East Of Eden

A secretive smile crossed Dumbledore’s face.

“I knew he was taken excellent care of from a friend of mine and her novices. Sooner or later, when the situation had calmed down, he would have to face a trial, but for the time being he was safe.
Some months later the trials against the former known Death Eaters started. I convinced Severus to leave his sanctuary and  to surrender to the Hit Wizards.
I had come to an understanding with Rookwood from the Ministry; he would stand a non-public trial immediately.”

Harry interrupted the Headmaster. “Rookwood, isn’t that a Death Eater? ”

“Yes, Harry, but neither I nor Severus knew it then. Rookwood was a very skilled spy. After Severus turned himself in, he made sure that he was thrown into Askaban for some weeks. Rookwood surely wanted to get rid of him before he could testify in the trial. I suppose he wasn’t sure if Severus knew about his activity as Voldemort’s spy in the Ministry.
Anyway, Rookwood would have preferred to lose the key to Severus’ cell. He didn’t take any chances, so he gave the order that Snape was to be introduced to all amenities Azkaban had to offer. Since Severus’ health was still shaken, he couldn’t bear the torture for long. He got ill quickly - so ill, I feared he might die in fact.
Fudge, who was then a young and ambitious Ministry worker, shared those fears. He probably saw the rare opportunity to condemn another Death Eater slip away. He overruled Rookwood, and Severus was facing trial.”
 

Dumbledore nodded towards Harry and tapped his wand against the Pensieve. The gray liquid inside it swirled around. Harry stared at the little vortex in its center. Suddenly he felt like being inside the vortex himself; the office started spinning.

Harry closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he found himself sitting on a wooden bench in a coolly lit room. The windowless walls were made of smooth gray stones.

With a start he recognized the courtroom he had been seeing in the Pensieve in his fourth year.

Something was different, though. The then so tightly packed seats were almost empty. Only a few witches and wizards were seated in the room, which now appeared much larger than Harry could remember it from the trials against Bagman, Crouch jr. and Karkaroff he had witnessed in the Pensieve.

Like in his earlier Pensieve experiences he was seated in the second row between Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody. Barty Crouch Sr. and Cornelius Fudge, who was obviously there as an official observer, were the only other wizards he recognized when he looked around.

Crouch, who had been sitting on the opposite side of the room, suddenly stood up.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Before we begin with the hearing, I would like to inform you, that today’s trial is not public, due to the request of the main witness.” He nodded towards Dumbledore.

Some heads of the wizards and witches, who seemed to represent the jury, turned towards the Headmaster.

Crouch clapped his hands twice.
 

In the front wall a door opened, and in came two Dementors. They flanked a man in dirty robes, whom they dragged to the chair in the middle of the room. He sank onto the seat like a rag-doll, and the Dementors stepped back to allow the magic chains to wind around his wrists.

Harry now had a clear view of the man. He could have sworn he had never seen him before. Certainly it was not Snape.

The man’s gray, dirt-covered robes were torn in many places. They hung loosely around the gaunt body. His head was sloppily sheared. Bloody scratches ran across the skull. The ghostly pale face, which was shaded with black stubble, looked calm. No sign of cruelty or torture was seen there. The dark eyes, which were sunken deeply into the skull, were laced with red.
 

Crouch now stepped in front of the man. “What’s your name, defendant?”

“What? Me?” The man in the chair stared at Crouch uncomprehendingly. His speech was heavily slurred as if he were drunk.

“Your name!”

“Severus Snape”, the man mumbled.
 

Harry inhaled sharply and took a second look at the hunched figure just a few meters away from him. It was indeed Snape.

Without his notorious greasy black hair he was hard to recognize. To Harry, although he knew, that only about 10 weeks had passed, he appeared to be so much older than the young man he had seen in the transmitter orb. His face was lined deeply, but it was blank like a waxen mask. It had an unhealthy yellowish color, and a thin film of sweat was glistering on it. Slowly Snape gazed around with unnaturally wide open, unfocused eyes.

Where was his fierce trademark look? With a shock Harry realized that he must be under the influence of very heavy drugs.

“Date and place of birth?” Crouch asked, but received no answer.

“When were you born, man?”

“November. November ’58.” Salvia started to trickle out of Snape’s half open mouth.
 

Moody looked over to Dumbledore. “Gave him just a pinch too much of that powder, eh?” He grinned at Dumbledore, who silently shook his head. His furrowed brows betrayed anger and worry.
 

Crouch in the center of the room sighed in resignation.

“Ah, well. You are Severus Corrhan Armon Snape. Born on November 21st, 1958 in the village of Snape, Yorkshire. Is that correct?”

“ Yes, Sir.”

“ Youngest child of  Manilus and Giaconda Snape, nèe Mulciber?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then. You, Severus Snape, are under suspicion of being a member of a terrorist organization by the name of Death Eaters. As such you are accused of intimidation, robbery, kidnapping, violation of the Muggle Protection Act, the Wizarding Codex, and violation of the Ban against Dangerous and Uncontrollable Magic.
You personally are charged with multiple grievous bodily harm and murder in eight cases. Do you understand the nature of those grave indictments? ”

Snape looked dumbstruck.

“ Do you understand what I just said? ” Crouch shouted. Snape drew away from him and pressed his spine hard against the wooden back of his chair.

“Yes. Murder.”

“Good. I hereby state that the defendant is willing, and fully mentally and physically able to follow the proceedings. The case of the Ministry of Magic against Severus Snape is open for trial.”

Dumbledore slowly shook his head again.
 
 

The hearing began with the testimonies of two men, obviously the Ministry’s prosecutors. One of them was introduced as Augustus Rookwood, who was known to Harry as Voldemort’s  spy.

Both of them were giving evidence about Snape being a Death Eater ever since he was 16. Rookwood testified that, according to some mysterious source of information he didn’t reveal, Snape moved on to the inner circle of the Death Eaters soon after he had graduated from Hogwarts. He became Voldemort’s specialist for poisonous drafts.

Snape didn't deny anything.

Rookwood then accused Snape of participation in various raids and told with painstaking detail how the victims, Muggles and wizards, were tortured and killed.

Crouch objected at one point. “Haven’t we’ve cleared him on the Bones case?”

Rookwood nodded reluctantly. “You are right here, Sir, it must have slipped my mind. He has an alibi for the night of the attack on the Bones family,” he said. “The defendant claims to have been at Florence Sinistra’s place all night.”

“Do we have a testimony from that woman?” asked a member of the jury.

Again Rookwood nodded. “Yes, she has testified in Snape’s favor, but you should know that she’s an astronomer in training, a stargazer, and she is a former schoolmate of the defendant.

"A Slytherin like him,” he added with a wry smile.

“Please go on with the prosecution”, Crouch said, and Rookwood continued to talk about various raids and Death Eater attacks during the late 70’s.

 During all those accusations Snape remained silent.
 
 

Then it was Dumbledore’s turn.

“ First and most important of all, I want to state that Severus was my spy among the Death Eaters. He never left our side completely and he took great risks to fight the Dark Lord.”

Many of the wizards and witches from the jury looked up in surprise.

“Please address the accusations in the order they were presented, Albus,” Crouch interrupted him.

“It is correct, though, that he turned towards Voldemort at a very young age. Many did at that time, especially in the Hogwarts house of Slytherin, in which Severus Snape was placed. I don’t deny that he was fascinated with the Dark Arts and Voldemort’s ideology of a return to the traditional ways of wizarding.
Note that this fact alone doesn’t make him a dark mage. I also freely admit that he was a member of the so called Morituri while he was still a student at Hogwarts. “

Whispers rose among the jury and Dumbledore turned towards them.

“Most of you will be aware that the Morituri were the youngest and most daring of Voldemort’s followers. They were child-soldiers, recruited from the Slytherin students of Howarts, and I daresay those children were victims themselves. Their enthusiasm for the Death Eater movement was exploited by Voldemort and his minions. In every battle, in every confrontation with Aurors, they were to fight in the front row. They were used as cannon-fodder, and if it suited the Dark Lord, he assigned them even as suicide-assassins. They took the highest risks among the Death Eaters.”

Dumbledore had to raise his voice to make himself heard above the now excited conversations among his audience.

“Severus Snape can consider himself lucky that he soon proceeded into the higher ranks of the Death Eaters, because only few of his fellow Morituris are still alive.”

“Nonetheless they committed atrocity after atrocity, despite their youth!” A short wizard from the jury shouted.

“Yes, but they were manipulated into doing so by the older Death Eaters, whom they followed blindly.  They hardly realized what they did, what dark forces they were using. And if the Liverpool Massacre is what you are hinting at, Severus Snape did not participate in that raid. He was in the infirmary at Hogwarts then, due to a minor injury from a Quidditch match two days before.”

Dumbledore pointed at the jury. “You may look that up in our sick reports at Hogwarts, if you want to.”

“Trust me, we will. Now please continue with your defense, Albus,” said Crouch impatiently.

“After Snape graduated from school, he started working in the Department for Experimental Draughts and Potion Science at the Ministry. He was one of their top researchers. Voldemort soon discovered the potential of his young follower and used it well. Snape became the youngest full member of the Death Eaters. And he became Voldemort’s expert for all potions he needed - poisons as well as remedies for the Death Eaters who were wounded during their attacks.
He soon found himself among Volemort’s most trusted advisors. He didn’t have to execute Voledmort’s plans anymore, he now helped organizing the raids. After the less successful attacks it was his responsibility to cure the Death Eaters’ injuries. It must have been around that time that he started to see the pointless cruelty and the insanity of their doing.
Severus Snape came to me, his former teacher, for help, because he wanted to quit Voledmort’s group. I was able to convince him, that he was more useful as my spy among the Death Eaters. So he continued planning raids for the Dark Lord, but those he planned were all failing now.”

Dumbledore smiled at Snape, who sat in his chair motionlessly.

“The poisons he brewed from then on where not killing anymore. Similar to the famous Draught of the Living Death, they sent the victims into a deep coma, that was mistaken for death by the Death Eaters. The now surviving victims were shipped to Europe into safety.” Dumbledore looked pointedly at Fudge, who sat a little apart from the jury.

“Yes,” said Fudge on cue, “we have the testimonies of those wizards on tape. We didn’t dare to bring them back to England yet. All these testimonies are clearing the defendant. This applies to the cases of Barbara and Phoebus Calvin, Cyrril Owens, the Maynard family and Franciscus Molinard. “

“Who knows if his potions were not just failing by accident?“ someone demanded.

“I assure you that Severus Snape took great efforts in helping potential victims,” said Dumbleore calmly. ”He kept me informed about all of Voldemort’s steps at all times, and we discussed the possibilities of saving people at great length.”

Rookwood rose.

“And what about the murder of the Potters? How come you didn’t know about it when he was telling you everything?”

He turned towards Snape: “ What about the murder of James and Lily Potter?”

Snape flinched. “ I didn’t ...” He bit his tongue.

Rookwood stepped towards him with a malevolent smile on his face.
“ You didn’t what? You didn’t inform Albus about it? Why?”

“But I did!”

“Then why did they still have to die?”

Snape pressed his lips together. “They didn’t have to die.”

 Roowood raised his voice triumphantly.” What is that supposed to mean? Explain yourself. Are you responsible for their death in any way?”

Snape went an even whiter shade of pale “Yes,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

Rookwood, sensing that he was on the right trail, pressed the matter: “Are you responsible for the death of James?”

“ I didn’t mean to...”

“And the death of Lily?”

“ I could have helped her! Believe me, I could!”

Rookwood smiled at the jury. “You see, he knows far more than he is telling us now.”
He turned to Snape again. “Tell us about it! How did they die? What do you know? What’s your role in it?”

“Lily,” Snape winced. “If I had had Foxglove...”

“What ?”

“Foxglove! Digitalis-glycosids could have adjusted he blood pressure. Lily’s spasms -too much acetylcholine firing through her body. Digitalis could have helped.”

Rookwood frowned at him. “Stop babbling, man. I’d rather hear of the Potter’s death!”

“Some atropin and pulverized bat claws, and she wouldn’t have died. She would be alive. Albus, wouldn’t she?”
Snape desperately looked at Dumbledore. He started to rock back and forth in the defendants chair. “Nightshade’s atropin, extracted by ethylene, no, toluene would be better, ...  triple distilled with... “

“Stop,” Crouch shouted at him. “Stop that, will you!” But his effort resulted in only more violent rocking on Snape’s part.

“Symphytum excerpt... diluted with griffin blood...”

Crouch waved towards the guards.

“ Let him be. He merely states possible remedies to some spells,” said Dumbledore matter-of-factly in an attempt to calm down the situation. “He doesn’t know more than you or I do about that tragic death of the Potters.”

Crouch was annoyed: “ Did you participate in the killing of the Potters or do you hold any information back about it?”
No response. Snape didn’t seem to hear him at all.

Crouch threw his hands up in resignation. “He is loosing it.”

Rookwood turned towards on of the guards and hissed: “Two spoons full of it, didn’t I tell you! You morons drugged him with a dose fit for a horse. He is useless. Completely useless”

The guard whispered venomously: ”Hell, that pal wasn’t event able to sit bloody upright. It was hard work to get him into this presentable shape, believe me!”

Dumbledore raised his voice again: “Let him be, Crouch, you don’t need to press this matter any further. I know he is not responsible for the death of the Potters. He is only confused, doesn’t know anymore what he is saying. Just look at him.
I say, we should show mercy on him and set him free. He has already served eight weeks in Azkaban. He is no harm, he is our ally in fact.” Dumbledore was almost begging Crouch now.

“But how will we know he is trustworthy? How do we know that he was not Voldemort’s double agent? How will we know he is not deceiving us? ”a witch shouted.

Dumbledore’s face turned red with anger. “I, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, holder of the First Class Order of Merlin, vouch for him. I have known Severus Snape since he was a student at my school, and I can assure you that I trust him. He never harmed anybody more than his role as a spy was forcing him to do. He did not kill the Potters. And he did not kill anyone else during the attacks he participated in. He is not guilty of the crimes he is charged with in this trial. I will repeat this under oath if you wish.“

The courtroom fell silent.

Crouch coughed. “ Ahem, after this impressive statement we should take a vote, I think.” He glanced nervously at Dumbledore, then at Rookwood, and back to Dumbledore.

The Headmaster stood upright, arms crossed over his chest. His face was squared and his blue eyes were boring into Crouch’s. Dumbledore’s presence filled the whole room- his words still hovering over the scene. Rookwood, Snape, the jury, everything seemed to be insignificant all of a sudden.

Crouch squirmed. ”All in favor of the continuation of this trial against Severus Snape, accused of being a Death Eater, please raise your hands.”

Rookwod locked his gaze with Dumbledores as if challenging him to interfere, and slowly raised his hand although he wasn’t part of the jury. So did the jury member Mad-Eye Moody.

“Who wants to follow Dumbledore’s proposal and acquit the defendant from the charges against him?”
The other eleven jury members, raised their hands. Obviously they were deeply impressed by Dumbledore’s declaration. Moody next to Harry shrugged his shoulders.

In the center of the room Crouch was stepping in front of the defendant’s seat. ”Severus Snape, you are not found guilty of the charges against you. You are a free wizard, you may leave.”

Snape stared unbelieving at the chains around his arms which glowed golden and vanished. “No. No, I can’t be. I couldn’t help her. I ...” His voice trailed off.

When the wizards filed out of the room, Moody walked over to Snape, who had remained seated and hissed at him: ”Consider yourself lucky that you have such an influential friend in Albus. I know what you are, and I will be watching you, mate! ”

Snape closed his eyes and gripped the armrests of his chair. Dumbledore, who had watched the exchange, turned towards Fudge: ” Please, Cornelius, could you have him brought to Hogwarts? I can have an eye on him there, and as you know, we have an excellent infirmary. The man needs proper medical care. And I have use for a good Potion Master when Rantum retires next year.” Dumbledore winked at Fudge.

“As you wish, Albus.”

Dumbledore turned to go, but Fudge held him back.

“ Oh, Albus, I have his wand here. We took it from him when he was arrested. Would you take it with you? You can return it later to him, he has no use for it right now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know he already had a new one.”

Fudge searched inside his cloak and produced a wand. “ A new one? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh never mind, Cornelius.” Dumbledore responded quickly and took the wand from Fudge.

“ It’s a rare combination for a wand. Apple-wood and Veela hair, I think. And it seems not to be of Ollivander’s making.”

“Veela hair?” Dumbledore examined the wand closely. “ Not quite, but your guess was close enough.”  With a chuckle Dumbledore pocketed the wand and left a slightly confused Fudge standing alone in the now deserted courtroom

 The solid stone walls began to quiver and to dissolve. Harry found himself again sitting in the Headmaster’s study, staring at the now grayish contents of the pensieve.

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