Stuck down somewhere in her lungs, her breath had a hard time reaching her mouth. When it did, it was as deflated as his. She couldn’t tell anymore whether she was upset, outraged, disappointed or even – in awe. Quite likely all of it though. Upset that he had hidden his actual feelings from her, outraged that he had done it for so long, disappointed in herself that she hadn’t seen any of it in all those years and even what she had seen, she had ignored. In awe, because he had indeed successfully fooled her in every aspect, without actually fooling her, merely by his talent to rather twist words or avoid proper answers before he would openly lie to someone’s face.
“For how long – ”, she gargled into the silence that was only disturbed by the clock on the wall, watching Igor gently place his left hand on Severus’ left shoulder without letting go of the Demiguise.
“The evening of the nineteenth of August, nineteen seventy-eight.”
Severus answered calm, although quiet and while his face was faintly losing some of the sad despair, it more and more became blank, although she could swear to see a hint of determinedness in the depth of his eyes. As if he was ready to finally reveal all of it to her. In a complete contrast to how he had been so many years in the past, in the Hospital Wing, when he had agreed on the question and answer game. Or maybe it only appeared to her like this, as all three Patronuses dissolved. Anyhow, she wasn’t even sure whether she still wanted to know or just run away and – indeed, pity herself for her ignorance.
“Before you ask, it was a Saturday.”
She couldn’t help pouting. Feeding her with random side information was the last she needed. Yet, was it random? Did he even want to tell her something with that?
“Ginny told me, you have a photographic memory.”
“Would you like me to tell you what either of us wore?”
“No – I – I only wonder, if it’s – ”
“Sometimes it will require concentration or longer thinking, but, both fortunately and unfortunately, I might be able to recite everything I have ever seen and heard in my life. Trust me, I have given up long ago questioning it or wondering why my brain hasn’t exploded yet.”
“Well,”, Hermione sighed, “I’m just wondering whom you lied to when you told me you’re neither gay nor bi.”
“To none.”, he said straight into her eyes. “Because I am neither.”
“You said – ”
“If we are talking about the same day, you asked me whether I am gay. I said no. Then you asked me if I was, I may quote, `bisexual but currently dating a guy´, and I also said no. For reasons. The exact phrasing was incorrect in all aspects. Besides not being bi, I didn’t date a guy. Not by definition. Also Igor was too far away to call it an active relationship and I was with Charity at that time. In addition, Igor and I had put our relationship on hold, as you may call it, the moment he decided to go back to Durmstrang, while I had stayed at Hogwarts. Regardless of what had happened during that year of the Triwizard Tournament, we hadn’t officially resumed it. So, I have to disappoint you, but the correct answer was no. To all of your questions I answered with a no. You can ask again if you want, but my mother raised me with the knowledge of my highly developed memory and came to acknowledge when I affronted her many times in everyday situations, that both of us should live as though everyone else too shared that – call it a gift or a curse. So that nothing you ever say or do can be used against you. I took it to heart.”
“Definitely. But if you’re neither, how could you have – ”, while her eyes switched between the two, everyone else just fixated Severus, only.
“Ask yourself, Hermione. Did you manage to successfully dismiss your feelings for me simply because I was your teacher? Igor just happens to be born with that body and I told him from the first minute on that it didn’t matter to me. Yes, he could have changed himself into anything I would have wanted. But what I wanted was that he didn’t change himself for me. I did and still love him with all his idiosyncrasies and features. If your heart says yes, there is only accept and learn to appreciate all that might seem strange to you, or die from trying to ignore your heart.”
“Well, yes.”
To her, he was right. No matter how much she despised everything he did, everything he was, so many choices he had made, somehow, her heart had not given up making her ignore it all and that was probably, why she would never understand him, she was certain. In truth, her own morals telling her she shouldn’t have those feelings for someone like him, blocked her ability to simply accept the things the way they were like. And the awareness of it all, was what actually caused her inner trouble.
“Hermione. I do love you. But I don’t know how many people tried to make you understand that you still refuse to accept me the way I am. I do appreciate your wish to make me be happy. Though in all your tries you never noticed what does actually make me happy. You tried and keep trying so hard that you fail to see and accept that I’ve become happy without you putting all your effort into it. And that constant try is what would have made it impossible to work out. If we had stayed together, we would have drifted apart and both ended up unhappy. That is why I chose to go back to Igor. Because, as complicated as he is and as challenging living with him is, he never tried to sculpt me in accordance with his idea of happiness. Because, with him, I found the same I had found with Lily or with Charity.”
“Which is?”
“No need for any compromise.”
“How can anyone live together without making compromises?”
“By looking at how you define compromise.”
Hermione was still not sure what he wanted to tell her. Though it was Ginny to try answer it for her.
“Faith.”, she said.
“Faith.”, Hermione repeated with a frown.
“I’m not talking about blind trust. Faith. Faith in knowing the other’s sanity. Just why I let Harry do his stuff and he lets me do my stuff. We’ve had you pledge to the Confidentiality in hope for peace of mind. But still you did and do keep trying to intervene where- and whenever you can. You can’t accept that the world doesn’t spin as you wish. And that’s okay. That’s how you are. But not everyone is like that. I don’t ask what Harry does behind closed doors, because I have faith that he knows what he does. And so he doesn’t ask me how many balls hit me or if I’ve gotten the bruises from quarrels with my teammates. Because he has faith that I know what is good for me. We have faith that either of us will tell the other if something is wrong, without being scolded or judged for decisions or feelings. You just lack that ability and as wise and lovable as you are, not everyone can and wants to deal with that.”
“Ginny – ”
“Really, I admire you sometimes; that rebel in you. And I admire Ron for being able to deal with it. My brother was always the helpless idiot that tried to prove himself. But you made him independent in ways you don’t even realise. And it pains me constantly to see how much he managed to accept you that you simply take it for granted. So much you don’t notice that he in fact does accept you the way you are, while you try to seek that in someone who can’t. You’ve found your match, Hermione. But instead of seeing yourself as more than just his wife and mother of his children, you ignore your own love for him to still hunt for what you believe to have lost in the past, while you’ve actually been living along it all the time. And in addition you accuse your prey of doing what actually you do.”
“She’s right,”
Everyone stared at him. None would have thought he would engage in the conversation again.
“I love you, Hermy.”
“Oh wow.”, she puffed. “I thought you married me for my parents’ money.”
“That too.”
“What?”
“Kidding.”, Ron chuckled. “And you know I’m kidding. Don’t be so upset. I know we’ve all been fooled in some ways. And I get that the two also take too much for granted. I’ve known Harry long enough. Before he tells you what he means, he’ll silently hate himself for having expected you to be intelligent enough to figure it out yourself. Good example: Until some minutes ago, I still believed James to be his dad, not his uncle. Why? Because it was my logic. Now that I know it’s the other way round, even I can remember that the truth was obvious. Has it shocked me that you’ve known that all along? Yes. Why? Because I’ve overlooked it.”
“No, you haven’t.”, said Harry, lightly shaking his head.
“Well, yeah. Maybe I have noticed, but didn’t believe my own mind. But it seems we got something in common there. If I remember right, I told you the two are a couple.”, a switch in Hermione’s brain clicked, much against her own comfort.
“Oh god – ”, she breathed. “You also said that they were likely gonna marry as soon as it’s allowed and that – that Severus and Charity were behaving as if they were married, too.”
“Did I?”, Ron pondered, then laughed. “Oh yeah! Blimey! Tell me, why did I drop out of divination again?”
“I don’t know.”, chuckled Harry. “You’ve actually predicted quite a lot of things.”
“Maybe,”, Hermione chuckled as well, but rather dark compared to him, “Because he also said in the same breath that the odds for it were probably as high as for you to snog Draco? You may be a seer somehow, Ron, but not one hundred percent.”
“Now that you say it, I actually remember.”, Ron meant, into a very awkward silence Hermione didn’t fail to notice. “You’re right. Probably Auror wasn’t the right career choice for me. And in that matter, yes, exactly one hundred percent.”
“I beg your pardon?”, she shrieked, staring at Harry, who had turned away to empty the sink, manually once again.
“If anyone would excuse me,”, Arthur sighed and raised, “I just remembered there is something in the barn waiting for me to fix it. Oh and Molly, I might need a hand or two. Alastor, you look like you are – ”
“Quite enjoying the show, thanks.”, he grumbled with an askew smile and adjusted his leaning position with his walking stick.
“Very well.”
Hermione just stared after them when they left outside. Molly however, did take a glance back over her shoulder. For a moment she felt like following them. But then Igor addressed her, still holding both Severus’ shoulder and his pet.
“Don’t let them take you down, girl.”
“Sorry?”
“I know exactly how you feel. It has taken me twenty years and Harry showing up at our safe house personally to realise whose son he actually is. Your husband and sister in law are right. The two have way too much in common than is good for them – something, I believe, you did however notice. And one of the things they have in common is having a lot of faith in people’s brains while disregarding that some might suppress knowledge they have, because it appears too odd and unlikely to actually be true. Goodness, I felt so ashamed for having fled back to Sweden that it took me years to understand what Severus meant by telling me that one sentence over and over.”
“And what sentence, may I ask?”, she whispered.
“`Don’t think that this changes anything between us.´”
“I still confess myself guilty for the vague phrasing.”, Severus sighed.
“And I still confess myself guilty for understanding it as though someone else would have said that, not you. Hermione, you too have noticed that he doesn’t likely say that he loves someone. For one simple reason: if he really loves someone, the words don’t do his feelings justice, in his opinion. And I didn’t get him. He told me, after every time we kissed that year, that it didn’t change anything between us. It wasn’t many times, but it was often enough to become annoying, as he also said it after every serious argument we had. Чëрт, he even said that after he gave me a blowjob and I didn’t get that the sentence meant that as much as I still loved him, he still loved me and that nothing of what just had happened, had changed that fact. I fell for his phrasing, just like he had hoped me not to. And he was right that I should have known better. So don’t blame yourself. We’re all idiots.”
“He did what?”, Hermione shrieked again, so badly that she nearly choked on her own tongue.
“Tell me that he still loved me and I overlooked it.”, sighed Igor.
“That is not what I meant,”
“I believe she means the blowjob part.”, Harry sang to the window.
“Hang on, you know that, Hermione.”, Ginevra murmured, narrowing her eyebrows.
“No?”, gasped Hermione.
“No? Goodness, you’ve seen it!”
“I think I would know if I’d seen something like that,”, she too sang now, but in a very uncomfortable way.
“I know it’s been what? About seventeen years since you saw my memory of it? Remember? Gosh, even I remember. The one Luna hid in your pouch? I think I told you that it’s likely my memory, because she actually requested it from me? Not that we ever talked about it again, but – ”
“Then I don’t think we’re talking about the same memory,”
“A Potions class in Triwizard year? Valentine’s day? When Charity got that fake letter from Umbridge? Rings a bell?”
“Yes. And you had nicked Harry’s cloak and taken advantage of it, apparently. But you’ve been caught.”
“Yeah. Because I accidentally touched Igor’s coat when I tried to sneak back out and it slid to the floor.”
“I knew that was what had given you away.”, huffed Hermione. “I saw it slide. Then Severus revealed you.”, she could downright see her friend’s brain trying to unravel something.
“But only after they’d – hang on.”
She blinked heavily, and so did Hermione, until both would raise their eyebrows, in another embarrassing silence. As if she had rewatched that memory just now, the image came back to her mind. How the silver fur had drawn her attention, to the process of its sliding and its landing on the stone tiles and its stunning shimmering in peculiar colours.
“Hang, on. You didn’t – ”, Hermione shook her head. “Did she actually – censor – my memory?”
“Sometimes you just gotta love Luna, don’t you.”, Harry smirked.
~~#~~
For some reason she knew it was May, 6th. Why ever she remembered it had been that day because he wore what he did, she didn’t know. Perhaps she had sworn to herself to never forget the one day Igor had worn blue. It was a dark blue robe, but it was blue and she vaguely remembered to have found it curious. But why exactly she remembered that it had been that date and that it had been a Saturday, she had no idea. Also it didn’t help her now, as she watched them from the corner to a deserted windowed outside corridor on a higher floor. She knew he had had kissed her very tenderly many times, but somehow what she just watched, looked way more tender than any of those times.
When they slowly broke their connection, she could hear Severus mumble something in Russian, but couldn’t understand it. Whether it was due to her position, the dialect or simply because the person whose memory it was didn’t speak Russian, was up to her guess. Igor did however reply in the same language, equally low, weariness in his eyes and she could have sworn his silver hair had had a reddish shimmer before, while now it looked greyish. So he had been able to control his emotions’ power over his appearance, but not fully – probably due to how intimate the situation was. Or she simply had never noticed.
Igor however must have noticed something. There was a flash of panic in his eyes now and he clearly looked at her. Only then Hermione would turn around to see that she was actually standing exactly in front of Ginny, whose expression was, surprisingly, blank. Just as if she waited for either of them to say or do something to give her face a hint on what she should look like. Hermione stepped ahead and against the wall so she could see all three, when Severus too, turned his head and loosened his right arm from the light embrace. It got caught on the back of Igor’s hand however, when the other’s fingers trapped his, possibly unintended.
“You seem to have a talent for sneaking up to people, Miss Weasley.”, Severus said very calm, almost depleted.
“It’s a big castle.”, Ginny remained blank. “With many corners. Many chances to bump into some of the many people who wander it.”
“True.”
“And no, Professor. I haven’t been spying on you. Not this time.”
“I did say nothing about – ”
“I meant him.”, Hermione barely caught the second Igor’s eyebrows flicked upwards.
“He didn’t – ”
“Oh he did. Sure, you haven’t seen his lips calling me a creep.”, his head zoomed between the two, a couple times.
“Why can you read lips!”, Igor murmured.
“I have six brothers.”, she gave him a similar answer to what Hermione remembered she had given her, with a very bored frown. “Some of them do like to play the occasional prank. Gotta be prepared while they’re still scheming.”
“Really.”, he puffed with a pout.
“Yeah. And one of them knows, by the way.”, Severus head was back at her and her expression was back at being blank. “Took him months, but Ron’s told me he too has spotted you dancing and kissing on that ship.”
“You have – what?”, hissed Igor.
“Long story. Also don’t expect us to be the only ones who saw it. But I bet we were the only ones watching it with Omnis.”
“Omnis? Who is – ”
“Omnioculars.”, Severus huffed.
“Oh.”
“So yeah – he’s seen it, and at last felt the need to tell me. But he didn’t tell anyone else. Seeing how glad he was that I believed him, he didn’t think anyone else would. But I told him it’s none of our business. So he, quite quickly actually, decided to keep quiet about it. Just so you know, if he gives you the one or other peculiar look – or has already and you wondered why. To be honest, he doesn’t seem to care, really, now that he knows he wasn’t going mad or imagining things. If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk past you now. That’s the most quiet way to Ravenclaw Tower today, apparently.”
“She isn’t there.”. Severus said very faintly when she was at their level, causing her to halt, and Hermione with her, as she had walked along without her own notice.
“Isn’t she?”
“I have seen her going into the Dark Forest earlier.”
“Really? And you didn’t rush to stop her?”, Ginny chuckled.
“As I believe, we both know what she does in there.”
“Yeah. Not that I can see them, but I’ve seen raw meat float back up from the ground and get eaten by the air. I know Luna’s talented, but not bored enough to impress me with such tricks.”
“Be glad you cannot see them.”
“Are you talking about Thestrals?”, Igor pondered.
“Yes.”, both answered.
“Sure, they look strange, but they aren’t really hideous. Why would – ”, the look Severus gave him, had actual potential to make someone else able to see Thestrals. “Oh. Of course.”
“I’ll still be going there. It’s nearly sunset. She’ll certainly expect me to expect her by the door.”
“Very likely.”, Severus sighed, but stopped her again after a few steps. “Ginevra – ”
The way he had said her name, not only made Hermione falter. Ginny was almost shocked. Blinking heavily at the corridor ahead, she obviously brooded. His emphasis had laid on the first syllable; the same way as Harry said it.
“Yes?”, she breathed, but didn’t turn.
“Why?”
“Dunno – ”, Hermione could see that she had only said that to give herself time to pick her words wisely. “Maybe because it is nobody’s business but yours.”
“That wouldn’t stop any – ”
“But I’m not any, am I? Or so I hope – ”
“Clearly, you aren’t.”
“Yeah. Also maybe because I know you wouldn’t tell anyone if you caught me kissing Harry – ”
“Would I be catching that?”, not only his curious look made Hermione falter again.
“Nah. Just an example.”
“Is it?”
“Definitely.”, Ginny chuckled, still to the corridor. “But – well, just saying, I really like him. I – I care for him. And you clearly do too. I think, I just care for everyone who care’s for Harry. Out of principle, you know – no idea.”
Leaving that sinking in, she just walked off and Hermione’s head rushed back up, to find her face on the opposite armchair, hidden in the dark of the sitting room.
“Did you know?”, she aspirated to her, giving her pause. “That he’s – ?”
“Maybe. But not for sure.”
“So you knew sooner than me?”
“Perhaps?”
“And how long has Harry known?”
“Definitely longer than he dared to admit. Definitely halfway through your sixth year – maybe sooner, but for certain, April. You know, when he went to get Slughorn’s memory about the Horcruxes. At least that’s what he told me after the war.”
“He told you?”
“He knew that I knew too.”
“How?”
“I think, you’d better ask him instead.”, Ginny said staid.
“And since when did you know Severus survived?”
“Harry? Since Lucius Malfoy’s funeral. Me? When I lost my daughter. He kept me company when Harry was at work. I wouldn’t have made it through that depression otherwise, and he knew that. But Harry’s known longer. He found their house shortly after I’d gotten pregnant.”
“What?”, Hermione yelped, upset, but quietly.
“Yeah.”
“How!”
“No idea. He never said. And I never asked. But we’ve turned it into a little secrecy game. I think Harry even had a bet going with him, how long it would take you to figure. From what it looks like, probably neither won anything but disappointment over how long it actually took you. But I believe, Severus played unfair, even at the final sprint, when he removed the wedding photo from his shelf. Then again, I guess, he didn’t want to shock you with the sight of all of us having been there.”
~~#~~
Differently sized and proportioned plums with human heads were gathered in the crammed room of dark stone. None of the torches was strong enough to swallow the murk that hung above those heads like a veil of foreboding and that the bony hooded figures of doom had never been hired for such reasons ever since Dolores Umbridge’s death, could not lift the mood either. It was as though they were back, invisibly lingering above and stretching their gruesome fingers out for each soul to be ripped from its shell. However, down at the ground level, encircled by the rows of benches, three men of variant age had taken their seats in line with much more confidence. Many noticed how the chains attached to their chairs rattled, but were strangely kept from serving their purpose. So did the Aurors who had lead the suspects in and they exchanged some alarmed looks.
“What’s your problem, eh?”, growled the oldest of the three, both his eyes scanning them mutually. “I’ve got arthritis. We were ensured not to be tortured in here. As for the others, nearly everything that goes for one, holds true for the three of us.”
“That is correct.”, said a deep grim voice from between impressive piles of folders above and the Aurors spun. “Since the suspects are granted the wish to be handled as a single party, in spite of consisting of three individuals, they are to be treated equally in most matters.”
The reaction among the Aurors was mixed, but they decided not to meddle with the Minister, especially when they received an unmistakable glare from their boss. As the door fell shut behind them, silence took over the courtroom and one could have heard a fly breathe, if any would have managed to get inside. However, the noiselessness was tingling with nervousness, regardless of the security measurements. They appeared too low for many. Coldly oblivious to it, the Minister raised his calm voice again to begin what might have been avoided, if it had been one of the suspects’ wish.
“I believe, we are ready?”
“I have been ready for this for the last twenty years.”, a woman in the front row facing the suspects hissed quietly through her bared teeth and her eyes glistened eagerly.
“Pardon me, Miss Kelton, but I did not ask for your personal opinion, which is highly misplaced in this courtroom. If you mean to still pursue your profession by the end of the day, I would ask you to please keep quiet and take notes as designated, thank you.”, the Minister’s words charmed a scarce smile of glee onto the youngest suspect’s lips. “Good. Are the suspects ready?”, three Yeses came from below. “And the witnesses?”, they on the other hand only confirmed with murmurs. “Fine. Then I would say, we can begin?”, Miss Kelton held her quill ready. “Trial regarding the crimes commonly known as `Avenger Case´, on the sixteenth of September, two thousand and seventeen, dealing with violation of the Law Against Usage of Dark Magic, abuse of Human Rights and multiple murder committed by the party operating under the name `Peverell Sisters´, which are as follows, Igor – er Gregory?”
“Grigorij.”, he corrected. “You need to roll the R. It sounds so horrible if people pronounce something like that wrong.”
“You didn’t bother losing your accent either,”, Severus noted quietly.
“Shut it.”
“Kar- that does not mean – well, I must say I have never tried to bother learning how to read Cyrillic letters, but as far as I can decipher that here, it does not say Karkaroff. Who wrote this protocol!”, the Minister growled, audibly annoyed already.
“I did,”, said his Madam Undersecretary, a little embarrassed on his harsh tone.
“You do though know his name, do you?”
“Mr Potter came to me, insisting that I corrected the name to – uh – what was that? Kareiaff, Sir.”
“Kareijev.”, the concerned snarled through his yellow teeth.
“What? Why!”
“Because that is my name.”, Igor explained. “Did everyone in the world honestly believe that Karkaroff was a real name? And it is pronounced Kareijev. Pray that you wrote it down correctly.”
“As far as I am concerned, Durmstrang School already took you under the name – ”, the Minister continued.
“Do you think any child would want to keep the name of their parents when diving into life, while all it knows about those parents is that they dumped it in an orphanage?”
“But you seem to have come to terms with them again, as you – ”
“Long story. Really long story.”
“Very well. Now where was I? Ah yes, so – ”
“Igor Grigorij Kareijev,”
“Yes, alias `Abelarda´ – I hope I got that pronounced right?”, he raised an eyebrow, now even visibly annoyed, but Igor only shrugged childishly, still upset. “Severus Amalius Snape, known as `Jeanne´ and Alastor Bernard Donnchadh Moody, otherwise called `Feng´ in the case; all three of them resident at – er – `at home´? What – ?”, the Undersecretary literally sunk into the finest cracks in her seat.
“You see, Minister,”, Igor now grinned upon his wide-eyed stare, mock wailing even more childishly, “We prefer not to receive fan mail.”, Miss Kelton faltered for a moment, but decided to scribble on.
“Now then,”, sighed Kingsley.
“An’ I prefer ye’d keep yer ’umour an’ other ou’burs’s ter a minimum.”, Severus mumbled from the corner of his mouth.
“Only if you do the same.”, Igor mumbled back.
“No’ ev’ryone’is used ter yer personality,”
“They would better get used to it, or – ”
“Shu’ – ”
“And you will pay for agreeing with the date, I swear. I trust you know I had other plans four our second anni–”
“Ladies,”, warned Alastor barely audible; Kingsley meanwhile had already named the leading interrogators.
“Court Scribe, Barbara Kelton. Witnesses for the defence as sitting from my position ahead,”, Kingsley shortly nodded at the front bench to his left as he continued reading the full names from his protocol, obviously seeing some for the first time, “Ivory Armanda Burbage, Aberforth – er – Hiram Terach Dumbledore, Headmistress of Hogwarts Minerva Diana McGonagall, Hermione Jean Weasley of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Luna – Malcolmina – Eiluned Scamander, Ginevra Molly Potter, leading investigator and Head of the Auror Office Harry James Potter, and Draco Lucius Malfoy as well as our psychological referee Francis Raymond Carlisle.”
“Psychological referee?”, Hermione whispered, actually to herself, but Ginevra answered.
“He got his certificate three years ago. Trust me, there’s almost no medical field that man’s not familiar with.”
“May I ask, you, Mrs Weasley, Mr Potter, will you testify as Ministry Officials or private citizens rather?”
“Both.”, Harry said curtly; Hermione barely caught the question. “If I for myself am to speak truthfully, I cannot separate one from the other. And I’m aware that this is a supposedly serious trial, yet most of us here in direct connection with the case are on first name terms. So please, as a matter of keeping it authentic and less awkward,”
“Then both, Harry. Hermione,”, she only nodded stiffly however. “Good. Miss Kelton, please take it down like this, but spare us the detail about addresses – unless you feel incapable of matching their surnames. If any of such is getting outside, I fear, we all will have to resign. And I have to point out precisely, that any questions prior to the case, such as background of the suspects, is mostly incongruous from now until the report from Mr Carlisle, with the exception of possible revelation of information that had not been provided yet, and possibly decisive for outcome of the proceedings. I don’t need any more like that.”
“Oh why.”, Igor moaned. “What if I am traumatised by my horrible childhood and the fact that I had to hide so often in my life lastly resulted in – ”
“Igor,”, growled Alastor, “Everyone knows you’re a born crank and love it. Don’t dare to deny or stultify yourself here.”
“’E’s far too selfish fer tha’, Alastor. Ye should’ve figured tha’ much decades ago.”
“The charges”, Kingsley stopped their private debate once again, “Are clear and evident; explicit data of the crimes available and will remain unregarded, unless there are good reasons. This may be the process of the century, but this does not mean we need to sit here for twenty more years. Now, charges are as follows, practice of Dark Magic and if though manual, but brutal slaughter of no less than four hundred and ninety-five confirmed former Death Eaters all across the world, as well as inside the British Ministry of Magic and Azkaban Prison. I may segregate – ”
“Names?”, Kelton asked boredly, not looking up from her quick writing while murmurs started to fill the room.
“I beg your pardon?”, Kingsley frowned down over his console.
“The names of the victims please, Minister.”
“You might not have understood my words, Miss Kelton, or have you slept for the last two decades. Four hundred and ninety-five! That is five less than five hundred, should you be incapable of doing the math! Our salary is government-funded! People don’t have the money to pay me for listing five hundred names or you for writing them down! Besides – yes, Harry?”, he had spotted the leisurely raised hand.
“There is a – ”
“I’d do it for free,”, Severus suggested, causing his son to puff at the ignorance.
“Er – ”
“Cite the names.”
“Forgive me, Mr Snape,”, said Melinda McGallaham to Kingsley’s right, all eyes wandering between the four now, “But does – does that mean, you can give us the names of all – ”
“Very quick thinking, Madam. And I wouldn’t have suggested it if I couldn’t, would I?”
“All?”, the woman sang with disbelief.
“Would you like me to name them sorted alphabetically? By date of birth? Date of decease? Alphabetical by birthplace? Dying place? Size of shoe? Blood type?”, he meant languidly, more murmurs rising all around.
“I appreciate humour in this courtroom, but as you whispered to your fellow only minutes ago, it should be avoided.”
“I was not joking.”
“Er – ”
“He wasn’t,”, aspirated Igor, a look on his face that resembled hers much, though well feigned. “He can! It is amazing! You should really listen to that! He does it in less than half an hour and doesn’t even need a drink in between! I mean, nothing to drink at all. He doesn’t drink alcohol, ever.”
“Or Kingsley could just copy one of the lists and throw it down for dear Miss Kelton to glue it to the backside of her scribbling;”, Alastor suggested. “I avoided the Grim Reaper for nearly a century, but I don’t want him to get me in a godforsaken courtroom,”
“That is almost what I meant to say.”, Harry huffed and leant back, crossing his arms.
“There will be no list added.”, said Kingsley. “The protocol will be added to the records, with a reference note to said list, Miss Kelton. May I segregate and specify the accusations now?”, his dark eyes travelled around and silence fell once more. “Thank you. Alastor Moody, you are accused of complicity in murder of four hundred and ninety-five former Death Eaters, dealing with tracing them and securing the crime scenes with undetectable Dark Magic. Do you confess yourself guilty?”
“What can I say, I’m still a good Auror.”, he winked with his natural eye, causing the one or other subdued snicker. “Yes, I confess myself guilty of being a good Auror.”
“Hardly. Furthermore you are under strong suspicion of having violated the Confidentiality of Aurors. You are aware that your retirement did not free you from the Confidentiality?”
“Yes. But there’s no one I told a thing, Kingsley. It’s just been the two and they would’ve figured everything on their own before they’d known of my knowledge. I have no idea what makes you assume that crap. I didn’t breach the Confidentiality. Not guilty. Besides – ”
“Yes?”
“Besides,”, Harry cleared his throat, “On the twenty-seventh of August, in the year two thousand, both as well as Alastor anew, have lawfully sworn to the Confidentiality.”
“Pardon me?”, Kingsley frowned. “Do you mean to tell me that Gawain knew of them?”
“Oh, not at all, no.”, chuckled Harry, undoing the upper buttons of his robe. “You are familiar with the requirements, I presume?”
“Yes, of course!”
“Then, I believe, there’s no need for you to be so amazed, is there?”, Harry pulled a black folder from his pouch and let it sail over to Kingsley. “The documents are valid.”, Kingsley opened the folder and scanned the four sheets.
“Ah yes. Just as I thought. Signed by you and your wife.”, he contorted his lips.
“There’s nothing illegal to it,”, Ginevra immediately defended herself. “You know that,”
“Why is there a fourth – Luna?”, she merely gazed at the distant ceiling when Kingsley eyeballed her, successfully astonished by something up there that not even she saw.
“Merely to make sure we wouldn’t have to slaughter or, well, stultify her.”, Harry sighed.
“Very well.”, Kingsley did the same before he carried on. “Severus Snape, do you confess yourself guilty of planning all those murders, taking in the hand of the judge in unlawful interrogation and application of ferocious justice as well as – accurate recording and – crime-scene cleaning? Honestly, the longer this paper gets, the more ridiculous – ”
“I confess myself guilty of still having needed some help after doing this for so many years.”, Severus said with a malevolent smile and Harry and Ginevra weren’t the only ones to drop a grinning snort.
“Do you confess yourself guilty of – ”
“Agreeing with Igor’s – ah – project? A project that was inspired by my improvisation during a foul initiation rite? And his decision on the treatment of those cowardly atrocities? For doing better research than the Auror Office under the lead of Mr Gawain Robards over the span of a decade? Do I confess myself guilty of being a loving father whose only intention was to grant his son and all others a future with less fear from molesters and other murderers in the so flourishing wizards’ society or even beyond? Yes, I do. And it might not be evident from the records, but all injuries inflicted were under our full control, in case remorse and regret would truthfully win. Any of our so-called victims had been left more than one chance. If desired, Ivory can confirm that over and over. What I regret most is having seen myself forced to share a similarity with those beasts in order to stop their deeds.”
“Father?”, another of the Wizengamot asked, far up in the rows of benches. “I have children myself, but I would not do anything alike for them. Do you actually consider this the right way to teach moral?”
“As far as I can see, you are sitting too high up in this room for being asked about your personal preferences? I claim; to your misfortune; rightfully, that you have not seen what I have seen, and not with my eyes. But, if we already have to bring up the matter, have you ever asked your daughters what they think about your work?”, all the man could do was to stare down at him. “You have sent dozens of innocent witches and wizards to Azkaban for their mere lack of proof. Taken as a whole, you are as much a murderer as I am. With the difference that I indeed made successful use of the Killing Curse in either war. Yet individually, your victims were innocent. Speaking of justice, Braddock? I don’t think you even have the right to heat that bench up there with your well-paid buttocks.”
“Are we done then?”, murmured Kingsley as Braddock seemed to have lost the ability of speech. “Wonderful. Igor – Kareijev, you are accused of having directly committed all murders in question. Do you confess yourself guilty or do you have anything to say for your defence? And please keep it within required limits.”
“I am a butcher.”, he said, this time no smile above his twirled ginger goatee.
“Clearly.”, Kingsley replied equally sturdy.
“You don’t understand me, Minister.”
“What is there not to be understood r– ”
“I am a butcher. Since a week, independent. Due to the owner’s retirement, I have taken over the butchery I have been working at for several years. Those animals I kill every day for consumption, deserve more pity. They are innocent. I confess myself guilty of killing innocent animals because there are people who need and are capable of digesting meat. But if you wish to see your protocol a little nicer, I can consider seeing myself guilty of murder on nearly human beings with the remains of a certain brand in its variations as well.”
“I can think of something nicer, Mr Kareijev.”, said McGallaham. “You could, for example, hand over the weapons you used? Many of us would certainly feel safer, knowing them confiscated.”
“Don’t request a father to hand over their children in order to put them in a box in the crime archive.”, Igor gnarled, earning himself the biggest variety of stares so far. “And what difference would it make, really. It is not like I am going to charge an entry fee to my room for people pressing their yucky noses onto my babies.”
“Mind your phrasing, Igor.”, Severus warned.
“I won’t ever let anyone near them on their own. And you didn’t hand over Lily’s locket either.”, he opened his mouth to protest, but Igor’s grim expression smacked the useless attempt down.
“What?”, Hermione gasped.
“Oh, I see. You haven’t confessed it yet. Sorry I am the one to have revealed to her that you gave her a copy.”
“And revealing that was absolutely necessary of course. Especially as this is the exact time and place something like that belongs.”, Severus blinked at a tile further to his left he didn’t really see, but it was better to look at than having his face turned at either Hermione or Igor now. “Why don’t you take off the ring if you’re so terribly hurt.”, some more seconds passed until he was able to look back into Igor’s ice blue crystals that stood open with real terror. “Do I have to remind you that it was your idea to pick her as – ”
“It was a fake?”, Hermione moaned.
“Well, thank you for your confession.”, Severus ignored her. “Might it be possible that we return to the order of the day?”
“You gave me a fake?”
“You honestly thought he gave you the real one?”, Ginevra chuckled dark.
“Yes! I – I mean – no – I – sure. How stupid.”
“Indeed.”, Draco sighed absentmindedly and wiped some dust off the wooden board before him, earning himself a worried glance from Francis.
“Locket?”, Kingsley asked.
“Only another private matter that miraculously found its way in here.”, murmured Severus. “Could anyone close the door, please?”
“Thank you for your understanding at last, that private issues like such do not belong in a courtroom. One more question before Mr Carlisle’s thorough dispatch, so further decisions can be discussed in order to close this insanity – ”
“Go ahead,”, Severus sighed, sunk slackly into his chair and crossed his arms and legs, probably to keep himself from falling into pieces.
“Why are there so many witnesses when you, as everyone was aware, intended to confess anyway?”
“Because we suspected that every other seat would be full!”, Minerva sang. “And, as you can see, we have been right!”
“You do though know that you are liable to prosecution – ”, Kingsley said after some seconds of hesitation.
“We provided all information necessary.”, said Aberforth. “But if it’s needed to say something in defence rather than having it written down among the records in order to be allowed to sit here, I’d like to say that the cause compensates the act. Living with them for a couple years might be frustrating at points, but all three of them are good men who; regardless of the brutality; did an incredible job and their only flaw is that they hadn’t carried a Ministry badge with them. And as far as I know, the people to my left and right see it the way I do.”, Hermione curled her lips but decided not to argue. “The three only spared hundreds of survivors the truthfully gruesome torture of serious processes. Money and health was spared.”
“Miss Burbage?”
“I can only confirm what Severus has said. They helped me overcome my inner – and other troubles. Yes, they killed my brothers, but by that they finally freed me from both my mental conflicts and the Imperius Curse my brothers put on me in times. I have been there. I nearly died. But they saved me from their own hands, once both my brothers were dead so they wouldn’t see that I was spared for my actual innocence. Trust me, they might have even thought sometimes that I had done all that voluntarily and that their magic actually wasn’t necessary. Besides, I survived the process without scarring even and furthermore, once I was mentally strong enough, they made sure I was well integrated into a community and had a place I can call a home.”
“It is exactly as stated.”, said Harry. “None of the wounds were at any moment out of control. Thorough investigation by the Auror Office’s pathologists confirms that and it is indeed listed somewhere in the overall report, if some idiot hasn’t erased it. What killed the injured in the end, was the course of time; and a lot of it, far enough for having granted successful healing any moment. It had clearly been the victims’ choices to die, rather than letting themselves be helped back out of their misery. Every single case could easily be declared as suicide even. Under life threatening circumstances, yes, but it could.”, appalled quiet muttering brushed through the room.
“Any words from you, Luna?”, Kingsley deadened it.
“I would say,”, she vaguely smiled at the three in the middle, “It is on each heart to see the facets of the world in their very unique way and on each mind to act according to or against it.”
For some moments that were filled with a low humming sound of the exchanged whispers in the underground courtroom, Kingsley studied the fair woman, then again the other witnesses. Ivory’s confidence could not fully hide the horrors she had seen in her life, Minerva and Aberforth were clearly eager awaiting the end of the pathetic trial, Hermione couldn’t stop pouting, Ginevra exchanged some brief looks with Harry and Draco, the latter appearing more and more absent with every additional minute and close to vomiting. Then Kingsley’s eyes travelled on, to the trio facing him. He could only see their exhaustion due to his long experience – or perhaps, because they didn’t bother to hide it fully. Curling his lips, he swallowed deeply.
“If Mr Carlisle would please step forward to help the visibly torn judges with their decision,”
~~#~~