Summary: The first assembly

A/N: Thanks for reading, all. I realized that the divider that I use for breaks wasn't showing as I read some of my stories on the plan. Sorry. I've hopefully fixed it and breaks are now visible again. :)

Chapter 8

All the students were gathered in the Great Hall. The Head Table had been split and moved to each side of the hall so the faculty could observe the talk as well. Severus waited for Minerva to introduce the first of their series of assemblies. Tapping his fingers on the table, he sighed once he saw her rise and move to the podium.

"Thank you, students, for gathering here for the first of several assemblies on the war and dealing with its aftermath."

She paused and looked over at each table.

"Our first speaker is someone you are very familiar with. He has been a professor here for eighteen years. As part of the Order of the Phoenix, he served as spy to Albus Dumbledore, and without his aid, we would not have won the war. Please welcome Professor Severus Snape!"

Severus rose from his seat and made his way to the podium. The students politely clapped, but a couple of them yelled 'boo.' He frowned and Minerva glowered at the two students who had loudly booed. She gave up the podium, and Severus looked out over all the students.

"As a Death Eater, you can imagine that my experiences are a bit different from most. As a spy for both sides, I witnessed a lot of things that would make your toes curl."

"Traitor!" Someone yelled from the Slytherin table.

Severus hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing, before continuing.

"Traitor!" another student cried.

A third yelled it out causing Hermione to stand up and glower at the students.

"None of you understand what he did! While you were in your comfortable mansions, Professor Snape was fighting to keep people like me from being killed! He was working so that none of us would be under the rule of a despot. I swear to you, had Voldemort won, we would not have the freedoms we do now…. None of us." She glared at the Slytherins, just daring them to say something about her blood purity as she sunk back into her seat. None of them dared.

Severus turned and gave her a quick nod.

"You may think me a traitor, and in essence, yes, I was a traitor to the Dark Lord's side. The thing is, though, I was privy to a viewpoint that few ever got of what the Dark Lord was intending to do." Severus eyed the Slytherins for a bit before continuing. "I want you to know that those of you who had parents who were Death Eaters, they believed in a cause that was sold to them as youth. A cause that was conveyed to them in a way that hid all the evil and accentuated the positive. Once joined, there was no turning back."

"Liar!" another student yelled.

"Mr. Clark, I knew your father well. I am sorry he was killed. We were friends, and I'm sad that my friend is no longer alive. Losing someone is always difficult, but when it's due to war… It's doubly difficult to deal with. For those of you who were lucky enough to not lose a parent or sibling, be mindful of your fellow students who have. Put yourselves in their place. How would you feel if your mother or father had been killed? How would you deal with that?"

Severus was silent for a minute, letting the students think about that. Finally, he turned back to Clark.

"Mr Clark, your father and I were friendly enough to confide somewhat in one another. Granted, speaking ill of the Dark Lord could very well end in a death sentence, but he trusted me enough to say recently that he was sorry he'd joined. That it wasn't what he'd thought it was. Many of us felt that way."

"That's not true!" the Slytherin cried. Clark stood and pointed his wand at Severus. "You're nothing but a traitor! You'll say anything to justify turning against the Dark Lord."

Minerva had appeared by his side in a flash and lowered his wand.

"Come with me," she said.

"Wait, Minerva," Severus called out. "Mr. Clark, you didn't see the fear in our eyes as we stood in front of the Dark Lord, listening to him pontificate about how he wanted to destroy half the wizarding population. You weren't there when someone spoke up negatively and was immediately Crucio'd for having an opinion that differed from…" He swallowed. "Voldemort." Closing his eyes, he composed himself.

"Your parents probably came home and spewed garbage to you all to justify what they were doing… to aggrandize the words of a madman… to make themselves feel better about the horrendous things they did. Save for a few zealots who enjoyed every minute of the torture they performed, I promise you, what they told you were all empty words."

"Liar! The Dark Lord had a great vision for all of us!" another Slytherin yelled out.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Mr. Sawyer, but that is simply not the case," Severus countered.

He paused for a moment to let Minerva speak.

"There will be no more outbursts during this presentation," she said angrily. "If you want to express your opinion, raise your hand. If you are called on, you may express yourself, but do it with respect for Professor Snape, who is your teacher and is trying to educate you on the truth about the war." She huffed. "Mr. Clark, if you can hold your outbursts, you may stay and listen to the rest of this presentation."

Clark nodded and sat down.

"A week of detention with Mr. Filch for raising a wand to a professor. Any more outbursts from anyone else will result in detention, is that understood, Mr. Sawyer?" She eyed the other student who had just cried out.

She glared at the Slytherin table, and then at the rest of the students. Moving back up to her seat, she nodded at Severus to continue.

"I would like to explain in detail what the Dark Lord's vision for all of us was. You may think me a traitor, but let me outline what life would be like had the Dark Lord won. In every meeting this was described to us this past year. If you don't believe me, ask your parents." Severus took a minute to look every Slytherin and child of a Death Eater in the eye.

"Muggleborns, of course, would be destroyed. What does that mean? Killed mostly. Per the Dark Lord, some would be enslaved and serve the Purebloods of the world. Sounds blissful, doesn't it? Ah, but your Pureblood lives wouldn't be bliss. The Dark Lord had no qualms about punishing those who went against him. We've already discussed that. As Leader of our world–because that's exactly what he was setting himself up to be–he would rule with an iron fist. Anyone not agreeing with him would be placed in labor camps. Those Purebloods who bowed to his will would still be slaves, as any dissension would find them incarcerated or in those camps. Oh, the Dark Lord loved labor camps. He went on and on how everyone needed to be educated, and educational camps–as he put them–would be the way to teach everyone that he was their leader and always right."

He paused again, taking a sip of water to gather his thoughts.

"For those of you who were on Voldemort's side, you were sold a lie. He had no intention of making your lives easier. He only wanted power. He wanted the glory of being Minister for Magic and ruler of the Wizarding world. Under his rule, we all would have suffered. Call me a traitor all you like, but once I joined the Death Eater organization, it became clear to me exactly what our future would hold if Voldemort won. I fought my entire life to keep that from happening."

Looking over at Clark, his eyes met the youth's as he continued.

"Meetings with the Dark Lord were always fraught with fear. Would our Lord be pleased or enraged? We never knew. Most times he cast Cruciatus on at least one person at each meeting. I remember when your father was the receiver of one of his punishments, Mr. Clark. He was so hurt he couldn't stand and lay on the floor for the rest of the meeting, finally getting to his feet and Apparating away when we were dismissed.

"We couldn't speak of this to anyone, even to each other. Any negative speaking would be found out and punished. Your father took great risk when he told me he was sorry he'd joined the organization, especially as I was the Dark Lord's most favored follower. But our friendship went way back, and for some reason, he trusted me and opened up about his fear. Thankfully, no one heard him but me. I cautioned him to watch what he said as it always seemed that things like that were heard, even when spoken in the most private of scenarios."

His lips thinned. "Unfortunately, his realization that he'd erred in joining the Death Eaters was–like most of us–too little, too late, and he paid the price for a mistake he made in his youth and was unable to escape from."

He sighed as he looked down at the podium before looking back up at the students. "As a spy, I spent all of my time trying not to be found out. I am adept at Occlumency and used it extensively when in the presence of the Dark Lord, but it wasn't a failsafe. I could have been found out at any time, and that would have meant my death." He looked back at the rest of the students.

"As you know, I was struck down, and thankfully was able to survive thanks to the Healers and Madam Pomfrey. You may wonder if my spying was found out. It was not. The Dark Lord thought me to be loyal to him. He attempted to kill me because he thought that I was interfering with the use of his wand… that its allegiance was with me. He was wrong, but he didn't know that at the time so he attempted to kill me to gain more power. Do you know what he said before he set his snake on me? He said that I had always been loyal, and he regretted it. Did that stop him? No.

"The Dark Lord wanted power and had no qualms about striking down anyone who got in his way. Those of you whose parents were his followers, they were the first in line to be disciplined, and don't ever think that they would have been safe if… ahem… Voldemort… thought they were a threat to his power. I was one of his most trusted followers, but the second he thought that I was a danger to his power… I became the enemy."

He looked down at the podium again as he gathered his thoughts. He looked up at them, concentrating on the Slytherins.

"Think what you want of me; I did what I had to do to ensure that our world would be a peaceful one. As the right-hand man of Voldemort, I knew him well. I knew what he would do. I knew… because it was evident… that he cared for no one except for how they could advance his agenda. He was not the savior all of your parents thought and taught you about. He was a villain. And as every villain does, he got what he deserved. Our world is much better off without him in it."

Severus turned and went to his place at the High Table. Minerva rose and went to the podium.

"Thank you, Professor Snape, for your unique view on the war and the enemy. Students, please take into consideration what has been said today. Speak with your parents if you have reservations about believing what has been discussed. Both sides' students should not fear to confirm these issues. I want to assure you as a member of the Order of the Phoenix that what Professor Snape has described would be our future if You-Know-Who had won. It is definitely what we knew to be the truth and what we were fighting against. I'll leave it at that. You are dismissed. Take a twenty-minute break, then you may head to your next period class."

The students filed out quietly, many of them glaring at the Slytherins who had yelled out, especially Clark. Severus got up and stormed out of the room before anyone could say a word to him. He retreated to his quarters and slammed the door behind him. Trudging to his sofa, he cast a fire in the fireplace and got lost in thought as he stared into the flames. He had been ruminating for a little while when there was a knock on his door.

"Go away!" he called out.

"Severus, it's Hermione. May I come in, please?"

He sat there for a bit, ignoring her. She knocked again.

"Severus?"

He huffed. "Fine," he ground out as he flashed his wand at the door which swung open.

She entered and closed the door behind her. Coming up to his sofa, she sat next to him. He didn't move to look at her.

"Your talk was profound. I think you really made the students think."

He scoffed. "Yes, think that I'm nothing but a traitor and a liar."

"That's just a couple of students, Severus. You can't let them get to you."

His head snapped over to her. "They're my students, Hermione. How many Slytherins kept quiet but secretly agreed with everything that was shouted at me?"

He rose and began to pace. "I should have asked to not be Head of House. I knew this was going to happen. They have no respect for me!"

Hermione stood and came up to him, stilling his pacing with a hand on his arm.

"Hey, look at me," she offered.

He stopped, grimaced, and turned to her. "What? You're going to say that I'm a hero, that not all of the Slythyerins feel that way. That I shouldn't let it bother me, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, I know all those things. It doesn't make it any easier to know that students who are under my care do not trust me."

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do, but those who hate you hate me just as much."

Severus relaxed slightly. "Yes, but you need not worry yourself with their opinions."

"Well, they're my students too. I have some need for them to be respectful."

"Yes, but you should ignore their nastiness. It doesn't reflect on who you are or what you've done."

Hermione moved closer to him and looked him in the eye. "You should feel the same way, Severus."

"I…"

"Really. Look at what you've done for us! You outlined exactly what would have happened had we lost. Perhaps some of these students will never understand. So what. As long as they're not hexing you, they can think what they want. They'll be gone soon enough and can live their lives how they want."

His shoulders sagged. "I'm just so tired of being hated by everyone."

Hermione's arms were wrapped around him before he could even register she'd moved. "I don't hate you, and neither does anyone on the faculty. Those people who understand what you did don't hate you. We respect you and everything you've done. Who cares what some immature students are thinking about you? They know nothing."

He gingerly pulled his arms up and embraced her back after his initial shock had dissipated. She quickly pulled back and smoothed out her hair to try and take attention away from their hug.

"Thank you," he replied quietly. "I needed to hear that."

She smiled at him. "I should get back to my class. I left them with an essay to write so I could come down here."

"I appreciate it."

"I'll see you at dinner."

With a nod, he walked her to the door and let her out. Closing the door behind her, he turned his back and leaned against the door. She'd made him feel heard and understood. Merlin, when was the last time that had happened? He honestly couldn't remember when.

He was still upset that the students from his own house had been so brazen to call out such comments. Granted, part of being a Slytherin was not being afraid to speak your mind, and he knew that at least Mr. Clark had lost a parent. The others had parents in Azkaban. He understood how they must feel. He wished he could have kept all of their families safe, but there were a lot of things he couldn't do as a spy.

He sighed as he went to his desk and gathered his things. His free period was almost over, and he had seventh-year Potions, and Mr. Clark would be in attendance.

ooo

Severus banged the door as he entered the Potions classroom. He did enjoy making an entrance. Right now it was the only thing he was happy about. Moving to the front of the class, he turned and waved his wand at the board. The recipe for Wiggenweld Potion appeared on it.

"Your instructions are on the board. You have the full period to finish it up."

"Professor Snape?" Louise Crawford called out.

"Yes, Miss Crawford?"

She looked around the room making eye contact with Clark. "The Slytherins talked after your presentation. We want you to know that the couple of people who yelled out don't speak for the rest of us."

"Is that so?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. We know what you did to save all of us, sir."

"Professor," Clark piped up.

"Yes, Mr. Clark," Severus said through gritted teeth.

"I want to apologize for my outburst, Professor. After hearing all you had to say… Well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I thought so awfully about you."

Severus stared at the young man for half a second, not believing what he heard. He pulled himself together. It would be unsavory to be seen as weak or confused in this moment. His eyes roamed the rest of the Slytherins in the room.

"You all feel this way?"

"Yes, sir," was mumbled around the room.

Crawford spoke up again. "All of the Slytherins feel the same, not just the seventh-years."

"And you know this, how, Miss Crawford? Surely, you didn't take a poll in between classes."

"No, sir. As you know, we had a few minutes after the assembly. We all gathered together. We discussed what you said. Since the war ended, some of our parents have been more open about what went on. They've told us things that align with what you said today. Several of us shared what they said to everyone. We want you to know, sir, that we respect you as Head of House. All of us."

Severus rose on the ball of his toes and moved back down. "Thank you, Miss Crawford." He eyed the rest of the class. "Perhaps the rest of you can speak to your Houses about this turn of events and urge them not to treat the Slytherins poorly."

"Already done, sir," Ginny Weasley said.

He arched a brow at her. "You students never cease to amaze me. Now could we get going on this potion?"

"Yes, sir," Ginny said.

He moved back to his desk and sat down. He gazed out at the class as they scurried to get their potions started. He was amazed at what had just happened. Never in a million years after all he'd done would he expect the entire Slytherin class to accept him. His eyes moved over to Clark.

He wasn't sure if the young man's classmates had pushed him to say what he did, but he'd sounded sincere. It was puzzling. He wondered what was in it for the youth. He would need to keep an eye on the boy… make sure he wasn't up to something.

ooo

Severus nodded to Jonathan as he settled in for dinner next to him.

"Hey, you disappeared after the assembly today. I wanted to let you know you were brilliant."

Severus arched a brow. "Thank you."

The other professors who were at the table expressed their agreement.

"Are you all right about what was said by the students?" Jonathan asked.

Hermione settled in at that point and greeted both of them.

"I am fine. I was upset earlier today, and Hermione spoke with me, which helped. You won't believe this, though: my seventh-years apologized and wanted me to know that they didn't agree with what was said. Even Mister Clark apologized."

"Oh, Severus, that's wonderful," Hermione offered.

They also said they spoke for the entire House, and they all feel the same."

"Bloody brilliant, that," Jonathan said with a nod.

"I'm glad they told you that, Severus," Hermione replied. "It's nice to see that they do respect you and recognize what you did for them."

Severus snorted. "I was pretty taken aback, to be honest."

"But what a mature thing for them to do. I think we take them for granted that they are so young," Jonathan mused.

"These students, especially the sixth and seventh years, fought in a war, Jonathan. They are incredibly mature for their ages," Hermione advised.

Jonathan nodded. "I keep forgetting that. I need to give them more credit."

"They are formidable," Severus told him. "They will be an asset to the Wizarding world once they have graduated."

Hermione regarded Severus curiously.

"What?" he said.

"I think this is the first time you have complimented the student body as a whole."

He shrugged. "The war is over. I don't need to be an arse anymore. I have nothing to hide from anyone."

Hermione smiled at him. "Does it feel odd?"

He arched a brow at her. "Being nice?"

She laughed aloud. "Yes, for lack of a better word."

"It is a work in progress for me."

Her grin widened. "I think it's brilliant. You're not obligated to try and change."

He looked down to his plate and swished his carrots around. "I am starting anew. I have a new face and body, and I'm not under the thumbs of two despots. It's freeing. I'm eighteen again. Why not be the man I wanted to be way back when I was truly young."

"That's beautiful, mate," Jonathan said. "I'm glad to be your friend."

Severus snorted. "I haven't mastered this new me yet."

"Oh, I have no doubt that you will, though, my friend."

"Thank you, Jonathan. I am not used to having people in my corner."

"Well, you have both of us," Hermione interjected.

Severus felt his cheeks turn red. He bowed his head so his hair covered them up, but he saw Hermione raise an eyebrow at him. He ignored her.

"It's okay, Severus," Jonathan said with a chuckle. "We won't tell anyone that you just blushed like a schoolgirl."

Without looking up, Severus cast a mild, silent stinging hex.

"Geez, that hurt!" Jonathan cried out.

"Next time, you'll be hexed against the wall."

Jonathan bent toward the table and looked at Hermione. "Not as nice as we thought, eh, Hermione?"

She shook her head and laughed.