Wiltshire, England… Malfoy Manor.

The recent high-profile case in the Wizarding World had not escaped the notice of Lucius Malfoy, the current head of the Malfoy family, a member of Hogwarts Board of Governors, a staunch supporter of pure-blood supremacy, and a close personal friend of Severus Snape.

Ever since their shared master had fallen from power and most of their fellow Death Eaters had been imprisoned in Azkaban, Lucius and Snape had significantly reduced their public interactions, communicating only in private.

So the moment Lucius learned that Severus had openly defied the Aurors and fled with a Muggle in tow, his first thought was, 'That old greasy-haired guy has finally lost it!'

They had all been foxes from the same den, so to speak… no need to pretend otherwise.

During their time as Death Eaters, they had indeed pledged loyalty to that man of unparalleled power, striving to establish pure-blood supremacy…

But then, that man had suddenly fallen!

Faced with disaster, the Death Eaters had either ended up like the Lestrange Family, who are wholeheartedly loyal, refusing to yield, and thus imprisoned in Azkaban, or, like Lucius and Karkaroff, who had chosen to bend with the wind, biding their time for a better opportunity.

Snape, who had somehow been vouched for by Dumbledore, had been regarded by Lucius as part of the latter group… those who had chosen to 'temporarily submit'.

But if he had already chosen to submit, why suddenly attack a Muggle now?

If he wanted to prove his loyalty to the pure-blood cause, why hadn't he done so earlier?

That's right.

When Lucius first learned about what Severus had done, he, who knew his old friend inside and out, didn't even consider other possibilities.

His immediate assumption was that Severus had likely been driven mad by Dumbledore, that old bastard, during his time at Hogwarts!

Because ever since becoming a professor and Head of House at Hogwarts, Lucius had noticed that his old friend had grown increasingly gloomy, increasingly reticent, clearly burdened by something.

He had always believed Dumbledore had something wrong with his brain, and the fact that Snape had to work under him was surely what had turned the once cunning and ruthless Death Eater into the shadow of his former self.

And now, as expected, after just eight years, Severus had been pushed to the point where he no longer cared for his life, resorting to torturing Muggles to relive the past!

Reading the Ministry's highest-level wanted notice in the newspaper, Lucius couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow… the grief of seeing a kindred spirit meet a tragic end.

He had closely followed the press coverage of the incident.

After learning about the novel that The Quibbler had brought into the spotlight, he even went out of his way to purchase a second-hand copy. He read it with a sneer, then subscribed to the issue containing the ending.

And when he came to the section where Worple described Severus, Lucius didn't doubt it for a second, thinking, 'This had to be the novelist being terrified by Severus's Dark Magic, which even our master had praised!'

Charming, gentlemanly, gentle, patient, kind...

Just look at that!

How shameless!

How brazenly false!

How could any of those adjectives possibly describe that perpetually scowling bat of the dungeons?

That passage alone convinced Lucius that the entire book was a fabrication!

He believed this had to be a scheme Severus had concocted to exonerate himself once he regained his senses!

On the day of the Wizengamot trial, Lucius had prepared a radio in advance. Along with his wife and their idle son, he sat in the drawing room, ready to listen to the proceedings from start to finish.

And after hearing Severus's 'apology for the past' speech-

His wife, Narcissa, was stunned.

"Snape is... is he serious?"

Their young son, Draco, looked bewildered.

Of course he met Snape before and remembered him well. But the words that had just come through the radio had no resemblance to the man in his memories… the one who always wore black robes, maintained a stern expression, and never had a kind word to say.

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

Lucius was momentarily stunned as well, but he quickly recovered, muttering to himself.

"Who would've thought... truly unbelievable... Severus, a greasy-haired guy like you actually..."

Narcissa glanced at him with concern.

She knew that despite her husband's frequent remarks like, "Severus is just a half-blood upstart,", "If it weren't for his skill in Dark Magic, Master wouldn't have given him a second glance"… he still held some affection for his fellow Death Eater.

Now, if Severus truly had turned over a new leaf, or rather, returned to his old ways, he would undoubtedly distance himself from Lucius, cutting ties for good.

But before Narcissa could even begin to offer words of comfort, Lucius suddenly started clapping!

"You, a greasy-haired guy, can really put on a show!"

Narcissa froze where she stood, while Draco looked on in confusion.

"You actually think this is real? There's no doubt… this is all an act to get himself acquitted!"

"Since when has Wizengamot sentencing ever depended on whether the accused admits guilt? It's the jury's vote. If they said guilty, then the accused was guilty. If they said not guilty, then the accused was not guilty! The defendant's own words mean nothing!"

Lucius clicked his tongue in admiration.

"Retreating in order to advance... brilliant!"

"Absolutely brilliant!"

…

England, Surrey… The Burrow.

The Weasleys gathered around an ancient, barely functional radio which had been modified by Arthur countless times over the years.

Except for Arthur, who went to work, and Bill who had already gone to Egypt, all the rest of the Weasley Family listened to Severus's speech in front of the radio.

And they were all stunned!

Only George and Fred were shouting excitedly.

"See?! We told you! Professor Snape isn't at all like you said! He's funny and refined!"

"And now you still don't believe it? He just said all that in front of the judges, in front of the live broadcast… how could it be fake?!"

Ron and Ginny, who were not old enough to attend Hogwarts, just stared at each other in surprise.

Percy, who had already braced himself for this, was merely surprised.

But Charlie, who had spent several years at Hogwarts and was targeted by Severus since he's in Gryffindor, was full of disbelief!

The same goes for their mother, Molly.

The two of them immediately locked eyes, and Charlie wailed in despair.

"He once told me my brain was full of Flobberworms! That my mere existence insulted the art of potion-making! And now he's saying he... he's reflecting and turning over a new leaf?"

"Those words... don't sound like something Snape would say..." Molly murmured, though she quickly reconsidered, "But people can change. He's been at Hogwarts for so long… it's only natural his mindset might shift, to reflect on his past..."

However, Charlie couldn't accept it at all. He clutched his head and let out a miserable groan.

"Then why couldn't he have waited until George and Fred have been in Hogwarts for two years before he reflect on this? Why are Bill and I the only ones who have to suffer through all that torment? This is not fair!"

George and Fred's excitement didn't last long either. They soon slumped back into their seats, disheartened.

Because 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 lost such an interesting professor.

…

At that very moment, it wasn't just the Malfoys and the Weasleys.

All across magical British Wizarding World, in every household where people knew Severus Snape, or where wizards who had graduated from Hogwarts in the past six or seven years resided, chairs were being knocked over in shock.

Like Charlie, they simply couldn't believe that these were the words of the Severus Snape they knew.

But the facts, like Sanguini's and Patty's testimonies, were laid out so clearly before them. Unlike Lucius, they didn't have years of shared history with Severus to fuel wild theories.

Even the jurors of Wizengamot now believed that the words Severus had just spoken might very well be genuine!

Inside the courtroom, the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold gazed at Severus with a complicated expression.

Sanguini and Worple stared in shock at the man who had earned their unwavering trust during their desperate escape.

Only Dumbledore, who is seated at the highest point of the chamber, remained composed. He took over the proceedings from Bagnold and spoke calmly into the silence.

"Regarding your resignation from Hogwarts... perhaps we can discuss that privately after the trial."

"Now, if there are no further statements to be made... let us proceed to the vote."

"All in favor of dismissing the charges, please raise your hands."