The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Sentencing of Severus Snape

The Sentencing of Severus Snape

Severus Snape,
You are hereby accused of the following offenses:
1. Attacking one, James Potter, unprovoked, in the dark
2. Transfiguring your own face to appear war-torn
3. Lying to one, Lily Evans, about what happened
4. Being a smelly, ugly git with greasy hair and a big nose
5. Various other crimes, both of small and great nature (including but not limited to using the amortentia potion on one, Lily Evans, without her knowledge or consent), committed over the past five years of us being aware of one another's existence.
You don't get to plead, as we already know you are guilty as charged. Therefore you are sentenced to getting exactly what you asked for.
Your day of reckoning has arrived. Prepare yourself.
Signed,
The Marauders of Hogwarts
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Sirius looked up from the parchment they were all sitting around, illuminated by flickering candle light - a dramatic touch thought up by Sirius, setting the mood for their solemn meeting.

James had gone to Sirius's room to inform him of the decision he'd made - "I've decided to become a bully to Severus Snape" - and despite Remus's pleas, James was insistent that if he was to be blamed for it, he at least wanted the fun of getting to do the deed at hand. Sirius was instantly on board - as reckless best friends always are when they are presented with a reckless and horrible idea as this was - and they instantly wrote to Peter, urging him to come that very night for the Official Ceremony. Luckily - or perhaps unluckily, depending upon how you looked at it - Peter's parents had barely noticed he was there, so they certainly didn't notice when he snuck out to go to the Potter's by the Knight Bus. He shared a cup of strong eggnog with Ernie, the conductor, no the way, and by the time he got to James's bedroom, he was raging with energy and an artificial bravery brought upon him by the eggnog.

So there they knelt - Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James - lit by candles, staring at the parchment that sentenced Severus Snape to the bullying he had claimed for himself. Remus was the most reluctant to sign the parchment ("Isn't the point of this sort of thing that it's supposed to be anonymous?" he asked), but it took barely any begging on Sirius's part and even Remus had taken up the quill.

Sirius lifted the parchment, blowing off the freshly inked names with a flourish, and rolled the whole thing up into a scroll that he sealed with a bit of wax from the candle. He held it out before them. "Now, to make it official, let's all take a hold of it..."

James grabbed onto it, and so did Peter. Remus stared at it. "Go on, Moony," Sirius pressured him.

"Guys --" Remus started, looking peaky.

"No, don't guys us," Sirius said, "You're one of us four, aren't you? A Marauder?"
 

"Yes, but... is this really --" Remus was about to say necessary, but the look on all three of the other boys faces answered it and he let out a sigh and took hold on the parchment.

"Now repeat after me," Sirius said, clearing his throat. They all knew what he was going to say, though, so they said it with him instead of after him so that they all chorused, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" Remus was a little slower at it than the others so that they finished the sentence and he was left saying "no good" alone and they all sat there awkwardly a moment, holding onto the rolled up scroll between them, then Sirius jumped up and went over to Bubo's cage. "Attention, madam, you have a very important delivery to make. To Severus Snape, wherever the fucker hides!" and he attached the scroll to her leg. "Off you go!" He opened the window and with a squawk, Bubo was chucked out into the winter night.

It had stopped snowing at least - though the bankings were fairly high outside, and the sky was clear - stars shining overhead and the moon turning everything pale blue and shimmery. Remus and the others gathered 'round behind Sirius as he watched, hands jammed in his leather jacket's pockets, as Bubo flew off. Remus could feel his heart pounding against his ribs at the implications that parchment held, and so could James, but his was adrenaline pumping his heart like that more than fear. And Peter was just lucky to be standing up still - all that eggnog had gone right to his head and he felt a little dizzy and he laughed.