[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Ministry of Magic.
...
...
Severus was standing outside the Ministry, along with Rosaria and Bellatrix, who had joined him as soon as they caught up with him in an open area within the Ministry itself, where people usually stayed to smoke or chat outdoors.
"Out there must be madness, full of reporters... good thing there's this place," Bellatrix couldn't help but comment, while Severus stood with his eyes closed toward the sky, breathing deeply, as if merely meditating.
"Are you alright?" asked Rosaria, looking at him with some concern, while Bellatrix scoffed.
"You think he's not alright? No one there can handle him," she said as if she were a faithful follower.
"I know, but I worry about what he's thinking." Rosaria said, still looking at Severus with some concern.
"I'm fine, Rosaria." Severus opened his eyes. "I was just enjoying the afternoon breeze. Have you eaten yet?" It was obvious they hadn't. "How about we go somewhere else?" Severus asked.
"Sure, I'd love to. Just, please, somewhere without so many people. I'm already getting sick of this place." Rosaria said, pressing the handkerchief to her face... after being in the middle of the courtroom, the awful smell of people was making her nauseous.
"Lord Prince." Someone called him.
Severus merely raised an eyebrow and looked to the side, as some people began leaving the main building, many without taking their eyes off him. But the one now approaching him was none other than the Supreme Chief.
"May I join you?" she asked, with a few guards behind her.
"Alright, but how about we go to my mansion?" he asked.
"I don't know if that would be wise, in the middle of a trial, for you to leave," said Vicencia.
"It's not as if I'm going to run away, is it? And if you're with me, I doubt anyone will complain," he said, while she just sighed.
"Alright," said the Chief at last.
Rosaria and Bellatrix exchanged a look but said nothing, while they heard Vicencia going to talk to her men. Two of them, dressed in black suits, followed her along with Severus to the fireplace inside the Ministry. Many people whispered as they saw him simply leaving with his two fiancées, the Supreme Chief, and two guards.
Upon arriving at the Prince mansion, Severus set his four house-elves to prepare lunch. They finished a few minutes later, when Severus had already offered a rather expensive wine to the guests.
They sat down at the table. Vicencia's guards were quite reluctant to be there, but she didn't seem to mind. Nor did Severus, as he filled his glass with wine and drank.
"It's not wise to drink before the trial. At least it's not firewhisky," said Vicencia.
"It's not like I can get drunk. Besides, I have potions and spells that can remove alcohol from my blood," Severus replied, while the system appeared beside him, notifying once again that he couldn't become intoxicated, since the system itself automatically detoxified him.
"Anyway, I'm a bit worried, Lord Prince," Vicencia began speaking again. "About all of this... about your story, the portals, and even your powers. I admit, you don't seem like a bad person, you don't seem to want to dominate the world. But people are afraid, Lord Prince. Afraid that monsters might come out of paintings, that you could resurrect the dead, and that our world has become the target of a war we still don't understand. Or even of not knowing what you are anymore, since you admitted to being a corpse that was resurrected... That's why I'm here. I need to know exactly what's happening."
"Not even I have all the answers to your questions, Lady Santos. I don't think it's something so simple; it's something that couldn't change just by my presence here. You must understand that there are other worlds across the universe — other peoples, other civilizations, other races — some more technological and powerful, some weaker, and even those that have no magic at all. Our role as guardians was to take care of these beings. And now, those who turned against the Order, those who did not stand with Morou, are destroying these worlds. I know this because, after what happened on the day of the betrayal, I knew the universe would suffer... and that this world would be a target — one way or another. However, I do not wish for the end of this world, Lady Santos."
"Do you know about something happening in Japan? A strange portal is appearing in the sky, turning red, no one knows what it is, and it doesn't seem to come from a painting this time..." she asked.
"I intend to investigate that as well. I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not something simple. I need to see it with my own eyes. But I can't go to the East yet," he said, as the system appeared beside him showing the countdown of the last few days before opening a new dungeon.
"You mentioned that princess was having trouble in her country. What exactly is happening? Did a painting break?" asked Severus, now with curiosity.
"Yes. She's a princess of a hidden kingdom, so hidden that practically all wizards were unaware of its existence," she said.
"If you're talking about Atlantis, I know about that place," Severus replied.
Vicencia raised an eyebrow. "So you know about it..." she murmured.
"Yes," said Severus, already uncovering the secret. Obviously, when he had asked her where the princess was from, she hadn't wanted to answer. Severus had let it go and went to hunt Voldemort once and for all. However, what the princess didn't realize was that a shadow had been with her the entire time, listening to her conversations as she informed Severus.
Obviously, he hadn't heard about the current problems, as he was more focused on the trial ahead of him. Still, his shadow informed him that she was arriving at the kingdom shortly — and things seemed quite dangerous there, according to the magical communication artifacts she used while heading to the kingdom beneath the sea.
"In a way, perhaps I should leave in the middle of the trial," said Severus.
"What do you mean?" asked Vicencia.
"That, depending on how things are in Atlantis, I'll be going there," he replied. "Even if it's in the middle of the trial," he added, as Vicencia frowned.
"As I said, only I can deal with those creatures. You saw the memory I lived with Rosaria inside that dungeon." Severus spoke in a serious tone.
"No one can stop you, can they?" murmured Vicencia at last.
"I am not your enemy, Lady Vicencia. I am not the enemy of the magical or the Muggle world. I hope you know that."
"I do. You're making me lean toward that belief... but I still need you to give me more answers, Lord Prince," she said.
Rosaria and Bellatrix said nothing, knowing very well that they shouldn't interfere in that conversation.
That didn't stop Vicencia from staring at them for a moment. "Even as someone who's half from another world, you're still binding yourself to this one," she observed, referring to their relationship with Severus.
Severus bit the fork before setting it down on the plate and wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"I never intended to get involved with anyone in this world, at first," Severus admitted. "I planned to leave. I even began researching dimensional and spatial magic. I also started investing in advancing this world's technology, to create spacecraft capable of traveling through space."
He paused briefly. "But once I discovered that war was coming to this world, I decided to stay. After all, if I leave, who will be able to deal with them?" he said.
"An extremely noble attitude. You have honor, even though, from what I saw in the reports, you — or rather, your former Snape side within you — used to be an angry boy, driven by the pursuit of power and the Dark Arts," commented Vicencia.
"Well, that's true. I was a bitter person. However, I took my own life after losing everything... or at least the only person I had loved at that time," said Severus. It was strange to say that, upon losing Lily, Severus Snape had simply decided to end his own life.
Vicencia stared at him for a moment. Certainly, that matter of suicide had only been discussed in court; she hadn't known about it before.
"And do you resent Miss Evans? You rescued her from Voldemort..." asked Vicencia.
"No," replied Severus. "The old Severus Snape took his own life because of his own guilt. Not that it couldn't have been prevented, if my former self had received the right guidance... I blame Dumbledore, who failed to guide this young man. Instead, he condemned him even further. When I was young, I already had a difficult life and struggles both at home with his drunken father and at Hogwarts, with almost all the professors ignoring his suffering because of the house he was in and the people around him. He also had trouble relating to others because of his upbringing. But enough of that."
"Let's return to the Ministry of Magic. After all, we still need to deal with everything I mentioned. I'm sure many people will be desperate," concluded Severus, while Vicencia merely watched him in silence.
"Yes, we want to know about Voldemort, Lord Prince, and clearly ask questions about everything you said," replied Vicencia.
"Then let's go. Dobby, along with the other elves, please clean the place for when we return," said Severus as he stood up, while Dobby appeared, saying he would take care of it.
Rosaria, Bellatrix, and Vicencia also stood up, followed by the guards, and returned to the Ministry. The IWC group sighed in relief upon seeing Vicencia safe, while the Ministry staff also sighed, relieved to see that Severus had not fled.
"We'll have half an hour to discuss internally what was said. I'll meet with Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic of Great Britain. We'll see each other again in the courtroom," said Vicencia. With that, she took her leave, allowing Severus and his two fiancées to head to another room.
"I don't like her," muttered Bellatrix.
"You don't like anyone, Bellatrix," mocked Rosaria, making Bellatrix growl in response.
"Let's stop fighting here. We still have the second part of the trial ahead. We don't want a scandal before that, do we?" said Severus with a small smile.
With that, he began walking toward the courtroom again. As they entered the room, everyone began to take their seats.
"How are you?" asked Astraea Black, approaching him.
"Very well, if you must know," replied Severus with a faint smile, while his eyes watched Lucius taking his seat. They exchanged a brief look — the old sponsor of Severus at Hogwarts, at least from his first to fourth year.
Severus said nothing, and Astraea made him look at her.
"We'll vote in your favor, Severus. And I'm sure most will do the same. After all, no one can handle you. It's better to have you as a possible ally than to declare you an enemy," she said before stepping away to the stands, where she sat beside her granddaughter.
Rosaria said goodbye with a kiss on Severus's cheek, and he returned to his place at the defendant's bench. He then opened the system to check his many accumulated points that he hadn't distributed since the last time. The status screen appeared before him, and he began gaining a bit more strength right there.
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