Once Saturday lunch was over and done with, the Great Hall was cleared of all tables and transformed into a giant court room. Rows of benches filled the hall, from the podium at one end, down to the Entrance Hall at the other end, with only a narrow gangway in the centre. All places but a few were taken, and yet the Entrance Hall was crowded with people who wanted to come in. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall consulted with each other in order to enchant the benches to fit more spectators in, because the Great Hall in itself could not be changed in its proportions, nor enlarged by magic. On the podium to the left, the table where the teachers had their meals and supervised the pupils had been replaced by a long bench bestowed with a high, wooden back. The seats were intended for the members of the School Board. Opposite the unwieldy piece of furniture, on the right side, a long desk had been placed behind which the judge Tempatino was already seated with two secretaries from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at his sides. Hermione was standing on the far side of the desk. She looked small and pale.

***

Hermione had been so nervous that she barely uttered one word at breakfast. Ginny had managed to squeeze in a training session of quidditch during the morning, so Ron and Harry dragged Hermione out to look at the game in order to distract her. Harry did not think that rehearsing more than they had already done would do her any good. She was pale, bad tempered and snappish in the way she usually behaved before exams. Finally, she moaned loudly and leant her forehead against a banister at the quidditch stadium.

“Remind me, Harry, why am I doing this?” she whined.

“Your mother...” began Harry.

“Actually...” Hermione interrupted him bitingly. “Actually, I think I could do fine with being just grateful, you know, for the help Snape has given me... I could be just grateful without feeling the need to pay him back or anything... Because that’s more of a thing between you and Snape, really. Am I doing this for you? Because I’m so used to do whatever you say? I’m beginning to think that Ron’s mind-soothing healer has got a point...” Hermione said hoarsely.

“Listen, Hermione, this is part of cleaning up after Voldemort. As much as we want the guilty Death Eaters punished, we cannot let an innocent man go to prison. And you’re right - I owe Snape, because he has saved my life, repeatedly. But you do it for yourself, too. You want to become a lawyer. You wanted to take the opportunity to test your talent and to show yourself to the Ministry’s representatives of Magical Law.”

“How could I be so stupid, so presumptuous? I’m completely inexperienced and this is a huge inquiry. Why on earth has Snape not employed a regular lawyer? Why does he let me do it? Why...?”

“Hermione, this is not the time to start questioning your own or anybody else’s motives. You’ll do just fine. I’m behind you, remember? Just do as we’ve planned.” Harry tried to encourage her.

“I’ll be there for you, whether you succeed or fail, Hermione,” said Ron quietly. She hugged him, cast Harry a dark look and turned to watch Ginny make a spectacular catch of the Quaffle and head for a hoop to score.

***

The crowd finally settled down in the Great Hall. The huge oak door opened once again and Kingsley Shacklebolt weaved his way between the benches, his colourful robe brushing the shoulders of the audience sitting next to the gangway. He settled down at the front row, with Aurors on either side. Harry was seated with Ron and Ginny right behind him on the second row. Kingsley made a sign of recognition at Judge Tempatino and at Headmaster Snape who had entered the hall through the small door at the other end of the hall, together with Mrs Steadfast and placed himself in the middle of the podium, where he used to stand when he addressed the pupils. His face was impassive as he gazed out over the crowd. Mrs Steadfast stayed in the background, guarding the small exit at the rear of the hall.

The formal introduction took some time, but served to give Hermione time to enter into her role and gave her the opportunity to show that she was familiar with the procedures. The judge raised his eyebrows when she presented herself as Professor Snape’s representative.

“A student - indeed! I’m aware this is only an inquiry prior to the real trial, but do you really take this so lightly, Professor? It seems to me you are underestimating the importance of today’s hearing.”

“On the contrary, Your Honour. I have great faith in Miss Granger’s capability,” said Snape calmly, and it was hard to make out whether he was being sarcastic or not.

Hermione behaved without fault, however, and the judge seemed satisfied. He read the charges, adding that the School Board had recently filed a petition to have Snape removed as headmaster of Hogwarts as soon as possible, with reference to possible mistreatment of pupils.

“We will show that the accusations that were brought forward in the press concerning the Obliviate sessions with certain pupils last year are misleading,” Hermione said calmly. The Chairman of the School Board, a witch by name Esma Spingelfitz, rose and spoke.

“If there’s only the remotest doubt as to the actions of Professor Snape toward the pupils last year, we demand his immediate dismissal.” Snape opened his mouth, but Hermione forestalled him.

“I believe that we will prove without the least doubt that those accusations are false,” she repeated in a steady voice.

“Then the defence might start, please,” said Judge Tempatino with an indulgent gesture. Hermione took a deep breath and cast a quick glance at Harry.

“The defence will mainly be based on Professor Snape’s own testimony,” she started and a buzz of general dissatisfaction travelled through the hall. “It will be corroborated with supportive witnesses,” Hermione hurried to clarify. Snape raised an eyebrow. “To begin with, in order to strengthen the credibility of Professor Snape, he has consented to take a Veritaserum in front of you before speaking.” The outraged buzz subsided to surprised mutterings.

“Silence,” said Judge Tempatino. “This is an interesting development. I have understood that Professor Snape has declined the use of Veritaserums hitherto when heard about his operations under Voldemort. His refusal has undermined his credibility for quite some time.”

“That’s correct, Your Honour. He has declined the use of conventional Veritaserums to clear himself, because he doesn’t wish to have to account for some personal motives involved in his actions. His position in that area still stands, and I might as well warn you that if there are questions about Professor Snape’s ulterior motives for joining Albus Dumbledore’s resistance movement against Voldemort twenty years ago, they’ll be dismissed.”

Judge Tempatino pursed his lips, but did not object and Hermione continued.

”The Veritaserum used today is a new invention, based on the strongest truth compelling compound there is: the Ruwandian liana flower. A modifying agent has been added that will allow the cross-examined person to decline to answer certain questions. It will not allow him to lie, so everything that is uttered will be the truth. That’s the advantage of the draught.” The buzz started anew among the audience. Hermione spoke louder to be heard. “The potion has been tested on a large number of pupils and teachers here at Hogwarts and we are confident of its safety. The formula is currently being submitted to the Journal of New Potions.”

“That means that it’s not approved of by the Ministry of Magic,” the judge said slowly.

“Not yet, Your Honour. I have no doubt that it will be in the future, however. My suggestion is that you choose one of your members to try it out in front of us to test its effects and reliability before we give it to Professor Snape.” The members of the School Board squirmed in their seats.

“Your Honour, Professor Snape is an accomplished Occlumens which is precisely what allowed him to play the part as a double spy against Voldemort so successfully. Without the use of a Veritaserum, there’ll always remain a doubt as to whether he still plays a role and fools us all. It’s essential that you all believe he’s telling the truth.”

Judge Tempatino seemed to hesitate. Harry held his breath. This was a crucial part of the strategy. Would the judge allow the Veritaserum of Exceptions to be used, or not?

“Do we have a volunteer?” said the judge to the members of the Board.

“I’ll be pleased to do it,” said Mrs Spingelfitz with dignity. ”I have nothing to hide,” she added pompously.

Hermione hastened to pick out a small bottle from inside her robe and conjured up a cup. With slightly shaking hands, that betrayed more of her nervousness than her voice did, she added seven droplets of the liquid from the bottle and gave the cup to the witch who smelled it suspiciously before drinking. Hermione cleared her voice.

“Will you please tell us where you work, Mrs Spingelfitz?” she asked.

“I work at the Department of Magical Games and Sports,” the witch answered readily.

“Did you go to work this morning?” asked Hermione.

“Yes.”

“Please tell us how your working day started. Who did you greet when you arrived and what did you say to them?”

Mrs Spingelfitz looked puzzled but answered without hesitation.

“I arrived by Apparition as usual. I hoped I’d be slightly ahead of the worst morning crowd, but got stuck in the middle of it. The elevators were stuffed. I nodded to several people. Small-talked with my good friend Ophelia Windleby at the Auror’s Office, said ’Good to see you’ to Mr Plow at the Department of Magical Transportation…”

“And, excuse me, did you think it was good to see Mr Plow?” Hermione asked innocently.

Mrs Spingelfitz stared at Hermione and started to say something, but her tongue locked and she only made undistinguishable sounds. Her eyes widened. She cleared her voice.

“It was actually not so good to see him. I’m cross with him for voting down a proposal that we had submitted to facilitate the exchange program of quidditch players across different countries.”

“Very well. Who else did you meet when you entered your department?”

“I said hello to my secretary, Miss Fendle. Popped my head into my older colleague’s office, almost ran into Mr Flowerbed on the way, made my apologies and continued to my own office.”

“Who’s Mr Flowerbed?” asked Hermione.

“He’s a young employee at the department in charge of the Sport results Archive,” Mrs Spingelfitz said cautiously.

“What’s your oppinion about Mr Flowerbed?” Hermione asked sweetly. Mrs Spingelfitz made a pause and looked like she thought hard.

“I’d like to pass on that question, please,” she said in a dignified tone. She cast a look behind her then turned her head to Hermione again. “How long will this draught last? There’s no doubt that it’s effective.” She addressed her fellow members of the School Board. “I vote for giving Professor Snape this potion before he testifies.”

Her colleagues who had looked amused during her short questioning, turned serious and nodded their approval. Hermione looked at the judge who shrugged indifferently while one of the secretaries gave him a disapproving glance.

“I’ll give Professor Snape twice the dose I gave to you, Mrs Spingelfitz. It’ll last about four hours. Just watch out for those small automatic comments we all tend to make. They’re treacherous. I’ve tried it myself...” Hermione turned to Snape. Before she handed him the cup she said in a solemn voice:

“Professor Snape, are you aware that this Veritaserum will make it impossible for you to utter any kind of lies or untruths, but that it will allow you to abstain from answering certain questions?”

“I’m aware of the nature of the potion you’re offering me, Miss Granger. I’ve intended to speak the truth all along. It’s merely a question of whether I’m believed or not,” Snape answered curtly and emptied the cup.

The Great Hall was in suspense. The judge shifted a paper and cleared his throat.

“To begin with, we’ll address the charge of killing Albus Dumbledore. There are numerous witnesses of this event, although most of them are other Death Eaters that we have interrogated. However, Mr Snape doesn’t deny the deed - he merely claims that his motive was not what everyone thinks it was, namely to serve Voldemort, but something entirely different. Will you tell us in your own words, please Professor Snape?”

Snape told them about Dumbledore’s accident with the ring - without mentioning the horcrux attached to it - and told them about the curse that he had contained in Dumbledore’s hand and the death sentence that it implied. He explained about the promise he had made to Dumbledore and he told them about Draco Malfoy’s assignment and the Unbreakable Vow made to Narcissa Malfoy.

A few weeks ago, at St Mungo’s Hospital, Harry had come to realise that Snape was a good narrator. It had to do with the contrast between his restrained personality and the rich vocabulary he used to convey the vivid images of what he recounted. Also, his deep voice was slightly hypnotising and the audience listened in fascination. When Snape was finished, judge Tempatino turned to Hermione.

“Do you have further evidence to corroborate this?” he asked.

“I have two witnesses Your Honour,” she said and Snape looked at her in utter surprise.

“Call them forth,” said the judge.

“The first witness is Professor Snape’s wand,” said Hermione. “We made a Priori Incantati yesterday in this room and examined all the spells performed three years back from now with this wand. I have the entire result with dates, numbers and types of spells and curses in this scroll. There are over three thousands of them, not counting the minor, everyday spells which are never registered in the wand for longer than a week.” She handed the scroll over to judge Tempatino. “To make this easier to grasp we have saved a well-sorted sample of the most relevant spells.”

Hermione waved her hand, muttered a few words and suddenly the space over the audience’s heads and all the way up to the ceiling was full of misty-like images and words - the ghosts of the performed spells. They had been sorted in groups and coded in different colours with titles and dates written in golden letters above them. A murmur went through the room as heads turned upwards and Snape gaped at the sight of his own wand history, casting Harry a side-way glance.

“A thorough work indeed,” the judge muttered. “Nice presentation. Must have taken you hours to sort out.”

“Here...” Hermione pointed at a bright green light “...is the Avada Kedavra that killed Professor Dumbledore. Please note that there is no other Avada Kedavra performed by this wand during these three years.” A new buzz from the audience.

“Here,” Hermione pointed in another direction, “are the incantations and healing spells that Professor Snape performed on Professor Dumbledore after the accident with the cursed ring. The date corresponds exactly to what Professor Snape has reported. The incantation used is a complex piece of defence against the dark arts with withdrawing, containing and quenching properties.” Hermione read from a note in her hand. “It was probably combined with a potion that you gave him for reviving, is that correct, Professor Snape?”

“That’s correct. It was a terrible curse. Extremely powerful and all I could do was to contain it in one hand. It was bound to spread eventually,” answered Snape.

“Shouldn’t you have brought him to St Mungo’s to see a specialist?” one of the Board members asked suspiciously.

“I am the most qualified specialist at healing of Dark Arts injuries at St Mungo’s,” Snape replied shrewdly. Several people among the audience raised their brows.

“There are a couple of witnesses as to the nature of the injury,” said Hermione “...and of Professor Dumbledore’s wish to keep it a secret. I call Healer Frankiss from St Mungo’s Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries.”

A grey-haired, dignified man stepped forward. Hermione asked him whether he recognised the incantation Snape had done to try to save Dumbledore. He said he did not specifically, but that he agreed as to her description of it and he confirmed that Healer Snape who occasionally worked at St Mungo’s Hospital had a reputation of being the most accomplished healer when it came to injuries of Dark Arts.

“You are here to tell us that you met Albus Dumbledore a few months before he was killed,” Hermione said to him. “What was your observation?”

“It was a social meeting. I observed his hand and made a spontaneous exclamation as I realised it contained an incurable curse. I must’ve failed to hide my shock, because he smiled at me and said calmly that yes, it was soon his turn to set off, but he would appreciate if I did not tell anyone. He preferred to keep it a secret for as long as possible to prevent Voldemort from taking advantage of the situation, and he wanted to turn it to his own profit, he said. I did not at the moment see what he meant. I observed that the curse would probably spread and cause considerable pain in the end and asked him how he intended to handle that. He told me that he would not be surprised if death forestalled the curse in another form. In any case, he said he had arranged things, and when I looked worried, he said that a friend had promised to help him. A healer like yourself, he said. When I expressed my doubts that a healer would perform a mercy killing, he answered that this was a faithful and courageous friend of his who had promised to intervene at the right moment to prevent him from suffering. He said I shouldn’t be surprised if his death came in a sudden and violent form. Again he asked for my discretion. I think he knew me well enough to see that I’d keep my word; otherwise he might have considered Obliviating me. Instead, he asked me to remember this conversation until times changed. That’s what he said: that there might come a time when his loyal friend would need someone to step forward and relate this kind of conversation.”

“And who do you believe his friend was?”

“Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?” replied Healer Frankiss. ”It was Healer Snape, of course. The person who gave Death a helping hand and prevented Professor Dumbledore from suffering. And the old wizard foresaw a situation like this when Healer Snape’s actions would be questioned.”

Snape had lowered his head during Healer Frankiss’ speech and let his long hair obscure his face. There was a long silence at the end of which a wizard from the School Board rose and spoke.

“You have indeed showed us that it’s likely that Professor Dumbledore did have a death sentence pronounced when he was hit with that curse. It seems likely that Professor Snape helped him contain the curse and prolonged his life initially. It’s also likely that he was asked to help Dumbledore end his life prematurely to prevent suffering. But how do we know this did not just coincide with the very wishes of Voldemort and how to make out which motive was his real one?”

Snape raised his head.

“Remember that Professor Snape speaks under the influence of Veritaserum,” intervened Hermione.

“The motive was indeed double,” said Snape and frowned. “But that had been discussed between Professor Dumbledore and me. I was to gain credibility with Voldemort by killing Dumbledore and thus be likely to succeed him as headmaster at Hogwarts when Voldemort took over. We knew it was only a matter of time. Dumbledore preferred to have me at the post to any of the Death Eaters. I promised him to protect the students at Hogwarts. There was no ulterior motive beyond that.”

“Do you mean you had no personal interest in becoming headmaster?” the same member of the School Board asked sceptically. Snape opened his mouth to retort, grunted, shut it again and reconsidered before he started anew.

“I’m a wizard marked by the Slytherin ideals and methods. I’m ambitious. For a teacher, in particular a teacher from Slytherin, becoming headmaster is to be crowned with success. That prospect did, I’m afraid, regardless of the circumstances, flatter my arrogance. But I assure you that could I have chosen, I would rather have had Professor Dumbledore still alive and the headmaster of Hogwarts than having reached this position myself.” A murmur filled the hall subsequent to Snape’s clearly and forcefully spoken words. Another member of the School Board rose as the first sat down.

“You said you were asked to protect the pupils at Hogwarts. But what did you do? Students were Crucioed by your teachers, you punished them and Obliviated them in your office. You followed Voldemort’s orders right through. There were no signs of resistance! You adhered entirely to Voldemort’s view on how things should be conducted in this school.” The wizard was upset.

“I couldn’t show any marks of disloyalty or resistance! I was a spy. Playing along was the very foundation of my success. I had to choose my moves of resistance with extreme care. As for Obliviating the students...”

“We’re coming to that now.” Hermione filled in. “If you please look over here...” She pointed at a huge group of spells arranged in seven rows from one end of the room to the other. “All these correspond to last year’s school terms, from September 1997 to May 1998. These spells are performed frequently, sometimes several times a day. They’re coupled together, as you can see: always a Relieving Incantation followed by an Obliviate spell. Will you please explain to us, Professor Snape?”

“I’ll be glad to. It has plagued me to read in the newspaper about the late onset symptoms those Obliviating sessions have caused in some individuals. I hope that those who are here today will be satisfied by my explanation and find solace by it.” For the first time since the inquiry started, Snape seemed less distant and eager to communicate. “I’ve already spoken to St Mungo’s Hospital about ways to either reverse those Obliviatings or to alleviate the symptoms in other ways, and the healers at the hospital are ready to receive every student who might suffer from the consequences of the treatment.”

“Why was it done to start with? What madness caused you to jeopardise young people’s health like that?” launched Mrs Spingelfitz.

“It was done out of the best intentions, I assure you,” Snape said haughtily. “Unfortunately I had two teachers placed at Hogwarts by Voldemort himself - Alecta and Amycus Carrow - who were prone to using the Cruciatus curse on pupils. I tried to stifle this destructive practice by arguing by Voldemort that we didn’t want to punish half- or pure bloods who were the only pupils allowed last year. I thought that kind of argument would have an effect on him. I argued that there was evidence of late effects of using the Cruciatus curse on growing individuals, which is true - there are. The bones of young people are more susceptible to damage. Soft bones that easily break and chronic bone aches are late side effects of the Cruciatus curse in teenagers. Voldemort thought it was rubbish and that I showed signs of weakness not to allow the cruel treatment. No one had ever suffered from a Cruciatus curse in any other way than to be more subdued - and that was the only effect we wanted, he said. So I didn’t insist. You never did with Voldemort. Instead I did the reverse and pretended to want to punish the pupils myself. I ordered the teachers to bring all the trouble-makers to me as soon as possible. If they did not, I pretended to be insulted. Amycus and Alecta still had respect for my position with Voldemort and I believe that this proceeding limited the time they played with their victims. I had to pretend I enjoyed and relished in the punishing and wanted it for myself. I know that it sounds preposterous, but it was the only language they understood. They could torture people for hours if they were let alone.”

“Please tell us what the Relieving Incantations were about,” said Hermione.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Snape sneered. He looked at the faces surrounding him and realised that more than one looked puzzled. “Everyone who has been subjected to the Cruciatus curse will know that it is pain beyond anything. The acute pain is removed as soon as the curse is lifted from the person, but he or she is left in a state of high-strung anguish as you don’t know if and when the torture will start again. Most people will agree to anything after a certain number of Cruciatus curses. There are cases of insanity brought on by too long series of the Cruciatus curse.” Neville Longbottom sat in the audience with his grandmother and a few heads were turned in their direction. “The victims also have a lingering dull, deep pain in their bodies for several days after being Crucioed which, as I said before, might lead to complications of the bone structure in growing children and adolescents.”

“Please note that we haven’t found any Cruciatus curse performed by Professor Snape’s wand, neither any other unforgivable curses except the Avada Kedavra that killed Professor Dumbledore – not one during these three years,” intervened Hermione.

“Of course not! What I did was that I Relieved the Crucioed pupils of their anguish and took away the pain. Then I had to Obliviate them, because Amycus and Alecta still had to believe that I had punished them, didn’t they? There was no way around it.” Snape made an impatient gesture with his hands.

“How do we know he didn’t use another wand and abused the children before he did the Relieving and the Obliviating spells?” the same wizard on the School Board asked, not even looking at Snape, but at the judge. Hermione was quick to retort.

“Professor Snape speaks under the effect of the Veritaserum. He’s unable to tell lies. Do you have a spare wand, Professor?”

“No, I never part with my wand, I’ve never lost it.”

“Did you use any other wand during these three years at any time to perform magic with?”

“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with it. I didn’t do it,” said Snape very clearly without stuttering the least.

“I’d like to go back to those Relieving Incantations, please,” said Hermione. “I want to call Healer Schufflert as a witness.”

Snape’s eyebrows hit the ceiling as the beautiful, but slightly haughty looking black-haired witch stepped up on the podium. She turned toward Hermione who clenched her jaws and seemed to concentrate hard to speak to her politely.

“Would you please explain to the audience what kind of Relievings Professor Snape is talking about, Healer Schufflert? I’m not sure everybody is familiar with these healing spells. Is it an ordinary Relieving?”

“No,” snorted Mrs Schufflert. “You can see it from here...” She pointed at the miniatures of the spells in the air. “They are all Relievings of the special form which means that the healer performing the Relieving Incantation move the suffering and the pain from the patient to his or her own body.”

“That sounds like a risky way of performing a Relieving. Have you done one yourself?”

“Yes, I have, at St Mungo’s, and it was on a Crucioed person, too. I was ill for hours after I had performed the healing. We mostly use Swallowscopes nowadays to do Relievings at St Mungo’s, although I confess that the special Relievings performed by a live witch or wizard are more powerful.”

“You’d expect that Professor Snape would have experienced serious discomfort when performing so many Relievings on the pupils?” asked Hermione. Mrs Schufflert snorted again.

“Oh, not him, because he’s a Grief Swallower, which essentially means he can stand the side effects with only minor discomfort. They’re overbearing, the Grief Swallowers are, though, in my opinion. Evidently, there are limits for them, too, but most of them are too conceited to realise that! And the statistics are not encouraging: Grief Swallowers have a life expectancy of fifteen years less than the average wizard. A telling fact, isn’t it?”

Snape had opened his mouth to speak several times, but Hermione made gestures for him to wait. Now she spoke quickly to advance him.

“Professor Snape performed four hundred and twenty of these Relievings over a period of ten months. What do you think of that, Healer Schufflert? It’s more than twice a day in average.”

“More than four hundred in less than a year...” Mrs Schufflert looked shocked.

“The number of Relievings a Grief Swallower can perform is individual,” intervened Snape, but neither Mrs Schufflert nor Hermione took notice of him.

“For the safety of professional healers, at St Mungo’s, we have initiated limitations for the use of Relievings. The number of incantations allowed in the space of a year is limited to twelve for an ordinary healer and to two hundred and fifty for a Grief Swallower!” explained Healer Schufflert.

“Nonsense, the amount of suffering lifted in retrospect from a Crucioed person is trifling compared to other situations. They were easy to perform for me!” Snape raised his voice.

“But the great number, put together! Beside the acute symptoms of performing Relievings there are long term effects - chronic pains, muscle weakness, disturbed sleep patterns...” Mrs Schufflert frowned at him.

“What do you say, Professor Snape? Didn’t you risk your health by performing those Relievings on the pupils?” asked Hermione.

“This is ridiculous, Miss Granger!” Snape snapped back at her. “Why do you let Healer Schufflert go on about this? You’re overzealous in your efforts... I don’t want that kind of defence. Are you trying to turn the tables? Do you think you can make these people feel sorry for me?” He gestured at the audience with incredulity written in his face. ”Good luck!” Snape’s voice dripped of sarcasm, but a vein in his temple pulsated, betraying that he was seriously annoyed by the turn of the inquiry.

“I’m trying to prove that you cared for the pupils of Hogwarts with risk for your own health. Have you experienced any of the side effects Healer Schufflert mentioned?” Hermione insisted stubbornly.

“I’m not going to answer that question!” Snape roared back at her, finally losing his temper. “My health is completely irrelevant to this. We were at war, for Heaven’s sake! We had to defeat Voldemort! I had promised Dumbledore to protect the pupils. To lessen their suffering was the least I could do. It was frustrating to have such a limited scope of actions as it was! Had I been aware of any preposterous regulations at St Mungo’s I would have disregarded them and performed the Relievings notwithstanding! Now, leave it, Miss Granger!”

Hermione let his words die out before she made a little bow in his direction.

“The regulations of St Mungo’s on Relieving Incantations may be irrelevant, but your answer to my question is not,” she said and turned to speak to the audience. “These words, spoken in affect by Professor Snape, under the influence of Veritaserum - mark that – tell us for one thing that he considered himself at war against Voldemort and secondly, corroborates his deeply felt commitment towards the school and its pupils.”

The members of the School Board sat silent staring at Snape who had calmed down and looked rather sheepish after his outburst. The gazes of Hermione and Harry met briefly and Harry leant over to say something to Ron who nodded.

“You have addressed the charges of the killing of Dumbledore and the mistreatment of pupils at Hogwarts,” Judge Tempatino resumed. “There still is the charge of deceiving the Order of the Phoenix and double spying for Voldemort.” Hermione cleared her throat.

“These charges are weaved together,” she said. “If you believe that Professor Snape protected the pupils at Hogwarts and that he killed Professor Dumbledore only to spare him a painful death and in order to be able to continue to spy on Voldemort, the charge of deceiving the Order of the Phoenix will be invalid, won’t it? Unfortunately, Professor Dumbledore is not here to testify. His portrait is bound by loyalty to the present headmaster and cannot give evidence either. This charge is hard to argue for or against. It’s almost impossible to prove. Professor Snape had to seem to act on both sides – it’s in the nature of being a double spy. The examination of Professor Snape’s wand tells us, however, that he has not used the unforgivable curses...”

“Explain to us how that is possible, please. You had to act as a Death Eater, didn’t you?” Mrs Spingelfitz interrupted, but without animosity. She simply looked puzzled. Snape cleared his throat.

“Voldemort used us in the way that would best fit his purposes. My talents lay in the intellectual domain. I collected information for him. He had others to do the dirty work of torturing his victims. I also procured him with potions according to his demands.”

“But did you give him information on the Order of the Phoenix?”

“Yes! I had to play my part convincingly,” said Snape. “I always discussed the information I gave Voldemort with Professor Dumbledore beforehand. Together we weighed the pros and cons and decided how to act. Even after his death, his portrait in the headmaster’s office guided me. He has gone silent now, but... I carried out his plan for him, until the very end, when Harry Potter conquered Voldemort...” 

One of the wizards on the School Board shook his head in perplexity.

“How can we tell apart if your good actions outweighed the contra productive ones?” he said.

“I can only give you an example of what Professor Snape did for our side,” said Hermione. ”Professor Snape used his information to save a lot of people from being abducted by the Death Eaters. I want to call my last witness: Professor Snape’s Patronus. Please Professor,” Hermione spoke with a determined voice. Snape hesitated a little then lifted his wand and out came the silvery doe, trampling nervously around the podium.

“I’d like to ask all those present who recognise this Patronus for having warned you of an attack from the Death Eaters or helped you in any other substantial way, to step up on this podium, please,” said Hermione.

People started to move among the audience, hesitantly at first, but as soon as the first pupils with their parents had stepped forward - David Burbage and his father were among the first - others untangled themselves and strode up to the podium where a considerable group of people surrounded the doe. The younger children wanted to touch it while it stood still and patient, shying only occasionally and angling its ears to different sides. One of the members of the School Board who had previously questioned Snape’s credibility joined the group. The wizard had tears in his eyes while glancing, incredulous, at Snape.

Finally, Harry rose and walked up to join the witnesses, in clear view of the audience. An audible murmur of approval travelled through the hall. Harry was so near he could almost touch the animal. He longed to stretch out his hand towards the magical creature, but abstained from doing so, and avoided cautiously to meet Snape’s eyes.

“Thank you,” said Hermione. She interviewed a couple of persons who gave their evidence wide-eyed and transfixed by the presence of the Patronus doe. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to listen to all your stories right now, but please give your names to the judge’s secretary in order to be able to write down your testimonies later,” said Hermione and one by one the witnesses stepped down from the podium. The judge inclined his head as he watched the doe.

“How come a stern wizard like you has a gentle creature like her for a Patronus?” he asked, unsuspecting. Snape’s face darkened and Hermione grimaced in panic and waved frantically at him.

“I do NOT want to answer that question,” Snape said so forcefully that the small judge started and lifted an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to retort, when a little girl who had stayed by the doe interrupted him, turning to Snape and speaking in all innocence.

“She’s the good side of you, isn’t she? If you didn’t have her, it’d be very hard for you.”

Snape seemed unsettled by the candid question. He stared into the little girl’s blue eyes. She must be a younger sibling of one of the pupils at Hogwarts, seven or eight years old maybe.

“You’re right,” he said finally. “I’d be no good without her.”

“It must have been awful for you to kill your friend” the girl proceeded. ”How could you?”

Snape looked at Hermione who made a noncommittal gesture. This was not part of her plan, she had not arranged for this to happen. It was up to Snape if he wanted to answer. The girl stared with curiosity at Snape who knitted his eyebrows.

“I... I forced myself to do it,” he said. “At the very moment, I felt repugnance for my own action.” The girl continued to watch him. “I hated myself for what I did,” he explained drily and she nodded slowly. “The worst thing, afterwards, was that I had to pretend to be happy for what I had done,” added Snape.

“Could you do that?” said the little girl.

“I’m good at something called Occlumency where you conceal your feelings,” Snape explained slowly to her. “But that particular evening it was very hard to practice it. I had done magic that my conscience didn’t approve of. That made me ill.”

“Was there someone to take care of you then?”

“No, I had to hide and be sick, then pretend for a while and then hide again. But I’m a healer so I could give myself potions to keep up.”

“That’s good, that you’re a healer so you could help yourself. But everybody needs a friend,” said the little girl.

“My friends thought that I had done something terrible so I couldn’t go back to them,” answered Snape.

“So you were all alone,” whispered the girl.

“I was on my own,” stated Snape.

The father of the little girl was finished with giving his name to the secretary. He took the girl’s hand and they stepped down from the podium. The silver doe dissolved into smoke. The eyes of the members of the School Board had been riveted on Snape as he spoke to the girl and they were now talking in low voices on the side. Hermione, who realised that she was almost through with the inquiry, looked exhausted. Finally Mrs Spingelfitz rose and crossed the podium to bend down and whisper in the ear of the judge. Judge Tempatino looked out over the audience and cleared his throat.

“The School Board of Hogwarts just informed me about their decision to withdraw the petition for removal of Professor Snape from the post as Headmaster. They asked me to declare that he has their undivided confidence and that they want him to stay at his post. I find that Professor Snape is cleared of the suspicions of mistreatment of pupils as far as the School Board is concerned. As a representative of the Ministry’s Magical Law Enforcement, I thank you for the much enlightening input during this inquiry. It’s not my part to pronounce a judgement today. It’s for the Wizengamot to do so in June at the real trial.” The judge rose and bowed to the members of the School Board, bowed to the audience and to Professor Snape who returned the gesture. The headmaster looked pleased and turned his head toward Hermione, when a thunderous applause made him jump high.

The thunderclap echoed between the walls of the Great Hall. Snape stared incredulous and almost frightened at the audience who rose from their seats as they continued to clap. Kingsley himself stood up and took a step forward with a contented expression on his face, urging the applause on. Finally Snape unfroze, put his right hand on his chest and bowed to the audience so deeply that his long black hair hung in front of his face. When he stood up again he had composed his features and he raised his hand as a sign of gratitude and at the same time as a signal for the applause to stop. He had to repeat the gesture twice before the audience complied with his wish, however.

A loud buzzing of voices replaced the applause as people started to move about. At the podium, Snape was soon surrounded by people who wanted to shake hands and speak to him. Harry and Ron skirted around the podium and climbed it from behind to reach Hermione. Grinning broadly they hugged her. She seemed shocked and did not say a word at first. Then she started to talk so fast it was hard to follow what she was saying. Mrs Steadfast approached from behind and put her arms around Harry’s and Hermione’s shoulders.

“Spinning Saturnus! Of all well-planned schemes I’ve taken part in, this was among the most impressive I’ve witnessed,” she said. “When he produced that doe, I only saw mist - and I’m not a touchy person. I bet the floor in the hall will look like someone has knocked a scouring bucket over. And when you provoked him with Healer Schufflert – it was so artfully done, my highest respect – and he burst with indignation, I could’ve kissed him – and you too Miss Granger– right there!” she exclaimed. Harry grinned broadly at her.

“You look satisfied with yourself, young man.” The judge’s voice was addressing Harry as he strode over the podium with Kingsley and Snape at his side.

“Not at all,” Harry answered quickly, wiping the smile from his face with a worried glance at Snape. The judge raised his eyebrows.

“Looking much better than last I saw you, Mr Potter. I apologise for being a bit rough on you then. What do you mean ’Not at all’?”

“I am, of course, glad that Professor Snape is cleared from the School Board’s accusations,” Harry tried to repent and inclined his head politely toward Snape. “And most of all I’m happy for my friend who did so well in her defence. I just meant that I had nothing to do with it.” He gestured at Hermione.

“Yes, I came to congratulate you, Miss Granger, and apologise for my scepticism at the start of the inquiry. It was a well prepared defence and well orchestrated.”

Hermione blushed.

“You didn’t have many cards on your hand, but you played them extremely well.” The judge turned to Harry again. “You shouldn’t underestimate your influence, Mr Potter. You stepping up to that Patronus persuaded the last doubters of your headmaster’s innocence.” The judge turned his head towards Snape. “You should let this young man testify in your favour at your trial. You might have convinced me today of your innocence, but I won’t be in charge of your trial. You’ll have to face the entire Wizengamot. Albus Dumbledore was the Wizengamot. They all knew him and held him in high esteem. They resent his demise, therefore they will resent you. Judge Forceps will be in charge and she follows proceedings from top to bottom and doesn’t deviate a millimetre from the regulations. She’ll not allow the use of the new Veritaserum, for once. Even if it’s published by then, it won’t be officially approved by the Ministry in June. The wand history is good, but they can always argue that there was a spare wand somewhere to do your dirty work or that you ordered others to do it for you. The testimony of Healer Frankiss is a jewel, though. How did you find him?”

Snape looked with interest at Hermione who answered.

“A coincidence, really. He’s my mother’s healer and when he learnt I was at Hogwarts he started to ask me questions and eventually told me his story.”

Tempatino nodded approvingly.

“He might even provide you with extracts of his memory to show the court. However, it seemed to me that Professor Dumbledore never pronounced your name when he spoke of his friend, so there’s a great amount of doubt everywhere. The testimony of Mr Potter on the other hand would...”

Harry looked down, abashed and Hermione’s countenance turned desolate. Tempatino went about it in completely the wrong way. Kingsley watched Snape with apprehension, but for once Snape did not explode at the suggestion. He contented himself with stating composedly:

“Mr Potter cannot testify because there are issues, of which he is informed, that I don’t want to enter into and that the court might force him to speak about.” The judge opened his mouth to say something, but Harry poked Hermione’s side and she advanced him.

“Will you let me do your defence at the real trial as well, Professor?”

Tempatino and Kingsley made exclamations of protests.

“My dear girl, you’ve performed extremely well today, but Professor Snape will still need a professional lawyer at his trial. It’ll be completely different. Today, at the castle, with children and parents present, you could play on the feelings of recognition, of admiration, of awe and of sympathy. It was an emotional show today, but at the trial only plain facts will count.”

“That will be a challenge worthy of Miss Granger’s talents then,” Snape said defiantly. “You’re on for the trial, Miss Granger.”

Tempatino and Kingsley stared at him. Kingsley was so angry that he turned around without a word and walked away. Tempatino inclined his head on the side with a puzzled look on his face as he scrutinised Snape. “Hmm...” he said, shot Harry a quick look and turned away, too.

At the same moment, an elegantly clad Mrs Malfoy came up to Snape, grabbed him under the arm and started to talk to him animatedly. Mrs Steadfast made a grimace of distaste. Narcissa Malfoy did not at all look as miserable as the newspaper depicted her, even if her son was nowhere to be seen. Draco Malfoy was one of the few exceptions, however, because Snape was soon surrounded again by an admiring crowd who wanted to felicitate him for doing so well.