Epilogue
Chapter 6 of 6
peskipiksiThe Ministry issues an official apology in The Evening Prophet.
ReviewedEpilogue
Dinner in the Great Hall was always a rowdy affair, what with students bemoaning, in loud voices, the amount of homework they had been given, and post owls flying in all through the meal, dropping copies of the Evening Prophet onto the house tables.
The evening of 2nd October 1998, however, was even noisier than usual. The broadsheet size newspapers being opened at every table showed a huge photograph of a scowling Professor Snape with the single-word headline above it: VINDICATED.
Smaller pictures at the bottom of the page showed an exhausted, but beaming Hermione and a very sheepish-looking Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Ginny Weasley, a month into her NEWT year, glanced up at the High Table. Seated beside the Headmistress were Professor Snape and Hermione. Hermione was still beaming and no longer looked exhausted. In fact, she seemed surrounded by a sort of satisfied glow, which couldn’t be explained entirely by her triumph over the Ministry. Snape didn’t look as pleased with himself as Hermione did, but at least he wasn’t wearing his habitual scowl.
Professor McGonagall had persuaded Hermione to stay for dinner, which seemed to have turned into a celebration feast for Snape’s release.
‘If they see me with you now,’ Hermione had reasoned with a thoroughly unconvinced Severus, ‘they won’t be so surprised when they see us together in the future.’
Now she leaned over to him. ‘Read that,’ she whispered, restraining herself from touching his hand as she passed him a copy of the paper.
VINDICATED
Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, today issued a full and unconditional apology to Severus Snape, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for the month he spent incarcerated without trial in Azkaban prison, after the teacher was found not guilty of the accusations levelled at him in a first-of-its-kind hearing yesterday.
Professor Snape stood accused of the murder of Albus Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts, and of nearly two decades of Death Eater activity.
Miss Hermione Granger, trainee at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and one-time student of Professor Snape, single-handedly campaigned for him to receive a fair trial. In recognition of this, Miss Granger is to have her training fast-tracked by the Ministry and, upon graduation, will head the newly created Department for the Prevention of Miscarriages of Magical Justice.
During the hearing, under the guidance of Miss Granger, the court learned how the killing of the alleged victim was, in fact, euthanasia pre-planned between Professor Snape and the terminally ill Albus Dumbledore.
Professor Snape was also revealed as an undercover agent for the anti-Voldemort movement The Order of the Phoenix.
Several high-ranking members of the Wizangamot, including Tiberius Ogden and Grizelda Marchbanks, today called for Minister Shacklebolt’s resignation, but both Miss Granger and Mr Snape have demurred at the suggestion.
‘Mr Shacklebolt is a very competent Minister and an excellent employer,’ said Miss Granger diplomatically. ‘This is the last in a series of political errors inspired by You Know Who’s reign of terror and, that reign now being over, my client is willing to put this regrettable incident to rest, rather than subject the magical community to further upheaval.’
Reading from a prepared statement this afternoon, the Minister said: ‘I deeply regret the distress caused to Mr Snape. In my haste to secure justice for Albus Dumbledore, I over-reacted. I allowed fear to cloud my judgement, for which I sincerely apologise. I am prepared to step down, should the tide of public opinion flow in that direction.’
Professor Snape, who declined to comment, has accepted an Order of Merlin, First Class, in recognition of his services over the last 17 years to the protection of the wizarding world.
Hermione looked up from the paper to see Ginny grinning broadly at her from the Gryffindor table. She might have been Ron’s sister, but Ginny had been thoroughly embarrassed by her brother’s behaviour towards her best friend and was delighted to see Hermione looking so happy. Ginny was the first of many to come up and offer her congratulations to Snape on his release, to Hermione on her groundbreaking victory and forthcoming promotion.
Beside Hermione, Minerva McGonagall smiled to herself. Oh, they were being discreet, yes, but she had a fairly shrewd idea that something was going on. Kingsley Shacklebolt, in a fit of remorse, had sent her an owl with the verdict the moment Severus had been released – and yet it was a good three hours after that, clean, tidy and surrounded by the satisfied glow that Hermione still seemed to be wearing, that they had come to report back to her. Well, she wasn’t going to push them; they had the right to tell people when they were ready. Hopefully, Severus would be a bit easier to work with this year, Minerva thought with another smile. She glanced down the table to where Severus and Hermione were still bent, heads together, over the Evening Prophet article. Professor Snape and Miss Granger? An odd choice – for both of them. They had thoroughly detested each other when Hermione was at school. Well, if it made them happy, who was she to judge? He deserved to be happy, and she needed someone more her intellectual equal than Ronald Weasley; the Headmistress had always thought that.
Even so, Minerva would have given fifty galleons to know what had gone on during those twenty-four hours in Azkaban.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Friends, Teachers, Chocolate
3 Reviews | 2.67/10 Average
Great story, I like how you have written this Azkaban story so it's different to all the other like wise stories.
Response from peskipiksi (Author of Friends, Teachers, Chocolate)
Thanks; glad you liked it.
Cute short story, I like how they took turns comforting each other as they needed it. Cute story with a happy ending to it always makes me happy.
Response from peskipiksi (Author of Friends, Teachers, Chocolate)
Thanks; I'm glad I made you happy :)
The way you described Hermione's day in Azkaban and the photo of that man flanked by those 2 men, made a clear picture of what he endured during his stay in Azkaban. Poor thing. I think he deserved a lot more then a medal. Well, he got Hermione... :DGreat story. Thank you!
Response from peskipiksi (Author of Friends, Teachers, Chocolate)
He always wanted an Order of Merlin - I had to let him have one. And yes, Hermione is a great consolation prize! Thank you for reviewing :)
Response from peskipiksi (Author of Friends, Teachers, Chocolate)
He always wanted an Order of Merlin - I had to let him have one. And yes, Hermione is a great consolation prize! Thank you for reviewing :)