Finally, they got to the fight in the classroom, the day Draco was arrested.
"Now, Mister Potter, is it true you used a Diffindo to disarm your opponent? Why did you choose that one?" Violet asked.
"Honestly? I don't rightly know, all I knew was that Draco was threatening my friends, and I wanted to make him stop and a disarming charm wouldn't have been enough. If you're asking if I regret almost cutting his hand off, or destroying Bulstrode's wand, the answer is no."
"In fact, is it also not true that you threatened to decapitate Miss Bulstrode if she ever raised her wand again?" Tempeste said, a sly gleam in her eye. Harry paused, this was definitely a trap.
"You mean if she ever tried to kill my girlfriend again? Point out one person in this room wouldn't do the same to protect those they consider close." Harry challenged. That rebuttal left Tempeste a little putout.
Soon it was Hermione's turn, and she was forced to recount every incident where she punched or attacked Draco, starting in Third year, then the incident outside of Potions. Though Hermione did retaliate by pointing how how Draco had praised the actions of the Heir of Slytherin, and wished death on an entire group of Hogwarts students. Then there was his attacks against his own house-mates, which she had no involvement in.
She did however take the opportunity to mention the hexes used on Draco during the altercation that would lead to his arrest, namely the hex that gave him ever-growing breasts and a vagina for a mouth, while his defence hadn't brought it up, likely trying to spare him any further humiliation, Hermione, Daphne and later Susan went for the jugular.
"…and that was when he tried to cast the Killing Curse at me, but Harry hit him with a Diffindo. " Hermione said. If looks could kill, then Harry figured Hermione would already be a corpse with the glare Draco was giving, the not-so-quiet snorts of laughter from those around the room showed what the assembled people thought of those hexes.
Dolores Umbridge looked particularly put out, the Minister looked rather nauseous, Percy looked rather uncomfortable, and Lucius, when Harry looked back and spied Draco's parents…Lucius' expression was cold, dark, yet controlled.
Susan's time on the stand was perhaps the shortest, as Draco and his crew had interacted with her the least, up until the kidnapping. Though she did point out that she hadn't been impressed by Draco's bragging from a very early start at Hogwarts.
"I mean, my aunt works in the Ministry, and in an even higher position than Lucius Malfoy, but have I ever gone around saying 'Wait until my aunt here's about this!'? No, I haven't, because I'm not over-compensating for something, and I'm not a spineless little girl running to hide behind my aunt's robes every time I face even the slightest bit of challenge."
The testimony, questioning and cross-examinations of the the Slytherin girls was most damning however, starting with Daphne, who, despite her own fears, was able to recount every memory she now was able to recall, claims that were corroborated by the others. When Daphne described, through barely restrained tears, how she'd been forced to orally satisfy Draco several times over the past year, the murmurs and shouts started up.
When she returned to her seat, she threw her arms around Susan and Hermione, quietly sobbing into their shared embrace, she didn't even flinch when Harry hugged her.
The Seventh Year Prefect, Reyes, had also barely kept herself together as she described how she'd tried to stop Draco and his friends several times, but always failed. At first, Draco had used the threat of his father's influence in the Ministry to have her blacklisted from all professional Quidditch teams, as that was what she aspired to do most.
At first, she had gone to Snape and filed a formal complaint, and he had assured her he would 'handle it', she had soon realised however, that he hadn't, and wouldn't, so she had threatened to go to McGonagall, and that was when Draco and started memory charming her. At first, he hadn't touched her after that, but about half way through his third year, her sixth, he had started on her as well.
Draco had simply glared at her the whole time she gave her testimony, and she glared back at him, and just to add insult to injury, she also threw a caustic barb at Pansy.
"You must really like eating rotting meat Parkinson, because that is what he tastes like! My boyfriend tastes like sugar by comparison! And unlike Draco, my man actually knows what to do with his dick!"
There were several amused snorts from the gallery, but Reyes wasn't done yet.
"In fact, I would suggest you try having a real cock in your mouth for once, rather than this ferret's— " she momentarily glared at Malfoy, who sent her a heated, seething look back at her at that name he hated so much "— but considering where you're going, I doubt you'll have much options, unless the human guards are looking for a bit of stress relief from being around the Dementors all day."
A bang from the Judge's seat stilled anymore of the shouts.
"That's enough Miss Reyes, you may retake your seat." Whitemore said sternly.
Next, Professor Sinistra was called, though she really only recounted one incident she knew of prior to Draco's arrest: The attempted assault on Daphne that Harry and a Prefect had stopped.
"You escorted all of them to Professor Dumbledore's office?" Thorne asked. Sinistra nodded.
"I did. I demanded that the Aurors be called immediately and the lot of them be expelled, but Dumbledore overruled me, said he would take care of it. I told him Snape had apparently been standing outside the classroom, I didn't see him, but when he was summoned to Dumbledore's office, and I was told that Dumbledore didn't interfere because he considered it an internal matter, so it was up to Snape to fix it. He had the gall to insinuate that Harry Potter engineered the whole situation to ambush Draco. I almost drew my wand on him for that. I almost handed in my resignation after Draco's arrest, but Dumbledore refused, then after Snape's arrest, he offered me the position of Head of Slytherin, so I took it."
"Why did you try to resign after Draco's arrest?" Thorne asked.
"Because I was dissatisfied that Dumbledore had left it so long before doing something, that he'd let it get to the point of kidnapping, attempted rape and bloodletting before he did anything. And I'm sure I wasn't the only one who threatened to quit."
Soon, Sinistra's questioning came to an end and she was allowed to take her seat.
When eventually it came time for deliberation, the small group didn't really worry at all about the votes swaying heavily in favour of Draco; there was just too much evidence against him.
Not surprisingly, the majority voted to convict, with only a few holdouts, particularly from those who were either indebted to, intimidated by or worked with or for Malfoy voting in favour of Draco.
Deliberations for Bulstrode and Nott took slightly longer, but again, conviction scored the majority vote.
Finally, Whitemore spoke up.
"Draco Malfoy, for the crime of casting an Unforgivable, the sentence is life in Azkaban. In addition, the charges of Kidnapping carry an additional 10-year penalty per count. Each count for sexual assault carries a sentence of 10 years minimum, 20 at most, each. Again, I will be imposing the maximum sentence of 20 years per count. The two counts of Attempted Line Assassination carry a statutory sentence of 10 years. Each. Conspiracy to commit Line Assassination carries a sentence of 5 years. I am hereby imposing a sentence of 1205 years."
Hermione hissed as she rapidly did the calculations in her head, as Whitemore tallied up the rest of the sentences. Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle got 460 years between them, Bulstrode got 250. The one to get the least was Nott, with 150 years.
"1205 years! Merlin …"
"Why bother adding it all up? He'll die in there anyway, they likely all will, as for Parkinson and the monkeys…" Harry muttered.
"Procedure, they have to put a number on record, even if it's one they have no chance of outliving. But yeah, the Unforgivable is basically the cherry on top at this point." Susan said. "Baring some sort of escape attempt, once he's in there, he'll never leave."
"If Nott is extremely lucky, he might just live long enough to walk free. If he's lucky, as the average lifespan of a witch or wizard under the best circumstances is about 150 years, but considering where he's going…I doubt he'll be that lucky." Susan said.
As the final sentence was passed down, Draco looked up, searching out his father. Harry and the girls turned to look over their shoulders at Draco's parents. Narcissa had her face burried in her hands as she silently sobbed, her shoulders shaking. Lucius' face was stone, his eyes dark, and when they met Harry's, the look in them promised retribution.
The mothers of the other convicted were also weeping, their fathers pale or stone-faced. The now-condemned seemed to finally realise their fate, and all of their faces paled as Aurors moved to unchain then cuff them, then escort them out of the room.
Once the convicted were gone, Whitemore spoke up, sounding tired. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the court thanks you for your patience and diligence. We still have the trial of Severus Snape to process today, which we will attend to after a 1 hour recess for lunch. I remind those who are testifying as witnesses during that trial, please do not discuss anything amongst yourselves, and please do not leave the building." With that, he banged his Gavel and the crowd started to move.
Lucius Malfoy was one of the first out of the room, his cloak billowing as he walked. His entire demeanour exuded malice and promised violence to any who got in his path, something the assembled press seemed to understand as they parted for him the moment he stepped into the main Atrium of the Ministry, heading for the Floo connection, Narcissa trailing behind, looking for all the world like she was going to a wake.
Harry sighed as he stood and made his way towards the entrance to the courtroom. The other Slytherin girls intercepted them, offering congratulations and thanks.
"How have things in the pit been since Sinistra took over?" Harry asked.
"Much better." Tracey said, giving him a warmish smile. "Professor Sharp is a vast improvement as well, he certainly doesn't play favourites."
Harry nodded in agreement, he liked the man, a bit stern, and while it was a bit odd, one might say, to have two ex-Aurors teaching, Harry honestly felt good having him and Moody around. Sharp seemed to know what he was doing when it came to potions also, and unlike Snape, he actually taught the class. His grades in Potions had improved dramatically, as had Neville's, which was a pleasant surprise.
Having Draco and his lackeys not be present had also helped with that.
"Alright, lets go grab some lunch. We're gonna need the energy for what's coming next." Daphne said. The others nodded.
-=-=-=-
None of them really felt hungry as they sat at one of the Ministry's public dining halls, each of them with a sandwich.
As they ate, or at least, tried to, Remus appeared and sat with them, with his own sandwich and coffee.
"Well, how are you kids holding up?" he asked, eyes roving over their worn faces.
"Honestly, I didn't think I'd go through anything more stressful than studying for my NEWTs, then this day popped up." Imelda said, giving her former DA professor a respectful nod, which he returned.
"Don't worry, it's almost over, and I think the hardest part already is. Unless Snape did more than just turn a blind eye." Remus said the last part, as if he were talking to himself, and it came out as a growl. "Lily would be disgusted with what he became."
The others raised a brow at that, the Slytherins exchanging looks of confusion.
"Snape knew Harry's mother personally?" Zoe Harrington asked, and Remus nodded.
"They were actually friends outside of Hogwarts; they grew up in the same neighbourhood. They were good friends up until their sixth year. I think he even loved her."
"The day he called her a Mudblood," Harry said, Remus nodded grimly. "Wait, you think he loved her?"
"Yes, at least at first. He certainly held a lot of affection for her through the first few years. I don't think she felt the same way, though. She never said anything after she and James started dating, which really pissed him off, by the way. She always defended him whenever the Marauders pranked him, at least until that day in our sixth year. That was the day their friendship died, and any affection she had for him, of any variety, ended. One blind moment of anger pushed away the only friend Snape ever had at Hogwarts as a student…and after."
"Why would he do that, though?" Priscilla Wakefield asked as she tried to work her way through a chicken sandwich.
"My dad pranked him, publicly humiliated him, actually."
"How do you know?" Remus asked, Harry shrugged.
"Found a Pensieve in his office, had a memory in it. He caught me when I came out. Actually, he caught me while I was still in it."
"I remember that day. It was right after our OWL exams." Remus said. The others paid rapt attention as the story of what he'd seen came out and Remus provided context, apparently, Snape and James had been at odds from the day they met on the train their first year, instantly disliking each other. Remus also told them about the night Sirius had almost got Snape killed by himself during one full moon, and how James had stepped in, saying that had been a step too far, the others agreeing.
"Well, that explains why he hates Gryffindors so much, and why he hates Harry." Susan said.
"Still no excuse for everything else." Grace said, the others nodded in agreement.
Remus then checked the wall clock, noting the time. "Alright, lunch is nearly over, just enough time for some bathroom breaks if anyone needs them, then back into the courtroom." With that, the others finished their lunch, then headed out.
-=-=-=-
As everyone retook their seats, Harry once again reached out to try and ease the girls' stress-levels, though he couldn't really do anything to help the other girls Draco had harmed, as they were sat with their own families. Several others were noticeably absent, namely, the families of those just convicted and sentenced to the rest of their lives in what amounted to mortal hell.
Now it was Severus Snape's turn.
"If only Pettigrew were also about to be chained to that chair." Remus growled to Harry's left, Luna sandwiched between Harry and Lupin, Hermione was on Harry's right, and on her right was Susan and Daphne.
Once everyone was seated, Whitemore ordered the prisoner to be brought in and secured. The doors through which Draco and his cronies had been led earlier opened, and two Aurors came in, escorting a bedraggled, tatty looking man who somehow looked even greasier and worse off than he usually did. As he was walked to the stone chair, his head raised and he started to look around the room. Harry had to wince as next to him, Hermione sucked in a breath.
Somehow, Snape did indeed look worse off than usual. His face looked gaunt, eyes already haunted, in a similar way to how Sirius's had the year before when Harry had first seen him in the Shrieking Shack. Either Snape hadn't gotten any sleep the past few weeks, or the Dementors had an even bigger effect on him.
When his eyes met Harry's however, they suddenly focused and sharpened, and the sheer amount of raw hatred Harry saw in them made him stamp out what little inkling of sympathy he might have started to feel for the greasy git.
'If only my parents were here to see this. If only Sirius was.' He thought.
Harry knew that Snape saw him the same way he saw his dad, and so he figured when Snape looked at him, he wasn't seeing Lily's son, he was seeing his nemesis. Which was fine by Harry.
"As before, I will be activating the Oath of Truth ward on the chair and the Witness Stand. Severus Snape, while it will be possible for you to lie, I warn you that if you do, the consequences will be most unpleasant for you." Whitemore said as he pressed his wand to the correct rune, once again activating the charm.
Snape scowled, he knew what that ward did, and there was no way he was going to allow himself to be humiliated like that in a courtroom. In front of Potter of all people!
Violet picked up several sheets of parchment.
"Severus Snape, could you please describe for the court, exactly when you were appointed to the position of Potions Master and Head of Slytherin house?"
"I was appointed to both positions in 1981, following the downfall of the Dark Lord."
"Is it not true that you bore You-Know-Who's Mark? That you were one of his followers during the war?"
"Objection! Relevance!" Thorne spoke up.
"I assure you it is relevant." Violet retorted.
"Objection Overruled." Whitemore said.
"I…was. Yes. I went to Dumbledore after I realised Lily was in danger, as she and her family were in hiding." Snape said carefully.
"Why would that matter? What was your association to Lily Potter?"
"We were friends growing up before Hogwarts. We remained friends throughout our time there, until our sixth year."
"And what happened?" Sweeting asked.
"There was…an altercation that Potter started. I lost my temper and said something I later regretted."
"And what was that?" Sweeting prompted.
Snape glared at her, gritting his teeth.
"I'd rather not say." He then winced, expecting something unpleasant to happen, but it didn't.
"And so, after that, you joined You-Know-Who's followers. You took his Mark before you graduated correct? Why?"
Snape hesitated. It was already a matter of public record that he had been a Death Eater towards the end of the last war, Karkaroff had seen to that. And got himself at the top of every other Death Eater's hit list as a result.
"I joined him because I genuinely felt he was right. I'd already lost what little support I had, my only real friend had turned on me and chosen my enemy. His followers, and those they were recruiting in Hogwarts, seemed like they would adept me. My skill with potion brewing helped."
"And what does one have to do in order to earn that Mark?" Violet asked.
Harry leaned forward, despite himself, he found himself oddly curious as to the answer.
"To earn the Mark, one must prove themselves worthy of receiving it. Exactly how they do this is left to the Dark Lord to determine. But usually, those who showed themselves either particularly useful, resourceful or loyal earned his favour."
"Anyone wanna bet Pettigrew got it by turning in my family?" Harry muttered under his breath.
"And what did you do to earn your Mark?" Violet asked.
Snape bit his lip, looking truly uncomfortable, clearly he knew what the ward on the chair would do if he lied, and wasn't going to give the court the satisfaction of watching him shit himself for lying.
"I…participated in some Muggle-Hunting with a group of others, the Lestranges and Crouch Jnr, specifically."
"And what transpired?" Tempeste asked.
"Objection! Do we really need or want to know the specifics? Haven't the plaintiffs here already been through enough? Do we really need or want to subject them to more?" Violet spoke up.
"Objection overruled." The Judge spoke up. Harry braced himself, he had a feeling this was going to be ugly.
"We raided a muggle family, a 7 month pregnant woman and her husband, and young son. Bellatrix and Rabastan entertained themselves with the boy and father, then I fed the mother a potion that forced her to abort the pregnancy, then Rodolphus gave a potion to make her ravenously hungry and Crouch confounded her to eat her son."
"Mother fucker…" Harry muttered. "And Dumbledore hired this guy?!"
After several minutes of stunned silence, and Violet looking like she was about to throw up, she moved on.
"Why did you protect Draco so much over the last year? Why did you cover for him?"
"I am good friends with the family." Snape replied.
"Do they know what he was up to? Did you inform them?" violet inquired.
"I did not, and I do not believe they knew, or at least, Narcissa didn't know."
"Is Lucius a genuine Death Eater? Or was he imperiused as he claimed?"
"Objection! Relevance!" Tempeste spoke up.
-=-
"How would you describe your first encounter with Mister Potter?"
"Disappointing." Snape drawled, "He had no aptitude for Potions, didn't even know what a Bezoar was or how to collect one, or what they're for. Considering his pedigree, I would have expected such a pampered prince such as the vaunted 'Boy-Who-Lived'" Snape sneered the title "To have a full grasping of even the basic of potion ingredients."
"You are aware that Mister Potter has spent the majority of his life outside the Magical World, in fact, his Acceptance Letter to Hogwarts was the very first indication he had that he was not like the people he was living with." Violet countered.
Snape snorted "Irrelevant. He had plenty of time after he was collected by Hagrid to read the books he acquired, as all students do."
"You couldn't possibly have expected him to memorise such specific details as the uses of a Bezoar in only a month. "
"What do you expect, the man doesn't know how to teach." Harry muttered.
Snape snorted, "I at least expect competence from my students, but it's apparently very difficult for most of them to grasp even the simplest instruction. Especially the Gryffindors." He drawled.
"And Potter, the Weasleys, Granger, and Longbottom are the worst. Ronald is barely scraping through Potions as it is, I'd be surprised if he manages to pass his OWLS next year. Granger is an insufferable know-it-all and always feels like she must answer all questions put to her as if she's quoting books word for word. It's annoying but I tolerable it because I must." He paused for a moment then flinched, his eyes widening, before narrowing in fury as they turned and focused on Harry, who was suddenly smirking.
"Potter is just as useless at Potions as his father was, and just as cocky and arrogant, the pampered and spoiled little brat. It's no surprise that he decided to act like a typical brainless Gryffindor and act like a human shield to block a curse he knew nothing about, rather than a shield charm. And as for Longbottom, he's completely useless. His parents would be so embarrassed , if they still had the mental capacity to be so."
"You bastard!" a woman with a vulture hat and greying hair stood, her face twisted in an expression of rage as she vented her fury. Others also started yelling. "You dare insult my family?! Who the fuck do you think you are?! It was scum like you that put my son and daughter in-law in St Mungo's! And they're still there! "
"Maybe if you actually taught the subject, we'd actually learn something! You always favoured Slytherin over every other house! I'll tell you this much, in the first few lessons I've had with Professor Sharp, I've realised he's a far superior teacher to you!" Neville yelled as he stood, his own face turning red with fury. Next to him, Hannah had also stood, her face twisted into an expression of loathing as she stared daggers at the man who was hated by one quarter of the student population.
Harry also stood, his baleful eyes fixed on Snape, already he had an idea of what he would say to Snape if he got the chance to stand in the Witness box. Daphne and the Slytherin girls had also stood, and were venting their own displeasure, if Harry had been more focused, he would have thought it odd that they had done so for Snape and not when Draco had made his own crass remarks.
"You were supposed to protect us! " one of the Slytherin girls shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Instead, you protected that vermin! "
Three loud bangs suddenly rang out, and the judge's voice rang over the courtroom.
"Order! Order! Madam Longbottom, another outburst like that and you will be removed from this courtroom. The rest of you, retake your seats."
Once order had been restored, the questioning continued, only then did Harry notice the rather uncomfortable look on Snape's face, the same Draco had had, and he smirked. The charm was still working.
"Mister Snape, could you please describe your first confrontation with James Potter?" Violet asked. Thorne raised her own hand,
"Objection! Relevance!"
"I think it is entirely relevant, as Severus Snape and James Potter were rivals, if not out right enemies from a very young age, perhaps even reflecting the rivalry between Harry and Draco, and likely shaped the world view he took that led him here."
"Objection overruled. Please answer the question Mister Snape." The judge ordered.
Snape paused, fidgeted, and tried to ignore the rather uncomfortable situation he was now literally sitting in.
"I first met James Potter, and Sirius Black on the train to Hogwarts in 1971. I met the werewolf Lupin and Peter Pettigrew while at Hogwarts."
"And how was your first meeting?"
"As expected with Potter and Black, they were rude, belligerent, arrogant, a trend that persisted for the next seven years." Snape drawled. "Black even tried to have me mauled to death by the wolf in 76, our fifth year."
"Too bad he failed." Daphne muttered.
"And how did that incident pan out? Clearly you weren't infected." Violet asked. Snape scowled, as if he didn't want to admit what he was going to say next.
"Potter intervened." He growled.
"Boy, I bet that hurt to say." Harry chuckled.
"Did that not improve things between you and James Potter?" Violet asked.
"Hardly." Snape snorted, "He only did it to stop Black or Lupin, or both , from getting expelled or thrown in Azkaban. That's how I found out Lupin was a werewolf. Not that it mattered, since one of them ended up there anyway." He added with a smirk.
"How did Lupin's status as a werewolf affect their friendship? Surely it would be difficult for someone to maintain a friendship under those circumstances."
"Black and Potter became Animagi in their third year so they could stay with him and be safe; as werewolf in their wolf form will treat an animagus as a non-threat or non-target when they are in their animal forms." Snape replied. "I didn't learn this until later, however."
"What were their forms?" Violet asked.
"Potter was a Stag, Black was a Grim. Neither were registered. In fact, it's how Black escaped Azkaban."
Harry gritted his teeth, anger once again rising within. Snape was outing Sirius's most carefully guarded secret. It would be impossible for Sirius to even go outside now, even as Padfoot; there was a chance he would be recognised, and his name would almost certainly be added to the registry now. Off to the side, he saw Remus flinch, clearly realising the same thing.
"What of Peter Pettigrew? He was their friend, was he not?"
"Yes, he hung around with those three dolts, but he rarely participated in their pranks. And as we all know, he died a hero, outing Black for his crimes 13 years ago."
Harry wanted to stand and point out that the man was lying, literally out of his arse, but he refrained; the wince on Snape's face told enough. Those who were paying attention saw that he'd lied, but couldn't guess at which part had been the lie.
"And so, you channelled your hatred and resentment of James Potter onto his son? Wouldn't the mature thing have been to let your grudge die with the man?" Violet asked.
"Because he's a reminder of what James took from me." Snape growled. "A reminder that the only woman I ever loved chose my blood enemy. "
"And so you took out your anger at her ultimate choice on the girls of Slytherin?" Violet said.
"Objection! Speculation!" Tempeste called out.
"Overruled." The Judge responded.
Snape grit his teeth, suddenly realising what Violet was trying to do. "I did not harm any of them."
"Nor did you help them, which I remind you, as one of their Professors and more importantly, their Head of House , you are morally, contractually, ethically and legally obligated to see to their welfare. And in that. You. Failed. Which is why you're here now. You did in fact harm those girls through your own inaction and gross negligence."
"Did Potter or the others tell you that they harboured Black last year? After his escape? He broke into the castle, and met up with Granger, Potter and Weasley in the old shack in Hogsmeade along with Lupin, and spun a wild, fanciful story for the Minister, I caught them all redheaded and was about to apprehend Black when Granger assaulted me, knocked me out. Fortunately I was able come to in time to convince the Minister Black had confounded them." Snape responded, seeming to ignore Sweeting's last statement.
His remark was met with gasps and whispers around the court room.
Harry felt his blood simultaneously freeze and boil. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to reach across the room and strangle the wanker!
"An excellent point. Perhaps we should hear from Mister Potter on that matter?" Thorne spoke up, a smirk twisting her features. She and Violet glared at one-another for a moment before turning to the Judge.
"I will allow this."
"The Defence calls Harry Potter to the stand." Thorne said. Harry stood stiffly, glaring at Snape the entire time as he walked to take his post. He was going to enjoy tearing this arse wipe apart.
Once Harry had taken his position, he gripped the table in front of him.
"Mister Potter, would you care to comment on the Defendant's accusations?" Thorne said.
"I will say that he neglected to mention that in addition to Sirius in the shack, we also had Peter Pettigrew at wand point."
This statement drew a gasp from everyone.
"But Mister Potter, Peter Pettigrew is dead. We all know this." Thorne said. "He was killed by Black 13 years ago, along with twelve muggles."
"He wasn't. He's a rat animagus. He cut off his own finger then blew up the street while yelling that Sirius betrayed my family. He did not. Pettigrew is still very much alive, and my only regrets about today is that my parents aren't here to see this worthless piece of shite finally get what he has long deserved, and that Pettigrew isn't here right next to him."
The crowd started to murmur, but Harry barrelled on.
"That's why Sirius broke out and came to Hogwarts. He wasn't after me, he was after Pettigrew. We nearly had the bastard too, but a slight complication let him escape."
"And where is Black now?" Thorne asked. Harry shrugged.
"Dunno. Somewhere safe. As for Pettigrew, if I knew where he was, I'd hunt him down and kill him myself."
That drew gasps from almost everyone there. No-one would have ever expected the Boy-Who-Lived to speak so… ruthlessly. In his own seat, Dumbledore frowned. He did not like where this was going. Harry was showing far too much aggression, it would not do for the Hero of the Light to be seen speaking in such terms.
"I saw that incident, that day your relationship with my mum fell apart. Sure, my dad may have humiliated you, but that is no excuse for what you did to my mum, and what you did over the next few years. You never should have been allowed to take up the position of Professor. You can't even teach Potions, you just expect everyone to be as good as you naturally." Harry continued, turning to glare to Snape. "Because of you, my Godfather, the last remaining family I have, almost faced getting his soul eaten. Fortunately, Hermione and I were able to rescue both him and the Hippogriff Buckbeak, the one Malfoy had arranged to have murdered because he was stupid enough to insult it, when he'd been warned not to do so."
More gasps rang out, and Harry was vaguely aware of the girls in his head warning him to stop, that he was likely putting his own head in a nose, and probably Hermione's too, but he was too wound up, he finally had the chance to talk openly in front of Snape and tell him exactly what he thought of him.
"You ran straight to Voldemort and signed up, yet for some reason Dumbledore saw fit to make you a Professor and head of Slytherin, and told everyone who objected that you had his complete trust. Well, he seems to have a habit of trusting Death Eaters and fools, doesn't he? Your constant barrages against me from my first week at Hogwarts, your deliberate inaction to protect the girls in your care and from what I saw in that Pensieve, tell me that you are a selfish coward. You did not love my mum, you lusted after her. Instead of growing up and being a man, and respecting her choices and being happy for her, you decided to hold a grudge against her and her family, even running to the Dark Snake Shagger when you thought he could benefit you. You only switched sides and went to Professor Dumbledore the moment you realised her life was in danger, but you didn't care about me or my dad, did you?" Harry said, glaring at Snape.
"I worked the Counter curse to the spell Quirrell was using to try and knock you off your broom First Year during that Quidditch match, I only stopped when someone set my robes on fire." Snape retorted. Harry rolled his eyes.
"One good act does not make up for everything else you did or did not do." Harry shot back. "You could have, should have stopped Draco the moment you found out what he was doing. You did not. Instead, you sat on your greasy arse and did nothing for a year. I think we all need to know why. As for me helping Sirius and Buckbeak escape fates neither deserved, that's an issue for another time I think."
"That is not up to you." Thorne snapped.
It was then that Harry noticed the odd smirk on the face of Fudge's Under-Secretary, she was looking back and forth between him and Hermione, her smirk turning more and more cruel. It was then that he realised that she had taken note of what he'd admitted to, and was likely already working on a way to nail him for it.
'Well, fuck.' He thought.
'We'll deal with that when and if that time comes.' Hermione said. 'Too bad we can't get Buckbeak to testify.'
"Did you make some sort of deal with the Dark Wanker? Beg a favour that he went back on? That why you then went crawling to Dumbledore? Did you beg him to spare my mum but kill my dad and me so you could then step in and give a comforting shoulder for her to grieve on? In what universe do you think she would ever accept you?!"
Harry ignored the murmurings in the room, focusing only on the man he had come to despise more than Voldemort. He felt a gentle push against the searing heat within his mind. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths as the calming voices of his three lovers worked to soothe his rage, though it was difficult, as his own anger was reflected within each of them.
Snape didn't say anything. He didn't need to. His expression said it all.
"You may retake your seat, Mister Potter." The Judge said. Harry gave the man a respectful nod before turning to his seat, where three pairs of arms enveloped him.
"Alright, moving on, we'll start with your negligence in failing to protect the girls under your care, and your turning a blind eye to the actions of Draco Malfoy," Violet said. "You failed your duty of care to your students, Severus Snape, if you ever acknowledged it. While you may not have laid a finger on any of the girls yourself, the fact that you did nothing to help them or stop Draco was just as damaging. At the very least, you were criminally negligent; at worst, you were complicit in Draco's crimes."
Violet glared at Snape, who glared back at her.
"In fact, you aren't the only one complicit in Draco's crimes. There is someone else here who should also be questioned. The Prosecution calls Albus Dumbledore to the stand."
The courtroom murmured as the old man stood stiffly, and somewhat reluctantly, made his way to the stand.
"Albus Dumbledore, when did you become Headmaster of Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore looked calm and collected outwardly, but internally, he was worried. He'd taken steps to safeguard information Harry and Snape knew. Though Snape had not been asked anything that he couldn't answer, Dumbledore was the one who now had that information. He would have to be careful.
"August 1966, following the retirement of Armando Dippet."
"Under what circumstances did Severus Snape become the Potions Professor?"
"He came to me in 1980, after realising The Dark Lord was targeting his childhood friend, Lily. He came to me begging for help, begging for me to help keep her safe. In exchange, he agreed to spy on the Death Eaters for me. Following the events of Halloween 81, I hired him on as Potions Professor. He wanted the position of Defence Professor, but I refused."
"Why?"
"The position is jinxed. No one who takes it lasts longer than a year. It has been that way since 1967, since the Dark Lord applied for the job and I refused him, he then laid a curse on the position. We've not been able to break it since." Dumbledore said honestly.
"When did you first learn of what Draco and his associates were doing?" Violet asked.
"Late last year." Dumbledore said somewhat reluctantly.
"And you didn't do anything? You didn't investigate? Didn't at least suspend Draco?" Violet asked.
"I trusted Severus to handle the situation discreetly. Last thing I wanted was the Board of Governors or the DMLE getting involved."
"Clearly he did not. In fact, as soon as you realised that, you should have suspended his employment and started investigating him as well. The attack on Mister Potter and Miss Granger should have definitely gotten Draco Malfoy expelled, yet, you did nothing. You continued to do nothing even after one of your own faculty reported the assault that she had intervened in. It took several students being kidnapped, assaulted and two more girls cursed before you finally did something. Why? " Violet said sternly, glaring at the old man.
Dumbledore sighed, silently hoping that he would be able to fool the charm monitoring him enough to avoid any embarrassments.
"I did not want young Draco to fall down a dark path. Azkaban is one of the worst places on this planet, home to horrors not of this world, perhaps the only place worse, or at the very least, just as bad, is the Labyrinth. A place like Azkaban…it leaves a mark on your soul. It stains your soul I dare say.
"The Labyrinth? What's that? The only Labyrinth I know of is the Labyrinth built by King Minos of Crete." Hermione muttered. Beside her, the others shrugged, a quick look at Lupin showed he was just as clueless.
"Well, that's a moot point now, isn't it?" Violet asked rhetorically.
"So it would seem." Dumbledore said, seeming regretful.
"You're lucky you are not on trial here Dumbledore. And while we certainly cannot suggest that you face time in prison yourself at this time, the Prosecution can and will move to recommend to the Court that an Order be put in place to have you suspended from both your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot effective immediately until such time as your fate can truly be determined by trial. You are, at the very least, guilty of gross negligence leading to the endangerment of students under your care." Violet said. A glance was made towards Thorne, who shrugged, clearly not caring as Dumbledore was not her client.
"I'm afraid I must point out that, because of the Triwizard Tournament taking place at Hogwarts currently, I cannot be removed as Headmaster. My presence there is required as a member of the Judging Committee, and as Hogwarts is the Host, I must remain as Headmaster. There is also the Tournament bylaws to consider."
"You mean the bylaws that protect Champions from any sort of legal persecution during the event?" Violet asked.
"Indeed. The Tournament Bylaws stipulate that no Champion can be prosecuted for any perceived crimes, short of murder, until the Tournament is officially concluded. These protections also extend to the Headmasters of the three participating schools."
Violet paused, then seemed to gather her second wind.
"That may be so, but those bylaws do not extend to other students or faculty. We've already established Draco's guilt. We've already established Snape's culpability and negligence, and now yours. You say you wanted to protect Draco, you could have done that if you had stopped him. You could have prevented all of this if you had encouraged and fostered positive relations between the four houses, yet you let the hostility between Gryffindor and Slytherin not only continue, but actually get worse."
Dumbledore paused, collecting his thoughts, then he responded.
"The current hostility between the Hogwarts houses is a symptom of a far wider problem in our society, and despite what my reputation would have you believe, there are many who would and have pushed back against changes I have tried to make over the years. The inter-house rivalries started to really pick up in the latter years of Black's tenure as Headmaster, then Dippet's, where they escalated. The board of governors, or some of them at least, share the mindset of many in our society. The Hogwarts staff does what it can when it can—"
Several snorts of derision from around the room interrupted him.
"—but we cannot be expected to illicit change on such a grand scale quickly."
"Are you sure? You're moulding and guiding the future generations of our society. It is literally your job to guide them and teach them right from wrong, yet you seem to have failed. And not just you. We have uncovered multiple examples of biases and errors in judgement among senior staff at Hogwarts, your refusal to expel Draco and his associates, and fire Snape, the moment these more serious issues were brought to light only adds to them." Violet replied.
"Removing the biases takes time, and there is always resistance. The younger generations now are being influenced by their own families more than ever. It is difficult to mitigate that."
"Are you even trying? " Violet replied. "You were already Headmaster by the time Severus, James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter started attending Hogwarts. You and Professor McGonagall both turned a blind eye to their bullying, as I'm sure others did too. If it weren't for this Tournament, I suspect there would soon be an investigation of the entire faculty."
People around the room started to murmur and whisper amongst themselves, until the Judge called for order.
"What would you have me do? Dissolve the different Houses of Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked, "The Board would have my head, to say nothing of the fact the Houses were established by the Founders. They would roll in their graves if such a thing were to happen."
"Honestly? It would be a start, and probably an improvement."
"Really? You would have those who were raised with the biases of Voldemort's generation and those that directly followed it freely mingling with those who oppose their views, or represent everything they find incompatible with their view of the world more often than they must outside of lessons? It would be chaos."
"Didn't stop Draco." Violet replied.
Dumbledore looked sideways at Thorne, who was sat with a rather amused smirk on her face. Clearly she thought he was doing a pretty find job digging the hole he was finding himself in, and had no intention of helping him out of it. Though the look on her face had soured a bit when he'd mentioned abolishing the house system, and having the students mingle more outside of classes.
Eventually, the questioning wrapped up and Dumbledore was given leave to return to his seat.
Then Minerva was called forward for questioning.
"Professor McGonagall, could you please describe your professional relationship with Severus Snape?" Thorne asked.
"Well, I tried to keep it as civil as I could. I did find it odd that someone so young would be made both Potions Master and Head of Slytherin when he was first hired, but as much as it pains me to say it, he was actually a pretty decent potions master. However, I, and the other two House Heads, did soon hear complaints of favouritism, and some claims that he actually wasting teaching the classes, and he expected everyone to be as natural at it as he was."
"When you learned of his past as a Death Eater, were you not concerned?" Violet asked.
"Of course I was, but Albus assured me Severus was no threat." McGonagall replied.
"Let's discuss some of the instances of bullying you ignored while Severus was a student. Surely you knew what was going on? Why didn't you stop it?"
"I…" McGonagall paused, her face showing a myriad of emotions, she was clearly trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn't result in her soiling herself, finally, she seemed to collect herself.
"Most of the instances were not too serious, nothing more than the usual school-yard jinxes. Anything that was actually serious, such as the incident before their OWL exams, that WAS brought to my attention, and I dealt with it. As was the incident involving Sirius attempting to lure Severus into an encounter with Remus. As for why James and Severus were at each other's throats so often, and why it was so heated later on, the answer is simple. Lily."
"What do you mean?" Thorne asked.
"Just that. Both boys coveted her affection, but Lily only regarded Severus as a friend, and she found James too immature, until he finally grew up after the unfortunate incident unloving Mister Lupin. They each saw the other as a rival for her attention." She then turned and cast a side-eyed glance at Snape, who was glaring balefully at her, as if she was hammering home his worst fears and making them a reality.
"I'm truly sorry Severus, but Lily never saw you that way. You need to accept that and let her go. I would suggest you try moving on but…I doubt that will be an option, I can only hope you'll be able to find some way to reflect on things."
"Alright, moving on. Tell me, Professor, is it standard practice to assign detentions in the Forbidden Forest at night?" Thorne asked.
"No, we strongly advise students against going into the forest."
"Then why were four first years assigned Detention at night in the Forbidden Forest on 26th of May 1992?" Violet asked.
McGonagall blinked several times in confusion. That detention? She'd forgotten all about that.
"I assigned that detention to Rubeus to oversee. Rubeus was investigating attacks on Unicorns, and he'd asked for help searching, so I believed that it was well within safety concerns for four first-years accompanied by a member of staff to find the injured animals and help them. Unicorns are harmless after all."
"I see. During Mister Potter's first year, he raised several concerns with you regarding some sort of artefact being kept at the school? Concerns you apparently ignored, why?" Violet asked.
"They claimed that Severus was the one attempting to steal the artefact, when in fact he was one of the staff charged with protecting it." McGonagall asked.
"And what was this artefact?" Violet asked.
"A fake Philosopher's stone." McGonagall replied.
Harry blinked. "So it was a fake…I did wonder about that." He muttered.
"Who were you protecting it from? And why the school? From the descriptions of that encounter from my clients, the so-called "Protections" were easy enough for three first-years to get passed, and one of them was a triple-headed Cerberus! Do you seriously expect me, or this court, to believe that you thought this was a good idea? You didn't challenge Dumbledore on this?" Violet asked.
"I…" McGonagall paused again, as she tried hard to come up with another answer that would help potentially circumvent the detection charms on the seat she was sitting in.
"I did raise my concerns, as did the others, but Dumbledore assured as it had to be the school, as the Vault where the fake stone had been held had been broken in to, but the stone had already been moved to Dumbledore's Vault, and Rubeus was sent to retrieve it, the very day he accompanied Mister Potter to Gringotts for the first time I believe."
"But why protections so weak children could get through them? Wouldn't Dumbledore's office, or your own, have been a better option?" Violet asked.
"Again, it was Dumbledore's assurance, and my faith in him." McGonagall said.
"Faith, perhaps, misplaced?" Violet pondered.
"Perhaps…" McGonagall said, regretfully.
"Now, the most recent incidents, the assaults on the Slytherin students. Did you know that was going on?" Thorne asked. McGonagall scowled at her, bristling.
"What kind of woman do you take me for?! Of course I didn't know! If I'd known at any point what was happening to those poor girls, I would have marched into the Dungeons and dragged Mister Malfoy to the Headmaster's office and demanded his expulsion! Same with Severus had I known what he was allowing to happen." At this, she sent another look towards Snape, only this one was far less pitying and more hostile.
After a few more questions from both Thorne and Sweeting, McGonagall was allowed to return to her seat, looking rather stressed out.
Finally, the time came to deliberate. Though it didn't take nearly as long as Draco.
Not surprisingly, the verdict was pretty much unanimous.
"Severus Snape, your crimes are inexcusable, and numerous. Gross Negligence, Accessory to multiple sexual assaults and kidnappings, this court sentences you to life in Azkaban, a total of 1500 years." Judge Whitemore intoned.
With a final bang of the Gavel, Aurors marched forward and collected Snape from the chair and dragged him out. As he was dragged out, his eyes found first Remus', who glared at him with utter loathing, then with Harry's, and Harry mouthed 'See you in hell, Snivellus! And tell Draco I said thanks for all the blowjobs!'
Snape started to struggle as he openly glowered at Harry. "You arrogant little shit! You're no better than James! And you'll end up dead like him! I curse you! I curse you! I curse you Remus, you filthy wolf! And I curse Black! I will see you dead Potter! Both you, and then one day, your heirs!" The hated man's vitriol increased in volume and fervour as he was dragged to the door and through it, until his words were finally, mercifully silenced.
-=-=-=-
Daphne sighed with relief as they left the court room. It was over. It was finally over. Draco, his lackeys and Snape were gone. Dumbledore had already left, likely back to his office to do who knew what. Her parents hugged her as she silently cried into their embrace.
After a few moments, Daphne pulled back, smiling tiredly.
"It's over. At least, that is."
Her parents smiled, relief radiating from them both. Then after a moment, her mother turned serious.
"I hate to bring this up now dear but…have you told them? About our family? Our history?"
Daphne scowled. She knew that would come up. She sighed and shook her head.
"Not yet. And honestly, I'm not sure when I will, with everything that's been going on with Draco I haven't had the time, but now I can't use that excuse, but…considering the reaction I have every time I think about touching him…"
"You still have a couple of years Daphne, you're only 14, almost 15. Honestly, you're too young to be thinking about this, and it kills me that you even have to at all. You should be planning your future post-graduation, thinking about a good career, not immediately settling down and having babies!" Eleanor lamented.
"I know mum, I know, but I don't have a choice in the matter. Honestly neither of us does. If I don't do this, it'll be on Tori, and she's got other stuff to deal with. Merlin…if Draco's curse had it her like he intended…"
"Then he would have answered for it." Her father said grimly.
"I'm surprised you haven't made a move against Lucius yet." Daphne said with a snort. Her father shrugged.
"Our paths don't cross, I thankfully don't work at the Ministry so I don't have to deal with him, and our paths never seem to cross in public so I can't really act on that Blood Feud that was invoked. If he's as smart as he likes to think he is, he'll make sure it stays that way."
"Just watch your back dad, he might put a bounty on your head or something." Daphne said. Her father shrugged and smirked.
"If he did, I could always turn myself in so I could get close enough to kill him." He chuckled.
"Erik…" his wife scolded, frowning.
"Have you worked out what this cure is yet you mentioned at St Mungo's?" Eleanor asked. Daphne shook her head, sighing.
"No, only that it only works on us, not Harry, but that's not the issue for me. I can Bond with Susan or Hermione just fine, but to lift this curse, I MUST have sex with Harry, and right now, that's a complicated topic to tackle."
Eleanor and Erikson exchanged an uncomfortable glance, before giving Daphne an apologetic smile. "I'll have to let your mother help you sort that out dear. I'm going to go talk to Mister Potter." And with that, he excused himself. Rolling her eyes, Eleanor shook her head, before turning back to Daphne.
"Sweetheart, coming to terms with this is not going to be easy or quick, just give it time and you'll get through this, and remember, all of your friends are there for you, as are your housemates. As is Astoria, myself and your father, your grandfather, and members of the staff at Hogwarts." Eleanor said, though she stopped herself at mentioning any names.
Daphne smiled and hugged her. "I know mum, thanks. I love you."
"Love you too, my little Valkyrie." Eleanor hugged her back tightly, feeling Daphne melt into her embrace as the stress just seemed to drain from her.
-=-
Erikson worked his way over towards Harry and his friends, who were still talking to the six other Slytherin girls and their families. Harry and Hermione being the most conspicuous in that their families were absent.
"Mister Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Bones, can I talk to you for a moment?"
The three exchanged a look with the young blonde, who nodded with a smile before returning to her conversation with the others.
"Is something wrong Mister Greengrass?" Harry asked.
"No, no, everything is fine, all things considered." The man said, before giving him a wan smile "And its Erik."
"Harry." The boy replied.
"I was just curious how long you've known Daphne."
"Not that long honestly, before this whole curse business, I didn't interact with Daphne all that much, if at all really. It was Hermione who did." The boy said, gesturing to his friend, who blushed.
"I first got to know Daphne back in Third Year, I was a little suspicious first, but I can happily now count her as one of my closest friends, even before all this mess happened." The brunette said, Susan nodded her ascent.
"Daphne and I have been friends for a couple of years now, but honestly, she hasn't talked that much about your family, only that you stayed neutral during the war." Susan said.
Erikson nodded, "I'm glad she had friends outside of Slytherin to confide in, even if she didn't remember what was happening." He scowled, then muttered something that the three were pretty sure was a curse on Draco's ancestors, or descendants, in a language Harry and Susan didn't recognise.
"Is that Scandinavian? Or Norwegian?" Hermione asked. Erikson blushed.
"Ah, sorry, Scandinavian. The Greengrass family goes back a long way, as does Eleanor's family, which actually goes back longer. Eleanor's family is originally from Norway, Daphne will be able to tell you more."
-=-=-=-
Malfoy Manor
Lucius stalked into the main lobby of his home. Narcissa disappearing into one of the rooms off to the side, her head down, face in her hands. She hadn't looked at him since the verdict. Wouldn't even speak to him. He wasn't sure how Snape's trial was going, but he had a fair idea of what would happen. He hadn't been in the mood to talk to anyone when he left the courtroom, and clearly everyone waiting outside for a comment had got the unspoken message to back off.
Behind him, the front door closed and he turned, scowling at the woman who had promised to get his son aquited. Instead, he had lost his son to Azkaban.
For 1205 years.
"I know this looks bad—" Thorne started.
"' Bad' is that what you would call my son spending the rest of his life in prison? You promised me you could get him off on technicality! Instead, he's going to waste away in that damn pit! My own reputation ruined! Any chances I ever had of getting my hands on the Black family vault GONE! "
"We can work on an appeal, I'm sure we'll to get enough support from the older families. We at Wolfram and Hart have many resources, I can call in a few friends from the States, I'm sure they'll be willing to help us. We'll have your son out and back at Hogwarts in a month or so."
Lucius grit his teeth in suppressed rage. He was done with this idiot. An appeal? Had she not paid attention? "You do that." He growled.
"Very well, I'll be in touch when I have something." Tempeste said as she turned to leave.
She didn't see the wand being raised.
"Avada Kedavra!"