I do not own the world of Harry Potter. This is a non-profit fan fiction for entertainment purposes only.
Harry Potter and The Nightmares of Azkaban
Chapter 1
The Man stared up at the Witches and Wizards of the Wizegnot, fiddling nervously with his hands.
"That was my grandfather, Stefan Gorelik, a r-registered squib. Both his parents were magical, and… I guess it skipped a generation, because my mother ended up being a witch! She was a half blood, and she married a muggle, so I guess that makes me a quarter blood…" He chuckled anxiously, "better than being a muggleborn, though, right?"
His laughter echoed awkwardly across the chamber. He swallowed nervously, he couldn't get a read on these judges…
"Hmm…" mused one of the judges, a fat toad-like woman in pink, frilly robes. "Everything does seem to be in order…. "
"You should feel lucky," began another, bored looking judge, "under current laws, squibs are treated as wizards in the eyes of the law. Pray that such laws do not change, not all of us would be so forgiving…"
"Under the guidelines set by the Purity Act," continues the fat woman, "I believe we can confirm the validity of your blood status. All in favor?"
Most of the Wizards and Witches in the room echoed their agreements, and the ones that didn't appeared to be asleep…
"Well then, Mr. Randolph, I believe that we are done here today." She chirped merily, "However, I would suggest that you take care where you… ahem…. Sow your seed… for the sake of your children. Your family's magic is spread thinly as it is."
The man's knees threatened to buckle beneath him. He let out a shuddering breath he didn't know he had been holding, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.
"T-thank you your grace, I'll be sure to do just that…"
The guards covering the exits on either side of him relaxed, assured that he wasn't going to try and make a break for it. He walked with shaky steps to the nearest exit, happy as can be that his blood was clean…
The fat woman cleared her throat.
"Next case!"
There was silence for a moment, then a loud bustling could be heard as a something small and rambunctious was dragged out onto the stage.
"Let me go! Get your hands off of me, I want a lawyer, I…"
The toad woman frowned. It was another child, probably no older than 12.
She hated children: hated the sound of their voices, hated their small little hands, hated their untidiness. This one was no exception, with its messy, curled hair, its buck teeth and shrill, bossy little voice…
And for exactly this reason, she knew she was going to thoroughly enjoy this next case.
The burly guard dragging her threw her onto the center of the stage. She landed with a hard umph, but quickly pushed herself up to her feet to face the judges. Her red, tear stricken eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other, maybe searching for a friendly face…
If so, she would find none.
"I want a lawyer…" she croaked through her tears, "I want a legal…"
"Please state your name," the toad woman commanded cheerfully.
"This is a trial, right? a legal representative to…. Represent me in court. That's the law, right? That's the law everywhere…"
"Officer Slater…"
One of the presiding guards standing at the side exit took out his wand and flicked it at the girl. A bright red hex flew from his wand, landing square in the girl's back.
"AAAHHHH!"
The girl collapsed in a heap on the floor, sobbing heavily as she curled up in pain from the overpowered stinging hex. The toad woman smiled, closing her eyes and soaking in the sound. There was something beautiful about a child learning its place, learning who was in charge.
She waited till the sobs subsided before asking again.
"Please state your name."
The girl heaved on the ground for a moment before answering.
"Hermione… Hermione Granger…"
"Now, you've recently been found to be a person of magical propensity, one with a suspicious lack magic in your family history…
"Please, I want a lawyer…"
The toad woman's smile went stony.
"I'm sorry, little girl, you don't get one."
"I want to see my parents…" she sobbed. "Please, they were hurt real bad when you came and took me… someone…. Someone cast a spell on them, my mommy wasn't moving…"
"You were warned. Officer Slater…"
The same officer raised his wand again, this time adding a wand motion.
"Crucio!"
A green bolt flew from the man's wand, hitting the girl with practiced aim. For a moment, all she could do was flail around in silent confusion as the curse wracked her body. Finally, she found her voice, and she let out an ear piercing scream that rang through the courtroom like a siren.
Those magistrates that were still asleep woke up with a start, apparently unhappy with being disturbed.
The toad woman relaxed in her seat, enjoying the sound, letting the guard maintain his curse for an abnormally long time while she let the tension drain from her body. After a good 20 seconds, she motioned for the guard to stop. "Now," the toad woman began, "are you going to cooperate, or does Slater here need a couple of days to teach you how wizarding court works?"
The girl was nothing more than a sobbing mess on the floor, now, but she knew what would happen if she didn't answer.
"N-no"
The toad woman grinned. "No? so you won't cooperate?"
"N-no," the girl wimpered, "I'll cooperate, just… please, don't hurt me anymore…"
The toad woman cleared her throat and straightened the stack of papers in front of her.
"Ahem… alrighty then! Hermione Granger, case 143 on today's agenda… You're magical prescence was detected a 3 days ago, and you recieved a letter from a place called Hogwarts, correct?"
"Yes..."
"And I believe that it was found that both your parents were muggle?"
"M-muggle?" the girl stammered, confused.
"Non-magical, my dear, could either of your parents use magic or bear firsthand witness to trans-mundane occurrences?"
"N-no, they couldn't…"
The toad woman's smile widened. The girl had just essentially doomed herself.
"And were you aware of any of your grandparents from either side being able to do or see these things?"
"N-no…."
"Then I believe that everything is settled…"
The girl sniffed, pushing herself up on shake arms, weak from the after effects of the cruciatus curse.
"W-what does that mean?"
"It means" the toad woman said cheerfully, "that we can move onto sentencing."
"S-Sentencing!?" the girl shrieked, suddenly finding the energy to stand, "I didn't do anything wrong, how can having normal parents be a crime?!"
"Your crime is existing," the woman said, matter-of-factly. "your very life is a threat to the purity of the pureblood lines, a threat to magical society itself! You cannot be allowed to go free, with your stolen magic, free to dirty our institutions and… breed!"
"I didn't steal anything, and I don't want to… dirty your… anything! Just let me go, let me see my parents, my mom was bleeding real bad, I…"
"According to section A article 8 of the Purity Act, the mandatory sentencing for a first generation muggleborn is… oh, take a look here, one lifetime sentence to Azkaban."
"WHAT?!" the girl shrieked, "lifetime… my whole life, you want to lock me up till I die?!"
The toad woman smiled knowingly. "You aren't familiar with Azkaban…"
"Please!" the girl begged running up the stage to the judges, "I didn't do anything, I just want to go home! I won't tell anyone about magic or spells or…. Anything! Please, just let me go home!"
Officer Slater grinned, raising his wand and magically yanking her back to the center of the stage.
"All in favor?" the toad woman chirped.
The room echoed with loud agreements, and some laughter.
Hermione was about to get up from the floor to plead again when another green bolt hit her in the back. She fell to the ground, her back arching in pain as the second cruciatus curse lit her nerves.
"It's settled, then." The toad woman smiled, raising her voice above the girl's screams "May the Dementors of Azkaban have mercy on your soul."
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I don't remember coming here.
I don't think I existed before I came here.
I think… I think I was "born" here.
Or did I die?
My scar aches.
The shadows move, soulless cloaks with hunger to swallow the world. They look up, up to the light they cannot touch, trapped here without hope.
There's nothing but darkness here, darkness and pain. I have a feeling, like it's not like this everywhere. Light, happiness, love... I've seen it, it has to come from somewhere
Sometimes it comes down, little bits and pieces of it, but it never lasts very long.
I can't help it, I get… hungry.
I've tried to control myself, I've fought with the hunger for as long as I could, just so I could get a good look at it, enjoy it for a while… But then I started to disappear. Everything I was, everything that wasn't dark, it began to fade.
I consume it, make it part of me, so does it really go away? If I could see myself, would I see all the light I've consumed? All the happiness? I don't feel very happy, I don't think that's something I can feel, at least not for myself. But I can borrow a little bit of it, whenever the light comes down…
I can remember chocolate. It tastes like happy.
But I hate chocolate. How can I hate chocolate if I can remember all these happy chocolate memories?
I'm beginning to think that other people used to remember these things, before I did.
Because… these aren't my memories, are they? I'm borrowing them, stealing them, just like…
Them.
Am I one of them now?
How long have I been here?
My scar aches.
The shadows reach out, shaking and rattling against the bars of their cage, even though it burns them.
The darkness is building, I can feel it. Not just here, but everywhere else, too. The light is fading, and the little bit that does get sent down always brings a little more of the darkness with it. I don't know how long it can be sealed away.
Because the darkness wants out.
Nothing can stop it.
Because I'm not lazy.
I'll find a way.
I'll find them…
My
Scar
Aches