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Chapter 8
Voldemort raised the glass of white wine to his lips.
He paused, his eyes narrowing to slits. The drink had a subtle odor to it and it seemed to be begging him to consume it, which was odd, seeing as Voldemort's most hated alcoholic beverage was white wine. It was a shame that was the only beverage the Party Planners had decided to serve at this charity.
He glanced up, purposely looking straight ahead at Severus, who had complemented his speech, and slowly lowered the glass back down to the table. He smiled at the Potions Master, though the smile had a cold edge to it and his eyes had flashed red with anger.
From the corner of his eye, he had caught Elise's disappointed look when he had lowered the glass.
She had spiked his drink. And she thought that she could actually get away with that? He smirked maliciously and raised his hand discreetly to the side of his head, gesturing with his index and middle finger in a "come here" fashion. Immediately, Aurors poured from hidden doors built into the walls of the room and surrounded his table, wands drawn and at the ready.
He turned his cold silver eyes onto Elise Beauvais and watched in satisfaction as an expression of fear overcame her "pretty" face.
"I have reason to believe that this woman has poisoned my drink. Search her for any potion vials," Voldemort ordered. The Aurors immediately bound Elise and quickly and efficiently searched her robes. One of the Aurors shouted victoriously and straightened up, brandishing an empty potions vial in his hand. The Minister sneered at Elise and stood.
"Arrest her," he stated simply and the Aurors hurried to comply. Harry watched in bemusement as his greatest wish came true right in front of his eyes. Sirius grinned maliciously at the bitch as she was dragged away, pleading desperately. The other guests at the charity watched the woman with narrowed eyes and contemptuous glances.
Using a love potion to coerce someone was illegal in Britain and punishable by several years in Azkaban.
Voldemort looked around the room, making eye contact with every guest, before smiling politely and waving his hand through the air to signal the band to begin playing soft background music.
"Please, continue," he said and sat back down in his chair. Chatter immediately filled the room. Voldemort vanished Elise's place setting and chair and shrunk the table back to its original size so that he and Harry were now sitting next to each other.
"What will happen to her?" Harry asked quietly. He knew Elise deserved this, but there were some things he just couldn't condone. If Elise was sentenced to death…he didn't think he could handle that.
"She will receive a trial, during which a skilled potions master will examine the vial she had with her and if the ingredients match any dangerous potion, she will most likely be sentenced to Azkaban," Voldemort informed him, watching Harry closely.
"Where the Dementors will feed on her soul," Sirius whispered giddily. With Elise in Azkaban—where she would no doubt be sentenced—it would be so much easier to gain custody of Harry. They wouldn't even need to have a custody battle; the court would take one look at the mother's current location and sign Sirius as Harry's guardian.
"You have Dementors guarding your prison?" Harry asked in astonishment, turning to Tom with raised eyebrows. "How did you get them loyal to you?"
"It's a trade-off; we let them feed on the prisoners' souls to their heart's content in exchange for their guarding of the prison," Voldemort explained, enjoying the admiring look he received from Harry. The boy hid his expressions very well, but Voldemort had quickly become attuned to reading him. It made him want to do unspeakable things to Harry to try and crack that perfect mask.
Severus cleared his throat as his friend seemed to be losing himself in the eyes of the charming French boy.
With a quick look at Severus, Voldemort pushed aside his desires and gracefully stood, bringing the charity luncheon to a close. He turned to Harry as the guests began to leave.
"Let me give you a tour of the Ministry, Harry," he murmured, holding his hand out to help the boy out of his chair. A change of topic and a bit of distraction was in order.
Harry took the offered hand and stood, smiling gratefully at Voldemort.
"I would love that, thank you." Voldemort returned the smile and pulled Harry away from the guests, nodding to the rest of their friends as they passed. He led the teenager through a hidden door at the back of the room, still holding his hand and entwining their fingers. Harry blushed at the intimate contact but was quickly distracted by the inner workings of the British Ministry of Magic.
As they passed each department, everyone bowed their heads slightly and murmured respectful greetings to Voldemort. The Minister nodded back regally and Harry was amused to note that he seemed like a King visiting the members of his court. Voldemort was not a mere figurehead, like the French Minister, but truly in control of the Ministry.
Several of the Ministry officials noticed their intertwined hands and nodded respectfully to Harry as well, who tried to ignore the sudden attention. Tom explained all of the details of each department, showing off his intimate knowledge of the Ministry.
They started with the lowermost level, level ten, which housed the Department of Mysteries. That had definitely been Harry's favorite department. There were strange rooms housing strange objects lining the cold, bleak corridors of the DoM. Harry had been dying of curiosity, asking Tom what each room contained. Remarkably, the Minister knew every single object housed in the Department of Mysteries.
Harry was most interested to hear that Lily and Regulus both worked as Unspeakables in the DoM. He intended to ask the two for more information about the Unspeakables when they next met. It was a job Harry would like to consider, should he stay in Britain for…reasons.
He glanced up at Tom, watching the man gesture enthusiastically about the Unspeakables' newest invention. With a small smile, he squeezed the man's hand gently. The Minister looked down at him, silver eyes sparkling warmly, and gave Harry's hand a reassuring squeeze back.
Level eight contained the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, where Harry met the head of the Muggle Liaison Office. His ridiculous, mismatched muggle clothes amused Harry to no end. Voldemort then led him through the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where a large man with a scraggly beard seemed to be arguing over his ownership of what he referred to as "a perfectly innocent three-headed Cerberus named Fluffy".
Harry didn't know whether to be frightened of a man that found a three-headed Cerberus "innocent" or amused that the beast had been named "Fluffy".
Level six was another of Harry's favorites, the Department of International Magical Cooperation. As soon as Voldemort had introduced Harry, the head of the department had tried to recruit him for work there. However, he needed to turn seventeen and take Britain's OWLs and NEWTs in order to qualify for the job.
It was another prospective job for Harry to consider.
He was really becoming fond of Britain…and its Minister.
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was located one level below the Minister's and Undersecretary's offices. It was the biggest department in the Ministry. Harry spoke to Sirius when they toured the Auror office and agreed to meet with the man later when he asked. He noticed, as he talked with Sirius, that a man in the background with hazel eyes and messy black hair was glaring heatedly at them.
"Sirius, who is that man? He's glaring at us…" Sirius glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes when he saw the man Harry was speaking about.
"His name is James Potter. We used to be friends in school, but he had a crush on Lily and when he took it too far, I sided with her. He never forgave me for it," Sirius sneered. James had always been a great friend, if a little too brash, but his childish grudge over Lily was ridiculous. It had made Sirius open his eyes and see just how immature both he and his friend were.
Harry watched James Potter for a moment more, before turning his attention back to Sirius. Men that held petty grudges like that weren't worth his time. He just hoped that whatever the man had done to Lily hadn't been traumatic for her.
"And this is my office," Voldemort concluded the hour-long tour.
"I've never been inside of a government building before," Harry said, grinning from ear to ear. It had been a very interesting experience and he enjoyed learning about each department. Tom opened the door to his office and pulled the teenager inside. His secretary had stood and bowed reverently to him, but Voldemort had ignored her; he hadn't taken his eyes off of Harry once.
As he shut the door to his office, Voldemort offered Harry a drink.
"Do you have any Cream Sherry?" Harry was quite partial to this less popular wine, even though it was naturally drier than most red wines. The Cream Sherry, however, was a very sweet dessert wine; just the way Harry liked it.
"Of course," Voldemort said, opening his personal cooler and pulling out a bottle of the sweet wine. He preferred dry wines, but always kept a variety of drinks for his guests' tastes.
And he might have ordered sweeter wines recently, due to a certain French boy's preference…
He poured a glass for Harry and sent it over to him with a flick of his wand, pouring a glass of Moet for himself.
Voldemort watched Harry savor the sweet flavor of his Sherry as he sipped at his champagne, trying to ignore the urge to kiss the boy and taste the sweet wine on his lips. He placed his glass aside and turned to Harry.
"Harry, I have enjoyed our encounters these past few days," he said, watching the teenager's reaction carefully. Harry's eyes sparkled and he smiled brightly.
"I have as well."
Voldemort smiled softly and reached out to tug affectionately on one of Harry's curls.
"Then," he murmured, sliding his fingers down Harry's cheek, "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
Harry smiled shyly and agreed to the dinner date with Tom tomorrow evening at seven o'clock.
"Wonderful. I'll pick you up at your hotel at a six thirty, then."
"What restaurant are we going to?" Harry asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.
"It's a surprise," Voldemort answered mischievously. His fingers lingered on Harry's jaw.
A light knock on the door brought the two out of their little world. Severus entered with Lucius behind him, both smirking. Lucius was wearing a plum colored outer robe with a silver 'M' embroidered on the left breast.
"The trial will begin in ten minutes."
"I want to be there," Harry stated firmly. Voldemort nodded, holding out his hand for Harry to take.
"I expected you would. As a witness and one of the people that I suspect were put under a Confundus charm, you will need to be there anyway."
Harry took Tom's hand and together the four wizards left for the Ministry dungeons.
When they reached the courtroom, there were already several people present. Harry noted about fifty people sitting at the front of the room, all dressed in the same plum robes as Lucius, while several witches and wizards filled benches that lined the sides of the room. Voldemort, Harry, and Severus took a seat on the right, next to Sirius and Remus, while Lucius joined the group in the middle benches. Elise was nowhere to be seen.
A throat cleared and everyone quieted, turning to the front of the room. An elderly wizard with an obscenely long beard smiled benignly at the gathered crowd. Harry frowned, getting the strange feeling that he'd seen this man somewhere before.
"Albus Dumbledore," Voldemort whispered in Harry's ear. "I'm not particularly fond of him, but the public loves him."
It was an unfortunate circumstance that Voldemort had yet to fix. While he was the Minister, he couldn't simply kill off a powerful and well-known figurehead such as Dumbledore. Nor did he have the power to remove his position as the Chief Warlock; that power lay in the hands of the general populace. He had to, for the most part, make the public believe that he was there to serve and protect them. Most people found Dumbledore to be trustworthy and liked that he was there to balance out Voldemort's power.
If he could just find the evidence he needed to tarnish that old fool's reputation…but alas, it had eluded him. The blasted man was always in-step with him, never falling behind.
"Please bring in the accused."
The doors at the back of the courtroom opened and in walked Elise, escorted by two Aurors. She held her head high, appearing as though she were not about to be sentenced to several years in Azkaban.
Sirius growled quietly next to Harry, only relaxing when Elise was seated in the large chair at the center of the room and bound in its chains.
"Now then. The official trial of one Elise Lucienne Beauvais, of Château du Beaulieu, Saumur, France, begins now, second of November. The Interrogators are Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock; Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; and Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Special Advisor to the Wizengamot. The Court Scribe is Amycus Carrow. The charges are as follows:
That Ms. Beauvais did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of her actions, spike Minister Voldemort's drink with an unknown potion on the second of November at the charity for the Cornish Pixies Correctional Institute, violating the Potions Restriction Act under Paragraph E, Section 29."
Dumbledore looked up from his papers, giving Elise a neutral expression.
"Are you Elise Lucienne Beauvais, of Château du Beaulieu, Saumur, France?"
"Yes," Elise stated, holding her chin high despite the degrading position of being chained to a chair.
"And did you pour a potion of unknown origin into Minister Voldemort's drink at the Cornish Pixies Correctional Institute, Ms. Beauvais?"
All heads turned to the petite witch.
"Yes, but I assure you, it was not meant to cause harm!" she pleaded, looking around the room with large eyes glittering with tears. The surrounding wizards and witches muttered disapprovingly amongst themselves, ignoring Elise's pleading look.
"I'm sure it wasn't," Dumbledore spoke kindly, giving her the reassuring smile she was looking for. "However, we must have a skilled Potions Master examine the vial found on your person to be sure. But first, as I understand it, there were no witnesses to Ms. Beauvais committing the act?"
"No," Voldemort spoke, commanding attention immediately. He stood, his expression cold and closed-off.
"But there are witnesses to what I believe to be a Confundus charm, cast on the occupants of my table."
"Very well, bring the witnesses forward."
Lily and a young man whom had not been sitting at their table stepped forward from the benches.
"State your full name, please," Dumbledore spoke, looking at Lily.
"Lily Dahlia Evans."
"And you were sitting at Minister Voldemort's table when the charges were committed?"
"Yes. It was during the Minister's speech. I was turned toward the stage and listening, when I suddenly felt the need to search under the table for something. Then, when the Minister returned to his seat, I no longer felt that need, and was left feeling very disoriented."
"I see," Dumbledore stated, appearing saddened. "That does indeed describe the effects of the Confundus charm. Now, your full name, please?"
"Bartemius Casimir Crouch, Jr."
"And you were also under the effects of a Confundus charm, Mr. Crouch?"
"No, I was seated at the table behind the Minister's, facing the stage, when I saw every occupant of the table bend over and look under the tablecloth. All of them, except for her," he pointed at Elise, a slightly deranged smile on his face.
"But you did not see her tamper with the Minister's drink?" Madam Bones asked, leaning forward on the bench next to Dumbledore.
"No. Her back was to me, I could not see what she was doing."
"But she did not bend over and look under the table once?"
"No," Barty looked annoyed at Madam Bones' insistent questioning. His tongue flicked out in an agitated tick.
"I believe that will do, thank you," Dumbledore stated, dismissing the witnesses.
"Let's have a look at the potion vial. Severus, if you please…"
Severus stood from the right of Voldemort and walked to the potion vial being levitated into the courtroom by another Auror. A stasis charm was wrapped around it, ensuring that the residue left by the ingredients did not decay or change properties. Severus examined the inside, before holding it directly under his nose.
"Angel's Trumpet," he declared immediately, smelling the sickly sweet scent of the highly poisonous flower. The courtroom swelled with every witch and wizard's gasp. Severus dipped his pinkie into the vial and rubbed it against the inside. He tasted the residue, frowning at his discovery.
"Bulbadox juice, Goosegrass, and Lovage."
"And can you tell us, Severus, what potion these ingredients would make?"
Severus turned slowly to face the Chief Warlock.
"…No."
Voldemort frowned and Harry crossed his arms, catching Elise's smirk. Something suspicious was going on here…
"No?" Dumbledore asked.
"No. I have never heard of a potion that combines these ingredients." The gathered crowd shifted, confused murmurs filling the courtroom.
"However, if I may have some time, I could combine the ingredients myself and find what potion they create. Ms. Beauvais may have invented a new potion to suit her needs," Severus spoke, looking Dumbledore in the eye.
Harry nearly snorted; Elise was no potions genius. But perhaps she had help…
"Very well. It has been determined that the quite dangerous Angel's Trumpet was one of the ingredients, thus implying that harm would have indeed befallen Minister Voldemort had he ingested the potion. I will give you three days, Severus. This court will convene on the fifth of November. Should you concoct a potion with potentially harmful effects, Ms. Beauvais will be charged thusly. Should you, however, be unable to concoct a potion with harmful effects, all charges will be removed."
Elise was escorted out of the courtroom, still looking proud and unconcerned. Harry narrowed his eyes, his suspicion heightening.
As the courtroom emptied, Harry pulled Tom aside.
"Something's going on, Tom. Elise doesn't look the least bit worried, and I've seen her lie often enough to know that she isn't faking confidence. She truly believes that the charges will be removed." He looked at Tom, biting his lower lip. Tom seemed equally suspicious, brows furrowed and mouth frowning deeply.
"Yes…I agree. Severus is the best Potions Master in the British Isles. I've never seen him unable to identify a potion before…"
"Let's go talk with him," Harry urged, tugging Voldemort in the direction Severus had left.
"Harry…" Sirius called from across the hall, stopping the two men.
"Could I speak with you, for a moment?" he asked, bouncing on his toes in both excitement and nervousness. Harry reluctantly let go of Tom's hand.
"Alright. You go talk with Severus, then, Tom. I'll meet up with you afterwards," he said turning to Sirius. Voldemort nodded, kissing Harry's cheek before leaving.
He rather liked Harry taking charge and giving orders…
"I don't know," Severus admitted reluctantly, leaning both hands on the worktable in his personal lab.
"There are so few ingredients…I can't imagine what the potion would accomplish. I teach first years more complicated potions than this."
"And all of the ingredients are easy to find and relatively cheap. What are we missing?" Voldemort muttered, pacing the length of the room. Severus sighed.
"I wish I knew. I'll start brewing three potions, varying the length of time over fire, the direction and number of stirs, and the amount of ingredients. I should be finished by tomorrow morning," he stated, summoning cauldrons and jars of ingredients. Voldemort nodded.
"Inform me of the results as soon as you finish."
He swept out of the room, mind working rapidly to uncover the mystery of the potion. What in the name of Merlin had that bitch planned to give him?
Sirius led Harry back to his office, fingers fiddling and twitching in excitement. He closed the door behind Harry and sat down at his desk, gesturing for Harry to take the seat in front of it.
"What did you want to talk about, Sirius?" Harry asked, curiously examining the inside of the Auror's office. Pictures of wanted wizards covered the inside walls.
"Harry…what do you know about your father?"
Harry frowned, confused with the strange question.
"Well, next to nothing, except that Elise would sometimes say I looked just like him, in her charades at balls…" he trailed off, looking back at Sirius, with his curly black hair and high cheekbones and tall height. Sirius jumped up from his chair, unable to sit still, and walked around to crouch down in front of Harry.
"Yes! I am your father, Harry," he said, looking at Harry earnestly. "I swear, if I had known that she was pregnant, I would have fought tooth and nail for you."
Harry's eyes were wide.
"R-really?"
"Yes. We were seventeen. She'd come to Britain with a group of her classmates after Beauxbatons' graduation ceremony. I was more than a little drunk that night, Harry, and I fell for her like a complete fool." At Harry's grimace, he rushed to assure him that it had only been temporary. "That flame has long died, Harry, rest assured. She left the next day, before I'd even woken up, and I never saw her again. She never informed me of her pregnancy."
Harry watched Sirius closely. It made sense, why he felt some form of attachment to him. It also explained Elise's reluctance to visit Britain, even though it was closer to their home than the other countries they'd visited. And he looked quite a lot like Sirius, now that he was looking for the similarities.
"I believe you," he said slowly, watching the bright grin that appeared on Sirius' face.
"I know this is sudden, Harry, and I understand that you'll need time to get used to having a father, but I want to file for custody of you."
Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"But I'm nearly seventeen. Why would you want custody of me?"
Sirius frowned, not liking how Harry clearly wasn't used to people wanting him around, even for a short time.
"Because you are my son, Harry, and I don't care if you are illegitimate, I won't have you as a shameful bastard. I've gotten enough shame from my family to know that I don't want you to ever experience that. I'm sure Elise hasn't shared the sentiment," he continued in a low, furious voice, "but I will not stand for it. Even once you come of age, Harry, you will still be a Black."
Harry was struck silent by Sirius' last words.
You will still be a Black.
There was no question that he was already a Black. He smiled tremulously.
"Okay," he whispered. "I…I'd like that."
Sirius grinned and lunged forward, squeezing Harry in a warm hug. Harry stiffened, not used to such easy shows of affection. He experienced a moment of confusion, unsure of where to put his arms, before returning the hug loosely.
Sirius pulled back and leapt up, full of boundless energy in his excitement.
"Hey, why don't we go over to Quality Quidditch, look at the brooms and maybe buy a Quidditch set?" he asked, dragging Harry up from his seat.
"…Don't you still have work, Sirius?" Harry asked, highly amused when Sirius deflated with a groan of despair.
"Oh, well. How about after I get off work? Then we can go to the manor and try out the set we bought!"
Harry smiled, refraining from reminding Sirius that they had yet to buy the Quidditch set.
"Alright. I've never played Quidditch before…"
Sirius gave him a scandalized look.
"Never? Well, we'll fix that. I bet you'll be a great flyer! I myself am an amazing flyer, played Beater at Hogwarts. Gryffindor never lost a game!" he boasted. Harry laughed, the awkward tension leaving him as Sirius regaled the time he had been dared to play a Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch game in a skirt.
A/N: So while I was writing the Ministry tour, I got halfway through a delicious sex scene with Harry and Tom and suddenly realized that my libido muse had run away with me and that couldn't happen so early. After all, Harry doesn't want to seem loose and they only just started dating. Much as it would please me to have Tom bend Harry over his desk, that will have to wait a bit…
Elise's trial is based off of Harry's trial in Order of the Phoenix.
