Survivors

CHAPTER 14

The Trial

"Have a seat, Professor," Kingsley Shacklebolt said, indicating the long wooden table surrounded by stately chairs upholstered in black velvet. They were in what must usually serve as a conference room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Which was appropriate, as this was a formal meeting.

Hermione took the one at the nearest corner. "Thank you." She smiled nervously at the handsome dark-skinned wizard, who took the seat at the foot of the table, catty-corner from her. "I appreciate you taking the time to see me," she continued.

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person for you to be talking to," Kingsley warned. "You said something about wanting information on a trial. That would be more in the line of the Wizengamot."

"No, I think you're the only one who can help," Hermione said firmly. "I'm interested in the trial of Severus Snape."

Kingsley hesitated a moment and frowned. "Which one?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to frown. "Is there more than one Severus Snape?"

Kingsley laughed at that, a hearty rippling chuckle. "No, thank the Lord, there isn't! I mean, which trial?"

Hermione's face lightened. Yes, true, Severus had also been put on trial after the first fall of Voldemort, but had been released when Dumbledore had vouched for him. "The last one. Something over five years ago."

Kingsley nodded, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "Ah. Yes, I did act as Professor Snape's advocate, in addition to interrogating him in the course of our investigation into his involvement in Albus' death. But I'm afraid I can't discuss that with you."

Frustration rose in Hermione's throat. "But why not?" she insisted. "The trial's over, the verdict reached, the sentence handed down. What harm can it possibly do for you to discuss it now? It won't change anything!"

A trace of impatience crossed the Auror's face. "I could say the same thing to you: Whatever you are seeking, it won't change anything. And, aside from the fact that the law requires me to treat information acquired in the course of an interrogation with the strictest confidentiality..." Kingsley's features softened and he said kindly, "I consider Severus a...friend...of sorts," he conceded. "The conversation we had while he was in custody covered subjects that he would consider personal. I have to, and do, respect that. Likewise, in my position as advocate, I could not reveal to you any information beyond that which was made public at the hearing."

While Hermione appreciated that one person, at least, was behaving loyally toward Severus and considering his feelings, her disappointment was evident.

Kingsley saw it and suggested, "Tell me, Professor, what you specifically hoped to discover. It may be that I can help you without going into what Professor Snape and I discussed."

Not sure where to start exactly, Hermione began with, "I know that Professor Dumbledore asked Professor Snape to end his life if the opportunity presented itself in a way that would cement Severus' position in Voldemort's inner circle. Dumbledore was going to die anyway, and he wanted his death to be useful. And maybe, I'm not sure, maybe he had him do it in order to protect Draco as well..." This last point had not come up in her conversation with Dumbledore's portrait, but it had occurred to her some time afterwards.

"That wasn't something that was brought into evidence at the trial," Kingsley said carefully. "Where did you hear that?"

"I spoke to the Headmaster's portrait. And Arthur Weasley sort of confirmed it to me as well."

Kingsley nodded. "In that case, I can confirm as well that the Order members heard the same story by the same means as you did. I assume that is what Arthur told you also."

"Yes, that's right. But that's not really what I was interested in. So I've got that part. What I'm confused about is, how come Severus was acquitted of having used an Unforgivable Curse? From everything I've heard, from Harry, and Arthur's recollection of the Death Eater witnesses' testimony, Severus did use the Killing Curse against Professor Dumbledore. Yet he wasn't sent to Azkaban. Was it just favoritism?"

Kingsley regarded Hermione for quite a while. Then he slowly asked, in his deep, sonorous voice, "Why is it so important to you?"

Hermione had the feeling that he could see right through her. Maybe he could see more than she could. Why was it important? She was still clinging to the fragile hope that, perhaps, somehow, Severus was innocent. She had pretty much accepted that he had done it, but she just needed to be sure, absolutely certain. Only then could she fully accept it, and come closer to understanding what Severus had gone through and was still going through. And maybe her understanding would be the key to get her past Severus' barriers. But did she want to reveal all that? She was also very wary of breaking what Severus might consider a confidence. How would he feel, knowing that she had talked about his 'barriers' with Kingsley Shacklebolt? Yet she had the feeling that Kingsley knew something, that there was some information that hadn't come out yet, maybe one of those 'personal' things that he had mentioned.

Finally, after her own meditation, during which Kingsley had sat calmly waiting, she sat up straight, looked the Auror in the eye, and said, "I need to know in order to understand him."

He seemed to consider this briefly, then nodded once in acknowledgement. "I think, in that case, you might find it interesting to view the transcripts of the trial. Do you have time now?"

Hermione's heart leapt. Finally, she was going to get to the bottom of this!

...xOxOxOx...

Hermione sat down in the carrel. The lights were dimmed. It was quieter than any library she'd ever been in, and that was saying a lot. Perhaps the reason was that this was not a library of books and codices, but of memories, filed in glass bottles on slotted shelves. No rustling of parchments, no shuffling of papers, no scratching of quills. The tiny clink that sounded as Hermione unstoppered the bottle that Kingsley had arranged for her to be given resounded her ears. She poured the contents, milky and filamental, into the still liquid of the Pensieve on the small table before her, then stirred it with her wand. Feeling both nervous and excited, she dipped her face into the swirling surface.

She was in a courtroom. Beside her sat a young man, someone she didn't recognize, looking around alertly and taking notes. That must be the court transcriber, which would mean this was his memory she was viewing. The notes would be a safeguard against his memory being modified, and vice versa. Ranged on rising benches to the left of her were row upon row of spectators. She saw Arthur and Molly, Mad-Eye, Hestia, and many other Order members, looking startlingly young (had Molly gone that gray in just five years?), yet pinched and tense with worry. To the right were the members of the Wizengamot, an assembly of fifty witches and wizards in purple robes seated in a balcony overlooking the court. She spotted Minerva, sitting stiffly in the second row and staring straight ahead.

"Enter the accused," announced a cool voice from below. There was a small wave of sound as everyone turned to see a thin, black-clad figure enter through a side door with a burly wizard holding on to his elbow. Severus. Hermione's heart sank and tears of fury pricked at her eyes to see him like that. A prisoner. He held his head stiffly erect and, like Minerva, looked neither to the left nor the right. His wrists were bound before him with a glowing band. His cheeks were hollow, his hair tangled and clearly unwashed. The guard escorted him to the middle of the room and turned him to face the panel.

"The accused will state his name," intoned an elderly wizard sitting front and centre in the balcony. That must be the Chief Warlock, Hermione thought.

Severus tossed his hair back from his face with an almost haughty gesture. "Severus Snape."

"The accused may be seated."

The guard pushed Severus down onto the straight-backed arm chair and tapped the bond on the prisoner's wrists with his wand, causing it to dissolve. He then indicated that Severus should place his arms on the arm-rests. Hermione nearly cried out as the thick chains quickly slithered up over them, binding him in place. It was an outrage! As if he would try to escape or use magic against anyone there!

The Warlock spoke again, in a detached voice. "Severus Snape, you are accused of invoking the Killing Curse against Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore on the night of 17 June 1997 in the Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland. How plead you?"

The accused did not respond.

"How plead you, Severus Snape," repeated the Warlock in an insistent tone.

Snape looked neither up nor down, neither right nor left. "I killed him." The statement was flat and clear. Emotionless.

Many of the spectators were nodding now, with grim expressions. Others, like Arthur, took the news stoically. Molly was the only one who hid her face in her hands.

Hermione, however, got the same exultant feeling of triumph that she did when she found a reference in a book that she'd been searching for for weeks. He didn't say he did the Avada Kedavra, she thought to herself. He didn't answer the Chief Warlock's question. Excitedly, she looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.

"That being the case--" began the elderly chief judge, but Minerva jerked to life and stood.

"Wait!" she commanded.

Even Severus looked up now, watching McGonagall along with everyone else. From where Hermione sat, he appeared to be glaring at her.

"What is it, Minerva," the Warlock asked, his irritation evident. "The accused has pled guilty to the charge. No further debate is necessary."

"The accused has the right to a fair hearing," Minerva said in a steely voice. "I submit the possibility that the accused is unaware of his actions, and is merely repeating what he has been told."

"We've already ruled out the Imperius, Minerva," the Chief Warlock snapped.

"Or the more distinct possibility that he is lying in order to uphold his reputation within the ranks of the outlawed organization called the Death Eaters," Minerva continued tartly.

How dare she say such a thing! Hermione fumed, gripping the edge of the bench with her fingers. She knows full well that Severus was loyal to the Order!

Severus was glaring even harder at Minerva. "I will testify under Veritaserum that I killed Albus Dumbledore!" he said coldly, and Hermione cringed at the cutting lack of emotion in that voice.

"Or," Minerva finished primly, "perhaps he is covering for someone else, trying to protect them. We cannot punish this man for a crime he did not commit, no matter whether he wishes it so." Here, she looked directly down at Snape and glared back, causing him to look away.

Hermione sat back and relaxed slightly. So she doesn't think he really did it, she thought. She thinks he's taking the blame for Draco. Her heart started pounding with hope. Was it really possible? Did Draco do it after all? Why had everyone said that Severus had done it, then? Harry: Maybe from Harry's position, if Draco and Severus had been lined up just right, it might have looked like the beam came from Snape's wand. Or perhaps both Draco and Severus had uttered the incantation at the same time, but Harry only heard Severus' voice, while only Draco's spell had hit the Headmaster. Possible. And Draco? Obviously, he would have leapt at an offer from Severus to take the fall for him, keep him out of Azkaban. That would fit in with him having defected right afterwards, in order to avoid prosecution as a Death Eater, never mind a killer. Finally, the Death Eaters, who would shortly be testifying against Severus. They might easily have lied in order to put Severus into Azkaban as revenge for him betraying their Master, knowing that he would be acquitted of the charge of being a Death Eater.

But now the Chief Warlock was speaking again. "Very well, Minerva," he sighed. "Severus Snape, you are hereby granted a hearing before this body to ascertain your guilt or innocence in the matter aforementioned."

"I do not wish a hearing," Severus said through clenched teeth.

"Nevertheless, you will have one," the Warlock admonished him. "Are we to understand, then, that you do not wish to defend yourself from the charge?"

"No."

"Very well." The Warlock looked around. "Is there anyone present who will act as the accused's advocate before the court?" Minerva looked especially tense, scanning the crowd. As a sitting member of the Wizengamot, she could not take over the post of advocate herself.

There was a stirring in the stands as people looked around, some curiously, others furtively. Arthur looked tentatively at Molly, but Hermione knew that it would be Kingsley Shacklebolt who would stand and say, "I will."

Snape narrowed his eyes at Kingsley and watched with apparent hostility as the Auror descended from the stands and came over to the chair where Snape was bound.

"Shacklebolt," the defendant hissed, and indicated that he should lean down. A short, inaudible exchange followed, and then Shacklebolt straightened up again.

"The accused refuses to testify. I should like to call in Alecto Carrow."

...xOxOxOx...

Three Death Eaters had testified. Hateful, unrepentant. Three identical stories had been told. Snarling. Arrogant. Dumbledore cornered, wandless. Draco hesitant, irresolute. And then the Curse. From Snape. Only Snape. Malfoy standing there, impotent. Avada Kedavra. And Dumbledore flying backward. Gone. The heavy-featured Death Eater, Jugson, had actually laughed at that point.

Hermione felt sick. Sick at their lies, or sick at the truth. This had been a waste of time; worse, a mistake. She should never have insisted on seeing this.

Now Kingsley was calling Draco to testify. The tall young man in the black robes looked as pale as bleached bone. His white-blond hair was long now, almost to his shoulders, and hung limply on either side of his face in a fair imitation of Snape. He glowered at the spectators, warlocks, and court officials. His eyes flicked over the prisoner, bound in the centre of the room, and Hermione could swear that his lip had curled. He stood so that he was between Snape and the judges' balcony, his shoulders hunched over and his arms crossed as if he didn't know what to do with them.

"State your name," the Chief Warlock intoned.

"Draco Adrian Malfoy."

"Mr. Malfoy," Kingsley said, "please tell us what you remember of the night Albus Dumbledore was killed. You may begin from when you arrived at the top of the Astronomy Tower." Kingsley had requested the same thing of each witness, but had never questioned them further, never challenged them or tried to point out any weak points in their story. Hermione was beginning to think that he wasn't such a great advocate.

"The old fool was there alone," Draco sneered. "I must have surprised him. I disarmed him immediately. It was easy," he said with arrogant pride. "I don't know why everyone said he was so great, if he couldn't even protect himself against a simple Disarming Charm. Then he prattled, stalled for time. I could have done him then, but I needed to wait until my backup arrived. I needed them as witnesses. I didn't want to kill the old man, of course, but if I didn't, the Dark Lord would have killed me and my parents. I had to do it, and I needed proof that it had been me, that it wasn't an accident." He tossed his hair back from his face in a gesture that was eerily reminiscent of Severus.

"Then Amycus and Alecto Carrow arrived with the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, Brutus Jugson, and Flavius Celsare. But the old fool looked so pitiful, I actually felt sorry for him! He was unarmed, for God's sake. I'm no cold-blooded killer. Then Snape came in, and the old man actually started begging for his life. Pathetic." He sniffed haughtily. "He always thought Snape was working for him, when all along he was helping the Dark Lord's cause. He was such a poor judge of character. The Dark Lord always said that would be his downfall, and it was. I would have done it eventually, you know, but I had to work up to it. You can't just speak the Killing Curse, you've got to mean it, but Snape just couldn't wait. Got impatient. Maybe he knew reinforcements were on the way from the Order, I don't know, but all of a sudden he stuck out his wand and said it. I was furious. He'd promised my mother that he'd help me succeed, but instead he caused me to fail. After that, I had to seek protection from Potter, of all people." It was clear from his tone of voice how much this had disgusted him.

When it appeared that Draco was finished with his recitation, Kingsley cleared his throat. "Would you be so kind as to relate what happened after Severus Snape pointed his wand at Albus Dumbledore?"

Draco turned to Kingsley in irritation. "I told you, didn't I? You know how it goes. He said the words, 'Avada Kedavra,' a green light came out of his wand and hit the old man in the chest, blasted him right up into the air and over the wall. He looked pretty surprised, I can tell you that."

Strange, thought Hermione. Why surprised? He'd known that Severus was going to kill him. Perhaps he hadn't expected it so soon?

"Thank you," Kingsley said, inclining his head slightly. "You are correct. We do all know how the Killing Curse goes. I think we've all seen it more often than we'd have liked." This last remark was directed at the members of the Wizengamot, most particularly at Minerva, whose eyes widened slightly as she gave Kingsley a nearly imperceptible nod.

"Kingsley!" Snape hissed in a threatening tone.

"That concludes our case," Kingsley announced. "I think you will find the evidence overwhelming that the accused be acquitted of the charge against him of having murdered Albus Dumbledore by means of the Killing Curse."

Hermione frowned. How could Kingsley say that? All the evidence brought had shown that Snape was, without a doubt, guilty. Unless they were all supposed to see that the witnesses had been lying. The spectators seemed to share Hermione's opinion, since a loud murmuring began as puzzled looks were thrown back and forth.

Some of the warlocks, too, seemed at a loss as to what to think of the defense Kingsley had put on. Minerva spoke up. "Call for a deliberation."

"Seconded," said another voice.

...xOxOxOx...

What the hell...? Hermione was more confused than ever when she returned the bottle with the memory to the librarian. Following the deliberation, the Chief Warlock had announced the verdict: Acquitted of the crime of having used an Unforgivable Curse. Guilty of the lesser crime of having inadvertently caused the death of Albus Dumbledore. Sentenced to time served.

Hermione slowly walked back to the Auror Headquarters. She needed to talk to Kingsley again, see if he would be any more willing to explain things now that she'd viewed the trial.

"I'm sorry, but Auror Shacklebolt has left for the weekend. If you'd like to make an appointment to see him on Monday...?" The attentive secretary held her quill poised.

Frustrated once again, Hermione went to the lift, all the while replaying the trial in her head. There was something there, she was sure of it. Something Kingsley knew about. Or had he simply thought that her seeing Severus would help her to 'understand' him better? Maybe she was supposed to see that he was honest, willing to accept whatever punishment was deemed necessary, that he hadn't tried to defend his actions or weasel his way out by bringing up the extenuating circumstances. As far as Hermione was concerned, however, that had been pure stupidity on his part. Stupidity and feelings of guilt.

The lift arrived, and she got on, pressing the button for Level Two.

There was the point, early on, where Severus had refused to answer whether he was guilty of using the Killing Curse. Maybe Minerva had noticed that as well, and pointed it out to the rest of the warlocks during deliberations.

There must have been something else, though. But there was nothing, except for the three Death Eaters and Draco, and they had all said the same thing. Yet Kingsley had said the evidence was overwhelming that Severus was innocent. Nothing else. Other than the comment about there having been too much use of the Killing Curse, which Minerva had seemed to agree with.

Hermione had also been witness to the Avada Kedavra in the Final Battle. She hadn't used it herself, but Neville had, against Bellatrix. Only after Bellatrix had used it against Harry, though. Both deaths had occurred within a split second of each other. Two green flashes. Two crumpled bodies. It hadn't been very spectacular at all. No screams, no thrashing about, no pain. Probably why Bellatrix had always favored the Cruciatus.

Hermione walked out into the Atrium. It had been restored completely, not a trace evident of the bloody battle which had taken place there seven years earlier. Had it already (or only?) been seven years?

Severus, at least, had been merciful in that, in ending it quickly, not allowing Dumbledore to be tortured. Hermione's thoughts returned to Draco's comment that Dumbledore had appeared surprised. Unbidden, the image of Dumbledore's face came to her mind, the moment of realization that Severus had uttered the Curse. Then him flying back...how long had he remained conscious? Death with the Avada Kedavra was supposed to be instantaneous, so she supposed he... Wait. Hermione stopped in her tracks, nearly causing an elderly witch to collide with her from behind. Two crumpled bodies. Dumbledore flying back over the wall. That wasn't how Avada Kedavra worked. Avada Kedavra didn't throw the victim backwards. Her being thrown backwards in Severus' quarters. That was how Expelliarmus worked. Or could work, if enough force was behind it. Hermione felt light-headed. Severus hadn't Cursed Dumbledore. He had Disarmed him.