The flask
As May rolled into June, clouds gathered again over Britain and a fine drizzle persisted from dawn to dusk. The elation of seeing Voldemort finally vanquished had subsided, as the Ministry started assessing the damage caused to the whole wizarding community. The worst of it, of course, was the terrible trauma endured by the families of those fallen at the Battle of Hogwarts. Collecting the bodies of the dead under the rubble had taken almost a week, followed by a nationwide tribute ceremony. Then, there was the prosecution of those of Voldemort's supporters who were still alive.
Finally, there was the re-construction of Hogwarts Castle. After the battle, the magnificent, many-turreted building had resembled a crumbling ruin – ironically, the very thing it had been enchanted to look like to Muggle eyes. The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes had commissioned their most skilled wizards and witches, as well as many experts on magical buildings, and they worked from dawn till dusk.
Heading back to her office after overseeing the repair works in the Great Hall for most of the day, Minerva McGonnagal was, as often, pondering the ordeal that her pupils had suffered and how well they would recover from it. Most of them had returned to their families: there was little point in finishing a school year that had been flawed from the start, in a building that was not fit to accommodate them all in any case. Some of the older students, however, had decided to stay and help in any way they could. Their resilience had given the newly-appointed Headmistress courage and hope for the wizarding world. What comforted her most was that the volunteers came from all four Hogwarts houses, united in their determination to restore the school. Young Draco Malfoy, in particular, had been keen to make amends.
As she was about to walk past the smashed-up gargoyle that used to guard the way to the office, a great horned owl swooped over her head and landed by her side. She reached for the heavy, formal envelope in its beak and recognized the Ministry of Magic seal.
The letter was short and businesslike. It read,
Headmistress,
Your presence is required at the Ministry of Magic this Friday at 10:30 am to bring evidence in view of the trial of Severus Snape, who was arrested in Hogsmeade this afternoon, on charges of murder and conspiracy with the Death Eaters.
We look forward to hearing your insights on this matter.
Regards,
Kingsley Shacklebolt, acting Minister for Magic
The old witch re-read the letter again to make sure her eyes were not playing a trick on her. Surely Severus Snape was dead, killed by Voldemort during the battle? At least, that was what Harry Potter had explained afterwards, although the body had not been recovered. She also remembered Potter stating to Voldemort's face that Snape had been loyal to Dumbledore the whole time, and she was not sure whether he had said it to disconcert his opponent, or whether it had been true. Yet, still according to Potter, Snape also murdered the former Headmaster. This was all very unsettling.
Just as she was about to enter her office, the young wizard she had been thinking about appeared at the end of the corridor, accompanied, as usual, by his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
"Good evening, Professor, McGonnagal" Harry said, matter-of-factly. "I need to speak to you about Professor Snape."
"Indeed," she replied curtly. "Do come in."
Once the three young people had sat down opposite her, the Headmistress regarded them sternly over her spectacles. "I just received an owl from the Ministry indicating not only that Professor Snape is alive, but that he has been arrested. Would you care to explain precisely what has been going on?"
As concisely as she could, Hermione recounted their visit to the Hog's Head on the third of May.
"And you say Albus actually asked Severus to kill him? This I find rather far-fetched, Miss Granger," the older witch said.
"I think it best if I actually show you, Professor." Harry produced a small flask from his pocket. "You see, I still have Professor's Snape memories. May we use Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve? It will make things a lot clearer, I promise."
The Headmistress hesitated. It felt really quite intrusive, but the whole story seemed so outlandish that she needed to see for herself. After retrieving the Pensieve from its cabinet, she set it on the desk and carefully poured in the flask's content. Harry, Hermione and Ron remained silent as she dived into Severus Snape's memories.
When she finally lifted her face out, her eyes were brimming with tears. She grabbed a handkerchief from her robes, whispering, "Oh, great Merlin. How did I not see any of it? It must have been so awful for Severus." With that, she blew her nose and tried to regain her composure.
"Aberforth – Professor Dumbledore's brother – " Hermione started.
" – I do know who Aberforth is, Miss Granger. Please get to the point," Professor McGonnagal interrupted.
"Well, Aberforth contacted us an hour ago to tell us about the arrest. He and Morag Duncan seem keen to do everything they possibly can to help Professor Snape," Hermione explained.
"What we are really wondering, Professor," said Harry, "is whether we ought to show the memories to the Wizengamot. I know that memories can be tampered with, but it is obvious when it's the case. These are very much real, and the judges would know it."
"Mister Potter, are you asking me whether sharing those very personal memories of Professor Snape's would be appropriate? Surely you realize that would be a terrible violation of his privacy!"
"The thing is, Professor," Hermione interjected, "We really want to clear his name. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a criminal. He actually played such a big part in fighting You-Know-Who, we think it was very heroic –"
"Speak for yourself," muttered Ron. "I still think he's a dodgy bast… person," he corrected himself as Professor McGonnagal glared at him, "and he is perfectly able to defend himself."
"As much as I appreciate your efforts, I have to say Mr Weasley has a point," the older witch sighed. "By all means explain how Professor Snape was our ally the whole time, but please, do not share those memories with anyone else, Mr Potter. Knowing him, I can assure you he will certainly not thank you for it. And I would equally advise that you avoid delving into anything too personal when you testify."
"Now, it so happens that I have been required to go to the Ministry this Friday to bring evidence myself. You could come with me," she added.
The trio acquiesced.
"That is settled, then. We will use the Floo network from this office. Please be here by nine on Friday morning, and we will leave together. Now, if you three could go back to the common dorm. I shall contact Aberforth to discuss this further."