Normally, the three of them sat on the other end of the long table with Neville and Hagrid, but today Harry steered them all over to Snape, who habitually sat with at least four empty chairs between himself and his nearest neighbour when he could manage it. He braced himself, knowing that all hell was about to break loose.
*~*~*
Something was definitely going on, Severus Snape thought as he sat at the teachers' table, purportedly reading his journal, but in actuality watching as the students circulated something among themselves in what the dunderheads no doubt considered a surreptitious manner. He was half-tempted to sneak down behind the person now holding whatever it was and teach the fool the true meaning of surreptitious, but as the offending missive was now at the Slytherin table, he refrained from making a scene.
Whatever it was had just passed to the Hufflepuff table, which freed him from his constraints. He was preparing a most amusing and adequately embarrassing illumination, when his attention was diverted.
Harry Potter had arrived in the Great Hall, with the Weasleys trailing behind him as they had done for the last fifteen years. Potter and the former Granger were buttoning their teachers' robes. All three of their faces were flushed as though they'd raced from the teachers' quarters in Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall.
Snape shook his head in disgust. Did not a one of them have an even passing familiarity with the concept of decorum? Ronald Weasley was an Auror now; Merlin, save them all.
Pretending to read his book, Snape considered how to play the upcoming scene.
Yesterday's events were still very much with him. He had no doubt at all that had it not been for Potter, he would have spent last night, and very likely the remainder of his days, in Azkaban Prison. Even though Potter had denied the existence of any debt, Snape knew that he owed this man his life – just as he'd owed his father before him. The very idea of yet another life debt hanging over his head forever made him shudder with revulsion. Only, this Potter hadn't capitalized upon that obligation the way James had. Harry hadn't made him feel beholden or made him cringe or crawl under the weight of owing his life to another wizard.
To the contrary, Harry Potter had dismissed his actions as those of a comrade in arms – a concept with which Snape was familiar, but which he rationally knew had not pertained to yesterday's situation. When pressed, all Potter had said he wanted from him was a cessation of hostility. Experience had taught him that that couldn't be true, that Potter had to have something else in mind, which he would spring on him at a later date, but the younger wizard had been so earnest in his entreaty for what he'd called a state of détente that Severus didn't feel he could rightly deny the man, at least not until Potter's ulterior motives surfaced. And, even then, he owed him his liberty, so if it were within his means to repay this debt in whatever manner Potter demanded, he would do his best to comply.
But that didn't mean he had to crawl, at least, not until Potter demanded it of him.
Severus expected Potter and his cronies to head to the other end of the table, to what he mentally referred to as the Gryffindor ghetto, but to his horror, Harry Potter made a beeline straight for the empty chair beside him, with the Weasleys trailing him like baby ducks.
"Really, Potter, this is too much," Severus complained as Potter slid into the chair beside him and the uneasy looking Weasleys took seats on Potter's other side. "If you persist in this, I really will poison your coffee."
"Sir, there's something you should see," Potter said with unmistakable urgency as he passed over a copy of the Daily Prophet.
His left hand automatically accepted the rolled-up newspaper, while his right was in the process of bringing his teacup up to his mouth for another sip. As he scanned the front page, saw his own face sneering up at him, and read the headline below it, his grip on his teacup loosened to splash half of its contents into his porridge bowl. He hastily righted the cup and set it down. He could feel his face draining of colour as he forced his stunned mind to translate the horror of the words in front of him. Former Death Eater Accused of Molesting Hogwarts Student.
Yesterday's nightmare wasn't over. Now the entire Wizarding World knew of this false accusation.
Recognizing that his career here was all but finished, Severus read the article through, making sure he kept his face immobile as stone as he did so. It wasn't merely yesterday's rape of which he was accused. The Skeeter woman's article blatantly accused him of on-going sexual abuse of his students. While he could fight the charges concerning the Westfield incident, how could he prove his innocence of crimes that had never occurred, crimes that didn't have an accuser?
All nerves, Severus jerked in his seat as Potter reached out to touch his sleeve and said in perhaps the softest tone anyone had ever used with him, "It will be all right."
Severus supposed the concern was merited. If he'd had a bad heart, being publicly accused of this perversion two days in a row might have finished him. Exhaling a slow breath, he said in a low voice, "I suppose this was to be expected."
"No." Surprisingly, it was Weasley who answered him from Potter's far side, and the man sounded livid, "this wasn't to be expected. This is a disgrace. I'm sorry, Professor. Clearly someone at the Ministry allowed information to slip. I promise you we'll get to the bottom of this with the utmost haste."
"The utmost haste?" Severus echoed.
The shaggy redhead gave a solemn nod and heartfelt, "Yes."
"Yet I note you are here having breakfast," Severus pointed out.
Weasley had the grace to blush with embarrassment.
It was his wife who defended him, "Ron didn't get home until after four this morning. He's due back to head up another eighteen hour search of Burke's holdings in a half hour."
"I promise you, I will find out who leaked this information, sir, and there will be consequences," Weasley vowed. "Also, I need to thank you for your help yesterday and apologize for not doing so sooner. That was very wrong of me."
Severus looked to Potter, knowing he had to be behind this. "Détente, indeed."
Potter shrugged.
"Even if the Prophet posts an official apology, this isn't good, Ron," Hermione Weasley said, pointing at the paper.
"Do tell," Severus snapped.
"We'll just have to run damage control until Burke is found and his guilt proven," Harry said.
"We'll?" Severus echoed.
"Yes, we'll," Potter snapped back, just as testily. "This is an attack on the entire school, not just you. It could have been any male teacher Burke framed."
"Here comes the Headmistress now," Ronald Weasley said, peering past Severus' right shoulder to the nearest side door.
Her haste causing her green and black robes to billow behind her in a manner reminiscent of Severus' own style, Minerva McGonagall stopped before the Headmaster's podium and called the room to attention. Her face once again lined with tension, she addressed the student body, "Good morning. I'm sure that by now you have all seen the article in this morning's Daily Prophet."
His stomach churning in dread, Severus looked out over the students, taking in the sea of nervous faces listening to Minerva. Most had their attention on the headmistress, but many were watching him as well.
As curious as the students, Severus returned his attention to Minerva. Was she about to announce his dismissal to the student body? The accusation alone was enough to merit it.
Minerva's wavery voice filled the hall as she said, "I want to assure you that the charges made in the Prophet are completely false. While it was true that a Hogwarts student was assaulted yesterday afternoon outside Hogsmeade," a murmur passed through the hall at that, "Professor Snape was not involved. Auror Weasley and Professor Potter proved Professor Snape's innocence yesterday."
Severus had to give her credit. She was nearly as good at manipulating people as Albus these days. Minerva knew that the students adored both Potter and Ronald Weasley, and that exoneration by those two men would go much further with the students than any Ministry proclamation or journalistic smear campaign ever could.
Severus was abruptly grateful to have them both sitting at his side. Potter's hand was still carelessly touching his sleeve. He could see dozens of young eyes scouring him with open distrust, and see that expression alter as it moved to Potter and the Weasleys. Their silent endorsement was calming the student body in a way no headmaster's speech ever could.
Minerva continued with, "The Ministry is now searching for the actual culprit, who tried to blame his crime on Professor Snape. Please rest assured that everything within our power is being done to assure your safety until the Ministry apprehends the villain responsible for this crime. With that in mind, I am cancelling Hogsmeade visits until further notice."
A groan went through the audience, but it wasn't nearly as loud as it might have been under other circumstances.
"The Board of Governors has contacted our barristers and have begun a libel suit against the Daily Prophetin Professor Snape's defence," Minerva informed them. "We will not take these terrible charges lightly. I have already spoken to the Prophet's editor. A retraction and apology will be forthcoming."
Severus' head snapped up at that, turning to face her. The damage, of course, had been done by the accusation itself, but . . . he hadn't expected that.
"I want you to know that Professor Snape has our complete confidence. He has been one of Hogwarts finest and most respected teachers for more than twenty-five years now, without ever a hint of scandal. I will expect each and every one of you to treat him with the respect and support each of our fine educators deserves. I know you'll make me proud," Minerva said. Her gaze turned to the teachers assembled at the table, many of whom appeared as shocked by the charges levelled against Snape as the student body obviously was, before returning to the students as she went on, "If anyone is distressed over these false accusations, please see your head of house, Madam Pomfrey, or myself. We are all here to help you. Thank you."
With that, Minerva stepped down from the headmaster's podium and took her seat in the centre of the table.
As the Great Hall burst into a rumble of discussion, Severus met Minerva's glittering blue gaze from down the table. She gave him an encouraging smile, the same as she bestowed on Potter when the publicity hounds were making the Boy Who Lived's life a misery.
Severus was still stunned by her public show of support. He'd expected to be sacked the second he'd seen that headline. True or false, no parent wanted a man accused of paedophilia teaching their children. The fact that she'd chosen to stand by him was going to be a very unpopular decision among the parents and society.
"I told you Minerva was on your side," Potter said from beside him.
Normally, Severus would have glared and offered a withering comment at such a blatant I told you so, but for once he didn't mind being proven wrong.
"So it would seem," Severus replied, trying to get control of his shaky emotions.
"Who do you think leaked the information to Skeeter?" Hermione asked her husband.
Severus was relieved to feel Potter's hand leave his arm as Potter turned to hear Weasley's response. Casual touch might be common to Potter and his cronies, but he found it very distracting.
He was somewhat amazed that Potter would touch him like that at all. While they had known each other for more than fifteen years, they didn't have that kind of relationship. Truth be told, Severus had never enjoyed that type of casual camaraderie with anyone, except perhaps Lucius. But then, Malfoy had had his own reasons for befriending him.
He knew Potter also had to have some ulterior motive for what he'd done these last two days. No one troubled themselves on his behalf for his sake alone. But whatever Potter's motivation for extending his loyalty and protection, Severus thought he knew Potter well enough to know that it wouldn't be anything sinister or demeaning. And right now, he was deriving far more from Potter's support than Potter was.
Severus couldn't remember the last time he'd been publicly accused of something and had someone on his side. Albus had always supported him, of course, but that was because he was risking his life while working for him. But as for everyone else . . . Severus knew he was regarded as a social leper. Minerva had always been unceasingly civil and polite to him, even when he'd been brought to trial after Voldemort's first defeat. However, she was the exception, rather than the rule. For the most part, his co-workers kept their distance, speaking and interacting with him only when absolutely necessary, which normally didn't bother him at all.
Now that he thought about it, Potter and the former Granger were really the only two teachers other than Flitwick and Hagrid who consistently greeted him or tried to interact with him on a regular basis. He'd always thought the pair did it to annoy him. Ronald Weasley had never been that two-faced and pretty much ignored him, which was just fine with Severus, but now that he saw Potter and Granger sitting beside him, with unmistakable worry on their faces, he wondered if perhaps he had been wrong about them. Maybe they hadn't been trying to purposefully irritate him. Perhaps they had been legitimately attempting to reach out to him. Potter had called him a comrade-in-arms yesterday. The man was enough of an idealist to extend the courtesy and honours the title entailed even to such as he.
It was certainly food for thought, and far preferable to dwelling on the horrible accusations in today's paper.
Severus jerked back in his seat as he saw a hand coming his way, but it was only Hermione Weasley reaching across Potter to refill his teacup.
"Can you get the cream, Harry?" she asked.
Severus could feel hundreds of eyes upon him as she and Potter fixed his tea. He was startled that neither of them had to ask how he preferred it. Potter simply filled the tea with cream until it was the light tan, milky brew Severus always drank. Clearly, he wasn't the only silent observer at the teachers' table.
