Fourteen
Disclaimer; Ideas taken from Harry Potter are the intellectual property of J. .
Harry was kneeling in front of Voldemort, his hands were bound, and the sharp tip of Tom's wand was poking painfully into the back of his neck. They were facing a scene in courtroom ten, a memory, of Harry's trial.
"Mr. Harry Potter, you are hereby charged with the murder of Mr. Draco Malfoy, how do you plead?"
"Guilty," the Harry in the centre of the room replied. Harry watched who he knew was Rabastain Lestrange impersonating him, sitting in the chained chair calmly. In the stands Hermione was wearing a stony expression whilst Ron looked mildly sick.
"He was up to something!" 'Harry' yelled, "I knew it, he was working for Voldemort, he has the mark-"
"Enough!" It was Narcissa Malfoy who stood, shaking violently, eyes puffy and red, looking like she hadn't slept in weeks. Andromeda pulled her back into her seat.
"Mr. Malfoy was not working for Voldemort, Mr. Potter, and indeed that wouldn't be a just reason to brutally attack him at school. Healer Gimson from St. Mungo's will now present the official medical report."
A tall thin man with wispy grey hair and a long face stood at the lectern for the witnesses and coughed loudly.
"Mr. Malfoy suffered large cursed gashes to the thorax, head and abdomen. He was killed instantly due to irreparable damage too the heart and lungs."
"Thank you Mr Gimson, the Court calls Ronald Weasley to the stand..."
Ron told the story of Draco Malfoy being butchered in the entrance hall on the 23rd of September 1996. Then Hermione, McGonagall, Crabbe and Goyle, Neville, Seamus, Zabini, a Hufflepuff Harry didn't know the name of and about 3 other students before the Head Mugwump stood.
"I've heard enough," he looked at Harry. "Pleading guilty to the murder of Draco Malfoy and with countless witnesses to the offence, with no objections?" There was a pause as he looked at the Wizangmont, who all stayed silent. Then he banged his gavel on the desk. "Life in Azkaban."
The Dementors surged forward to grab him, but Lestrange was faster. The chains began to unwind and he leapt from the chair.
"I'll not go to Azkaban!" He screamed, "Not for fighting him!"
Babbling similar things, he leapt over the wall separating the audience from the floor and hit an old witch, snatching her wand. Green light filled the room and the Head Mugwump kneeled over, dead, a blasting hex caused the roof to collapse and the courtroom shook. More killing curses were fired off by the demented Lestrange before he screamed, "If you can't beat them, join them!"
People in the crowd stood, each with Death Eater masks in place to assist the criminal, the crowds stood to fight, they stood to flee, but through all of the confusion and commotion, the Death Eaters were able to escape, along with Lestrange, still disguised as Harry.
It was like being pulled from underwater when Voldemort yanked him out of the pensive, and then they were flying, the pain from Harry's scar nearly rendered him unconscious, Harry remembered seeing the lights of city's flash below them in the night, and he remembers a salty sea smell, then he remembers a bang, flashing lights, Voldemort's disfigured, snakey face smiling at him and then nothing.
Harry woke up on the floor, it was damp and cold and really smelly. There was a bucket in the corner and a cot with a thick but filthy blanket on it. He was in a thin striped tunic style shirt and pants that were like pajama pants but felt like a hessian bag. He stood on wobbly legs and bare feet and wrapped his arms around his body, shuffling to the bars of his cell. Looking out over the prison was terrifying. The cells rose around the walls in a huge hollow room. The stone ceiling was vaulted and the hollow centre of the building was full of dementors. Harry imagined he was near the top. Maybe three cells from the top, and the dementors flew in circles in the dark room like a slow, wispy, black hurricane, thick and cold and horrible.
Harry tried his best to ignore the memories in his head, they weren't so bad now. The nightmares were so much worse. At first he couldn't do anything but cry. He knew he was innocent, Voldemort had framed him for Malfoy's murder, then made 'Harry' escape from his trial and join the Dark Lord. Lestrange had killed and attacked more people than Harry would ever know about, wearing Harry's skin, before Voldemort left Harry to be caught and thrown in jail by the Ministry.
He knew he was innocent, just like Sirius but Harry couldn't become an animal to save his mind. He just sort of existed now. The worst part was the boredom. He got used to the memories after the first year. Then he was just bored.
Didn't stop the nightmares, or the visions from Voldemort, or numb the pain of seeing his mother die over and over and over and over. it was the same. Cold and painful and grey - his clothes and skin and walls and food, all grey. his mood and thoughts and tears were all grey. His boredom was all grey.
It wasn't until the fourteenth year that anything exciting happened.
Harry was laying on the cot, he could smell piss and sweat and dirt. All he could hear was screaming now. His face was itchy, the thick black and grey beard uncontrolled and his hair was at least down to his shoulders. He knew he was disturbingly thin and his eyes darted around wildly but knew very little else. The prison didn't shake and there were no loud bangs.
Fourteen long years he had been here and it was the first time he felt warm. There was a light and a sound other than screaming. A glowing dragon, only about a foot long was at the bars of Harry's cage, making the dementors flee from around his cell and the chilling cold receded to just cold.
"Harry, Harry, Harry."
Harry smiled at the familiar voice.
"Hello Tom," Harry swung around to face the snake faced man and Lucius Malfoy who was keeping his patronus conjured to fend off the dementors.
Tom looked annoyed at the name but suffered it. "Here to kill me?" Harry asked, nonchalant. "Finally."
"Yes." He lifted his wand and the bars of Harry's cell seemed to melt away. "There are whispers, that you might have been innocent," Tom said, "And I'm going to kill you and then clear your name."
"Ah," Harry sighed, "Crushing some more hope I see. Lets make it fun, shall we, Tom?"
"It will already be fun, Harry?"
"Make it fair. Give me my freedom and make me fight for it." Harry stood abruptly, despite Tom's drawn wand. He laughed.
"Lucius!"
The old man came forward, Tom plucked the wand from the man's fingers.
"My lord, please-" Lucius said, trying to snatch the Hawthorn wand back. "It was my son's!"
Voldemort just shoved Lucius back with a hiss.
Voldemort threw the wand at Harry who didn't catch it, but scrambled for it after it clattered to the floor. Tom drew out a thin, tall corked glass vial with swirling blue memories.
"Your freedom." He stated, leaving the vial on the very edge of the cot. Harry smiled.
"Either way, Tom, I'm free. Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort dodged the killing curse and the fight started. Each side was evenly matched, beautifully vicious and equally deranged. It was not skill or luck which swayed this fight. But love.
"MALFOY!" Harry screamed above the crashes from the spells which missed. "HE KILLED YOUR SON!"
Lucius's grey eyes darted between the warring wizards, Voldemort laughed at Harry's attempt to get help, yet he checked behind him with a worried glance. Lucius hadn't moved, nor reacted to Harry's shout, until Voldemort turned his back. He picked up a large pole, one of the melted cell bars, and hit Voldemort across the back of his big bald head.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry cried, the green spell connected and Voldemort's body fell with a thump.
"Merlin!" Lucius exclaimed, still holding the bloodied pole. Harry looked at him and threw the wand back.
"Mr. Potter-"
Harry waved his hand to shut the old man up and swiped the vial of memories off of the cot, he regarded them for a moment.
"You can hide in the Manor, its been empty for fourteen years, I'll make sure those memories get around. Mr. Potter." Lucius offered.
Harry threw the vial to him, which he – thankfully – caught. Harry plucked Voldemort's wand up off the stone floor and blasted the wall of his prison out, he stood in the jagged hole, facing the sea and very clearly said "Accio Firebolt!"
Lucius scoffed, but was forced to shut his mouth as ten minutes later the broom sped across the sea and into Harry's hand.
"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said by way of parting, and mounted the broom, disappearing into the night.