The Death of a Soul

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Chapter Thirty Four

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For hours upon hours, Severus Snape and Madam Amelia Bones argued heatedly and there was no sign of either of them relenting.

While it was true that Amelia was willing to listen to Snape's explanations of his Life-Debt and how he didn’t feel that he had in anyway intentionally caused harm to Harry, it became very clear to Snape that she was merely listening because that was what was required of her and not because she actually believed him or wanted to believe him. Nor did she appear to have any inclination to agree with his motives or his reasons.

He continued on, however, determined that he would be able to convince her if she would just be willing to try.

Snape's justification for his Life-Debt was that the Expelliarmus spell was intended for Voldemort so it would have given Harry the advantage over the Dark Lord, but Voldemort had moved at the last minute and he unintentionally struck Harry. However, since it could not be proven that Harry might have thrown the first Avada Kedavra, there was still the possibility that Snape had protected Harry from Voldemort’s. Madam Bones insisted that it wasn’t relevant now simply because, for whatever reason, Harry had survived and was able to administer the Killing Curse and therefore Snape’s actions were of no consequence. Snape then argued that if it was of no consequence, why was he still being interrogated and why weren’t the charges being dismissed?

A long, intense and awkward silence fell over the room and it appeared that Amelia was seriously contemplating Snape's argument and information. It gave him momentary hope – until she spoke.

She asked him in a direct manner what he considered his justification was for lying to the entire Wizarding World – not to mention the Ministry – regarding the demise of Lord Voldemort. The question caught Snape off-guard. Seeing there was no immediate answer, she then asked him if he honestly thought he could have hidden this fact from everyone and what his excuse would have been if the truth became known.

Again Snape was silent.

She then asked him if he felt his actions were justified for the simple reason that Voldemort was dead and he would have felt that it wouldn’t have mattered. She leaned forward and asked him what he intended to do if the truth became known. What lie would he use?

Madam Bones smugly sat back in her chair and waited for the answers that she knew would never come. And she was right because Snape sat there, tightlipped and scowling. Since she had made her point, she reached over to the tall stack of parchments and began going over the lists of charges. Snape remained quiet until it came to the details of the Life-Debt.

Snape declared once again that who the hex hit first was irrelevant because Harry Potter was alive because of him and there was no evidence from what he could remember that Voldemort was in fact dead.

The room instantly became deafening at the sudden silence. Madam Bones grit her teeth and glared at him. In return, Snape sank into the chair, scowled and reciprocated her expression. The two sat opposite each other, both locked in their conviction. Finally, Amelia closed her eyes and sighed. There was only one way to be certain. And Snape knew it, as well. He would have to supply her and the rest of Ministry officials with a pensieve - the first one had mysteriously vanished - that would settle it once and for all. It was either that, or have it taken by force. The former was a better option.

Snape was ushered into what was called a ‘secure room’ by Madam Bones. Secure for Snape's safety. There were rumours already that there were some who did not care if Snape was innocent or not. They just wanted him dead. The Ministry vehemently denied the rumour, of course.

Once inside the room, so began the tedious task of drawing out Snape's memories.

The first of many.


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As soon as Healer Graham was called in, he immediately began to watch Snape, as well as Harry while they slept for similitude. He needed to know if the bond they held would be interrupted or damaged. Both held looks of concentration, followed by suggestive movements and then when they both awoke, they screamed in anguish.

Perhaps it was a mistake to have separated them.

Graham shook his head at that. No, there must be a reason that they were expressing the same reactions. There must be. He desperately wanted to question Harry on why he was afraid when he woke up. Was it because he longed for Snape and was traumatised when he wasn’t there in the morning? Was it because Snape had sexually abused him?

On the morning of Harry's third day, Healer Graham got his answer and he cursed himself for being so blind.


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Harry Potter woke up in hysterics as he had done for the past two days. But this morning was different. The dream he had was different. Only it wasn’t a dream. It was real. It had to be. How else could he explain the wetness lying on his stomach? The intense feeling of orgasm that was given to him by a strong hand. Snape was in the room. He knew it.

Harry jumped out of bed and screamed, “Come out, you bastard! I know you're here!”

When there was no answer, Harry flung the sheets off the bed in a rage and yelled again.

“Why can't you just leave me alone? Why can't you just … why can't you …” he whispered, voice fading.

Harry slunk to the floor and covered his head.

“Please. Just leave me alone,” he whimpered.


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Miles away, Snape woke up with a smile on his face before jumping out of bed and yelling, “Harry, come back to me!”


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In another room, Healer Alexander Graham hung his head and sighed. This was going to be more complicated than he had originally thought.


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The second night in his small cell was just as much agony for Snape as the first. The dream he had had was even more realistic and more vivid. He woke up screaming like the night before, but this time he was convinced that he wouldn’t be able to survive another night without his husband. He was sure that somehow, the bond that they shared, demanded that they had to be together and by being separated, it would cause immediate death for both.

It didn’t even enter Snape's mind that it was because he missed his husband - it wasn’t even a factor.

And so, on that third day, Snape was beyond reason. He had to get Harry back. Now! Snape was at the point of becoming hysterical. He insisted to anyone that was listening – which he knew that they were – that there would be serious consequences if he and his husband were not re-united immediately.

His demands were ignored.

That night Snape knew he would be unable to sleep without the comfort of his husband’s presence. He paced his cell frantically, too afraid to sleep only to have to wake up alone.

In the afternoon of the fourth day, Snape was called in for the Ministry official’s decision. He was confident that he had ‘won’.


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Over fifteen Aurors and Ministry officials were called in. They intently studied the collected vision of the night Voldemort allegedly perished, trying to determine if Severus Snape had indeed 'saved' Harry Potter's life or not. They each did so separately so to prevent being influenced by another’s opinion. When they re-grouped, there were a few minor discrepancies on whether or not Voldemort had merely vanished or if indeed he was destroyed, so the seconds in question were analysed over and over once again.

By the end of three days, they had come to a unanimous conclusion.


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One: Lord Voldemort was in fact dead.

Two: By inflicting the Expelliarmus Spell on Harry - whether intentionally or not - Severus Snape had prevented him from receiving Voldemort's Killing Curse thus saving him, for Harry's was a fraction of a second behind.


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Once Snape had joined the large group of Ministry officials and Madam Bones, the first order of business was to go over was the charges against him for deceiving the entire Wizarding World regarding Voldemort's death. He, of course, was found guilty and the charges remained. For that crime alone, Snape would have received the Dementor's Kiss.

However there was only one obstacle that prevented it from occurring.

The possibility of a bond between Harry Potter and Severus Snape.

Snape took that opportunity to argue his case that the Life-Debt was validated and warranted. He was silenced instantly with a wave of a wand. It wasn’t his place to argue.

The next question was whether or not Snape's actions would have earned him a Life-Debt.

It was deemed that yes, they would have. However, in Snape's Life-Debt, it stated that it was only to be used for Harry's safety, as well as his own from Lord Voldemort. But Voldemort was dead, and Snape knew this at the time so the whole contract was a lie. Because of this, the Life-Debt and the marriage of convenience were terminated.

The Ministry now had to determine exactly what was to be done with Snape. His crimes did warrant a life time stay in Azkaban and/or the Dementors Kiss, but they had to consider once again the possibility of a bond between Harry Potter and Severus Snape.

Was a bond still in place now that the Life-Debt and the marriage contract was dissolved? How would they know for sure that it was still there? What type of bond was it? Which event caused the bond? What kind of tests would they have to perform to determine it? If it was discovered that a bond was still in effect, would it have an impact on Harry if Snape was to be administered the dreaded Kiss? And what if Snape was to be sent to Azkaban? Would that affect Harry and in what way?

Finally, and more importantly, could the bond be broken at all?

For assistance, they called in Healer Alexander Graham.

Healer Graham stated that since he was unable to determine at present the appropriate answer, it would indeed be a danger to Harry Potter if anything was to happen to Severus Snape and if anything did happen, it could directly or indirectly affect him.

Snape was then moved to St Mungo’s.


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After the Life-Debt and the marriage were both nullified, Healer Graham watched the two of them carefully as they slept. There was no difference. No significant difference anyway.

The bond was still there.

It was diminishing though, which was promising. The longer they were apart, the less intense were their reactions. It gave Graham a little hope. Not much - but a little. He wasn’t a specialist in bonds, so it would take time to research and find the correct one, but he knew one thing for certain:

Snape needed counseling as much as Harry did. Perhaps more.


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Snape was ecstatic to learn he would be nearer to his husband and demanded that they be re-united once he was there. His request was denied. Healer Graham informed him that he had to observe the two of them separately before making any rash decisions. And he explained to Snape that if he felt that there was any danger to the bond or to each of them, he would consider placing the two of them together, but only if he was confident that both parties would be safe and the bond would be unaffected.

In truth, Graham felt it would only traumatise Harry further.

In the meantime, Healer Graham ordered that Snape’s pensieve was to be collected. It took several hours to extract it and it would be many days to sift through it because it contained everything within the last four months.

After the memories were retrieved, Snape was left alone for ten days in a small, modest room.


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It was day two at St Mungo’s and day six away from Harry. Snape knew he would be able to handle the days alone, but the nights…?

The first day here he had time to reflect on everything that had happened to him until now and he took great pride in knowing that they were never going to send him to Azkaban or make him receive the Dementor’s Kiss. He knew the bond was still in effect. He couldn’t explain exactly how he knew; only that he did.

Perhaps it was because of his dreams. He could ‘feel’ his husband. He could almost smell him on his body after waking from the dream sex. Or maybe it was because of the way he could sense his husband’s emotions. They were strong. His husband was afraid. His husband wasn’t just afraid – he was terrified. Snape wished he could run to him and tell him everything would be all right. Tell him how much he loved him. How much he needed him.

How much he wanted him.

Damn them for taking his husband away from him! They had no right! Contract or not, marriage or not, Harry was his!

“You cannot deny me forever! Harry belongs to me!” Snape shouted to the empty room.


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