Harry Potter first
'' Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.''
Alright, that was enough. Harry always thought himself as an easy going kind of person. But enough, was enough. First, there is an attempt at his life in the supposed "safe home" of his relatives, where Dumbledore loaded him of again and again, then the institution that is supposed to protect its people from the very thing that attacked Harry, tries to take his only means of protection from him, for defending himself, and now, the very person responsible for placing him there, thought Harry would trust him with his defense? After not talking to Harry for month?
Certainly not.
"Ah, Dumbledore… so… you got our notification about the change of… eh… time and place of the hearing?" Fudge stuttered out.
And that was without mentioning the Harry Potter surveillance squad that had taken residence in his front yard. If Privet Drive was really as safe as Dumbledore made it out to be, what were they there for?
It wasn't really hard to figure that out. To keep him there. Actually, Harry wouldn't have been too opposed to having guards, there indeed was a murdering maniac after his head out there. And Harry really liked his head where it was. But you inform people of these kind of things beforehand! Someone more paranoid would have gotten a nervous breakdown in response. What would Moody have done in Harry's situation? Little Whining would have been history. Harry could have mistaken them for death eaters easily.
Additional, the kind of people Dumbledore actually trusted Harry's life with. Fletcher might be a nice person to be around, but he certainly wasn't someone Harry would trust his life to. And now, just because that idiot couldn't resist the chance to a few galleons, Harry was in this mess. All of this pointed to the fact that Harry wasn't too high on Dumbledores list of priorities.
Even without the experience that Dumbledore had, Harry would rather put his own wellbeing in his own hand. Because when it came down to it, Harry Potter's life would be the top priority of Harry Potter.
"Excuse me, but I have decided to defend myself." Harry's voice echoed through the hall, which promptly was followed by whispering among the onlookers.
Dumbledore turned, pale faced, for the first time in months to stand face to face with Harry.
'So that's how you get the attention of the greatest wizard of modern times'. Harry thought. 'But still no eye contact. Another secret you keep for yourself that is going to bite me in the ass in the end?'
The Headmaster came close to Harry now, turning his back to the crowd and broke out in a furious whisper.
"Harry, whatever spurned this on, I must implore to you now, to let me handle this matter. It is of utmost importance not to antagonize the judges even more than we already have by Fudge making us being late. There are better times for discussing your worries than now. Trust me, everything will sort itself out."
"You're right Headmaster, there are better times, like last month when I almost got my fucking soul sucked out. But for some reason, you were too busy to give me only five minutes of your valuable time. If that is the level of importance I have to you I can hardly trust you to speak on my behalf." Harry answered defiantly.
"There are things happening you don't know about but will-"
"And whose fault is that?" Harry interrupted the old wizard. "Maybe if you would-".
Now it was Harry who was interrupted, by the booming sound of the Hammer in the right hand of a clearly impatient, dark haired, middle aged witch with a monocle in her right eye.
'Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, became infamous rapidly for her extreme handling of death eaters after her brother and his wife died at their hands, leaving her niece, Susan Bones, in her custody. Brought in her targets dead more often than alive. Used the unforgivables as much as otherwise only Moody did. Leading the fraction that stood more in the middle between Fudges conservatives and the progressives where most of Dumbledores supporters were. Was seen as Fudges biggest opponent for the position of minister at the next elections until she lost with Bartimeus Crouch her closest politically ally. Dangerous women.' Harry concluded out of the information filling his head that he gathered in preparation to his hearing.
No one could accuse the black haired wizard of not being meticulous if proper motivated. Like when he was about to get fucked over by the government.
"Mr. Dumbledore, Mr. Potter, we have not gathered to watch you argue." Amelia Bones' voice sounded just as impatient as her face looked. "Now Mr. Potter, did I hear correctly, you wish to take your defense upon yourself?"
"Yes."
"You are aware that you could possibly lose your right to hold a wand forever. Even complete banishment from the magical world is possible, there will be no second chances?"
"I'm perfectly alright with that." Harry answered with a confidence which made many onlookers actually really doubt his sanity. To them, losing the right to hold a wand was the worst fate one could conceive after all. Well, Harry saw things differently.
"Amelia, you can't let this happen, Harry is only fifteen, he can hardly defend himself properly." Dumbledore cut in urgently.
"Whether he can or cannot, as the headmaster of Hogwarts you might be responsible for supporting muggle raised students in their legal matters, but the final decision lies with Mr. Potter. But maybe it should be investigated, why Mr. Potter puts his trust rather in himself, than in you?"
That shut Dumbledore up. He certainly didn't want Amelia sniffing around in his backyard. There were things that maybe wouldn't land him in Azkaban, but the right information in the wrong hands, might just tip the scale and he would lose his position as headmaster as well. He definitely could not let this happen.
"I apologize, may I at least attend as a spectator then?"
"I don't see why not, right Amelia?" Fudge sounded positively gleeful. To him it was like Christmas came early.
"If no one has any objections?" asked madam Bones. Hearing no objections, Dumbledore took a place in the stands.
After another long monologue of Fudge, which Harry translated as being accused of performing magic during summer, despite being underage and performing magic in front of a muggle, finally, the questioning began. There wasn't much to say in the beginning, as Fudge asked him in a way that would paint him as guilty as possible. And Harry had no intention of denying anything which Fudge would later proof as the truth, destroying any credibility Harry actually still had after the reports of the Daily Prophet.
This time, the next interruption came actually from madam Bones herself.
"A Patronus? A corporal one?"
Well, it seems the time to defend had come.
"What?"
"Did it take a form? Or was it just mist?"
"I know what corporal means. I just don't see how else I should have chased of the pair of dementors that night. I doubt they would have been impressed by a little mist."
An uproar followed Harry's declaration. A dementor, in Little Whining. Inconceivable.
"A dementor in Little Whining? How am I to understand that?"
Of course Fudge wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut any longer.
"Please let me explain Amelia, the boy obviously thought it was the perfect reason to explain why he used the Patronus charme in front of a muggle. Because muggle can't see dementors. No witnesses that way you see." Stated a chuckling Fudge up to the stands.
"First I'd like to point out that it is, as the Minister kindly explained, the perfect explanation for me casting the Charme, because it is the only reason for casting the Patronus at all. Secondly, not I have to proof myself innocent, you have to proof me guilty. So if there were dementors, I'm excused for self defense, if there weren't, you don't even have any kind of motif to build your case upon. Now the only other reason for me to have used magic would be if I'd tried to scare my cousin or something, but there would definitely have been better spells to do that. At last I'd like to inquire why I am accused of performing magic in front of a muggle, if said muggle, my cousin, has been aware of magic for four years? And madam Marchbanks office has a list with all of them in her office, the same office that charged me with the current accusations." Harry asked up to the stands now with a smile. This was it. Now there was only one argument that Fudge could bring to the table. And Harry already knew just how to destroy it.
"Oh, the muggle knew? If that turns out to be true, we would have an embarrassing mishap on our hands now, wouldn't we Cornelius?" Amelia asked with a devilish smile. To Amelia the day suddenly turned out to be very productive. After the Crouch affair her chances of becoming Minister of Magic were pretty much screwed. But if today turned out right she just might have a chance to get back in the race.
"What does it matter?" A, in Harrys opinion horrendous clothed, woman made her opinion known. "The dementors are controlled by the Ministry. There is no possible way for two of them to just appear in a muggle neighborhood."
"Of course they could have been ordered there, madam Umbridge." Albus Dumbledores voice came down from the stands calmly. It still managed to point every single attendee's attention at him.
"What do you mean with that Dumbledore?" Fudge growled out in response.
At this point it was like watching the spectators at a tennis match. Heads turning left, then right and left again. Harry had to suppress a chuckle.
"Lord Voldemort archived control over the dementors in the past."
"He is not back!" Fudge screamed, waving his bowler hat in his hand like mad. "Dead people do not just come back to live. And I won't have you indicating a mass panic in the Ministry itself."
"Quiet." Madame Bones' commanding voice echoed through the halls. "What you have or won't have is of no consequences here, Cornelius. I oversee this hearing. Madame Umbridge, Mr. Dumbledore. As spectators you will be silent. The Minister just stated his opinion on the interruptions. Mr. Potter do you have anything to say to them?"
"Before I say anything. Could I ask a few questions? Just to clarify some things?"
Getting a nod in response Harry started. "First. Am I right that the Minister does not have the right to give out execution orders?"
"Of course not, Mr. Potter. Only this body has the right to judge people."
"As I thought. Now bear with me. The Dementors Kiss is seen as a means of execution right?"
"It is by current law the only means of execution one can be judged to, actually. So the answer is yes."
Slowly but surely there was a smile forming on Harrys face again. 'Now for the killer' Harry thought.
"So if the Minister does not has the right to have the Dementors Kiss ordered. But he has full control of the Dementors and there is no way they would act without or against his command, why wasn't he then taken into custody for the murder of Bartimeus Crouch Jr.? There have been a handful of witnesses, stating that the Dementor under the order of the Minister has sucked out Crouches soul, as soon as it entered the room he was held captive."
'Smart boy.' Amelia thought. 'Who would have thought that he would actually turn the tables completely around. If that boy would become a real lawyer, he would be a menace in court. He played the audience far too well, and still maintained the innocent boy charade. And the people bought it as well.'
Turning her head to the Minister she asked: "Do you have anything to say to that Minister?"
"Amelia" Fudge stuttered out. "You know how Dementors are, they're animals that know no restraint. It was a totally different situation there."
"I remember Hogwarts' Mediwitch having to file a report about one dementor entering one of the compartments, my compartment, of the Hogwarts Express after Sirius Blacks breakout. I was informed they were not supposed to do that either. But it happened. And later that year a whole lot of them attacked the student body at a Quidditch match. The past has shown that Mr. Crouch wasn't a singular case. The Ministry's control over the dementors is obviously a joke with three incidents like this in a time span of not even two years. You have no way of proving the absence of dementors at Little Whining that night. I think the facts show that there is no way you can find me guilty."
After Harrys statement reigned a moment of silence. Fudge was wise enough, to not get himself in even deeper shit and thankfully accepted defeat at least somewhat gracefully. As the final voting came, Harry wasn't exactly surprised to see there were still people voting him guilty. It was only a testament to the fact that the magical world was on a path to destroy itself. If there were people in their judicial body voting on their personal feelings, using it solely for their own gain and get away with it. Well, they were just setting the stage for the rule of a dictator like Voldemort. Half his work was already done before he conquered the country. Harry would be scared if he wouldn't have the chance to loose himself in the muggle world. He pitied these who wouldn't be able to leave the magical world or wouldn't have the resources.
Harry owed his parents big time. They not only sacrificed themselves for him, they also left him with everything he needed to live a nice life, even if it had to be in the muggle world.
It was high time he honored their sacrifices in the only way there was. It was time that Harry Potter looked out for Harry Potter first. This was the only debt Harry Potter had to repay.