The next morning, Hermione was woken by a frantically speaking Ron: "I can't find Harry, he isn't in his bed, I thought that he would sleep there, and when I went to get changed and come back to get you for breakfast, I realized that he had never even made it back to his room! What if some rogue Death Eater kidnapped him for revenge? Or, or, or..."
Hermione jumps out of bed and throws on clothes, "This is bad Ron, we should've stuck with him, what if something happened to him... oh my god, we've lost Harry..." As Hermione and Ron race out of the room they run straight into Ginny. Ginny smiles at them and wishes them a good morning. Ron explodes " Good Morning! What do you mean, Harry's probably dead or something, he never even made it back to his room..." Ginny just slyly looks at her brother, and says "Have no worries about Harry, he just defeated the most powerful wizard of our time! He's perfectly fine, I'll go get him right now, I'm sure that he's sleeping like a log after all that magic he did yesterday." To Hermione and Ron's surprise, Ginny exits the Gryffindor common room completely and starts to walk toward the Great Hall. As the two chase her, Hermione exclaims "He isn't in the Great Hall Ginny! Harry never wakes up by himself in the morning!" Ginny just chuckles, "Oh, I'm sure that Harry still sleeping alright!" She suddenly turns down a corridor that Hermione has never been down, as the hallway continues to go on a downward slope, Ron exclaims "Wait, this is the way to the Slytherin common room! I recognize it from second year!" Ginny just smirks, the expression on her face puts both Ron and Hermione on edge, and Ginny just responds "I don't think that the wards on the entrance will let you through, I'll be back out with Harry in a bit, why don't you guys meet me in the Great Hall for breakfast before we head to the trials?"
Before they have a chance to respond, Ginny does a complicated wand movement and mutters something under her breath. The blank wall opens and without looking back, Ginny steps into the Dungeons. The wall closes up before Hermione and Ron get to it. They look at each other in confusion... both questioning if they really saw what they thought they did!
Ever rational, Hermione shrugs and says "Well Ginny seemed sure, and god knows what happened to her in the last year..." trailing off, she shrugs again. "Perhaps we should just wait for them in the Great Hall?" Ron's concern is still there, but the mention of food makes him surrender to Hermione. "Alright Hermione, we'll wait for 45 minutes! And then if we don't see them, we'll alert McGonagall."
Ginny, however was not correct in her assumption. Harry was indeed in the dungeons, and he was indeed in the 7th year room, but Harry was not still sleeping. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on her part, that Harry would get more sleep than she did, but in her heart she knew that Harry would be just as sleep deprived today as he was when confronted with the worst of Voldemort's nightmares. She sighs as she walks up to Harry. "Sweetie, did you sleep at all?" Harry looks at her with hollow eyes "Not a wink, you?" Ginny grimly smiles and nods "Same here". She looks over at the rumpled sheets and sighs, "Well if you were going to get any shut-eye, it would've been here, so I guess it was a lost cause." Harry nods, "I tried thinking that it was the last night apart, I tried thinking that I needed to be fresh and strong for the trial, I tried to take Dreamless Sleep for god's sake! But even that wasn't as strong as I needed. Ginny? What if I never can sleep again?"
"Oh nonsense Harry, you'll sleep like a baby tonight, after the trials, you'll both be together again and you can barricade yourself in that dingy house of yours and "sleep" to your hearts content" Ginny gave harry a wink on the word sleep that made Harry smile. "Well I hope you're right Gin, but either way, I've got to get going before Ron and Hermione freak, and so I can get some food in me before heading to the Ministry." Ginny chuckled, and said "I'll leave you to it, but they've already freaked out, and they know that you slept here to, perhaps small doses is best for them!" Harry just laughed.
When Ginny showed up in the Great Hall only 5 minutes after she left Ron and Hermione gaping at the wall, Hermione sprang up "Where's Harry?" Ginny shrugged, "Where I thought he would be... he'll be down when he's ready, not to worry." Hermione sat back down and Ron sighed in relief. He wanted to Ginny what she knew, but he just wasn't sure that he wanted the actually hear what she had to say. Ginny just dug into breakfast and ignored the questioning looks coming at her from Hermione.
Because of how they were sitting, it was only Hermione that saw Harry enter the Great Hall. She couldn't help but gasp at his appearance. Ron swiftly turned around and thought that his eyes would fall out of his head. Harry was dressed perfectly; his dress robes were a crisp black, his hair was as tame as it would ever be, his glasses had been replaced by silver square pair, his shirt was white, ironed and had cuff-links on them that looked to be worth the value of the Burrow, his shoes were shined. But the thing that shocked Ron more than anything was the fact that tied perfectly around his neck, as if he wasn't the one that had spent 6 years of school using the same knot in his tie, was a green tie. And not just any green tie, it was a Slytherin green tie.
As Harry walked closer, Ginny let out a low whistle at him, and Harry grinned at her. "You clean up nice Harry... I didn't even know you had robes like that..." Harry just nodded, "Well I kind of borrowed them..." Ginny giggled "Well you better hope that it's love then... because if it isn't, you're going to die today and the hands of a very angry –" just before Ginny finished her sentence, Harry casted a muffling charm on her. Harry just grinned and said with a wink "I'm not worried about it Gin, have no fear for my safety." Ginny just scoffed, "I don't know Harry, these are his clothes you're talking about..." Harry laughed heartily, "I know, perhaps I'm just not used to not having the fear of death hanging over me! This should replace it eh?" Ginny just grinned, "Seems like a death wish to me."
Ron's mouth had finally closed by the time that Hermione interrupted their banter... "Do you mind letting us in on the joke?" Harry just grinned at her, "No joke at all, I am walking on thin ice in these clothes!" Ron finally sputtered out "You're wearing a Slytherin tie Harry..." Harry nodded, "I think that it goes better with my eyes, don't you? I mean red just clashes terribly; I look like Christmas in photos..." Ginny rolled her eyes "Clashes my ass! This is a message Harry and you know it." With no choice but to agree, Harry takes a deep breath, and pulls out 3 more ties from inside his robes. He hands one to Ginny, who quickly replaces her red tie and then turns to his best friends with pleading eyes... "I know that you don't understand yet, but I would really appreciate the show of support, from you two, you don't have to wear them, but if you would, it would mean a lot to me." Hermione smiles and takes one, and Ron after some mumbling accepts the tie as well. Before putting it on, he exclaims "this better not be one of the ferret's ties!" Harry winks at Ginny, "I promise you that it isn't."
After finishing breakfast, McGonagall comes to the four of them and tells them that it is time to apparate to the Wizengamot. If she saw something strange about four of her Gryffindor's wearing Slytherin ties, she didn't say.
Upon reaching the Ministry, Harry was surrounded by photographers, with his head held up high, he issued a brief statement. "I will attend each trial in the coming weeks to ensure that justice is served. I will not be sitting for interviews of any kind until after the whole situation is resolved. I wish to be left alone to recover from the whole experience, and would appreciate if you would all respect my wishes" The reporters hushed for the speech but clamoured after Harry with questions, but he simply walked down to the courts. Hermione was surprised "Harry! You sounded positively regal back there! But you know that they are not going to leave you alone..." Harry turned to her with his eyes flashing "I know Hermione, but I must control the situation, it's only going to get more out of control." Hermione stepped back a bit, "I understand Harry, I've just never seen you like this before." Harry smiled sadly "I know, I hope that we are still friends after today, but if not, I hope you know how much I value you as a friend, and that I never wanted to hurt you." Hermione just nodded. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew that it was big.
Sweeping into the court room, Harry marched up to the front of the room, sitting the four of them down front and center. Once the court was called to order, the Death Eaters that Harry requested be tried first were brought in to the room. Hermione couldn't help but gasp at what they all looked like. Some of them were gaunt as if they hadn't eaten in weeks, all of them were bruised, some limped and some just looked like they had spent a lifetime on the planet even though they were only 17. Ginny gripped Harry's hand tightly when the last three people were lead into the room. Harry gave her a tight smile and then stood up to address the court.
Kingsley saw Harry stand up, and figured that he would let the saviour get his piece said so that they could continue with the trials, but Harry surprised him. Rather than just ranting or stuttering like Kingsley suspected would happen, Harry calmly requested in perfect legal terms to be the first character witness for all the people on trial in the room. Hermione and Ron gasped, and the whole courtroom held their breath. Kingsley was impressed, Harry it seemed in the last year had grown into a man.
The wizards selected to oversee the Death Eater trials conferred among themselves and quickly decided to let Harry take the stand. Upon their motioning, Harry strode up to the witness block and swiftly sat down. The trial was quick to begin. The defendants all rose at once as they were being tried for the same crimes. Although there were differences in what they were individually accused of and the sentence was to be done separately, the original trials were just to sort out whether they were true Death Eaters. Kingsley read off the list of names: Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy. Upon the last name being read, Harry looked up at the defendants. When his eyes met Draco's the flash between them was instantaneous and Harry felt his magic swirling inside of him. He tore his eyes away only when Kingsley requested his attention.
"Harry Potter, what have you to say regarding the characters of the defendants?"
With a determined stare Harry lifted a bottle out of his robes, the silver liquid glinted inside the bottle as Harry passed his memories to the Minister. Kingsley nodded and pulled out a Pensive from behind his bench, with a few spells, and the emptying of the vial into the basin, the whole courtroom was seemingly transported into another room. Harry started to narrate:
"We've been friends all this time, not all of us of course, in all honesty I don't know them as well as I wish, but sometimes you must make judgements on other people based on those you trust. And there is no one that I trust more. The scene unfolded. Although Harry was clear, the person that he was talking to was blurred out and muffled:
"And you're sure that they understand the consequences of this decision? They understand that they will be at greater risk, that I could lose, that this is against their families, their core-beliefs?" The past Harry, was holding the blurred images hand. The distorted voice was clear "Oh don't be holier than thou Harry, I'm the worst of them and you know better than anyone whose side I'm on, don't short change them." Harry nodded. "Okay, I trust you."
Harry's narration started up again, "It was tiring, I was glad that we waited until the day before Christmas break in my fifth year at school, there was no other option, I knew that I would need rest.
The scene shifted again, Harry narrated "The Slytherin Common Room" Harry sat in the middle of the room, sitting beside him on the couch was the same blurred figure as before, also there were Pansy, Theo, Daphne and Blaise. Harry addressed the group. "This is serious, I know that you know, perhaps better than anyone else at this school, but you must be sure that this is what you want. There is no turning back after tonight." Everyone looked at each other tensely. Harry nodded and motioned to Blaise. "Since you know me best of everyone... " Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked at the blurred figure... Harry rolled his eyes, "You all know what I mean, of the ones that can do this tonight!" Pansy grimly nodded and put her hand into the blurred void. Harry continued "As I was saying, since you know me best of everyone, I thought that you should start, so that no one thinks that this a trick." Blaise nodded and linked hands with Harry, the blurred figure rose as well and Harry strongly dictated "Will you, Blaise, stand by my side, through the coming war" "I will," said Blaise. A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire. "And will you, to the best of your ability, fight to defeat Voldemort?" "I will," said Blaise. A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain. "And, should it prove necessary... if I fail. . ." whispered Harry, "will you carry out the mission to defeat Voldemort?" There was a moment's silence. The group watched with baited breath. "I will," said Blaise. Their faces glowed red in the blaze of a third unique of flame, which shot from the wand, twisted with the others, and bound itself thickly around their clasped hands, like a rope, like a fiery snake. "
After releasing their hands, both boys sank back onto the couch. Harry had a bead of sweat that was forming at his hairline, and the blurred figure wiped it away. Harry smiled grimly and turned back to the group. "Okay, who is next?"