Tension

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. The idea is even based on actual events.

Hermione awoke with the dawn on the morning of Severus's trial. She was meeting Ernie at seven. Nervousness was already starting to affect Hermione. She got out of bed and went through her normal morning routine in the small hopes of calming herself. She had chosen her semi-formal robes the night before; Hermione wanted to make the best impression possible on the Wizengamot.

To pass the time before Ernie's arrival, she sat at her desk and went over her notes. She had them all memorized, but it helped her nerves to feel productive.

The fire flared and Ernie stepped through promptly at seven. He was dressed in plain black robes, but they were obviously tailored and made quite an impression.

Hermione stood and waited for Ernie's approval on her robe selection. The robes were high-necked and conservative; the dark blue material was fitted from her upper body down to her hips then flared into a flowing skirt, which shimmered slightly when she moved.

"Hermione, you look stunning. You'll catch everyone's attention, that's for sure."

Ernie held the Floo powder out to Hermione so she could go first.

"Thank you, Ernie. The Ministry of Magic Atrium," Hermione said as she stepped into the green flames.

Once in the Atrium, Hermione gave a wave of her wand to clean away any soot that had managed to gather on her robes. Ernie appeared next to her and led her to the Visitor's desk.

"Hello, Eric. This is Hermione Snape. She is here as my assistant for Severus Snape's trial."

"Wand please, ma'am." He reached a hand out for her wand.

She gave it over and waited semi-patiently for her wand to be registered. Eventually, Eric handed her wand back to her along with a visitor's badge.

Hermione Snape

Trial of Severus Snape, defendant

She read the badge and pinned it to the left side of her robes. Ernie was already moving to the elevators, so she hurried to catch up.

"We're in Courtroom 10. I think it's a bit foolish that they chose that particular room, but not much can be done."

Hermione knew that only dangerous or important trials were held in that courtroom. She highly suspected the former was the Ministry's reason for choosing Courtroom 10.

Taking the elevator as far as possible, Hermione and Ernie walked the rest of the way down to Courtroom 10. She started to notice the people lining the walls once they walked into the corridor leading to the Department of Mysteries. Some spoke in eager whispers; others openly stared as she walked by.

Hermione had the feeling that most of these people were not here to lend their support to Severus. This was made painfully obvious when a woman stepped forward and spat at Hermione's feet.

She stopped and looked at the woman. Before she could say anything, Ernie had taken her by the arm and led her away.

"There is so much hatred in these people," Hermione whispered to Ernie.

"People have a hard time getting over the prejudices," Ernie said in reply, a sad look gracing his features.

They had finally made it to the entrance of the courtroom. A line of reporters stood on one side of the corridor. From what Hermione could see, every media outlet seemed to be in attendance. Even the Wizarding Wireless had a representative present.

Knowing that every word she spoke would be available to the wizarding community made her insides squirm.

Ernie was a steady force next to her. His hand was still on her arm, keeping her grounded in reality.

She gave him a half smile to let him know she appreciated the gesture. No one was allowed to enter the courtroom until the guilty party had arrived. By Hermione's estimate, they had about twenty minutes until the trial actually began. This meant that Severus should be arriving at any moment. She would be glad to see him outside of a prison cell.

As soon as she'd had that thought, the people around them fell silent. Two guards were leading Severus to the doors. His hands and feet were chained. He also looked to be under the influence of Veritaserum. His eyes were moving lazily from side to side, not really taking in his surroundings. His posture also didn't have its normal rigidity. Hermione hadn't even thought of Truth Serum. She hoped that the guards hadn't abused their power while he was drugged.

When they guards drew even with her and Ernie, she moved to stop them.

"Severus, are you under Veritaserum?" she asked.

"Yes, they made me take it before leaving Azkaban."

"Are you under the influence of anything else?"

"No, though I would love to be under the influence of alcohol."

"Yes or no would have been fine. But thank you for the answers. We will go into the courtroom now," Ernie said to the guards and Hermione.

She reached out and placed her hand on Severus's arm. He looked at her hand then up at her face and raised an eyebrow.

"I love you, Severus. I don't say it enough, but it's true."

At that proclamation, Severus's eyes softened.

"And I you, wife."

Satisfied, Hermione turned, and with Ernie at her side, entered the courtroom.

After most everyone had entered the room, the guards walked Severus to the chair in the center of the court. As soon as he was seated, the chains came up to secure him. The guards removed their chains from Severus's hands but left both sets on his legs.

Hermione and Ernie transfigured chairs and seated themselves behind and to the left of Severus.

All of the reporters were seated along the right side of the courtroom. The Wizengamot was seated directly in front of them. Rufus Scrimgeour was seated in the middle to show his position as Chief Warlock. The left side of the room was full with a variety of people. The Epps were present; Lucius Malfoy was in the front of the same section.

Hermione noticed Minerva McGonagall, accompanied by Rubeus Hagrid and Filius Flitwick, seated at the top of the left side. Minerva caught Hermione's gaze and gave her an encouraging smile. Hermione also caught Harry Potter's fierce gaze. He nodded to her and looked away.

"Attention, this court is being called to order. We are here for the murder trial of Severus Snape. He is accused of murder, sexual assault, and battery. Rufus Alexander Scrimgeour, presiding; Daniel Dawlish, Ministry representative; and Percy Ignatius Weasley, Court Scribe."

"The accused, how do you plead?" Scrimgeour asked.

"Not guilty," Severus responded in a monotone.

"Where were you on the night of the 26th of April?"

"First, I was on my rounds at Hogwarts. I came back to my chambers and spoke to my wife. We went to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I then left our chambers to walk the grounds. I was uneasy for most of the night. I came back to my chambers at five the morning of the 27th of April."

"Did you notice anything untoward while you were on our wanderings?"

"No, the only occurrence that was out of the ordinary was finding George Epps and Anna Bloom out repeatedly after curfew."

"Why was this out of the ordinary?" a witch toward the rear of the Wizengamot asked.

"It isn't very often that students are dumb enough to be caught out after curfew twice in one night."

"Mr. Snape, I will ask you to keep a civil tongue in my courtroom."

"Pardon me, sir, but the Truth Serum has loosened my tongue."

"Other than to discipline the aforementioned students, did you see them at any other time that night?"

There was a pause, then, "No."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes."

"Why the hesitation if you are telling the truth?"

"I had to be sure if I had seen them outside of the mentioned instances. I came to the conclusion that I had not."

"Moving on, did you see anything suspicious on your wanderings?"

"No ­­­-- yes."

"Explain yourself," Scrimgeour said in a curt voice.

"I did not see anything suspicious, which is highly suspicious. I normally see Argus or Mrs. Norris at least once. My wife also informed me that Lucius Malfoy was in the castle, but I didn't see him either."

"Why would you expect to see Lucius? He is a school governor, and as such, has other reasons to be present at Hogwarts."

"Hermione said he had business with me, thus implying he would need to see me."

"What is the general opinion toward you from your students?"

"Mostly loathing. Occasionally, some seventh year gets it into their skull that I am a good person to fall in love with."

With a nod from Scrimgeour, Dawlish stood and said, "The Ministry would like to question George Epps."

The boy looked decidedly ill. Dawlish procured a chair while the boy was making his way forward.

As soon as George was seated, Scrimgeour asked, "Mr. Epps, can you tell us what you saw in the dungeon the night Anna was murdered?"

"I was looking for Anna and went to the dungeons. When I got there, he," George glanced at Severus, "was kneeling on the ground. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but he moved and I saw blood on his hands. I decided I didn't want to get in trouble a third time, so I left."

"How certain are you that the person you saw was Professor Snape?"

"One hundred percent. I've had to look at him for years in class. It couldn't have been anyone else."

"Mr. Epps, did you see the person's face that was kneeling in the dungeons?" Ernie asked.

"No, but I saw the rest of him. It was him; I know it."

"Without seeing his face, you can be one hundred percent certain that the man you saw was Severus Snape?"

"Yes, well... yes. I've already told you."

"One last question for you, Mr. Epps. In your opinion, did Severus Snape have motive to harm Anna Bloom?"

"He hated her. He always picked on her in class; he always took points from us outside of class, too."

"Outside of class means out after curfew," Severus interjected.

"He always belittled her and told her she was not worth the dirt on his boots," George continued with conviction.

"All right, thank you, George. We have heard enough."

"One moment, please," Ernie said before George could stand.

"Mr. Epps, did Professor Snape reserve these comments just for Anna, or did he say them to others as well?"

"He would say things to the others but nothing like what he would say to her."

"Can you give us an example of the differences?"

"He always called Anna 'an annoying excuse for a Gryffindor', but would just call others dunderheads."

Hermione thought that she'd been called worse by him when she was a student, but decided that saying so would probably not help matters.

"Now, we thank you, Mr. Epps. You may step down."

Dawlish stood again and said, "Next, the Ministry calls Lucius Malfoy."

Lucius Malfoy walked as if he were king of the world. With a nod to Rufus Scrimgeour, Lucius took the seat that George had just vacated.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have been called to give testimony against Professor Severus Snape. What pertinent information do you have?" Scrimgeour said.

"Well, I was at Hogwarts the night little Anna was murdered. I am actually the person that George Epps saw with the blood on his hands." Here Lucius looked apologetically at George. "I had been on the grounds, waiting for Severus to finish his rounds, but missed him entering his chambers for what I thought was the night. I had already arranged to stay the night due to the fact that my business would have taken a long time. I took it upon myself to cast a charm on the door to Severus's chambers that would alert me when he left his rooms. Much to my surprise, the charm went off in the early morning hours. Thinking something was wrong, I went to investigate. And, clear as day, there was Severus. I hoped he would notice me so we could get our business over with, but he paid me no heed. Not thinking much of it, I set the charm to let me know of his return and went back to bed. At four o'clock, I heard a commotion outside my door. I was staying in the dungeons, of course. I threw on my robes and went into the corridor. Because of the chill in the dungeons, I pulled a hood over my head. I was shocked to see Severus crouched over the form of what, at one time, was a young girl. He took one look at me and went into his chambers. He warded the door, but I didn't notice anything except for the girl at my feet. I dropped to my knees and checked for a pulse. In the process, I got her blood on my hands. It must have been at that moment that poor George Epps came down the hall." Lucius fell silent after another look at George.

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy," Scrimgeour said in a hardened voice.

"Wait, sir. Mr. Malfoy, where exactly were your rooms located?" Hermione interjected.

"Directly across from the first unused classroom in the dungeons."

"Oh, so you were staying on the crime scene, then?"

"That was where I saw Severus and the girl, yes."

"Why, Mr. Malfoy, did you not report your findings right away? The Headmistress didn't even know you were in the castle that night." Hermione looked triumphant. 'I want to see Lucius talk himself out of this one,' she thought fiercely.

"Madam Snape, I know that if I had lingered, I would have been more of a suspect than the actual perpetrator. Using that knowledge, I chose to leave the scene without reporting the incident."

"So to save your own guilty neck, you left a mutilated body to be found by the next unlucky person? Mr. Malfoy, that is even cruel by your standards," Hermione said with malice.

"You have no idea how cruel I can be, Hermione," Lucius practically purred in return.

"Enough! You will both keep past grievances and histories out of my courtroom," Scrimgeour bellowed, trying to regain control of the situation.

With one last look at Lucius, Hermione sat down.

As she was sitting, Ernie stood up and said, "Mr. Malfoy, if you were the one that George Epps saw, and you had blood on your hands, what is to say that you didn't commit this crime?"

"Are you accusing me of something?" Lucius asked, his lip curling into what could have been a smirk.

"Perhaps. Mr. Malfoy, why don't you answer the question?"

"I had nothing against the girl. I would have no cause to hurt the innocent child."

Hermione stood again and addressed Lucius, "How do you explain away all of the acts that you committed while in Tom Riddle's service? Did you have cause to hurt all of those innocent people?"

"No charges were every brought up against me for those crimes. I was in Azkaban Prison for most of the last war. Sir, I don't see how this is relevant," Lucius said this last statement to Scrimgeour, who looked mildly annoyed.

"If you have no more relevant questions, Mrs. Snape? No? Mr. Malfoy, you may step down."

"The Ministry has no more witnesses. Mr. Macmillan, is there anyone you would like to call?"

"Yes, sir. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall is called on behalf of Severus Snape."

Minerva made her way to the same chair the others had used.

"Headmistress, would you please tell us about Severus Snape's reaction to hearing of Anna Bloom's murder?"

"Certainly. I broke the news to them the morning Anna's body was found. Both Hermione and Severus were shocked into silence; Hermione actually recovered first. Professor Snape reacted as anyone receiving a great shock would have."

"Professor McGonagall," Scrimgeour interrupted, "isn't Severus considered the foremost Occlumens in Europe?"

"Well, yes, but I don't see how that's relevant."

"He was able to convincingly lie to either He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or Albus Dumbledore. Both of these men were very powerful wizards, trained in Legilimency. Did it not occur to you that he might have been faking his reaction?"

"No, it didn't. Occlumency is all well and good, but it doesn't prevent people from reacting to surprising news," Minerva replied with finality.

"Thank you for your expertise, Headmistress. If there are no further questions?" Scrimgeour looked pointedly at Hermione. "Very well, Headmistress, you may step down. It is time for us to deliberate."

"Wait, sir! We have one more witness. We would like to call Draco Malfoy on behalf of Severus Snape."

A rush of whispers permeated the courtroom as Draco made his way to the chair the others had vacated. He was dressed elegantly in black robes that were obviously expensive. His hair was short and neatly done. Hermione noticed a grace that he never had managed in school.

Once Draco was in his seat, Ernie asked, "Why have you decided to speak on the professor's behalf?"

"I owe him more than can ever be repaid, even from a Malfoy."

"You are here as more than a simple character witness. What information do you have?"

"Oh, but I am a character witness. I won't say that Severus couldn't have done this, but I will say that he didn't. The murder was not his style. The professor never did like to have blood on his hands. There was always too much of a chance that he could contaminate a potion. If he had committed this murder there would have been no evidence. Keep in mind that Severus Snape is a Potions master. Poisons are his forte. Brutality and savagery are beneath him." As Draco spoke, he kept looking at his father. Hermione wondered if anyone else had noticed that quirk.

"Can you say for certain that this murder was not Severus Snape's style?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We were both involved in circumstances where we had to witness the other doing unspeakable things. This murder was not the professor's doing."

After a pause, Dawlish stood up and addressed Draco, "These unfortunate circumstances, as you called them, didn't happen to be while you were both in You-Know-Who's service, would they?"

"Neither of us was in his service, though we were in his camp."

"Oh, that's right. You couldn't be initiated until you murdered Albus Dumbledore, but your good friend, the professor, got you out of that as well. Mr. Malfoy, how do we know that you wouldn't say anything to repay a favor?"

"I'm not so insincere to use my good standing," the words dripped with sarcasm, "to repay a favor."

The tension between Draco and Dawlish was almost unbearable. Scrimgeour cleared his throat, and it brought the two men back to themselves.

"I have no more questions for this loathsome wretch."

"Dawlish, mind your tone in my courtroom. I will not allow any such behavior," he said, looking at Dawlish. Turning back to Draco, he finished, "Mr. Malfoy, you may step down. Are there any more witnesses?" Scrimgeour glanced from Ernie and Hermione to Dawlish. "No? Very well, we shall deliberate."

As soon as the words left his mouth, what seemed like a roar swept the room as the members of the crowd turned and discussed what had just happened.

Hermione had been watching her husband throughout the entire questioning. He had barely moved since the chains had fastened around his arms and legs. The most movement she had noticed was during Lucius Malfoy's testimony. Severus had clearly been restraining himself from talking. Hermione was still wondering when all of the whispering in the courtroom stopped. Looking up at Rufus Scrimgeour, Hermione saw him gathering papers together. She wanted to watch Severus but knew that seeing the votes was more important.

"The Wizengamot has deliberated." Scrimgeour looked behind him to make sure everyone was ready.

"All in favor of clearing Severus Snape?"

A few people raised their hands. Hermione's heart broke. All she could do was stare at the people who hadn't raised their hands.

"And those in favor of conviction?"

The rest of the Wizengamot raised their hands. She couldn't believe it. People had to know he wouldn't have done this, especially for the motive that was given. She didn't realize tears were rolling down her face until Ernie handed her a handkerchief. She took it but continued to let the tears fall.

At long last, Hermione forced herself to look at Severus. He had let his head fall forward so his face was obscured by his hair. It was a sign of total defeat.

As if feeling Hermione's gaze, his head snapped up and his eyes met hers. If Hermione thought she was too numb to feel anything else, she's been mistaken. The look of defeat in his eyes practically tore her soul apart.

The guards who had led Severus in were placing his hands into chains again. A tap from one of them and the chair removed its shackles.

Ernie placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, but she didn't really notice. The only thing she could comprehend was the feel of her world crashing around her. Ernie shook her shoulder, and finally, she looked at him.

"Hermione, I can't imagine how you feel, but we have to go. Once we get back to Hogwarts, we can start working on an appeal."

That last part cut through the fog in her mind. 'An appeal!' she thought. She moved to stand up, but her legs didn't want to support her. With Ernie's help, they managed to make it out of the courtroom and back to Hogwarts.

Author's Notes: This story is based off of events in Leo Frank's life.

As always, reviews and feedback are welcomed and appreciated.