Chapter 102 - Minister for Magic.

[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]

Third Person POV

Hogwarts.

...

...

Penelope was in the infirmary, enjoying another quiet day. She was happy that no students had come in today. However, with the fifth-year dueling classes and other classes happening today, she knew she would probably see someone soon.

They were also in the final weeks of school, with the end-of-year exams approaching, and the school would soon go into recess to prepare for the next school year. But Penelope knew that the upcoming weekend would see a few full beds, due to the Quidditch final between Slytherin and Gryffindor happening this Saturday. Knowing both teams, half of them would end up here.

She picked up a book and sat in a chair near the window to enjoy the silence, reflecting a bit on this year.

Amid the highs and lows, it had been a strange year, especially because of the sign she had placed in the middle of the infirmary and hadn't removed since then.

The sign read: "No mention of the name Snape allowed."

This was due to the constant trouble the boy had gotten into with other students earlier in the year. These incidents became less frequent midway through the year, until almost no students ended up in the infirmary because of him by the end of the year.

"How you've changed so much..." she couldn't help but murmur, looking at the sign and thinking about the Snape she knew.

She used to treat the boy whenever he returned hurt by other students playing pranks on him. He never escaped unscathed, often having to be treated multiple times a day... But this year was different: not once had Snape entered that place. The boy had undergone a radical change, and she still wondered how people had already gotten used to his new self in just one year...

He was no longer the student who came here injured, but rather the one who sent other students here. Thus, a fear of him developed at school, and no one bothered him anymore, which was a relief for Penelope. Finally, she wouldn't hear those constant disputes, yet she still kept the sign up because she didn't want to hear any more complaints about him from other students.

Penelope's moment of silence was broken when heavy footsteps began echoing in the hallway. She stood up, assuming that some student had gotten hurt, ready to treat them. Then, Professor Longbottom appeared, bringing a stretcher carried by some students with someone on it, accompanied by a small group, mostly girls surrounding the stretcher with worried looks.

"Nurse Penelope, we need your help here! This student was attacked by an Auror..." Professor Longbottom said, making Penelope raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, an Auror? An Auror attacked a student? What are you talking about?" Penelope exclaimed, confused by this absurdity, thinking it might be some sort of joke from the professor.

"It's complicated. But it's true... I thought it would be fine to let the Auror do a demonstration, I just didn't imagine he would simply attack the boy," Longbottom said, while Penelope raised her eyebrow, bewildered.

Then she approached to check the student and froze the next moment. After all, it was him: Snape, the very same mentioned on the sign. He was lying there, eyes closed, surrounded by the girls who usually followed him, and another who had stepped away but was also there.

"Didn't think I'd see you like this again..." Penelope murmured before springing into action.

"Quick, take him to the bed. Put him there, I'll make the diagnosis!" She wasted no time. Even though it was Snape, and she had let certain things go, she still had her job to do. Quickly, Longbottom and the other students carried Snape to the bed and laid him down, while Penelope began using her wand to check him.

"He has three broken ribs. His shoulder is also dislocated. How did this happen?" she asked.

"I don't know... but the Auror threw him against the wall, which exploded on impact after breaking Snape's shield," Longbottom replied.

"Is this serious?" Penelope stood up, surprised. "He broke a wall with his own body?"

She couldn't believe what she had heard. After all, if that were the case, he should have broken every bone, but she kept that comment to herself. Confirming his condition, she said:

"Alright. The boy must have just fainted from hitting his head. I'll take care of him, just give me some space."

"Understood, I'm leaving. I need to deal with the situation. The headmaster has already been called, and I owe an explanation along with Professor Flitwick." Longbottom said, leaving the room.

"Will he be alright, nurse?" A voice asked, and it was none other than Lily Potter. There were at least three other girls beside her, all watching, waiting, but not leaving, wanting to stay.

"Damned Casanova..." Penelope murmured before sighing. "He'll be fine, he just got knocked out." She explained before getting back to work.

Quickly, she began treating Snape.

As for Snape himself, he had his eyes closed, and it had been a long time since he had slept well. So he decided to rest after a long time without doing so.

It was only a few hours later that he woke up, hearing an argument.

"You shouldn't even be here!" Lucinda raised her voice.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Lily protested.

"You know very well! You didn't even talk to him the whole year, and suddenly you're all worried about him? You despised him until last year. Think I don't remember? He chased after you, and you didn't care, just talking to your Gryffindor friends." Lucinda complained.

"Yes, I was wrong, but... this has nothing to do with you! Who are you to say anything about it?" Lily retorted, with Clarisse and Pandora watching them.

"I am his girlfriend!" Lucinda declared, while the other girls looked at her strangely.

"His girlfriend? Stop lying, Lucinda!" Lily exclaimed, not believing the audacity of the girl.

"I am his girlfriend, yes! And I don't want to hear another word from you! You don't deserve his friendship!" Lucinda replied.

"That's for Snape to decide, not you! You have nothing to do with this, why are you interfering?" Lily responded, with an angry look.

Before the argument could continue, Pandora raised her hand, interrupting them. "Snape is awake..." she said, looking at Snape with his eyes closed.

'There are two people arguing in front of me and one with an abnormal sixth sense...' Snape murmured internally, seeing that his rest could no longer be as fruitful.

Lucinda and Lily stopped arguing, looking at Snape. He opened his eyes, serious, looking at the four by his bedside. "You argue too much..." he simply said.

"Snape!" Lucinda and Lily said at the same time.

"Stop it... I'm trying to rest." He complained.

"But are you alright?" Clarisse spoke for the first time, looking at him to see if he was okay.

"I just need a few hours, and I'll be fine." Snape replied; after all, it was just broken bones.

"Good, but things didn't end well for that Auror." Pandora said, and Snape raised an eyebrow, now interested.

"What happened to him?" He asked.

"What do you expect after attacking a student so openly? He's detained at the Ministry. They're opening an investigation against him, and it's quite likely he'll lose his license." Lily said seriously.

Snape nodded at that; at least what he had planned happened.

"The Minister for Magic came here twice to check if you were alright while you were unconscious. They seem very eager to speak with you..." Pandora commented, and Snape thought about that. Certainly, it wasn't something he wanted, but at least there was an advantage.

And it was at that moment that footsteps began to echo in the hallway. All the girls around Snape turned their heads, seeing Headmaster Dumbledore, along with the Minister for Magic, who, in fact, was a woman. She was well-dressed and had an air of seriousness as she approached. Snape looked at them curiously, while the headmaster kept a more intense look than the woman herself.

"I see you're awake. I came to check on your condition, boy. I am sorry for what happened. I don't know what came over that Auror to attack you in such a way, but he will receive appropriate punishment," Eugenia Jenkins said.

Snape simply nodded as the headmaster approached. "I see you're alright. It's not every day someone is attacked by an Auror, but you're quite strong," Dumbledore praised, seemingly trying to lighten the situation.

Before anyone could speak again, the Minister for Magic interrupted any interaction, as she had things to do and was in a hurry. "Well, may I speak with the boy in private?" the Minister for Magic suddenly asked.

The girls nodded, beginning to leave, passing by Nurse Penelope, who was entering the infirmary, only glancing at Snape from afar before heading to her desk.

"Well, I'll leave you alone then." Dumbledore spoke at that moment, turning to Lily. "Lily, can you accompany me to my office? I'd like to talk." He said, and Lily calmly nodded, seeing no problem with that.

Snape found this suspicious but ignored it as the Minister looked at him. With the girls away, she nodded, ready to speak in private, casting a spell to prevent being overheard, something like a sound barrier. Snape already had an idea what this was about.

"Hello, Severus Snape. I am Eugenia Jenkins, the current Minister for Magic. You see, your situation at the school was very serious, and we certainly wouldn't want to take this to the public, given that the Ministry of Magic is already dealing with many complicated issues. You know about the massacre in Hogsmeade, the attack at the black market, and now about the six hundred giant spiders killed in the Forbidden Forest. We've had no success in finding those responsible apart from the Death Eaters acting here and there. The situation is a bit complicated, and the wizarding people of England are starting to lose trust in us," she said, in a serious tone, while Snape raised an eyebrow, clearly noting that this woman wanted to cover up everything that had happened, being bluntly direct about it.

"Are you sure this won't be heard outside the school? Some reporters will probably come here and try to interview you. I'd like to know if you'd be willing to defend the Ministry and say something more moderate about what happened, not mentioning it was an Auror... I'm sure this could help you in your career. Next year, you'll be in sixth year, and in two years, you'll graduate and begin your magical career... The Ministry of Magic is a place everyone dreams of going to, and I'm sure you'll have my recommendation," she said, basically blackmailing Snape in exchange for favors.

Snape thought for a moment. There certainly was an advantage in accepting the offer. Not that he was interested in joining the Ministry, but it would certainly be something better to have in hand.

"I want something else, a favor," Snape then said, as the Minister for Magic raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I want a favor from you. It could be equivalent to my silence about your Auror attacking me. It doesn't have to be anything in particular, but if one day I need to come to you, I'd like you to help me with something. That way, I'll stay quiet, no matter what kind of questions are asked of me," Snape declared.

The older woman, not believing she was losing control of the situation, nodded. "Very well, that's excellent, Mr. Snape. Deal sealed." She said, raising her hand to shake Snape's, which he returned, knowing he might need it in the future. And possibly, it would lead to something even more shocking than an Auror attacking a student, though Eugenia Jenkins had no way of knowing that.

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