Chapter 3: Questions

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Chapter 3: Questions

Just after lunch, Hermione heard pounding on the door to their chambers. She was in her study marking essays while Severus was in his private lab brewing potions for the hospital wing.

Hermione got up and walked to the door. A quick charm told her it was Minerva on the other side. Hermione opened the door and noticed Argus Filch standing behind the Headmistress looking ill at ease.

"Minerva, Argus, what can I do for you?"

"I need to see Severus," Minerva stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

"He's in the lab; I'll go get him," Hermione said. "Please, come in."

She moved through their chambers to the door to Severus's lab. Knowing how he hated to be disturbed while working, Hermione knocked tentatively on the thick oak door. After a few moments, Severus threw open the door in an obvious temper.

"Can't this wait?" Severus snarled. "I'm in the middle of a complex potion that needs my full attention."

"I'm afraid not. Minerva is waiting in our sitting room, and this is not a social call," Hermione explained.

After glaring past Hermione and in the general direction of their study, Severus turned back to his worktable. With highly agitated movements, Severus managed to clear his workspace. He spun back around and stormed by Hermione to the sitting room.

She followed him out in time to hear the Headmistress say, "Severus Snape, I will have to ask you to come with me. A Law Enforcement Officer is waiting in my office to ask you a few questions."

Heaving a great sigh, Severus made his way to the door. Noticing no one was following, he turned back to the room with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, what are you waiting for? I have better ways to spend my Saturdays," came his scathing comment from the door.

Minerva got up and looked at Hermione. "These are only preliminary questions; he should be back in no time."

"Thank you, Headmistress."

Hermione shut the door after them and sat down in her spot on the couch. She Summoned a glass and a bottle of wine. Now all she had to do was wait.

It was late evening when Severus returned from the Headmistress's office. Hermione was still sitting on the couch. Setting her book down, she regarded her husband. He looked pale and drawn. Hermione moved her legs off the couch and motioned for Severus to come and sit with her.

While Severus was getting comfortable, Hermione Summoned a glass and a bottle of firewhisky. She poured him a large measure and placed the glass in his hand.

Severus proceeded to look at the glass as if it had done him a great personal wrong.

"I have no doubt that you'll want to know what happened. Am I correct?" Severus said in a low voice.

Hermione's immediate thought was that things must not have gone well if he was acting so morose.

"I figure that I can keep my tongue until you are ready to tell me what happened," Hermione answered in what she hoped was a calming voice.

In the same low voice as before, Severus stated, "As you are observant, you have probably guessed that things do not look good. First of all, that idiot Dawlish was the one asking questions. He is Head of Law Enforcement, so 'it's his right.' Nonsense, is what I think. He still believes that I acted purely for my own benefit during the war, so I am a condemned man already. Why I was gone for such a length of time was because he insisted on asking Argus and I the same questions three times through. Luckily for me, I was first so I was allowed to leave. Argus was still there being badgered when I left. Dawlish probably hopes Argus will change his story now that I am no longer in the room."

Hermione knew that with Dawlish working the case things would not be easy for them. She was trying to think of people who could possibly help them in this situation. Remus Lupin would have been perfect with his knowledge of the laws, but Wormtail, better known as Peter Pettigrew, had seen to it that Remus would not do anything ever again. During the final confrontation, Wormtail had attacked Remus with a silver knife. The full moon was near so Remus's wolf nature was close to the surface. The silver slowly drained the life from him. Wormtail did not make it through the battle unscathed. As soon as Tonks had seen the life leave Remus's body, she turned on Wormtail and cast an unknown curse. She hadn't been the same since.

Blinking away the memories, Hermione tried to think of someone else. Then it hit her. Ernie Macmillan was a wizarding lawyer. He had worked on some other high profile cases. Ernie was also one of the few that believed in Severus's innocence. She would contact him as soon as Severus finished relaying the day's events.

"Argus doesn't know any more about the murder than I do," Severus said while allowing his head to drop into his hands.

"Dawlish tried to –- refresh –- our memories by telling us in detail what happened to the girl. As Minerva said, she was brutally murdered. I won't go into it in full, but Anna died from slow blood loss. She was severely beaten and raped; whoever did this is a monster."

Severus glanced up at this last part, a deadened look in his eyes. He got up from the couch and started pacing the length of the room.

"Dawlish had the nerve to stare me in the face and say that this was the work of a Death Eater gone free." Hermione noticed an odd look on Severus's face. He hated that accusation more than anything.

"Minerva abruptly told him that she would throw him from this school if he showed such bias and indiscretion again."

Hermione had to smile at that. Minerva was nothing if not fiercely loyal to people she cared about.

A question that had been bothering her slipped out before she could stop herself. "But, Severus, what about your alibi? You were here with me from the moment your rounds were done until that next morning."

"Actually, no, I wasn't," came the soft reply from Severus.

"What?" Hermione breathed.

"After you fell asleep I was still restless. I decided to walk the grounds. I needed the fresh air. I got back to our rooms at four that morning."

Hermione just stared at her husband in shock.

"Since Miss Bloom is said to have died between two o'clock and five o'clock, I am the perfect person for the murder."

"What about motive, did you have that too?" Hermione asked in a despairing tone.

"Only the fact that she is a 'Mudblood Gryffindor'."

"That's rich, being that you've been married to a 'Mudblood Gryffindor' for four years, and last time I checked, I am very much alive."

The Ministry was absurd for thinking Severus to be guilty. They knew from prior instances what his jobs were for Voldemort. He was Voldemort's Potions Master; because of this, he was never forced to get blood on his hands. Hermione shook her head.

"The Ministry should know better than to suspect you. They have plenty of prior evidence as to why you can't have done this."

Severus nodded in acknowledgement of her statement and said, "It has been a long day for both of us. I am going to retire. Are you going to join me?"

"I'll be there shortly. I have to finish a letter."

Severus bowed and left the room. As soon as Hermione heard the bathroom door close, she found parchment and a quill. She wrote:

Ernie,

Hermione Snape

After sealing the note, she called for Morpheus, their owl. Attaching the letter she said, "Take this to Ernie Macmillan with all the haste you can. Wait for a reply if there is one." With that, Morpheus took off into the night.

Author's Notes: Thank you to Potion Mistress and Zen Lady for the beta! They are both invaluable.

All feedback and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.