Disclaimer: It's fanfiction. So no, I'm not J.K. Rowling. Close quotes come directly from Chapter 7 or 8: The Hearing in Order of the Phoenix.
Harry Potter was cut off as the man presiding over his hearing once again interrupted with another hasty question for which the only answer could be "Yes, but – ." But this was old after the first two times and really, the inky haired teen was eager to go back to his godfather's dank, damp, decrepit home. So this time, when Cornelius Oswald Fudge made his inquiry, it was Harry who interrupted him with a heavy sigh and a single comment. "This is ridiculous."
The toad-like woman, Secretary Bridge if he remembered correctly, next to the minister puffed like an angry kitten but as she made to retort, Harry continued. "This entire affair is ridiculous. If you're going to press charges against me it should be for something that actually applies. You can't charge me with underage magic or the breach of the Statute of Secrecy."
"And why ever not, Mr. Potter?" the stern looking woman on Fudge's opposite side asked, peering down at him from the dais. "Are you not fifteen years of age and were you not in the presence of a muggle?"
"Oh, yes. Let's hear what other story he's invented this time. There's no need to hear this Amelia, it's a waste of our time!" Fudge huffed.
Amelia then, Amelia Bones, Harry noted for future reference waved the Minister down which was satisfying to the defendant who had yet to speak in his own defense. "I am fifteen years old, Ms. Bones. It is also true that a muggle was present for the event. I am not contesting that."
"See, the boy's admitted it! All tho – "
"However, I can't be penalized for using magic outside of Hogwarts because legally I'm considered an adult. In fact, I'm not sure why the Trace is still on my wand." Harry hid a smug smirk as the Minister spluttered to a stop and all those present in Courtroom 10 stared, nonplussed at the self-professed fifteen year old. "There is also the fact that the muggle in question is the only child of my maternal aunt, Petunia Dursley nee Evans, lives in the same household I reside in, and learned about the existence of magic and the wizarding world at the same time as me. Article 3 section 1 of the International Statute of Secrecy states: 'a wizard performing magic in the presence of a muggle will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law except where said muggle resides in the same household as the wizard who has performed the magic. It is inescapable that those living together with the wizard will discover magic through no fault of the wizard.'" He would have to thank Hermione for all her research when got back to Grimmauld Place.
No one in the Wizengamot said a word as they processed this and not for the first time Harry had to restrain himself that the proud pureblood politicians in this room was dumbfounded by their own laws which a teenage muggleborn had found easily. They needed to focus more on educating themselves than on making other people look fools.
"I – well – how – " Minister Fudge spluttered before taking a deep breath and puffing his chest out angrily. "That's all well and good but it doesn't explain why you performed magic when you're clearly underage in the first place, does it?" He paused for just a moment and Harry let him. It wouldn't due to isolate the Wizengamot after all that work to throw them off balance because really, this next part would be far more difficult for them to swallow. He once again refrained from cackling at the prospect of throwing a wrench in, well, everyone's plans for him. "I thought not, all those in favor of –"
The Courtroom door opened with a clash and Dumbledore strode in, head held high and resplendent in his violet dress robes with twinkling golden stars. Harry bit back a sigh at the interruption. The teen was quite frustrated with his headmaster at the moment, mostly due to the fact that it was under Dumbledore's orders that he had been cut off from all worthwhile contact with his friends for the longest month and a half of his life. Irritation at this thought was stoked into the beginning of justifiable anger as Dumbledore proceeded to announce that he was to be his defense. Neither Harry nor Hermione had counted on this and Harry didn't want or need the headmaster's help.
"I see you've gotten the message about the changes then?" Fudge ground out through clenched teeth and held the parchment in his hands so tightly that the edges crushed and his knuckles whitened.
"No, but by happy accident I arrived at the Ministry three hours early." Then why exactly hadn't he come earlier? Harry thought angrily before stopping himself. It would have been better if he'd never come at all so getting angry at him for coming late was silly. "Witness for the defense: Arabella Figg –"
"And what exactly is she a witness of?" the toad-woman simpered from behind her bench.
"Surely Harry has told you of the Dementors by now," Dumbledore stated nonplussed by the question. "The ones that he drove off with the Patronus Charm?" Harry didn't bother suppressing the sigh that rose in him and earned himself the briefest flash of a glance from Dumbledore. How…UGH!
"Dementors?! What would Dementors be doing in Little Whinging of all places? Did you really buy that story, Albus?" Fudge asked with a pitying look down at the wizened wizard in the center of the room.
"There is a witness to corroborate Harry's account."
Fudge shook his head. "The boy is playing you for a fool, Dumbledore. There were no Dementor's in Little Whinging. He was just showing off for his cousin and is now trying to escape the consequences! Well, no longer I say. These lies stop now!" He banged his gavel onto the table. "All those in favor of –"
"I am certain, Cornelius, that you are not forgetting the due process of law on purpose. Harry is after all, entitled to have his defense heard whether you think he is lying or not. Now, perhaps we can continue on with the trial which in itself is odd. Have you changed the proceedings for a simple matter of underage magic so soon?"
Tired of being spoken of as if he weren't sitting in the chair at the center of the room whose chains were rattling ominously once more, Harry spoke directly to the judges of the room. "I don't need anyone to speak in my defense actually." He looked directly at Dumbledore, who kept his attention riveted on the Minister. "I got this."
"To prove that the Dementors were there, you will need Mrs. Figg's testimony, my dear boy," Dumbledore answered without looking back at Harry who tried to keep his anger from boiling over.
"I'm not even going there, Professor. Besides, this lot," here he gestured to the Wizengamot with a quick nod of his head, "wouldn't believe it without Veritaserum." On second thought he shouldn't be speaking of them as if they weren't there. He threw them an apologetic look and a couple of them nodded in acknowledgement. Better than nothing, he supposed.
The Secretary and the Minister's faces lit up with glee as the Minister's gavel interrupted Dumbledore's attempt to convince Harry to see reason. "Enough," the Minister declared. "The boy has exercised his right to speak in his own defense. We will allow Mr. Potter to say his share. Your presence is no longer required. Have a good day Mr. Dumbledore." So blatantly dismissed, Dumbledore couldn't find a reason to linger and so the courtroom's door closed with a click behind him. "Now then, Mr. Potter, what's your defense to the charge of underage magic?" It was clear from the wide smile on the Minister's face that he thought he'd already won.
Harry answered it with an innocently radiant smile of his own. "Well, you see Minister, I can't be tried for underage magic because in the eyes of the law and of magic, I am no longer considered a minor. You can thank the tournament last year for that." The Courtroom exploded into sound as the members of the Wizengamot demanded an explanation and when they finally calmed down Harry obliged.
"The Goblet of Fire is based on a magical contract that can only be made with the consent of the champion. In a way, it's like a marriage. Once a person is married, they are legally emancipated and are legally adults. Usually once the Goblet spits out a name, the person is officially the champion as both the Goblet and the Champion have agreed to the terms. In my case, no one told me that I wasn't obligated to play because I didn't consent (meaning I never put my name in the Goblet). As a result I affirmed the contract between myself and the Goblet by participating in the first task. From that moment onwards, I was emancipated and because of the nature of the task, I was considered an adult. You can find this information in the charter which explains all the rules of the Tournament."
Harry grinned when Amelia Bones raised her wand and summoned the rules and regulations of the Tournament. The door opened a crack to allow the parchment entrance and clicked shut just as the parchment reached her hands. Everyone was silent as she read from the parchment and then all went into chaos as she reached the portion that confirmed Harry's statements. She placed the parchment down and closed her eyes before pinching the bridge of her nose. Fudge was pale and Bridge looked like she'd swallowed a fly too quickly.
After several moments of older wizards debating amongst each other loudly, the Minister banged his gavel thrice and addressed the two silent witches next to him. "Madame Bones, Madame Umbridge; do either of you have any more questions for the defendant?" Both witches answered in the negative and Fudge sighed before nodding. "Because no crimes were technically committed," he continued looking very much as if he were sucking on a lemon, "you are free to go Mr. Potter. You may remove the Trace from your wand by going to the Department of Child Welfare and Services at your earliest convenience. On behalf of the Wizengamot, I apologize for the misunderstanding and bid you a good day. Dismissed." He slammed the gavel once more – "Dismissed" – before standing and walking out the Courtroom.
As the members of the Wizengamot shuffled out, Harry's grin finally broke free from his constraints and he laughed merrily. Yep, he'd definitely have to thank Hermione. She was a life-saver.