The sound of knocking on the door woke Harry up.

 “It’s Hermione Granger.” Snape stood up in an instant, Harry wanted to help her, but his hands were magically bound. “Don’t come in!” he shouted instead. “Go away, get help or something!”

Snape sighed at so much stupidity and asked Hermione to identify herself. “I set fire to your robe in first year,” she said quietly and actually sounded a bit ashamed of herself. If confusion could cause pain, Harry would have been in life-threatening agony now.

 “Enter.”

 Hermione came running towards Harry –she hugged him and removed his magical shackles, but Harry was too shocked to react properly and just stared at her.

  “I don’t understand?” he said and shook his head.

 “He is on our side,” Hermione explained. “I trust him completely.”

 “Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND, Hermione? He – broke my wand and…”

 “I know, Harry. It was an accident. He tried to save you from Nagini.”

 “An accident? Are you serious? Was killing Dumbledore an accident, too? Did he accidentally betray my parents to Vol-“

 “Don’t say his name!” Hermione shrieked. “It is bewitched. He will find anyone who says it out loud.”

 “Fine,” Harry shouted. Nothing was fine. “Did he accidentally become a Death Eater? I never thought you were that stupid, Hermione.”

 “Spare us the melodramatics, Potter,” said Snape and lit another cigarette. “You are not exactly gifted with intelligence. In fact, if you ran into a wall, you’d keep walking.”

 Harry made a gesture to Hermione as if to say “See? He cannot be on our side.”

 “Severus, stop that. And put out that cigarette, it damages your teeth.”

 Harry shook his head in disbelief. “Damage is done,” mumbled Snape and drank more  whiskey.

 “Listen Harry, Severus had to kill Dumbledore, he was dying anyway. And he didn’t mean to betray your parents, he actually went straight to Dumbledore when he found out You-Know-Who was hunting them down because…”

 “Careful, Granger.”

 Harry tilted his head and stared at Snape. “Prove it.”

 “He killed Nagini…” Hermione answered.

“Why do you trust him Hermione?”

 Snape gave her one of his “shut up or I will make you a potions ingredient” sort of glare and she shook her head.

 “I’m sorry Harry. I can’t tell you.”