[ALIVE AU]

The war had raged on, the corpses piled high in the school corridors. Crimson strained the floor from the violence, and it had taken a small army of house elves to fix the place back up to its former glory.

There was only so much ‘repairo’ could do.

Gaining the trust of the students was difficult. Severus was sure most of them still loathed him for the events that had transpired under this enchanted roof. After all, he had let first years be condemned to the agonising fate of the crutiatus curse, he had allowed Him into the once safe sanctuary of the Hogwarts walls.

How was Severus supposed to explain? A pensive could only portray so much- and only to so many people.

So he settled for trying to explain the situation- he had you, his partner, on his side. Furthermore he had won Minerva over rather easily too. She knew his heart, his woes, his soul.

“I’m sure most of you were expecting I’d be sent to Azkaban.” Severus said slowly, stalking the front of the great hall slowly, dangerously.

“But I can assure you, I am not the Death Eater you believe I am.”

A small rumble of groans and shouts of outrage sounded from some of the students. Dumbledore’s darling Golden Boy wasn’t there to win everyone over- to reveal the truth of his actions. So he had to do this with the little support he had.

Severus glanced to you, his eyes a soft plead for you to defend him- to show support. You, a professor, were well liked among the children, after all.