spread around the courtroom before Mr. Brimble finally remembered he was defending Snape and stood up and yelled (much louder than necessary), "Objection!"

"Sustained," the judge, Daniel Gibbs, replied lethargically.

"Actually, I would like to answer," Dumbledore said politely from his seat in the box adjacent to Gibbs. All eyes in the courtroom turned to the aged headmaster. "Of course Voldemort expects Snape to tell him our plans. Thus, naturally, Snape must have a ready answer. This would be why Snape and I work out realistic ways to answer any potential questions about the plans of the Order or Hogwarts. If Snape didn't stick to those plans, then we would have been attacked a long time ago. Therefore, no, Snape is not telling the Dark Lord our plans."

Mr. Cheftin considered Dumbledore's answer for a moment. "No further questions, Your Honor," he said to Gibbs, although he was still staring thoughtfully at Dumbledore.

"The witness may step down."

Dumbledore gratefully took his seat in the courtroom next to Elphaba. They looked at Harry as he was called to the stand.

"Mr. Potter, how long have you known the defendant?" Brimble began with the customary question.

"For almost fifteen years," Harry answered.

"And how long have you known that Snape was a spy for the Order?"

"I've suspected since my fourth year at Hogwarts, but I've known for sure for eleven years," Harry answered.

"What reason would you have to be reassured that Snape is spying for the Light side?" Brimble questioned.

"Well," Harry began cautiously, "like Dumbledore said, the information Snape gives us is never wrong. Whatever he says the Death Eaters or Voldemort will do, they will do."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. No further questions, Your Honor," Brimble smiled at what he believed was a job well done.

Mr. Cheftin stepped forward. "Mr. Potter, is it true that due to your visions from You-Know-Who, you received Occumentary lessons from Snape?"

"Yes sir, during my fifth year at Hogwarts, and again after I left school," Harry answered.

"Do you think perhaps Snape addled your brains so that you would believe that he is a loyal member to the Light side? After all, if he was a Death Eater, even if he isn't now, he must know some very dark spells."

"Objection! This is merely guesswork!" Brimble called from his seat.

"Sustained," Gibbs ruled.

Cheftin gave the Boy-Who-Lived a quick glance. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Elphaba gave Harry a reassuring smile as he sat down, but it was she who needed a reassuring gesture when her name was suddenly called.

"I call to the stand Miss Elphaba Thropp," Brimble called.

Oh, Merlin, Elphaba thought, here we go.

She swore to tell "the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help her God". Then she gingerly took her seat.

"Miss Thropp," Mr. Brimble began, "how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Five years- ever since I first arrived in England."

"And how long have you known the defendant?"

"For that same amount of time, five years."

"In that time, have you noticed any… dark behavior?"

What kind of question is that? "He's the potions master, he lives in the dungeons, of course his behavior is dark!" Elphaba replied, causing everyone in the courtroom to give a little chuckle at the idiocy of this lawyer.

"Let me rephrase my question, Miss Thropp. Have you ever noticed any behavior from Snape that seemed to be in support of the Dark Lord?"

"Well, of course he was pretending to be a Death Eater, but he never showed any signs of supporting their beliefs," Elphaba replied. Well, thank Merlin this is going well so far, she thought.

"Thank you, no further questions," Mr. Brimble concluded.

Elphaba was about to breath a sigh of relief and step down when she realized that they weren't done with her yet—she still had to be cross-examined. Oh, great, Elphaba groaned inwardly, here it comes…

Mr. Cheftin strode forward almost cockily. "Miss Thropp, is it true that you and Snape are romantically involved?"

"Objection!" Mr. Brimble cried in a singsong voice.

"Overruled," was Gibb's bored response.

Mr. Cheftin smiled at the commotion he had caused, "Please answer the question, Professor."

"It is most certainly not true!" Elphaba snapped. "And anyway, what would it matter if Snape and I were romantically involved?" As soon as Elphaba heard the gasps from the onlookers, she realized that had been the absolute worst thing to say.

"Oh," Mr. Cheftin said, raising his eyebrows. "So you only want there to be a romantic relationship between the two of you?"

Mr. Brimble stood up again, "Objection! He is leading the witness!"

"Sustained."

"No, I do not want there to be a romantic relationship between us! Our relationship is strictly platonic! He's a good friend of mine, and that's all!" Elphaba growled. Okay, Elphaba, breath, she berated herself. You won't do Snape any good if you lose your temper here.

"Okay, well, isn't it true that you recently broke up with your boyfriend, Mr. Fiyero Tiggular?"

"Yes," Elphaba responded stiffly. Where was this going? And where the hell did Cheftin hear about this anyhow?

"And isn't it true that Mr. Tiggular and Snape were found fighting shortly after you ended your romantic relationship with the former?" Cheftin shot.

"Yes, it's true. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"Well, it appears that Mr. Tiggular seemed to have thought there was something between you and Snape which ended your relationship with Mr. Tiggular," the lawyer said triumphantly.

"Objection. Rumor and speculation!" Mr. Brimble cried a little too dramatically.

"Sustained," Judge Gibbs said, although he finally appeared interested by what was going on now.

"I'll rephrase the question, Your Honor," Mr. Cheftin said cordially. "Miss Thropp, did Mr. Tiggular suspect that there was a romantic connection between you and Snape?"

Elphaba sighed. She wanted to put that all in the past, but no, it looked like she couldn't. "Yes."

"And why do you suppose he thought that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know! He blew a little thing out of proportion!" Elphaba felt ready to scream.

"Wait, I thought you said there was nothing between you and Snape—so what could he have blown out of proportion?"

Merlin, talk about trying to make me stumble! "There is nothing between Snape and I, other than our friendship! It's a strictly platonic relationship, I said that already!" Elphaba tried to keep her voice steady.

"And the fact that you have been frequently observed visiting the Hogwarts dungeons at night, where Professor Snape's room is located, are those just platonic visits?" Cheftin smirked.

"Objection!" Mr. Brimble had to practically scream over the chaos of the court.

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba tried to respond, but she couldn't be heard over all the gossip and shocked gasps moving around the courtroom. She had never visited Snape's rooms at night (except on the night of the Welcoming Feast), so what was that lawyer taking about? Now, Elphaba really wanted to scream, but Mr. Cheftin merely smiled and with, "No more questions, Your Honor," returned to his seat.

Elphaba returned to her seat as well, feeling humiliated even though she knew that she had done nothing wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the jury looking at her with disapproving stares. And Elphaba had a weird feeling that she might have just doomed Snape.

After the lunch break—which Elphaba spent attempting to avoid anyone who'd given her a suspicious look in the courtroom—everyone returned to their seats and the trial resumed.

"I call Severus Snape to the stand," little Mr. Brimble stated in his obnoxiously meek voice.

Snape came forward, looking dejected. Elphaba desperately wanted to reassure him that everything would be fine, that he would get off, but now was not the time. Nor did it really look like Snape would be found innocent.

"So, Snape, is it true that you are a Death Eater?"

"Yes, it is true."

"But is it also true that you are only a Death Eater so that you can spy on the Dark Lord and report your findings back to Albus Dumbledore?" Brimble elaborated.

"Yes, that is also true."

"And would you have any reason to lie to Dumbledore?"

"No, I would have no reason to lie, nor would I do so." Snape's face remained as cool and unreadable as a stone.

"One last question, do you have a romantic relationship with Elphaba Thropp?"

"No," Snape said. "We are good friends, and that is all."

"Thank you, no further questions." Mr. Brimble stumbled as he sat down again. Poor Snape, having such an idiot for your lawyer! Elphaba thought.

Everyone watched as Mr. Cheftin stood up, glancing at the papers at his desk before looking up at Snape. "How long have you been a member of the Order, Snape?"

"For twenty-eight years, Mr. Cheftin," Snape replied coldly.

Mr. Cheftin seemed to consider this answer for a moment, then came out from behind the desk and started slowly walking towards Snape. "And how long have you been a Death Eater?"

"I was admitted into the ranks of the Death Eaters almost thirty years before; however, I have long since renounced the Dark Lord and his views," Snape said eloquently.

"Is it possible that someone who is both a member of the Order and a Death Eater could be spying for both sides?" Cheftin mused out loud, deliberately baiting the defendant.

For the first time in his trial, Snape showed signs of emotion. "That'd be a preposterous situation!"

"Really? Because that's what I'm getting the feeling you've been doing," Cheftin stated.

"Objection! Opinion!" Brimble squeaked in a high voice.

"Sustained," Gibbs tried to hide a yawn.

"Just one more question, Your Honor," Mr. Cheftin said to Judge Gibbs. "Snape, how long have you been the Potions Master at Hogwarts?"

"This is my twenty-first year teaching."

"And, hypothetically speaking, if a Death Eater were teaching children—young, impressionable children—what do you think his punishment should be?"

Snape's face turned stony and cold again. "I wouldn't know; I'm not a lawyer."

"Good answer, Snape, good answer. Thank you, no more questions."

Snape stepped down and was led back to his seat. Meanwhile, Judge Gibbs asked, "Are there any more witnesses for the defense?"

Mr. Brimble stood up for a moment, "No, Your Honor. The defense rests."

"Well, then, Mr. Cheftin, call forth your first witness."

Elphaba didn't like the arrogant expression on Mr. Cheftin's face when he replied, "With pleasure, your Honor. I call to the stand Mr. Ronald Weasley."

And Elphaba didn't like the expression on Dumbledore's face when he saw Ron take the stand, nor the expression on Harry's face upon seeing his best friend take the stand against Snape. But she hated the expression on Ron Weasley's face most of all. She glared at the red-haired Order member, clenching her fists by her side.

"Mr. Weasley, is it true you were captured by Death Eaters on the night of February 4, 2003?" Cheftin began.

"Yes, sir. I was," Ron answered. Elphaba shot Harry a questioning look; she had arrived in England a few months after that.

"And is it also true that you were tortured by a few Death Eaters, one of whom was Severus Snape, in an attempt to get information for You-Know-Who?" Cheftin smirked as he finally was able to play his trump card.

"Yes, Mr. Chieftin," Ron nodded.

"Thank you, Weasley. No more questions, Your Honor," Cheftin stepped back and Ron returned to his seat.

Mr. Brimble got up hastily, dropping some of his papers in his rush. He picked them up as he moved forward towards Ron. "Mr. Weasley," he said, once he collected all of his paperwork from the ground, "is it true that you were a pupil of the defendant, Severus Snape, for seven years?"

"Yes, sir." Ron inclined his head slightly in agreement.

"What was your opinion of the defendant as a teenager, when he was your teacher?"

"I hated him. He was hardest on Harry and I—he disliked Gryffindors for no reason. He would take points off Gryffindor house for the smallest things and displayed obvious favoritism towards Slytherin. He was cold and heartless."

Snape didn't mask the hurt expression which crossed his face. To know that people hated him was one thing, but to hear it being said to the general public was quite another.

"Is it possible that what you said earlier today could have stemmed from a childhood dislike of the defendant?" Brimble asked.

"Objection," Mr. Cheftin said.

"Sustained," the judge agreed.

"No more questions, Your Honor," Brimble finished.

"Finally, I would like to call up my last witness, Lucius Malfoy," Cheftin stepped forward again. The blonde Death Eater almost glided to the stand and took a seat.

"Mr. Malfoy, you were at the Ministry of Magic the night of April 5, 2005, correct?" Cheftin asked.

"Yes, I had stayed late to finish up some paperwork that the Minister required the next morning," Malfoy answered in his usual, drawling voice.

"Could you describe for the jury what happened on the night of April 5, 2005?" Cheftin prompted.

"Gladly, Mr. Cheftin," Malfoy smiled coldly. "As I previously mentioned, I was finishing paperwork for the Minister when I heard a commotion on the ground floor of the Ministry. Naturally curious, I rushed downstairs, where I saw that the Dark Lord was attacking with a group of Death Eaters, one of which happened to be Severus Snape."

Elphaba snorted. More likely, he was one of the Death Eaters, she thought.

"No more questions, Your Honor."

Mr. Brimble walked towards the silent witness. It would have been a lot more impressive if he hadn't tripped over his feet in the middle. "Mr. Malfoy, how would you have managed to identify Snape? Don't Death Eaters normally wear masks when going on raids?"

"Yes, sir," Malfoy sneered. "However, Snape was hit by a spell and his mask fell off, enabling me to see his identity.

"And if this is true," Brimble wondered. "Why did you wait until now to report that Snape is a Death Eater? Why didn't you report him three years ago?"

Malfoy was thrown for a moment. He recovered quickly and replied smoothly, "Well, I wasn't sure if it was Snape and I didn't want to randomly accuse him if he wasn't. However, with the recent accusation, I realized that my eyes hadn't fooled me, and I stepped forward with the evidence that I collected three years ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Brimble said. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Daniel Gibbs stood up. "If that is all, then, the jury will collect inside this room for a discussion and a vote," he announced before turning around and watching the jury head into the room behind the judge's desk.

As soon as the jury left the courtroom, chatter began among the occupants of Courtroom #4. Elphaba and Harry walked towards Snape, while Dumbledore went over to where Ron was sitting.

"Thank you Fae…Potter," Snape said quietly, still staring at where Gibbs was sitting.

"You're welcome, Snape," Harry answered. "Even if you can be a right bastard at times, well, you still don't deserve to be condemned for something you didn't do."

Before Elphaba said anything, Dumbledore walked over to them, anger evident in his ancient face. "Mr. Weasley has proved that he is not mature enough to stay in the Order," he said to the other three Order members. "By letting a childhood grudge prevail over his common sense, he may very well have destroyed what we have been working for. Because of this, Mr. Weasley is now no longer a major Order member, although he will still be in the general Order."

"But Dumbledore-" Harry began, but stopped as he saw the murderous look on Elphaba's face.

An hour passed, then two. Elphaba began to pace, something that she did often when she was worried. What was taking them so long? she wondered. Harry tried to get her to sit down, but she shrugged his hand off her shoulder and resumed her pacing.

"Fae, please, sit down," Dumbledore finally said. "You're making all of us even more nervous."

"Sorry, Albus," Elphaba replied, sitting, but still fidgeting. Just as she said this, the door opened, and the jury filed in.

"Has the jury come to a decision yet?" Gibbs asked once the whole jury was re-seated.

"We have, sir," a man answered.

"And what is your verdict?" Gibbs asked.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Severus Snape," the speaker paused, "innocent!"

There was a silence and then an instant uproar in the courtroom. Snape walked towards Dumbledore, Harry, and Elphaba, who could swear that she saw a hint of a tear in Snape's eyes. Although, if she ever asked him, he would deny it, of course. Finally, she though. A triumph for us at last.

Aren't you proud of me? A long chapter and no cliffhanger this time…

Coming up: An accidental confession and slash.

Okay, I need your opinion on something: What do you think would be Elphaba's (or Glinda's, I suppose) biggest fear and/or worst memory? I have some ideas, but I want to see what you guys think. Thanks.

-Wolfie