FIC: Turnabout Prince, PG13 Title: Turnabout Prince Author: Rosy Rating: PG13 Pairing(s)/character(s): Snupin, with a hint of Phoenix/Miles if you squint a little Summary: It's been years since they've moved to Los Angeles, and now Severus has been accused of murder. Remus goes to the only man he thinks has a chance in hell of proving his lover innocent. But even Phoenix Wright himself may have a hard time with this turnabout. Disclaimer: *ahem* Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and any mentions of Potterdom canonical characters are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Phoenix Wright and the cast of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney are property of Capcom and Nintendo. I make no claims of ownership and am not making any profit by their use. Warnings: AU, crossover with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney aka Big Gay Lawyers. Notes: As with Cowboy!Snupin this is entirely Dizilla's fault. She always gives me the best crack. Set Post War (obviously AU, since they are both alive and well in the City of Angels), and after "Turnabout Goodbyes", the technical last chapter of the first game. I am fiddling with PW canon a smidge... but you'll only notice it if you've played both Ace Attorney and Justice for All. This is a WIP.
Phoenix stared at the photograph in front of him. It was easily as tall as he was, and only a little longer, hanging on the wall in the full sunlight. Steel and glass skyscrapers jutted into the gray sky of a New York winter; snow blanketing the sidewalk and mushing in the streets. Men and women in business suits walked along the sidewalk, bundled in their stylish wool coats and talking on their cell phones. They looked neither left nor right, intent on their destination. They refused to notice the man sitting huddled against the stone foundation of one building; the only thing keeping him off the cold ground was a cannibalized bit of refrigerator box. There wasn't a sign proclaiming his need to the world, nor was there a Styrofoam cup extended to the relentless tide of humanity that seemed intent on passing him by. Instead, the man looked down at the tiny white creature nestled in his arms, barely visible in the largeness that was the photograph. Phoenix took a step closer, squinting. A tiny white kitten lay curled in the man's arms, desperately eating the scrap that the man was feeding it. A bun wrapped in a bit of paper was probably meant for the man's only meal that day... and he was sharing it with a tiny stray cat.
"That was one of Sev's favorites," Remus said quietly, stepping up behind him. "He took that when we were in New York last year for a book signing."
"Is it staged?" Phoenix asked, glancing down at the placquard: Sacrifice - New York, December 24.
Remus shook his head. "No. Sev just stopped in the middle of that busy street and hunkered down in the snow, pulling out his camera. My publisher was upset for a moment, and then realized what he was taking a picture of. She wanted to adopt the cat, but the gentleman wouldn't let her. So she gave him enough money to get the little thing taken care of for a while." Remus smiled. "That's the kind of thing Sev likes photographing. Things that other people might have missed."
"It's so... sad," Maya said, looking at the tiny kitten. "Everyone else is ignoring them."
Phoenix nodded, knowing that LA had its own share of cardboard cities and homeless. "This is the kind of work Mr. Snape does?"
Remus nodded. "When he doesn't do magazine spreads. He doesn't sugar coat things. He once told me that people would create a universe of their life, and only concentrate on that. His work was meant to break that mindset, to show the world beyond a personal microcosm." He chuckled at Maya's look. "He wants to show people that there is more to life than just their life, more to the world than just their world. He knows what it's like to be sacrificed for the benefit of someone else's private universe," he murmured sadly, looking at the photograph again. Remus shook himself, and then pointed to a color photograph, depicting an obviously staged scene of a woman releasing a dove over the waters of a lake. "That's one of Hywel's."
"No comparison, is there?" A tall, skinny woman with almost white blonde hair dressed in black approached them. She hugged Remus lightly. "Remus, you look absolutely awful. I can't believe they're doing this..."
"Alicia, it's ok." Remus smiled, stepping to the side. "This is Phoenix Wright. He's agreed to take Sev's case. Mr. Wright, this is Alicia Milan. She's Sev's manager."
"Ethan's, if we want to be technical," Alicia said, smiling and shaking Phoenix's hand. "Severus hardly needs someone managing him. I've heard of you, Mr. Wright. The Edgeworth case, yes?"
Phoenix smiled. "That's one of mine, yes. This is Maya Fey, my assistant. Is it alright if I ask you a few questions?"
"Oh, of course!" Alicia said, laying a hand on her chest. "Anything to help Sev. Why don't we sit?" She showed them to a small sitting area, though Phoenix could see the yellow tape cordoning off a corner of the gallery. The police were still there, and he could just make out Gumshoe's mammoth bulk. She made sure Remus was comfortable, and Phoenix got the impression that the two got along well. They would have to, if the rumors about Snape's temper and biting tongue were true. "So. What can I do?"
"Just answering a few questions, that's all," Phoenix said, smiling. "How long have you been Mr. Snape's manager?"
Alicia smiled. "Since he was apprenticed with Phinneas. Phin and I are old friends. He showed me one of Ethan's photos and it was love at first sight!" She motioned to the black and white photographs strewn through the gallery. "His personal work is exceptional. Gritty, real, and yet strikingly poignant and beautiful. His magazine work is exquisite as well, though this kind of work is truly his strong suit. Once you get past the prickly exterior, he's a truly amazing person. Deep and thoughtful, and extremely..." She paused for a moment, pressing her lips together. "He feels things very deeply, though he doesn't show that often. You can see it in his work."
Phoenix smiled slightly. "That reminds me of someone," he murmured. He completely ignored the slight look Maya gave him and leaned forward. "Remus said that this show wasn't your idea?"
"Oh, hell no!" Alicia said, her nose wrinkling. "Hywel panders to the sentimentality of the masses, refusing to challenge his viewer with anything beyond something they recognize as 'pretty'. Pah!" She glared at the offending colors. "He uses cheap film, cheap cameras, and cheap tricks. He isn't even in the same league as Ethan Prince, and the only one that doesn't know it is Hywel. The man was irritating as all hell. He only accepted Meg's invitation because he wanted to try and show Ethan up."
"Meg?" Maya asked, blinking.
"Meg Erinyes. She owns the gallery," Alicia answered, flicking a stray lock of hair away. "Meg has a lot of connections, especially over in the Old World, as she likes to call it. Britain, Germany, France, that sort of thing." Phoenix glanced at Remus, whose eyes narrowed slightly. "Ethan didn't really care about being famous overseas. He's perfectly happy being a purely American commodity."
"If you knew that, why did you push for the show?" Maya asked, tipping her head to the side.
Alicia seemed startled, blinking. "Well... " She frowned suddenly. "It... seemed like a good idea at the time. Though, for the life of me, I can't figure out why! I despise that Hywel idiot even more than Ethan did." She shook her head. "It's a trifle fuzzy, really..."
Remus was frowning intently now. Hmm. That's interesting. I'll have to ask him about it later... Maya piped up again. "Why do you keep calling Mr. Snape Ethan?" she asked. "I mean, you know his real name, right?"
Alicia smiled. "Oh, it's habit by now," she said. "Ethan is very jealous of his privacy. Whenever I talk about his work, it's always Ethan. It's the same for Remus. Whenever we're discussing his work, it's always R.J." She chuckled. "It confuses some people, but... well. That's the way it goes. Whenever Remus is at one of Ethan's shows, no one quite pins him as R.J. Wolfe, and vice versa. I've no idea how they manage it, but..." A sudden tweeting distracted her. "If you'll excuse me? It's probably one of my assistants... this whole thing has us all in a tizzy. Ethan had a number of assignments lined up and now they'll have to be postponed and..." She waved her hands distractedly. "And that horrible detective kept asking me the most rude questions! As if Ethan was some sort of criminal!" She huffed and flipped open the phone, forgetting about them for the moment. "What? No. No. Definitely not."
"...well... thanks?" Alicia waved them off, and Phoenix stood up. "Well... I guess we can try to talk to Detective Gumshoe. He usually gives us some stuff to work with. Inadvertently, of course." Remus chuckled slightly, and then followed Phoenix and Maya over to where the crime scene had been taped off. They walked slowly, so that Phoenix could look around. Security camera with a clear shot... probably means they've got a photograph of the murder. I'll have to ask about that. Although... it's a really clean murder scene. No blood... nothing's really a mess... kinda weird, really.
"Hey, pal!" Right on cue, Gumshoe barreled over to them, glaring at Phoenix. "You ain't allowed over here, ok? This is still an active crime scene!"
"Detective Gumshoe," Phoenix said, "I just wanted to ask a few questions, that's all..."
"I know you and your questions," Gumshoe said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're sticking your nose where it don't belong. We're all grateful for what you did for Mr. Edgeworth, but.."
"Detective," Remus said, managing to curtail the tirade a bit. "I've hired Mr. Wright as Sev's attorney. So his nose, technically, does belong in this." Phoenix caught the slight, wry grin on the older man's face.
Gumshoe frowned a bit. "Well... I guess... but still..."
Phoenix held up his hand. "I only want to ask a few questions, detective. Just get some information so I'm ready for the trial. Which I'm guessing is tomorrow, since that's how my luck usually runs."
Gumshoe nodded. "Yep. Prosecutor Edgeworth is real happy with the witness we have. And the evidence. Real solid case." He grinned at Phoenix. "It's gonna be tough for you this time around."
Like it wasn't tough facing off against Manfred von Karma?! "So the security camera got a good picture, hm?" Phoenix asked, trying to maintain that innocently polite expression. Maya stifled a giggle.
"Yep. Nice and.... HEY! How did you know about the photograph!?" Gumshoe was glaring at him, obviously not pleased that his super secret extremely good evidence had somehow been made known to the sneaky defense attorney. Remus coughed politely, then pointed at the fairly obvious security camera. "...oh." He humphed, then dug around in his pocket. "Yeah, well. It gives us a definitive time for the murder. Eleven thirty last night. Coroner is still trying to come up with a cause of death, though right now he says it might be the heart stopping due to a massive electric shock." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Phoenix. "Here. Copy of the security photo."
Phoenix looked at it intently, frowning. Two men stood in the picture, one pointing a sort of... stick at the other. "What is that?" he asked, pointing.
"For the life of us, we can't figure it out," Gumshoe said, glaring. "It's gotta be the murder weapon. Something that generated the high voltage electricity. Right after this? The security camera shorts out. Big flash of light and then fizzle, the thing's dead."
"Mr. Lupin!" Maya's cry attracted Phoenix's attention, and he turned just in time to catch Remus and steady him before he fell. They got the man settled in a chair, Alicia calling that she would get some water. "Mr. Lupin?" Maya asked quietly, trying to settle him.
Phoenix watched as Lupin's eyes seemed to focus slowly. "...I... I'm sorry. It's just... well..." He fumbled for a moment in his pocket, pulling out another square of chocolate. "It's a bit of a shock, really..."
"Don't worry," Phoenix said quietly, watching as the color started to come back into Remus' cheeks as he nibbled on the chocolate. "Worse evidence has shown up against us before. We can still prove him innocent."
Remus nodded slowly, looking at the photograph. "...yes. Yes of course... I'm sure you'll manage." Phoenix suddenly got the sinking feeling that Remus' reaction wasn't to seeing his lover's face in the photograph. Remus smiled weakly, thanking the detective for the water and sipping it. Phoenix thought for a moment. Something weird was going on. He pocketed the photograph, intending to show it to Mr. Snape. Maybe his client would be able to clear up a few things. "Detective. Your witness..."
"No way, pal," Gumshoe said, glaring at him. "I already gave you that photograph, which I ain't supposed to do. Besides, she's worried it'll ruin her reputation with the art managers or some such..."
"Meg," Alicia said, her eyes widening. "Meg Erinyes is the witness?! That fiendish little bitch!" Gumshoe groaned, then shooed them all out of his crime scene, bellowing that they couldn't be here, that it was police business. Alicia was fuming as she walked them out. "That conniving little... oooooh I'm so mad. This is all her fault anyway and then she goes to be a witness against Ethan! If I didn't know any better, I'd say she had a hand in it, but Meg is a thick as pea soup!"
Remus calmed Alicia down, thanking her for her help. Phoenix, meanwhile, was starting to feel like there were too many coincidences in this case. He really needed to talk to Mr. Snape. And soon.
Next stop, the Detention Center.
Day One: Investigation January 14, Detention Center
Of all the times he'd envisioned himself in prison, and Severus had quite a few of those scenarios in his mind from time to time, this was by far the most surreal.
When he'd finally been released from the detective's ham handed questions, he'd been assigned a cell and informed that he would be sharing for the evening. His cellmate was a convicted murderer who was waiting to be transferred to a maximum-security prison upstate. Apparently, the prisoner should have been transferred earlier, but there was some legal snafu, according to the guard's griping. He hadn't expected to see a refined looking older gentleman reclining on the lower bunk and reading a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. He recognized the face, as would anyone who kept up with the news. His lips twitched at the irony.
"Doesn't seem like the type of book a prosecutor would read, Mr. von Karma," Severus drawled, stepping further into the cell. He took quick note of things: the stool, a table with a chessboard, toiletries lined up in almost military order.
Von Karma looked up, raising an eyebrow. "I would never touch it if it weren't a gift," he answered shortly, setting the book aside. Severus' inky eyebrow climbed a little. He didn't think the Demon God Prosecutor was the type to hold onto a book he didn't care for, even if it was a gift. Unless, of course, it was a gift from someone important. He didn't, however, press the issue. "Since you actually recognize that insipid love letter to defense attorneys everywhere, I must assume you are above the normal caliber of convict one finds in a Los Angeles prison. Dare I hope you can play chess?" he asked, sitting up.
Severus smirked. "Any well bred Englishman can play chess," he said, settling on the short stool and pulling the chess board between them.
Von Karma snorted. "Well bred Englishmen also tend to be fops and idiots who can't play any better than an adlepated child," he snarked. "Do tell, are you a well bred Englishman?"
"Hardly," Severus purred, making his opening gambit. "Which is why I'm exceptional at this."
"Danken sie Gott," von Karma murmured, moving his own piece. "Salvation at last." Severus snorted when he caught a glance of the guard, staring at them with a dropped jaw. He turned his attention to the matter at hand. While other people might have been afraid of the notorious Manfred von Karma, Severus found him exemplary company. Certainly, von Karma had shot and killed a helpless defense attorney after the man had besmirched his perfect record with a court sanction, then raised the selfsame defense attorney's son out of spite only to attempt to frame his own ward for murder... but who didn't have a sordid past these days? He was intelligent, possessed a dry and dark humor, and had a keen eye for chess gambits. They whiled away an hour or two before the guard returned.
"Visitor, Snape," the guard muttered, eyeing him as if he was in possession of three heads. "Your defense attorney."
"We'll have to finish this upon my return," Severus drawled. "I will be highly disappointed if you cheat so badly that I can actually tell when I come back."
Von Karma smirked. "Of course." He settled back down on his bunk and picked up his discarded book. "Oh, bit of advice, Prince? If you do manage to snag Wright, do take him on. He isn't half as stupid as he presents."
"Noted," Severus said before following the guard out. His half of the visitor's room held a chair and a shelf that could conceivably pass as a table set in front of a thick pane of glass. Two speakers were implanted in the wall on either side of the glass, with a smallish looking microphone below it. On the other side of the glass he saw Remus with a young man and a teenaged girl. He paused, staring at the spiky-headed man, then looked at Remus. "You've found a hedgehog for a defense attorney?" he drawled. He smirked when the young man flushed a little.
"Severus," Remus said, his lips twitching in the effort of hiding a grin. "Please? This is Phoenix Wright. He's agreed to take your case."
Phoenix managed a polite smile. Severus regarded him for a moment, and then sat down. "For your sake, Mr. Wright, I hope Manfred was correct in that you are less imbecilic than you appear."
The defense attorney blinked rapidly, face flushing. "Ah...you... you spoke with Prosecutor von Karma?" he stuttered.
Severus felt his wicked humor rearing its amusing head. "He's my cellmate for the evening. Plays a wicked game of chess, though he needs to work on his Two Knights Defense. It was a bit transparent, really. Although I have to say, his reading selection was a bit surprising. To Kill A Mockingbird just doesn't seem his style." He smiled as Phoenix's jaw continued to drop.
"Erm... yes...." Phoenix coughed, and then seemed to rally. "Yes, well. I need to ask a few questions. The trial starts tomorrow and we only have three days. The prosecutor will be Miles Edgeworth, who is rather... dedicated to his work." There was a slight twitch of the boy's mouth. Severus wondered, briefly, what it meant. He put it aside for the moment. "Now, Mr. Lupin has already told us that you won't allow him to provide an alibi for you."
"That's correct," Severus said, settling a bit more comfortably. "The time Remus didn't spend sleeping, he wasn't particularly coherent. If pressed, he couldn't truthfully state that I was with him the entire night. I was, but can't prove it."
Phoenix nodded. "Alright. Here's where it gets a little sticky," he said, pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket. "Time of death was eleven thirty PM. Cause of death, according to what the coroner can figure out, is a massive electric shock that caused Hywel's heart to stop beating." Phoenix unrolled the photograph and pressed it against the glass. "This is their first bit of evidence..."
The rest of the words were drowned out. Severus stared for a long, long moment, a high-pitched buzzing in his ears. A wizard? he thought, staring at what had to be a wand clutched in what appeared to be his hand. A wizard killed Hywel. He squinted a trifle, looking at the photograph. There was something on the murderer's arm... "Shite..." He felt the blood draining from his face, heard Phoenix stop talking. The wizard in the photograph was, apparently, left-handed: he held the wand out with that hand. The underside of the left hand wrist was clearly visible, the dark brand showing up clearly on his pale skin.
The Dark Mark...
"Mr. Snape?" Phoenix was asking, looking at him intently. "Do you see something that might be able to help us?"
Severus nodded. "The left wrist of the murderer," he said quietly. "You'll note a brand. One might mistake it for a tattoo... however that isn't the case." He glanced up at Remus, then back at his defense attorney and what had to be the assistant. "When Remus and I lived in England, we did some... clandestine work, one might say. We were investigating and attempting to bring down a certain cult." Good enough word for it, really. "Members of the cult were marked with that brand. For a while, I infiltrated them in order to relay information back to our superiors. I even sported the same mark. However..." He rolled up the sleeve on his left arm, showing off the pale, clean skin.
Phoenix nodded. "Yes... yes I see!" He smiled. "That's good. That's very good."
"That's better than when the Steel Samurai's pants were too long for him!" the girl piped up, clapping.
Severus raised an eyebrow and looked at Phoenix. "It's... a long story," he explained. "Anyway. This proves that you aren't the one in the photograph. It's someone impersonating you. Is it possible the person could be from the cult?"
Remus frowned. "I don't see how..." he said slowly. "Most of them either died or were put in prison. They were terrorists as well, you see. Killed a lot of innocent people, as well they had a sort of... suicide pact." Phoenix was already nodding, though Severus frowned slightly. It was possible that one or two Death Eaters could have escaped from Azkaban. It was conceivable that they had tracked him all the way to America, even. But why on earth would a Death Eater try and set him up in a Muggle murder case? That wasn't their style at all.
"Well," Phoenix said. "Until we know what the witness will say, that's all we can do for now." He looked at Severus, obviously trying to be supportive. "We'll emphasize the fact that you don't have the brand and that you don't really have a motive for killing Hywel. From all accounts, he was the antagonist in this made up professional jealousy bit of his. You actually did yourself a favor, keeping Mr. Lupin from providing you an alibi." He grinned. "No murderer would willingly give up a solid alibi. After that, we'll just have to find the contradictions in the Miss Erinyes' testimony."
Severus nodded. He had wondered, of course, who the witness was. Meg Erinyes... why did he feel like he should know that name? He tried to think, but was interrupted by Phoenix.
"There is one thing troubling me," the young man said, looking at Severus intently. "Miles Edgeworth will most likely try and drag up anything he can to prove your guilt, including your past history in England. I know you've said you did some clandestine work for the British government, but I need to ask. Is there anything, however small, that might credit his case? Have you been in this sort of situation before?"
Von Karma was right. He isn't a complete imbecile. Severus, however, remained cool and collected. He couldn't have survived both Voldemort Wars as a spy if he wasn't exceptional at lying. "No," he said simply. "There isn't any situation I can think of that would be at all similar to this." The best lies are always a mix of truth and- what the hell?!?
Severus felt something brush against the instinctive Occluding barriers he kept around his mind. It almost felt like a Legilimancy probe, searching for secrets... but it was weak. It wasn't strong enough to scratch his mental shields, let alone dent them. He frowned, glaring slightly at the defense attorney, who was looking at him with slightly widened, glassy eyes. The probe was gentle, but it wasn't intrusive. It didn't try to worm into his memories... it tested the waters of his mind, more like. Trying to divine something... Phoenix groaned softly, putting his head in his hands. "We're doomed..." he mumbled.
"Phoenix?" Maya asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Phoenix, what's wrong?"
"Eighteen..." the man muttered, shaking his head. "How am I supposed to break eighteen?" Remus looked faintly concerned, obviously about to offer him chocolate. Phoenix looked up at Severus, his eyes narrowing. "Why can't you trust me enough to tell the truth? I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't trust me!"
Ahhh, Severus thought. He wondered, briefly, if the younger man possessed an innate gift or if it was some sort of charm or trinket. He fell back on old habits, giving Phoenix a cool, haughty look as he stood up. "You have yet to prove yourself trustworthy, Mr. Wright," he drawled. "And far more than my freedom would be in jeopardy if I were to discuss certain privy subjects willy nilly. Therefore, content yourself with the knowledge that you are defending an innocent man, and that the likelihood of this... matter finding its way to the courtroom is almost nonexistent."
Remus sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sev..."
Severus smiled softly. "Apologies, love. Old habits, and all." He looked quellingly at the boy. "I trust you to defend me, no more and no less. You'll have to prove whether or not you deserve more than that."
Phoenix glared a little at him, showing some spirit at last. "If this matter, as you call it, comes back to bite us in the ass, I'll kindly remind you not to blame me."
Severus smirked. "Kindly or not, I may blame you anyway, Mr. Wright. I'm a bastard that way."