Forsaken
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
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Adult +
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Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,183
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Everyone Wants Justice
Chapter 49- Everyone Wants Justice
Severus exhaled slowly, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He smoothed down the front of his black robes - not formal, not slumming robes, but nice. Sophisticated. Damning.
“Shit,” he whispered to himself. He held his hands out in front of him, glaring at the slight shaking of his fingers. He started violently at the knock on the door.
“What?” he snapped. He flicked his wand into his hand and bound his hair back from his face as Kingsley stuck his head in the door.
“Hey,” said Kingsley.
“Get in or get out,” snarled Severus, checking his hair in the mirror. Kingsley walked inside, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. He watched as Severus smoothed down his robes again.
“You changed your mind on the blue,” said Kingsley brightly. Severus cut his eyes at the door.
“Don’t patronize me,” said Severus silkily. “When I get sentenced, I’d rather have a nice set of robes that will last a while, not ones that will fall apart embarrassingly while I rot in hell.”
“Oh, you’re going to be lovely in Courtroom ten,” said Kingsley, flicking some lint off his Auror robes.
“Did you come here to say something in particular?” asked Severus in exasperation. “Because you’re just getting on my last nerve.”
“I came up here to tell you we’re leaving in ten minutes,” said Kingsley quietly. Severus’s faced paled as he fished for his pocket watch.
“Damn it!” he hissed. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and quickly lit one, proceeding to pace a ditch in the floor. He pulled the cigarette away from his lips and pointed at Kingsley.
“I’m having second thoughts here,” he said, frowning slightly. Kingsley snorted and shook his head.
“Then you shouldn’t have told Harry,” said Kingsley. “He’s chomping at the bit downstairs, arranging his notes.”
“Notes?” repeated Severus, arching an eyebrow.
“Copious notes,” said Kingsley, grinning. Severus rubbed his eyes.
“This is going to be a circus,” he muttered.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Ten minutes before ten o’clock, the phone booth descended once again to the Atrium level. The reporters raised their cameras and edged closer to the barricades that had been erected earlier that morning. A half squadron of Aurors stood at attention along the inside of the barrier, wands drawn, their eyes scanning ceaselessly over the fidgeting crowd. The other half of the squadron stood near the lift, waiting to escort the defendant of the most publicized trial in Wizarding history down to Courtroom ten.
“Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic,” droned a bored female voice as the phone booth door opened, revealing two hooded and cloaked men, both dressed in the darkest of blacks. Their hoods covered most of their faces and shielded them from the blinding light from the many camera flashbulbs. The room exploded in babble, the reporters jostling for position as Harry and Severus made their way towards the Aurors. They said nothing, each caught up in their own thoughts - memories of the past six months. Was that all - a measly six months? One hundred and eighty days filled with fear, worry, obsessive dedication and grief? And now -- now they were free, left with the hollow emptiness of peace.
As they approached, one of the Aurors stepped forward and conjured a pair of manacles. Severus froze.
“Those will not be necessary,” said Harry quietly.
“I’m afraid they are, Mr. Potter,” said the Auror tersely. “By order of the Minister of Magic.”
“Bastard,” muttered Harry, crossing his arms as the Auror roughly snapped the handcuffs around Severus’s wrists. Severus vision swirled as violent pain shot up from his left hand as the Auror thoughtlessly grasped it as he locked the cuff. Several Aurors stepped up and firmly grabbed Severus’s arms, pulling him towards fast towards the staircase door. Harry rolled his eyes and flicked his wand into his hand. Five seconds later, twelve Aurors lay stunned on the ground.
“Anyone else care to take a nap with these idiots?” asked Harry. At the stunned silence that had blanketed the entire Atrium, he shook his head slightly. He stepped over and vanished the handcuffs on Severus’s hands.
“I doubt this will help our case any,” said Severus evenly, readjusting the black glove on his left hand.
“The Minister can go fuck himself and his handcuffs,” said Harry bitterly. “Let’s go. They get testy when you’re late.”
“And you’d know this because?” asked Severus quietly, smiling despite the seriousness of the situation.
“I wasn’t late on purpose,” said Harry defensively. “They changed the location and time the morning of and expected me to -“ he glanced over at Severus and yanked his hood back over his head.
“Oh, shut up.”
~+~
Percy nervously straightened the pile of parchment in front of him. He frowned slightly and pulled a folder towards him, flipping through it in nervousness. He quickly scanned some of the content of the first page.
Transcript of Trial 34679: November 4, 1981
Defendant: Severus Drystan-Kai Snape
Age: 22
Charges: Conspiracy, treason, alliance with group known commonly as ‘Death Eaters’
Charges brought forth by Bartemius Crouch, Sr., Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Corps
Percy moved his eyes down the page as a few stragglers crammed into the seats surrounding the room.
…detailed evidence as to the defendant’s participation in many atrocious crimes against wizardkind. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore vouched for all of these activities, stating that the defendant was acting as a double agent for the resistance group headed by Dumbledore. Physical evidence of the defendant’s participation in said group could not be provided. Additional written testimony submitted by Professor Minerva B. McGonagall, Auror Alastor V. Moody, Remus J. Lupin, Sirius O. Black, Elphias K. Doge, and Auror C. Emmeline Vance in support of the defendant.
He started slightly as the door to Courtroom ten opened, the hinges squealing loudly. He caught Fred’s gaze from where he and the rest of the Weasleys sat and nodded once.
Severus walked steadily towards the single chair positioned in the middle of the room. His palms began sweating at the sight of those blasted chains sitting almost innocently at the chair’s feet. Oh God, he was going to be sick - just the thought of being held down, restrained, unable to move at all.
He hadn’t realized he had stopped moving until Harry put a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” asked Harry softly, his brows constricted in worry at Severus’s abnormally pale face.
“I’m fine,” said Severus shakily, waving him off. “Fine.”
“You’re late,” said a haughty voice above them. “Almost five minutes, to be precise.”
“Well, your welcoming party wasn’t exactly being hospitable, Minister,” said Harry kindly, trying his best to channel Dumbledore’s calm and cool aloofness. “I’m sure you’ll forgive us having to wade through the pack of reporters and Aurors barring our entrance.”
Severus gingerly sat down in the chair, gripping the right arm of it tightly. His feelings of panic tripled as he felt the shackles close around his ankles and heard the chains rattle as they snaked up the sides of the chair. He squeezed his eyes shut, his mind whirling around memories he’d suppressed for years.
He hadn’t meant to break the plate. The soap had made it slick and it just slipped from his hand. That would have been bad enough. But then, somehow, the plate had flew back together as soon as he jumped off the chair he was standing on and reached for the first piece. That was what had made Dad so furious.
“You little freak!” snarled Tobias, grabbing Severus’s arm painfully hard. “You’re just like her. Worthless.” Severus could smell the drink on him. He glanced over and saw his mother watching, tears streaming down her bruised face as she sat slumped against the wall. Tobias dragged him from the room.
Severus tried to pull away, once actually breaking free of his father’s grip. He only made it three feet before Tobias reached out for a handful of Severus’s long hair and pulled.
“You and your girly hair,” mumbled Tobias hatefully, pulling Severus down the basement steps. “I’ll beat that magic right out of you. Leena’ll be devastated her precious little Drystan-Kai won’t be able to go to that special school for freaks and weirdoes like her.”
If there was anything that Tobias Snape was good at, it was tying knots in rope. The man had worked down at the docks since he was fourteen. Severus could feel his wrists burning from the rope biting into his skin.
No, thought Severus, his eyes still tightly shut as he tried to free his arms. He could hear screaming echoing off the walls and struggled harder, not realizing the screaming was his own. He felt a vial at his lips and nearly choked on the cool liquid that was forced down his throat. The potion took effect immediately, calming him enough to allow him to open his eyes and see Minerva’s frightened face before him.
“it’s alright, Severus,” she whispered, brushing a strand of hair stuck to his sweaty face out of his eyes. She tapped her wand against the metal, releasing him from the chair’s grip. “Take nice, slow breaths. That’s it. Nice and slow.” Severus shuddered, his eyes darting madly around the room as he got his bearings once again.
“His merinthophobia is in every medical report in that file!” shouted Harry, pointing his finger up at the piles of parchment before Scrimgeour. “I’ve got the same copy of it sitting on my kitchen table! If this sort of ridiculous sabotage continues, I will take my guardian and flee the country.”
“You would be indicted and convicted of treason, Mr. Potter,” said an old witch from the second row.
“There are worse things done in the name of justice,” said Harry hatefully, glaring at Scrimgeour. He drew his wand and casually flicked it, conjuring a comfortable leather chair.
“Severus, sit there,” he said quietly. Severus gave Minerva a tiny nod and stood up. He could feel his knees shaking still, the adrenaline leaving his body drenched in cold sweat. Minerva gave Harry a warning look, to which Harry replied with a rueful grin and nodded as he sat down in the defendant’s chair. Minerva slipped the empty vial of Calming Draught into her pocket and walked towards her seat in the front row of the stands.
“You can start now,” said Harry graciously, conjuring a cup of water for Severus.
“Thank Merlin,” muttered Scrimgeour loudly. “Criminal hearing of the seventh of January, into offenses committed against the Articles of Treason by Severus Drystan-Kai Snape, resident at -“ Scrimgeour flipped over a sheet of parchment. “Weasley, you were supposed to have everything ready for me.”
“Sir, his residence was blown apart during the Auror’s raid,” said Percy coldly. “There is no record of his residence since then.” Scrimgeour sighed.
“Fine, no matter,” he said tersely. “Interrogators: Rufus Kathel Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic; Anastasia Yasmina Vance, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement -“ Harry glanced over at Severus, who leaned over slightly.
“Emmeline’s mother,” he whispered. Harry sighed softly and leaned back in his chair.
“-Weasley, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Court Scribe, Madison Nicole Flint. Does the defendant have any witnesses?”
“Of course,” said Harry, “but I’m not about to continue until you get a Court Scribe who isn’t a Death Eater in here to record things properly.” He turned towards Madison Flint’s shocked face. “Miss Flint, if you’d be so kind as to leave the room, I’m sure one of the many Aurors in the corridor would be glad to assist you in finding a suitable holding cell.”
“Flint,” growled Moody from the side of the room, his wand pointed at her. “You are under arrest for conspiring with the enemy and treason against the State. Come quietly or we will use force.”
“This is outrageous!” shouted a voice from the stands. “Who in the bloody -“ there were a few shouts of indignation as Marcus Flint was stunned and fell into the crowd. Neville stood up from where he sat behind Flint and levitated Flint over to where Moody was handing off Madison to Dawlish and Robards.
“Take that with you too,” said Neville calmly, retaking his seat next to Pansy.
“Potter, I will have decorum in my courtroom!” snarled Scrimgeour, jumping up from his seat.
“It isn’t your courtroom, Minister,” said Severus calmly, his mind clearing thanks to the potion. “The populace has granted you borrowing privileges due to your position.”
“Can we get down to business, please?” said a man in the second row of shadows high above Severus and Harry.
“I second,” said Vance from the front row. “This is ridiculous. Sit down, Rufus.” Scrimgeour slammed himself down in his seat and rearranged some sheets of parchment.
“What was your residence prior to the Auror raid?” asked Scrimgeour coldly.
“47 Spinner’s End, Liverpool, Merseyside,” answered Severus. “I had that house from the time I began working for Albus until your goons blew it to pieces, nearly along with myself and three children.”
“Who?” asked Scrimgeour skeptically.
“Myself, Neville Longbottom and Caitlyn Moon,” said Harry, pulling a few sheets of parchment from his pocket. He flipped through his notes and stopped on the third page. “Neville and Cate apparated out once Severus lowered the Anti-Apparition wards he had around his home for personal defense. I apparated in and got him out of the house safely.”
“So you’re admitting to aiding and abetting a known murderer?” declared Scrimgeour triumphantly.
“I’m not on trial here, Minister,” countered Harry, “though I’m free later this afternoon. Next question, please.”
“Were you or were you not a member of Dumbledore’s secret society of resistance fighters?” asked Vance, looking down at Severus over the tops of her spectacles.
“Yes, I’m a member of the Order of the Phoenix,” said Severus. “The Fidelius is such that each member can state their own membership, but cannot state the name of any other member. We have a select group within the Order who oversees all information flow and presentation, of which I have been a member since the fall of 1980.”
“And what was your role, precisely, as a member of this more select group?” asked a witch sitting next to Vance. Severus could feel Harry’s eyes on him, but keep his gaze on the woman’s face.
“My job was to bring Death Eater intelligence from the Inner Circle of the Dark Lord’s gatherings back to Albus and the rest of the Council,” he said evenly. “I took the Mark when I was seventeen, but I turned spy at the age of 21. Due to my loyal service for that time, the Dark Lord continued to trust me with certain information that I would then pass on to the Order to do with what they willed.”
“Do you have any examples of what kinds of information you passed?” asked Vance, dipping a quill in an ink jar in front of her.
“Various plots to murder people of importance,” said Severus, already tired of this prying. “Former Minister Bagnold, Remus Lupin, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Emmeline Vance, Lily and James Potter, Elphias Doge, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Minerva Mc -“
“We get the point, Snape,” interrupted Scrimgeour. Severus clenched his jaw and took a deep breath.
“I also passed information detailing both breaks on Azkaban prison,” he added tersely, “as well as the plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore.”
“Which you completed,” said Scrimgeour smugly. “Did you not?” The room fell even quieter than before.
“Yes,” said Severus softly. “I did.” Harry opened his mouth, but froze when Severus raised his hand and gave him a significant look. He understood in his mind why Severus was doing this, but his heart fought against that rationale with every fiber of his being.
“And did you not also kill Voldemort?” asked Vance, ignoring the collective shudder that rippled through half the room. Severus bowed his head slightly.
“Yes,” said Severus, his eyes glazed over in thought as those red eyes flashed through his mind once again. But the fear and anxiety - they were gone. He looked back up at Vance, his eyes fierce.
“You’re damn right I killed him,” said Severus intensely. The Wizengamot exploded in hissing whispers.
After a few moments, the murmuring of the crowd at Severus’s statement died down. Harry returned his gaze to Scrimgeour’s blank face, daring him to say something to the contrary. The fact of the matter was he had seen Severus kill Voldemort. He had been present, along with another fifteen or twenty members of the Ministry, all of whom were highly respected and held top positions within their departments. Harry and Kingsley had even gotten a few of them to submit statements testifying to the events they saw.
The real issue here was Dumbledore. Harry glanced back over his list of people who were willing to testify, but he knew none of them would say that Severus hadn’t killed Dumbledore, even if Severus hadn’t already admitted doing it.
“Why did you do it?” asked a quiet voice from the back corner of the Wizengamot seats. “Why did you kill Albus, then betray the one for whom you did it?”
“The task had been given to Draco Malfoy,” said Severus, forcing his voice to stay steady, “my godson. His mother had also been informed of the boy’s task, so she came to me for help, as she knew Draco would most likely fail his task and be killed. I was the highest ranking Death Eater within the Inner Circle at the time. I didn’t know the specifics of the task, but Narcissa gave me enough clues for me to have a pretty good idea. In order to maintain my cover as a Death Eater, I was forced to swear an Unbreakable Vow to her, pledging to -“
“An illegal Unbreakable Vow,” interjected Scrimgeour, a smug grin creeping across his face.
“With your kind permission, I’d like to finish answering the question,” said Severus silkily. Harry bit the inside of his lip, hearing not a few snorts of laughter from the crowd behind him.
“As I was saying,” said Severus, the pounding in his temple increasing with every second. “I pledged to complete the boy’s task in the event that Draco failed. Albus had suffered an injury due to his destruction of one of the Dark Lord’s Horcruxes. My potions were simply keeping him alive; I could do nothing to save his life. We discussed a plan to have myself kill Albus, therefore saving Draco from doing it and ending the painful existence Albus was living with every day. We thought that Albus’s death would save Draco’s life, despite the boy not casting the curse. We were wrong. Draco was tortured and killed by the Dark Lord in front of myself and his mother, who then committed suicide upon her return to Malfoy Manor.”
“You should have Auror Shacklebolt’s report of the incident in front of you,” said Harry, fumbling through his own stack of parchments. He sighed in frustration and flicked his wand, conjuring a small table in front of him along with a steaming pot of tea and a cup. He placed the parchment on the table and poured some tea, handing the cup to Severus. Severus shook his head and took a small sip.
“Yes, we have it,” said Vance, skimming over the parchment quickly. “So how did you renew your contacts within the Order, Mr. Snape? Clearly you did so.”
“My first attempt was an anonymous tip as to the break on Azkaban prison last summer,” said Severus. “I passed that information on to Kingsley Shacklebolt the day of the attack. He thought it was a hoax or someone trying to suss out Phoenixers for a massacre, so he disregarded it. The prison was breached, which caused Kingsley to question where the information had come from. Since I was the only one within the Circle who was in contact with the Order previously, he approached me in order to ascertain my loyalties.”
“Auror Shacklebolt,” said Vance commandingly, “are you in the room?” Kingsley walked forward from where he was standing guard by the door with Moody, stopping next to Severus’s chair.
“Do you agree with Snape’s account of what happened?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” said Kingsley. “Every bit of it.”
“Realize that by your admission, you are incriminating yourself of aiding and abetting a known criminal in addition to breaking the Auror’s Oath you took upon graduating from the Auror Academy,” said Vance, staring down at Kingsley intensely. Kingsley bowed his head a little and grinned half-heartedly.
“I also disobeyed a direct order from my superior Council members in the Order,” he added ruefully. “But I did make contact with Severus back in June. We were able to make contact with Harry, who then lived with Severus until term started. Over the summer, Severus’s position with the Council continued as it was before Dumbledore’s death. He passed all Death Eater intelligence to our members, who then were able to take the appropriate precautions.”
“You also say in your report that you still suffered losses,” said a nasally voice to Percy’s left.
“And you suffered losses before Albus’s death as well, did you not?” asked Vance, her voice wavering ever so slightly. Kingsley swallowed thickly, glancing at Severus’s bowed head beside him.
“We did,” said Kingsley softly, “but not due to lack of information. Every member of the Order knows that they could be killed in the line of duty. We have had many losses in our history. It never deterred us from the task at hand, which was to defeat Voldemort. None of those lives were sacrificed in vain.”
“Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt, that will be all,” said Vance curtly. Kingsley nodded once and walked back to the door to man his post.
Severus’s eyes glazed over, thinking back to that day Harry had come back to the house, drenched in Lupin’s blood. He glanced down at his cup and slowly swirled his tea as various member of the Wizengamot spoke amongst themselves. He was tired of this already. He looked over at the huge clock on the wall.
10:37. And a half. God, I’m tired. He reached up to rub a hand over his face, but stopped at seeing the black glove over his hand. He glanced over and leaned towards Harry, who looked vexed.
“Your face will freeze that way,” he teased softly. “Just look at me.” Harry snorted quietly.
“Yeah,” said Harry. He sobered a little and met Severus’s gaze, his worry clearly evident. “We’re not going to win this, are we?”
“Depends on your definition of ‘win’,” said Severus. His stomach flipped a little at his own words, the fear of prison beating against his mind. What’s done is done, he thought, watching as Harry slumped a little in his chair and ran a hand through his black hair. Severus smiled a little to himself, noticing the way in which Harry sat reminded him very vividly of Lily when she was deep in thought.
“Is there anything the defendant would like to add?” asked Scrimgeour loudly.
“Uh, yeah,” said Harry, quickly shuffling through his paperwork. “We’d like to begin calling our witnesses up to -“
“Mr. Potter,” said Vance kindly, “if we have a written statement, we don’t need to hear them repeat it.”
“Oh,” said Harry quietly, his anxiety increasing. “Of course. Well, you have everything you need then.”
“What in the -“ muttered Scrimgeour, holding up a sheet of parchment. He turned sharply towards Percy, who purposely ignored him.
“What in the hell is this, Weasley?” ground out Scrimgeour. Percy took the parchment from him, glanced at it quickly, and handed it back.
“That’s my written testimony,” said Percy clearly. “I’ve been a rogue Phoenixer for the past couple of months and have been in contact with Professor Snape on various Death Eater raids we’ve conducted. That there is a detailed account of the Professor’s actions since I’ve been a member of the Order.”
“Various - contact -“ sputtered Scrimgeour. “Step down, Weasley. As a witness for this trial, you are banned from deliberations. And you’re fired.” Without a word, Percy stood and walked down the steps towards the stands where his parents were sitting. He gave Severus a reassuring smile and sat down next to Ginny.
Scrimgeour rubbed his brow as the whisperings began among the judges. Parchment shuffled quickly and passed between hands and rows. Harry glanced sideways at Severus, but Severus kept looking at a spot on the floor in front of him. He could feel the eyes on him, inspecting every inch of his face. He closed his eyes, wanting to shut them and their hissing whispers out of his mind.
Suddenly, they stopped. Vance turned and looked down at Severus.
“All in favor of finding the defendant guilty on charges of conspiring with Death Eaters and committing willful acts of treason?” she asked. About a third of the hands went in the air, including Scrimgeour’s.
“All opposed?” she asked. The others all raised their hands, clearly outnumbering the first group.
“The defendant is cleared of charges of conspiracy and treason.” Harry exhaled softly in relief. Severus’s grip on the right arm of his chair tightened as Vance continued.
“All in favor of finding the defendant guilty on charges of swearing an illegal bond or oath?” Almost every single member raised their hands.
“All opposed?” A witch on the second row and a couple of wizards in the front raised their hands.
“The defendant is found guilty of swearing an illegal bond or oath,” said Vance, scratching her quill across a parchment. She looked down at Severus as she straightened her glasses once more. Severus looked up and held her gaze as she read the last charges.
“All those in favor of finding the defendant guilty of murder through use of an Unforgiveable?” she said, her voice a bit quieter than before. Slowly, the hands began going up. A quarter - a third - nearly half. Scrimgeour glanced around, the furrowing of his brow deepening at seeing many members sitting stoically in their seats.
“All opposed?” asked Vance. She raised her hand, along with the rest. Severus’s eyes quickly darted over them, taking a rapid count.
“Oh my God,” he whispered.
“The defendant is cleared of charges of murder through use of an Unforgiveable,” said Vance, making another note on her sheet. Scrimgeour snorted indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest as the room erupted in joyous cheering. A loud bang echoed off the ceiling, effectively calming the crowd once more.
“Now then,” said Vance in a businesslike tone, replacing her wand in her pocket. “As for your sentence -“ Severus swallowed thickly, the knuckles on his right hand white from gripping the chair. Oh God, they would take his wand. Snap it in half. He’d had his wand since he was eleven --
“You are to begin service of a seven-year prison term starting today, the seventh of January, 1998. Please relinquish your wand for breakage.”
“He already has, Madam Vance,” said Moody from the doorway. Severus flicked his eyes to Harry, whose face was perfectly calm. Moody clunked over and handed the wand to the nearest Wizengamot member. The wizard passed it down to Vance, who set it on a brass scale in front of her. A small scrap of parchment shot out from the bottom of the scale, which she ripped off and read quickly.
“Yew, thirteen-and-a-half inches, phoenix feather core, been in use twenty-eight years,” read Vance, glancing down at Severus over her glasses.
“That’s correct,” said Severus casually. Vance stared at him for a moment longer, then drew her own wand and touched the tip to the middle of the other. The snap of the wood resounded through the quiet room.
“These Aurors will escort you down to the holding facilities,” she said, waving her hand at the Aurors appearing through a side door. Harry and Severus both stood up. Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes and his pocket watch. He pressed them into Harry’s hand, closing the boy’s fingers around them.
“Thank you,” said Severus softly. “Take care of yourself, and the others. I’ll see you soon.” Harry nodded, his throat constricted so much that he couldn’t speak. Severus raised his hand and brushed the boy’s hair back from his face. He looked towards the other door and nodded at Kingsley as his escort surrounded him on all sides. He gently tilted Harry’s chin up and patted his shoulder before allowing the Aurors to walk him towards the side door.
He didn’t let himself look back.