Moon: Okay, I meant for Dumbledore's trial to be in one chapter, but it kind of got away from me. That and I've been thinking a little more about some of my other ideas; and about school, which is still messing with me. For those of you waiting on Wand, Knife and Silence, I'm still working on the fight scene with the dragon, kindly bear with me. It should be up soon. Sooo, here's the first of the trial. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 17: Dumbledore's Hearing, Part 1
Thanks to the mysterious vigilante attacks on Death Eater property, Albus Dumbledore's hearing had been pushed back until August 28th, two days before school restarted.
Amelia Bones had been working almost nonstop since, though not as hard as she made it out to be. Somewhere out there she had an ally, she realized, someone who also wanted to get rid of Death Eaters. Whoever it was had some impressive tricks up their sleeve; usually fire or explosive curses that powerful left traces that could be followed back to the wizard who had fired them. But there was something different about the marks these explosions left behind, leaving her wondering if it was some sort of muggle invention. Amelia Bones knew for a fact that muggles weren't quite as weak or foolish as purebloods liked to think they were. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Whoever this vigilante was, as long as he or she kept being this careful she would keep as much under her hat as she could.
Of course, trying to reopen Death Eater trials was easier said than done. Despite their history, they were often purebloods with considerable political clout, undoubtedly created by a good many bribes and threats. Either way, it was set up as a fall back should things go badly for them. It was a frustrating reality. Amelia hoped that with the revelation of the Horcruxes that she'd be given some room to accuse them of different crimes.
This was one of the ways that the mysterious house-burner was being of great help. The purebloods were spending thousands upon thousands of galleons trying to replace their houses and everything inside.
And the calls for investigation had allowed them to 'stumble' on Dark Artifacts that had survived the explosions. Evan Parkinson was currently shut up in the Ministry awaiting his own trail, along with Gerald Nott. There were a few others, but most of them had managed to escape. Again.
Lucius Malfoy had been the only one to have a Horcrux within his house.
Soul Jars. The Horcruxes themselves were a nightmare of politics. You-Know-Who could return. It was an undeniable fact, as the sight of two horcruxes suggested that the twisted wizard had created more than one of them. That sickened even hardened Aurors, it was despicable enough to create one horcrux considering what was involved but to create more than one? It was almost unfathomable. The worst part was that they weren't sure exactly how many the man had made, there was almost nothing for them to go on aside from the diary and the cup.
It would require a ritual, but before that he would be a wraith that could potentially possess people and make them do his bidding. Amelia Bones was currently fighting with the suspicion that the Wraith had been involved during that incident two years ago – when a starving Cerberus had set upon six Hogwarts students – two of whom were muggleborn.
Perhaps the real reason Dumbledore was keeping the hungry Cerberus within the school walls was that he was expecting the Dark Lord to return? Expecting him to return, and come after the one who had originally caused his death, Amelia realized.
Harry Potter.
The eleven year old boy had been one of the victims, and he'd been the one who lead the attack to save Ginny and Daphne. Amelia had been at this job for a while and she didn't believe in coincidences. If Voldemort was still around he was actively targeting the boy, then did Dumbledore know about it? If he didn't, it meant he wasn't paying very much attention to what was happening inside the school, and it was a good thing he was taken down. If he did know, but did nothing to intervene...or...
Or could he have meant for Harry to face Voldemort?
Amelia stopped shuffling the many, many papers in front of her and sat up straight. Dumbledore was well-known for his eccentricities as well as his powers as one of the greatest modern wizards. But even he with all his powers, despite Voldemort fearing him he could not defeat the Dark Wizard. And Harry, as a baby, had managed to vanquish him for reasons no one understood.
Had he meant to groom Harry as his successor? As a soldier to defeat the Dark Lord when he eventually returned?
According to Ginny Weasley Voldemort's original name was Tom Riddle. There wasn't much to go on in his school records; he had been adept enough at concealing his true nature back then that he had been made Head Boy. However, it gave them some ancestry to trace. The man was a half-blood, his mother was Merope Gaunt. The Gaunt family was infamous for it's inbreeding and the fact that they were allegedly the last living descendants of Salazar Slytherin – something that was apparently untrue, given the existence of Harry Potter.
Voldemort, half blood. That was going in the Daily Prophet the minute Amelia had a spare moment. How did you come to such a conclusion? Someone who pushed pureblood supremacy to its highest degree, and he was a half-blood. By his own doctrine, he shouldn't exist. The head of the DMLE didn't have much time, but she took a moment to appreciate the irony of that.
But nevertheless, Dumbledore had seen the diary and claimed that no such magic existed, and yet clearly it did.
Not only did this mean he had sent a little girl to jail over something he knew she hadn't done, but it meant he was withholding dangerous information that would be vital to the defeat of Voldemort should he use them to return! They wouldn't be able to destroy him without destroying his anchors, and no one really knew where they were.
Amelia considered this. Sirius Black was in prison as Voldemort's second – in – command. He, above any of the Death Eaters they had managed to capture barring perhaps Bellatrix Lestrange, would be able to tell her about the Dark Lord's Horcruxes.
Amelia called for her secretary to bring her Sirius Black's files. Then she considered the upcoming trial, of one of the (formerly) most respected wizards in Britain.
It was going to be quite the spectacle, with many people turning in to see it. It would be a battle between angry parents and the man's die-hard supporters. It was also loaded with press; whatever the verdict was Dumbledore's rep was severely damaged, and it would be the fastest such a thing had ever happened to someone so universally praised for so long after his defeat of Grindelwald.
Her secretary returned quickly and placed the file on her desk. Amelia looked at it in shock, it was recorded that Sirius Black had never been tried at all.
Amelia couldn't believe it, and it added to the severe headache she was building up. Tomorrow started in a few hours, and it was going to be a long, long day.
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"Hey, Blaise! Hey Dean! Fancy seeing you here!"
The Italian boy turned around to see Harry walking up to him with his girls following quickly behind him. Blaise did a little mental calculation, caught sight of a tell-tale ring on their fingers and did his best to squash his smirk.
"Nice to see you, Harry. I see you're under House Restoration." Blaise said. He smiled a bit as the black-haired boy blushed a bit.
Dean looked at Blaise in confusion. The darker boy simply ginned and him and indicated the group of girls. Astoria caught the look he was giving her and smirked back.
Dean's jaw dropped. "You're kidding," He said weakly. "Those..."
"Yeah," Harry said. "That...that was basically my reaction when I got the news. Apparently it's a pure blood thing...when there aren't very many members of your family left. Though it isn't really that bad, once you're over the shock...Dean?"
Dean jaw was still hanging open, with some effort he closed it. "No fair." He said eventually. Tracy scowled at him and Blaise snickered.
"You guys are here to see the trial?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Blaise said. "My mother-" He indicated a beautiful but dangerous-looking woman standing talking to Andromeda Tonks not far away from them in the forum of the Ministry. "-came over here because she wanted to see what became of Sirius Black."
Dean whitened, "Black? They're calling him in?"
"To be questioned," Harry said, smiling grimly. He wasn't sure exactly how it had come up, but he was glad it was, because he had been at loss for any way to help his imprisoned godfather that didn't involve breaking into Azkaban, which would be a fool's errand thanks to its terrifying guards.
"Apparently, there's some talk about Dumbledore being aware of the Horcruxes and it's one of the things being discussed during the trial today." Blaise responded. "And mum found out that they never gave Sirius a trial." He shivered. "My mother is scary, guys. Never make her angry if you can help it."
"You're using Sirius's first name," Ginny said curiously. "Did your mum know Sirius?"
"They went to school together." Blaise said. "I think they were close, though mother didn't always have an easy time talking about him. Though I'm starting to suspect why, after this." He gestured to where Samantha Zabini was still having an animated chatter with Tonks and her daughter.
After a second, Harry recognized her as the Auror who had transfigured Vernon and Petunia into pigs what felt like an eternity ago.
"You guys mind waiting here for a second?" He asked, as Samantha finished her conversation with Andromeda and headed in their direction. "There's something I have to ask her."
Astoria nodded. Harry took off in the direction of Andromeda, speed-walking until he came into view of the woman.
"Excuse me." He said. Andromeda turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw Harry. "Are you Andromeda Tonks?"
"Yes I am."
Harry smiled a bit. "I'm Harry...I saw you in my parent's wedding picture."
That was enough for Andromeda, she swept the young boy up in her arms. She had wanted to take care of Harry but Dumbledore had blocked her, saying that he'd be safer where he had sent him. Very safe indeed! Andi had read the article where Harry had said that those muggles mistreated him to the point where he took refuge in a child's jail. She should have just gone and taken him away when he was little, damn the consequences. "Yes, I was there. You probably don't remember me but I was your auntie Andi." She said sadly, trying to control her emotions.
"Auntie Andi," Harry repeated, smiling a bit more, his expressive green eyes wide and happy. "Hi."
Andromeda let go of Harry and gently ran her fingers through his dark hair. "You've gotten bigger since I last saw you," She chuckled. "But you're not the only one." She nodded to Tonks. "This is my daughter, Nympadora."
"Tonks!" Her daughter broke in. Andi sighed. No matter how many times she said it, Dora never warmed up to her full name.
Harry let go of Andromeda and grinned up at Tonks. He hugged her around the middle and said, "Aren't you the Auror who turned my aunt and uncle into pigs?"
"That was you? Dora!" Andromeda exclaimed.
Dora blushed sheepishly and nodded, patting Harry on the back. "Wotcher, Harry," She said. "Yeah, that was me...sorry but I read the stuff you said about them and I kind of lost my temper."
Harry just tossed his head back and laughed at this, "No need to apologize Tonks, that was the best present I had gotten in ages."
"You're here for the trial?" Dora asked. "You haven't taken your seats yet."
"No, I haven't." Harry said. "I'm just going to be watching. After everything that happened my first two years I wanted to be here to find out why, from Dumbledore himself."
Andromeda nodded, slightly confused. That was a very adult thing for Harry to say but he had made it clear that he had never had a childhood. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise her, but it didn't make it any less distressing for her to hear. She hadn't been as close to Lily and James as Sirius had been, but she had known them well enough and it hurt her to know that Harry had suffered like that.
At least now he wasn't living in that house, but in his father and mother's original home. That was nice to know, though it bothered her that he and a number of girls were living there without any apparent adult supervision, just a group of older children who'd also been in trouble with the law.
Andi decided that after this trial she'd go home with the boy; she'd firecall Ted and fill him in on that plan whenever there was a break. Harry had been on his own for long enough. One glance at Tonks and she knew that she agreed with her, the Auror side of her daughter had been out in force whenever someone mentioned the Dursley's cruel treatment of him.
Now she just had to handle seeing Sirius in chains as a Death Eater. That would hurt more than anything else.
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Harry was intimidated by Samantha Zabini.
She was tall, beautiful and fierce as a tiger, it showed in her stormy grey eyes. A disapproving look from her could freeze anyone, including him. An impressive feat, considering how flippant and confident he usually was when dealing with older people.
So he had absolutely no problem with both Blaise and Ginny sitting between her and him.
As Amelia had predicted, the guest rooms were packed to standing order with as many witches and wizards as could get there. There were even more outside the building; there were charms being placed on the room so those outside could keep up with the proceedings. There were lawn chairs and food being passed out, people were expecting it to be a long day.
"I really hope he doesn't get off again," Astoria mutters. "If this doesn't work I'm not sure if anything will."
"With a spectacle like this, even if he's acquitted I don't think it will matter," Tracy said. "No one would trust him again, including high society. It wouldn't be nice, but at least he won't be the man he used to be."
Daphne nodded in agreement. "Ginny, will you be testifying again?"
The redhead shook her head no. "I asked about it, I wanted to but Ms. Bones said that she already had all the information I had already given them at the last trial."
"I'll be testifying," Harry explained, shocking everyone.
"You will be?" Dean asked immediately. "How?"
"The head of DMLE approached me a few minutes before we found our seats." Harry explained. "She wanted me to be ready to testify about everything I knew by the end of the trial."
Blaise whistled. "You're brave, Harry. Regardless of what happened at the school and what information he might have been holding back, a lot of people still think highly of Dumbledore. You might be in trouble with them."
"Don't worry about it. Hogwarts is generally safe and after this I'll be portkeying straight home. We'll be as safe as possible." Harry promised. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have an escape plan made out. Carrie makes sure of it."
"Because without her you'd be running headlong into things like the Gryffindor you are," Ginny said with mock disdain, Harry scowled at her but this stopped when they heard a chuckle come from Blaise's unshakable mother.
Samantha smirked in their direction before looking back at the trial room.
Blaise looked awed, "You made mum laugh! That never happens. I've made it happen...what, once or twice? I can get her to smile fine, but hardly ever laugh."
"She's a serious woman," Dean asked.
"Yeah. Has been for a long time. I think she used to laugh more but not so much anymore. My usual stepdads aren't very nice." Blaise said with a sigh. "I wish there was someone eligible who would be able to make mother laugh and smile all the time."
"Thank you for that, Blaise," Samantha said mildly. "Now that you've got your seats, I have a madman to prosecute." She walked out through the crowd and towards Amelia Bones, who'd clearly been waiting for her.
"You're mother's a lawyer?" Dean said, surprised.
"It's her day job," Blaise said. Harry detected some evasion in his voice, but didn't push. He didn't want to anger the woman by asking a personal question.
Little did Blaise know that the aftermath of this trial would give him and his mother exactly what they wanted.
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"Order in the Court! This court is now in session!"
The excited babbling died down. Albus Dumbledore was standing in the defence's seat, staring at the crowd leaning in their chairs, many desperate to rip into him. Amelia Bones was sitting in the judge's chair. Cornelius Fudge was in the jury seats, along with many other wizards Albus had once thought were on his side, or at least understood him. They were scowling now.
"State your full name for the record."
"Albus Percival Wilfric Brian Dumbledore."
The courtroom murmured. Rita had gotten out one of her quills and was clearly waiting for the dam to burst and give her the expose of her life time.
"The charges are as follows," Barty Crouch read out, "Withholding vital war information from the Ministry, several counts. Kidnapping, one count of Harry James Potter. One count, knowingly violating the will of his parents, James Charles Potter and Lily Sarah Potter nee Evans by placing him with one Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley nee Evans. Child Endangerment, 1600 counts. Accessory to the injury of a child, fifteen counts. One count, wrongful imprisonment of one Ginerva Molly Weasley by virtue of withholding critical information from her charges. Accessory to child abuse of Harry James Potter, one count. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty." Albus said. "I must ask, 1600 counts? I don't-"
"The standing student body of Hogwarts numbers at 800 students." Crouch boomed. "Their lives were collectively put in danger twice, so that makes two counts per student."
Another wave of murmuring swept the crowd, with at least two parents shouting 'that's right!' from their vantage point somewhere at the back. Albus shivered and sat up straighter in his chair. He could prove that he was doing the right thing. He'd always been a good speaker. Surely he could turn these charges around. He was the Leader of the Light. He would not be brought down by this.
"The Prosecution begins its case." The Prosecution attorney, Samantha Zabini, intoned. Albus wondered how she'd gotten the post – she was Italian, and had been a Slytherin when she was at Hogwarts. "I wish to have Ginerva Weasley's earlier testimonies read again."
Back with Harry...
Ginny buried her face in her hands. "Do they have to keep calling me that?" She asked despairingly. "Why did mum have to name me that? Why didn't she call me Sasha or Amy or Marie? That name is so embarrassing!"
"It's just protocol, Ginny. I'm sure they'll call you Ginny after that." Astoria said comfortingly.
"I wish," Ginny moped.
In the Courtroom...
"He was nice to me...I felt compelled to tell [Tom] about all my fears and worries. He told me to identify all my muggleborn friends after a while, when he was getting more aggressive. I did so, even though I didn't want to – it was like I was writing things against my will...it was like a cloud had settled over my mind, I kept passing out and then waking up in another part of the castle, not knowing how I got there...I looked it up, it said that there were forbidden rituals that could create object likes these ones. After Harry and the girls saved me, I told the authorities everything that happened, and I refrenced the book...but Lucius declared me his scapegoat and the Headmaster did nothing to protect me, even though he knew that I would be tossed in Azkaban.'." Samantha quoted, before putting the paper down.
She stood up and walked across the room, addressing the crowd. "Using an eleven-year-old girl as a distraction when you know the truth is not the actions of a caring headmaster. This is as plain as day, for some mysterious muggles explicitly rescued Ginny from the docks of Azkaban. There was no illusion as to what the late Malfoy had intended for the girl, and yet she slipped right through the justice system. Now, why would Dumbledore condone such a thing, unless there was something he needed out of it?"
Samantha paused, letting the people in the stands mutter amongst themselves, before continuing, "Now, unless the 'most brilliant man in Britain' will have us believe that he couldn't discover what was attacking students before a few students decades his junior, there was still his refusal to evacuate the school when children were being attacked. What exactly was he waiting for?"
"This might – might – have been understandable in some way had this not become a pattern. The year before this, six children were attacked – first by a troll and then by a Cerberus, both of whom had mysteriously gotten past the Dark Creature wards that had been repeatedly declared unassailable by every headmaster previous to him. When confronted with this information, the headmaster claimed that it was a breech of security, but it did not matter for 'nothing serious came of it."
The young prosecutor let that speak for itself. There were outraged cries coming from various points at the room. Amelia banged her gravel for order, and it took several minutes for the clamour to calm down. Dumbledore looked back and forth uneasily.
After a minute, the noise calmed down, allowing Amelia to continue.
"These students – Harry Potter, Dean Thomas, Blaise Zabini-" She paused here, her voice a bit shaky as she remembered how close her son had come to loosing his life "-Hermione Granger, Tracy Davis and Daphne Greengrass – survived only by luck and ingenuity. Incidentally, Tracy Davis had also been the victim of an earlier attack; nearly plummeting to her death due to an unstable and ancient broom. The Headmaster had the connections and the clout to call in a favour and have the brooms replaced. He didn't, and this negligence nearly killed an eleven year old girl."
Samantha turned on her heel and paused in her pacing. Her voice was carrying and passionate. "And then there was the Chamber of Secrets. Aside from not evacuating, there is credible evidence that Dumbledore knew exactly what had gone on inside the Chamber of Secrets when Potter, Astoria Greengrass and Davis went to rescue Ginny Weasley and Daphne Greengrass. This entailed the three children, having barely begun their schooling, facing down a monster of ancient legend, that has killed most adult wizards who have ever faced one. Once again, it's through canny luck and stratagy that they were able to slay the monster, but once again it almost cost one of them – Harry Potter – his life. At only this point did the great Albus Dumbledore deign to intervene; sending his phoenix to save the boy-who-lived and bring all the children to the infirmary."
"Dumbledore then proceeded to deny just about everything involved with the Chamber. Had Harry Potter not gone public with what actually happened in the Chamber, the identity of the true Heir of Slytherin never would have been revealed, and an innocent girl would have been trapped in a living hell for her entire life."
Samantha paused when another racket went up. Amelia started banging her gravel again, and finally shouted, "Aurors, send some of your men among the guests! There will be order at this trial, or I will have the court cleared!"
Aurors in official robes weaved among the people in the stands, saying things. There was a clamour for a little longer, but it hushed again, more quickly this time. Rita was eagerly whispering to her self-dictating quill. Harry watched the entire scene with a serious, blank face.
Amelia turned her head to the prosecution. "Thank you. Zabini, you may continue with your prosecution."
Samantha dipped her head and began to speak again. "Now, this is gravely serious for one specific reason. The true identiy of the Heir of Slytherin is that of the darkest wizard to have roamed Britain in the last few centuries, who started a war that killed hundreds of innocents and left hundreds more trying to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. This man is Tom Riddle, known to the world as Lord Voldemort."
There were some screams as she said the name aloud. One of the Aurors fired off a canon blast with his wand, and a choking silence fell once again. Dumbledore shifted in his seat, clearly looking as though he didn't like where this was going, though he was powerless to stop it.
"As noted in the aftermath of Lucius Malfoy's trial, there were these anomalies called Horcruxes. There is a reality to this that is terrifying, but it is a possibility that cannot be ignored. Supposedly, a Horcrux is something you can use to retain your existence, even after you die."
"Now, many of us do not want to believe this is possible. And believe me, this is understandable. This country and the outlying ones were torn apart by the first war, and we've struggled to pick up the pieces. But if there's even a chance that another war can occur, that the man who caused all this could somehow return, we must be able to cut it out at the roots or face a catastrophe worse than the one that proceeded it."
"I understand that many will not be comfortable with this, but there is one man who is most likely to know the truth about the Horcruxes." Samantha took a deep breath. "I call Sirius Black up for questioning under Veritaserum."
Back with Harry
Dean sucked in a sharp breath. Blaise craned his neck to see what was happening. The entire room fell silent as they watched the doors swing open. Harry stood up in his seat and watched as the man walked into the room.
Sirius Black looked terrible. He had been given a haircut and clean clothes, but there were rings under his eyes, he was emancipated and drained, and there was a look of haunting and pain in his dark eyes. There was no trace of insanity or rage. He looked at Samantha and then at Dumbledore, and he didn't look very much like a Death Eater. He looked like he was heartbroken.
Sirius turned his eyes out into the crowd, and Harry knew in his gut that he was looking for any sign of his godson. His heart pounded painfully. Let this work, he begged fate, god, anything that was listening. Let them find out what actually happened. Let him go free. Please.
Ginny and Astoria simultaneous touched his hands and squeezed them in support. Harry stared hard at Sirius; even if they didn't quite see each other he tried to get across his affection and support.
He wasn't the only one having a hard time with this. Remus Lupin was sitting two rows behind Harry, having been keeping a discreet eye on the boy ever since he entered the courtroom. He had wanted to be close to his close friend's son – he would have raised him if given the opportunity. But he was a werewolf, and he hadn't even been allowed to see him. It was painful. But even that had nothing on seeing his best friend in chains, about to be interrogated as Voldemort's top death eater.
But at least he would finally know why Sirius had sold out Lily and James to Voldemort. If nothing else, Remus wanted, needed to know why.
Back in the Court Room
Samantha swallowed her conflicting emotions as she watched Amelia have Veritaserum administrated to Sirius.
She couldn't help but notice that Dumbledore was looking extremely alarmed; near panicky in fact. Absently she wondered why, though it was sort of overwhelmed by her current feelings for Sirius. Despite his crime, despite his condition, her heart was beating faster quite without her permission, and she had to force it down.
She was in a courtroom. Her feelings had no measure. She had questions to ask.
She cleared her throat and began reading from her sheet of paper. "Are you Sirius Orion Black?"
"Yes." Sirius said. His eyes looked normal, but the fact that he was under the truth serum was evident from his posture.
Now for the hard part. "What did your master tell you about the Horcruxes?"
"..."
"What do you know about the Horcruxes? How many did he make?"
"...I can't tell you."
Samantha's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"
At this, Sirius raised his dark eyes from the floor to meet hers, and there was anguish, rage and pain in them all at once. "Because I was never a Death Eater."
There were three painful seconds where a dead silence reigned.
Then someone screamed, and the stands dissolved into anarchy; there were all kinds of shouting and screams and disbelieving cries.
Amelia had leapt up in her chair and was staring down at Sirius in shock and the beginnings of horror. Samantha took a step backwards. Dumbledore buried his face in his hands. Rita paused in her whisperings to stare at Sirius in shock, before rapidly talking to her quill in a normal tone of voice. Remus gasped.
And Harry – Harry just stood up straight, heedless to the Aurors shouting and casting everything up to stunners to regain control and order within the stands, and he started to smile. He was grateful, now, that he had talked to Blaise's mother before the trial started. It would only get better from here.
Eventually, the clamour fell down to a simmer. Sirius seemed not to notice any of this; his eyes were on Samantha, who was staring back at him, professionalism temporarily abandoned.
"There is a mark..." Sirius said slowly, when he was sure he could be heard. "...that Voldemort uses to identify his followers. It has been cast over houses where they did their work. Every death eater has it. Even the spies. There are no exceptions." He paused, as the expected ripple of wincing went through the spectators. "I don't."
Sirius clearly expected another explosion, but silence followed this. Everyone seemed to be on the edges of their chairs.
"Check him," Amelia ordered a nearby Auror – Kingsley – in a tone that would booker no arguing.
The dark man nodded and walked over to where the accused was sitting bound in his chair. He turned Sirius's left arm over and pulled up his sleeve.
A shocked cry rippled through the room. The man's arm was bare; there was no trace of the damning mark.
Samantha put a hand over her mouth for a second, her heart hammering. This wasn't happening; she'd left someone she cared about in a living hell? He was innocent! Sirius was innocent! What had she missed?
"How is this possible?" She asked, damn her voice but it was trembling ever so slightly.
"I was framed." Sirius responded, his voice becoming harsh and angry. "By someone who I thought was a friend. The real spy of Lord Voldemort – the one who betrayed James and Lily."
"And who was that?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
Another stony, shocked silence.
Something horrible occurred to Samantha. "Is he dead?"
"No."
"How is that possible? There was a street full of witnesses that saw you blow him to pieces with a single curse."
"Peter was a better duellist then he let on." Sirius growled, his voice shaking. "I wasn't thinking straight...I had just seen James's body. I was crazy with grief and anger. I chased him all the way to that street. I cornered him...but I wasn't careful enough."
He waited, clearly expecting to be interrupted. But there was still silence; it was as if everyone in the room was holding their breath.
"Peter was secretly an animagus. I know this because I witnessed his first transformation. He learned how to do it when we were still in school at Hogwarts. Peter's animagus form is that of a garden rat."
Sirius let out a bitter chuckle. "Makes it obvious in retrospect, doesn't it? When I took out my wand to stop him, bring him in, kill him, anything, he held his wand behind his back and blew up the street. Then, he cut off his finger, transformed into a rat, and sped into the sewers."
Samantha took a shaky breath, her mind spinning as she recalled the scene, going over the clues that might have indicated her object of affection's innocence. "Is that why you were laughing?"
Sirius swallowed hard. "I couldn't believe it...Peter, the traitor...we'd been friends since first year. I would have died before betraying James...I would have thought he would have done the same. He didn't. That's what was so funny."
Several people gasped with pity. Harry's fingers were trembling as he watched and listened, still standing up. Some of the other people were watching him, some warily and others nervously. His reaction to all this was currently impossible to deduce; his face was expressionless.
"How exactly is this relevant to the current case?" Amelia Bones asked.
"Dumbledore cast the Fidelius Charm with Peter as the Secret Keeper," Sirius said heavily. "James told him about the switch at the last second. He knew all along."
Dumbledore glared at Sirius. You shouldn't have said that, Sirius. He thought. It was all for the Greater Good, and I didn't want to have to go against you. You were a useful tool in many ways, and I could have used your acclaim to help smooth the world over after the second wizarding war.
Now I need another plan. The attack on me is getting stronger. The Zabini woman was involved with Sirius back in the day; I knew I was right to separate them...but now she'll be on my case extra...I need a new plan, and fast.
End Chapter
Dumbledore annoyed me in Deathly Hallows because he can't be both a flawed man and a completely infallible chessmaster. He's supposed to make mistakes but each of his assessments of people's characters and how they're going to react to situations are pretty much perfect. people don't work like that.
Chapter 18: Dumbledore's Trial part 2
The court called a recess in light of Sirius Black's innocence, as the proper paperwork had to be filed. The crowd was restless, even with the Aurors keeping the peace. People were talking, babbling and gesturing animatedly. Harry had taken to the roof of the building to get some peace, his girls and the two boys with him.
"I can't believe this," Dean said when they were alone. "Sirius Black, innocent, this whole time. Merlin, how does that happen?"
"This is the problem with the wizarding world having only one jail, that jail being Azkaban," Harry said dryly. "There's no such thing as treatment or therapy for lesser offences, and on the offchance that you made a mistake – congratulations, you've been torturing an innocent man for the last eleven years. It's sick, Azkaban. No matter what the inmates did, exposes them to constant torture and practising summary execution are not the answers." Harry said with a sigh.
After a moment he said, "I'm starting to think that the minute this mess is over I'm going to move to America or Switzerland or something. At least I can blend in there."
Astoria let out her breath. "I'm not going to argue with you on that one Harry. I think I'll have seen enough of this place when they've finally put Dumbledore away. And if they don't – well, then I have even more of a reason to take off."
Her sister nodded in agreement of this, taking a deep breath of the cool, clean air. "I like your muggle friends, Harry." She said.
"You've said so before," Harry said with a smile. "They appreciate it."
"I can't believe lived my whole life without a television set," Ginny said wonderingly. Dean snickered at this, though he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender when all four girls turned to glare at him. "I can't wait to see what else muggles can do. My dad will have a field day. He's been all over the box of nick-nacks you sent him for ages now, Harry."
"You guys can take a vacation to Italy with me, if you need a change of scenery," Blaise offered. "Mum doesn't mind muggle friends as long as they mind their behaviour."
"Do you still have your family mansion?" Daphne asked.
Blaise just shrugged. "It's mostly historical, Daph. There's a few places that my mum owns that I've never even seen before. I don't see the point in having dozens of places that I'm not going to live in until I become an adult."
Harry sighed. "I suppose I should be grateful for my wealth, because I'm going to have to visit a child psychiatrist before I get a job in the muggle world."
"A psychiatrist?" Tracy echoed in confusion.
Harry stared at her for a second, and then groaned. "You don't have those, either? Damn, no wonder people like Moldyshorts exist. A psychiatrist is someone who helps you when you've experienced trauma, abusive parents, or other cataclysmic things that affect both children and adults. I've already paid for someone to start helping Miranda with her Kleptomania and I'll probably have to enter a rehab program myself, with my rap sheet."
"Rap sheets," Tracy pondered this. "Harry, tell us more about the child jail you said was a better home than the Dursleys."
So, sitting on the roof waiting for the rest of the trial to start, Harry told them about chronic offenders, and about how minors were handled in the justice system. This conversation also delved into the muggle adult system, as well as rehabilitation programs and the insanity exemption.
"So if you're crazy, like Bellatrix Lestrange, they dump you in this 'rehabilitation' centre in stead of normal jail?" Astoria asked for clarification.
Harry almost laughed. "Lestrange? I doubt it, she's too far gone, even for a rehab program. She'd be sent to an asylum prison home for treatment until she passed away, more likely. You have to be less fucked up than that if you're going to get released on bail. It's sad, but true."
Ginny frowned. "Then exactly how far along do you have to be before even a rehab can't help you?"
"I'd say you'd have to be like Draco." When the Greengrass sisters stared at him, he chuckled and said, "I know, it can seem hard to believe. But how long you live with your beliefs is directly preportionate to how possible it is to break you of them. Someone like Draco can be saved by a program, depending on how stubbornly they cling to what they're taught. It's called corruption of a minor – they catch you like that, and they have to work with you until you've dropped the view."
"Britain should have a system closer to the muggle one," Dean said. "This kind of stuff is much less likely to happen that way."
"You mean the Minister of Magic would have to admit that the muggles are better at something then we are?" Astoria asked, rolling her eyes. "We'd better just move to Switzerland."
"And take Amelia Bones with us," Harry muttered. "She's the only competent member of the Wizamgot that I've seen so far."
Ginny laughed. "Take Amelia Bones? Then the Wizamgot really won't be able to function enough to make a whit of difference in anything."
The kids all gave sarcastic laughs to this.
"I can just imagine what Carrie would have to say about that," Harry deadpanned. "And it involves a lot of language that would get her in trouble with your mother, Ginny."
"I heard her going off at Pierce for a prank he pulled yesterday," Dean said. "Damn Harry, your sister's pretty but she's got a filthy mouth."
Harry arched an eyebrow. "You think my sister's pretty?"
Dean's cheeks flushed. "I saw her twice, and...yeah, she's pretty, and she's intimidating as all hell. Totally out of my league. It's part of what makes her attractive."
Daphne covered an unladylike snicker with a cough. "So the 'girls want bad boys' goes both ways, huh Dean?" Harry asked teasingly.
The football fan blushed harder and said, "I'm not answering that!"
The group laughed some more, before Ginny became sombre.
"You ready to testify Harry?" Ginny asked more seriously, watching Harry with her emotional brown eyes. Her concern was evident.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Harry said. "I'm not perfect, but I know that the way you were put in danger was wrong, and I'm going to take him down for it.
Ginny smiled, leaned in and kissed him. Harry blushed, Dean whistled and Blaise smiled dryly. "Try not to let the cross-examiner intimidate you too much," the Italian boy told Harry. "They're going to be rough with you to try to make a better case for their client. Keep control of your emotions, or they'll say your judgement is compromised."
"That means they'll throw out my testimony, right?" Harry asked, trying to remember what Carrie had told him about adult courts."
"Yes." Blaise said. "That's not your game. Stay calm and collected, answer each of his questions rationally in a way that complements your story."
Harry nodded. "Thanks Blaise. I'm going last, though, so I have time to prepare."
Astoria smiled. "I'll help you with that." Daphne rolled her eyes but smiled as well at her sister's enthusiasm.
"I know you will. You guys are great." Harry gave a soft smile. "It's nice to have a family."
"They're going to release Sirius today." Blaise said. "Because he was never charged in the first place. Is he coming home with you, Harry?"
"Of course he is. I wanted my godfather home as soon as possible. I never had a father before this...and I wanted to know him." Harry said, his eyes downcast.
There was a sound like a bell ringing. "That's the second half of the trial," Harry said grimly. "Let's go guys. Things are going down today, for better or worse." His friends nodded.
Back in the Courtroom
Samantha had drunk a lot of water and a calming draught to prepare herself for the next part of the trial. Her fingers ran through her long, silken black hair as she reestablished her mental defences and barriers, having had them damaged in the earlier events.
She never liked to admit she was rattled; she prided herself on how well she controlled her emotions. Having complete self-control was paramount in both her professions. But if she was honest at all, the trial and its revelations had shaken her quite badly for the first time since she was a child.
Mostly due to her romantic attachment to Sirius.
The shock of learning Sirius Black's innocence only raised more questions regarding how the entire war was handled, and she had had to adjust her questions for Dumbledore accordingly. She had cursed herself for not considering the possibility the Potters had switched Secret Keepers, for not ensuring that Sirius had a trial, for not demanding answers from Dumbledore...eventually she shut the questions out on the grounds that they were distracting her from her current appointment.
Now she was more determined than before to bring down Albus Dumbledore, aside from him putting her son's life in danger.
Samantha checked her questions and frowned at the sheet.
Next up was Harry Potter in the witness stand. She could only hope the boy kept a lid on his usual sarcastic and flippant attitude when he was being examined, or things could go badly for him.
Rita Skeeter was going to be near world famous after this, she thought glancing at the chair where the blonde reporter was writing away. Well, at least she was getting her money's worth on accurate information.
Samantha took a breath and walked back out into the courtroom. After this hearing, she was going to lie down and sleep for forty two hours. She was going to need it.
Sirius was sitting in a nearby stand, having gotten a meal after he was released by Amelia. He spotted her watching him and he smiled hesitantly at her. She gave him a half-smile in return before putting on her game face. There was as much chatter in the stands as the Aurors would allow; Amelia returned to her place as judge and when the jury returned, nodded at Samantha.
"Recess has been completed, the trial of Albus Dumbledore will continue," She said in a ringing voice. The crowd quieted. "Over to you, Prosecutor."
Samantha nodded. "I call Harry Potter to the witness stand."
The expected murmurs swept through the crowd as Harry walked across the floor, not looking at Dumbledore, and up onto the witness chair. He shot a smile at Sirius.
"Sirius Black, as Harry's guardian do you authorize a child's dose of Verastrium?" Amelia boomed. Dumbledore looked angry at this but said nothing.
"I do," Sirius said, his voice was still scratchy but he sounded better than he had before.
Harry frowned at the glass he was given but drank it without complaint. Samantha exhaled. Good boy. Please continue like that. "Are you Harry James Potter?"
"Yes ma'am."
"What is your relationship with the accused?"
"I was a student at Hogwarts for the two years where he was Headmaster. I will be returning there for my third year. Other than that, nothing." Harry said.
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed at this, he had tried to draw the boy closer to him through the trials and tasks he had set up but the boy's nature had turned almost all his plans against him. Those muggle lawbreakers must have schooled this into him. If only he had made sure Harry hadn't interacted with them.
"Describe the life you lead with the family Dumbledore left you with."
People seemed to lean in.
Harry let out a sigh and said, "Well, I never new anything about my parents. I hadn't even seen a photo of them until the Gamekeeper Hagrid gave me an album. My aunt told me that they were drunks who died in a car crash. I slept in a cupboard under the stairwell; and I was a punching bag for my cousin. Whenever he did something wrong, I got blamed and punished for it. Petunia threw a cast-iron frying pan at my head twice." He tapped a scar just above his eye. "Vernon would beat me up. Dudley had a game he called Harry Hunting – he and a group of his friends would chase me and beat me up if they caught me. They rarely fed me, and when they did it was usually with scraps – never a balanced meal. I had no friends. I almost never went to the hospital. I was always lonely and scared, and I still don't understand exactly why they hated me so much."
He stopped, and there was a roar of outrage in the crowd. Samantha waited for it to simmer again before asking her next question.
"Were there ever any changes in their behaviour?"
"Only after I got imprisoned for shoving Dudley off the roof to protect myself, and the muggle authorities moved me to a child's detention centre." Harry responded. "The officer who brought me in was suspicious of my situation and threatened my uncle with surprise visits to monitor my behaviour. He was forced to curb his treatment of me but he by no means stopped it."
Samantha watched Harry curiously. "Can you elaborate on 'youth detention centre'? And how many times were you placed there?"
"Juvenile Detention is a place where muggles place children up to age 17 who wave run afoul with the law." Harry explained. "They're not as severe as adult prisons, and they work to rehabilitate young offenders, but they keep them from hurting other people and serious offenders may be transported to adult centres if they don't clean up their act." He paused thoughtfully and then said, "Honestly, I can't keep track of the number of times I got myself arrested. I'd say I spent most of my years there until I turned eleven."
Another sweeping murmur, while Sirius looked like he was about to explode when he heard this. Amelia looked thoughtful, considering the possible upsides to establishing a wizarding youth detention. Samantha nodded and continued her questioning.
"You were a key figure in both the Troll/Cerberus attack and later with the Chamber of Secrets incidents. Can you tell us about the first one and then the second?"
"They were leading the students out of the Great Hall when I realized one of my classmates was missing and didn't know about the attack." Harry said. "Hermione Granger. She was in the bathrooms when the attack started and I didn't know if she had heard the warning. I meant to quickly to and warn her only to find the troll practically on top of her. Luckily for me, Tracy and Daphne had come with me and Daphne knew some offensive spells. We got the attention of the troll and took it up the stairwell. Tracy and Hermione joined me with Dean Thomas and Blaise Zabini. But when we neared the third floor, a Cerberus lunged out of the shadows and killed the troll. It then turned its attention to us. We just barely managed to outrun it and take sanctuary in the Armoury. Dumbledore had said at the beginning of the year that the third corridor was out of bounds to anyone who didn't want to die an extremely painful death."
Samantha bit her lip. She didn't like how emotionally invested she was in this trial – it usually took much more than a few words to make her angry.
"So Dumbledore was keeping the Cerberus inside the school?"
"A starving Cerberus." Harry confirmed.
"And the Chamber incident?" Samantha continued.
"I saw Ginny writing in the diary a few times, but I didn't know what it was," Harry said. "We weren't in the same house, after all. I watched while kids kept getting petrified, and it took me a while to figure out exactly what was going on – literally four hours after discovering Hogwarts was housing a Basilisk Daphne and Ginny were kidnapped. Myself, Tracy and Astoria entered the Chamber when I heard they were sending Lockhart in to look for them – and when he didn't, we had to save them ourselves, because no one else would."
Harry paused meaningfully. There was silence in the courtroom. When no one said anything, he continued, "Tom Riddle materialized when we found Ginny and Daphne prone and silent. He explained that he had stolen their lifeforces; and when Astoria threatened to destroy the diary he told them that he would destroy us and everything we cared about, announcing his identity as Voldemort."
"And everything else you know."
%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&
Harry left the stand, the courtroom a simmering pot waiting to explode. And Samantha's final witness would see to that explosion, one way or another.
"I call Albus Dumbledore to the stand."
End Chapter
Remember Carol Winchester? she serves her purpose very soon. Multitasking means you didn't see much of her, but like I said, she has her part next chapter. Anyway, the finale of Dumbeldore's trial is coming up next, don't abandon me just yet!
Moon: Okay, this is the last chapter of Trouble! I liked this story a lot, I hope you did to. I'm sorry if this seems haphazard, but I honestly didn't want to drag it out with another 'Dumbledore explains in great detail why he's a horrible person', because those scenes have been done to death and are a little tedious, because you've seen them before. And honestly, this covers all my bases. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 19: Vindicated, Healed and Epologue
Harry sat back in his chair, exhaling, watching the scene in front of him when someone came up behind him. "Hey Trouble."
He turned his head and looked in surprise. "Carrie, Pierce, Miranda, Katelyn, Justin, Alex. How'd you guys get here?"
"I remembered the way in," Carrie said.
"Kingsley Shakabolt was so kind as to point us here. It can't be added to the list of offences because most wizards consider it due course, but Dumbledore tried to have us Obliviated and moved away from you." Miranda explained.
"What?" Harry exclaimed angrily. "When did that happen?"
"When you were having your latest interview with Skeeter." Pierce chipped in helpfully. "Lucky for us, Kingsley thought the Aurors he bribed her were acting out of line. Our memory of the incident was removed for a little, but he decided that if Dumbledore was going down that they should mention it."
There were no small amount of murmurs as the group of muggles politely edged their way into places around Harry and his friends. There were some murmurs of recognition as people who had read Skeeter's articles made the connection between them and the Juvenile friends Harry had mentioned in the press.
"I can't believe it, the lives of people saved by Rita Skeeter." Tracy laughed. "My mum will get a good laugh over that."
"We figured we should be here to see the fallout of this mess. Anybody who thinks the Dursleys were decent guardians needs therapy as much as some of us do," At this Alex threw a pointed look at Katelyn, who giggled shamelessly.
Astoria smiled back at the muggles until Samantha was done administering the truth potion to Dumbledore.
%&%&%&%&%&%&&%&%&
"Albus Dumbledore, are all the allegations directed at you true?"
"They are not all entirely accurate. I was merely doing what I had to do in the name of the Greater Good."
There was a loud murmuring passing through the crowd at this. Harry shot a confused look at Blaise and Tracy, who were suddenly sitting rigid in their chairs. "What?"
Tracy was doing her best to glare a hole through the glass and spells to where Dumbledore's head was. She said something in German that Harry was willing to bet would've earned her a lecture from Mrs. Weasley.
Blaise filled in for her. "That phrase, the Greater Good, was the slogan of the Dark Lord that came before Voldemort – Gellert Grindelwald. He was a terror across Europe, but the people who suffered the most from his attacks were the German wizards."
He glanced at Tracy, who nodded curtly without looking at him. Then he added, "Tracy's grandmother was captured by some of his men during that time...well, she didn't meet a gentle end."
Dean was glaring at the man he once respected as well, "Dumbledore was the one who defeated him in the end, after a violent battle. Why would he use that phrase now? He's more familiar than anyone with its history."
"How, exactly, does the Greater Good pertain to anything that has occurred to Harry Potter and the students of Hogwarts?" Samantha enquired dryly.
"The final destruction of Lord Voldemort." Albus responded.
There was silence in the courtroom as everyone digested this.
"Go on," Samantha responded icily.
"The Dark Lord created Horcruxes," Albus continued calmly, as if he was just instructing students on a mistake they made in class instead of speaking to a prosecutor. "Seven of them, to be exact. The last one, however, was not one he had intended to make. Harry himself."
Silence. Then a woman screamed, and the exhausted Aurors were forced to regain control of the courtroom once again. Harry vaguely heard one of the aurors muttering that she better be getting a pay raise for today, but he hardly registered it through his shock.
"Horcrux?" Carrie muttered in confusion.
Slowly, Harry raised his hand to his forehead, touching the scar that had been given to him the day his parents died. In the moment, the skin seemed to pulse beneath his fingers – then there was a sharp prick and a distant cry of fury.
"Harry!" Ginny cried. Harry had doubled over in his seat.
"It's fine," He said through his teeth, "...I need to hear the rest of this."
"When Voldemort killed Lily Potter and the curse backfired, part of his soul became attached to the first living thing it could touch – Harry himself."
"Wait," Samantha interrupted, "You said earlier that Harry was given protection by his mother; part of this protection was what you used to raise the Blood Wards. This could apparently burn Voldemort's body beyond repair, and yet doesn't protect him from a piece of his soul?"
Dumbledore paused and then blinked. Laughter rang through the hallway, causing his ears to turn a little red. "Ah – nevertheless, there is no way to destroy Horcruxes without hurting Harry. And there was no way to destroy Voldemort without his final Horcrux gone. The only way he will be destroyed is that he must kill Harry."
Tonks would later be found talking to the female auror – Hestia Jones, Harry would learn her name was – about how they were going to ask Amelia for compensation for how trying and ultimately traumatizing controlling the crowds were. Hestia had ended up covered in food from some of the upturned dinner trays that people had thrown around, and the pretty woman appreciated that even less then getting hexed several times.
Harry had simply sat still while the chaos erupted around him; his muggle friends were shouting while Ginny and Astoria had death grips on his hands. Daphne and Tracy had formed a protective ring around him to stop anything from happening.
"He simply had to be ready," Dumbledore went on when he could finally be heard again. "His aunt and uncle's house was the safest place he could live, and he would not grow up indulged and spoiled like he may have if raised by a wizard. When he came to Hogwarts, I would guide him through his tasks until his final job was done."
Harry expected more noise. He really did. But there was simply a silence, a long, crushing silence where everyone was glaring at Dumbledore.
"Madam Bones?" Samantha asked simply. "May we adjust the record?"
"Yes, of course," Amelia said coldly.
"Add to the list of charges, 'conspiracy to murder a minor'." Samantha said. "What is the word of the Jury?"
"GUILTY." Many voices boomed at once, trying to be heard over each other.
"Take him away," Amelia said simply.
%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. Thinking it was Carrie, he tried to shrug it off. And then a warm sensation took hold, driving away the nausea that had threatened to overwhelm him a second ago.
He looked over his shoulder to see Carol Winchester standing behind him, her ethereal eyes burning gold with intensity.
"I can save you," She said simply.
Potter Manor
It was a very chaotic room, considering how quiet and cold it was.
Sirius, Andromeda, Remus, Tonks and Samantha had all followed Harry and Carol back to the Manor. Andromeda kept asking who Carol was, Sirius kept demanding to know what the hell was going on, Remus looked remorseful, angry, and confused all at once, Samantha and Tonks were both looking tired, cranky, angry and just frustrated.
The kids were the other problem. Harry's girls had wanted to sit with him, but Carol had gently explained that she needed to be alone. Both Ginny and Astoria were sitting in front of the door, trying to set it on fire through sheer anger and worry. Daphne was pacing. Tracy occasionally summoned boxes that she promptly obliterated with a blasting curse. Dean and Blaise were sitting awkwardly to the side, watching the spectacle with an equal measure of worry and nervousness.
Harry's muggle friends were doing little better. Carrie was pacing and cursing everyone above the age of thirty under her breath, Pierce was fidgeting with his coat, Miranda was picking up various objects and crying with worry intermediately, Katelyn was playing with her lighter and staring at the very much wooden floor, Alex was taking turns between staring at the wizards and making sure Katelyn didn't combusted anything in her current mood, while Justin just looked horribly out of place.
In the time they were waiting, there was some ice breaking and hasty introductions. Sirius and Samantha had hugged, through the current events somewhat spoiled their reunion. Remus apologized for not believing in Sirius's innocence, Sirius apologized for thinking he had been the spy in the past. Andromeda had introduced Tonks to Remus, who despite having a very trying day blushed hotly when they shook hands.
Dean then awkwardly introduced Sirius to the muggles. Carrie cracked a grin when he offered to take her under his wing, i.e away from her birth family. Pierce and Miranda asked Remus questions about werewolves to try and pass the time.
Katelyn just asked about anti-fire charms.
It would have been an interesting conversation, had the talkers not been distracted.
Finally Samantha exploded, "Damn that old bastard! This should have happened years ago," She jerked a thumb towards the room.
Carrie stopped her pacing and looked at the older woman. "Wait, what? What do you mean, 'should have happened years ago'?"
Samantha glanced among the muggles and said, "The Winchesters are a quiet family surrounded by myth and suspicion. Charles Potter approached the family after saving their youngest child during the war on Voldemort. They have a family power – healing magic comes to them as naturally as breathing."
"That's amazing," Tonks said.
"It comes with a price," Samantha responded seriously. "If Carol succeeds in what she intends to do – remove the Horcrux and burn it to cinders without any incidents – both she and Harry will be in a magical coma."
"For how long?" Sirius asked tensely.
"Three months, again, if nothing goes wrong." Samantha responded.
"And if something does go wrong?" Astoria asked, her voice hard.
"Then Carol will likely die, and Harry potentially fused or taken over by the Horcrux." Samantha responded tersely. "It's his only option, and it's not an entirely safe one, but Horcruxes being what they are, you have to take a chance – unless you'd rather we just went with Dumbledore's route."
A shiver went through the room.
"He'll be okay," Ginny murmured. "He's got to be."
Harry and Carol
Harry was standing in the confines of his mind. He knew this.
It was a ruined city. It had clearly been first bombed, and then burned, and there was very little left standing.
There were light footsteps on the ground, and Harry turned to see Carol walking towards him. She was wearing a flower-painted dress.
"Harry," She said softly. "I found it."
Harry didn't have to ask what 'it' was. His forehead had felt like someone was trying to split his skill with an axe when Carol had touched his scar. That was it. The last Horcrux. The one inside him, the last remenant of the man who had killed his parents.
"Can we get rid of it?"
"I can give you the strength. But in the end, you will be the one to destroy him. Like the prophecy said." Carol asked.
Harry was too tired to ask what prophecy Carol was referring to; he just nodded and followed her down the twisting, broken streets.
Eventually, they reached Little Whining. In the middle of the street right in front of the entrance to Privet Drive was a black shadow.
The shadow's shape was humaniod, but there its resemblance to a human being ended. It was scarred hideously and covered in dried blood, it was missing an eye and a few fingers. One leg was bent at and unnatural angle, and a long mane of matted, tangled, straggly parody of hair fell down to its ankles. It saw Harry, and snarled in a strangled voice like breaking glass.
Harry glanced at Carol and saw her expression. "You pity him?"
"To an extent." Carol said. "Look at that. That isn't arrogance. That's desperation. I wonder why he ever felt the need to make these things." She gestured to the shade, which snarled again.
Harry sighed. He had thought about that, occasionally. He knew that some criminals started out like him, and then walked further down the path until they could never come back. He was grateful for his friends; without them, he might have gone down that road too.
"We can't turn things back now," He said simply. "But we can end the pain and suffering, right now."
Carol nodded and raised her hands. She opened her mouth, and a long, beautiful note of music rang from it. The Horcrux screamed in pain and tried to lunge for her, but it was caught in a golden web.
Harry raised his hand to one side. The sword of Gryffindor appeared in it, as real as it had when he had summoned it in the Chamber of Secrets. He gripped the handle, ran towards the creature and slashed.
With a final scream, the Horcrux, and Lord Voldemort, were gone.
Later
Harry wasn't sure how long he had been in bed. He woke up, pushing himself up and blinking rapidly. He was still in Potter Manor. Carol, who was lying in bed next to him, also got up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Then the screaming started.
Harry was promptly assaulted by hugs and kisses and cries of relief from all his friends and his loved ones.
"You're awake!"
"It's over," Sirius said happily.
Harry smiled up at his godfather, the pain he had kept inside him finally laid to rest. "Yeah. It's over."
Several Years Later
Sorting at Hogwarts was always a fun time for the students and the staff. Minerva McGonagall, the new headmaster of the last few years, watched the new first years walk in with a certain amount of trepidation. She figured she'd need a few painkillers on hand for some of her classes – for the pranks that would undoubtedly happen.
"Black, Emily!" A girl with dark hair, tanned skin and a mischievous smirk ran up to the seat. She flashed a grin at her Headmistress and sat down. The hat was on her head for a moment before shouting, "Gryffindor!" Emily cheered and headed for the read house.
"Black, Regulus!" Emily's brother approached the hat more cautiously, casting the tables a glance before sitting down. "Ravenclaw!" Regulus smiled hopefully before heading to the table of smarts.
"Bones, Marcus!" "Hufflepuff!" A young boy vaulted off the chair and walked over to the cheering yellow table.
"Collins, Diana." A figiting young girl asked, "Ravenclaw!" "Ravenclaw it is, then!"
"Fawkes, Anthony." Tony, as he preferred, said to the hat, "Hufflepuff, please." "Very well. Hufflepuff!"
"Malfoy, Lupa!" A silvery haired girl was put in Gryffindor, to the shock of the onlookers, followed by her brother Scorpious, who was put in Slytherin.
"Longbottom, Danielle!" "Gryffindor!" Danielle waved to her father, who was sitting at the staff table, before heading to her ancestral house.
"Selene, Lovegood-Zabini." "Slytherin!" A dreamy girl walked over to the table of the snakes, her blue eyes following the ghosts.
"Potter, Sirius." Silence filled the hall as a dark-haired young boy, smirking with enthusiasm, approached the hat and put it on his head. "Gryffindor!"
"Potter, Leah," A studious, serious looking young girl with black hair walked up to the hat. "Ravenclaw!"
"Potter, Lily," This girl was bubbly, red-haired and mischievous-looking, the hat was on her head for a bare minute before - "Slytherin!"
"Potter, Angela," A regal-looking blonde girl took the hat on her head and said, "Slytherin, please. Someone has to watch Lily." "Slytherin!"
"Potter, Matthew." "Gryffindor!"
"Potter, James." "Hufflepuff!" James looked laughably mortified when he heard this, but the enthusiastic cheering he got at the Hufflepuff table convinced him to go forward.
"Potter-Winchester, Jace." "Gryffindor!"
And so started the next school year. They proved to be interesting ones, though they would not have a Dark Lord hanging over them.
Right?
End Chapter
Haha, those are (some) of the children I'll be using in any Next Generation fics that I write. (it'll be a big cast.) Again, I'm sorry its short, but I've been sick, there are a lot of different story ideas I want to begin in, and I have to tidy these up first. Runaway will be completed next, then I'll deal with the Fourth Wall. Wand Knife and Silence will be a whole lot longer through, it got away from me during development.