The Inquiry

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! This fic has now broken 500! Thanks to MadBrilliant, and an extra special thanks to WriterMerrin for her hard work to make this chapter better.

***

It was settled. Daphne Greengrass would be coming to take over as Potions teacher and as Headmaster Snape’s apprentice. There were going to be more hard times, but progress was being made.

Stuart Ackerley would take over the Muggle Studies post with Hermione Granger being his “mentor.” Standards were still lax, but it was getting better. Besides, the new blood was of their own, and they were so eager to teach and make Hogwarts their home, it was hard to be too worried about it.

What remained was getting a Divination instructor and a reputable Charms professor to come and apprentice Hermione so she could be an accredited professor in her own right, and finally, there was the tenuous subject of Quidditch.

“Waste of time!” Severus snapped. “We couldn’t possibly think about such a frivolous thing as that!”

“Oh, ye of little faith.” Hermione smirked as she flourished a parchment in front of him. “I have acquired a coup that will not only bring Quidditch back to Hogwarts, but will also bring in more enrollments than we could possibly imagine. You will NEVER guess who I got to become our Quidditch Coach/Flying Instructor!” She taunted him.

“Who?” he said bored.

“Gwenog Jones,” she said with a squeal.

“No!” he said as he rose from his chair. “THE Gewnog Jones—of the Holyhead Harpies?”

“I met Ms. Jones at a Slug Club Party. She is every bit as tenacious and bull-headed as Madam Hooch ever was, and she said she’s a bit tired of being on the road. She wants to get back to her ‘roots’ and give back to Hogwarts. She will be our ace in the hole, Severus. Even if she stays one semester, we can always say we had her on staff here. It’s a mighty coup!”

Severus strode over and grabbed his wife, swinging her around his office. “I love you!” he said wantonly. “Come on, let me fuck you proper on the desk!” he said lustfully as he dipped her.

“No!” she said with a sly smile. “However, I shall make a bargain with you. You speak with Professor Cruz about the Seers he has recommended and hire one even if she’s a complete nutter like Trelawney. Then you find me a proper Charms mentor. Once you have done that, my loving husband, I shall let you defile me anywhere you wish. Even in the Gryffindor common room, if that’s what you want.” Her eyes sparkled, knowing he was just depraved enough to do it.

“Oh, no, my pet. You shall be stripped naked and laid bare on my desk here and allow me to pleasure myself in any way I see fit! Deal?”

“You can pick the Divination teacher. However, the Charms master must meet my requirements. I shall have them on your desk in the morning,” she bargained. “Now I’m quite knackered and ready for bed, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Madam, allow me to retrieve the essential oils and lubrication,” he said silkily.

“I never promised anything of the sort!” she said indignantly.

“Ah, well, for the debauchery I have planned requires a bit of preparation. I told you before, I have always wanted to bugger you, wife.”

She swallowed hard. “Don’t you dare hurt me!” she threatened him.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my love!” he purred as he led her into the bedroom.

***

“Oh, Severus!” cried out Hermione. “This is the best of all possible news! However did you get her to agree?”

Severus smiled. “Well, my dear, you are considered the brightest witch of your age. Your N.E.W.T.s put even Dumbledore’s to shame. How could she not refuse?”

“But Madam Marchbanks! She is an institution! You know that she not only began sitting for the Wizarding Examination Authority before she was thirty, she actually tested Dumbledore himself! Furthermore, she authored the Wizard’s Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test. She is the ultimate authority on Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Astronomy!” she exclaimed.

Severus sat back and smiled at his little know-it-all. She was so overcome, she could barely think straight. “You forgot Divination,” he added with a sneer.

“Whatever! To think, Griselda Marchbanks will be MY mentor! You know she is very sympathetic to the rights of goblins! I wonder of her thoughts on house-elves and other magical creatures? How long did she sign on for? What are her demands?” she asked worriedly.

Snape smiled. So typical with her questions! he thought. “Madam Marchbanks is under the impression she has very little to teach you, my dear. Yet I’m sure you will find a way. She will start on with you in September and stay for the year. She will observe your abilities with your first-through fourth-years. However, she will be teaching the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. level classes. How does that strike you?” he asked smugly.

“Oh, it’s perfect! That will free up time to help observe Mr. Ackerley’s progress with his apprenticeship!” She took a deep breath. “Well, that leaves only Divination! Have you spoken with Professor Cruz?”

“Indeed,” he said tracing his mouth with his index finger. “However, his contacts are just not Hogwarts material. They are far too earthy and obscure. Firenze was the perfect Divination instructor. He was focused, non-emotional, and presented the material without feeling the need to place his own doom and gloom into the mix. If only we could get another centaur, but that is impossible.”

“Hermione,” he said as he sat next to her on the sofa. “Would it be such a loss if we did not have Divination? After all, we have had to go without Astronomy. I was pulling double duty as Headmaster and Potions master, and you had not been fully accredited as a Professor! We will have so much more next term. What is the loss of one subject that has always been on the shady side of true magical disciplines?”

Hermione leaned back into the sofa. “Well, it’s no skin off my nose. However, we are facing the inquiry with the Wizengamot. Do you think we will escape unscathed with what we’ve accomplished?”

“I do. If it had not been for us, this school would be a ruin, a crumbling abandoned castle that our world would shake their heads at and say, ‘Remember when Hogwarts had been the Crown Jewel of Europe’s Wizarding Schools?’ I don’t want that, Hermione. As much as I loathed my life here before the war ended. I feel I have a true purpose beyond myself, and you are with me in that purpose!” he said determinedly.

Hermione squeezed his hand. “I agree, husband. You and I shall face the Board together, and we shall win!”

They kissed and embraced. They did not notice the smiles and nods of approval from the former Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts from days of old.

***

The Great Hall was silent. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, so the majority of the students were out of the castle grounds. Whoever stayed was sequestered in the Library for the duration of the Inquiry.

The twelve-member Board of Governors sat at the head table while Headmaster and Madam Snape sat below. It was a very serious occasion that held the future of the Snapes at Hogwarts.

Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt made a special request to be heard before the Board. He gave a rousing and moving speech about the dedication of the Snapes, that they had placed the future of Hogwarts above their own personal goals and wishes for their separate futures. He spoke with a great deal of emotion about their survival from the final battle, to burying loved ones, and facing the impossible task of putting the school back together when all they had between them was a Headmaster, a brilliant student who had yet to sit for her N.E.W.T.s, and a school Mediwitch.

“With only those tools, Severus and Hermione Snape rebuilt this school together, scouring the Wizarding world for teachers to continue the high standard of education we have boasted of for hundreds of years. It was very trying with gossip and innuendo following them. They chose marriage and a joining of their lives so Hogwarts would succeed without any regard for their own personal feelings. They were handed nothing in light of their sacrifice and have been betrayed heinously. They deserve our guidance and support, not to be censured and condemned for the duplicity of a wicked Dark wizard and his mistress.”

The Board, who consisted of wealthy members of society that Hermione did not recognize, but Severus did, were cautious and asked many questions about the appointment of Professors Ivan Domask and Emilie Beauharnis.

They answered all their questions as forthrightly as they could, explaining that they were so very desperate for teachers, they had been ecstatic when Madame Maxime had offered the three Frenchwomen fresh from their apprenticeships. Hermione, ever the perfectionist, showed the Board each teacher’s letter of recommendation and references.

“We were not so desperate that we did not look into the work histories and personal lives of the professors we hired. It was rather unfortunate that Ivan Domask slipped through the cracks,” admitted Headmaster Snape.

“How can you be sure, Headmaster, that this will never occur again? We need to be assured that Death Eaters will not be terrorizing our charges!” one elderly man challenged heatedly.

Snape kept his cool. “Sir, there can be no reassurances. There shall always be a threat of another Dark Lord or Dark wizard. The lure of the Dark Arts is strong. I do suggest that Hogwarts take a drastic measure. I believe, after a full Auror inquiry, that Professor Selinski, formerly of Durmstrang, who has no such designs on being drawn to the Dark Arts, be allowed to remain on as Defense Professor. However, for now, I think that no more professors from Durmstrang should be allowed to teach at Hogwarts. At least not now while we are still in a vulnerable position,” he offered.

Severus then ended on a lighter note. “I am pleased to say that our newest crop of teachers are some of our very own and will be apprenticed by former Hogwarts professors,” he reported happily.

“Yes,” an elderly witch said. “We were most pleased to hear of Madam Marchbanks mentorship of Madam Snape. It does sound as if Hogwarts is taking a turn for the better, even though this set-back has been most unsettling!”

“Headmaster,” said another elderly witch. “I am still so confused as to why you were unaware that you had a Death Eater in your midst. I would think with your history you would have been in tune with his true allegiance.”

Snape took a deep breath. “Very true, Madam. I would have thought the very same thing if I were you. However, Ivan Domask did not wear the Dark Mark. If he had, I would have known immediately. Yet, he did not. From what was revealed in his trial, Domask was a part of a Neo-Voldemort Movement. He never met Voldemort, nor was he a part of the Death Eaters who served under him, being an apprentice at Durmstrang during the war.

“Nevertheless, I do take a great deal of responsibility. I am headmaster of this school and am ultimately accountable for what occurs. I was very suspicious of the wrong Durmstrang lad. I was wary of Selinski, being the Defense Agaisnt the Dark Arts teacher. However, I was adamant in my decision to not allow a Durmstrang Alumnus to take over as Head of Slytherin House. I worked very hard to educate and assist Professor Holden in the ways of Slytherin house. I was very distracted, to be sure. However, I have made necessary changes to ensure I shall not be so distracted in the future,” he concluded.

“Such as?” another Board member asked.

“I am stepping down as Potions master. Daphne Greengrass shall be taking over my first through fourth year classes and will become Head of Slytherin house. Being a Slytherin herself, she will not need my assistance, as Professor Holden had required. I also feel that I have learned a great deal about human nature through this experience. The war had turned so much upside-down. A new wife, new life, and responsibilities that were overwhelming at times were strange, and it was difficult for me to maintain my sense of balance and equilibrium. For years, I had worked in solitude and shouldered my burdens alone. Now, I have grown to delegate and share my responsibilities with my wife, Madam Snape. As deputy headmistress, she will be helping me more in the decision-making process, a decision I should have made a long time ago. However, now that I have learned about marriage, I’ll be in better shape to discern the problems that come along.”

“Madam Snape,” asked another elderly wizard. “Have you taken more of a load on yourself than you can bear?”

Hermione spoke confidently. “I do not think so, although I have paired down some responsibilities. As an apprentice to Madam Marchbanks, I shall have help in becoming a better Charms professor. I look forward to her direction. I also am stepping down as Head of Gryffindor House. Professor Selinski will be the new Head of Gryffindor. That will relieve me of a lot of responsibility. Our new Muggle Studies teacher needs to be apprenticed. I have taken up that task. As a Muggle-born, the course comes quite natural for me. I won’t try to lie to you all. We have had a hard year. However, that year is drawing to a close, and we have survived.”

Snape interjected at this point. “Next year, we shall have more classes, better professors, and also Quidditch will be returning to Hogwarts. It is our goal as headmaster and deputy headmistress to continue in our search for excellence. We will never be satisfied until the day comes when the next generation can stand up strong and take over. Until that day, we shall remain steadfast and dedicated to our work.”

“So, you are saying you are not adverse to admitting a lack of judgment?” asked another wizard.

Snape answered this question. “We are all magical beings, but none of us are perfect. We did fail. However, our failure was not due to malicious intent or cowardice. It was the culmination of our unfortunate experiences and grief that led us to become vulnerable and weak. But, I do not believe that warrants the removal of our positions,” he said firmly. “I can honestly say that this experience has made us stronger and more capable.”

***

“I was so proud of you, Severus!” Hermione said as they waited in the hall as the Board convened.

“Whatever happens, we will stick together and face the future side by side,” she said with determination.

Severus leaned over and captured her lips in a kiss. “I love you, Hermione,” he whispered. “What would I do without you?”

She smiled and blushed as she squeezed his hand.

The door opened, and Kingsley strode towards them and shook their hands. “Congratulations, Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress! You both shall retain your positions. The Board is confident that Hogwarts will be safe in both your capable hands.”

They laughed heartily, and Severus asked him to join them in his office for a celebratory drink. Hermione went to get Poppy, and the four survivors stood together, toasting to their good fortunes and the satisfaction that the school was once again alive and thriving.