The first snowfall of the year happened in mid-November at Hogwarts. Very quickly, the autumn surrendered entirely to the cold allure of winter. The birds quieted. The boughs of the evergreens grew heavy with snow that did not let up. A delicate hush came over the whole place, in a way that made it feel more like home than ever to Severus Snape.
On the tenth of December, he sat in his Potions office ticking off incorrect answers on third-year Hufflepuff exams. He sighed heavily as he noted that over half the students had missed a question about the use of porcupine quills. That concept, he thought, would need urgent reinforcement. There was a quick, insistent knocking upon the door of his office as Severus stacked the exams neatly. He glanced up and smirked. Most people did not have so predictable or consistent a knocking pattern as did his wife. But Hermione always knocked four times - four raps, firm and evenly spaced. He set down his quill and called out,
"Enter."
The door to the office creaked open, and Hermione came sauntering in and pulled her rucksack off her shoulder. She plopped it down in the chair opposite Severus and paced with her arms crossed over her chest. Severus threw up an eyebrow at the sense of urgency she seemed to possess.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, and Hermione huffed,
"I assume you've seen today's Daily Prophet."
"I have not," Severus admitted. Hermione rushed to unbuckle her rucksack, and she yanked out a copy of the newspaper and tossed it down with disgust upon her face. Severus pulled the newspaper across the desk and felt his stomach flop when he saw the photograph on the front page. There, in vibrant black-and-white, was an image of Albus Dumbledore. Severus pinched his lips and felt queasy as he read the headline.
GRISLY DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT DEATH OF DUMBLEDORE
Severus sighed and glanced up to Hermione for a moment. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Severus suddenly realized she had been crying. He was disinclined to read the article, but he forced his eyes back down to the page.
It is no secret that the old-money Malfoy family were not friends of Albus Dumbledore. Lucius Malfoy was personally responsible for attempting to remove Dumbledore from his post at Hogwarts in 1993. Over the next several years, Lucius Malfoy ran into trouble again and again, frequently with Albus Dumbledore involved. Lucius ended up in Azkaban, and then escaped. However, there is strong evidence that Lucius Malfoy defected from the Death Eaters at some point and had his personal property seized by Voldemort. As a result of his defection and his willingness to help track down former Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy will serve no additional prison time. His wife Narcissa and son Draco are undoubtedly grateful that their patriarch's messy Death Eater past has been forgiven in the wake of the War.
But what was Lucius Malfoy's role the night that Albus Dumbledore died? And if he has so much information to give on other Death Eaters, what can he tell us about that awful night on the Lightning-Struck Tower? It is beginning to look as though the answer to that question is, 'Quite a lot.'
In a recent information-gathering session at the Ministry, Lucius Malfoy told for the first time what happened to Dumbledore the night he was killed. Malfoy said that his son, Draco, was personally recruited by Voldemort to murder Dumbledore. This claim has been corroborated by many other former Death Eaters. But did Draco Malfoy kill his headmaster? Lucius Malfoy says 'no,' and so do a great many former Death Eaters. They claim that Albus Dumbledore was actually killed by none other than Severus Snape - current Hogwarts headmaster and recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. But was Snape involved in a power grab, or in a dastardly Death Eater plot? Not so, says Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt.
'It was a very complicated situation,' Minister Shacklebolt insists. 'Albus Dumbledore actually knew ahead of time that Draco Malfoy had been required to murder him. He was concerned for the well-being of the boy's soul, and so he requested that his friend Severus Snape - acting at the time as a double agent - do the deed instead. In throwing Dumbledore from the Astronomy Tower, Professor Snape spared young Draco Malfoy a lifetime of guilt and possibly desecration of his soul. It was, in a strange way, an act of mercy.'
The facts are these: apparently Severus Snape killed Albus Dumbledore. The Death Eaters at the time believed the killing to be an act of loyalty toward Voldemort, while anti-Voldemort heroes insist that Snape's actions indicated loyalty to the Light. The Daily Prophet leaves it to its readers to interpret this information as you will. In any case, it can be well and truly agreed that Albus Dumbledore is dearly missed.
Severus set the newspaper down and touched his fingertips together. He sighed, and the sigh felt much heavier in the quiet room than usual because of the tension radiating from Hermione. He met her chocolate eyes at last and shrugged.
"They left out the bit about my Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy, which, of course, no one else knew about at the time. Bellatrix knew, but she's dead. And I don't suppose Narcissa Malfoy would be inclined to reveal that she ensured backup in case of her son's inadequacy. Other than that, I fail to see what's so very objectionable in this article. There's certainly nothing here that should have brought you to tears. So, Hermione, tell me why you're angry."
"They're calling you a murderer!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly, and Severus struggled not to let out a derisive snort.
"I am a murderer," he reminded her. He leaned forward in his chair and put his hands on his desk. He watched her face curl into a grimace of pain as he spoke. "I killed Albus Dumbledore. I killed Remus Lupin. I killed Bellatrix Lestrange, and I killed Lord Voldemort. Shall I go on, Hermione? I am a murderer. This article is actually rather flattering, all things considered."
Hermione scoffed and shook her head. "Everything you did, you did because -"
"I only defected from the Death Eaters and joined Dumbledore in a foolish attempt to save Lily Evans' life. You should know that," Severus spat at last. He was frustrated with her, with her inability to see how very human everyone and everything involved in these wars had been. Hermione's grimace deepened, and she whispered,
"What do you mean, Severus? You… what, you still wanted to be a Death Eater?"
Severus sighed and rubbed at his temples. He kept his eyes shut as he said, "I went to Albus Dumbledore when I became aware of a plot - in reaction to the prophecy - to kill James and Lily."
"And their son," Hermione said in a venomous tone. "And their son, Harry. Isn't that right?"
Severus cracked open his eyes and scowled. "Yes," he said finally. "I begged Dumbledore to save them. I began working as a double agent. But Lily still died. And I was utterly trapped. Do you want to know what it is that made me realize once and for all that I was not, at my very core, a true Death Eater?"
"No," Hermione admitted. She swiped at her eyes. "No, I don't want to know."
Severus rose to his feet and walked around his desk. He put his hands upon her shoulders and felt her flinch under his touch. He met her eyes with a burning stare and said in a firm tone, "You. It was you, Hermione Jean Granger. Until I feared for your life, I don't suppose I fully understood what a fine mess I'd gotten myself into. Now you are all I live for. The Mark that I had put on my arm, and the work I did for Dumbledore… none of it matters now, you understand? I don't ever want to talk about Dark and Light again. There is only you for me. You ought to know that from the day I realized I loved you, every single action I have undertaken has been in the pursuit of your safety and happiness. I don't mean to change my motivations any time soon, so you shall have to get used to it."
There were tears properly streaming down Hermione's face now. She swiped at them with the sleeve of her Gryffindor robe, and she whispered in a cracked voice,
"Just kiss me, would you?"
Severus obeyed her, closing the gap between them in two steps and sweeping her face up to his. He delved his tongue immediately between her lips and felt her moan vibrate on his mouth. Her hands flailed helplessly in the air, finally grasping at the hem of Severus' cloak as she kissed him back. He pushed on her a bit and she stepped backward. She hit the stone wall with a quiet oof, and Severus' hands immediately flew to the bottom of her skirt. He blindly hiked up the skirt and shoved aside her knickers as he pawed at her womanhood, still kissing her mouth with full vigor.
Hermione's own fingers danced frantically between the two of them as she struggled to unbutton the placket of his trousers. Then her right hand flew up and her eyes wrenched shut, and she whispered, "Colloportus!"
Severus heard the lock on the door click shut, and he smirked down at Hermione.
"See?" he murmured against her lips. "Those wandless magic lessons didn't go to waste. You're very adept at it now. If nothing else good came of -"
"Quite a lot good came of all our misadventures, Severus, and you know that full well," Hermione said, staring up at Severus with a look of determination. He felt a swell of want for her at that, and he pulled his manhood from his trousers and touched the tip to Hermione's sodden entrance. He flashed her a questioning look, waiting for permission. In response, she curled one of her legs up around Severus' waist and put his hands on her thighs.
He hauled her up onto him and felt her arms trace around his neck, and then Severus could not ignore the flaming, swirling arousal coursing between their bond any longer. He drove himself into her ready body, grunting as he felt her wet, tight warmth cinch around him. It had been three weeks since they'd made love, owing to how busy the both of them were. It felt as though it had been an eternity. And yet, there was something so comforting and familiar about the feel of her body. Severus ground his hips back and forth, pulling himself halfway out and pushing in again a few dozen times before his calves started to cramp.
He held fast to Hermione and moved quickly, still inside of her, toward his desk. She yelped as he flopped her down rather unceremoniously onto the wooden desk, and he mumbled a half-hearted apology. He yanked her by the waist toward the end of the desk, inadvertently knocking her elbow into the stack of third-year Hufflepuff exams. The papers went flying, and Hermione gasped at the sight. Her right hand quickly flew out again, and she said briskly,
"Ordino!"
The papers stopped fluttering halfway to the ground and immediately gathered themselves into a neat stack upon the floor beside the desk. Severus chuckled, feeling more impressed than ever. Hermione let out a soft cough that Severus knew was from the effort of balling up her magic in her throat. He leaned to kiss her lips and began to pulse his hips against hers once more.
"Brilliant little thing," he purred, feeling himself swell within her. Hermione said nothing back; she was too busy grasping at Severus' hair and whimpering with pleasure. Severus relished the feel of her for a long moment as he thrust, until he knew he could hold back no longer. With a low groan, he pumped his seed into Hermione's body and felt his veins fill with satisfaction. He pulled her up against his chest for a moment and they each caught their breath. Then Hermione said,
"You know, our bedroom is just through that door there. A stone wall and a desk? My back will be sore for days."
Severus pulled her face back and brushed the pad of his thumb beneath her eye. "I'm afraid I did not have the patience for doors," he said. "I shall massage butterfly weed balm into your back later this evening to make it better. I promise."
She smirked and pushed his chest gently so he would let her go, and she adjusted her knickers and skirt as she said, "I have to go, or I'm going to be late for Professor Weasley's lesson on boggarts."
"Didn't you study boggarts in your third year?" Severus asked, cocking an eyebrow. He buttoned himself back into his trousers and sniffed, "I seem to remember hearing that Neville Longbottom's boggart took the shape of me."
"So it did," Hermione nodded. "I think we're doing more advanced work with them? No idea. I'll let you know later."
Severus felt uneasy then, and he pinched his lips as he took Hermione's jaw in his hand. "You have seen things far more awful than a young woman your age ought to have seen," he noted. "I'm not eager for you to reveal your darkest fears to a classroom full of children who could not possibly understand -"
"Ginny and Luna were at Malfoy Manor, too, Severus," she reminded him. "And others. Many others. I'm sure we all have different fears than would be expected of us. I shall see you tonight."
She leaned up and planted a swift kiss on his lips, and she snatched her rucksack from the chair. She walked quickly from the office, and Severus noticed that she had left the Daily Prophet behind on his desk. He stared at Dumbledore's photograph on the front page for a while after Hermione left, and then he reached for his wand.
"Evanesco."
"Who can tell me what a boggart looks like on its own?"
No one's hands went up. Hermione knew the answer, of course, but she was making an effort as of late to be less pushy in Percy Weasley's class.
"Anyone? Can anyone describe the appearance of a boggart that has not taken the shape of a person's fears?" Percy raised his red eyebrows and shrugged. At last he said, "That's right. No one can say, because as soon as a boggart encounters a person, it takes the shape of his or her very worst fears. A boggart is a shape-shifting non-Being. Why might that designation be important?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and raised her hand, unable to pretend any longer that she did not know the answers. Percy waited for what felt like an eternity, and finally he said in a bored voice,
"Madam Granger?"
"In the fifteenth century, Burdock Muldoon organized a series of summits that sought to categorize all creatures - living, dead, and amortal - in the Magical world. While there were logistical difficulties in these summits, eventually it was determined what was counted as a Beast, what was a Being, and what was a non-Being. The non-Beings belong to a class of Magical creatures that can not be killed, but are 'amortal' rather than 'immortal.' They are not born, and they do not die. They do not possess souls. They are the very product of human emotion, and they thrive on chaos and darkness. Creatures in this class include Poltergeists, Dementors, and, of course, boggarts."
"Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor," Percy Weasley nodded, and Hermione felt a swell of glee flush through her. Beside Hermione, Luna Lovegood patted her hand and whispered,
"Well done, Hermione."
"Now, given the rather complicated nature of a boggart, actually defeating one becomes a daunting task. In your second or third year of study, you were all instructed in the spell Riddikulus. Of course, the Boggart-Banishing Spell does not actually dispel or destroy a boggart; it merely disables the creature by forcing one's fears to turn into something amusing. That buys a witch or wizard time and space to contain the boggart safely. And that is what we shall be practicing today."
Percy gestured to four boxes upon his desk, which Hermione had not noticed up to this point. Each box was about the size of a large book. They were made of carved wood, each with a different frilly design. If Hermione hadn't known better, she would have guessed that they were jewelry boxes. But since Hermione didknow better, she now suspected that Percy Weasley had gotten ahold of four boggarts and had them contained upon his desk.
"You will break into four groups of five," Percy told them, "and, one by one, you will release the boggart in your group's box. When the boggart takes its shape, you must cast the Riddikulus charm and wait for the boggart to become disabled. Then, quickly cast Depulso and Banish the boggart fully into the box once more. Close the lid quickly and seal it with a Colloportus spell. Take it in turns in your group until all have successfully released, encountered, disabled, and sealed the boggart. This task will be included in your NEWT exams, so I advise you to pay close attention and put forth your full effort. Begin."
Hermione sighed as the room began to buzz with chatter and the sound of scraping chairs on the floor. She met Ginny's eyes and nodded, and Luna said from beside her,
"May I work in your group, Hermione?"
"Of course, Luna," Hermione said distractedly, watching as Ginny Weasley roped in Louis Headrick and Delia MacLachlan, two true seventh-year students. Hermione did not know Louis or Delia well, since they were each a year younger than her, but they seemed nice enough. Louis was a Ravenclaw, and Delia a Hufflepuff. Eventually, Hermione settled around a desk with her group, and Luna bravely went up to fetch them a boggart box. Hermione tried to ignore the way Louis Headrick stared at her with abject curiosity, and she said to Delia,
"Are you excited for Christmas?"
"Oh, yes," Delia grinned. "I haven't seen my mum or dad in months, of course, and I'm quite certain they're eager to spend the holidays together."
Hermione cringed as she remembered the two years she'd gone without seeing her own parents. Then she reminded herself of what Severus had done, of how he'd restored their memories and reunited her with them on her birthday. She swallowed heavily, counting the days until she would be back in Muswell Hill to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Severus had to stay at Hogwarts, of course, but he'd downright insisted that Hermione go to her parents for a few weeks.
"All right. Here we are," Louis Headrick said, shaking Hermione from her reverie. He set the wooden box down upon the desk and stepped back with his hands on his hips. Hermione sighed and felt suddenly anxious. She was not exactly certain what would appear when she encountered the boggart. Once upon a time, she had been most afraid of Professor McGonagall telling her she'd failed her exams. But Hermione reckoned her fears had probably grown darker through the years.
"I'll start," Luna said, pulling her wand out and stepping forward. Hermione threw her eyebrows up, impressed as every with Luna's outgoing nature. Delia, Ginny, and Louis stepped far back as Luna aimed her wand at the box. Luna raised her pale eyes to Hermione and said, "Hermione, if for some reason I'm not able to subdue it, come near me and we'll just confuse it, eh?"
Hermione chuckled and nodded. It was true that by having two people stand before a boggart, the result would be a jumbled mixture of fears. But Hermione wanted to let Luna try on her own, since this was apparently part of their NEWT exams.
Luna leaned forward and whispered, "Alohomora." The little lock on the box clicked, and the lid of the box sprang open. Suddenly, out of thin air, a manticore appeared. It was a fearsome beast with the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. It was huge, hulking, and very realistic. Hermione felt her heart pound in her chest at the sight of the glaring manticore.
"Riddikulus!" Luna cried, and the manticore suddenly trembled and morphed. It shrank down in size, becoming the size of house cat, and it sprouted butterfly wings. The manticore 'roared,' but the sound that came out was child-like laughter. Hermione stared at Luna, feeling more impressed than ever as Luna narrowed her eyes and chewed her lip as she focused hard.
"Depulso!" she cried, and the miniature manticore went soaring back toward the box. Luna leaned forward and slammed the lid shut, and then she said, "Colloportus!"
"Well done, Miss Lovegood," Percy Weasley said, sauntering over toward the group. "Ten points to Ravenclaw."
Luna beamed and glanced around the room. Hermione followed her eyes. She could see Dean Thomas standing before a heaping pile of rotting corpses, and a Slytherin girl was observing her younger sister starving and in rags. Hermione gulped heavily at the dark turn that the lesson had taken.
"Right. I'll go, then, and maybe we can get even more points for Ravenclaw, eh?" Louis Headrick feigned bravery as he took Luna's place before the boggart. He unlocked the box and released the boggart, and all of a sudden there was a great churning sea. The sides of the vision faded into the room, but there were crashing grey waves and the smell of salt air pervaded. Louis Headrick looked absolutely terrified, and Hermione wondered what on Earth had happened to the boy to make him fear the ocean so badly.
"R-Rid-Riddikulus," Louis sputtered, his cheeks going dark red as he staggered backward. The vision of the ocean suddenly began to give way as the 'water' was funneled into water balloons. One by one, the water balloons popped and vanished. "Depulso. Colloportus," said Louis Headrick, Banishing and sealing up the boggart. He shuddered after the box went quiet, and he muttered, "Glad that's over, then."
Next up was Delia MacLachlan, who for some reason saw a slaughtered sheep. She cast her Riddikulus charm on the bloodied animal, and the sheep's wool quickly turned into a hundred cotton balls that went soaring about like snowflakes. Delia managed to seal up the boggart, too. When she'd finished, Luna Lovegood asked gently,
"Did you see something bad happen to an animal, Delia? One time I saw a plimpy whose legs had been tied together by merpeople. I was fishing for plimpies, but I didn't much care for the way that creature had starved to death, unable to walk about the lake. It seemed… wrong, you know? Did you see something happen to a sheep, Delia?"
Delia nodded and let out a shaking breath. "It was… my Muggle uncle. He's a sheep farmer, and when I was very small, he slaughtered one for mutton in front of me. It's frightened me ever since."
Luna gave a knowing nod and a serene smile. "I'm sure you're quite the friend to sheep now, though, aren't you?"
Hermione watched as Ginny took Delia's place in front of the wooden box. She held out her wand, and Hermione could see its tip shaking a bit as Ginny cleared her throat. She unlocked and flipped open the box, and the boggart soared out. Immediately, a vision appeared of Harry Potter holding hands with a young woman - a young woman who was not Ginny. The image of Harry leaned over and passionately kissed the raven-haired woman, and Ginny's wand hand shook more fiercely than ever.
"Riddikulus!" she cried, and the two figures before her suddenly swapped clothing. The image of Harry was now in a mini-skirt, pink jumper, knee socks, and Mary Jane shoes. The girl was wearing dark denims, a man's shirt, and a long black robe. The two figures glared and turned away from one another. As Ginny Banished and sealed up the boggart, Hermione realized that Ginny's greatest fear was not that Harry Potter might actually have another girlfriend. Her fear was that her own jealousy would destroy her relationship with Harry.
How very interesting, Hermione thought. At last it was her turn to step up to the boggart. She felt queasy, felt her heart pounding and her ears ringing, and her wand shook fiercely in her hand. She had no idea what she was going to see, and she was not excited to find out.
"Alohomora," she whispered, and the wooden box unlocked. Hermione leaned forward and flipped the box open, practically leaping backward as she readied herself for whatever vision would come.
She was expecting, perhaps, to see Severus' corpse, or perhaps a vision of Septima Vector discussing the way neither she nor Severus could live without the other. She would not have been surprised to see an image of herself or Severus being tortured, or to see Bellatrix Lestrange's face.
It was very surprising, though, when nothing at all appeared.
Hermione waited a beat and gulped, peering around the box as if the boggart must have been hiding. There was nothing. It was as if the box had been utterly empty. Hermione furrowed her brows and said to Ginny,
"You didn't… I don't know, Vanish it or something, did you?"
"You know they can't be Vanished," Ginny shrugged. "Where did it go? Percy!"
She waved her brother-teacher over, and Percy scowled as he walked briskly to the group.
"You know, Ginevra, that you are to address me as 'Professor Weasley' in this class," he said. Ginny sighed and shrugged dismissively.
"The boggart's gone missing," she said, gesturing to how Hermione stood before the empty box. Percy Weasley frowned and looked very confused.
"Step aside, Madam Granger," he commanded her. "Ginny, go stand where she is."
Hermione and Ginny obediently traded places. Once more, Ginny's awful vision of Harry and the mysterious black-haired girl appeared. Ginny cast her Riddikuluscharm again, and once more the two figures traded clothes and began to scowl at each other.
"Hermione, go back in front," Percy said carefully, and Hermione took note of how he'd used her first name. She sighed lightly, feeling just as confused as everyone else. When she and Ginny traded places again, the figures of Harry and the girl disappeared. They dissolved into complete nothingness, and Hermione shrugged.
"What… I'm not afraid of anything?" she scoffed. "I can assure you that is not the case."
But for the rest of the lesson, they were unable to figure out another explanation. It seemed that every time Hermione stepped before a boggart, it vanished into thin air. No fear would appear manifested before her.
By the time Hermione made her way to the Great Hall for dinner, she was feeling betrayed by her own magic and mind. She resolved to consult Severus on the matter later, over a soothing cup of tea.
"When I release the boggart, I shall step in front of it and see what fear appears," Severus told Hermione. She stared at the wooden box upon Severus' desk, which he'd obtained from Percy Weasley the day before. Severus continued, "Once I've subdued the boggart, you step in front, and we shall see what happens."
"Right." Hermione nodded crisply. She and Severus were determined to discover what had happened in the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with the boggart. Now, five days after the incident, they stood in Severus' office with more questions and fewer answers than ever. Hermione sighed, gripping her wand tightly as she watched Severus step up to the box. He unlocked it and flipped open the lid, staggering backward as his worst fear materialized in the air before him.
It was Hermione, slumped dead upon the ground. She looked a bit older than she was now - perhaps twenty-five or thirty - but she was not an old woman. She wore a filmy white gown, and her caramel curls were scattered around her motionless, white face like a halo. Hermione knew that the vision of her was one of death, for the figure's lips had a blue tinge and her hands were rigidly clenched. Hermione gulped at the awful sight, turning away with a sensation of nausea.
"Riddikulus," Severus muttered, his voice trembling fiercely. There was no sound, and when Hermione forced her eyes back, the vision of her dead body was still there. She knew that in order to actually subdue a boggart, one had to fill one's mind with pleasant images and be able to transform the fear into something silly.
For example, in her third year, Neville Longbottom's boggart vision had been of Severus himself, looming over Neville with his lip curled up in an ugly sneer. Neville had cast Riddikulus, and suddenly the vision of Severus had been wearing Neville's grandmother's clothes. Ron had seen a giant spider, which had been made silly by the addition of eight roller skates going in different directions.
But now a vision of Hermione, cold and dead, lay upon the floor of Severus' office, and it seemed as though he were unable to muster enough humor to overcome it. Hermione watched as Severus' face pinched as if in pain, and he aimed his wand at the boggart again.
"Riddikulus!" he said more firmly, but the vision did not disappear. Hermione scrambled to think of a way to make the vision funny or bearable, but she could not. Finally she walked up to Severus and gently pushed his bicep so that he would step away. He did, looking rather shocked at his own inability to counteract the boggart. Hermione just nodded at him and looked back to where the vision of her corpse had been.
There was nothing there. It was as if the boggart had vanished into thin air. Hermione felt her heart pounding as she tried to figure out what it meant. Finally something clicked in her mind. There was nothing before her because that was what she feared. She feared the unknown, the great emptiness that she thought might come after death. She feared accomplishing nothing, or failing, or living a meaningless life. She feared Nothing, with a capital 'N.' The absence of substance was Hermione's greatest fear. She felt her mouth fall open, and she raised her wand to the empty space before her.
"Riddikulus!" she cried. Suddenly the air tingled and shimmered, and there appeared before her a large velvet chair. In the chair sat a grey-haired man with a sallow, sunken face. It was Severus, old and wizened. On his knee was a small child, and the two of them were paging through what seemed like a photo album. The vision of Severus must have said something funny then, for the little child giggled and 'old Severus' quirked up half his mouth. The child turned over his shoulder and murmured something indecipherable, and the elderly man - Severus - nodded firmly.
Hermione wanted to stand and watch them forever. She was mesmerized. She felt her mouth curl into a happy smile at the sight of Severus, old and happy with a grandchild on his lap. She swiped away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, and she pointed her wand at the vision. She did not want to Banish it, but she forced herself to say, "Depulso."
The old man and the child and the chair were sucked into the wooden box, disappearing at once. Hermione gently shut the lid of the wooden box and touched the tip of her wand to it. "Colloportus," she whispered. She turned to Severus, leaning backward on his desk in the stillness of the room.
"You're afraid of what you can not predict," Severus nodded. "Of dying young and taking me with you a few years later, or of having not done anything substantial with your brief time on Earth. You're afraid of the ever-lurking dangers that can not be identified because you do not yet know what they are. You're afraid… of Nothing."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I think that's right."
Severus took a few steps toward her and slipped his fingers up into her hair. "And the cure for that fear was to see me, old and happy. Is that it?"
Hermione nodded again. "It's all I want for you," she whispered, and Severus lowered his face to hers. He touched his mouth against Hermione's, brushing his thumbs along her cheekbones.
"Now I shall know how to subdue my own boggart vision if I should encounter it again," Severus nodded. "I just need to imagine you as an old woman, standing on a beach somewhere tossing stones into the sea. And then I shall be very happy indeed."
He kissed her then, for so long that Hermione forgot what it was like to have her lips apart from him. And she was happy, too.
Severus strode into the Headmaster's office on the eighteenth of December, sighing with fatigue and feeling rather glad that the students would be off on the Hogwarts Express in a matter of hours. He was long overdue for a break from them all. It was not entirely unpleasant to be teaching Potions again, but Severus had to admit that juggling his responsibilities as Headmaster with his duties as Potions master was tiring. He slid into the chair that had once belonged to Albus Dumbledore and began to sort through the morning's mail. There had been a total of six owls that had come to the Headmaster's Office that morning, and Severus figured it would be best to look over them before sending the students off on holidays.
The first envelope was sealed with blue wax and gold ribbon, and Severus frowned as he cracked it open. He recoiled backward in alarm when a rather obnoxious Singing Christmas Card erupted forth from the envelope. The cards were in the same vein as a Howler, though far less malicious. They had become more popular than ever this year, because the Weasley twins sold them at their shop in Diagon Alley. A disembodied chorus of voices began to chime forth from the card, which glimmered with sparkles and pearlescent light.
Ding-Dong! Ding-Dong! Christmastime is nearly here. Ding-Dong! Ding-Dong! Fill your shut-up hearts with cheer! The merriest of Christmases, Headmaster Snape, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Then there was the clear, magically-recorded voice of a middle-aged women, which said, "Merry Christmas, Headmaster! I do hope that our Delia and Bruce have been pleasant for you this term. With great admiration from the MacLachlans."
Severus curled his lip up with distaste and snatched the Singing Christmas Card out of thin air, plopping it down onto his desk and placing the envelope firmly on top. He had to endure another of the damned things before reading a (mercifully silent) Christmas card that had come from the Ministry in London.
Professor Snape,
Despite our past differences, I should think that the Christmas season is a time when it would be in poor taste not to wish you well. A very Merry Christmas to you. I've sent Hermione her own card.
Harry Potter
Severus nearly chuckled at the snide tone of Potter's Christmas card, and he set it aside to show to Hermione later. Finally, he turned to a rather large and heavy envelope, also sealed with the stamp of the Ministry. Severus frowned with curiosity as he opened the envelope, and his frown deepened when he pulled out the letter inside. At once, he recognized the messy signature at the bottom - E. Doge.
Severus knew that Elphias Doge was the former best friend of Albus Dumbledore. He had only met the old man on a few occasions, none of them terribly pleasant. As Severus began to read the letter, he felt the knot in his abdomen tighten unpleasantly.
Dear Headmaster Snape,
Let me begin by once again thanking you on behalf of the entire wizarding community for your incredible services to our people. The downfall of Lord Voldemort is something for which we shall all be ever grateful to you.
However, as I'm certain you're aware, over the past few months there has been a great deal of chatter about another death. It has been discerned by the Ministry of Magic that you were the wizard who killed Albus Dumbledore. Many have stated their opinion that this was a 'mercy killing' in light of complicated circumstances. Nevertheless, I'm sure you can understand why the Ministry needs to examine the details and specifics of Albus Dumbledore's death. Justice is potentially at stake.
At this time, there are no formal charges against you, nor any indication of malicious wrongdoing. This letter is merely a summons to a hearing which will obtain as much information as possible and determine whether or not any further action is necessary.
Please report to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at eight o'clock in the morning on the 23rd of December. We look forward to speaking with you then and learning all that we can about these unfortunate happenings. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Yours,
Elphias Doge, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot
Severus crinkled the letter in his hand and felt his mood plummet. As though he hadn't been through enough for all these people, he thought, they were now trying to decide whether he ought to be called a criminal. Severus Vanished the letter from Elphias Doge, feeling sour and cross. He pointed his wand at the two Singing Christmas Cards, too, for their bright cheer was entirely too much today.
Hermione glanced about the corridors around her, noting that a great many students had failed to find efficient manners of transporting their luggage home. All they had to do was get their trunks and suitcases to the lower level of the castle, and the baggage would meet them all on the Hogwarts Express. But, apparently, such a task was monumental for most students. Most of the students hauled and lugged their baggage without any Magical assistance. Many of them, of course, were too young to use Magic in the corridors. Hermione remembered those days. But she could not help wondering why students hadn't thought to have their trunks enchanted by older students in the dormitories, or to seek other means of transporting their goods.
As for Hermione, she held her purple Extended bag in her fist and shook her head. She had brought two pairs of denims, two nice dresses, and a few skirt-and-blouse outfits home with her. She also had several pairs of pyjamas, basic cosmetics and toiletries, and, of course, a great many books. Her bag was lightweight and compact despite the enormous load it bore. She made her way up several flights of stairs and began to walk toward Severus' office in the Headmaster's Tower. He had given a very brief send-off to the students during lunch, and afterward everyone had scrambled to prepare for the journey back to London.
Now Hermione meant to tell him goodbye, for she would be spending the Christmas holidays with her parents. It was an odd thing, she thought, to be away from Severus for a few weeks. Once upon a time, she would not have been able to fathom spending any time at all with Severus. Now the thought of weeks away from him put a pit in her belly. Her consolation was that her time would be spent with her parents - people who loved her dearly and had hardly seen her over the last several years. Hermione was to meet her parents outside of King's Cross, and the holidays would be spent baking and watching Muggle Christmas films and opening gifts. It would all be very merry, Hermione knew.
She padded past the doorway that led up a winding flight of stairs to Ravenclaw Tower. The bounce in her step could not be swayed, and she began to quietly hum an out-of-tune rendition of "Joy to the World." Her voice quieted when she heard the far-off but familiar drone of Severus' voice.
Hermione rounded the corner of the stone wall where she stood, and down the next corridor, she could see a second-year Ravenclaw girl kneeling on the ground. Severus loomed above her, his arms crossed over his chest. It appeared as though the girl's trunk had spilled its contents all over the floor. Hermione watched in horror as the girl scrambled to stuff training bras and jumpers and her pet frog back into her trunk. She took a few steps toward them down the corridor, but Severus did not seem to notice.
"Wipe your nose, Miss Crampton." Severus whipped a clean handkerchief from his pocket and held it out unceremoniously to Annabelle Crampton. The second-year Ravenclaw mumbled a quiet, 'Thank you, Headmaster,' and she wiped her nose and eyes with the cloth.
Hermione held back, not wanting to interfere with Severus' work. He raised his eyes and noticed her down the corridor for the first time, and she watched his lips pinch tightly. But then he flicked back his long robe and glared down at Annabelle Crampton again. The girl had finished stuffing her belongings back into her trunk, and she was yanking the lid shut.
"Just how did you intend on getting this down to the Entrance Hall, Miss Crampton?" Severus demanded, cocking an eyebrow at the girl. Annabelle Crampton shrugged and sniffled, her back shuddering.
"I - I tried to Levitate it, sir. But I stumbled on the uneven steps and broke the connection between my wand and the trunk. I shall be more careful -"
"You attempted a Levitation Charm in the corridors?" Severus said in an icy tone. Annabelle Crampton nodded fervently and stammered.
"I know it - it isn't exactly allowed, Headmaster, but I -"
"No, it is not allowed, Miss Crampton." Severus' voice was like stone. "Twenty points from Ravenclaw for improper use of Magic in the corridors."
Annabelle sobbed for a moment, and she said, "But I simply couldn't move it, sir! What was I meant to do?"
"There are
Hermione scowled where she stood, unable to watch Severus abuse the poor girl any longer. She strode quickly forward, deciding that as a school Prefect, she had every right to assist a younger student.
"Hello, there, Annabelle," Hermione said in a cordial tone, though she had never spoken individually with the girl. Annabelle turned over her shoulder and staggered to her feet, wiping her face more roughly than ever as she flashed a sad smile at Hermione.
"Hullo, Madam Granger," she mumbled.
"Oh, please. It's 'Hermione,'" insisted the Headmaster's wife with a wave of her hand. Then she pulled out her wand and smiled warmly at Annabelle. "Do you mind if I cast a few quick spells upon your trunk? It will make it much easier to tow down to the Entrance Hall."
"Yes. Please do," said Annabelle, gesturing at her trunk and taking a large step backward. Hermione spared one glance up to Severus and saw his black eyes flash. She felt anger rippling through their bond, but she ignored it as she swirled her wand toward Annabelle's trunk.
"Perfusorius," she said firmly. "Parvarotae."
The trunk sprouted small wheels at once, and Hermione made a small sound of satisfaction. She seized the handle of the trunk and glided it across the stone floor to Annabelle.
"There you are," she said proudly. "It's 'light as a feather,' and it's got wheels. You should have no problem whatsoever getting it downstairs now."
Annabelle beamed, her grin betraying her puffy red eyes. "Brilliant! Thanks, Hermione!" she exclaimed. Beside them, Severus cleared his throat delicately.
"Downstairs, Miss Crampton. Now."
Annabelle Crampton nodded, looking terrified. She began to scutter off, pulling her lightened trunk behind her. "Happy Christmas, Hermione!" she called over her shoulder.
Hermione watched the girl go, and when she turned back to Severus she felt a bubbling anger in her chest. She wasn't sure whether the anger was hers or Severus' - probably, it was an amplification of the irritation they both felt.
"You nearly ruined that poor girl's Christmas holidays, Severus," Hermione spat quietly, and she yelped when she felt her arm compress under the tight clamp of Severus' hand. He yanked her sideways into a broom closet and illuminated his wand. She felt a buzzing around her as Severus cast a nonverbal Muffliato. Then he glared at her, his black eyes shimmering.
"What the devil do you think you're doing, interfering in a disciplinary matter that like that?" he demanded roughly. "Annabelle Clampton broke the rule against student use of Magic in the corridors, and your solution was… what, exactly? To break the very same rule and minimize my authority as Headmaster? It's unacceptable, Hermione. I ought to take dozens of points from Gryffindor…"
"Don't." Hermione shook her head firmly. "Don't do that a half hour before I leave for Christmas."
Severus laughed in a derisive tone and narrowed his gleaming dark eyes. "What exactly am I meant to do? Until next summer, you are still a student here. You're not allowed to use magic in the corridors, either, Madam Granger. In fact, yes. Thirty points from Gryffindor."
Hermione felt her mouth fall open, and her hand flew up to slap Severus' cheek. She didn't have time to stop herself, and neither did he. Her palm collided with his cheek, and a sharp crack! ricocheted around the little broom closet. Hermione nearly gasped at having hit him, but he grabbed her wrist and lowered it slowly.
"Make that fifty points," he sneered, his voice and face ugly, "for assaulting the Headmaster. And we shall discuss this further after you've come back from your little trip to your parents' house. Enjoy your bloody Christmas, Hermione. Go."
Hermione felt her eyes burn, but she staved off the tears and shook her head. "How dare you speak to me like that?" she whispered. "I may be a student at this school, Severus, but first and foremost, I am your wife. Before anything else, I am your wife. You and I are bound through an inseparable link that knits our very souls together. You may say all you like that I'm 'just another student' until the summertime, but at the very least you must acknowledge me as your wife. And husbands are not meant to speak to their wives the way you're doing."
"Wives are not meant to slap their husbands," Severus informed her, squeezing her wrist harder than ever. "Nor to make their work much more difficult with childish misbehavior."
"What's happened?" Hermione said at last, for the face she saw before her was not the loving man she knew so well. He was cold and distant, sharp and hateful. She felt her stomach clench hard at the sight of him. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter, releasing Hermione's wrist. She rubbed at the skin where he'd held her too hard. She knew his cheek was burning where she'd slapped him, for she felt echoes of the pain through their bond.
"I have been summoned to the Wizengamot," he said at last, and Hermione felt her eyebrows fly up in alarm. Severus continued, "I've not had a word of contact from Kingsley Shacklebolt in months. Nothing at all since that forsaken Daily Prophet article. Then, this morning, I received an owl from senile old Elphias Doge. I am summoned before the Wizengamot for a hearing to determine just what happened in Dumbledore's death, how responsible I am, and whether nor not any other action is required of the Ministry on the matter."
Hermione's chest tightened, and she could not find her breath for a moment. The broom closet seemed to spin, and she felt her lips go cold.
"They wouldn't throw you in Azkaban," she reasoned. "You're a hero. They crowned you their savior. They had no choice; you killed -"
"Voldemort," Severus finished with a nod. "And Remus Lupin. And Bellatrix Lestrange, and other Death Eaters. And Albus Dumbledore. Don't think for a moment that the Ministry won't find out about all of those. And once they do, I think you'll find that even the wizard who slew the greatest Dark threat in history is a villain."
"No." Hermione felt cold and dizzy, and she struggled to steady herself on her feet. She stared at Severus in the cold white light from the tip of his wand. "When is the hearing?"
Severus hesitated. "You're not to come," he said finally, a warning in his voice. Hermione scoffed and crinkled her brows.
"Whatever do you mean?" she demanded. "I'm your wife, Severus! Today you seem to have entirely forgotten that. If you're going to be questioned before the Wizengamot, of course I will be there. Beside my marriage to you is the matter that I possess a great deal of knowledge which can -"
"Either hurt or help me, depending on which questions are asked," Severus interjected. "The very last thing we need is for you to crack open your valuable testimony willingly, Hermione. I've no idea what this hearing will entail, nor to what degree I will be examined. The letter insisted that no charges are being pressed. Just now, I think it best that you be at your parents' house for the Christmas holidays."
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest in disbelief. "If you think I mean to wait until January to know what's become of you, you have another thing coming, Severus. I will be at that hearing, whether you like it or not. I'll find out from you, or I'll contact Kingsley myself to find out. Tell me when it is."
Severus licked his bottom lip and sighed. "Eight o'clock on the twenty-third."
The twenty-third of December was two days before Christmas, of course. Hermione could not help thinking with a twinge of anxiety that, no matter what, this episode was going to ruin Christmas. But she swallowed the bile in her throat and nodded crisply.
"Very well," she said. "I shall be there."
Suddenly Professor McGonagall's voice came booming through the corridors, magically amplified, and leaked through the closet door.
"All students are to report within the next ten minutes to Hogsmeade Station. Prefects, please ensure that younger students find their way to the station. The Hogwarts Express will begin boarding in ten minutes' time. Thank you and a Happy Christmas to all!"
Hermione shifted on her feet and shrugged. "I suppose that includes me," she said with a hint of bitterness. "She did say all students, after all."
Severus chewed his bottom lip for a moment and then nodded. "You have my gift for your parents?" he asked, and Hermione patted her Expanded bag. Several days earlier, Severus had given Hermione a slate cheese board and an elaborate knife set. He'd created the objects himself, he had said, and they were a Christmas gift for Hermione's parents. She'd wrapped the gift in paper and had put it in her bag.
Now as she stood in the little broom closet with Severus, both of them still seething with tension, she felt odd. She wasn't sure whether to storm out of the closet or to cry in frustration, so she just sniffed quietly and said,
"I'll be there on the twenty-third."
"I wish you would not come," Severus said again, but Hermione glared at him and whispered,
"I have to go. Are you going to kiss me goodbye or not?"
Severus pulled gently on Hermione's chin and tipped it upward. She expected him to kiss her mouth, but instead he touched his lips to her forehead. Ordinarily, such a kiss felt intimate and caring to Hermione. Today, it felt very much as though Severus were restraining himself from intimacy as much as possible. Feeling more angry than ever, Hermione scoffed at him and flung the door of the broom closet open. She tried to keep her motions smooth and controlled as she fled down the corridor away from him; she tried very hard not to stomp like a child. But by the time she reached Hogsmeade Station, she felt queasy with confused anger.
As the Hogwarts Express departed for London, she stared out of the window of her compartment - which was mercifully devoid of anyone else - and watched the castle grow small in the distance. She felt a sharp ache in her chest, a physical manifestation of emotional pain, and she knew it belonged to Severus.
With a bit of a huff, Hermione rifled about in her bag and pulled out her copy of Guarding The Steeds: The Elusive Porlock and His Relationship With Wizardkind, and her reading occupied her all the way to King's Cross.
"Hermione! We're here, darling!"
Hermione caught her mother's eye and waved, dashing out toward Pancras Street. She noticed that her father was clutching an enormous bouquet of white roses. Hermione felt her lips quirk up at the sight of her overjoyed parents. She had missed them, perhaps, more than she had realized over the last several years. She had forced herself to pretend that their absence from her life hadn't mattered, or that she had been too busy to notice, but that had not been true. She had genuinely missed her mother's stern-but-loving countenance, and her father's goofball nature.
"Where's your luggage, kiddo?" asked Hermione's father, after handing her the white roses. Hermione grinned and pointed to her Expanded purple bag.
"Magic," she said in a sly voice, raising her eyebrows. Her mother laughed and shook her head.
"Well, all right, then," she said. "In the car with you."
Hermione piled into the back seat of her parents' Jaguar saloon. Her mother sat in the back with her and patted her hand as her father pulled away from the train station. Hermione felt a bit ill almost at once, for she had so rarely ridden in Muggle vehicles over the past few years. She put her hand to her own abdomen and shut her eyes. She summoned her magic to her throat, and she whispered softly, "Netoshnota."
The queasy car sickness disappeared at once. Hermione looked up with a small smile to her mother, who asked pleasantly,
"And how is Severus? He's staying at school for the holidays, is he? You know he was more than welcome to come and visit."
Hermione felt a strange pull in her chest then. She was grateful, she supposed, that her parents had so fully accepted Severus. After all, it must have been terribly awkward for them to come to grips with the notion that their daughter had married a man twice her age - a man who had been her teacher, to boot. Hermione suspected that such a concept had presented an enormous hurdle, and that only unconditional parental love could triumph over it. Furthermore, it had been Severus who had erased her parents' memories and had sent them to Australia. It had also been Severus who had gone to fetch them from Australia, and Severus who had slowly restored their memories and their lives. Hermione knew that her parents' relationship with Severus was odd and complicated.
Then there was the matter of how she had left Severus. They had argued terribly before she'd left Hogwarts. She could scarcely remember the specifics now. The exact Ravenclaw girl involved didn't matter; the point was that Severus had so fiercely scolded Hermione for 'interfering in his authority.' She had slapped him; he had been too cruel with his words. He had announced that there would be a Ministry inquisition into his role in Dumbledore's death, and that he didn't want Hermione present for it. It had been an awful way, Hermione thought, to part for the holidays. She tried to smile and her mother and hoped it did not look like a grimace.
"Severus is… well, he's awfully busy. Yes, he's staying at school for the holidays," Hermione nodded. Her mother saw straight through her, and her face crumpled at once as her hand tightened on Hermione's.
"Trouble in paradise, dear?" she asked, her voice concerned. Hermione felt her mouth fall open, felt her mouth go dry, and she shook her head fiercely.
"N-no, of course not," she insisted. "It's just been stressful, is all, with…" She trailed off.
How could she possibly explain to her parents that it had been Severus who had killed her old headmaster, but that he'd done so because of complicated magical bargains struck between Dark witches and wizards? How could she explain to her Muggle parents that her husband had killed Lord Voldemort, thus saving wizardkind? How could she explain that Severus would face the Wizengamot, or even what the Wizengamot was? How could she begin to explain the implications of a potential sentence in Azkaban? She couldn't. Her parents existed so far outside the realm of her real life now, and Hermione sighed as she realized how surface-level her relationship with them was doomed to be. She licked her bottom lip and tried to speak again, but her father moved the rear-view mirror and eyed her suspiciously.
"He treats you well, doesn't he?" he demanded with intense paternal concern, and Hermione chuckled. She nodded, though of course Severus had not treated her well in the broom closet before she'd left Hogwarts. She remembered what it had felt like when he'd gripped her wrist painfully - though, to be fair, she'd just finished slapping him. Hermione felt her chest clench with regret. She wished she had left him on different terms, and she was anxious about his Ministry hearing, too.
"Yes, Dad," Hermione said firmly, staring out the window. "He's a good husband."
"I only wish we knew him better," Hermione's mother sighed. "I'm sure he makes you happy, dear. And you're free to do whatever you please, of course. You're your own woman. But… we've had so little time to get to know him. Do you think he might be able to slip away and come to the house just for Christmas Day or something? Can't you call up to… oh, no. I suppose… well, can't you send him an owl or something?"
Her mother pronounced the words awkwardly, and Hermione sighed. She pinched her lips tightly and looked back at her mother, trying to stay pleasant.
"He'll be in London on the twenty-third for business," she said. "I'm actually going to the Ministry for a few hours in the morning that day to see him, so I'll ask him if he might come on Christmas."
"Oh. Splendid," Hermione's mother smiled. Hermione stared out the window again, watching the soupy brown water of the Thames go by beneath them.
Hermione picked up the black telephone receiver and used the rotary dial to spell the word Magic. 6-2-4-4-2. She'd learned about the Ministry of Magic visitors' entrance years earlier from Harry, who had come for his own hearing with Arthur Weasley. Hermione could only hope that the entrance still functioned as it had in previous years. As soon as the rotary dial stopped whirring, an overly cheery woman's voice filled the telephone box.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic! Please state your name and business."
Hermione sighed and said in a clear voice, "Hermione Granger. My husband, Severus Snape, has an exploratory hearing with the Wizengamot today. I'm here for testimony and support."
There was a pause that went on for far too long, and Hermione wondered if she ought to step out of the telephone box and go back to Muswell Hill. Her mother was making stewed beef for dinner tonight, she knew. She should just go home and help with that. She hung up the telephone receiver, and at last the voice came through the box again.
"Very well. Visitor, please take your badge and attach it to the front of your robes."
There was a clicking and a rattling, and Hermione saw a badge appear in the slot of the payphone where coins were returned. It read, Hermione Granger, Wife of Severus Snape, Visitor to Wizengamot. She pulled on the heavy black velvet robe she'd brought to cover her Muggle-style clothing, and she pinned the badge on.
"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium." The woman's voice didn't sound quite as pleasant then as it had when Hermione had first come into the telephone box. Suddenly the floor began to quiver and tremble, and Hermione felt like she was in a Muggle lift as she descended into the ground. The light from overhead disappeared as she went underground, and everything went black. She gripped her wand tightly in her hand, feeling her heart thudding in her chest. At last there was a sliver of light around the floor as she descended into the Atrium of the Ministry.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the narrating woman, and the telephone box door opened automatically. Hermione stepped out and glanced around, seeing that the Atrium was still mostly empty. It was only half past seven in the morning, so she knew that most Ministry employees were not yet at work. But she had wanted to ensure she was on time for Severus' hearing.
The past few days with her parents had been quiet and mostly pleasant. They had watched Muggle Christmas films, baked sweets and wrapped gifts for old family friends. But this morning, Hermione had awakened with a pit of dread in her belly. She had dressed and told her parents she would be back as soon as possible, though of course she had no idea how long Severus' hearing would last or what the outcome would be. She'd made her way to the Ministry, a wizarding robe slung over her arm. Now she glanced around the Atrium and made her way to the security desk.
The plump witch at the security desk was wearing obnoxious purple robes and was fingering through a copy of Witch Weekly. She took a bite of pastry and licked her fingers, and Hermione cleared her throat to get the woman's attention. The witch seemed to recognize Hermione, and her eyebrows flew up as she gulped down her pastry. Hermione shifted awkwardly on her feet as the witch slugged down some tea and said roughly,
"Wand, please."
Hermione handed over her wand to the witch, who placed it on a scale-like device that trembled and spat out a bit of parchment.
"10 ¾ inches, vine wood, dragon heartstring core, in use for about seven years?" the witch confirmed, and Hermione nodded. The plump woman stuck the parchment onto a brass spike beside her handed Hermione's wand back over to her. The security witch asked, "Do you know where you're headed today?"
"Erm… a Wizengamot hearing," Hermione said carefully, and the witch nodded, her expression looking as though she wanted to care but was too tired.
"The lift just that way… take it to level two, to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
Hermione nodded, giving a shaking sigh. "Thank you."
She rode the lift to level two along with a gaggle of Ministry employees that shot her curious expressions all the while. Hermione stared straight ahead at the lift doors until the opened and the overhead voice chimed,
"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."
"I hardly think the chains are necessary, Minister." Severus blinked up through the dim torchlight at Kingsley Shacklebolt, who inclined his dark head gracefully and pointed his wand at the chair in the center of the room.
"Of course, Headmaster. Forgive us; the room is arranged in a standard manner for postwar interrogations." He Vanished the chains from the chair and gestured to it, and Severus slid into the seat. Up in the overhead chamber, there was a meek clearing of a throat, and a woman's voice said,
"Headmaster Snape, my name is -"
"Primrose Jorkins. Yes, I remember." Severus nodded. Primrose Jorkins had been a Hufflepuff student during his first years teaching. She was much older now, of course, and a mother of several children. He had not known that she was a member of the Wizengamot. But, then, the chamber had lost several important members during the war. Primrose Jorkins' cheeks darkened with apparent embarrassment as she said,
"This hearing is to determine what exactly happened in the events just before, during, and after the death of Albus Dumbledore and to decide whether or not any further action is required of the Wizengamot. You are not, at this time, charged with any crimes whatsoever, nor are you accused of any criminal wrongdoing. However, you are under legal obligation to tell the full extent of the truth to the best of your ability. Is that well understood?"
Severus cocked up an eyebrow, feeling rather amused by all this. "Yes, Madam Jorkins," he said, trying not to sound disrespectful. "Of course."
There was a loud click and a creaking then, and Severus turned his head to see a door opening and closing in the chamber. He felt his heart racing when he realized it was Hermione who had come into the chamber. He frowned, wishing very hard that she had not decided to come. He sighed and turned back to the panel at the front of the room.
"Have I the pleasure of meeting your good wife, Headmaster?" asked the ancient Elphias Doge, and Severus cleared his throat.
"Yes, sir," he said. "This is my wife, Hermione Granger. I'm sure you'll recall that she has the Order of Merlin, First Class for her own actions destroying horcruxes during the war."
"It's an honor, Master Doge," came Hermione's clear voice as she walked around the outside of the upper chamber. She took a seat in the back row of chairs, and Severus tried not to stare at her. She had her hair pulled into a tight braid and she wore a solemn black cloak. She looked terribly grown-up, and Severus felt his chest pull unpleasantly at the sight of her.
"Let's get to it, then," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in a tight voice, and Severus met his eyes. "As I'm sure you know, this hearing has been called because of information that came to light during other investigations."
"Interrogations," Severus corrected smoothly. Several members of the Wizengamot shifted uncomfortably, but Severus shrugged. "Let us be clear with our language."
"Very well," said a middle-aged witch halfway up the gallery. "In any case, Lucius Malfoy and many others insist that you were the one to kill Albus Dumbledore. Let us begin with establishing the truth of that matter. Is that the case or not?"
"It is," Severus nodded. "It is a very complicated matter; I did not kill Albus Dumbledore with malicious intent."
"Why did you do it, then?" asked Alcides Minchum, the younger brother of the former Minister. Severus sighed and considered his answer. He glanced up at Hermione for a brief moment and saw her twisting her fingers together in her lap. He felt her anxiety flush from her body into his. Finally, Severus spoke.
"As I'm sure you're aware at this point, I spent years prior to Voldemort's downfall working as a double agent. The Dark Lord wanted to test the loyalty and competence of the Malfoy family, so he demanded that young Draco be the one to kill his longtime adversary, Albus Dumbledore. This task, of course, alarmed Draco's mother, Narcissa. She approached me and requested that I carry out the murder in Draco's stead. She feared - rightfully - for her son's safety and the wrath of the Dark Lord. So I agreed, in part to preserve my image as a Death Eater."
"In part?" asked Alcides Minchum. He shrugged and raised his grey eyebrows. "What was the motivation for agreeing?"
Severus put his lips in a line. "The other reason for agreeing was that there is no seventeen-year-old boy on the planet who ought to commit the sort of deed Draco Malfoy was asked to carry out. I was just as worried for Draco as his mother was. I entered into an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa that I would protect her son and kill Dumbledore if Draco was unable to do so."
"Who served as witness to this Vow?" asked an ancient witch in the front row.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," nodded Severus tightly. "Narcissa's sister. The Unbreakable Vow was completed in my home in Cokeworth in the summer of 1996."
"But Albus Dumbledore did not die until the summer of 1997," noted Elphias Doge, paging through his notes. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his crooked old nose and asked in a ragged voice, "What took so long?"
It was an odd way to phrase the inquiry, of course, and Severus felt his eyebrows fly up. He hesitated.
"Draco Malfoy attempted a great many means of assassinating Albus Dumbledore," he said. "He even tried a roundabout delivery of a lethal cursed necklace to Dumbledore, which nearly killed a Hogwarts student."
"Would that be…" Doge flipped through a few more pieces of parchment and looked up. "Katie Bell?"
"That's right." Severus nodded firmly. "The girl was hospitalized for months as a result. Ronald Weasley, another student, was also poisoned as a result of a failed assassination attempt."
"Ronald Weasley… he is now deceased?" Alcides Minchum asked delicately, and Severus confirmed,
"He was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange at Malfoy Manor."
"And you killed Bellatrix Lestrange," Minchum said roughly, but before Severus could interject, Elphias Doge held his hand up.
"We shall get to all that, Mr. Minchum," he said, and Severus suddenly felt queasy. He shifted in his chair and tried to keep his breath steady. He stared at Elphias Doge, who took off his glasses and asked carefully, "How is it that you came to finally kill Albus Dumbledore? Why don't you explain it all, in your words, Headmaster?"
Severus nodded and gulped. "Albus Dumbledore discovered one of the horcruxes - the Gaunt family ring. He was tempted to put it on his hand, and it cursed him. I made for him a potion to keep him alive, but the curse was slowly killing Dumbledore, and he knew it. He also knew that Draco had been ordered to kill him. He commanded me, as his true agent, to do the deed for Draco. Of course, I could not tell Dumbledore - or anyone else - about the Unbreakable Vow I'd taken for Narcissa Malfoy. You see, Albus Dumbledore believed heavily in the concept that murder corrupts the soul absolutely, and he did not wish to see this happen to Draco. On the night that the Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, I went up to the Astronomy Tower. Harry Potter was there, hiding beneath his father's old Invisibility Cloak. He witnessed what happened; Draco Malfoy was there, of course, but I intervened and threw Dumbledore from the tower."
"You cast the Killing Curse at him?" demanded the elderly witch in the front row. Severus swallowed heavily, trying to figure out how best to answer that question.
"No, he did not," came a voice from the gallery. Severus glared up at Hermione, and every member of the Wizengamot whirled around to face her. Hermione flew to her feet, gathering herself as waves of anxiety flew through their bond of Magnum Verbum Honoris. She shot him an apologetic look, and then she turned her eyes to Elphias Doge.
"After the Battle of the Astronomy Tower," she said, "I went to my husband's home in Cokeworth. He told me then exactly what had happened. As he says, he had been unable up to that point to do any more but to warn me that he was going to have to do 'something awful.' The Unbreakable Vow prevented him from giving me details. He told me that I would hate him for what he was going to have to do. After Professor Dumbledore was dead, I thought I understood. That night, Severus told me what had transpired. He did not cast the Killing Curse, not really. He did not possess enough malicious intent toward Albus Dumbledore to do so. Instead, he incanted 'Avada Kedavra' aloud, so that the Death Eaters would think that's what had happened. In reality, he cast a nonverbal Expelliarmus, and Dumbledore - who had no wand at the time - was violently thrown from the Astronomy Tower. Severus was only fulfilling a great and terrible obligation. There was no murder."
There was a heavy silence in the chamber then, and the members of the Wizengamot stared at Hermione for what felt like an eternity. Severus felt an aching need to apologize to Hermione for how he'd treated her before they left Hogwarts. He wanted to kiss her, to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to give her the Christmas gift he'd bought for her, the one he had right now in the pocket of his robes. Instead, he just stared at her like everyone else in the room. Finally, Elphias Doge looked back at Severus and drummed his fingers on his aged wooden desk.
"This is what happened, Headmaster Snape?" he asked, and Severus gave one crisp nod.
"So it is."
Elphias Doge pursed his lips tightly and put his glasses back on. He glanced about at his colleagues, his eyes landing on Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Minister," he said to Kingsley, "I am inclined to declare the deaths of Albus Dumbledore, Bellatrix Lestrange, and the others as unfortunate casualties of a tragic war. I am particularly inclined to give Severus Snape - and his wife - amplified gratitude for their heroic actions during the conflict. It appears as though we were overzealous in treating this hearing as a casual interrogation."
"I believe that's right, Chief Warlock Doge," said Kingsley. He gave a weighty sigh and cast his eyes from Hermione down to Severus. "This hearing is dismissed. No further actions whatsoever are needed. You are both commended once more for your services to wizardkind. Madam Granger, I do hope you will consider a career at the Ministry once you've finished up your NEWTs. Have a happy Christmas and a good New Year, the both of you."
~*~ Fin ~*~
Author's Note: Well, folks, that's the end of Knit Me Together! I hope to begin work shortly on the final installment of the Psalmody series, which will be entitled And Slew Mighty Kings. Please keep an eye open for that or subscribe to me as an author so you'll get an alert when that starts. I would absolutely love to know what you've thought of the series up to this point. Thank you SO MUCH to those who have made it through the slog thus far! I'm so grateful to each and every one of you. I've got some craaaaaaazy plans for And Slew Mighty Kings… ONWARD!