Hogwarts' Dawn
Chapter 6
By Jeconais
Far later than expected, due to numerous bugs and work on the site. Do hope to get back to a better posting schedule now.
With thanks to Kokopelli for betaing this,.
As he had expected, Christophe and Richard had got on like a house on fire. The conversation had quickly devolved into obscure facts and information about wine. He’d talked with Jonathan for a few minutes until the restaurant had opened, and he’d bodily pulled Christophe away from his new friend.
They were now walking back to Hogwarts, with Christophe bouncing along beside him.
“Haaaarrrrrryyyyy!” Gabrielle yelled as she sprinted out toward him.
He smiled and went down on one knee, which allowed her to charge into him at full speed. Her arms wrapped around him, and she hugged him as tightly as she could.
He stood, lifting the tiny girl easily, and continued to walk toward Hogwarts. Gabrielle took one deep breath, and then managed to fit her entire day into four minutes of continuous talking.
The Great Hall was full again, as all the students were back for the start of the spring term. He sat on his table, and smiled.
“Harry,” Fred called, “do remember that you’re back under school rules again, so you’ll have to be much more careful when you leave Hogwarts.”
Harry nodded. “I’ve not forgotten. This has been a brilliant Christmas, and I’m going to see if I can make it better next year.”
“How?” Adrienne asked curiously.
“Bigger party, better location, private ball,” Harry said, listing of the top of his head.
“Invitations for us?” she asked.
“Of course.”
She grinned happily. “So what did you do today?”
“Me? Not much.”
“Not much?” Christophe demanded. “Not much!”
“What did you do, Harry?” Gabrielle asked sweetly.
Harry smiled at her. “I gots me a vineyard,” he said, putting on an accent.
“You bought a vineyard?” Adrienne asked.
Harry nodded to Christophe, “Meet the manager.”
Adrienne turned to Christophe, who had a smile so wide it threatened to split his face. “It’s got beautiful terrior,” he said.
“Harry,” George asked, “exactly why have you got a vineyard?”
“Well, I’ve started selling my wine, but realised that it was just impractical to continue to make it magically, when I could do it properly.”
“That makes sense,” Fred agreed. “We’ve got a new schedule for you tomorrow, and a whole new bunch of lessons.”
“Great,” Harry said cheerfully. “Is Sirius going to be on it again? I need to thank him for giving me permission to do what I wanted this holiday.”
“Sure is,” George agreed.
Harry smiled and looked around his table. His bodyguards were opposite him, his friends to the sides. Hermione was with Viktor at the end, along with Chloe and Andrew, talking, with a happy and relaxed expression on her face.
Melissa was looking at him, then at Christophe. He met her eyes, then nodded to the right. She nodded, and he lightly touched Gabrielle, who nodded and continued her conversation with Smasher.
As had happened with Hermione, a table appeared for him, and he sat down. Melissa sat down opposite him, and the noise faded slowly.
“What are you thinking, Melissa?” he asked softly.
“France?” she asked. “I thought you said that Christophe was going to move to England!”
Harry nodded. “Plans change,” he said softly. He reached out and lightly took her hands, forcing her to look at him. “Are you a witch, or are you not?”
“I am,” she said slowly.
“So what, exactly, is the problem with you living in a huge gorgeous Villa, in the south of France, that’s connected to the Floo system?”
Melissa opened her mouth, and then shut it again.
“Especially when you realise that it’s over a hundred miles away from Inès and Gustave, who are wonderful people, but you will not be living in the shadow of his parents.”
“Beautiful?” she asked.
“And a lot warmer than England.”
“You really are looking after me, aren’t you?”
“That’s my job,” Harry agreed cheerfully. “Oh, and I might have mentioned that if he hurts you, I will make him into an example that will echo through the annals of time.”
Melissa giggled. “Okay, back to the real world. You need to be careful, kiddo. Bringing Kate to the Ball was brilliant, as was what you did with Sinistra, but it has set you up as a target from witches who want that sort of thing. We’re doing our best to cover you, but there will be someone who gets through our protection.”
Harry smiled at her. “You are really looking after me, aren’t you?”
Melissa laughed. “Yes. Now, let’s go tell my boyfriend that he’s not getting rid of me that easily.
Harry smiled as they rejoined the rest of his friends. As was normal, they spent most of the evening in the Great Hall, not noticing that the other students had long gone to their Common Rooms.
The next morning, he was back in his school uniform, eating breakfast. Gabrielle was next to him, as always, and his bodyguards were all in their school uniforms. “Sorry,” Lisa said with a sigh, “Hermione couldn’t find anything.”
He nodded. “You still have all those weapons?”
Lisa smiled wickedly and didn’t say anything.
Gabrielle was back in her miniature Gryffindor uniform, practising some movements with his wand.
He ignored the normal rush of the owls bearing letters and papers, and concentrated on his breakfast.
He couldn’t help notice the uncomfortable feeling of a lot of people staring at him. “What?” he asked.
“It’s nothing,” Christophe said cheerfully, as he stole the paper from Melissa. He casually opened the front page, and then did a classic double take. “You used a shelving charm on a girl?” he asked.
All of a sudden, a memory flew back to Harry. He buried his head in his arms. “Go away,” he ordered.
“Oh no, my friend,” Christophe said, “as your closest male friend who isn’t working for you yet, one of my rights and responsibilities is to tease you mercilessly. And, as I had to write a long letter about you to my sister, I deserve it. So, exactly why the shelving charm?”
Harry ignored him.
“It’s a good idea,” Gabrielle said cheerfully. “The sticking charm can get uncomfortable when it’s used with skin against a wall, as gravity still drags a person down. By using a shelving charm under the bum, the mph….”
Harry looked at Gabrielle, where his hand was firmly covering his mouth. “I accept that you are Veela,” he said in a low voice. “I accept that you may have some theoretical knowledge of intimacy, but please, for the sake of my sanity, keep that knowledge to yourself!”
Gabrielle kissed his hand softly. “You answer the questions then,” she said as she pulled away.
Harry pouted at her.
“Don’t be silly,” Gabrielle said, “we’re just teasing you.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Now, pretend you’re not listening.”
She grinned at him and covered her ears.
“A shelving charm makes it… more comfortable,” Harry muttered.
“What was that?” Christophe asked.
Harry repeated himself louder.
“Okay,” Christophe agreed, “that’s enough.” He went to put the paper down, when he blinked, as something caught his eyes. “Forty five minutes?” he demanded. “How did your tongue not get sore?”
Harry banged his head against the table. He mumbled his answer into the table, trying to avoid answering.
“What was that?” Melissa asked.
“Et tu, Melissa?” He asked.
She nodded.
“I recited the first year Potions text book. In Parseltongue.”
“Why?” Melissa asked.
Harry looked up, and whispered, “why do you think?” He said it in Parseltongue. He was well aware of the way it made his tongue flicker.
“That’s enough,” Hermione stated primly. “Just tell me one thing, Harry,” she continued. “You are using protection?”
Harry nodded. “Two sterility charms, and three prophylactic charms. I can barely look after myself these days, never mind children.”
“Good,” Hermione nodded.
There was a fluttering of wings, and an owl appeared, bearing a letter for him. He took it, scratched the owl on the head, and opened it.
Harry,
I’m so sorry.
I don’t know how Skeeter got that story, but it was from me. I was meeting with one of the girls from the Agency, and boasted about you a little, and that’s the only time I told that story.
I’ve talked to her this morning, and she is willing to swear on her magic that she has not told anyone.
We are professionals, and discretion is an important part of what we do. I’m embarrassed and saddened that this has got out.
If there is anything I can do to make it up, please let me know.
Love,
Kate.
Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a quill. He turned the letter over, and scrawled a quick reply, which basically consisted of an exhortation not to be silly, and that he would talk to her soon.
“Hermione,” Harry said. “Kate’s been bugged, can you see if you can come up with something that will make sure private conversations stay that way?”
She nodded seriously.
“Come on, Gabrielle, let’s go to class.”
As they walked, Melissa fell into step next to him. “I’m not going to apologise for that, kiddo,” she announced. “I told Christophe to push you into it, because it helped us.”
“Oh?”
“There were rumours that some of the girls wanted to trap you with some little Potters. Now they know that is futile. We’d talked about this, and Hermione, who is so smart she makes my teeth hurt, took advantage.”
“Why?” Harry asked. “Why would they do that?”
“Would you not marry the mother of your child?”
Harry blinked. He opened his mouth and shut it again.
“Exactly, it was seen as a quick way to get into a life of power and luxury.”
Harry sighed. “Then I guess it was worth it.”
Melissa smiled wickedly, “yes, they no longer want to trap you, they just want…”
“To ride his broomstick?” Gabrielle asked innocently.
Harry groaned, picked her up, and started to tickle her.
“Stop,” Gabrielle squealed, as she tried to escape his merciless fingers.
Harry smiled and hugged her.
“Yeah, that,” Melissa agreed. “Now get into class, kiddo. Horny witches.”
“And the odd wizard,” Gabrielle interposed.
“Yes,” Melissa agreed, “now they have a different opinion of you.”
Fortunately, the furore over the revelations in the press over his love-life soon faded. Even if it did take him to the top of Witch Weekly’s most eligible bachelor list.
Life settled down into a routine, where he’d spend the day in class with Gabrielle, the evenings with his tutors. Sometimes he’d be accompanied by Hermione, he continued his French lessons, only this time he helped to teach Melissa and Hermione.
He saw Kate, and they spent an evening together at the restaurant. Jonathan approved heartily of Kate, and ensured that they had the best table in the house.
Oliver continued to run him ragged in personal fitness. Lisa and Ben were pushing him harder than ever.
There were a few times when he was very tempted to use the Time Dilator, but he managed to resist. The thing was addictive, and was a short cut. It was only the warning from Hogwarts that kept his will strong.
He didn’t forget Annie, the girl he’d met in the nightclub, and had, via several intermediaries, arranged for her to have a chance at a secondary role in a musical.
Adrienne had agreed to work for Christophe in the vineyard. There was no problem with that from Melissa; she was far too self-assured to be vulnerable about her boyfriend’s friendship with another witch.
More than his bodyguards, Gabrielle was his barrier between himself and the rest of his year. She monopolised his time with a deliberate intent that suggested that she knew exactly what she was doing. Anytime he was approached, she needed some urgent help with something, or wanted a hug, or, in one place, when she was across the room, she twisted her ankle and burst into tears.
He’d written to her parents, asking them permission to buy her a wand, she’d come on in leaps and bounds, and he had rethought his earlier plan.
But in the background, the Second Task approached. A few days beforehand, he’d confessed his plan to Fred and George, and their role in it. The twins had been impressed – and decided that he needed to get drunk more often, as he clearly thought better when inebriated.
Viktor and Cedric were now very close friends, and had their own plans for rescuing what ever was going to be taken from the merpeople.
Current betting was that it would be Harry’s necklace, Cedric’s ring, Viktor’s Firebolt, and Fleur’s earrings.
“You ready, boss?” Smasher asked.
“I think so,” Harry replied. He took one last bite of his breakfast, and relaxed back. Gabrielle leant against him, and he put an arm around her.
“Harry will do great,” Gabrielle said proudly.
“I hope so,” Harry agreed. “Guys, why not take Melissa, Cho, Hermione and Gabrielle to the seats? Make sure they get good ones.”
“Good idea, boss,” Crusher agreed.
“We can look after ourselves,” Melissa pointed out. “And it doesn’t start for ninety minutes.”
“Gabrielle, who got the best seats last time?”
“We did,” she replied cheerily. “And we got ice cream! And if we get there early, we can watch all the people come and try and get our seats, and Crusher, Smasher, Thrasher and Nasher can scare them away, while Lisa just looks cool and dangerous!”
“Well,” Melissa said dryly, “I can’t argue with that. Come on Hermione, Cho.”
“Good luck,” Gabrielle said, kissing him on the cheek, before she dashed over to her sister and did the same thing. Melissa and Hermione wished their own partners good luck as well.
The other girls walked over, as Melissa bent down and lifted Gabrielle up. With some wicked giggles, the four girls, surrounded by the five bodyguards and Christophe walked out the Great Hall.
Harry stretched, nodded to Fred and George. He turned to the other champions. “So what are we going to do for the next ninety minutes?”
Viktor reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. “Poker?”
Eighty minutes later, Harry was a hundred Galleons poorer, Viktor and Cedric were both fifty Galleons lighter, Fred and George were about even, and Fleur was well ahead. The French champion had an amazing poker face – she just smiled, and the smile never changed.
There was a crash at the door, and Smasher crawled in. Harry was beside him in a second, casting what scant healing charms he knew.
“I’m sorry, boss,” he whispered. “There was too many of them, we couldn’t fight them off. They took them.”
“Who?” Harry asked, feeling a lead weight settle in his stomach.
“The Aurors, they took the girls,” he croaked.
Harry looked at one of the French students. “Get him to the nurse,” he barked. He looked at Fred and George, and with a movement of his head, sent them off. He suddenly realised what was going on, and he didn’t like it.
He stood and marched out. The others followed him. The smiles and laughter were gone. Smasher and Nasher were in the hall, unconscious, Lisa near them. Her knife was bright with blood.
“Get them to the nurse as well,” he ordered, and sent Crusher on as he found the boy, with several broken bones on the steps. Christophe was near him, the recipient of several dark curses.
Harry growled. He pulled his magic to the fore, his wand tight in his hand and stormed toward the lake.
“Ahh, Harry,” Bagman said, as they reached the Lake.
“You organised this?” Harry demanded.
Bagman nodded.
Harry punched him in the face, and as he flew backward into the air, Harry then stunned him. He threw him to some of the German students. “Keep him,” he barked.
They nodded, as Harry marched toward the other judges. The crowd was silent. “Why,” Harry growled, “are my bodyguards unconscious.”
No one moved.
“The girls were needed for the task,” Dumbledore explained, a sad look on his face.
“So you attacked them?”
Dumbledore looked surprised, and turned to Snape.
“They wouldn’t give them up,” Snape sneered.
“Damn right,” Harry agreed. “Not one of those women would submit to being put in to a place of danger.”
“The only way to get them out is to complete the task,” Dumbledore said, staring hard at the Potions Professor.
Harry growled. “This isn’t over,” he promised.
“Harry,” Fleur called, she was completely white, the colour on her face was gone. “They have Gabrielle,” she whispered. “I don’t give a shit about this stupid competition. Can you get her back?”
“I will,” he promised. “Nothing on this planet will stop me.”
“Get her,” she said, “please, and do it fast.”
“Guys,” He called, dragging Cedric and Viktor close. “I’m faking this entire damn tournament,” he explained softly. “We need to do this well, so that we have the press on our side.”
“What do you want us to do?” Cedric asked.
“I want you three to each take a point on the lake, and then just send me your magic. The spell is simple,” he quickly explained it, with the wand movements. “I’ll do the rest. I promise you that we will have them back within five minutes.” He paused, “then I’ll find out who hurt our people and make sure that they’re punished.”
The three nodded.
“I’ll go to the left,” Fleur said, as she started to run. He watched her for a second, and then shook his head.
“I’ll go right,” Viktor said and took off to the right.
“And I guess I’ll stay here,” Cedric said dryly. “What are you going to do?”
Harry smirked. “Put on a show. If things go well today, and the last holdout sells out, I’ll own the Prophet. You can bet there’ll be outrage over this.” He turned, and ran down a small pier.
Lee Jordan’s voice suddenly echoed around the stands. “With Ludo Bagman being out of commission, I’ll be your commentator for this second and controversial task. We’ve already seen an amazing display of magic from Crusher, Smasher, Thrasher, Nasher, and Lisa as they tried to protect the unwilling victims from the Aurors, but the nine of them could only hold out for so long, and with Professor Snape – who used some very nasty curses – the girls were soon captured.
“Delacour and Krum have sprinted down the side of the lake, and I can tell that Potter has galvanised them. We already know that Potter doesn’t want to be here, and I think that the organiser have made a serious mistake.
“Potter jumps over the end of the pier, and what the hell! He’s walking on water! Potter’s walking on water!”
Harry skidded to a stop on top of the waves. Running on water was one of the weirdest things he’d ever done. The charm wasn’t that difficult.
He hadn’t released his magic, so he sent the raw power through his wand, not caring about what price he had to pay, and started to rise in the air.
As he did, he was hit with first one, then two other bursts of magic. He could feel the trust and worry in each of the streams.
He allowed the magic to warp around him, and sent a small pulse down.
Fred looked at George as they felt a pulse of magic. “It’s time,” he announced.
“I’m ready,” George agreed.
They both pointed their wands at the ceiling and paused. They cast bubblehead charms on themselves and then shouted “Diffindo.”
The ceiling grumbled and then collapsed, large pieces of stone fell to the floor, then a drip started. The drip turned into a stream, which turned into a raging torrent.
Water exploded down in to the Chamber of Secrets, bypassing them as it exploded on the floor.
The first animal they saw was the Giant Squid, who actually looked amused as it dropped past. Fish and Grindylows flashed past, as did Merpeople, who looked panicked.
“Now,” Fred shouted.
George smirked and sent a spell down to one side. A small hole appeared in the side of wall, and a portal glistened into place.
They twins shared a smirk at each other, as the water continued to pour down.
Harry concentrated on making a light show, as he created shields to stop the rest of the water from going down the hole. Over a third of the lake had gone down, leaving a muddy mess. He could see the Merpeople village, and smiled in relief. He could see the girls!
He let the spells go, and floated back around to the pier. Fleur and Viktor sprinted around to join Cedric.
“Shall we?” he asked, offering his arm dramatically to Fleur.
Fleur peered down the path, and smiled. She cast a spell, and the mud turned to marble. “We shall,” she agreed. She looped her arm with his, then around Cedric. Harry grabbed Viktor, and they walked smoothly down to the lake.
Lee had gone quiet, as had the crowd. From what Harry could see, a number of them had completely gobsmacked expressions.
It was less than a minute when they got there. The girls were all lying on the ground, unconscious. Harry cast a cutting charm on the chains holding them in place, then walked over and lifted Melissa up, who he guessed was his, as Gabrielle was for Fleur, Hermione was for Viktor, and Cho was definitely for Cedric.
With their targets in their arms, they carried them back to the pier.
“Wait here,” Harry ordered, “I need to get the water back.”
“Are you going to tell us how you did it?” Viktor asked.
Harry winked at him. “Maybe,” he said cheerfully. “Perhaps after I turn someone into a smear on the castle walls for daring to touch Gabrielle.”
Fleur blinked. “Not the others?”
“I swore I’d protect Gabrielle,” he explained, “and that takes precedence over the absolute rage I feel for them taking Hermione and Melissa.” He paused, “Just.”
He floated himself over to the centre, and braced himself. This was the stupidest part of his plan, and he hoped he had enough magic to do it, and get through it.
“Accio Lake!” he yelled.
From the ground a small trickle of water appeared, before, like a huge geyser, a torrent of water exploded into the air.
He smiled, it was working!
Only the water kept coming, and it was increasing in volume and depth. He stopped his magic, but the water didn’t stop. He peered through the torrent and groaned. His spell was no longer just pulling water up from the Chamber of Secrets, but from the rest of the lake as well. The geyser was now over two hundred feet tall, and it was increasing all the time as the lake was sucked into the bottom of it.
It was completely out of his control, and a feeling of fear shot through him. He didn't want to kill any Merpeople accidentally, or the Squid, or drown the crowd. Well, not most of them anyway.
He knew he had to change his tactics, so with a yell, he created a couple of the same shields he'd used earlier, separating the water into two streams, and diverting it in a large heart-shape back to the lake bed.
The pressure from the water was immense, and he struggled to hold the shields in place. He could see Merpeople slide up the geyser, and then shoot down the sides, wide smiles on their faces.
It was only when the Giant Squid went past for a second time that he realised that the lake was now in a massive feedback loop. He groaned, he could feel that he was running out of magic rapidly, but the water was still coming. He needed his wand to keep the inverting shields in place, but he needed to do something about whatever was pushing the water up.
He used his left hand and grabbed the necklace around his neck. "Finite Incantatem!" The spell erupted from him like it was shot from a canon.
The water stopped flowing abruptly, although what was already going up continued on its journey around the shields.
As the water was clear, he cancelled the spells and sunk down, balancing on the water carefully. He was utterly exhausted.
The water before him rippled as the Giant Squid surfaced. Harry looked at him for a moment, and then shook his head in disbelief. The Squid had a puppy-dog expression on his face. "No!" Harry said. "I am not doing it again!"
The Squid pouted at him, before his expression changed. He went back underwater, before surfacing under Harry’s feet. Two tentacles wrapped around his ankles, and held him tightly. Harry didn't move as he was lifted a foot above the waves. The Squid started to swim back toward the pier where his friends were.
To his complete bemusement, Merpeople lined the path the Squid was taking, their tridents raised in salute.
“Six minutes,” Lee’s amplified voice whispered. “Six minutes to rescue all four victims. And spells, dear Merlin, what spells they were. Incredible, awe inspiring spells, of magic not seen for hundreds of years. Water flowing hundreds of feet into the air, before arching gently back in to the lake. And as Potter is carried back to the pier by the Giant Squid, honoured by Merpeople, I can’t help but feel like I’m back at Camelot, marvelling at Merlin himself.
“Only I’ll bet Merlin never looked quite that angry!”
“Why aren’t they awake?” Harry snarled as he stepped off of the Squid. The four girls were lying on the pier next to Cedric, Viktor and Fleur.
“The…the charm,” Bagman explained from the Durmstrang students. “It needs to be removed.”
“Remove it,” Harry snapped.
Bagman stumbled forward. Melissa was the first to open her eyes. “I knew you’d do it, kiddo,” she muttered. “Where’s Christophe?”
“Hospital wing,” Harry said as he hugged her tightly.
“Stupid, idiotic boy took a curse for me,” she whispered, as she clung back to him.
“Gabrielle!” Fleur cried.
Gabrielle opened her eyes, and then burst into tears, hugging Fleur tightly. Harry reached over and pulled the two sisters in to the hug he was sharing with Melissa. Gabrielle moved so that she was hugging both him and Fleur at the same time.
He concentrated on the love he had for Gabrielle, and for Melissa, and sent it to them.
Gabrielle sighed and started to glow. Fleur had a weird look on her face. Hermione woke up and hugged Viktor, before joining the hug. Cho and Cedric joined them shortly afterward.
“I can’t keep this magic up,” Harry whispered. “This is the time for a strategic retreat, so that it looks like we’re in control. Let me do the talking.”
“After what you just did,” Cedric said, “I think I’m following you for the rest of my life.”
Harry stood, and gently passed Gabrielle to Fleur. “You injured our people for your stupid game,” he said quietly, using his magic to send his words through the gathered crowd. “Questions need to be answered, but right now, we’re more concerned with our people. Do not think this is over.”
He turned and started to walk. He heard Fleur address the crowd. “You put my sister at risk,” she said with a voice void of expression. “You can take this stupid tournament and go fuck yourselves with it.”
Harry smiled to himself. “What she said,” Cedric announced, following them. Viktor just turned his back contemptously.
Lee’s voice echoed around the stadium. “This has been the strangest task imaginable,” he said. “We have over thirty Aurors in hospital, successful kidnapping of unwilling victims left, right, and centre, and four champions who, it appears, have given up on the competition completely.
“You have to question the running of this tournament, and the methods used. What was supposed to be a test of magic has been that, but it has been much more a test of how the Ministry runs the school, and the only word I can think of, is badly.
“I’ve been Lee Jordan, and I’m going to go and check on the real victims of this travesty.”
Harry walked inside the school, Melissa to his left, and Fleur, who was still carrying Gabrielle, to the right. They met Fred and George.
“Everything okay?” Harry asked.
“Your magic was unbelievable,” Fred said. “Only one problem.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, somehow the water leaked.”
“Where to?”
“Snape’s private quarters.”
“On the fourth floor?”
Fred and George grinned. “Weird, that.”
Harry smiled at them, as they walked in silence into the hospital wing. The six of them were being tended by Madam Pomfrey.
“How are they?” Harry asked.
“They’ll be fine,” the nurse said. “I’ve removed all the curses. Aurors fighting students,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“Sorry, boss,” Crusher said, looking down. “We failed.”
Harry walked over to him; most of the others were still unconscious. “Then you will learn from this, and next time you will do better.”
“Next time?” Crusher asked in surprise.
“Damn right,” Harry said. He took Crusher’s hand, and squeezed it tightly. “You fought off over thirty Aurors, and it took a Death Eater to help bring you down. That’s amazing! You did what you could, and you put your bodies on the line. I can ask for no more than that. Now, you just concentrate on getting better.”
“Thanks, boss,” Crusher said. He looked around and smiled. “You got them, then?”
Harry nodded.
Christophe groaned as he woke up. Harry almost went to him, but nodded to Melissa instead.
“You absolutely bloody idiot,” Melissa stated, before she leaned over him and kissed him hard. “If you think you’re getting away from me now, you’re wrong,” she stated flatly.
“I can live with that,” he croaked.
The others started to wake up, and Harry made sure he went around congratulating and reassuring them. He gave Lisa a huge hug, letting her smack his back in frustration. He didn’t inquire as to the source of blood on her knife.
“They were great,” Gabrielle said excitedly, as she sat on a bed next to Christophe. “The Aurors ordered us to help, we all said no.”
“Damn right,” Melissa added, “we’re not prizes.”
“There was an argument, and then Bagman ordered the Aurors to get us. Crusher and Smasher and Lisa moved in front of us, while Nasher and Smasher moved to the sides. The Aurors suddenly attacked.”
“They threw the first spell?” Harry asked.
“They did, boss,” Lisa clarified.
Gabrielle bounced, “and then everyone started to fight. Lisa ordered us to retreat to Hogwarts, so we moved down the stands. People were screaming, and curses were going everywhere. The judges hadn’t come out yet, so there was no one to help us.
“Melissa, Cho, and Hermione started throwing all sorts of curses to help.”
“And Gabrielle started throwing fireballs,” Crusher added proudly.
Gabrielle blushed demurely. She sighed, “Then Snape started throwing really nasty curses, and he got Nasher in the back.”
“Yeah,” Nasher muttered.
“And after that, I was knocked out,” she finished.
“Lisa, Crusher and Smasher went nuts,” Melissa continued, “Lisa managed to stab Snape, before she was cursed out of it, and Crusher and Smasher dived into the pile of Aurors.” She looked at Harry. “They all proved their worth today.
“All the Aurors and Snape were taken to the tent near by, and were treated by Ministry nurses,” she finished.
Harry nodded in agreement. He looked at Hermione, “you might want to turn off your ears for a second.”
She was still firmly against Viktor, who had an arm around her. She smiled faintly and shook her head. “They attacked us. We didn’t go for them. When the government feels free to kidnap, and then abandon students fighting for their lives, it is a sign of a regime out of control, and I want no part of it.”
Harry looked at Crusher and Smasher. “It’s time for Snape to have an accident,” he said coldly.
The two looked at each other and nodded.
“Okay,” Madam Pomfrey announced, as she walked into the room. “Visiting time is over, and you’re all fit enough to leave.”
The bodyguards slid out of bed, and stretched. They looked at their school uniforms and winced. They were coated in blood and dirt.
“Accio uniforms,” Harry called.
Five uniforms - the ones Harry had ordered for them for Christmas - flew through the door a few seconds later. “This is the smallest concession I’m getting out of this,” Harry explained. “And you’ve all won the right to wear them. Now, can I have some pepper-up potion?”
“Why?” Madame Pomfrey asked.
“Because I’ve used a metric tonne of magic today, and I need to be awake to deal with everything.”
“No,” Pomfrey replied. “Students are not allowed to use potions for that reason,” she explained as she walked into a cupboard and pulled a bottle out. “It would be against the rules,” she finished, as she placed the bottle in front of Harry.
“You’re quite right,” Harry agreed, as she turned and walked out of the room. He took the potion, and sighed as the steam came out of his ears.
Harry squared his shoulders and marched out. Down the stairs, the Great Hall was empty, so they walked outside. His bodyguards moved around to flank him. There were several groups of people; one had the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, a woman he didn’t know, and Albus Dumbledore.
He marched over to them.
“Now, see here, Potter,” Fudge said nervously.
“Your Aurors attacked students, and then kidnapped other students,” Harry said coldly. “I’m going to love your explanation for this.”
“I’m Amelia Bones,” the woman introduced herself. “I’m the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. I apologise for the actions of my Aurors.”
Harry blinked at her. A direct apology was the last thing he expected, and he didn’t quite know how to handle it.
“Under whose orders were they acting?” Harry asked, moderating his tone carefully.
“Ludo Bagman,” Amelia replied.
“So he is being charged with assault and kidnapping?” Harry asked. “And what about Snape, who is not a registered Auror, yet threw curses at the students?”
“Harry,” Dumbledore said sharply. “He was helping the Aurors.”
“By throwing dark curses?” Harry asked. “And I wasn’t talking to you. Mrs Bones?”
Amelia looked thoughtful. “There will be a full independent investigation,” she eventually said. “Charges will be bought against anyone who used illegal curses, as will the running of this tournament be investigated.”
“Amelia,” Fudge protested.
Harry looked at Dumbledore, “As a member of your staff has ruined the robes of these students, they will be wearing their replacements until our safety is guaranteed from attempted kidnappers and members of staff who see fit to curse students.”
Dumbledore avoided his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thrasher nudge Nasher, and mouthed “a galleon.”
Nasher’s hand shot out to Harry’s shoulder and retreated. Harry caught a glimpse of a beetle of some sort in his fingers, before Nasher opened his mouth and crunched down on the beetle.
There was a strange wave of magic, “Spit it out,” Harry ordered. Nasher clutched his stomach, as he dropped to his knees, and managed to direct his vomit over Fudge and Dumbledore.
An ever growing shape fell from his mouth, and the form of Rita Skeeter appeared, cut almost in two.
“That,” Harry said slowly, “was unexpected.”
Nasher looked green as he stared down.
“Arrest him,” Fudge yelled. “That’s murder.”
“What is?” Harry asked.
“He killed her.” Aurors were heading their way, and his entire group pulled out their wands.
“Wait a second,” Amelia said.
“I am the Minister,” Fudge screamed. “I order that you arrest him.”
“Nasher works for me,” Harry interrupted. “I’m responsible for his actions.”
“That’s your last mistake,” Fudge sneered. “Arrest Potter.”
“Boss?” Smasher growled.
Harry turned and made a decision. They could fight now, and they would lose, or he could be arrested, and they’d win. The decision wasn’t difficult. “Go to the Hall,” he ordered firmly. He turned and held out his wrists to the Aurors.
“I’ll see you rot for this,” Fudge yelled triumphantly.
“And I’ll see you in court,” Harry replied evenly.
“I’m sorry,” Amelia said to him.
Harry looked at Dumbledore. “Leadership is doing what is right for everyone, not yourself.”
A few minutes later, Harry found himself in a dark cell. His wand had been taken, but not his necklace. He stretched out on the bed and waited. He had more than enough faith in his friends to know that they were already working on a way to get out of him. He was pretty sure that Hermione would know about as much about politics as Melissa did, and as much about law within twenty four hours.
He was also sure that with Britain’s feudal and archaic laws, it would be several days before he got to see a friendly face again.
A couple of hours later, the doors opened, and he recognised the form of Walden Macnair, the animal executioner. The other was dressed as an Auror.
Macnair sneered. “No magic down here, Potter,” he said. “Time to teach you a lesson.”
Harry was off the bed in a flash, his foot buried in Macnair’s crotch about a second later. He didn’t hold back, focusing his power as Lisa and Ben had taught him.
Macnair moved about a foot in the air, as his eyes crossed. He fell to the ground and vomited.
Harry didn’t stop moving, as he punched the other one, breaking his nose, then, as he had practised so many times, he grabbed his head and introduced his knee to the other man’s face.
The man collapsed in a heap.
Deciding to add insult to injury, Harry searched them, found their wands, and snapped them. He checked their arms before he ripped up the blanket on his bed, and used it to bind his two prisoners firmly. He shut the heavy door, escaping now would completely miss the point, and relaxed back on the bed.
The meal he got at six o’clock was tested first on his two prisoners. The food was delivered through a flap, and no one once asked if he’d seen anything.
After he had eaten, he went through one of Oliver Wood’s routines, then several of Lisa’s, before he fell into an exhausted sleep. With everything that had happened, he didn’t even think about the strange events on the lake.
At around ten in the evening, he was thrown out of his sleep as everything went white and the pain kicked in. He’d used too much magic, and hadn’t had enough food, so his reserves were rebuilding from what sources of energy they could access, and it hurt.
The next day, apart from a rank odour he could smell coming from himself, he felt a lot better.
It was the fourth day before he finally had company. Melissa and an Auror with a shaved head appeared in his doorway.
Melissa paused and looked at the two tied up bodies. “Harry,” she said slowly, “What’s going on?”
“They decided to teach me a lesson,” Harry replied. “Macnair is a Death Eater, as is the other one.”
The Auror growled. He stepped out the cell for a second. Melissa moved over and hugged him tightly. “How you doing, kiddo?” she asked.
“Pretty hungry,” he admitted. “Apart from that, good. I grew up in a cupboard. This is surprisingly spacious compared to that.”
Melissa’s eyes flashed for a second, before she nodded. The Auror stepped back in the room. “Amelia is coming down,” he said. “I’m Kingsley Shacklebolt.”
“Harry Potter,” Harry replied cheerfully.
Kingsley nodded and stepped back out of the jail cell.
“You’ve got the Wizarding World in an uproar, Kiddo,” Melissa said happily. “Fudge is barely clinging on to power. The Prophet launched an all out attack today, on Fudge, Snape, Bagman, and the others. Half the country is on the verge of open revolt, and you’re in jail for the most ridiculous trumped up charge in existence.
“And it’s become an international scandal. Gabrielle and Fleur called their parents, who talked to the Veela King and Queen, who bypassed the British government, and asked our Queen what was going on.
“The Queen asked the Prime Minister to investigate, and well, let’s say he’s been having a crash course into our anachronistic laws.
“The French and German governments have protested strongly about the kidnappings.
“Cedric’s dad has been leading an internal revolution in your name; he thinks that you walk on water for helping his son like you have been, and giving him a chance to show his worth.
“Cho’s parents have been putting financial pressure on the Ministry, they’re heavily into importing, and are the sole suppliers in this country of a lot of items the Ministry needs.
Harry smiled. “How is everyone?”
“Working together, Hermione’s been ensconced in the Library – skipping classes even! Fred and George have been making allies left, right and centre in your name, and then using them. Every one else has been helping out as needed.
“There is some bad news, though.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Malfoy made some disparaging remarks about you, and well, he fell down five flights of steps. Three times. Nasher and Thrasher took it rather personally. They’re good kids, now that they’ve got a better role model to follow.
“Snape’s not been seen, and Dumbledore has been avoiding us.” She hugged him again tightly. “That’s from Gabrielle,” she said. “She’s been keeping a brave face on things, but she misses you terribly. Oh, and Fleur is worried about you as well. I think you finally got through to her.
“Fred and George told everyone how you pulled off the Second Task, and we were all really impressed. It was so simple, a hole in the ceiling of the Chamber of Secrets, followed by an Accio charm.
“Viktor said it was a perfect example of thinking outside the box. Cedric, Viktor and Fleur all tried to quit the tournament, but it’s magically binding. They’re not happy about it, but are going to wait and talk to you.
“As for the rest of the school, the Hufflepuffs think you’re the reincarnation of Helga Hufflepuff – not only did you rescue everyone, put aside any differences, but you then displayed incredibly loyalty to people working for you.
“Ravenclaws are wondering how the hell you pulled off what you did, and we’re not telling.
“The Slytherins appreciate what you’ve done; this sort of chaos gives people incredible places to move. There are several of us who are taking and shaking this opportunity for everything we can get.
“The Gryffindors, with the exception of some hold outs, are behind you. Years one and two are yours, along with years five to eight. So, with a few exceptions in your age group and the one below, you’ve managed to unite the school.”
Harry shrugged. “By product.”
“Yeah, I know, but we’ll take it. Every Beauxbatons and Durmstrang student has helped out in one way or another. You’ve got some good friends there.
“Anyway, as your representative, allow me to say that we’re going to kick absolute arse in court. There is going to be Muggle government oversight, so Fudge won’t be able to play any tricks, while we have free hand to be sneaky.”
Harry smiled broadly. “I knew this would happen,” he said. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
“That’s the way it works, kiddo,” Melissa said, “you look after us, and we return the favour. The last five days, apart from worrying about you – and yes, we all know you can take care of yourself – have been great. Christophe’s been wonderful, not just supportive, but focused and driven to help you out – someone threatened his idea of heaven in running his own vineyard, so he’s making damn sure you’re going to be fine.
“The important thing to remember, is that you are Lord Potter. It might be a title only, but it is still valid. Purebloods has some incredibly dumb rights – from the point of view of justice, obviously. As such, all the laws are stacked in your favour, and you can pretty much get away with anything. This is something we might want to change later, but for now, run with it.”
The door swung open again, and Amelia Bones appeared, with another Auror, this one with pink hair.
“What is going on here?” Amelia demanded.
“I am Lord Potter’s representative, and this is a private conversation between myself and my client,” Melissa barked back.
Amelia took a step back, and shook herself. “My apologies,” she said. “My question related to the two on the floor.”
“Oh, they came in to ‘teach me a lesson’,” Harry explained. “So I knocked them, tied them up, and used them to check that my food wasn’t poisoned. I did try and inform one of the guards, but no one listened.”
“Oh,” Amelia said slowly.
“They’re both Death Eaters,” Harry added.
Amelia’s eyes darkened. She strode over to them and checked their arms. “Macnair, Mablar,” she said, “you two will be in Azkaban for this!”
“Macnair will probably never have children again,” Harry said. “Oh, and I suspect they both have concussion, because I’d knock them out when ever they interrupted my sleep.”
“How did you catch them?” The pink haired Auror asked curiously. “Wandless magic?”
“Why is it that everyone is so obsessed by that?” Harry asked. “It’s massively overrated as a useful tool, especially when it’s much easier to do things without using it.”
The Auror blushed. “So how did you do it? Macnair’s much bigger than you.”
Harry took a step forward, and as he brought his right leg around, he pivoted on his left, shifting his arms for extra emphasis. He pulled the kick centimetres away from the Auror’s neck.
“Sweet Merlin on a bike,” the Auror whispered.
“How the hell did you move that fast?” Kingsley asked.
“Kick boxing,” Harry responded. “I’ve been doing it for ages.”
“One of our friends’ dad is a Muggle champion,” Melissa said, “and he thinks that Harry could become a British junior champion if he wanted too.”
Harry moved back.
“You two, take these two pieces of slime into the cell next door. They can have a trial tomorrow as well.”
“If I may make a request,” Harry said, “I’ll do a civil suit on them, with Melissa as my solicitor. We’ll do it before my trial.”
Amelia smiled coldly and nodded. She looked around and sighed. “I do apologise for your accommodation.”
“Don’t worry about it, although I would appreciate the chance to shower and shave before the court tomorrow.”
“Granted. Melissa, time is up.”
Melissa nodded and hugged him again.
“Tell Gabrielle I love her,” he said, “and everyone else. Tell them that I knew they would do their best, and they haven’t let me down.” He paused, “and when I get out, we’ll have a party the likes of which hasn’t been seen in decades.”
Melissa nodded and kissed him on the cheek, before they left. The door slammed shut, and he was left alone in the dank again.
He collapsed onto the bed and gave in to the urge to have a childish tantrum for a few minutes. It was therapeutic, and he was in a better mood when he finished.
He spent as much time exercising as he could, as the best way to pass the time. His meals were about four times as large as the previous ones.
It was ten o’clock in the morning a few days later when his door opened again, and Kingsley and other Auror escorted him to an area. He undid his robes, and pulled off his clothes as quickly as he could. The female Auror squeaked and turned her back.
“It’s okay,” Harry said, “I lost my self-consciousness ages ago.”
The Auror didn’t turn around, although her hair turned a bright red.
“Cute trick,” Harry said, as he moved into the shower. Fifteen minutes of almost-scalding hot water and a full bar of soap had him feeling human again. He washed his hair, shaved, then walked out of the shower and towelled himself down.
There some new robes for him to one side.
“Sent by the Delacours,” Kingsley said.
Harry nodded and put them on. He smiled coldly, and pulled his magic to the surface, using his necklace as the focus. His days of forced incarceration and not being able to do magic had returned his magic to even higher than normal levels.
Kingsley and the Auror both gasped and backed away slowly, until they hit a wall, then fell to their knees.
“Lesson one,” Harry lectured to the Aurors, He was preparing himself to act like an arrogant Lord. “Never presume that a prisoner is harmless. Lesson two, if you are walking into a situation that you don’t control, act like you do. Where is the court?”
Kingsley pointed wordlessly.
“Precede me,” he ordered.
The Aurors looked at each other, and then scampered ahead of him. They moved through the Ministry. Every where he went, people were drawn to him and the magic he was outputting. Crowds parted for him, and guards moved out of the way.
The doors to the court room were closed, and before Kingsley could open them, Harry reached out and touched them, causing them to fly open with a bang.
He stalked in, his expression as dark as he could make it. Fudge was sat in the front, flanked by Amelia, and another who was sat so far back that her face was in the shadows.
Above them, in formal robes that signified that they were members of the Wizengamot, sat around fifty wizards and witches. To the left of them, members of the press sat, quills at the ready. To the right, and behind him, were the members of the public.
Harry walked over to Melissa, who smiled at him.
There was complete silence in the room. Harry looked around, shot a wink at Gabrielle who was waving energetically at him; she was with Fleur and his friends, surrounded by the bodyguards in full uniform.
Dumbledore was one of the Wizengamot members, and was staring at him curiously.
“Are you okay, Harry?” Melissa asked dryly.
“Okay?” Harry asked. “I’ve been incarcerated for days, locked in a cell with no natural light, had my human rights totally abridged by that idiot of a Minister there, on a trumped up charge. There was an attempted assault in my cell from two people working for that idiot, and the food was awful. Okay?” He repeated, “I’m furious.”
“Excuse me,” a grating voice simpered. “It sounds like you accused the Minister of something.”
“And you are?” Harry growled.
“Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Ministry.”
“A secretary?” Harry asked. “If you’re just a secretary, shut up and let your superiors deal with this.”
Umbridge froze, and then went bright red.
Amelia banged her gavel. “The first case on our books is Potter versus Macnair and Mablar. Bring in the prisoners.”
“What?” Dolores screamed. “You can’t do that.”
“Secretaries should be seen and not heard,” Amelia replied frostily. “Sit down, be quiet, or you will be ejected. As this is a civil case, I will preside.”
The doors opened, and Kingsley and the female Auror dragged in two bodies. They both shied away from Harry. A small and nervous looking man was with them.
Melissa stood and patted Harry on the shoulder. “Do try and keep a hold of your temper,” she said loudly. “I’d hate to have to defend you from accidentally killing someone.”
Harry sighed and dropped his magic. The audience seemed to take a sigh of relief.
Melissa looked at Amelia. “As they are Death Eaters, I believe it is now required that they take Veritaserum.”
“Objection,” the man called.
“On what grounds?” Melissa snapped. “They both have the Dark Mark on their arms. Under the Ministry versus Crabius Claw in 1984, the precedent was set that all Death Eaters would be questioned under Veritaserum.”
“Objection withdrawn,” the man whimpered.
Melissa smiled coldly as Macnair was put on the stand, and three drops of Veritaserum forced down his throat.
Melissa didn’t hang around; she went straight for the jugular. “Are you an active Death Eater?”
“Yes,” Macnair replied.
“Did you take part in the raid on the Quidditch World Cup final?”
“Objection,” the other solicitor said again.
“Counsel?” Amelia asked.
Melissa replied, “I am merely establishing character and motive.”
“I’ll let it pass,” Amelia decided. “Answer the question.”
“Yes.”
The crowd hissed.
“Did you, and your colleague, illegally enter Harry Potter’s prison cell, with the intention of ‘teaching him a lesson?’”
“Yes.”
“And what did this lesson entail?”
“To stay out of our way. We were going to beat him within an inch of his life.”
The shouts from the crowd were deafening.
“I will have silence,” Amelia roared, “or I will have this courtroom cleared.” The threat of missing what was going to happen was enough to shut the crowd up.
“One more question,” Melissa said. “Who told you to do it?”
“Lucius Malfoy,” Macnair replied, to gasps from the crowd.
“He is an active Death Eater as well?”
“He is.”
“How did you get access to Potter’s cell?”
“Umbridge gave me the keys.”
“Lies,” Umbridge shrieked.
Harry looked at her. “I wish to bring civil charges against Dolores Jane Umbridge for attempted assault, wilful misuse of limited authority.”
“And endangering the last line of an Ancient and Most Noble house,” Melissa added.
“Bailiffs, arrest Umbridge,” Bones ordered. “As for Macnair, I’ve heard enough.”
“Your honour,” Melissa said. “Under the Ministry versus Stevens act of 1587, reparation of one hundred thousand galleons is required.”
“Scribe?” Amelia asked.
There was some hasty flicking of a large book, before the scribe, who Harry realised was Percy Weasley, whispered something.
“Speak up boy,” Amelia ordered.
“The law does exist, but…”
“The day I need legal advice from a scribe is the day I retire,” Amelia responded instantly. “Macnair, you are ordered to pay one hundred thousand galleons. All your assets will be seized instantly, and after your fine has been paid, any remaining assets will be returned to you.”
“Your honour,” Melissa said, “we would also like a restraining order on Macnair.”
“That is not needed. Walden Macnair, you are hereby placed under arrest under suspicious of being an active terrorist. Get him out of here, and put the next one on trial.”
The trial of the Auror was even shorter. He was an active Death Eater, and had taken orders to do it. He was ordered to pay the same amount. Additionally, orders for the arrest of Lucius Malfoy were issued. The solicitor for the two Death Eaters had long since given up trying to defend them.
“Now,” Amelia said. “We get to the Ministry versus Harry Potter.”
“Finally,” Fudge murmured.
Amelia shot him a vicious look. “Perhaps, Minister, you will read out the charges?”
Fudge got to his feet, he looked around portentously.
“I’ll bet his speech has more rodomontade than a Lockhart interview,” Harry muttered, just loud enough to be heard.
Hermione laughed from the audience, unfortunately, no one else did.
“Mr Potter,” Amelia said, “please do keep such comments to yourself.”
“What does that mean?” Fudge asked plaintively.
“That you’re an idiot,” Fred shouted from the gallery, to a lot more laughter. As Harry looked up, he could see Hermione explain what the word meant to the others, who passed it on.
“Silence,” Amelia said. “Minister, if you will continue, and please, keep the bluster to a minimum.”
Fudge was now quite red. “The Ministry charges Harry James Potter with the Murder of Rita Skeeter, and with inciting public malfeasance with his policy of paying for the arms of Death Eaters. Additionally, employees under his command assaulted thirty members of the Aurors.”
“Mr Potter, how do you plead?”
“Not guilty,” Harry replied. “Guilty, and not guilty.”
Amelia noted it down. “In which case, we will deal with the Second Degree Murder of Rita Skeeter first. Mr Fudge?”
“In that case, the Ministry calls forth its first witness, Harry James Potter.”
Harry smiled and walked to the box, where he was sworn in.
“I demand that he be given Veritaserum,” Fudge ordered. “Scribe!”
“Objection,” Melissa said firmly.
“On what grounds?” Amelia asked.
“Mr Potter is fourteen years old.”
“Sustained. Scribe, sit back down. Minister Fudge, any further attempts to commit illegal acts in this courtroom will see the case against Mr Potter thrown out.”
Fudge growled. He took a deep breath, and then turned to Harry. “Mr Potter, did a member of your personal staff kill Rita Skeeter?”
“Yes,” Harry replied, and didn’t say anything else.
Fudge seemed to be waiting for something, but when Harry didn’t say anything else; he turned to Melissa, and said, “Your witness.”
Melissa got to her feet slowly. She paced up and down in front of the bench, as if thinking deeply. “Mr Potter,” she said slowly. “Please explain what happened.”
“Well,” Harry said, “I was talking with Fudge, Madame Bones, and Albus Dumbledore, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Smasher bet Nasher a galleon he wouldn’t eat a ladybird on my shoulder. As this is an ongoing bet between them, Nasher reacted immediately; he grabbed the ladybird and ate it. There was a strange feeling of magic, and I told him to spit it out. He did, and was violently sick at the same time. The form of Rita Skeeter appeared, in two pieces.”
“Let the court note that Mr Potter accurately recited the events,” Amelia stated.
Fudge growled at her.
“You will show respect, Minister Fudge,” Amelia ordered.
Melissa smiled faintly. “Remember that you are under oath, Mr Potter. Did you know that Rita Skeeter was an Animagus?”
“No, I did not.”
“No further questions,” Melissa said.
“Do you have any more witnesses?” Amelia asked Fudge.
“I call Bozo.”
Harry returned to sit with Melissa, as the photographer took his place.
“Bozo,” Fudge started. “Will you please describe what happened at the Weighing of the Wands?”
“Objection,” Melissa said, “Irrelevance.”
“I’m establishing motive,” Fudge countered.
“I’ll allow it,” Amelia decided.
Bozo gave an extremely accurate portrayal of what happened, with no embellishments at all.
Fudge looked baffled by it. He probably didn’t know that Harry now owned the Prophet, and as such, was Bozo’s boss. Eventually, Fudge handed the witness over to Melissa, who declined to ask him any questions. She looked thoroughly bored, as Fudge bought out several more witnesses who suggested that there could have been bad blood between Skeeter and Potter.
Eventually, Fudge rested the case for the prosecution.
Melissa stood. “This travesty has taken up far too much of the courts time,” she said. “I call Rebecca Flynn from the Department of Animagus Registration.”
Rebecca, an old portly witch, ambled onto the dais.
“I have one question,” Melissa said. “Was Rita Skeeter a registered Animagus?”
“No.”
“No further questions.”
Fudge didn’t bother to ask her any questions. Amelia invited Fudge to give his closing speech, and he did, for twenty of the most boring minutes of Harry’s life.
Finally it was Melissa’s turn.
“With the help of some very clever people,” Melissa said into the silence, “I searched through the law books, looking for precedents that would be controlling in this case. There are none. Why? Because it is not illegal to eat a bug. So what we have is a criminal, one Rita Skeeter, caught in the act of breaking the law and using her skills illegally, all for her tawdry gossip column.
“Second-degree murder is defined as either an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable “heat of passion”, or a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life.”
“To start with, my client did not even commit the act, making this murder trial the biggest farce the Ministry has seen in decades. Secondly, there was no obvious lack of concern for a human life, as the victim was not a human at the time.
“What happened was a tragic accident, caused by the victim breaking the law.”
Fudge glared at her, as she sat down comfortably.
“The Wizengamot will now retire and consider its judgement. Bailiffs, refreshments for Mr Potter and Ms Mockridge.”
“You did great, kiddo,” Melissa said cheerfully.
“And you are amazing,” Harry said softly. He blinked as the Wizengamot returned a scant few minutes later. “That didn’t take long.”
“As it shouldn’t, there was nothing to discuss,” Melissa explained. “Skeeter was breaking the law.”
Albus Dumbledore stood. “We find the defendant, Harry Potter, not guilty. Additionally, we find Cornelius Fudge guilty of bringing false charges and wasting the Wizengamot’s time. We fine him the sum of one thousand galleons, payable to Mr Potter.”
“You can’t do that,” Fudge screamed. “I’m the Minister.”
“Not for much longer,” Harry muttered.
“Right, let’s move this along,” Amelia said. “You have pleaded guilty to the charge of inciting public malfeasance with his policy of paying for the arms of Death Eaters.”
Harry nodded.
“Vigilante justice is not allowed; however, in sentencing you, I take into account your age, and the fact that acts of violence toward sections of society have dropped over eighty percent. You are hereby fined five hundred galleons.”
Harry nodded, as Fudge spluttered.
“Now, the final charge against Mr Potter, namely that employees under his command assaulted thirty members of the Aurors. Mr Fudge?”
Rondomontade: vain boasting or blunder. Also a "Word of the day" on my gmail rss stream when I was writing this chapter.
In the books, the law side of the wizarding world seemed hideous - completely and utterly out of any form of control, with no seperation of politics. So I used that, with a trial that had very little basis in reality.
I am trying to not bash Dumbledore, I've done enough of that over the years, and just trying to show him as a little out of control, and not omniscient - certainly not evil.
There is a bit of a hint in the Second Task as to one of the future plot points.
Oh, and Amelia is a very biased judge - who should have recused herself. But then, if the Miniser can be involved in prosecution...