Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

She met Severus's gaze and continued to ask questions in a stern voice.

"Regarding everything you have admitted to above, is there anything you wish to testify about in court?"

Severus simply looked at her calmly and asked sincerely.

"Madam Minister, I would like to ask you, if I had given Xueni and Elder to the Aurors back then, would they have been sent here to stand trial as well?"

Bagno's expression remained unchanged, and she gave an ambiguous answer.

Whether the Wisengamo court will convene depends on the charges and the attitudes of the jurors.

“An unknown wizard, a discriminated-against vampire, and the victim is just a Muggle.” Severus seemed to have no expectation of her answer. “The Ministry of Magic won’t waste its time and energy gathering you all here. Once it’s confirmed that they did administer the drug, they’ll throw them straight into Azkaban.”

"They will die inside."

"Patty Somerset will commit suicide at home sooner or later."

"As soon as I make this decision to hand them over to the Ministry of Magic, three lives will be lost indirectly at my hands."

The entire courtroom was eerily quiet; everyone was silently watching Severus, who sat in the middle chair.

The beam of light shining in from the exhaust vent near the ceiling of the courtroom happened to fall on him at that moment, bathing him in its glow.

Bagno had somehow shifted his gaze away from Severus, and Severus didn't look at him either, instead looking up at the white-bearded old man sitting in the middle of the highest row.

He met Dumbledore's blue eyes, and their voices echoed again in the courtroom.

"Some people might say, how can someone with such a shameful past say such pretentious things?"

"They are right. To know what a person is like, you can look at what they do, not what they say."

"In the years after graduating from Hogwarts, I drifted aimlessly, went astray, and did many wrong things. In the end, I was pardoned thanks to Albus Dumbledore's guarantee."

"After returning to Hogwarts, I officially became a professor to the students and the head of the house, but in reality, my terrible personality did not bring much care or proper guidance to the students."

“People resist me, students hate me, and that’s all right. A wrong person deserves to be treated this way.”

"But after the start of the Hogwarts summer vacation this semester, on a rare night, I reflected on my disgraceful first half of life and felt that I couldn't go on like this."

"I sincerely repent for the mistakes I made in the past and apologize to those I have hurt. I want to make changes, all-round changes."

His words silenced everyone, even the radio host broadcasting the event stared at him with his mouth agape.

At this moment, all the wizards in the British magical community who were watching the radio were completely silent, a stark contrast to their previous excitement and jubilation.

"So after encountering what happened to Bloodny and Elder, I made a choice. They did nothing wrong; they were just trying to help their loved ones and friends, even if I had to bear the consequences and the guilt myself."

“I accept all charges against me for violating the Prohibition of Auror Enforcement Act.”

Severus uttered something earth-shattering!

As a commotion finally erupted in the courtroom, his voice continued.

"Whatever verdict Wisengamo makes, I will accept it."

"I will temporarily resign from my positions as Professor of Potions at Hogwarts and Head of Slytherin. I request that Professor Horace Slughorn, who has already done so much for me, do his student one last favor and return to Hogwarts to fill my vacant position."

At this moment, the commotion on the platform grew even louder, and many people even stood up in shock.

The rest of the British wizarding world was no exception; everyone heard the sound coming from the radio, causing countless wizards to gasp in surprise!

Only Dumbledore remained calm.

He and Severus stared at each other, his deep, bright blue eyes, like water, revealing a glimpse into his thoughts.

Chapter 62 You slick-haired, powder-faced fellow, actually...

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England.

Lucius Malfoy, the current head of the Malfoy family, one of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, a staunch supporter of pure-blood supremacy, and a close friend of Snape, was certainly aware of the recent uproar in the wizarding world.

Since their shared master fell from power and most of their former Death Eater colleagues were imprisoned in Azkaban, the two of them have reduced their public interactions and only communicate in private.

Upon learning that Severus had openly rebelled against the Aurors and fled with a Muggle, Lucius's first thought was that the old fox had gone mad!

We were all once a pack of foxes, and we didn't mind being sly.

Although during the Death Eaters' era, they did support the man with supreme power who established the glorious rule of pure blood.

But then that man suddenly died!

Faced with imminent disaster, the Death Eaters either remained loyal like the Lestrange family, choosing death over surrender and being imprisoned in Azkaban, or they, like Lucius and Karkaroff, yielded and lay low for the time being, waiting for a better opportunity.

Severus, who was somehow saved by Albus Dumbledore, was clearly regarded by Lucius as being one of those who "compromise" like himself.

Since you've already chosen to compromise, why are you suddenly targeting Muggles now?

If you want to put the theory of purebloods into practice and show loyalty, why didn't you do it in the first place?

That's right.

After learning what Severus had done, Lucius, who knew his old friend inside and out, didn't even consider the possibility of anything else.

His immediate thought was that Severus had probably been driven mad by that old geezer Dumbledore at Hogwarts!

Since becoming a professor and headmaster at Hogwarts, Lucius could sense that his old friend had become increasingly gloomy and unsmiling, clearly hiding something on his mind.

He always believed that Dumbledore was a bit off, and that it was because Severus worked under him that the originally despicable and cunning Death Eater had turned into what he was now.

As expected, only eight years later, Severus was driven to the point of risking his life to torture Muggles and reminisce about the past!

Looking at the Ministry of Magic's top wanted notice in the newspaper, Lucius felt a pang of sorrow, like a fellow rabbit mourning the death of its kin.

He had been following the newspaper's coverage of the incident closely.

After learning about the novel that became famous through "Singing the Quibbles," he even bought a secondhand copy, read it with a disdainful attitude, and then subscribed to the newspaper that day with the ending written in it.

Upon reading Volpe's description of Severus, Lucius had no doubt whatsoever that this was the novelist who was terrified by Severus's dark magic, which even their master praised!

Humorous, gentlemanly, gentle, patient, and kind.

Look, look!

So flattering!

They're so good at lying through their teeth!

How can these adjectives be associated with that perpetually grumpy black bat?

Based on this passage alone, Lucius could conclude that the entire book was a fake!

It must have been Severus who, after regaining his senses, devised this scheme to exonerate himself!

On the day the Wizengamo trial was to begin, Lucius had prepared a radio well in advance. He, his wife, and their son, who had nothing better to do, sat in the living room, ready to listen to the entire trial from beginning to end.

After hearing Severus's statement of "apologizing for the past".

His wife, Narcissa, was stunned.

"Snape... he's serious?"

Draco, who was still quite young, looked somewhat bewildered.

He had certainly met Snape and remembered him well, but the words that had just come from the radio made it impossible for him to connect them with the man in his memory who always wore a black robe, had a stern face, and never said anything nice.

"Dad, Snape was forced to say that, wasn't he?"

Lucius was stunned for a moment at first, but he quickly realized what was happening and muttered to himself.

"I never expected this. It's truly unbelievable, Severus, you slick-haired fellow..."

Narcissa looked at him with some concern.

She knew that although her husband constantly muttered things like "Severus is just a mixed-race nouveau riche" and "he wouldn't have caught the master's eye if he didn't have some dark magic skills," he actually still had some affection for his Death Eater colleague.

If Severus were to truly reform—no, to turn over a new leaf—then she would definitely distance herself from her husband and sever ties with him.

However, before Narcissa could even say a few words of comfort to her husband, Lucius started clapping on his own!

"You slick-haired guy, you're such a good actor!"

Narcissa stood there stunned, while Draco remained completely bewildered.

"Do you really think this is true? Don't even think about it, it's definitely an act he put on to clear his name!"

"When did the conviction of a wizard ever depend on whether he pleads guilty or not? It was always decided by a jury vote. He was guilty if they said he was guilty, and innocent if they said he was innocent! The person involved had no say in anything!"

Lucius was still praising it.

"This tactic of retreating to advance is brilliant!"

"Absolutely brilliant!"

The Burrow, Surrey, England.

They stood around an old radio that Arthur had modified countless times over countless years and was still barely functional.

Apart from Arthur, who went to work, and Bill, who had already gone to Egypt, the rest of the Weasley family were in front of the radio, listening to Severus's speech.

They were all stunned!

Only George and Fred were excitedly talking loudly.

"See? We told you! Professor Snape is nothing like what you all say! He's very funny and has great manners!"

"You still don't believe him! What he's saying to the judge and the radio station now, how could it be false!"

Ron and Ginny, who were not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts, just stared at each other in disbelief, while Percy, who had been mentally prepared, was only slightly surprised.

To Charlie, who had been studying at Hogwarts for several years and was constantly targeted by Severus in Gryffindor, it was all unbelievable!

Their mother, Molly, was the same.

The mother and son exchanged a glance, and Charlie shouted.

"He used to call me a slug in school! He said I was an insult to the art of potions just by setting up a cauldron! Now he's saying he's reflecting on his actions and wants to change?"

"Those words...they don't sound like something Snape would say," Molly murmured to herself, but then she quickly added, "People change, though. He's been at Hogwarts for so long; it's inevitable that his mindset will change, and he'll reflect on his past self."

Charlie couldn't accept it at all; he held his head and wailed miserably.

"But we should wait until George and Fred have been there for two years before reflecting on it! Why should only Bill and I have to suffer that kind of torment completely? That's not fair!"

George and Fred were not happy for long before they sat down again, looking sullen.

They later heard on the radio that Severus was going to temporarily resign from his position at Hogwarts, which made them feel that it was a great pity that the school was losing such an interesting professor.

At the same time, it wasn't just the Malfoy and Weasley families.

Throughout the British wizarding world, anyone who knows Severus, or any wizard who has graduated from Hogwarts in the last six or seven years, jumps up from their chair in awe.

They were as incredulous as Charlie, unable to believe that this was something their familiar Professor Snape could say.

But the facts about Henrietta and Patty are so clear, and they don't have the same ability to fill in the gaps in their understanding as Lucius did after working with Severus for so long.

Even the jurors at Wizengamo at this moment believe that what Severus just said is very likely true!

Inside the courtroom, Minister of Magic Millison Bagnore looked at Severus, who sat in the middle, with a complicated expression.

Bloody and Wolper were also shocked as they looked at Mr. Snape, whom they had trusted implicitly throughout their escape.

Only Dumbledore, at the very top of the platform, spoke slowly in the silence, taking over the presiding over the trial from Bagno.

"Regarding my resignation from Hogwarts, perhaps we can discuss it privately after the trial concludes."

"If no one has anything further to say, then let's begin the vote."

"Raise your hand if you agree that the charges are unfounded."

Snape and the Malfoy family did have a close relationship, but the original books did not say that he was Draco's godfather. This relationship is a secondary setting created by JJ's fanfiction.

Chapter 63 Minister's Office

The moment Dumbledore finished speaking, the wizards on the platform began their final vote.

The jurors, dressed in purple robes and uniforms, did not look at anyone's face, but either raised their arms or remained seated.

Apart from Severus, whose expression remained calm, both Bloodny and Volpe couldn't help but nervously look up at the wizards who had raised their hands.

However, there were many arms that rose up, and before they could count them carefully, Dumbledore's voice rang out again.

"Raise your hand if you agree that the charges are valid."

This time, all the arms that were originally raised were lowered, leaving only three or four arms raised!