The courtroom looked different from where Harry was sitting. He still vividly remembered his Hearing, even though he had been though much since then. It was brighter somehow, Harry would not be surprised if it were some kind of spell used to intimidate prisoners that caused the shadows. No, he would not be surprised at all.
Around him the witches and wizards were talking and whispering amongst themselves. Harry had already received many enquiring looks, and for good reason. Harry had made a point of being absent for ‘The Trials of the Damned’ as the press was touting them. But today was an exception.
Harry turned his head slightly and caught the eye of Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting in the accustomed seat of the Head of the Wizengamot, and smiled nervously. Albus was well aware of why Harry was here, today of all days, and he smiled gently. Harry knew that the Wizengamot was not able to try these cases, but it was a comfort to know that Albus was here.
Harry suddenly became aware of the falling silence and turned to see the jury file into their seats and then stood as Amos Diggory took his place as head of the Magical Law Enforcement department and the presiding officer. The trials began, first on the day’s agenda was Gregory Goyle. Goyle was escorted into the courtroom between four armed Aurors in their grey battle robes and as soon as his body touched the chair the chains glowed and bound him. He was much thinner and gaunt looking than when he had been captured. By all accounts he had put up a good fight, which was surprising as Harry well remembered how thick and stupid Goyle had seemed in school. But Harry had learnt the hard way that people were never exactly as they seemed.
Harry listened as the charges were read. It did not make pleasant reading, several counts of Muggle torture, use of the Unforgiveables and other Dark Magicks. Without any doubt Goyle would not be leaving this court as a free man, there was more then enough evidence to convict Goyle of twice the crimes he was being charged with. When he had seen them cataloguing it for use in the trial they had to discard half of it because there physically wasn’t enough space in the evidence bags.
The defence was short, the defending counsel appealed for leniency on account of Goyle’s age and upbringing but with the weight of evidence that wasn’t going to be likely. The Prosecuting counsel did not take much time either, and sentence was pronounced unanimously within the hour. It was by no means the shortest trial, but the speed took Harry’s breath away. Termination. They couldn’t even call it by its true name, execution. When Harry had heard that this was what would replace the Dementor’s Kiss he had mixed feelings. Sure it was more humane than loosing your soul but there had been enough people dying during the war and Harry had seen enough death to last two lifetimes.
Harry wiped sweaty palms against his robes. The courtroom was filling with noise again; there would be a short recess before the next trial. Harry became aware of people trying to get his attention; a reporter asked him why he was present today. Fortunately it wasn’t Rita Skeeter, Harry had caught sight of her distinctive brass curls in the crowd, but Harry still brushed him off and continued to watch the door of the courtroom. His nerves were growing with every passing minute and he began praying for silence to descend again. When it did finally fall again he started wishing for the opposite.
Harry’s nerves crescendo-ed as Diggory called for the next prisoner to be brought in. Harry tried to slow his breathing as the door opened and four Aurors escorted Severus Snape into the room. As they had done with Goyle, the chains of the chair glowed and bound him. But this was not as discouraging as it looked, for Harry knew that it was Diggory who made them, they did not do it of their own accord.
Harry barely heard as the charges were read out, he knew them by heart. There were a few moments of silence as the assembled witches and wizards looked for someone to step forward to defend the accused. Harry slowly stood and walked with measured steps down to the floor of the court. As they had done countless times before, his nerves evaporated with every step he took. This was nothing but another battle, and as long as Harry was prepared and did not panic he would survive.
When Harry reached the floor the silence that descended was absolute. The shock that he, Harry Potter Man-Who-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord, was speaking in defence of an accused Death Eater was still palpable, even if the mouths that had voiced such shock were now silent.
Harry took a moment to look over the man he was defending. Severus was thin, much thinner than could possibly be healthy. His eyes were blank, devoid of the fire Harry had once been privy to. Proof positive that, even without the Dementors, Azkaban was no place for the sane. As Harry watched, Severus lifted his head and their eyes met. Harry could see the surprise as it crossed his face, Harry had not been able to tell Severus he would be defending him. Harry spared him a small, almost invisible, smile before turning to address the jury.
"I, Harry James Potter, stand before you, my peers, to defend this wizard, Severus Septemius Snape." Harry spoke the formal words clearly, in a voice full of conviction that carried even to the furthest seats. Behind him he heard quiet clanking as Severus sat up straighter. Harry took a deep breath and began speaking again, careful to keep his voice clear and audible.
"Our world has survived a time of great trial. Not just the past three years, but the last twenty or more. Before I was even born the world was at war with itself. In that time many people have died, there is not a witch or wizard in this room who has not lost a child or a parent, a brother or a sister, family member or friend. Some have lost more than others, but everyone has lost someone." Harry could hear the odd whisper, but for the most part the room was silent. Every eye in the room was on him, but the only ones he could feel were sat behind him. Harry began to pace, it helped to loosen his tongue and meant that Severus could not stare at him so easily.
"My parents were killed when I was only a year old, as no doubt you are all aware. But there will be few here that are aware that my parents knew they were in danger. Albus Dumbledore had informed them that Voldemort –" at the mention of the name many people winced and a few even cried out in fear, but Harry ignored them, "- was after their son, and they needed to hide. But how did Albus Dumbledore know that I was, specifically, in danger?
"To answer that question I must mention an incident that occurred when both my father, James Potter, and Severus Snape were at school. During their sixth year a situation arose where my father saved the life of Severus Snape, which had been endangered by a fellow student Sirius Black. This incident produced a rare but powerful effect that essentially meant that Severus was indebted to my father for his actions. A Life Debt, if you will." Harry paused as the noise level had crept up. He waited for everyone to quiet down again before he continued his measured walk around the floor.
"On the evening of the twentieth of October 1981 Severus Snape arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a state of turmoil demanding to speak to the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore agreed to his request and in the following conversation Severus revealed that he was indeed a follower of Voldemort, as was rumoured, but that he had become disenchanted by the way he was operating. He had also recently been forced to witness the torture and execution of a former fellow, Regulus Black - brother of Sirius, and was rightly afraid of what would happen if his disenchantment were found out.
"Professor Dumbledore recognised that Severus had been driven to him for a reason, and that reason was discovered to be that Severus had become privy to information that placed my father in considerable danger. The information that my father and his family were to be a specific target of his then Master. The Life Debt that he had been subject to had forced him to come forward with that information. It was the catalyst that Severus had needed to renounce his Master.
"However, as in any war, things could not be that simple. Severus was pressed into service for Professor Dumbledore and his organisation, the Order of the Phoenix, as a spy. Severus was to act as he had done before but to report everything he was asked to do and anything he could glean from his fellow Death Eaters. Perhaps unfortunately for him, a scant few days later Voldemort was stripped of his powers and vanished. However, in the ensuing chaos, Severus was instrumental in finding and disabling those Death Eaters that he was aware of. Many arrests were made possible with his information, information that could have been got from no other source." Harry paused and conjured a glass of water as he waited for his words to sink in. He looked from juror to juror making eye contact to reinforce the point he had just made. When he was satisfied he vanished the glass and began pacing again.
"Naturally, Severus himself was arrested. The trial transcripts have been filed as evidence for the defence, but you should be aware that Albus Dumbledore vouched for the actions of his spy and he was cleared of all charges and placed in Professor Dumbledore’s care. Severus Snape spent the ‘Years of Quiet’ teaching potions to students at Hogwarts, myself included. He was promoted to Head of Slytherin House and was able to maintain his links with those Death Eaters that escaped justice through their children as they passed through his care. Severus worked tirelessly, and thanklessly, to help those children. To prevent them following in family traditions and turning to the Dark Arts. He was only marginally successful, but many those who he did have an impact on are now in positions of power. Some are even here today." As Harry paced he caught they eye of Draco Malfoy who was sat in the public benches. Draco inclined his head, causing those around him to turn and stare. Draco had managed to survive his father relatively unscathed and had not even been slated for trial.
"When Voldemort returned three years ago, he was ready to step back into the role of spy. Many times over during the recent conflict Voldemort, who knew that he had a traitor in his ranks, tested him. Often I was the subject of such tests, as the only Death Eater Voldemort had managed to get inside Hogwarts successfully he was perfectly placed to kidnap me, or poison me, or many other such things. But none of these orders were ever carried out, I was always aware of them and plans were made to deliberately foil every attempt.
"In fact, far from working towards my demise, Severus has saved my life many times. Sometimes his actions have been misinterpreted, even by me, but he has always been there to pull me out of difficult situations, even if he has had to risk his own life in the process. Many of you are no doubt thinking that I am only here to pay my own Life Debt, that that has already been paid in full. I am here out of respect for a man who has sacrificed himself repeatedly fighting for a cause that he never wanted to be part of.
"Severus Snape is no angel. He has been described as a tyrant, and many other things, with just cause. He joined Voldemort because he thought they believed in the same things. But he found out, in the worst way possible, that that was not so. But he had the courage and the basic honesty to own up to his mistakes and to try to rectify them. He has shown, repeatedly, his courage and his loyalty. He might not be a good man, in the strictest sense, but he is not a bad one either.
"The crimes with which he is accused today were all carried out under extreme duress, in defence of his life and the lives of others. The work of a spy is often messy and always dangerous, and that is what Severus Snape is, a spy. For Albus Dumbledore, for the Order of the Phoenix and, by extension, for the Ministry itself. To convict him of these crimes would be a betrayal, to sentence him to death would be murder." Again Harry met the eye of each juror in turn, and he could almost be sure he had convinced each one. Harry had come to a stop during the final plea behind the chained chair that was imprisoning Severus and gently placed an had on his emaciated shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
Harry stayed in that position as the prosecution stood to put forward his case. Harry was familiar with the wizard, he was the chief prosecutor in the MLE department, and he felt slightly sorry for him as he was finding it difficult to come up with counter arguments. Harry had had qualms about using personal information that would be entirely new to almost the entire court, but now he could see why Albus had pressed him to do so. The tide of feeling in the room had turned, and the formerly hostile crowd was, at least partly, now on Severus’ side.
In a way it was sickening, that Harry had been able to use his celebrity to sway their opinions. But right at that moment he could not complain, if it was going to save the life of a man he admired as much as he did Severus, then it was worth it.
Once the prosecution was finished, Amos Diggory addressed the jury as the presiding officer. Harry felt his nerves surge back as the foreman of the jury was asked to stand.
"Forewizard of the jury, how do you find the defendant?" Diggory’s voice sounded to Harry as if it was coming from a long distance away. The moment of silence as the wizard turned to each of his fellow jurors was endless, but eventually he turned to face the court again.
"By unanimous vote, we find the defendant ‘Not Guilty of All Charges." The juror’s voice seemed to ring in Harry’s ears, his knees felt weak and he could not stop the stupid grin that invaded his face.
"Then, by the authority vested in me, I pronounce Severus Septemius Snape a free wizard." As Diggory pronounced this he made the chains fall away and Harry quickly moved to help Severus stand. The noise in the room was enormous but Harry could hear none of it. Forgetting that he was surrounded by people with cameras and dictaquills Harry practically flung his arms around Severus, almost crushing him.
"Well," Severus said in a shaky voice, "it seams that I am indebted to Harry Potter once again."
"Oh, I don’t know." Harry replied, "I’m quite happy to call us even, if you are."
"You did not have to do this, defend me." Severus pointed out, pulling out of the extended embrace.
"Ah, but I wanted to. And besides, Albus thought I should." Harry smiled and drew Severus’ attention to the old mage who was determinedly making his way towards them.
"Ah, well if Albus asked you to, then that’s alright. I’m sure I can forgive you in that case. But unless you want to hang around and listen to him sing our collective praises we should move, and soon." Severus replied with a shadow of his usual sarcasm.
It wasn’t easy to escape in all the furore, what with journalists begging for exclusive interviews every other step, but eventually Harry and Severus made it to the relative quiet of the corridor. Severus was very weak, and Harry had to half carry him up the stairs and into the elevators. But they made it without being accosted by a very pleased Headmaster, who was forced to wait for a different lift.