Fires of Justice
Author: Taren
Rating: PG-13 but kind of dark
Disclaimers: Harry Potter and associated characters belong to J.K. Rowlings
Summary:
Pairing: H/G
A/N: It's an Azkaban Fic If your looking for fluff you are going to be disappointed.
Harry sat despondently in courtroom number 10. The trial had been going on for two hours now and things didn't look good. The ministry had paraded out Umbridge and the members of the inquisitorial squad to testify on his behavior for the past year. Then Tonks and Kingsley had then testified under veritaserum to finding him in the department of mysteries. The nail in his coffin was when Hermione slipped up and claimed he was only there to rescue Sirius.
After Hermione's fatal testimony Ron, Ginny and Neville had kept their mouths shut refusing to answer any questions. Even when Dumbledore and Fudge had offered them amnesty in exchange for their testimony they remained silent. They were now sitting beside him under body binds and silencing spells. Harry was just hoping Luna got news of this farce before she came back into the country.
The banging of a gavel brought his attention back to the wizegamont. "Harry James Potter the wizegamont has listened to the testimony of your fellow students and teachers as well as several aurors. The evidence against you is substantial and incontrovertible. We find you guilty of associating with known criminals, specifically one Sirius Black. We find you guilty of founding an illegal organization and teaching that organization Auror restricted spells, specifically the Auror versions of the bludgeoning and cutting curses."
At this point he heard Hermoine try to speak up only to be quickly silenced by Dumbledore.
Ignoring the interruption Amelia Bones carried on. "You are also found guilty of assaulting a teacher and chief inquisitor.
"Harry Potter, Ginerva Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom we find you guilty of break and enter into ministry offices and destruction of ministry property.
"Harry Potter you are sentenced to six months in Azkaban, prohibited from attending any magical educational institution, and your wand is to be snapped.
"Ginerva Weasley we were exceedingly lenient last time you came before us. Considering your past history you are sentenced to four months in Azkaban, prohibited from attending any magical educational institution and your wand is to be snapped.
"Ronald Weasley you are sentenced to two months in Azkaban and prohibited from attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.
"Neville Longbottom you are sentenced to two months in Azkaban and a year of counseling at St. Mungos. Neville we expected better of you. Frankly we are disappointed in the lot of you. Your parents are all outstanding members of the community and such reckless and lawless behavior is shameful."
Harry struggled to speak, call them all a bunch of hypocrites but the silencing spells prevented all such efforts.
The prisoners found the dementors as bad as they had expected. Harry lost consciousness almost immediately and Ginny not long after. Ron and Neville struggled for days against the effects. A week after their imprisonment Harry and Ginny had begun to mumble the same phrase in synchronization. "So cold, not my fault. Forgive me Harry/Ginny"
Ron and Neville cared for their two unconscious cellmates. Dribbling water into their mouths and keeping them covered and warm.
Kingsley Shacklebolt apparated into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix ready to give his report to Dumbledore. "Sir we have some serious problems."
Dumbledore looked up glancing around the sparsely seated table. He had lost a lot of support when the children had been sent to Azkaban. Everyone knew they didn't deserve the sentences that had been handed down. But his influence had been at an all time low and he hadn't wanted to risk himself during the trial. The few members that remained were becoming more and more hostile towards him as things deteriorated. "What new problem is it this time Kingsley?"
Taking his seat he glared across the table at the headmaster. "Last night there was an attempt to break several prisoners out of Azkaban."
Severus Snape slapped the table and growled. "The dark lord did not confide in me any plans to break his followers out of Azkaban. He wants to leave them there for a couple of months to punish them for their failures."
Kingsley scowled. "I didn't say it was death eaters. Apparently several people loyal to Potter tried to break them out of prison. They would have succeeded if it hadn't been for the swarm of dementors outside their cell. Unfortunately there were dementors, and in the chaos several of these wizards and witches were kissed."
Severus leaned back in his seat feeling vindicated. "So a bunch of Potters groupies tried to rescue him. Who did they lose?"
In a dead flat voice Kingsley replied, "My protégé Tonks, Charlie Weasley, Dean Thomas, Hermione Granger, Cho Chang, and Remus. Their plan would have worked quite well if it hadn't been for the dementors gathered outside the prisoners cell. They even had a couple of portkeys tuned to the Azkaban wards to get away. Shame those kissed didn't have a chance to use them before they were overwhelmed."
Seeing Severus open his mouth Kingsley fired a stunning charm under the table. Watching Snape topple off his chair Kingsley continued in the same dead voice. "Sorry everyone but if he had said anything he wouldn't be getting up ever again and Albus thinks we need him.
"Albus while I was at Azkaban I checked the records for the prisoners. It's been three weeks since you had those children sent to Azkaban. Did you know Mr. Potter and Ms Weasley were rendered unconscious within moment of their arrival and have yet to regain consciousness. The Dementors refuse to leave the door to their cell making it unlikely they will. A pair of guards was posted outside the cell to keep the dementors away. That is no longer working. Yesterday one of the guards was kissed. There are no longer aurors anywhere near their cell and a house elf was brought in to feed the prisoners near them.
Steeling his shoulders Dumbledore focused on Kingsley. "They were to be put in the Juvenile tower. Why are we even discussing dementors Kingsley?"
Kingsley flushed, though it was impossible to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. "The dementors usually pass through the juvenile facility once every couple of days. Kids rarely have enough bad memories to interest them and we usually have to force them to do it. But now we can't seem to keep them out. There isn't a single dementor in the minimum-security wing and the maximum security is only at half strength. I don't know what happened to those kids, but it had to have been terrible to draw dementors like this."
Dumbledore shuddered as he thought of the experiences he knew about. Harry witnessing his parent's death. Ginny's near death in the chamber while Tom tried to kill Harry. Neville watching as Death Eaters tortured his parents. With fury evident in his voice and eyes twinkling like mad Dumbledore announced. "We can not allow them to remain there any longer and we will not rely on the good will of the ministry. Kingsley I want you to shuffle the guard schedule putting order members on duty in three days. I will be arriving after sundown and we will replace the prisoners with mannequins. Minerva if you'll stay after the meeting your assistance would be appreciated."
The tension around the room lifted slightly and here and there a member smiled in relief.
"Certainly Albus. I would be happy to help." Minerva allowed herself a grim smile. "Those children never deserved to be there in the first place. I'll be happy to help them out."
Ron watched his cellmates. Harry and Ginny were both surrounded in pale green flames. Every time they shivered the flames would expand a bit more. Despite the fact that the flames had incinerated their beds and their clothing both appeared unharmed. Ron shuddered and wrapped his blanket tighter around himself. Another dementor had joined the group by the door. As he watched Harry and Ginny shivered and the flames expanded to cover half the cell.
With a resigned look at Neville he grimaced and picked up the water bowl. Neville had succumbed to the insanity of Azkaban yesterday. Neville was currently sitting in a corner reciting potion ingredients. Soon if the pattern followed he would shrink back and start apologizing to Snape. Still it was better that then when he was crying like a child screaming for his parents.
Time to get this done. Closing his eyes he stumbled towards the flickering flames. One step. Two steps. Three. He felt the cold lift a little.
Opening one eye he found that he was inside the sphere of flames. A second look confirmed that his clothing was gone and the wooden bowl was starting to burn. Quickly he splashed water into the comatose prisoners mouths before the bowl vanished.
With a sigh he settled back against the wall between Harry and Ginny. The flames weren't hurting him, they actually tickled a little if anything, so with no food, no beds, and no water there was no point in moving. Besides it was actually warmer over here even without the blankets.
Time passed and the flames consumed the entire cell. Neville was now sitting beside him. Periodically food and water would appear in the cells only to be immediately consumed by the flames. The door had been consumed two days ago and now only the flames kept the dementors from entering the cells. More than one dementor had tempted fate too far and fallen into the pale green fire vanishing in a shower of golden sparkles. Still there were dozens hovering as close as they possibly could.
Whenever one of the dementors fell in Ron imagined the golden sparkles he saw were the souls escaping. It gave him strength to carry on.
More time passed and Ron was awoken by shouts outside the cell. He and Neville watched dispassionately as several patroni scattered the dementors. He watched with dead eyes as two dementors panicked, leapt into the room creating an explosion of golden sparkles. As the sparkles faded a tall bearded figure was illuminated by the green glow. As he touched the flickering fire he stifled a curse and jerked back his hand.
A dementor closed in behind the figure causing the occupants of the cell to shudder. Turning to face the dementor the aged figure missed seeing the sphere of flames expanding. The old man shouted something and the dementor burst into a shower of golden sparks. Turning back to the cell he spotted the oncoming flames but it was to late and he was consumed before he even had a chance to scream. Ron was disappointed there were no sparkles.
There were many more shouts and screams but Ron was very tired. Closing his eyes he drifted back to sleep.
It was a week later that Ron watched his sister fade away. Despite the absence of dementors there had been no food or water for days and they had all been getting weaker. Ron had been stroking her hair listening to her quiet murmurings when she went silent. He was moving his hand towards her throat searching for a pulse when he heard Harry scream. The accompanying blast of raw magic blew away the stonework surrounding them. Looking at the outside world for the first time in weeks Ron smiled. Green Fire raced as far as he could see. Even the distant mainland burned brightly. With a final look at his cellmates he lay down beside Ginny's still form and drifted off to sleep. His last thoughts;
"Sorry Ginny, but I'm to tired to care. The whole world is going to burn and I'm not going to stop it."