Harry Potter was currently kneeling in a thin grey robe that was little better than a sack with his hands bound behind him on a hard concrete floor while armed guards both wizard and muggle were just waiting for him to twitch. While he was better versed than in the variety of ways a day can go, he had to admit this was going to be a bad one even by his lofty definitions of the word "bad". It had been three wonderful days since Voldemort vanished in a screaming orgy of hot fiery death, but the smugly innocent afterglow had been interrupted with a crash early in the morning.

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At precisely five oh one a.m. that morning he and the rest of his dorm room were awoken by the sound of glass breaking as a mixed magical and muggle squad of SAS came barreling through their windows. Just as they all tore open their bedside curtains, a bright flash and a deafening noise left them stunned and a green metal can began spewing a thick cloud of teargas into the room. Several sharp cracks sounded and Harry felt something slam into his gut just before he was overwhelmed with the pain of being electrocuted. He could barely breathe let alone see but screams from his roommates told him he was not alone. His vision, such as it was, flashed red and the world was claimed by darkness.

By the time his friends woke up for the second time, there was no trace to suggest that Harry Potter had ever lived in the tower, even his bed was missing. The possessions of everyone else however had been strewn around the obviously ransacked room. The alarm went up in Gryffindor that one of their own was missing and within minutes a homesick muggleborn first year was telling McGonagall about how he'd heard screams and shouting when he couldn't sleep followed by a steady rhythmic thumping that slowly faded into the distance.

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"Ten Hut!" A voice called from somewhere behind him, and Harry heard the sound of many boots slamming together as one and rifles clacking as they moved to another position. He forced himself to pay more attention to his surroundings and heard the door open before a new voice instructed his guards to bring him. A hood was roughly shoved over Harry's head and he was dragged to his feet.

The guards lead Harry through a maze of corridors. Whenever he drifted too far to one side or went to slow for his captors' liking a rifle butt enlightened him to their displeasure. The only assurance he had that he was not being lead to an execution came when the floor beneath his bare feet went from cold concrete to carpeting. Gradually the warmth and texture of the carpet improved and Harry could only assume that he was being lead into officer's territory where he would meet someone who would decide his fate.

Abruptly the procession stopped and Harry was forced face first into the floor before his hood was removed. As soon as he struggled upright however and saw who he'd been brought to meet, he immediately put his face back on the floor with as much grace and subservience as he could cram into the gesture.

"Harry James Potter, last Scion of the Gryffindor Line," The Queen said as if testing his name for strength. "When we told our Regiment to invite you, we expected a more formal setting. We must apologize."

Harry could almost hear the muscles tense as the men who'd brought him into the room tensed at the implied screw up. He quickly found himself free of his handcuffs and upright. With a deep bow Harry addressed his Monarch, "No need Your Majesty, I thank you both for your hospitality and your time. How may I serve?"

"We find ourselves concerned with your actions of Thursday past," the Queen told him, "Our staff has informed us that you claim responsibility for the event that occurred in Argyllshire."

"Yes Your Majesty and I submit myself to any punishment you feel is proper," Harry said solemnly as he straightened himself proudly. No matter how things went from here, he would face the future honorably like a man should.

"We require an explanation."

Harry almost wanted to sigh and relax, but refused to let himself, "In the winter of 1979, a prophecy was made. It identified the one person in all of Britain who would be capable of finally vanquishing the Dark Lord Voldemort, a child who would be born at the end of July and marked as his equal. Many of those who knew about it thought that the prophecy was fulfilled when Voldemort was destroyed on Halloween 1981, the victim of a killing curse that he cast on myself, but sadly this was not the truth. In May of 1995, the Dark Lord Voldemort regained a physical body and returned to his reign of terror.

"When I finally learned of the prophecy, I was intrigued by a line that I thought was the key. Supposedly I possessed a power that Voldemort did not comprehend so I sought as many options as I could to discover this hidden ability. Eventually I stumbled across an account of a bizarre disaster, quite by accident, which reminded me of some things I had learned in muggle primary school. Once I worked out what had happened I began to realize the potential of such a spell or magical event. After searching for a while I discovered the cause of the accident and came up with an idea to defeat Voldemort. I never realized the power of the device I had built until after it was detonated, completely destroying the Dark Lord and many of his followers. I knew the potential of course but I had no idea of the scale I was already working on. After I heard about the results, I realized the true danger of what I had created and wrote to not only submit myself for punishment but so that something could be done about the danger we face."

"And why did you not turn yourself in to Our Ministry?" The Queen demanded.

"I did not trust them," Harry said simply. "The simple truth is that any witch or wizard with a wand and the right knowledge could do what I did, or much worse. If I had simply thrown myself before the Wizengamot, the Ministry would demand to know how it was accomplished. I cannot allow a corrupt organization that is still three hundred years behind modern times to simply throw around that kind of destructive capability. They simply do not have the maturity to use it wisely."

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"Your Majesty, for all of its greatness, the Wizarding World is very self centered. They care little for the wizards around them and even less for the muggle population. Most of the population has not risen above "an eye for an eye" or similar vengeance minded ideals and some grudges go back hundreds of years. The process behind what I did was so simple a half trained child like myself can create destruction on a scale unseen in human history, but nobody had ever thought to use it that way. If they realized it was possible, how many murderous psychopaths would decide to give it a try? How many people would consider it as a final farewell if they were being attacked or murdered? Even one person knowing how is too many."

"You are wise beyond your years young Gryffindor," the Queen commented. "There are spells to remove a person's memories are there not? Surely they can be used to provide a solution."

Harry shook his head sadly, "I am afraid not Your Majesty, in order to erase a memory you must know what to erase. I may no longer know how it was done, but the person who performed the memory charm would have more than enough knowledge to decipher the process on their own if they wanted."

"The genie is out of the bottle then," the Queen remarked cryptically, "Very well. Harry James Potter by your own admission you are guilty of creating a destructive device, detonating a nuclear weapon on British soil, and causing an irreparable breach of national security. Due to the circumstances surrounding these events, you will not be put to death for treason nor sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, at least the tough ones were out of the way.

"Instead you are given a life sentence of service and probation, pending your good behavior. You will study spell development and modification before you are to work with muggle scientists to control your process for use in nuclear power plants. Funds and equipment will be made available and assistants will be assigned to meet your needs," The Queen's face hardened and her eyes lost all emotion. "If however anyone not involved in this project learns of your methods, or you are ever found guilty of a violent crime you will be in violation of your probation and put to death immediately. You will be assigned a parole officer with whom you must check in regularly. You may not leave the country without permission. You may not hold public office, vote, or work in a school setting."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Harry bowed low again. He'd gotten off pretty easily all things considered.

"You may leave," The Queen told him. Addressing the Captain in charge of the men who'd retrieved him she said, "See to it that his possessions are returned and he is escorted back to Hogwarts unharmed. His parole officer will be assigned within the week from within our Regiment."