A Cloud Before the Moon

Chapter 21

Dumbledore had made it clear that she had an important role in Snape's hearing. She intended to look the part. She just had time to grab a bite and head for the ladies' room, where she spent some time engaging in Transfigurations. She did not transfigure a beetle into a button or a hedgehog into a pincushion. It was her goal to transfigure a young insignificant junior assistant nobody into a Prosecutor, a figure of Lady Justice that would cause the Unrighteous to tremble in their boots. Or in lieu of that, she wanted to pass for a Grown-up. She used her wand to assemble her hair into a neat, severe little bun. She played around with various combinations of make-up until she vaguely resembled the Arithmancy teacher who'd given her the only poor grade she'd gotten at Hogwarts. She smoothed the wrinkles from her robe and (temporarily) transferred them to her face. She looked in the mirror. Maybe no one would be quaking in their boots exactly, but perhaps they would accord her some measure of respect.

Letha made her way to Sheepshanks Hall, a rather nondescript red brick building about 150 years old, which mostly held storage rooms and defunct administrative offices. She found the small, stuffy room and entered quietly. There were three or four wizards present, who were speaking among themselves. A few other people trickled in - some she recognized as Ministry functionaries, and a court reporter with his parchment and quill. Cornelius Fudge walked in, accompanied by a man who looked like an older version of Lucius Malfoy; Letha assumed he was Lucius' father, Darius. Fudge greeted everyone with a smile, and sat down at a desk on the dais at the front of the room. Crouch walked in with the brisk stride of a Very Busy Man. He nodded curtly to Fudge and sat down in a seat along the back wall of the dais. When Dumbledore walked in, all conversation ceased, but he just nodded pleasantly at everyone and sat down next to Crouch. It seemed that everyone was now present except for Snape, perhaps a dozen people in the room, all told. Letha was still uncertain where to sit. Dumbledore stood up, offered her his seat, and moved over. Crouch seemed rather taken aback that she was joining them on the dais.

Once everyone was settled, Crouch stood up and cleared his throat. He explained that those assembled would be determining the fate of one Severus Snape. A hearing was being held instead of a trial due to "unusual circumstances" that would be explained by Professor Albus Dumbledore. When he finished going through some of the technical aspects of the hearing, he asked that the prisoner be brought in.

Several moments later, Snape entered the room, accompanied by a guard, who led him to a chair in the center of the room. His eyes looked tired and empty and seemed to focus on nothing at all. On closer look, he appeared to be concentrating on a point in mid-air. Whether he was creating a mental image at that spot, or endeavouring to keep his mind as blank as possible, Letha could not say.

It was now Fudge's turn. He announced that Professor Dumbledore would be speaking on the prisoner's behalf. Dumbledore nudged her almost imperceptibly, and Letha shot out of her chair. Somehow, she felt she knew exactly what she was supposed to do. "Objection. The prosecution has not even presented its case yet."

A murmur spread through the room. Crouch leaned over to Fudge and hissed, "May I have a moment to speak to her outside?"

"Of course, Barty. Take all the time you need," responded Fudge agreeably.

Crouch motioned to her to follow him out of the room. As soon as they were out of earshot, he said irritably, "What are you up to, Forrester?"

Letha took a deep breath. She would not allow herself to lose her temper, or to be intimidated. "Sir, you asked me to write a report. I wrote the report you requested. Frankly, I think he belongs in Azkaban, don't you?

"Yes I do, but Dumbledore seems to think otherwise, and has Fudge convinced that the man is a model Wizard."

"Well, sir," she whispered confidentially, "personally, I think it would look very bad for our department if we gave in without even putting up a fight. Dumbledore may get his way, but you wouldn't want people to think we didn't try our best to keep a Death Eater in prison, would you?"

Crouch looked thoughtful. "You have a good point, Forrester. Very well, go ahead."

She forced a smile. "Thank you, sir."

They went back to their places, and Letha stood confidently before the small assemblage. She presented an entire litany of Snape's alleged crimes and misdemeanors.

"Do you admit to these crimes, Severus Snape?"

"Yes I do," he answered hollowly.

Fudge asked, "Were you a supporter of- of-"

"The Dark Lord? Yes I was, but I renounced my support. I regret any harm I may have caused." Then, it seemed to Letha that he exchanged a very brief glance with Darius Malfoy.

Fudge looked at Dumbledore. "Professor, do you have testimony to give in this matter?"

Dumbledore stood up. "I do." He described how Snape had renounced Voldemort at the height of his power and he vouched for his complete rehabilitation. When pressed for details, he gave a long and rambling response that said nothing in a great many words. As Dumbledore spoke, Snape once again glanced at Mr. Malfoy, who smirked.

When Dumbledore finished speaking and sat down, Fudge announced that it was time to consider Snape's fate. Letha again stood up. "Sir, may I present a closing argument?" Fudge looked at Dumbledore, who nodded and smiled vaguely. "Please, go right ahead, my dear."

Letha stepped forward and offered a stirring and impassioned speech, alluding to "heinous crimes" and "vile deeds," even suggesting that Dumbledore might be "deluded". Some of the wizards and witches in the room looked at her in horror as if she was standing before them, picking her nose with her wand, while others appeared to agree with her assessment. Malfoy simply sat looking rather amused.

When Letha finished, she returned to her seat, maintaining a look of indignant self-righteousness on her face. Fudge turned to the small assemblage. "How do you find?"

The witches and wizards spoke among themselves, a soft buzz filling the room. After a while, Darius Malfoy stood up and announced that a decision had been made. "In light of the overwhelming evidence against him, we find Severus Snape guilty of the crimes charged. However, in view of the testimony of Albus Dumbledore, we find that he has been rehabilitated and should be sentenced to 'time served'.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy" said Fudge, who then briefly conferred with Crouch and Dumbledore. While the three men spoke amongst themselves, Letha again noted a conspiratorial glance pass between Snape and Malfoy. Was it possible that Dumbledore was being deluded? Then again, she remembered their conversation in the Headmaster's office. If Severus had been lying about his hatred of the Malfoys, he was certainly a superb actor. Conversely, if it was Malfoy he was fooling, he had certainly given a fine performance at the hearing, solely by means of gestures and glances. Malfoy seemed quite convinced that Snape's change of allegiance was quite as feigned as his own son's.

When the three men sat down, the room became hushed. Fudge announced, "The determination of the advisory committee is accepted. Severus Snape is found guilty, but in view of mitigating circumstances, is sentenced to time served."

Letha stood up, with all appearances of putting up a protest, but Fudge held up a hand. "I have not finished" he said, looking at her. "I trust that what I have to say will satisfy everyone." He went on. "Muggle criminals who are released from prison are required to report to a 'parole officer', that is - somebody who verifies that no further crimes have been committed. This is a system I would like to see incorporated into wizard law. Here today, we are going to try an experiment - Severus Snape will be required to report to a 'parole officer' of sorts, on a regular basis - who will make sure he is staying out of trouble." The room was buzzing loudly now.

Darius Malfoy stood up. "Mr. Fudge, may I offer my services?"

Fudge cleared his throat loudly several times in embarrassment. "I'm - er - afraid, Mr. Malfoy - though your gracious offer is appreciated - we have determined (cough, cough) that it would be best to choose someone who (cough cough) has no connection with the released prisoner."

Malfoy stared at Fudge haughtily. "Just what are you implying, Cornelius?"

"(Cough cough) Er - nothing at all, nothing at all. I simply meant - well - Snape is related to you by marriage - even if distantly. There may be - an appearance of impropriety."

What does Fudge care about that? wondered Letha. Must be Dumbledore's doing, she concluded.

"Hmm," grunted Malfoy.

"I - we - felt - we should choose someone with no hint of favoritism. In fact, we have the perfect choice - someone who would love an excuse to put him back in Azkaban. Miss Faraday has clearly expressed her feelings in that regard." The buzz in the room grew extremely loud for such a small group. "Is that satisfactory, Miss Faraday?"

"Absolutely," she answered cheerfully. "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Fudge. I shall do my best to serve you well."

Malfoy regarded her sharply. She beamed at him, and he scowled back. Severus would be out of Azkaban, and had to report to her. Darius Malfoy was mad as hell, and still apparently believed Snape was on "their" side. Maybe he'd thought he'd lost a perfect opportunity to keep an eye on him. Well, he was right! Letha felt like dancing with delight.

That evening, she wondered if a single honest word had been spoken at the hearing. She herself had been totally truthful, but completely dishonest. The concept of "dishonest truthfulness" had never really occurred to her before. Like her, Malfoy had spoken the truth. So had Dumbledore, Crouch, Fudge and Severus himself. Yet, every word, every gesture, meant something different from what it seemed. Letha mused, "I can play this game too, can't I? I suppose that makes me a Grown-up!" This, she reckoned, was a good thing, though she wasn't completely certain about that.