[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
Classes at Hogwarts had begun the next day, but it didn't matter what year or what subject they had at that moment in the first period, even the teachers seemed distracted while sitting in the common hall watching the students entering it before the first classes on that first day after the holidays.
After all, everyone knew that Severus Snape's trial would be in the next few hours, anticipating the result in the next newspaper or at least an update, with some claiming that by noon the result of the trial would be released.
However, no one knew how it would end or when, given the proportion of Severus Snape's case, who was now Severus Prince, no one could predict the result or how long it would take to be disclosed.
People were restless in every corner of the school, while they waited to see what would happen in the next newspapers, most likely delivered every 10 minutes updating the trial.
Not only was everyone watching because Severus had been a Hogwarts student and champion of the tournament — which was no surprise —, but also because everyone who expected to celebrate with him as champion, was shocked when he disappeared a month later and reappeared with the new minister stating that he was the new Dark Lord.
They said he had killed at least two hundred or three hundred people, all dark wizards.
So there was special attention. But that wasn't all: the scenario of the wizarding world would change. There would be no turning back. And, after Voldemort's death and the chaos caused by it, all that remained was now Severus Prince.
The majority of the school believed that Severus would be condemned. Only a few sympathizers — whether out of revenge, after having their families killed by the Death Eaters, were grateful to Severus — although they did not say so openly. Even if he had committed a massacre, their families had been indirectly avenged and their murderers, dead.
At the same time, mostly in Slytherin, the atmosphere was heavy. Many students there were eager to become Death Eaters in the final years, along with members of their families, or would be pioneers serving the Dark Lord. As much as Severus's actions had shaken some, seeing many companions and even family members killed, it was still believed that You-Know-Who would triumph against the "Alchemist," as Severus was previously called.
But, after the massacre of the previous night, in which the Dark Lord was defeated, it was certainly not well received by those students. There was hatred and a desire for revenge from some, for they had lost uncles, parents, and even older brothers.
Still, there were many members within Slytherin who did not sympathize with the Dark Lord and sometimes only got involved in circles or groups so as not to be alone, as they could even become targets of the Death Eaters, since most of the house was dominated by future Death Eaters or by people who sympathized with the pure-blood ideology.
Even some who openly claimed to despise the mudbloods did not agree with Voldemort's methods, and for that reason silently thanked Severus for having gotten rid of the former Dark Lord.
Still, they could not say that openly. The atmosphere was filled more with anger and hatred toward Severus than with sympathy inside Slytherin.
Clarisse saw that very clearly when she returned to her room the night before. As she passed through the Slytherin common room, she found a group of students staring at her with hostile looks, but she didn't care, since she was safe the entire time.
In any case, classes were beginning at Hogwarts after breakfast, while at the Ministry, the place was crowded with reporters filling the doorway, while the Aurors tried to maintain control of the situation, with only a few managing to get in and out. The trial had been declared public, so some reporters could attend, but only those authorized. After all, there were hundreds of them at the door — even from other countries around the world — all there to cover the great event.
Since Severus had said he would attend today, through a direct letter sent together with Dumbledore, everyone undoubtedly believed he would really come. The event had become too big even for the Ministry to try to control it, and if it weren't for the help of countless IWC agents, the Ministry of Great Britain would have a problem...
What no one expected in the midst of the chaos at the entrance was that Severus would simply walk through the front door, while everyone assumed he would use the fireplace with Floo Powder, as there were numerous Aurors stopped at its entrance to escort Severus to the courtroom.
"Are you sure you want to go through this crowd?" Rosária's voice arose beside Severus, looking at the backs of the crowd of people, all with cameras — magical versions of the Muggle cameras of the time — and also enchanted notebooks that made notes on their own. Everyone was shouting questions at the Aurors at the entrance.
Severus was standing next to Rosária, not bothering to disguise his presence now after coming here by switching places with his shadow. While all attention was turned to the front, no one noticed him yet.
"Come on, it won't be that bad." Severus said calmly. He made a point of entering through the front door and moved forward, while Rosária just sighed, deciding to accompany him.
He approached a reporter and touched his back, asking for passage.
"Hey, you! Stay back there, don't even think about cutting the line!" shouted the man, turning with anger. But his voice faltered when he found himself faced with a calm gaze staring at him.
The anger was quickly replaced by confusion, for that face seemed familiar to him. It took a few seconds for his brain to start processing who that person was, since it seemed surreal for him to be standing behind him. As soon as he understood, his confusion turned into astonishment and fear. The man simply threw himself back, shoving the reporters in front, startled.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Stop pushing!" his colleagues shouted, while the cameras banged against each other and confusion began, with curses exchanged among the reporters.
"I wasn't to blame! It was some idiot behind me who pushed me!"
"Why did you do that?!" they shouted at the man, who nearly fell to the ground. Terrified, he pointed backward.
"It's him... He's here, right behind us!" exclaimed the reporter with trembling hands still pointed at Severus.
The others looked, first confused, until they identified the man standing next to a red-haired woman. The man wore an open black overcoat over a black dress shirt, his hair slightly trimmed, styled in a cut a bit different from what he used to wear. Severus was tall, with an athletic body.
The woman at his side wore a red dress and displayed the crest of the Valenstein family. There was no doubt: it was Rosária Valenstein, the daughter of Dracula. And the man at her side, the reason for all that chaos, was none other than Severus Prince — formerly Snape.
"It's him! Severus Prince is here!" the reporters began shouting, turning their cameras directly on Severus, firing countless flashes. Quickly, he found himself surrounded by the crowd, but no one dared to speak, they only took pictures.
The frightened man was still there, but finally managed to take a few steps back, while his colleagues gave way, fleeing that place.
"You may excuse us." Severus looked at them and spoke in a calm tone. The reporters swallowed hard and began to step aside, opening a path in the middle of the crowd.
"Let's go." was the only thing Severus said, in a serene tone, as he placed his hands in the pockets of his overcoat and walked calmly. The Aurors themselves, who were running to the spot to check if it was really him, stopped as soon as they saw the crowd part. All of them swallowed hard, watching Severus continue walking toward the Ministry entrance through the sea of reporters who had made way for him.
The whole place fell silent, interrupted only by the flashes striking his face. Certainly, some of those photos would be perfect for the newspaper covers, as Severus crossed the crowd.
It was only after a few seconds that someone finally had the courage to ask a question of that figure. And a woman stepped forward, despite her evident fear.
"Severus, let me ask!" — The woman dashed out of the crowd, looking at him with both fear and expectation. It seemed the latter had outweighed the former, for she believed she could secure a huge scoop in her career as a journalist, if only she got the chance to speak to him — whether Severus was responsible for the deaths of so many, dark wizards or not.
"How do you intend to deal with the trial? Do you see yourself condemned to Azkaban or receiving the Dementor's Kiss? Do you believe you'll be fine and that all the accusations against you are unfounded?" she asked, while Severus turned his face in her direction.
Immediately, the reporter shrank back before those black eyes, which she could swear had glimmered blue.
"We'll see that at the end of the trial." was the only thing Severus said, before resuming his pace.
The reporter's question, however, encouraged all the others to start shouting as well:
"Mr. Severus, please, answer! Do you believe that exterminating all the dark wizards, leaving none alive, was the right thing to do?"
"You seem very confident, and given that you are now the owner of a fortune like that of the Princes, do you plan to bribe the Ministry? Do you have any contacts inside?"
"They say you had kidnapped Dumbledore for several months and that, when he returned, he was strangely at your side! Did you use the Imperius Curse on him to control him and make him defend you?"
"What do you have to say to the people who consider you a monster? They say you want to dominate Great Britain, and that Voldemort was merely another Dark Lord, equally ambitious in your path, so you eliminated him along with everyone else!"
"What are your plans? Do you intend to create new Death Eaters?"
"Do you hate Muggles? We heard that you had insulted Lily Evans in your fifth year, after an investigation with your classmates, saying you called her a mudblood. Is that true?"
The questions kept coming, one after another — from absurd and accusatory to nearly offensive — but Severus ignored them all, while Rosária, behind him, grew more and more irritated as she followed him.
"How can you ask such things?!" she shouted suddenly.
Severus only sighed. He knew he would face this kind of accusation and questioning, no matter how foolish and baseless they were. People had the irrational nature of fearing and attacking what they could not understand.
Just as with the fact that a boy who was still a sixth-year student at Hogwarts had suddenly become the most powerful wizard in the world. Not even the greatest force of the IWC had managed to stop him. They had only looked like a group of children trying to stand in his way before Severus faced an army of dark wizards and massacred them without mercy.
People were afraid of an anomaly they couldn't comprehend. And Severus was that anomaly. His magic of controlling shadows, as if they were an entire army of soldiers, was terrifying to everyone who witnessed it. Thousands of eyes had seen the creatures in action in the city attacked by Voldemort. They said he moved much faster than a werewolf and a vampire could.
"Rosária, let's keep going." was the only thing Severus said.
Suddenly, he looked at the reporters to his left. His eyes seemed to glimmer blue. "And you can stop asking questions for a moment." he said in a dangerous tone.
At that moment, everyone suddenly felt something strange, as if the entire ground had darkened. They were no longer standing before the Ministry, but before a creature that had emerged from an abyss. And it was as if the abyss itself was staring back at them, with blue and deadly eyes.
No words were spoken after that. Not because the reporters didn't want to continue, but because fear had trapped them in place. It was as if an invisible force had petrified them on its own. Even those who were not under Severus's direct gaze felt the weight of that voice that carried pure power. The entire crowd fell silent.
"Let's continue." Severus spoke again to Rosária, who looked impressed at the crowd paralyzed with terror.
She only shrugged and followed at her fiancé's side, satisfied, breaking into a smile.
Meanwhile, the Aurors at the Ministry entrance watched in shock, not knowing what to say. Severus had silenced the crowd with words alone. There was no way he had drawn his wand and cast a spell. He had done it only with his own voice.
That only reinforced how terrifying he was. And now, he was entering the Ministry to be judged. But the question lingering over everyone was: who, after all, had the power to judge this monster?
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