Becoming the Feared
Chapter One – Trial
Ninety years spent in the same Azkaban cell. Nearly thirty-three thousand days spent in the same Azkaban cell. Nearly eight hundred thousand hours spent in the same Azkaban cell. That made the occupant almost one hundred ten years old, one hundred six to be exact. Half of the person's life span spent in the same Azkaban cell. The whole time spent around dementors and insane convicts. At least this occupant still had his sanity, very much so.
Many people had forgotten about the man confined within that Azkaban cell. Forgotten the great deeds he had performed within his short lifespan before being sent to Azkaban for ninety years. All but one had most likely forgotten their esteemed hero, the one who saved the world, but was convicted in the process. She who had sacrificed her life in order to prove his innocence, all to help him. She was the greatest person he had ever known compared to all those others who were supposedly his friends before he was thrown into Azkaban after his conviction. She had visited him many times within his ninety year imprisonment.
His conviction. That was a laughable ordeal. He had rid the world of Voldemort only to supposedly loose his senses and go on a Death Eater killing rampage. He had been convicted of the killings of the entire inner circle of Voldemort's Death Eaters. How could they believe the Boy Who Lived was capable of killing anyone else besides Voldemort? Very easily apparently as Cornelius Fudge had still been minister at the time and many wizards and witches believed Harry Potter to be an attention seeking, insane child. The fools.
However, that would all change today. The wizarding world would remember Harry Potter once again and he would be cleared of his charges and become innocent once again. At least as innocent as one can become after spending half their life in Azkaban surrounded by dementors and insane convicts.
The aurors came and took him away from Azkaban, hopefully for forever, without recognition in their eyes and towards the Ministry of Magic where his trial would be held. She had found the real murderer and he would be free. That wasn't right though. He would be under the scrutiny and watchful eyes of the press. This would be the story of the century, Harry Potter freed after ninety years of false imprisonment. They would all want photos, details surrounding his arrest, and exclusive interviews. He mentally scoffed at the idea, they wouldn't get anything.
He was shown into the courtroom at the Ministry of Magic. There was a full crowd in the stands within the courtroom. Many of the people were old, undoubtedly the ones from his 'childhood.' They all had impassive masks on their faces. That suited him fine, he didn't want to look at them. He looked toward the high desk at the front of the courtroom where the judges would sit. All the judges were there and he recognized none of them. Well, there wouldn't be any biased votes at least.
After several moments of hushed whispers in the crowd, she walked in. He had never been happier to see her except for the first time she had visited him in Azkaban. Everyone stopped their whispering as she walked in, what a great effect she had on the people. She set her stack of files down on the table in front of him. She cast a quick glance at him, a smile flashing in her eyes, before she turned to the judges to start the trial.
"This court is now in session. Harry Potter versus Ministry of Magic. Head Auror Granger, you may begin."
"Thank you Mr. Adams. Ninety years ago Lord Voldemort was defeated by my client, Harry Potter. Several days after his defeat, Harry Potter was convicted of murdering Voldemort's entire inner circle of Death Eaters. I have evidence to prove otherwise."
Head Auror Granger stopped and let the whispers break out. She glanced at Harry who was reading through all of the files she had placed before him. They contained all the major events that had happened while he was in Azkaban as well as a few reports on projects she was told to investigate.
"I first call Harry Potter on to the stand to be questioned under Veritaserum." Harry promptly put down the file he was reading, one of the projects Hermione had been assigned. He tried to get up from his seat, but was unable to. The ninety years in Azkaban without much room to move led to the person's muscles usually going to mush from non-use. Hermione came over to Harry and helped him over to the witness chair. Three drops of Veritaserum on his tongue and he felt himself relax.
"What is your name?" Harry couldn't speak though. Much time had passed since he had last used his voice, he briefly wondered if he could still talk. He clasped his throat with his hand and shook his head in the negative. He couldn't use his voice.
"Did you kill Voldemort's inner circle of Death Eaters?" Harry hesitated slightly in his answer, but no one noticed. Harry shook his head.
"Administer the antidote." The antidote was given to Harry and he was escorted back to the desk where he was sitting previously.
Not so hushed whispers rang out through the courtroom, many wondering how an innocent man had been convicted of murder and sent to Azkaban when the answer was so clear. Many didn't know of the corruption of ex-Minister Fudge and how he wanted what was best for him and not the wizarding world.
"I now call Peter Pettigrew to the stand to be questioned under Veritaserum." Several of the people in the crowd that actually knew who Peter Pettigrew was looked at each other in surprise. A small man with balding hair was brought in by two aurors and given Veritaserum.
"What is your name?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Were you a Death Eater?"
"Yes."
"Did you kill Voldemort's inner circle?"
"Yes."
"Administer the antidote."
More not so hushed whispers rang out through the courtroom. The judges conferred with one another. Harry briefly wondered why as the evidence against him wasn't so evident anymore and it pointed all towards Pettigrew. Bumbling fools, the lot of them, even after Fudge hadn't been in office for ninety years. Sometimes the world just didn't change.
"Harry Potter is cleared of all charges. Peter Pettigrew is charged with murder of fifteen individuals and sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss in a weeks' time. In three days time, Peter Pettigrew will be brought to trial again on the charges of murder of twelve muggles, conspiring to imprison an innocent man, Sirius Black, and conspiring to murder James and Lily Potter. Court dismissed."
Hermione quickly walked over to Harry and helped him stand, grabbed the stack of files, and left the courtroom through the back door. All of this happened within the very quick time span it took for the courtroom audience to get up to question Harry. At the forefront of the crowd had been Professor McGonagall and the Weasleys. No one, absolutely no one, would be getting anything from Harry Potter.