Win The War: Consanguinity by Luna Carmesi
Summary: Petunia finally has an excuse to get rid of Harry, who finds himself in another abusive home. But then there is Severus living nearby, who - at first reluctantly - will try to help the boy. Will they find common ground?
Categories: Big Brother Snape, Healer Snape, Snape Equal Status to Harry > Comrades Snape and Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Original Character, Other, Sirius, Theodore Nott, Tobias Snape
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Mean, Overly-protective Snape
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Media Type: None
Tags: Abuse Recovery, Adoption, Injured!Harry, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Alcohol Use, Bullying, Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Physical Punishment Non-Spanking, Physical Punishment Spanking, Violence
Prompts: Tobias' care
Challenges: Tobias' care
Series: Win the War
Chapters: 23 Completed: Yes Word count: 132061 Read: 111896 Published: 09 Sep 2012 Updated: 13 Jun 2023
Chapter 15: The Hearing by Luna Carmesi
Author's Notes:
I would like to give a big thanks to Chantale-of-da-last-generation for beta reading this chapter!
And of course Jasmin Kain!
And, of course, anybody who is leaving me a review. It is great motivation!

Chapter 15
The Hearing

As soon as the door slammed behind Snape, Harry looked at Nott, who picked up a sandwich and began to eat it.

“What is his problem this time? Where did he go?” Harry asked, slightly surprised by the man's behaviour. On the other hand, he shouldn't be surprised at all. He knew that sooner or later, Snape would start to regain hypersensitivity to Harry's presence in his immediate surroundings.

“I think he is just taking a walk,” replied Nott, after he calmly swallowed down his food. Not looking like he was concerned with the Potions Master’s behaviour at all.

“Taking a walk?” Harry was even more surprised. Snape didn´t just take walks. Sure, the man could stalk with a quick, angry pace, for a specific purpose, such as tearing someone apart. But he certainly didn't take walks like a normal human being. ”Whatever for?”

“To cool down. He…  he does that sometimes to deal with anger or stress. Therefore, the worst that can happen to students wandering around Hogwarts at night is to encounter Snape taking a walk.” Theo smiled a little.

”I find it hard to believe that Snape confides in you about his emotional problems,” Harry said in a slightly mocking voice.

“Of course not. But he has been my Head of House for four years, and now I live with him. Besides, I'm pretty good at observing people”. With that, Nott leaned over to grab another sandwich and motioned for Harry to help himself as well.

“So what going on with him this time? Something happened?”

“Honestly? I think it's about you, your father, and generally about the Ministry hearing,” the Slytherin replied slowly as if wondering if he should be saying that to Harry at all.

“About me?” Harry groaned. “I didn’t even do anything!” He was so angry with himself that he felt a slight twinge of sadness, realising the time for Snape to slowly start treating him like he used to had come. Harry needed to nip this feeling in the bud as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to be a fool who makes the same mistake over and over again by getting emotionally involved in somebody. Anyway, it was Snape—a nasty Potions Master—the worst candidate for someone who might care about him, Harry couldn’t choose.

“No, Potter. I mean, sure, it irritated him that you came here battered again.” Nott put down his plate and, sitting more comfortably in the armchair, added: “But to be clear. He prefers you to come to him with it so he can patch you up rather than you to hide it. Anyway, I guess he felt a little guilty for playing a part in you getting hit this time. I'm also sure it also annoys him a lot that you don't even want to admit it.”

“He's crazy. I really did play football.”

“Ankle—yes, but what about the eye? You know, such bruises don't form in an hour. He's not an idiot. And by the way, neither am I.” Theo looked at him suggestively. “And Snape was the one who talked to your father, and he seems to blame himself a bit for that.”

He was talking with Tobias? How was that?”

“You will see.”

Harry shrugged and said:

“It's not like he can help it. Lately, Tobias is furious all the time.”

Nott hesitated for a moment.

“Snape doesn’t want you to live with your father, and it irritates him that there's nothing he can do about it.”

“Snape should stay out of it. We'd both be better off that way. Or at least me. Tobias doesn't like him.” Harry groaned. It was just what he needed—Snape starting to interfere with his relationship with his father. Harry could barely deal with the man's mood swings without any other complications. If the Potions Master starts persecuting Tobias, Harry knew, he will be at hand, and the man's fury will focus on him.

The Gryffindor looked at Nott and saw something similar to pity in his eyes. He felt the heat to rise to his cheeks and felt a sudden urge to make excuses for the man, so he added quickly:

“Tobias is alright, really. He's just been drinking a bit too much lately.” Harry nodded at the vitrine full of alcohol. “Anyway, it doesn't look like Snape is abstinent either.”

“He probably isn't, but he hasn't even touched it once since I've been here. And I’m starting to realise why.” When Harry raised his eyebrows, Theo explained: “I think Professor Snape is afraid that if he drinks, he might lose his temper.”

“Well, he often snaps while sober, so his fears are not unfounded. Besides, the most important thing is that tomorrow I will manage to get to the hearing. Anyway, what about the Ministry? Why does it make him angry?”

“Ah, right. The Ministry—another reason why, until tomorrow at least, you should try not to upset Snape.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” wondered Harry, but noticing that the tone of his voice might have sounded a little contradictive, he reflected and added: “I mean, I'm not doing anything on purpose just to make him angry. He gets wound up all by himself.”

“Yes, of course, Potter. You are the most obedient and docile teenager Snape has met in his entire career.”

“Well, am I not?” Harry grinned at him, and Nott snorted. “So, what about the Ministry?”

“All I know is that he hates Aurors. I think it has something to do when he used to be a Death Eater.”

“As far as I know,” added Harry, remembering his visit to the Headmaster's Pensieve, “it's only because of Dumbledore that Snape didn’t land in Azkaban.”

Nott raised his eyebrows.

“In that case, he might have been held there or in the Ministry’s cells before his questioning. I doubt that all the Aurors, whom the Dark Lord murdered their families, treated his Death Eaters ethically.”

“They wanted revenge.” Harry agreed, nodding. And although, after a particularly nasty Potions class, he and Ron had repeatedly been playing games like one hundred ways to get rid of Snape, the thought that something like this could really happen made him shiver down his spine.

“Let's eat, Potter, and go to sleep,” Nott said after a moment of silence. “We'd better stay out of Snape's way tonight.”

HPHPHPHPHP


Saturday, August 12th, 1994


“Potter! Hurry up!”

“I'm coming!”

Snape had woken Harry up around six in the morning to minimise any chance that the Gryffindor would be late for the hearing. Contrary to the theories Nott had put to Harry, the man seemed very composed.

Harry barely had any sleep that night. After he had been rolling from side to side for an hour and sleep didn’t come, he decided to distract his unpleasant thoughts about the hearing and the fact that this could really be the end of his adventure with magic. He pulled a double-sided parchment out of his backpack and began writing to the twins. In Snape's house, this magic item worked flawlessly. It reassured him that it was only Dumbledore's spell that was blocking its magic.

After writing goodbye to the twins, he began reading a book on selected cases of breaking the Statute of Secrecy by minors—the one he had found on the coffee table in Snape's living room the day before. He was so caught up in some cases that when he put the book aside and decided to try to sleep, the sun was already rising.

When Harry entered the kitchen, Snape motioned him to a chair.

“Sit down”.

The boy obediently took his seat at the table, putting his packed backpack next to him. The Potion Master reached for it, reduced it, put it in his pocket, and then looked at the boy again.

“You'll get it back when we're in the Headquarters. How's your foot?”

“Fine, it no longer hurts.”

“Are you sure?” Snape asked, raising one eyebrow up.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Harry tried not to roll his eyes.

“Take off your sock. I want to have a look at it.”

“I said it doesn't hurt anymore,” Harry replied. Still, when Snape shot him an annoyed look, he sighed dramatically and obeyed the man who knelt beside him, taking his foot in his hands.

Harry couldn't believe how stubborn Snape could be. The day before, Harry seriously could hardly walk, and it would have been definitely an arduousness while visiting the Ministry. He'd gotten used to the idea that Snape wasn't a bastard, and it was even quite nice of him to heal his foot. But why the hell did the man bother to nit-pick now, wasting time when Harry made it clear that he was okay?

“Still a little swollen,” the man muttered, taking a vial of thick goo from his pocket and smearing it on the boy's ankle.  “For a month or two, you'll have to be careful. No jumping.  And I would prefer, if you...”

“You're not gonna make me quit football.”  Harry interrupted him, folding his arms over his chest. He guessed where Snape was going with it.

“How could I even suggest you to give up running around on the grass like a nutcase with a bunch of other dimwits.” The man narrowed his eyes as he watched him closely, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I'm not going to quit,” Harry repeated stubbornly.

“And I'm not forcing you to.”

“Oh... That's okay then... Because I wouldn't do it anyway.”

“Dear Merlin, save me from idiotic teenagers,” Snape muttered, shaking his head as he got to his feet and sat down in his chair. “Start eating, Potter.  And for Salazar’s sake, comb your hair before we go.”

“There's nothing you can do with my hair. Aunt Petunia…,” Harry swallowed. “My aunt tried to tame it so many times, and nothing worked. Once, she even shaved it off completely. But the next day, it had grown back.” The boy tried to smile as he said it, but with little success.

“I assume she was not happy with that.” When Harry confirmed, Snape shook his head. “What would you like to eat?”

“Just toast is fine.” Harry was so upset by the interrogation that the mere sight of the food made him feel sick. Only now, he realised that he really could actually be kicked out of school. He wished it was already over. His future depended on it. Both, the closest one—Tobias probably will kill him if he is thrown out of the school—and the farther one. No, He couldn't even imagine a life without Hogwarts and magic.

Severus looked at the tense teen, lost in his own thoughts, and rolled his eyes.

“Potter, look, there's no need for you to be so nervous. You did nothing wrong. You've read what it looks like. You will enter the office of Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and she will ask you some questions. There is really nothing to be afraid of. She is a typical Hufflepuff—painfully fair. Are you listening to me, Potter?”

“Yes,” Harry nodded, chewing on toast that tasted like Styrofoam.

“Susan Bones, that Hufflepuff from our year, is her niece. And she lives with her.” Theodore chimed in for the first time. “I would advise you not to insult Hufflepuffs, much less Susan herself, in front of this woman.”

“Well, it's not me that keeps mocking them. Unlike someone.” He looked pointedly at Snape and Nott.

“And you should, Potter. Did you hear that just before the Easter break, the entire third year had eaten a box of Weasley twins' candies, and they all turned into canaries? It ended with Pomfrey visiting the common room, which was all pecked and filled with yellow feathers. Even a week later, there were feathers still lying here and there.”

“Leave the twins out of it,” said Harry, even though he was convinced they were involved. He just hoped Nott wasn't getting them in trouble now. Harry looked searchingly at Snape, who smirked.

“Don't look at me like that, Potter. If someone is moronic enough to try and eat whatever the Weasley twins gave them, then they fully deserved what happened to them.”

“Anyway, you can play on her emotions. Make your eyes big, cry a little, a Hufflepuff will buy it,” added Nott.

“Potter. First of all, behave yourself. Be nice and polite, answer the questions truthfully, and that will be enough. What Theo says won’t hurt, of course.” As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curled upward. “The head of the Improper Use of Magic Office, Mafalda Hopkirk, may also be in the office.”

“The one who sent me the letter?'' Harry asked, remembering the name.

“Oh, I heard about her. Apparently, she is a horrible bi...”

“Finish that sentence, and you will be scrubbing cauldrons until midnight,” said Snape, but he didn't look angry at all.

“I was going to say that she is a horrible, big-headed woman.”

Harry snorted, and even the corners of the Potions Master's mouth lifted up a bit.

“Just stick to the real story and you'll be fine. And hurry up with this food because we have to leave in a moment.”

“I really can't have anymore. I… er… I think it's hard for me to eat when I'm nervous.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that. At least drink orange juice. But after the interrogation, I'll unleash Molly on you. Be warned.” Hearing that, Harry winced slightly but nodded. “Then we'll be leaving in two minutes. It’s better to be there early. Wait here a moment for me.” Saying that Snape left the room.

“Good luck, Potter,” said Nott. “Don't let them win.”

“Thanks.” Harry smiled and looked at the boy. He had never expected any Slytherin to be friendly, warm-hearted and funny, let alone that Harry could befriend one, and Nott was slowly proving him completely wrong.

“Potter, are you ready?” A familiar voice interrupted his reverie. Turning around, Harry was surprised to see Arthur Weasley standing in front of him.

“What...?” And then it dawned on him. “The Polyjuice Potion.” It made sense. Snape also drank it when he was going to persuade Tobias to let Harry spend the weekend at Grimmauld Place.

“Well, well, well, Potter, you keep amazing me. It is the second potion you recognize. First the Veritaserum, now this one.” The Potions Master made no attempt to hide his ironic tone. He took out a vial from his robe pocket and handed it to Harry without a word.

“What's that?” Harry asked, reaching for the potion.

“Tsk, tsk,” The man said disapprovingly. “It’s Calming Draught. It will help you keep your composure.”

After a moment's hesitation, Harry nodded and tilted the bottle.

HPHPHPHPHP

They apparated into an empty alley, right next to an overly full rubbish bin, between a shabby office building and a pub. There was a red telephone booth nearby, and Harry and Snape headed towards it. They went inside, and Snape dialled a number on the phone.


Harry was given some badge and was required to submit to a search and present his wand for registration at the security desk, which was located at the far end of the Atrium. He was going to pass a personal inspection there and show his wand to the registration. Suddenly they started to move down. It turned out that the phone booth was a hidden elevator with an entrance to the Ministry.

They stopped in a vast hall. Harry promised himself that if he weren’t kicked out of Hogwarts, he would throw ten Galleons into the fountain, stood in the middle of the hall. He had taken some money with him, asking the twins to convert it into pounds in case Tobias ran out of money again. Even though Snape had asked him to go to him for help in such a situation, but Harry knew that it would be hard for him to ask for it, so he preferred to take care of the problem by himself.

The priority was to continue attending Hogwarts. And if the Ministry won't break his wand, he would make a large donation to St. Mungo because that's where the money pulled from the fountain was going to.

Checking his wand did not take more than a minute. Interestingly, Snape, pretending to be Mr Weasley, did not have to complete this procedure because he was an employee of the Ministry.

The Potions Master led Harry to one of the lifts. On the way, they encountered an acquaintance of Mr Weasley, who stopped them to talk about a fire-breathing chicken, but Snape quickly brushed him off.

Harry checked the time.

“It's only 7.40. We're almost an hour and a half early.”

The man nodded.

“Yes, Potter, in such circumstances, it is better to arrive early just in case something stopped us along the way.”

Harry jumped when the man put a hand on his neck, leading him towards Madam Bones' office. This gesture, however, was very different from the grip Tobias sometimes treated him with. First of all, it wasn't painful. Snape wasn't squeezing him, yanking him, pushing him, and no doubt he won't leave a bruise. On the contrary, to his surprise, Harry felt somewhat of a comfort. The hand that was guiding him gave him a strange sense of the other person's presence. As if he no longer had to face what was about to happen on his own. And even if he let go of the control let someone else take it, it felt like he could still feel safe. His stomach tightened at the thought that this strange feeling had been caused by Snape—his hated Potions Master.

Or maybe not so hated anymore?

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the man who was walking with authoritative steps beside him. Noticing that the boy was staring at him, he nodded his way, which Harry assumed meant that everything was going to be okay.

As soon as they turned into the Wizarding Law Enforcement Department corridor, a pulp witch with a broad, angular jaw and short-cropped grey hair was just leaving the room.

“Director Bones, good morning,” Snape said in Mr Weasley's voice.

“Good morning, Arthur. I have asked you so many times to call me by name.”

“Yes, of course, Amelia.” Snape smiled apologetically. Gryffindor was impressed with Snape's acting skills. “This is Harry Potter.” The woman stared at the younger wizard. “Harry, this is Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

“Good morning,” the boy greeted. The woman nodded at him.

“We've arrived a little early. We would like to get it over with as soon as possible.”

The woman frowned.

“What do you mean by early? Mr Potter's interrogation will start in fifteen minutes in courtroom number ten.”

Harry paled hearing that. He felt Snape's hand stiffen slightly, and his grip became firmer, although still not painful.

“Harry has not been informed about the change of the time and place.” The boy looked at the man. Of course, Snape acted like Mr Weasley so perfectly that he didn't even stutter while saying Harry’s name.

“I'm sure the notification has been sent.”

“No, it hasn't,” the man replied, and finally, the irritation in his voice could be heard. “And I do not understand, since when is a criminal trial carried out for the typical case of the use of magic by underage wizards? The hearings are never held in courtrooms. Since the inception of the Wizengamot, this has only happened once in the case of sixteen-year-old Menintiah Menarenides in 1859, who killed his parents and seven of his siblings.”

“Well.” The woman looked slightly perplexed. “The Minister insisted.”

“Amelia.” Harry looked at the man, who used an almost pleading tone. Perhaps it was Mr Weasley's voice that made it possible for him because he couldn't imagine Snape speaking that way. “Please do not let the child become a victim of the system and the sick politics of the Minister. Not only the trial should not take place at all, but the boy was also not informed about it. He did not even have a way of taking a lawyer or summoning witnesses.”

Mrs Bones pursed her lips and frowned so that Harry had the impression that the monocle in her eye socket was about to fall out of it.

“Of course, Arthur, you are right.”

“Please, at least make sure it’s going to be a fair trial. Use the Pensieve if you have to. It was not only accidental magic but also self-defence. Besides, the Muggle, because of whom and in whose presence the whole situation took place, was all too aware of the existence of magic.”

“Of course, the trial will be fair,” she said. Harry didn't know if she was more outraged by Snape's accusation or embarrassed that he actually might be right. She looked a little more favourably towards the teenager. “Excuse me, I have something else to attend to before the hearing starts.”

The woman headed towards one of the doors, and Snape and Harry turned back to the elevators.

“Why did they change the time?” Harry asked, noticing how Snape was pressing his lips tightly together.

“Probably to prevent you from defending yourself. Potter, I remind you once again, try to control your temper and do not get caught up in any discussions with the Minister. Ideally, you should address Amelia Bones directly.” Snape looked at the Gryffindor seriously, and the latter nodded.

The elevator went down. The man took a sip of his potion, then led Harry down a corridor. This one looked completely different from the ones upstairs: bare walls, no windows, and no doors except for a black one at the far end. Harry thought they would pass through it, but Snape grabbed his arm and pulled him to the left, to the entrance, where he could see the stairs running down. The man knew exactly where he was going.

Finally, they reached a gloomy, dark door with a great iron lock on them. In front of the door stood one of the Aurors, apparently guarding them.

“Weasley,” the huge Ministry employee growled in a booming voice. “You can't come in.” Then he pointed his thick finger at Harry. “You can.”

The teen swallowed and looked at Snape. He didn’t know why but, he suddenly wished the man would come with him into the courtroom. He shook his head. He had no idea what was happening to him. Probably, he was recently starting to rely too much on others, including Snape, who in less than a month will again start treating him like a crawling cockroach. And although he knew that such behaviour would make him even more vulnerable, he asked:

“Then you... won't you come in with me?”

“The kid is underage. I will not let him go without a guardian.” Snape said to the man.

“Then he’s going to lose the trial straight away. The accused never go in there with any company.” A bulky man crossed his arms.

“But fifteen-year-old children are never the accused.“ Harry had never seen the father of the redheads have such a terrifying facial expression. At this point, Snape's angry expression did not quite match Mr Weasley's friendly face.


“Mr Weasley,” Harry said aloud, putting the emphasis on the name. In the courtroom, Snape wouldn’t be able to help him anyway, and Harry himself didn’t want to get used to the fact that Snape’s presence gives him any sense of security. It wouldn’t be good for him. Besides, he couldn't let angry Snape bring trouble to his best friend’s father. “It’s fine; I can go there just by myself. I don't need anybody to hold my hand. It's stupid and for kids.” However, as he said that, he failed to hide a bit of longing in his voice. When Snape contemplated him, Harry added: “Really, it's okay.”

Harry spun on his heel but jumped slightly as he felt a hand gently as if comfortingly squeezing his shoulder. He looked over at Snape, who nodded at him.

Harry's heart beat faster; he swallowed hard and entered the courtroom. He recognised it straight away. He had seen it in Dumbledore's Pensieve. This was where Karkarov and the Lestranges were tried. He shuddered slightly as he was told to sit down on a chair in the middle of the hall, from which there was chains hanging. Fortunately, his hands didn’t get tied down.

Harry looked around. Sitting on the long benches, there were the members of the Wizengamot, and among them was Minister Fudge. He felt nauseous. These were probably all of these Lords who ruled the Wizarding World, which Sirius had mentioned in Porthcurno. Suddenly the door opened again, and a few more witches and wizards stepped in, including Madam Bones and, to his surprise, Snape. Their eyes met. The man nodded at him again, which made Harry feel slightly better. The Potions Master entered a hidden alcove in the shadow to the right of the door.

Eventually, the interrogation began. Fudge introduced Harry, the paragraph from which he was tried, and the accusers, including Madam Bones, a witch named Umbridge, and the Minister himself. To Harry's surprise, the clerk was none other than Percy Weasley.

“The charges against the accused are as follows: he did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, used magic in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on August the second at thirteen minutes past eleven, which constitutes an offence under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards’ Statute of Secrecy. Are you Harry James Potter?”

“Yes,” Harry said.

“You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?”

“Yes, I know, but...”

“And yet, you illegally use magic on August 3rd this year?”

“Yes, but...”

“Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside the school while you are under the age of seventeen?”  Harry narrowed his eyes. Snape had warned him not to get caught up in discussions with Fudge, but Fudge chose a completely different tactic. He wouldn't even let him say a word so he could defend himself. Sirius told Harry about the articles in the Daily Prophet. By informing about the return of Voldemort, he became inconvenient for the Minister, and the Minister decided to do everything possible to expel him from Hogwarts. It didn't matter if he was guilty or not. At this point, his only hope was Madam Bones. So, Harry tried to ignore Fudge's question and, as per Snape’s suggestion, he started to speak to the woman. He repeated to himself in his mind that he didn’t do anything wrong and he couldn't give up. He could not fail because his whole future depended on this trial.

“Director Bones,” Harry began, turning to the woman and hoping he wouldn't confuse the paragraph he'd read about the day before. “Section G of this decree says that under extraordinary circumstances, a minor wizard may use magic in the presence of Muggles. And one of the extraordinary circumstances is a life-threatening situation.”

“That's right, Mr Potter.”

“Boy, answer the questions asked and stay on the subject,” Fudge boomed.

“Director Bones, then I'd like to present the evidence ...” The teenager said, ignoring the Minister.

“Potter, I asked you a question.” The Minister interrupted him, clearly annoyed.

Harry clenched his fists and continued.

“I can show you my memory. We can see everything that happened in the pensieve. Not only I was defending myself, but it was also accidental magic. I didn't even pull out my wand. And those are classed as special circumstances, aren't they, Director Bones?” Harry could already see in his mind how Snape was rolling his eyes at the boy’s choice of words. He will probably have to suffer from the man's malicious comments about him being retarded and that he cannot express himself as well as all those people in the courtroom who were described in the book. Harry sighed. Well, he had bigger problems right now.

“Minister, I decided to admit evidence in the form of memories of Mr Potter.”

“No. It’s not possible. Memories can be fabricated!” The man couldn't hide the panic in his voice.

Harry took a deep breath.

“Are you saying, Minister, that I can cast spells well enough not only to change the memories but also to deceive the experienced representatives of the Department of Law Enforcement?”

Fudge gritted his teeth. And the Gryffindor smiled inwardly. Now Fudge had two options—either admit that Harry was powerful and skilled enough to do this, which would conflict with the Prophet's narrative the Minister was making himself, or let Harry’s memories be viewed. They were degrading, of course, but he would have said his uncle's behaviour was caused by temporary insanity. Besides, Harry would have done anything to avoid being kicked out of Hogwarts.

However, Fudge was saved from answering his question by Dumbledore, who suddenly entered the courtroom.

From then on, everything happened really fast. The Headmaster brought Mrs Figg with him, who turned out to be a squib. Harry felt a little betrayed by that. Even though the woman had so many opportunities to tell him they belonged to the same world, she did. Perhaps if he had known about magic and Hogwarts, those worst days, full of hopelessness and helplessness, that he had spent in the cupboard under the stairs, would not have seemed so terrible to him, if only he had something to wait for and to dream about, knowing that this ordeal would end one day.

Encouraged by Dumbledore, the woman stated a man attacked Harry just in front of her while they came to see his aunt and cousin for the last time. However, she told it as if a random man did that, not his uncle. Fudge and the woman next to him—Umbridge, as Harry recalled— tried to discredit Mrs Figg's testimony. But then Dumbledore began asking apparently uncomfortable for the Ministry questions about the Dementors who had turned up in Little Whinging.

In the end, Harry was acquitted, Amelia Bones promised to take a closer look at Aunt Petunia and Dudley's case, and Fudge and Umbridge were furious.

There was something terrifying about this interrogation. To the fanciful allegations, the answer was a fanciful testimony of a witness who was not even present at the time. It was all just a great farce that could destroy his life. He shuddered as he thought how easy it was to destroy someone when one only had the right power base. Besides, Harry didn't have to look far for an example. Sirius was still a fugitive. Only in his defence, apparently, there was no one to stand.

Still, Harry felt as a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. In addition, now he could finally visit his godfather and the Weasleys.

As soon as Dumbledore heard the acquittal, he left the courtroom. He hasn’t even looked at Harry, who wanted to speak to him as quickly as possible.

Snape, still looking like Mr Weasley, was waiting for Harry outside the courtroom.

“Well done, Potter.”

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. The boy expected Snape to mock him, that he could not express himself as flawlessly as his pureblood Slytherins.

“But I didn't do anything. It's Dumbledore ...”

“Yes, but I’m sure you would have won even without the Headmaster’s help.”

“Really?” Harry felt his face flush. “Thank you.”

“Come on, I'll take you to that mongrel of yours.”

HPHPHPHPHP

Half an hour later, Harry and Snape arrived at Grimmauld Place 12, the Order of the Phoenix’s headquarters. They would have been there even earlier if it wasn’t for Lucius Malfoy, who was standing at the far end of one of the corridors and was talking to Fudge. Seeing the man, Harry stiffened, remembering the circumstances of his last meeting with him. Snape apparently didn't want to talk to the blonde man either, as he gently grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him towards a side alcove, where they waited for the men to finish their conversation. Perhaps Malfoy knew Snape well enough that the Potions Master was afraid that despite the Polyjuice Potion, Malfoy would recognize him by his gestures and facial expressions.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, the way was clear. Harry hadn't forgotten to throw ten Galleons into the fountain either, to which Snape only twisted his lips in obvious displeasure and shook his head but made no comment.

The Fidelius spell has been cast at the Headquarters. Snape handed Harry a note with the address. The boy recognized the handwriting at once. Apparently, it was the Headmaster who was the Secret Keeper. Between numbers eleven and thirteen, as soon as the teenager read the inscription, a house of several stories was appearing. At the same time, Snape burned the piece of paper.

Harry and Severus went inside and found themselves in a dark hall. Snape led him towards the voices that they heard in the distance.

As soon as they entered the enormous kitchen, Hermione noticed them and ran towards them.

“Harry!” She threw herself at him, hugging his neck tightly.

“Granger, you'll suffocate him in a minute, and you then will only have Mr Weasley left to show off your Know-It-All ways,” said Snape snidely. Hearing this, Hermione moved away from Harry, who shot the teacher an annoyed look. Snape only replied with a wry smile, then walked over to Mrs Weasley and began talking to her. A group of redheads surrounded Harry and started to talk over each other.

“So, Harry? Did they let you off?”

“Sure,” he grinned. Everyone started congratulating him, and Fred, George, and Ginny started to do a kind of war dance to a chant that went “He got off, he got off, he got off —”

“That’s enough, settle down! Harry, love,” The woman squeezed through the group of teenagers and hugged Harry. “It’s really good to see you. You look really peaky, my poor boy. Your father should try harder to make sure you put some flesh on those bones.” She shook her head. “Men.” She sighed, giving Snape an icy look as if Harry’s thinness was his fault.

“But Mrs Weasley, I really ...”

“Nonsense,” she interrupted, dragging him to the table. “Sit down, dear. I'll get some food for you.” Saying that she turned on her heel and headed for the stove.

“What's all that noise? Harry!”

Harry turned to see Sirius reaching out to him. The teenager quickly jumped off the chair and found himself in the man's arms.

“Sirius, I missed you so much!” he said. Although he wanted to ask why the man hadn't come back to Cokeworth, he held back. He had to wait until they were alone.

“I know, kiddo. I missed you too.”

“Hello, Professor Lupin,” Harry greeted, seeing the other man.

“Harry, call him Remus. You’ll make me feel old.” interrupted Sirius.


“Hello, Harry.” Lupin only said, then walked over to Mrs Weasley and whispered something into her ear.

The woman quickly finished reheating breakfast and placed it on a plate. She shoved a pile of toast and scrambled eggs into Harry's hands and ordered the teens out of the kitchen, which was not without Fred and George protesting.

 

The End.
End Notes:
So what do you think, guys? Any thoughts? Ideas? Wishes?


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