Owls and Musings

Chapter 18

The next day, as students were packing up to head home for the summer, Snape was ensconced in the headmistress' office with Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but there is still the matter of Professor Dumbledore's death. The only reason we have not taken Severus into custody is because of his actions during the last battle and the information leading to the pockets of resistance," Shacklebolt was saying to McGonagall. "However, we cannot let this murder go un-prosecuted."

"Kingsley, I've told you that the murder was not what it seemed," Minerva protested.

"Proof, Professor. The Wizengamot will need proof," he insisted. "Potter's story went far and wide as to what he saw that evening. We all believed it ourselves. Sorry, Severus," he nodded towards Snape who sat stiffly in the wooden chair in front of Minerva's desk.

"Not at all, Shacklebolt. It was designed to appear that way on purpose. However, I may have a solution to our dilemma," he indicated. "I am fairly certain that Albus left a memory strand of our discussion and of his decisions regarding that task. It will show that Albus was dying and knowingly, to spare an innocent life, made me promise to carry out that task, if it should come to that." They all turned towards the portrait of the former headmaster, who nodded sagely in his frame.

"It is in my wizard safe, Minerva, behind Godric's portrait - yes, there." Minerva swung Gryffindor's portrait to the side to reveal a Gringott's type vault door. She ran her wand over it in a complicated pattern, and they heard the locks tumble. When the door slid aside, she reached her hand in and pulled out a vial that contained a memory strand. Pearly white it glistened as it flowed along the inner walls of the glass. She handed the vial to the Auror.

"Keep that safe, Kingsley. Do you need anything else?" she inquired, a bit tartly.

"No." He turned towards Snape. "Severus, your hearing will be next Friday at ten o'clock. We will present the Pensieve testimony at that time. You will be administered Veritaserum as well," he said almost apologetically.

"I understand," Snape acknowledged, eyes hooded.

"In the meantime, you are restricted to Hogwarts grounds. Two Aurors will arrive on Friday to escort you."

Severus just nodded again in resignation.

"If that is all then?" he finally asked. When McGonagall indicated that the meeting was concluded, Severus rose and removed himself from her office.

Esme walked Severus down to the gates on Friday morning to meet the Aurors. Since she was not allowed to attend the hearing she was planning to head to the cottage to do some cleaning after Severus had left with the Aurors. Not that the cottage needed a massive cleaning but it would keep her mind off of the proceedings.

Severus walked with her arm tucked in his, quiet and sombre. He had no feeling either way as to how this hearing was going to go. He could be in Azkaban tonight if it went badly. As they approached the gates, he could see the Aurors standing just beyond. He stopped before crossing over the boundary and pulled Esme to him, letting her quiet strength flow into his soul.

"Severus, I love you, you know that," she said softly. "I'll be here for you, no matter what happens."

"I know, Esmerelda. I love you as well," he whispered into her hair. He gave her a soft kiss and released her to go over the boundary line to the waiting Aurors. With a sudden snap of air, the three were gone.

A moment later she too had crossed outside the borders and was on her way to the cottage.

+++

"The accused being present, I call this hearing to order," Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour said, pounding a gavel onto the table in front of him. The courtroom quieted down.

Scrimgeour picked up a parchment and began to read from it.

"Severus Snape, you have been charged with the death of Albus Dumbledore. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." A roar from the gallery met his answer. Scrimgeour pounded his gavel again to regain control. Snape sat coolly in the witness chair, the chains hanging laxly over the sides for now. He would never let them see how their reactions affected him.

"We have testimony from witnesses that say otherwise!" Scrimgeor said towards him and the gallery at large.

"Your witness could only report what he saw, Minister. What he saw was not what happened," Severus explained as if lecturing a class. He needed to keep his composure. They had already administered the Veritaserum, and he could feel the effects coursing through his veins and his brain.

"And how do you explain the circumstances, sir?" the Minister of Magic asked.

"Nothing more than a coupe de grace, as the headmaster requested," he explained.

"When did he request this?" Scrimgeour's secretary Percy Weasley was hurriedly keeping up with the conversation, quill flying over parchment.

"Twice. Once in the previous summer and again atop of the Astronomy Tower on the night in question in June of 1997."

"Do you have proof of this?" Scrimgeour sounded doubtful that any concrete proof existed.

"I do." The minister looked taken aback at the answer. Snape let a bit of his scorn show through when he stated, "I call forth Kingsley Shacklebolt." A ministry official sent the request through the doors, and a moment later the tall black Auror was striding down the aisle carrying a Pensieve. He conjured a pedestal and set the vessel down upon it.

"Minister, earlier this week I was able to obtain a memory from Albus Dumbledore that he had drawn out and bottled two summers ago. I was also able to obtain several memories from Mr. Potter and from the accused as to what truly happened the night of the seventh of June 1997." He lined up several marked bottles in front of the Pensieve. "The latter memories were obtained under Veritaserum," he added. "Professor Snape has cooperated fully with the MLE since the end of the war."

"Have you viewed these memories, Shacklebolt?"

"No, sir. However, I have transcripts of the questioning that took place under the Veritaserum after the memories were obtained. It verifies that there are two different interpretations as to what happened that evening." He conjured a set of tightly rolled parchments and presented them to the Minister. He unrolled them and after glancing at them for a moment, passed them on to Percy, who quickly made duplicates and passed those out to the remaining Wizengamot members.

"All right, Shacklebolt, let's see Dumbledore's memory," growled the Minister of Magic.

Shacklebolt picked up the marked vial and after breaking the seal, uncorked it and poured the contents into the Pensieve. Chanting a spell over the bowl, he stepped back as the lights dimmed and a scene like a holographic projection appeared above the stone bowl. It showed Dumbledore sending a Patronus towards the castle as he ran across the grounds, his left arm grabbing his right at the elbow as he finally stumbled up the steps to the Great Doors. As he stood there panting, leaning against the stone balustrade - his face grimaced in pain, the doors were yanked open and Severus hurried out and gathered Dumbledore against him as he drew him into the castle.

As Snape watched the scene unfold in front of him in the darkened courtroom, his hands clenched the forearms of the chair until his knuckles were white with the strain and he found himself transported back to that painful night in his memories.

The whisper of the Patronus message filled his ears with Dumbledore's voice.

"Severus, I am coming in, meet me at the front doors! It's urgent!"

He hurried out of his office and rushed through the empty dungeon passages and up the stairs to the entrance hall. Crossing to the Great Doors, he flung one open to see Albus in obvious pain clutching his wand arm and panting, his face white with the strain. He gathered the older wizard to him before he collapsed to the stone floor and nearly gasped in horror as he cast a quick diagnostic spell saw a death hex eating up the headmaster's energies. This was not something Pomfrey could fix, accomplished Medi-witch that she was. This was Dark Arts magic - and best fixed by one steeped in that lore. He manoeuvred Albus towards the dungeon passageways to his private office.

When he got there, he set the nearly comatose man down in one of the armchairs and summoned a whole host of potions from his personal lab.

"Albus, stay with me. How did this happen? Did you have a fight again with the Dark Lord?" he asked casting charms and more diagnostic spells in an attempt to halt the progression of the pernicious curse as he tried to determine which one it was.

"No..." he groaned. "Hexed ring..." He pulled up the sleeve of his robe to show the blackened hand and forearm and the ring with the cracked stone still on his finger. As Snape watched, the blackening slowly continued to desiccate the arm, creeping up towards the elbow. He immediately grabbed one of the summoned bottles and tipped it towards Dumbledore's mouth.

"Confutomortus, Albus - two swallows, now."

The headmaster complied with his request and as Severus watched, the tissue decay slowed and halted. Casting another diagnostic spell showed the energy depletion to also be slowing down, but not stopping completely.

Cursing he grabbed two more bottles and had Dumbledore swallow draughts from both of those as well. While they slowed the progression of the death curse further, they did not halt it. He tried casting some spells at the man with no change.

"Albus, I have given you three of the strongest potions ever made for these types of curses and cast the strongest hex nullifying charms I know, and it is not working. What in Merlin's name did you do today?"

"The ring was cursed, and when I attempted to destroy it, the curse backfired on me. I felt the backfire building up and was able to cast a protection spell to deflect most of it, but alas, as you see, it did not protect my hand." He was silent a moment longer then resumed, eyeing his friend with a haunted but resigned look. "Am I dying, Severus?" he asked his Potions Professor softly.

The younger man, who had knelt beside his chair, nodded in assent. Albus sucked in some air quickly at the news. "How long?"

Snape straightened up and ensconced himself in the chair opposite his headmaster. "A year at best," he said quietly.

"Then we have some things to discuss. Plans have to be accelerated. I believe, my boy, it is time for you to take the Defence job. You know what this means for next year - you will be forced to leave the castle and rejoin Voldemort's ranks permanently to work from within."

Severus just nodded. "And whom will you find for the Potions position?"

A bit of the old twinkle came back to Albus' eyes. "Oh, I believe Horace is still available - if I can discover where he is hiding these days." Snape just grunted in reply.

"Sir, there is something else you need to know - for your own safety. There was a meeting this afternoon. Your life is now on the line. He has assigned Draco the task of ending it."

"Has he taken the Dark Mark?"

"No, this will be his initiation rite per se. With his father's disappointments and failures, He is setting this task for Draco to show his utmost loyalty to the Dark Lord. He will get the mark only if and when he succeeds. My job will be to aid him and be here for him."

"As it should, Severus, as it should. But Severus, he must not succeed."

"I understand, sir..."

"No, I don't think you do." He grimaced in pain as he shifted the position of his arm to one a bit more comfortable. " I only mean he cannot become a murderer, I cannot let one of my students do that again while they reside in my school - not cold bloodedly. You must determine how he intends to accomplish his goal and thwart it - if you can. If you cannot, then you must carry out the deed."

Snape was shocked. "Headmaster, you can't honestly believe I would..."

"You must, my boy! From what you have said here tonight, it is only a matter of time before this hex finishes me off. Therefore, let us make it do double duty."

"Double duty?"

"Use it to cement your position in the Dark Lord's camp." He was on a roll now. "I will get my affairs in order over the summer so that all is ready when term starts. However, I have a feeling that Draco's heart, once faced with the actual prospect of murdering me, will not be entirely in the task. This may give us some time to work on him. That will also be your task, Severus, discreetly of course."

"Of course..." he echoed. His consternation must have shown on his face, because the headmaster reached over to lay a hand on his knee.

"Severus, this is my wish. I am dead already. If I must die to serve the cause of Light, I would rather it be from a friend's hand than an enemy's."

"You are asking quite a lot, Headmaster."

"I know, but I am counting on you. I must count on you, for only you have the courage to see this all the way to the end." He looked over at the Potions Master he considered a son and sighed. "I know that you feel yourself to be a complete Slytherin, Severus, but I believe there is just a bit of Gryffindor in you as well," he teased.

"It's being surrounded by them in the bloody Order; it's rubbing off!" Snape snorted.

Albus chuckled, then winced at the pain it caused in his arm. "I am beginning to feel a bit tired. If you don't mind, I shall borrow your Floo to get to my office." He gingerly arose from his chair and made his way to the empty grate.

"Here are some potions for sleep and rejuvenation. They should help regain some of the energy that was lost," Severus offered. "They will not however, stop the progression. You need to be careful Albus; another blow like today and it will likely finish you off before Draco even makes an attempt." Snape stood there in his most stern Potions Master pose, arms crossed across his chest. Dumbledore just chuckled again.

"Thank you, Severus." After pocketing the vials, he reached into the box of Floo powder on the mantel and throwing a pinch into the firebox, stepped into the green flames and vanished.

As the lights came back up, the figure of Snape slowly turned in the Pensieve and then disappeared back into the white fog of the basin. Murmuring voices filled the echoing chambers as Severus slowly came back to the present himself. He unclenched his hands and massaged the blood back into them, ignoring the pain.

Again, Rufus Scrimgeour rapped for attention. "Shacklebolt, I would like to see the defendant's recollections of the same evening."

"Of course, sir."

And so it went. Severus sat and watched as more memories were exhibited before the court, spilling his innermost thoughts to the wizarding world. Then came the witness testimonies: Potter in particular, who - with an apologetic nod in Snape's direction - retold that night in June from his perspective. Damning as that evidence was, they also showed Severus' memories of that night, from the point Flitwick came into his office until he had reached the outer edges of the grounds and Disapparated. At least these contained what Dumbledore had legilimened to him - coming across as whispered words in Albus' voice.

"Do it, my boy. Do it now - Potter is watching. You must do it now!"

Severus sat quietly in the defendant's chair, his hands clutching the armrests until his knuckles were white again; the only sign of his consternation as the magistrates deliberated in whispers.

Finally they broke apart and Scrimgeour looked at his fellow magistrates as he asked, "Are we all agreed then?" At the nods from the others, he rapped his gavel a final time.

"Severus Snape. It is the determination of this court that in the matter of the death of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore we find you not guilty. The coupe de grace is not considered murder in our world. You are free to depart." And with that short statement he gathered up his papers and stepped down from the podium to leave. Percy followed and both refused to look at Snape as they passed him.

It took Snape a few seconds to absorb the fact that he had been exonerated, then after accepting congratulations from Shacklebolt and Potter, he hastily left the chambers as well.

+++

At the cottage, Esme had been up in the attic going through old boxes of things that had been in her family for ages. She had turned up several old spell books, old school robes and Quidditch uniforms, broken cauldrons, school trunks and travelling trunks. Rusty cages for who-knew-what type of animals, and various other sundry items going back decades - and sometimes a whole century, at least. She had used several cleaning charms to remove dust and old owl and animal droppings, then be-spelled the walls to glow softly to aid her in determining what to keep and what to Evanesce.

At one point she found an old wooden box that had belonged to some ancestor from the previous century. After using Alohamora on the lock, she found an old waist coat watch complete with fob and chain. Apparently a muggle artefact, it had been charmed to always stay working and showed the current time. It was a fine gold piece that in addition to the date and time showed the moon phases and had an additional dial that showed whether it was morning or evening. She turned it over several times, looking for an inscription but never found one. She decided to pocket it with a small germ of an idea as to what she would do with it.

When she finished with the attic, she had a small stack of books she was keeping. She had made several piles of other objects - the robes, some old wands and so on and after transfiguring some packaging paper and string around them, sent them down to wait for her in the kitchen. She would be sending them off to various charity organisations - except for the wands, which she would be sending off to Olivander's for restoration and reconditioning if possible. She would be taking those personally as she now knew what she was going to do with the watch. She would take it to the jeweller in Diagon Alley for cleaning and to have an inscription incised on the inside of the cover. It would become her wedding present to her husband.

When she reached the kitchen she conjured a cup of her raspberry tea and went to the parlour to sit on the built-in seats inside the bay window to watch the sunset over the moor. She would need to leave soon to make it back to the castle for dinner with her aunt, and - hopefully - her fiancé, but she needed to relax a minute first. The sound of the kitchen door closing caused her to look up in time to see Severus walking through the entryway into the parlour. He lifted her up off the seat and twirled her around before letting her return to earth so that he could kiss her soundly. When they came up for air, he said one word, "Exonerated."

"Oh, thank Merlin," she gasped. She sat back down on the window seat and let him hold her as her trembles calmed down.

"How bad was it?" she murmured.

"Bad enough. Albus had left a memory for them, however. He was thinking that far ahead two years ago." He shook his head in amazement.

"So, that's it then? No more trials for you?"

"Not against me, no. Although I may be called to testify as an expert witness in several other trials as they catch other Death Eaters. We shall see. But for now, our plans can be solidified. So, have you picked a date yet?"

She nodded. "How about the next to last Saturday in August? Then we can go away for the week and be back in time for the school train to arrive."

"And where do you want to go?"

"Surprise me. I just want to get married in that rose garden where you proposed."

"Apt choice. Hmmm, surprise you?" He leaned back against a window casement, his arms casually crossed over his chest as he looked off into the distance, thinking. "I will definitely have to put some thought into this one - as you've been practically everywhere back when you worked for the Ministry. At least it seemed like you had been," he amended at the bemused expression on her face. "This will take some thought," he repeated.

He looked over at her and her empty mug. "Are you all done here for now?"

"Aye, I just have some packages in the kitchen to reduce for carrying. I'll need to go to Diagon Alley later this week to drop them off and do some other shopping."

She offered him her hand to pull her up, and they left the room to head home to the castle.