Chapter 13
Harry once more woke in his large bed to find Hermione clinging to him, this time though she was under the bedcovers too. A slight exploration of his hands resulted in a contented sigh from his girlfriend, along with confirmation that at least they were both wearing pyjamas. "Hermione, what are you doing here?"
She was obviously not fully awake yet but Harry at least managed to decipher the word 'nightmare' from her mumblings. "Sorry you had a nightmare love but you need to get up, bad dreams would be the least of our problems if your dad caught us like this."
A now almost awake Hermione popped herself up onto her elbow to correct her boyfriend. "No Harry, you had the nightmare. Holding me seemed to be the only thing that drove it away."
"Well that certainly makes more sense. You still need to move though, before we get caught."
This was Hermione's cue to snuggle in even more. "Relax Harry, we have a chaperone."
Harry lifted his head to look over the snuggling Hermione and spotted the big black dog curled up on the sofa, Padfoot was snoring. Here was his chance to talk about what was most prominent in his mind. "Hermione, about what you said last night…"
Hermione pulled him back down to join her, she missed his warmth. She also wanted him as close as possible while she explained the facts of their lives to him. "Harry, until we hear back from Madam Bones there really is nothing to discuss. If there's another method for getting that thing out of you then we don't have to talk about this. If there isn't, then we still don't have to talk about this."
Harry was about to complain until she kissed him into silence. "You dove into a freezing cold lake and fought off mermen to rescue me, am I then just expected to stand by while the ministry cart you away to be killed? Not going to happen, especially if I have a means to help."
"You know there's no way your mum or dad would go for this, and I don't blame them one bit. I will not be the cause of a rift between you and your family, please don't ask me to."
"Harry, do you remember what you said to Ron that day at lunch?" Hermione then displayed that prodigious memory of hers to repeat Harry's words verbatim. "You're my friend Ron but Hermione is the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, you need to understand the difference."
"That works both ways Harry. For me, this ring you put on my finger means we're going to get married, have children and spend the rest of our lives together. What does it mean to you?"
"Everything you've just said would be all my dreams come true."
"Well Harry, apart from the children bit, I'm ready now. Our ages may be against us but we're both older than our years, just think of some of the shit we've been through together."
It was Harry's turn to kiss Hermione quiet now. "I would rather think of all the good times we had together, and the best of those was certainly the Christmas holidays. I want to be with you Hermione, more than you could possibly know, but I want the both of us to have it all. That means our families all around us. Sirius and Tonks, your mum and dad, is that too much to ask?"
"Glad I at least made the list this time Harry."
Both had been so engrossed with each other, neither had noticed Tonks enter the bedroom, she was now sitting beside a wide awake and grinning Sirius.
It was his godfather who asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to. "It's not too much to ask Harry, it just might be too much to achieve at the moment. Do you have any ideas on the matter?"
"Yes, if we want to be taken as adults, then we need to act like adults. Hermione's father never got around to having the talk with me that he promised, I think now would be a good time. I need to speak to him about marrying Hermione."
A most un-Hermione like squeal emanated from the young witch as she pounced on Harry.
The two adults watched the teens playfully wrestling in the bed, Tonks though just had to comment on what she just heard. "Big brass ones Sirius, I told you he sent Molly Weasley a howler?"
"Oh I agree, brass at least. I just hope Dan Granger lets him keep them. If Hermione was my daughter, I would probably castrate any boyfriend that was trying to pull a stunt like this."
Tonks could only nod in agreement, figuring her father's reactions when she was fifteen would probably be at least that. "Well, I think we should make sure the condemned man at least eats a hearty breakfast. I'm thinking though that we leave that bandage on his forehead, go for the sympathy vote."
"At least you'll be there to make sure things don't get out of hand."
The auror had to shake her head at that comment. "We covered this situation when I first took the assignment, Madam Bones was quite clear on the matter. Harry's on his own."
The giggling and laughter coming from the bed wasn't quite loud enough to mask the 'oh shit!' from Sirius, that expression had the auror's wholehearted agreement.
-oOoOo-
The atmosphere at the Grangers could have done with some giggling and laughter, it could be described at best as strained. Both parents had taken different positions on this latest development. Though each could easily see how and why their partner reached their decision, there was just no middle ground for them to broach a compromise over. If ever there was an either / or scenario, this was it. The choice in front of them appeared to be either Hermione lost her virginity to her boyfriend or Harry could end up dead, Henry Kissinger couldn't find the middle ground in that situation.
The radio was playing in the background yet the silence was deafening, both were hurting but didn't have the words to heal the huge rift that was slowly growing within their family. The doorbell ringing saw the couple jump before Emma went to answer it, she returned with the last person Dan expected to see today.
Harry had already decided before coming over here that this was not an occasion for small talk, he was certain 'terrible weather for golfing so let's talk about me shagging your daughter' would not go down well either. It was time to get straight to the point, though with perhaps a tad more tact than his previous thought.
Taking his Gryffindor courage in hand, Harry dived right in. "Hello Mr Granger, we never actually got around to having that talk you promised me. I'm betting there are a few more things you'd like to add to it now so that's why I came over."
Emma was now really worried, she knew how angry Dan was with this entire situation. "Where's Hermione, or Tonks? Isn't she supposed to be guarding you?"
"Hermione is back at the house while Tonks walked me over, she's down at the end of the street. She also has my wand."
Dan was looking at his wife with a pained expression on his face. "Do you really think he needs his bodyguard for this, or his wand?"
Harry answered before Emma could say anything. "If Hermione was my daughter, the boy would need more than a bodyguard."
Dan could only shake his head, how could he possibly hate this young man? "Emma, go and get Tonks and the two of you can share a pot of coffee while Harry and I have our much delayed chat."
Dan led Harry off to the room they used as a small library come study, it was understandably Hermione's favourite bolthole. "Take a seat Harry and tell me what brought you over here this morning?"
"That's easy sir, Hermione. I think you know I love your daughter and hoped that one day she would be my wife, not like this though, never like this." Harry had a whole speech prepared, it had sounded great too, but every word left him as he entered Hermione's home. Instead Harry found himself speaking straight from the heart, saying aloud what he kept buried deep inside.
"When Hermione discovered that being betrothed would offer me protection from having my memory wiped, she didn't mention it for a while because she felt like she was trapping me into having a relationship with her. Nothing could be further from the truth but that's what she thought."
Dan could see the young man was wearing his heart on his sleeve here today so decided to just sit back and let him ramble, he could ask any questions later.
"I now know exactly how she felt because this feels as if I'm trapping her into marriage, something I could never do. Your daughter is brilliant and beautiful with the whole world at her feet and, well I'm not any of those things. Staying in this house over Christmas was easily the best two weeks of my life, I got a chance to spend them with Hermione and see how a real family functions. You've met the Dursleys so have some idea what I'm talking about."
Dan couldn't help but smile at those holiday memories, he'd never seen Hermione happier. This though just appeared to make Harry all the more determined. "If me bonding with Hermione is going to put an end to times like that, then I won't go through with it."
Dan Granger had spent most of his life reading peoples faces, usually because the rest of them were laid out on a dentist's chair as he worked on their teeth. He was as certain as he could be that this young man sitting before him meant every word that he said. "You realise what that could mean?"
"I do sir, better than most. My life has nearly been ended on more than one occasion since I entered Hogwarts, in each case I've been very lucky but still fought back with everything I had. I have no intention of going quietly." Harry appeared deep in thought for a moment before adding, "I have no intention of going at all."
This really made Dan sit up and take notice, had Harry come up with an alternative? "Could you explain that please Harry?"
"I'm going to speak with Sirius and hope both of us can be out the country before the ministry is any the wiser. Dumbledore might have me marked down for martyrdom, excuse my language sir, but fuck that for no future. They'll hunt down the rest of the horcruxes so Voldemort will remain a wraith unless he gets his hands on me, I have no intention of letting that happen either."
"Just the two of you Harry?"
"We'll be on the run for the rest of our lives sir, that's not a future for Hermione. I think that would be worse than going ahead with the bonding and her losing touch with you and her mother. No sir, I won't do that to her."
Dan was clutching at straws here, anything to keep Harry talking while his brain figured out what his next move was. "So, you've pretty much discounted there being any other way to get that thing out your head safely?"
"That would have to be yes, I'm just not that lucky. Sitting at the Halloween feast and my name comes out the goblet, that's more like the Potter luck."
Dan was all out of options. "What did you really come over here for this morning Harry?"
"My original plan was to convince you and Mrs Granger what a great son-in-law I'd make, trouble is I don't believe it myself. Hermione outclasses me on every level, I'm sure she'll find someone better one day. I also know this will devastate her, even if she only feels half of what I feel for her, but she'll have her family to help her through it. Family is something I've wanted my entire life, I could never take that away from her."
Dan was convinced, this was not some angle the young man was trying to pull, Harry genuinely would walk away from Hermione rather than see her estranged from her parents. The tears now silently running down the lad's cheeks told just how much this was costing the brave young man, Harry's heart was literally breaking right in front of him.
"I guess when you get right down to it, I really came here to say goodbye. I know you'll look after Hermione and please convince her that none of this was her fault. I would give anything to be her husband one day but the Potter luck just doesn't work that way."
Dan stood as Harry got unsteadily to his feet, the young wizard's intention appeared to be to shake hands goodbye and then leave, that never happened. As Harry shook his hand, the dam holding back his emotions finally broke. It didn't just break though, this was more of a catastrophic failure. His body was racked with sobs and Dan was forced to grab Harry as his legs no longer seemed capable of keeping him upright.
Harry's total breakdown was loud and certain to attract attention from outside the room. Sure enough, the door was flung open and Hermione came rushing in. That his wife and Tonks were close behind her went unnoticed by Dan, his daughter's presence demanding his full attention.
Hermione had taken one glance at her father holding a distraught Harry and exploded. "What have you done to him? What did you say to him?" Dan never got time to answer as Hermione was solely concerned with Harry's welfare. On hearing her voice, his sobs if anything appeared to increase in magnitude.
Hermione managed to help him back to the wing-backed chair he'd been sitting on. She then made sure he wasn't going anywhere by the simple procedure of parking herself on his lap. She had his head buried comfortingly in her chest while running her hands through his hair, all the time whispering endearments to the boy she loved. She totally missed her father being practically dragged out the room.
Emma waited until they had Dan in the kitchen before unloading. "Daniel Granger, what the hell did you do in there?"
Dan reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of the dark liquid, leaving room in there for the brandy that he removed from the cupboard. "I said nothing and I did nothing."
"What we saw certainly couldn't be considered nothing. That looked to me like Harry was undergoing some kind of breakdown, and there was only the two of you in the room."
"I swear I did nothing." Dan took a hit from his spiked coffee cup before explaining to the two disbelieving women what had transpired. "Harry told me he would never split Hermione from her family so was refusing to go through with this ritual. He was planning on asking Sirius if they could flee the country and was saying goodbye when, well you both saw for yourselves."
Emma picked up the brandy bottle and splashed some to both hers and Tonks coffees, using the actions, and the time this took, to try and compose her answer. It didn't help one bit. "Daniel Granger, I am probably madder at you just now than your daughter is, and I didn't think that was possible. You have your 'my little girl' blinkers on and can't see what's really happening here."
"I told you, I said and did nothing to cause that."
"You did nothing to stop it either." Tonks was trying to stay out of this but just couldn't. She was quickly coming to consider the young couple in there as family, and nobody messed with her family.
Emma was on a roll though and cut across Tonks' effort. "Let me explain to you what I think happened here today, and if you get your head out your arse I think you'll see I'm right." Dan sipped at his fortified coffee, hoping to ride out the twin attack.
"That young man in there has come through mental and physical attacks from real monsters and homicidal maniacs. Up until recently, every figure of authority he had in his life has betrayed him in some way. I'm almost certain the only thing standing between Harry and a total nervous breakdown is our daughter."
Emma had to stop for a sip of her own coffee. She didn't want to crucify Dan here, just point out the harsh realities of the situation they found themselves in. "Hermione has stuck by him through thick and thin, she's his rock and anchor to normality. For an instant today, that anchor was slipped. We all witnessed the results. He trusts her with everything that he has or is, what more could you ask for in a young man for our daughter?"
Tonks felt she had information that needed to be added here. "I've been with them constantly now for a few months and I would have to point out this is not a one way relationship. Hermione relies on Harry every bit as much as he banks on her. As individuals, both have self esteem issues yet are rock solid as a couple. I would bet, had Harry been stupid enough to go through with this nonsense, that's probably the condition Hermione would have been in when he left."
Dan could see it all now. "When I shook Harry's hand it must have been like finalising the deal for the lad, he just fell to pieces right in front of me. Harry said he originally came over to try and convince us he would make the best son-in-law in the world, I can't help wishing that was the conversation we did have. Hermione looked at me as if I was dog shit on her shoe, that's not something I want repeated any time soon. How did she get over here anyway, I thought she was staying with Sirius?"
"She arrived here barely a minute after Emma and I sat down, she was pacing back and forward outside that door like a caged tiger."
Emma knew her husband only had their daughter's best interests at heart, he just had a father's blindness to just how much Hermione had grown. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. "Harry's still here so we can both hear that conversation. Hermione at least didn't pull her wand, I thought she was going to attack Amelia Bones yesterday."
"If I know your daughter, her first priority will be to put Harry back together again. Quickly followed by ripping him a new one for even thinking about leaving her. I don't expect them to emerge much before lunch so I'm going to nip back and let Sirius know what's happening. He'll be slowly going nuts and you can expect him to return with me."
Emma gave her first smile of the day. "With Dobby and Winky making lunch, it doesn't really matter where we eat. I think you're right about those two and I'll pop my head in to see if they need anything."
Tonks left as Emma checked on Harry and Hermione, she didn't think they had moved an inch and were conversing barely above a whisper. It was impossible to say if Harry looked any better since his head was still buried in Hermione's chest, he'd stopped crying though so Emma took that as a good sign and returned to find Dan had been doing some soul searching.
"I always knew I would one day be replaced as the most important man in Hermione's life, I just reckoned on having the spot for a few more years yet. It was plain today that Harry now holds that position."
"Harry holds a different position Dan. I love you with all my heart but it didn't mean I loved my father any less when we married. Tonks told me Harry wants nothing more than to be part of a family, he also wants us to be a big part of that family. None of us are happy with how this is playing out but I think we should try our best to accept it, we've just caught a glimpse of what the alternative could be."
The hard look his daughter had given him this morning deeply affected Dan, that those same features swiftly morphed into displaying affection and concern as she held Harry meant he would have to re-examine his priorities here. In his drive to do what was best for his daughter, he'd made the classic parent's mistake of not taking that self same daughter's feelings or opinion on the matter into account. It was a mistake he would not make again.
-oOoOo-
Hermione had managed to calm Harry to the point where she now had the complete picture of what had taken place earlier. Part of her was horrified that he would even consider such a thing while another took comfort from the fact he clearly was unable to carry it out. She well understood Harry would have some noble reason behind this but had to nip any further attempts in the bud here and now. Hermione recognised better than anyone though that her boyfriend had just endured a horrendous few days, she wasn't going to add to that by giving Harry major grief over this incident.
She held him close and spoke softly into his ear. "We're a couple now Harry, the only way to remain a couple though is to talk to each other. I know I can be opinionated and downright bossy, I need you to tell me when I go OTT."
Harry was about to object when Hermione held him closer into her chest, any thoughts of objecting died right there. "Just like you can go off half cocked and jump right into something, that's going to need some work too."
"I was really stupid for even thinking I should leave you. Hermione, can you forgive me?"
He was looking at her now with such worry reflected in his eyes, she tried to gently kiss the doubt away. "We will only get through this if we stick together Harry, we're stronger as a couple. We can achieve far more by each other's side than we can individually. You said only this morning that we needed to start acting like adults, that's what we need to do love."
"I'm sorry Hermione, I walked into your home and it suddenly hit me what I could be taking away from you. My whole strategy just crumbled the second your mother opened the door. It was run away with Sirius or let the ministry take me."
"Look in the mirror Harry and you'll see what I can't lose. Everything else we can work around."
They sat chatting like that until Dobby appeared and asked them to come to lunch.
-oOoOo-
Amelia was supposedly having lunch with Susan. Instead she too had a crying teen in her embrace.
There was a large ministry presence at Hogwarts still and it would remain there until the school was back up and running. The two remaining senior staff had been promoted to head and deputy, with Sprout taking the top job. The minister had approved Harry's request for Lupin's return, with a promotion to Head of Gryffindor. Horace Slughorn had been coaxed out of retirement to handle the Head of Slytherin/Potions position.
This left the new Headmistress needing to promote someone to head her old house and find a transfiguration professor, preferably in the next few days. Some of the staff might be needed as witnesses at the trials tomorrow but they were hoping to have Hogwarts up and running by Wednesday.
Having just informed Susan about the line theft charges was the reason for her tears, Amelia had already decided her niece would be coming home for a few days before the story broke. They were sitting in McGonagall's old office, both their lunches untouched on the table in front of them, when a little visitor interrupted the pair with an important letter for Madam Bones.
-oOoOo-
Harry was very nervous as he entered the room, that didn't last long. Emma scooped him into a hug as Hermione made straight for her father. She flung her arms around Dan and apologised.
"Sorry for earlier dad. Harry told me what happened and it wasn't your fault. I just jumped to the wrong conclusion."
Suddenly, everything was right again in Dan Granger's world. He hugged his daughter back for all he was worth. When Hermione left her father's embrace, she found an anxious Sirius waiting on her.
"You know this crazy idea was nothing to do with me?"
Hermione thought a hug was the best way to reassure Sirius that she didn't blame him in the slightest. "I know Sirius. Harry would lay his life down for those he loves, it just never occurs to the silly prat that anyone could feel the same way about him."
Harry had been released from Emma's arms, only so Tonks could grab him. "Listen Potter, Dumbledore and his greasy henchman couldn't get you away from me, don't you even think of making an attempt. No one runs out on this auror. Do I need to start going to the bathroom with you in case you sneak out the window?"
Tonks was attempting to make a joke out of the situation but Harry knew her well enough now to see the hurt behind her façade. It was also quite possible that, if he didn't convince her otherwise, she would carry out her threat of being standing right beside him when he next went for a pee. "I'm sorry everyone for all the drama, it won't happen again. I'm not going anywhere."
Emma understood Harry had been raised with little love or compassion from his relatives but her heart broke at the sight of him in Tonks' arms, apologising for any trouble he'd caused.
"Harry, amongst family, when it hurts you say ouch."
Dan had seen and heard enough. He'd decided to adopt the old adage that he wasn't losing a daughter here, but gaining a son. Even the thought of losing his daughter's respect and affection was enough to prompt this change of heart. "This waiting is killing us all, is there any way we can get a hold of Madam Bones today?"
"We could send a message…"
Hermione was interrupted by a loud pop. "Dobby would gladly take any message that helps his family."
He was soon joined by Winky. "Invite her to dinner? Winky and Dobby love to have guests." Less than ten minutes later, Dobby popped off with their message while Winky cajoled her family to eat the lunch the elves had already prepared.
-oOoOo-
Susan was beginning to think this was a very bad idea, "Are you sure this will be ok?"
"You read the note yourself, they clearly wanted you here. I also told you they know who was responsible for any plots to get you and Harry together."
"They asked to see you, not me. It's probably only out of politeness I was added, you kinda left them with no choice."
"Relax Susan, since getting to know these people I've learned at least one thing. If they didn't want you here, you wouldn't have been invited."
Croaker was watching the scene with amusement, glad in some ways that he was a confirmed bachelor. He didn't miss the wards that they passed through at the gates though, this made the unspeakable glad his name was also on that dinner invitation. Without it, he would probably be lying in that hedgerow across the street about now.
Dobby escorted them into the reception room where his family was waiting, he'd taken their cloaks and now it was time for drinks before dinner. As usual though, his new family didn't stand on any ceremony.
Hermione had noticed Susan's 'deer caught in headlights' expression and headed straight for her. As Harry's betrothed, it would be better to get this over with as quickly as possible. Beside that, both of them considered Susan a friend and the witch was clearly stressing herself over this incident. "Hi Susan, glad you could make it. I just wanted to say that neither Harry nor I think you were in any way involved in this plot. It was all down to Dumbledore, and his need to control people. You would have been an unknowing and unwilling victim, just like us."
It was like watching the sun emerge from behind black clouds, Susan's entire demeanour underwent a transformation. "Oh thank you Hermione, I've been worrying myself sick since I heard about this today. You know my fear of being controlled and I've never taken my necklace off since Harry gave it to me."
Amelia was delighted at just how well that had gone, it was now time to take it to the next level. "The reason I informed Susan, and also why I asked if she could accompany me here tonight, is that I need agreement from you three for the next phase of our plan to capture Dumbledore."
That grabbed the entire room's attention, Amelia then provided the information that they were waiting on. "If we make it public that Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape intended to use potions to manufacture a relationship between Harry and Susan, we can add attempted line theft to the list of charges."
Sirius couldn't hold back the chuckle as her meaning became clear. "Oh Amelia, that's sneaky, nasty and absolutely bloody brilliant. You think he'll buy it?"
"Could someone please explain to us poor dentists just what is going on here? I don't want these two agreeing to anything until I know what it is."
Amelia nodded toward her silent companion. "It was actually Croaker's idea Dan, so I'll let him explain the finer details."
All attention then switched to the nondescript man who appeared as if he was trying to blend into the background. Amelia apparently wanted him to earn his free meal. "One of the most heinous crimes in pureblood law is outsiders attempting to manipulate a family's bloodlines in this way. Betrothal contracts and marrying your cousin is fine, providing the head of the family sanctions it. None of the three involved had any legal right to interfere in the affairs of the Bones and Potter families."
Sirius of course knew all this and had very quickly sussed just what they were up to. "This crime doesn't just earn you time in Azkaban, it carries the penalty of a dementor's kiss. I'm assuming this is going to be all over the Prophet by tomorrow and you're hoping Dumbledore will come rushing to rescue Snape and McGonagall, totally unaware that we already know all his secrets?"
Amelia nodded in agreement but, before she could point out that there were certain things Susan didn't know anything about, Emma was on her in a flash.
"If you're hoping that Dumbledore will come forward and spill his guts, you must have a way to protect Harry?"
"I was just about to say that Susan is unaware of any other developments at the moment. If we decide to go ahead with this, I wanted her out of Hogwarts before the story broke."
Hermione was smiling knowingly at Amelia. "It also will help Susan tremendously if you can publicly say she spent the evening having dinner with Harry Potter, his betrothed, and their families."
Croaker couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's discomfort at being so easily read. Perhaps Amelia would begin to understand why the unspeakables were so interested in this young couple. That interest would only increase if they accepted what was going to be proposed tonight.
Harry saved Amelia's blushes. "If you have a solution to this problem, we don't mind if Susan knows about it. We trust her and, if Dumbledore does what you think, the story will be all over the country by the end of the week anyway."
Croaker nodded in agreement, while deciding to put the family out of their misery and answer the one question that they must be desperate to ask. "Other than the method suggested by Miss Granger, nothing that we have been able to find gives Mr Potter anything better than a fifty percent chance of surviving the proceedure. I feel I must qualify that answer by saying, since an event like this has never been documented before, fifty percent survival chance is nothing more than our best guess."
Emma's nerves had been stretched pretty taunt over the preceding few days, this proved to be her snapping point. "So the best that you can come up with is that Harry will either die, or he won't? Totally unacceptable, and so is the Dumbledore proposal unless you have something better than that. I want him punished as much as anyone here, but not at the cost of Harry's life."
"We have taken Miss Granger's initial proposal and refined it somewhat to put the odds in their favour. While there still remains an element of danger, we calculate the chances of an acceptable outcome at well over ninety percent."
Emma was relentless though. "Just to ensure we're talking about the same thing here, the only outcome that would be acceptable to us is these two being alive and well at the end of it. Oh, and just what qualifies as 'refinements' in a process like this?"
"Straight and to the point Mrs Granger, a pleasure to deal with someone using their mind the way it was supposed to be used. The version of this ritual your daughter discovered was more of a general guideline, we have unearthed the complete and unabridged method."
Those were terms the entire company could understand. "We've also considered the best location for the result we all want to see achieved. There is a room deep inside the ministry that is dedicated to the study of what some consider to be the greatest power in the universe, love. Performing the ritual here again increases the chances of a successful outcome. This is love-based magic at its most powerful and, should the shadow hanging over Harry be expelled as expected, it will find itself in a totally inhospitable environment."
This comment saw the first traces of blushing from the pair who would be performing this ritual. "Finally, the young couple will be asked to invite someone they trust into the room with them. Their task will be to cast a binding spell at the spirit in the event its not destroyed on expulsion. This is purely a safety measure to ensure there is no possibility of its escape."
It was now a very red-faced Harry and Hermione who glanced questioningly at each other before both coming to the exact same conclusion, they turned as one to the person they trusted to help them with this.
Tonks was taken aback by the trust they were showing her but there was just no way she could possibly resist the two pairs of begging eyes that focused intently on her. "Ok, enough already. If you need me, I'll be there."
Dan asked the question he really didn't want to know the answer to. "Do you have any idea of what timescale we are working with here?"
"We hope to have the others destroyed before they proceed with the ritual. I spent hours going through Dumbledore's office today searching for clues. It was a veritable mine of information on Tom Riddle, along with a sketchy hypothesis that may turn out to be a lot more accurate than the old meddler thought."
Amelia knew this but what the fool then did, or didn't do, that had her blood boiling. "Dumbledore figured that Tom would conceal these abominations in places that had some special reference to him, he also guessed that founders objects would attract his interest too. Then the stupid old bugger sat on his arse, and the vital information, for well over a decade and did nothing about it."
"It turns out Tom's mother lived only a short distance from his father's muggle house where he'd been hiding, we plan to start searching that entire area with our detector tomorrow."
While listening to the unspeakable, Harry had a flash of inspiration, or more like understanding. "Tom was an orphan, check Hogwarts." The looks this comment drew then had Harry offering an explination. "Tom was an orphan who hated where he was forced to live. He knew he was different but had no idea why, Hogwarts changed his life forever. I can understand that. Up until recently, Hogwarts was the only place I considered home."
Hermione slipped her arm supportively around his waist as she offered another possibility. "He gave one to Lucius Malfoy to keep safe for him, could he have done the same with any more of his followers?"
Amelia was shaking her head and looked straight at her smirking unspeakable friend. "Ok, I get it now. I've been an auror for over thirty years and neither of those suggestions occurred to me." She then turned her attention back to the young couple. "If you don't want to work for Croaker here when you leave school, come and see me. The aurors can always use instincts and intelegence like that. The fact that I've seen you face down Dumbledore, and even me, bodes well for any future in law enforcement."
Sirius wanted to know if they had any idea just how many of these things they still had to find, Amelia jumped in to answer. "Our friend here is almost certain we're looking for another three, getting our hands on one more should give us a definit number. Just don't get Croaker talking on the arithmetical equations he used to work this out, we'll be here all night."
Dobby appeared to announce that dinner was ready, Hermione took a bewildered looking Susan by the arm to lead her and Harry into dinner. "Don't worry Susan, we'll explain it all during dinner but you need to let us know what's happening inside Hogwarts since we left."
The little Hufflepuff was almost babbling as she attempted to cram the shenanigans of the last few days into a few minutes. "With everything that happened at the second task, issuing points to the champions was completely forgotten about and now no one knows what will happen next. Professor Lupin is coming back to take over defence and be the head of Gryffindor. Oh and wait until you hear what happened to Malfoy..."
Dan took his wife's arm and followed the teens into dinner. "I get it now. No matter what happens, Hermione's still our daughter."
This earned him a kiss. "I knew I married a smart man."
Sirius walked beside Amelia, he wanted to know more about her plans for Dumbledore.
Dobby had a grin on his face as he watched his family come back together again, it had been a rough few days. Dobby had concealed himself in that room today when Master Harry had met with Mistress Mione's father. Dobby had been given a specific order to protect his master and that's what Dobby would do, Mistress Mione arrived before Dobby needed to take action. Watching as his mistress comforted his master warmed Dobby's heart. His new family was a different world from his old one. Dobby knew which one he preferred and popped away to help Winky as the last guest passed him. Dinner needed to be served.
Chapter 14
Dan could hardly believe the difference twenty-four hours could make. This time yesterday you would have gotten long odds against the chances of them all sitting down to breakfast together as a family, far less laughter being present at the table.
When Sirius had observed how well the three teens were getting on at dinner, he had asked Amelia if Susan could stay the night. As they would all be meeting at the ministry this morning anyway, Amelia quickly agreed. Having her niece arrive at the trial in the company of Harry and Hermione would instantly quell any nasty rumours over the Prophet 'line theft' story.
The three had chatted well into the late evening before Hermione approached her father with a request that knocked Dan for six.
"Dad, is it okay if I sleep with Harry again tonight? He had terrible nightmares last night and woke the whole house, only holding me kept them away. This should get us all a good night's sleep, we need to be fresh for this trial tomorrow. You don't have to worry though, Sirius was in the room with us and would be again tonight."
Dan felt his new resolve had been tested to its limits already but what other option did he have than to say yes. He really believed his daughter about the sleeping part, and they could effectively be married in a matter of months or even weeks. Both certainly appeared far chirpier this morning leading to his attempt at teasing his future son-in-law.
"You're looking far happier this morning Harry, sleep well?"
"I had a great night's sleep, apart from Sirius' snoring."
Emma was the one who brought up what they would be facing today, she also couldn't miss the positive changes in Harry. "Are you all set for the trials? I think we all could have done with a day off first but that can't be helped now."
Harry's hand found Hermione's as he tried to put everyone's minds at rest. He understood they were concerned about his welfare and that was a strange feeling for Harry, nice but still strange. "I think yesterday was my lowest point ever, that was until Hermione explained what a fool I was being. After that, I feel I could leap tall buildings in a single bound."
It was only Susan and Sirius who didn't get Harry's joke, the purebloods having no concept of Superman. Tonks though brought him back down to earth. "The way your luck runs Harry, you'll probably need superpowers before the day is out."
What should have been a joke saw Hermione nodding. "With the Potter luck, there's just no way today is going to be straightforward. Harry doesn't have to go looking for trouble, it usually knows just where to find him and likes to pop in from time to time."
Even Susan was nodding at that. "Its a bit premature this year though, it's usually June before Harry's called into action as things come to a climax."
Dan found his eyes watering and Emma pounding on his back, he'd unfortunately been drinking coffee when Susan had made her comment and almost choked. Sirius and Tonks were also in difficulty but that appeared more about stopping themselves bursting into laughter. Harry and Hermione meanwhile just sat quietly as their faces glowed almost red hot.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Emma herself was fighting back the laughter, though more so at her husband's discomfort with Susan's choice of words. "No Susan, just an unfortunate turn of phrase for this early in the morning. Dan just discovered he can't breathe and drink coffee at the same time."
This destroyed all resolve and the room rang with the sound of laughter, again something you would have gotten long odds against.
-oOoOo-
The press was waiting on them as the group entered the ministry, thankfully the director of the DMLE was too. Amelia soon shepherded them through to a small, private waiting room beside the court. "First the good news. I just received an owl telling me a certain search in Little Hangleton proved positive. A team of ministry curse-breakers are heading there as we speak."
Dan was still struggling with regarding this as good news, it suddenly brought an event he was dreading having to deal with a massive step closer.
"Now today's proceedings are being held in open court, we wanted as many of the public in there as possible to witness what these people were up to. The Prophet went crazy over the line theft story and has really stirred public opinion up. So far, there's been no sign of Dumbledore but I will have a dozen of my best aurors inside that court, just in case."
This drew relieved nods from the adults so Amelia continued. "Auror Tonks will be sitting beside Harry and Hermione as she will also be called as a witness. Sirius, you, the Grangers and Susan will be sitting further back in the court. We already have their confessions under truth serum so today is basically to establish exactly what went on the morning of the second task. Is everyone okay with these arrangements?"
The trio who would have to take the witness stand shared a quick glance amongst themselves before confirming that they were. Amelia led the rest into the courtroom to take their seats, only after much hugging and wishing of luck though.
-oOoOo-
An auror led the trio into the court, it was certainly an imposing sight that greeted the teens. The massive room was octagonal in shape, with a ceiling that appeared to reach into the heavens. The first impression each of them thought of was that it resembled an amphitheatre, and both teens hoped they wouldn't be thrown to the lions today. The reason for those thoughts was obvious, they were currently standing in another octagonal space in the centre of the room that would correspond to the amphitheatre's arena. This was clearly the working part of the courtroom while seven of the eight segments coming off the central space contained raised and banked seating. It appeared as if hundreds of witches and wizards had crammed into the courtroom, desperate to see for themselves just what was going on in the heart of their community.
The final section contained only five rather regal chairs, this section was obviously reserved for whoever was judging the case. The hexagonal arena was beautifully built from some kind of really dark wood none of them could identify. Although almost black in colour, it effortlessly reflected light the attached gas lamps provided so everyone could see exactly what was happening. This was anything but a cosy setting though, the two eight feet tall cylindrical metal cages in the centre of the floor easily destroyed any idea of homely decor.
The trio were led to a seating area, immediately noticing that their family was in the first row of raised seating behind them. Harry had Hermione on one side, Tonks on the other with the rest of his family guarding his back. He felt ready to face anything they could throw at him.
On opposing sides of the cages were two tables, they assumed one was the prosecution as Amelia was sitting there. That left the other for the defence council. Tonks had obviously been in court before as part of her auror duties and was explaining in whispers to the young couple how things would work here today.
The judges entered and began taking their seats, Harry thought one of them might be Neville's gran but it was hard to tell as she wasn't wearing her trademark vulture hat. It was after the court official summoned the prisoners that the real drama began. Snape and McGonagall entered the court through the floor to appear inside the cages. Even though those bars looked as if they could contain Hagrid, both prisoners were chained to the seats they occupied.
Snape had his sneer going full blast, especially after spotting Harry, but McGonagall appeared a broken witch. Their former head of house seemed to have aged at least a decade and didn't even lift her head to look upon the courtroom. From where they were sitting, all three could clearly see the tears running down her cheeks.
Harry knew McGonagall's betrayal had really hurt Hermione, she was the one professor more than anyone else his betrothed had looked up to and respected. "Remember love, this is the woman who was okay with feeding me potions to break us up. This is the woman who got you out of bed and put you at the bottom of the Black Lake. She also didn't seem to mind I was going to be fed a potion to make me Dumbledore's mindless follower. Save your sympathy for those who deserve it."
She squeezed his hand and bravely nodded her head. Hermione knew everything Harry said was true, it still hurt though as she watched her former role model reduced to this.
Hermione was called to give evidence first as Amelia skilfully and considerately led her through the confrontation with McGonagall, right up until she woke soaking wet in the Black Lake.
The defence council introduced himself as Julian Micawber, both teens taking an instant dislike to the wizard.
He was of medium height yet large of girth, it looked like he hadn't been able to see his toes for some time. He was obviously attempting to appear distinguished but his entire elder statesman image was ruined by vanity. Julian Micawber was bald but attempting to hide that fact with the most ridiculous comb-over either Harry or Hermione had ever seen. The little area of hair growth he did still possess must have been about a foot long on the left hand side of his head. This was then combed over the acres of exposed scalp and abracadabra – bald no more!
This wasn't the reason for their umbrage though, it was the superior sneer he wore while addressing Hermione that got Harry's back up. His first statement / question saw the rest of Harry's body following as he shot to his feet.
"Miss Granger, I understand that you're born from muggle parents? Surely you wouldn't expect an old pureblood like Minerva McGonagall to respect an argument that certainly wasn't developed with people like you in mind."
Hermione's gaze though was drawn to Harry, he'd shot to his feet and she could see that it was only Tonks' grip on his arm that kept him over there. One of the judges also noticed this and commented on it. "Mr Potter, do you have something to add here?"
Harry stood straight and his green eyes bored into the defence council. "Yes sir I do. Miss Granger is the future Lady Potter and I will not sit here and listen to that position being brought into question. I myself notified our former head of house that my betrothed should not be approached without my presence, or does my status as a half blood render that conversation immaterial too?"
Harry then heard a well-known voice coming from directly behind him, the voice might be instantly recognisable but the commanding nature of it was new to Harry. "If it pleases the court, I also have some information to add. My godson is also my heir, making Miss Granger the future Lady Black too. I know I have been away for quite a while but when did it become common practice to publicly besmirch the family names of Potter and Black?"
Unlike his hair, Micawber's courage was not held in place by a sticking charm. It flew right out the courtroom as he found himself faced with the angry heads of two of their society's oldest families. The growls from the public galleries helped it on its way as Madam Longbottom's comments from the judging bench ensured it wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
"Well spoken sirs. Mr Micawber, the young lady here is wearing the Potter ring and that family's crest on her robes. You will treat her with the courtesy and respect these entitle her to, otherwise we can arrange alternative seating for you."
As the Longbottom matriarch's eyes moved to the cages behind him as she said this, her message was loud and clear. The other four judges nodding in agreement reinforced just how sticky a wicket he was currently on.
Amelia couldn't believe how stupid Micawber had been until she considered he didn't know Harry or Hermione. Julian obviously thought he was dealing with a couple of teens that could easily be bullied into confusion and contradictions. She decided to have a slap at his bare arse since he'd just had his drawers pulled down. "I would also like to remind the defence council that Miss Granger is a witness here, she's not the one on trial."
His opening question was just Micawber's lead into attacking the little bitch for not trying to save Potter's magic. The ferocity with which people had rushed to her defence left him with nowhere to go. Continuing down his intended route could see another prisoner cage added to the courtroom, Julian never wanted to win a case that badly. He was beginning to think he'd been foolish to take this case in the first place, this was not the kind of publicity he'd imagined receiving when he accepted.
"My apologies to the court, and of course Miss Granger. I was merely trying to establish how a witch of Minerva McGonagall's standing in our community could err so badly, I felt sure there must be extenuating circumstances."
"Oh there was!" This drew all eyes back to Hermione as she exorcised the image of McGonagall she'd built up to replace it with one that was more truthful. "Professor McGonagall believed every word and complied with every request Dumbledore made of her. She never questioned his orders, even when those orders saw her knowingly break the law."
She then rounded on the broken woman inside the cage. "You were supposed to be taking care of us, not plotting and acting to take our futures away. You then had the nerve to try and push the blame onto Harry when you got caught! Where is your great Albus Dumbledore now?"
Micawber now realised he was in way over his head. He quickly announced 'No further questions' before scurrying back to the relative safety of his seat.
Harry gave the returning Hermione a reassuring hug along with a quick kiss as she again took her position at his side, it was now Tonks' turn in the witness chair. Again Amelia skilfully led her through the previous attempt to poison her with potions on Valentine's Day before getting a visit from Dumbledore in the middle of the night.
Tonks really hadn't spoken about what happened with Dumbledore, there had been other pressing matters after Dobby fetched Harry a sobering potion to revive her. A certain Miss Granger had been depending on them, since she' been stuck at the bottom of the Black Lake. The young auror's emotions were there for everyone in the courtroom to see.
"Dumbledore placed me in a full bodybind while I was asleep, I couldn't move a muscle as he slowly poured firewhisky into the funnel he'd stuck in my mouth. He couldn't help boasting that his buddy Snape was currently in Harry's room and that they had plans for him that they didn't want me interfering with." Amelia had her stop a moment and allow Tonks a drink of water before continuing, the entire courtroom was hanging on her every word.
"I knew that being found drunk while on protection detail would end my career, and could even see me facing charges, but all I could think of was what they had planned for Harry. If they were prepared to take the risk of showing their faces in front of an auror, then I knew it must be bad. It would have come down to a disgraced auror's word against Albus Dumbledore, he would have gotten off Scot - free."
Amelia then produced the tainted Gillyweed Snape had supplied Harry with, and explained what the potion the plant had been marinated in would do to anyone ingesting it. That this was the exact same potion that they had tried to poison an on duty auror with was even more damming. Tonks then told the court why she accompanied Harry into the lake before the second task began.
"Harry had already decided he needed to get out from under Dumbledore's thumb before this happened, everyone has since heard how he intended to do this. Now knowing just what we were dealing with meant Harry wouldn't leave Hermione down there one second longer than he absolutely had to. We just didn't know how far Dumbledore would go..."
Tonks found herself being interrupted by her boss. "As the court knows, Auror Tonks and Mr Potter had to fight a running battle with the merpeople in their quest to get Miss Granger to safety. This behaviour is unusual for our underwater friends so we questioned the one who attempted to skewer Miss Granger with a trident after she had been rescued. We discovered Albus Dumbledore had paid two meremen to ensure Miss Granger did not leave the water alive."
The explosion of noise this revelation caused in the courtroom took all of Amelia's aurors almost five minutes to restore order. Harry had a shaking Hermione in his arms, a quick glance behind saw a crying Emma being consoled by Dan. Sirius appeared ready to render the two people in the cages into potions ingredients.
Amelia handed the confession from the captured merman over to the judges and informed the court that they had been arrested and prosecuted by their own high council. She then asked her last question of Tonks.
"It's clear to the court that you knew Mr Potter intended to deliberately give up his magic that morning, why didn't you do anything or inform anyone about this?"
"An auror on protection detail is required to work within the restrictions of a secrecy oath between them and the person they are protecting. I talked Harry into informing the auror department of his treatment inside Hogwarts, this lead to the headmaster being investigated over the basilisk incident. I was hoping he would be sacked, and therefore Harry wouldn't have to go through with his plan, unfortunately Dumbledore escaped with merely a reprimand."
Tonks looked over toward the young couple as she finished answering Amelia's question. "Both Hermione and I did everything in our power to shift Harry from this course, the trouble was neither of us could argue against his conclusion. If he didn't get away from Dumbledore then Harry Potter was going to end up dead."
A fifteen-year-old girl had just handed Julian Micawber his arse in a sling, he had no desire to repeat the process by going up against an auror. He wisely decided to stay in his chair and waive his right to cross-examine.
Tonks got needed hugs from both teens as she returned to her seat, now it was Harry's turn to take the witness stand.
Amelia had hardly began to lead Harry through his evidence when the trial was interrupted, Cornelius Fudge stormed into the courtroom.
"Stop this trial, new evidence has been brought to my attention..."
This in itself would have been enough to cause a commotion. The minister's guest though eclipsed even that statement, and answered the question of where this information had come from. Albus Dumbledore strode into the courtroom as if he owned it, totally ignoring the fact that he was the second most wanted man in the country.
Amelia had been half expecting something like this and swung into action. "Aurors, arrest Dumbledore!"
The old wizard suddenly found himself covered by a plethora of wands. Dumbledore again was unconcerned but Fudge appeared about to have an apoplexy. "Put those wands down, this man is under my protection."
Not a wand waivered, far less was withdrawn. "The aurors answer to me minister, and at the moment I have some questions that need to be answered. After working on this case, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Dumbledore had you under an imperius curse."
"Don't be silly Amelia, Albus just explained what was really happening. We need to release the prisoners and then Mr Potter can accompany them back to Hogwarts."
This saw all eyes switch to Harry, only to discover he wasn't sitting in the witness chair anymore. His location though wasn't a mystery for very long. Snape's voice rang out around the courtroom, pinpointing Harry's whereabouts.
"Potter, what the fuck are you doing?"
Harry was standing next to Snape's cage. It was his wand that drew everyone's attention though, it was currently sticking through the grid of the cage and only inches from his former professor's head. "It really is quite simple, if I return to Hogwarts with Dumbledore then I'm as good as dead. I would rather end it here and now, with all these good people here as witnesses. Oh, and I intend to take you with me."
"Mr Potter, what are you playing at?"
"Quite simple minister, first curse to come near me I blow his fucking head off. A reducto curse should do that quite nicely from this range. Dumbledore wants me dead but it's going to cost him his pet death eater."
Dumbledore spoke for the first time that morning, apparently still unconcerned at the situation. "I really can't allow you to do that Harry."
"Oh I really expect you to try and stop me. This time though I'm not immobilised in my bed and there are hundreds of witnesses."
"Stop US Harry, you know we're in this together. Should be an interesting time for you McGonagall, let you know what the old man really thinks of his faithful follower. I can't see anyone being fast enough to get both of us."
Minerva was staring at the business end of a vinewood wand that was only inches from her nose, it was the determination in the girl's eyes though that spelled real trouble for the former depute. "Miss Granger, I had no idea Albus meant for you to die in that lake…"
"Yeah, and I believe it wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference, you would still have put me down there."
The judge sitting in the centre of the five then got involved. "This is a courtroom, I will not have this kind of behaviour here."
"If it's a courtroom, then let's see some justice." Tonks had walked over and put herself between Harry and Dumbledore, with her wand joining the rest of the aurors in being directed at the old wizard.
"Auror, what is the meaning of this? You are only making this situation worse."
"Just doing my job Minister, protecting my charge from those who wish him harm. Dumbledore certainly falls into that category."
Harry could see they were only one mistake away from having blood on the walls, one flash of a photographer's camera and it would all kick off. That some of that blood might be Hermione's saw him speak out.
"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, and the dark lord will mark him as his equal – the prophesised one is me." Harry used his non-wand hand to lift his fringe and remind everyone of his mark.
"He will have power the dark lord knows not – we know what that power is now and are getting ready to use it. And either must die at the hand of the other – I have to kill him and am ready to do so, but not to further the aims of Albus Dumbledore."
"You'll do whatever your told Potter, once I get some potion into you." Snape didn't really need to shout as Harry's words had silenced the courtroom, everyone would have heard them even if he'd spoken softly.
Harry stared at the man in disgust before addressing the minister directly. "Minister Fudge, would you condemn me to that? I don't know what Dumbledore has told you but I promise it won't be the entire truth. He didn't even tell these two what he was up to. Hermione and I have been working closely with the DMLE and the unspeakables in order to bring Voldemort down. There is a plan that's generating results even as we speak."
Amelia took over, speaking to the minister without ever taking her eyes off Dumbledore. "Mr Potter is speaking the truth Cornelius. We know why the dark lord didn't die that night and are taking actions to ensure he will meet his end. We've already discovered two devices he used to anchor himself to this world and, as Mr Potter said, a team of ministry curse-breakers are right this very minute getting us a third."
For the first time in the proceedings, Dumbledore was visibly knocked back on his heels. "How is that possible?"
"It's possible because we shared information. Dumbledore has known about this for over a decade, and done nothing. Even worse, he told no one. Mr Potter has now killed the dark lord three times, but he keeps coming back. We hope to be in a position soon where that will no longer be possible."
Dumbledore was trying to recover. "It doesn't matter, there are still things you don't understand."
Amelia's gaze quickly moved to Harry, his slight nod gave her permission to do what she needed to. "Oh we understand everything, including Mr Potter's part in it. That is why he will be the last to be dealt with, undergoing an auror supervised ritual to finally get rid of the last trace of Voldemort."
This really knocked Albus for six. "There is no such ritual…"
Amelia jumped all over him. "Just because you couldn't find one doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Before you start casting aspersions, let me categorically state here and now, in front of all these witnesses, that this ritual is pure light magic."
Cornelius' mood had fairly shifted, he was practically praying Amelia was telling the truth. "Can you really get rid of you-know-who once and for all?"
"We need Harry on our side, but the answer is yes. Harry is currently living at a secret location under auror guard, he's vital to the entire process. Dumbledore, I'll have your wand now."
Dumbledore appeared broken but not defeated. "I really don't think that's necessary Amelia, I have something here that negates the need for that." He very slowly moved his hand inside his robes and removed a scroll. "You see, Cornelius was kind enough to sign a ministerial pardon for Minerva, Severus and myself before we came down here."
Amelia so wanted to slap that sly smirk off his face, instead she took the offered scroll to verify his claim. "Can I ask minister if the pardon is just for this crime or a lifetime up until now?"
It was a clearly embarrassed minister who had to admit he didn't know. Dumbledore had arrived with the form already drafted, he'd merely signed it.
The judge in the centre wanted to see the document, as there was a legal question to be answer. Could a Minister of Magic pardon someone of crimes committed before he became minister?
As Amelia was levitating the scroll up to the judges' platform, a well-aimed reducto curse reduced it to confetti. Harry's voice rang around the courtroom. "Well, who would have believed it? Snape actually taught me something useful."
The centre judge stared down at Harry before making a proclamation. "Mr Potter, I warned you this is a courtroom. You are fined one hundred galleons for firing that curse."
Harry thought that was more than fair and quickly agreed to accept his punishment, his wand was now back inches from Snape's head.
There was a slight twinkle in the same judge's eyes as he then addressed Amelia. "Madam Bones, did you read this so-called ministerial pardon before Mr Potter's unfortunate case of accidental magic?"
"Sorry sir, I never had the time."
"Well, as the minister has already stated he signed it without reading the contents, we are only left with the word of Albus Dumbledore that the former document was indeed what he claimed. Having listened to all the evidence in this case, I would have to say there is no way this court could accept the word of such a wizard as truthful." The other four judges all were nodding in agreement of this ruling. "For all we know, that could very well have been his grocery list. Therefore, I call upon you Madam Bones to do your duty."
Any pretence that Dumbledore was still in control of the situation was now long gone. He had over a dozen auror wands trained on him but it was the two on Minerva and Severus that really made his mind up. With the pink haired auror placing herself directly between him and Potter, there was no way to stop the little shit carrying out his threat. With the animosity that existed between the two, there was also no doubt in Dumbledore's mind that Harry would indeed blow Severus' head off. It was a beaten man who handed over his wand, only to be searched and his spare discovered. Screens were conjured and within seconds he was reduced to his underwear, there would be no hidden portkeys this time.
As the screens were removed, Albus Dumbledore was left standing there in a plain prison robe before being led to the third chair that had appeared in the courtroom. The instant he sat, chains began to wrap around his body and a prisoner cage grew out the floor.
It was only then that Harry and Hermione relented in their vigils and raced to embrace, the sound of cheering suddenly ringing in their ears. Amelia had erected the safety wards the instant Dumbledore had appeared, those in the public galleries had heard every word though been helpless to interfere. It was only with their removal that those in the court section could once more hear them.
The young couple were then joined by a relieved Tonks, she quickly led them over to where they could talk with the rest of their family. Emma was an emotional wreck while Dan and Sirius appeared as if they'd just run a marathon. Amelia came over to congratulate the trio, and offered comfort to a crying Susan. The judge called for a fifteen-minute recess and they all headed back to the room they had used earlier.
Emma came rushing into the room and engulfed both of them in a hug, needing the reassurance that they were actually still in one piece. "I was screaming like a fishwife at Dumbledore until Sirius told me they had put up some kind of protective barrier, we could hear you but not the other way around. You frightened years off my life when you pulled that stunt."
Dan had a question he needed to know the answer to. "Could you really have killed those people in cold blood?"
Harry decided to answer for both of them. "In cold blood, probably not. If Dumbledore had started anything, then yes. These are not nice people Dan, they abused their position of authority and almost got the both of us killed on more than one occasion."
Amelia was holding Susan while adding to the conversation. "Dumbledore certainly believed they would carry out their threat, that was probably the deciding factor in him surrendering without a fight."
They were then surprisingly joined by the five judges, Madam Longbottom chose to be their spokesperson. "I know this is highly irregular, but so are the times we live in. We're here because of the claims made that you have a viable plan to defeat Voldemort once and for all. What can we do to help?"
Harry didn't hesitate for a second. "Put those three away for a very long time."
The head judge wanted some more information. "Do you know what Dumbledore's plan actually was?"
Amelia thought the answer might carry more weight coming from her. "The prophecy Harry alluded to was actually made to Dumbledore before Mr Potter here was born, that's why his parents went into hiding."
Augusta corroborated that statement. "At the time, this prophecy could have applied to two children. Harry here and my Neville. Voldemort chose to go after the Potter's first and Harry bears the scar from that night."
"Best guess is that Dumbledore wanted to lead Voldemort to Harry, thus completing the prophecy. With the prophecy no longer in play, Dumbledore himself could defeat Voldemort. Why else would he set a trap inside a school, and then employ Voldemort to teach our children?"
The head judge wanted a few things clarified. "I'm assuming this plan of yours is secret, since the minister didn't know the first thing about it. I'm also assuming you'd like the details kept that way for the moment?"
"Sir, do you know what a horcrux is?" Harry's question shocked all five of them, and provided his answer. "Voldemort made a number of these and that's what we are destroying. At the moment we're searching for the last two before I have to undergo a ritual, then he'll be gone for good. Dumbledore has known about this for years, I slapped a destroyed one on his desk after defeating the basilisk, yet he's done nothing but try and have me killed."
The attitude of all five judges had now hardened. "Time we got back out there and finished our business for today."
No one in that room expected any of the prisoners to be sleeping anywhere but Azkaban tonight.
-oOoOo-
Julian Micawber had used the break to empty the contents of his hip flask, he would be paying a visit to the rest of the bottle the instant he returned to his office. He was sitting back at his table, having been under it during the confrontation, and nothing was going to move his arse from its relative safety until this case was over. Amelia was once again using all her skill to lead the Potter lad though his evidence but Julian didn't give a shit, nothing would convince him to stand and ask any more questions. One thing he would like to know though was just who the hell these people were?
They had yet to sit their OWL's but both were already working with the aurors and the unspeakables to take down Voldemort. While he had taken cover below the table like any sensible person would, they had drawn their wands and charged into the fray. Julian didn't have one shred of doubt that McGonagall and Snape would have been missing their heads had Dumbledore not complied with Amelia's order to surrender his wand.
Watching while Potter destroyed evidence, a ministerial pardon no less, was something that would stay with the lawyer for the rest of his life. That the five judges, Director of the DMLE and even the Minister of Magic then colluded to treat this as a misdemeanour meant the writing was on the wall. Dumbledore's time was over and the Potters would be their society's golden couple. Even the Granger witch's circumstances of birth would be overlooked if she assisted Potter and finish the dark lord once and for all.
The old fool then didn't do himself any favours by attempting to claim that everything he had done was for the greater good of their society, it didn't wash with anyone. The upshot of that claim though was Dumbledore had just basically admitted his guilt to the court.
The public had already made up their mind and it would appear the couple had the full weight of the establishment behind them as well. It would be a very foolish person who stood against those odds, Julian's parents hadn't raised their son to be a fool.
-oOoOo-
With no classes at Hogwarts, students from the three schools had gathered in the great hall to listen to the trial being broadcast on the WWN. Tension was certainly running high as Hermione told her tale. Most of the students had gotten to know and like Tonks through the auror helping in class, hearing her evidence didn't lessen the tension in the slightest. Dumbledore's arrival took that tension to boiling point.
When Harry threatened to blow Snape's fucking head off, there was loud cheering at three of the house tables with wands being drawn by the lions. Remus screaming at the Gryffindor's to behave, that, and the fact Hermione now had her wand on their former head of house, knocked some of the fight out of them.
Everyone suddenly recognised that the trial at the ministry wasn't a game any longer, people they knew could be dead in the next few minutes. When the radio commentator explaining that the curse they just heard being cast was Harry Potter blasting Dumbledore's pardon to tiny pieces, this actually drew cheers from all corners of the great hall. The Slytherins had no love of Dumbledore either.
The fifteen-minute recess allowed the staff to once more regain control, threatening to end the broadcast if their behaviour became unacceptable again was an effective deterrent. Listening to Harry's evidence left everyone wondering if they would ever see Potter or Granger in the castle again. No one could blame them if they chose not to. They also couldn't see any other verdict but guilty being returned by the judges. The biggest cheers of the day though were reserved for when all three prisoners were sentenced to life in Azkaban.
Ron shortly found himself cornered by his sister and Neville, Ginny was in no mood to stand on any ceremony. "That was your supposed best friends who just went through that, and you still haven't written to them. Screw you Ronald Weasley, Neville and I will be writing to them today."
This drew quite a bit of attention with more Gryffindor's wanting to drop them a line. When the three champions also expressed an interest in doing this too, Remus became involved.
"I'm having dinner with them tonight, anyone who wants to contact them can give me a note and I'll deliver it then."
This scattered the forming crowd as they all headed off to put quill and ink to parchment. Remus was really looking forward to tonight, he'd not had a chance to meet with Sirius since regaining his freedom. Hogwarts had been desperate for Remus to start right away so this was really his first opportunity to visit since the whole debacle of the second task kicked off.
-oOoOo-
Cornelius was sipping a snifter of brandy while wondering when his hands would stop trembling. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to losing everything today. Harry Potter had literally saved his political life when he blew that pardon to smithereens, the public would have demanded the minister received similar treatment if those three had walked free from court today.
Amelia had demanded, and received, an unbreakable vow from him not to reveal just what the ministry and Potter were up to. Hearing the full story certainly didn't help with the shakes. That Albus had all this information yet chose a path diametrically opposed to what the ministry intended to do effectively sealed his fate.
In a way, Dumbledore's greatest mistake was his attempts to exclude Miss Granger from the equation. It now appeared as if she was in fact going to be the solution to all their dark lord problems. Her love for Mr Potter was there on display for everyone to see today. Thankfully, when she eventually saved them all, it was going to be a much more private affair. That was not something Cornelius wanted broadcast on the WWN.