Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies - this is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

AN: Story beta'd by my R/L daughter Sillyhobbit.


Chapter 9: How the Mighty will Fall

June 24, 1985 8:30 AM

Trevor walked calmly into the courtroom on the heels of Klouse and Amelia, a pair of Aurors flanking his back to protect him from any attempted attacks. As he reached the Plaintiff's table, he looked up defiantly at Dumbledore, his eyes promising the old man retribution for his part in his abduction at the hands of Snape. Dumbledore paled the moment his twinkle-less blue eyes clashed with burning hazel. Today will be a day of reckoning, Trevor's eyes promised as he continued to unflinchingly meet the Chief Warlock's gaze.

Dumbledore paled further when Backbiter stepped inside the chamber and marched up to sit in the benches set aside for the prosecution's witnesses. The contingent of six goblins following on Backbiter's heels carried with them three boxes of evidence each. From where he sat behind the Defense's table, Severus Snape seemed more than a touch put out that his evidence destroying trip sanctioned by Dumbledore the previous week appeared to have failed more spectacularly than he'd previously believed.

Delores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy joined those seated on the side of the defense, something that Trevor noticed right away. He leaned forward and whispered in Klouse's ear for a few minutes before turning around and watching the door for a sign of Leticia, who would be escorted in by a contingent of goblins and Auror guards, hoping that he could spare her the distaste of experiencing Malfoy's condescension.

He was rewarded by the site of four goblins marching in behind one Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody. The grizzled Auror drawing the attention of every eye in the room as his peg leg thumped down loudly with every step. In the middle of the group walked a proud Leticia carrying a blanket wrapped bundle followed by an anxious Jake Weber. Trevor furrowed his brow as his eyes focused on the bundle. When he saw the bundle wiggle and he rose abruptly in anger and concern as it dawned on him just who Leticia was carrying. His eyes sought Leticia's and he calmed slightly as he caught sight of the trepidation she was feeling.

He would have met her halfway if not for Klouse's restraining him by the arm. He leaned down as his partner began whispering frantically in his ear about not drawing additional attention to the group. Reluctantly he returned to his seat, his eyes never leaving Leticia's as she took her seat beside Backbiter, her arms wrapped protectively around the boy she carried hidden in the blanket.

"He pitched a fit about being left alone, Trev," Jake hurriedly explained in a low voice as he leaned over the barrister. "He conjured up a level two tornado in that cavern with a magical outburst unlike anything I've ever seen. I greatly feared he'd suffer a major set back if we left him behind, magically as well as emotionally, and Leticia was on the verge of staying behind; which would have been disastrous. So I dosed him up with a mild half dose of Pepper Up and an extra dose of his pain and the blanket has wards and warming charms spelled into it for protection."

"Damn, I realize there wasn't much choice but I wish there was a different alternative," Trevor hissed back. "It's better then having to gain his trust back; I know that. I just worry that there will be far too many opportunities for someone to attack him here. I take it Mad Eye is the one who warded the blanket?"

"Right in one, though your goblin buddies added a few nasty surprises of their own. They were mightily impressed by the damage he did to the cavern with his accidental outburst. I was told by Backbiter's lieutenant that they felt the shock waves from it way up in the lobby."

Klouse chuckled as he listened in, "He's going to be one hell of a force to be reckoned with when he's trained up properly if he's giving off accidentals like that."

Trevor gave Klouse a tight smile as he scooted his chair closer to where Leticia was sitting and whispered into the blanket so that both Harry and Leticia could here him, "I'm not angry with either of you, just worried about those witches and wizards who would take advantage of you being here, son. Please, try not to draw any more attention to yourself and stay close to Moody and he'll protect you well." The last instruction directed towards Leticia.

Moving back, Trevor noticed that the members of the Wizengamot had been seated and that it was nearly time for the proceedings to start. Glancing around he took note of the reporters sitting in their cordoned off section towards the back of the room; behind a specialized one-directional silencing wards to prevent them from disrupting the proceedings. He also let his eyes seek out the various Aurors that were positioned around the room in order to help keep order while court was in session.

Dumbledore brought the meeting to order then promptly turned the proceedings over to Tiberius Ogden, who would be presiding as Chief Warlock in Dumbledore's place, before taking his place at the Defendant's table while the acting Bailiff, Kingsley Shacklebolt, called the room to order and announced the first case of the morning.

"First case on the docket is Potter versus the Wizengamot."

Quiet muttering could be heard throughout the gallery as well as from the members of the Wizengamot; surprise filling the faces of many as they had expected the trials to be presented in the order they had been petitioned. Albus in particular had counted on the petition of emancipation to be last as he had intended to draw the first two trials out long enough that the other could be put off for as long as possible. There would be nothing he could do now though, because he was not allowed to stand in protest because this particular case had been given to one Delores Umbridge who would stand in defense of the Wizengamot as an Undersecretary to the Minister.

"The Prosecution may present their opening argument at this time," Mr. Ogden declared.

Klouse rose and bowed to the acting Chief Warlock, then to the Wizengamot, and finally to the crowd watching from the gallery. "Honored Warlock, Esteemed Members of the Wizengamot, and my fellow witches and wizards watching from the gallery. I stand before you this morning on behalf of Harry James Potter. A child who, since the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, has been hailed as a hero and seen as a celebrity, since the tender age of one and a half years old, by the majority of the Wizarding World. A child, I remind you, which was left at the mercy of a vicious family by the hands of a wizard and promptly forgotten. A defenseless child that had just lost his mother and father in an act of unspeakable evil was left on the doorstep of a family that did not want him. And where, I ask you, were each of you that terrible night and all through the next day?"

"How many of you stopped to think about the life young Harry would face now that he was orphaned and alone? How many of you tore yourselves away from your joyful celebrations to consider the feelings of young Mr. Potter? You have spent nearly four years worshiping a child for accomplishing something no one else had done. What did he do? He lived. He survived. His parents died to protect him from the evil that hunted their family and he survived because of their sacrifice. And yet, not one person in this room took the time to wonder how young Harry Potter coped with his loss or if they did they kept it to themselves. Not one of the officials in this room took a single minute out of their day to visit young the young Potter, who was hailed as performing a great service for the world, to insure that he was safe. That he was allowed to grieve for the parents that simply vanished one night, never to return."

"No, we as a people failed Mr. Potter. We held him up as an idol and ignored the hidden life of suffering that he'd been delivered into by the hands of one of our own. It took a compassionate muggle, a single woman, to stand up for Harry Potter, a boy whose name she did not even know at the time. To her, he was a child hurting; not some glorified hero of the wizarding world. And she saved our hero. To Mr. Potter; she is the hero."

"Now I have listened, since the day I filed the petitions on behalf of Harry Potter, to witches and wizards from all walks of life muttering that the Boy-Who-Lived should be given over to a proper wizarding family to be raised. I ask you, why? Why should any witch or wizard, who prior to the news of Harry's horrible treatment at the hands of his family never bothered to spare a thought to the child's welfare, be given custody of that same child now? What witch or wizard has earned that right? None. Not one. We were all too busy living out our day to day lives to take the time to be there when he really needed us. We failed him! Magic failed him!"

"So I ask you, members of the Wizengamot, to free Harry Potter of the strings and entanglements of the wizarding world. Free him, so that he may live his life in safety without fearing that he will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. To protect him from those who would use him for political gain. To help keep him from the needy and selfish arms of those who will not understand the suffering that this child has lived through. I am asking you, members of the Wizengamot (the wise wizards and witches of our government) to grant Harry Potter complete emancipation under the Rights of Ascension as ratified in the Goblin Treaty in the year sixteen-eighteen and as permitted by the Pureblood Preservation Pact of seventeen-sixty-three."

When order was restored to the courtroom, Delores Umbridge rose to her feet and gave the Defense's opening argument. "A brave and passionate speech, no doubt, but was there really more to the Prosecution's words than the meets the eye? I ask you, members of the Wizengamot, how saddling a child, not yet age five, with the heavy weight of responsibility could be justified? What child, at the age of five, can properly make decisions regarding his or her life? How does a child know what is best? Can a child know better then an adult who has years of experiences to lead him or her in life?"

"No, a child can not. Petitioning for the child's emancipation is clearly a bid by the Prosecution to steal the child's wealth and title. No sane person, with the best interests of a child, would want to give that child the power to dictate his own life. That is madness! No, it is best to put the boy in the care of a proper wizard so that he might grow up to know his place in society. Not force an entire world to cater to the whims of what is most likely a spoiled child who has been denied a favorite treat or some such nonsense."

The murmurs that broke out when Delores sat down were far from encouraging to either side of the argument, though many people wondered at the veiled threats hidden thinly within the toadish woman's speech.

"The Prosecution may call its first witness," Kingsley intoned when Ogden signaled that he was ready to proceed.

"The prosecution calls War Chief Backbiter of the Outcast Clans to the witness stand."

Umbridge's lip curled up in barely hidden disgust as Backbiter rose and briskly crossed the floor to take a seat in front of the Wizengamot. The goblin gave her a predatory grin in return that had Umbridge unconsciously leaning back in her seat. Once the goblin was seated, Klouse swore him in with magical binding oaths to tell the truth while seated upon the witness's stand and proceeded to question the goblin in relation to the Rights of Ascension.

"Please tell the court, War Chief Backbiter, in your own words, what the Rights of Ascension entail."

"The Rights of Ascension are a series of laws written by wizards for wizards. These laws were designed by the weak-willed men of sixteen-eighteen to protect the interests of family lines that hovered on the brink of extinction. They were only ratified by the goblin nation on the condition that an underage heir of a line, confirmed as the sole surviving member of said line, could be assured the right to inherit without contest. These laws were put in place to prevent subservient lines, with only the barest of claims on said family line, from waltzing in and dislodging the direct heir from the line of ascension due to age. One of the provisions of the Rights allowed for the minor in question to claim emancipation – regardless of age – in order to secure the family line from line theft."

"Thank you, Chief Backbiter. Would you say that the Rights of Ascension are relative to the petition of the Plaintiff?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter is the last remaining Potter in the direct line as well as in many of the indirect lines. His claim supersedes all others and the goblin nation has agreed to uphold his emancipation in regards to all financial inheritances without regards to the decision made by the wizarding government during this trial. Though, a failure on the behalf of the wizards to uphold the Rights of Ascension can be construed as an assault on the Goblin Nation due to the nature of the estate and family line in question. Mr. Potter's family line has been well documented to be over two thousand years old, with the estate carrying a considerable wealth and prestige – though records indicate that the estate has declined dramatically since the demise of the elder Potters in nineteen-seventy-two after being placed under the control of the self appointed guardian, Albus Dumbledore. Gringotts has begun investigating the cause of said decline and will impose the harshest penalties on the party or parties responsible."

Seated behind the defense, Albus Dumbledore blanched noticeably as he caught the predatory look the goblin shot at him.

"Thank you, Chief Backbiter. The Prosecution has no further questions, your honor."

"Madam Umbridge, does the defense have any questions for the witness?"

"No, your honor," Delores simpered while throwing barely suppressed glares of disgust at Backbiter.

"You are hereby released from your oath, War Chief Backbiter, and you may step down," Ogden stated respectfully. "The Prosecution may call the next witness."

"The Prosecution calls Dirk Cresswell the Head of Goblin Liaison Office to the stand."

"Mr. Cresswell, can you please tell us how many years you have held the position as Department Head of the Goblin Liaison Office?"

"Over twenty years now."

"And were you working in that same department prior to becoming the department head?"

"Yes, I'd been an assistant to the previous head of the department for eight years before my promotion."

"To the best of your knowledge, Mr. Cresswell, was War Chief Backbiter's description of the Rights of Ascension accurate?"

"Yes, without a doubt."

"Can you inform the Wizengamot the number of times legal and physical emancipation of a minor so entitled under the Rights of Ascension was denied said emancipation by the governing body of the Wizengamot?"

"Just once."

"Can you please explain to the court the reasons behind the denial?"

"Yes, the petition was denied under an obscure loophole within the Pureblood Preservation Pact that was implemented in seventeen-sixty-three. The boy petitioning the courts had, at the time the petition was placed, been raised outside of the Wizarding World by a muggle orphanage beyond his eleventh birthday. Under the Preservation Pact, the sole heir of a Pureblood line must be introduced to the wizarding world at least one week prior to his or her eleventh birthday."

"Can you please explain the purpose of the Pureblood Preservation Pact to the courts, Mr. Cresswell?

"The Preservation Pact is basically an addendum tacked onto the Rights of Ascension. It was a series of laws designed to protect the traditions of the Pureblood family lines."

"Please explain further."

"The Pact is a… screening method… put in place by unanimous agreement of the Wizengamot in seventeen-sixty-three when a large number of muggleborn witches and wizards became heirs to a few obscure family lines through the Rights of Ascension. The muggleborns at the time were actually the magical children of squibs that returned to claim their family's rightful estates but had been raised outside the wizarding world and were therefore unaware of the time honored traditions that were, and in some cases still are, religiously followed in most families of the time."

"The Pact was created to prevent the loss of those traditions to muggle raised heirs. It basically required the witch or wizard in question to pass the right to inherit to their children with the provisions said child be raised within the wizarding world."

"Returning to the matter of the one denied petition, can you recall the name of the petitioner and the line he claimed?"

"Yes, his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle and he was thirteen at the time of his petition. He was claiming two estates, that of the Gaunt Family and through the Gaunt connection, the fabled estate of Slytherin."

"I am not familiar with the name Tom Riddle nor am I aware of anyone claiming the title of Lord Slytherin," Klouse stated as he glanced down at his notes. "What stopped Mr. Riddle from claiming his titles and his inheritance once he turned seventeen?"

"Under the Pureblood Preservation Pact his claims were deemed null and void the moment his emancipation was denied due to the status of being raised outside of the magical society. The courts at the time deemed his status as heir to both families defunct and prohibited him from claiming his inheritance."

"So, because he was raised in the muggle world beyond his eleventh birthday, he was prohibited from claiming his inheritance even after coming of age?"

"That is correct."

"Was there no way for him to fight the verdict and reclaim his heritage?"

"There are no measures of appealing the decision of the courts in the guidelines of the Preservation Pact because of the binding magics used to uphold the court's decision. However, if Mr. Riddle had fathered a son or daughter and that child had been raised in our society; he or she could have petitioned the courts to claim the inheritance and titles based upon his or her relationship to the previous heir. To this date that has not happened."

"Thank you, Mr. Cresswell, no further questions."

"The defense has no questions at this time," Delores stated before the witness could be turned over to the Defense.

"The Prosecution would like to call Mafalda Hopkirk, to the stand."

"Mrs. Hopkirk, can you please state for the records, what you do for a living?"

"I work in the Improper Use of Magic Office, specifically in that portion of the department that is dedicated to the detection of underage magic."

"Are you familiar with the policies of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"Yes, as a monitor of underage magics I am required to have an intimate working knowledge of both Ministry and Hogwarts' policies."

"Then, can you please tell the courts what the standard Hogwarts Policy is in regards to sending out the yearly invitations to first time students?"

"Of course, the letters of invitation to all new eligible students are sent out no sooner than August first on the summer immediately following their eleventh birthday."

"So, a muggleborn Student born on say December twenty first of nineteen-seventy-four, could expect to be invited to Hogwarts on…?"

"August first, nineteen-eighty-five."

"And a child born on, say July thirty-first of nineteen-eighty?"

"Would receive his or her letter on August first of nineteen-ninety-one."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hopkirk, your witness, Madam Umbridge."

"Mrs. Hopkirk, can you please inform the courts if there are any exceptions to the policy on when acceptance letters are delivered to first year students? And what those exceptions entail?"

"Yes, there is one exception. On years when a vacancy on the staff has not been filled by the first of August, the letters will be held until that position has been filled."

"There are no other exceptions?"

"None."

"Thank you, no further questions."

Now that the significance of both the Rights of Ascension and the Pureblood Preservation Act had been established, Klouse moved on to the next segment of the trial; "The Prosecution would like to call Professor Minerva McGonagall to the stand."

"Professor McGonagall, can you please state for the records, what you do for a living?"

"I am the Transfiguration Professor, Head of Gryffindor House, and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts."

"Professor McGonagall, where were you on the date of November first nineteen-eighty-one?"

"I spent the day watching a muggle house in Little Whinging, Surrey."

"And why were you watching this house?"

"I had been told by a colleague of mine that Albus Dumbledore would be stopping by that particular house later that evening and I wished to speak with him."

"Why not wait for Headmaster Dumbledore at the school?"

"I didn't know if he would be returning to the school after his meeting or if he would be returning to the Ministry."

"Could you have waited for him at the Ministry instead?"

"No, the Ministry was in shambles at the time and non-employees were encouraged not to enter the premises. So I waited in the one place I was certain to have time to speak with him."

"And did you meet with Headmaster Dumbledore that night?"

"Yes, he arrived just before midnight."

"Would you please explain to the courts what happened after Headmaster Dumbledore's arrival in Surrey?"

"Of course, we greeted each other and spoke of the murder of James and Lily Potter. When I asked him why he was in the muggle neighborhood he said he was placing Harry Potter in the care of his only living relatives. I argued against him leaving the boy, the people in question had behaved quite horribly during the time I observed them. Albus said it was for the best though, so young Harry could grow up away from the fame of being the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Can you tell us how Mr. Potter's relatives reacted when they were asked to take him into their home?"

"No, Albus didn't hand the child over to the Dursleys; he placed him on the porch with a letter."

"I see, no further questions."

Delores indicated she had no desire to cross examine McGonagall (the toad like witch having a long standing feud-like relationship with the stern professor) and a brief fifteen minute break was called so the members of the Wizengamot could stretch their legs and answer nature's call. Trevor spent that time going over his testimony quietly with Klouse; he would be the final witness called for this portion of the proceedings and the only witness likely to be badgered by the defense (since the rest of the witnesses were mostly purebloods or halfbloods from well known families). Once everyone returned to their seats at the end of the short break, the courtroom was called to order.

Klouse called a few more experts to the stand, using their testimony to shore up the points that had already been made. Delores continued with her pattern of random cross examination; mainly in the form of trying to discredit those witnesses that were not of pureblood decent or trying to get answers that would help her case. Finally, after several more hour of testimony, Klouse called his partner up to the stand.

"The Prosecution would like to call Trevor Matheson, Esquire, to the stand."

"Mr. Matheson, can you please state for the records, what you do for a living?"

"I am a lawyer."

"Can you please tell the courts how you learned of the circumstances surrounding the home life of Harry Potter?"

"I was approached by Leticia Hall, who was concerned about a child she had observed. After viewing her memories I discovered the identity of the child was young Harry Potter."

"Tell me, Mr. Matheson, with whom was Mr. Potter living when you were able to track down his location?"

"He was living with a family of muggles; the woman purported to be the biological sister of Mr. Potter's mother."

"To the best of your knowledge, did Mr. Potter have any other living relatives that he could have been placed with after the night his parents were murdered?"

"Yes."

"Can you please name those relatives and the degree of their relationship to Mr. Potter?"

"Sirius Black (his third cousin on his father's side and legal godfather), Andromeda Tonks (forth cousin through both his father and godfather), and myself (second cousin through marriage on his father's side). There are others but they would have been denied based upon allegations and criminal charges."

"So, you are saying that there were at least three families, with wizarding ties, that could have raised young Mr. Potter in place of his muggle relatives?"

"That is correct."

"No further questions."

"Mr. Matheson, can you please state for the courts your magical heritage?" Delores simpered with a malicious grin as she rose up from her chair.

"I am a squib," Trevor calmly replied. They'd expected Umbridge to take this line of questioning and he was more than prepared to handle it.

"And were you raised in a wizarding household, Mr. Matheson?"

"Yes."

Delores seemed a bit taken aback by his answer; it was obvious she wasn't as informed of his background as she thought she was. She cleared her throat and changed tracks. "Hem, hem. Where did you receive your education?"

"I learned wizarding traditions from my mother and later earned several degrees, including my Juris Doctorate, from Oxford University."

"And do you live in the wizarding world, Mr. Matheson?"

"No."

"Could you please tell the courts why you do not live in our world?"

"I was shunned by the wizarding world, disowned by my family, and set out on the streets by my eleventh birthday. The wizarding world did not want me so I entered the muggle world where I made a name for myself without having to suffer the indignities foisted upon those squibs that remain in the magical world, scraping a living from on the edges of society."

"So you grew up bitter, hating the magical world that threw you out?"

"No, I grew up with a burning desire to prove that I could do well without magic."

"But you still resent the wizards and witches who turned their backs on you enough to shun our world."

"No, I married a witch after finishing my Juris Doctorate. We lived in both worlds."

"Than why do you not live in both worlds now?"

"Because the wizarding world didn't care that my wife was murdered by terrorists that were citizens of the wizarding world. In the eyes of the law, I was a squib therefore my right to justice on behalf of my wife was of no consequence."

"So you turned your back on your heritage."

"Objection, your honor, the defense is badgering the witness."

"Objection sustained."

"How much contact did you have with the wizarding world after your wife's death?" Umbridge asked with a pained smile at the warning glance Ogden sent her way.

"Daily."

"Can you explain?"

"I began researching wizarding laws, spending fifty percent of my time in the Records and Law Departments of the Ministry."

"Why bother, if you didn't wish to live in the wizarding world?"

"Because I wanted and still want justice, I felt that no person should be denied due process of law regardless of their blood status or lifestyle."

Seeing that Trevor wasn't falling into any of her emotional traps regarding his background, Delores changed directions once again.

"You listed only a small number of Harry's relatives, why?"

"Those are, or were, the only people available that qualified to take care of Mr. Potter."

"How is it that Sirius Black, convicted mass murderer, qualifies and yet, the honorable Lucius Malfoy does not? Mr. Malfoy is after all, married to a cousin of Harry Potter's, just as you are."

"Sirius Black was not convicted of any crimes. He was denied a right to trial based upon the reports filed by those aurors that arrived at the scene of the crime and on the hearsay of Albus Dumbledore. Therefore he is being held in violation of Habeas Corpus for a period of close to four years. Mr. Malfoy on the other hand, has a conviction of criminal activity on his record and is only married to a fourth cousin. Both Narcissa and Bellatrix, though siblings of Andromeda, were never mentioned in the Legal Will and Last Testament of James and Lily Potter as a suitable guardian of their son, Harry James Potter. Bellatrix was also convicted of being a Death Eater after she was caught torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom. Narcissa is married to Lucius Malfoy, who as I mentioned earlier was never cleared of the charges that were filed against him."

"I'd like to point out that you are mistaken, Mr. Malfoy was never convicted of a crime."

"Wrong, Mr. Malfoy never sat for a trial in order to clear his name of the charges filed against him. The charges stand on his record and will remain on his record, by magical decree, until such time as Lucius Malfoy testifies under oath and truth serum to clear his name as required by the venerable body of the Wizengamot since the year eleven-forty-two. Mr. Malfoy declined giving said testimony after claiming he'd been placed under the Imperius Curse; while on the other hand Mr. Black was denied the opportunity and despite the newspaper articles printed was never formally charged with a crime."

Umbridge sputtered with barely concealed rage while Lucius Malfoy glared and fumed at Trevor. When it was clear that Delores would be asking no further questions, Trevor was allowed to leave the stand and return to his seat. When no witnesses from either side remained, Delores had not planned on providing any because she'd intended to just poke holes in the prosecution's testimonies; which she failed to do, the judge called for closing arguments.

Klouse stood and walked out into the center of the floor and turned in a full circle, letting his gaze fall on many of the faces both in the audience gallery and on the Wizengamot benches, his robes swirling out dramatically. "We have heard the testimony of several experts. We have learned that the only time a request for emancipation under the Rights of Ascension was when the child petitioning the courts grew up in a strictly muggle environment prior to entering Hogwarts. A condition, I might add, that would have applied in this case, if Mr. Potter had lived out the next six years in the hands of his relatives. Was his placement done to prevent Mr. Potter from obtaining his heritage? It would seem a plausible explanation."

"So, I ask you, members of the Wizengamot, to look beyond the age of our Plaintiff, Mr. Harry James Potter, and see the harsh truth; a young heir of an ancient family facing extinction. If you deny Mr. Potter his emancipation you deny him his heritage, for there are no appeals for the Rights of Ascension or the Pureblood Preservation Pact as they stand. Deny Mr. Potter now and you deny him for life and yet another venerable line of a well known family will have died on the floor of this courtroom. Mr. Potter…"

"Is nothing more than an arrogant fool and a bully just like his father. Acting upon childish whims and throwing tantrums just because he doesn't get his way," Snape interrupted as he pushed out of his seat waving his arms all around as he moved towards where Trevor was sitting. "He is nothing more than a foolish boy."

Outrage rained down on Severus Snape in the form of every minor hex and jinx known to irate witches and wizards. Snape was not protected by Dumbledore's authority in this courtroom and a number of those watching had been on the receiving end of Snape's vitriol at some point over the last four years for them to put up with the sullen potions master attacking their beloved hero.

By the time order had been restored, a good portion of those who had been sitting anywhere near Snape had been hit with a minimum of three curses. Snape was barely recognizable as human as he had so many horns, tentacles, vines, roots, and boils covering his body. Lucius Malfoy had also gotten hit with a number of curses and hexes; more than one or two individuals in the audience seeking revenge on the snobbish pureblood for real and perceived slights.

Once order was restored and the injured removed from the chambers, Klouse continued his speech (using the interruption to drive home his point); "That, ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, is exactly the reason why I move to have young Mr. Potter emancipated. To protect him from those who would abuse him, from those who have never even met the child yet still accuse him of what? Of being human? Of having wants and desires? Does not every child deserve to feel loved? To know he will be taken care of and fed when he is hungry? Please, all I ask is that you grant Mr. Potter what is rightfully his under the law, so that he might be protected against slanderous lies and malicious attacks."

Umbridge stood next and gave a very short speech, "I ask you to not give in to the whims of madmen and spoiled children, honored members of the Wizengamot. He's just a spoiled child."

The members of the Wizengamot filed out into the side chamber and deliberated the matter for close to an hour. Trevor spent that time holding a hurried conference with Klouse, Jake, Moody, and Backbiter. When the room was called back to order, Leticia passed the still hidden Harry into Trevor's arms before they resumed their seats and waited for the verdict to be read.

"By the decree of the Wizengamot, with a vote of thirty-three to sixteen, a sixty-five percent majority, in favor of granting Harry James Potter his legal and physical emancipation as allowed by the Rights of Ascension and under the guidelines of the Pureblood Purity Pact. Mr. Potter will have from this moment up until exactly one week after his fifth birthday in which to present himself to the courts in order to be invested in his title by said courts."

"If the courts will allow it, Mr. Potter is available to appear before the courts at this moment, before we move onto the next case on the docket."

"Please have Mr. Potter present himself," Ogden agreed somewhat surprised.

The entire room went silent as Trevor stood up and allowed the blanket surrounding Harry to fall down to around the child's hips, revealing the small child to the crowd. More than one wail of pity and outrage rose at the site of the extremely tiny boy; the ravages of his suffering at the hands of his relatives blatantly obvious to even those in the far back of the room. The small black haired boy tucked his head against Trevor's shoulder nervously as Trevor approached the middle of the floor, still carrying Harry protectively.

"Mr. Matheson, could you please place the child on the floor so that he might approach us on his own?"

"I'm afraid that is impossible, your honor," Trevor refused respectfully, his voice loud enough to carry to the back of the room and still the voices of those who hadn't stopped fussing over the child's health. "Mr. Potter is not yet able to stand on his own due to his still healing injuries."

"I see… I suppose there's no harm in allowing you to hold him, let us proceed with the ceremony."

While Dumbledore fumed silently behind the barrister, the Wizengamot filled passed Harry one at a time and tapped the child on his head with their wands (those that had voted against the emancipation doing so with great reluctance), bestowing the permissions that grant the child status as a legal adult. The process would also give the child additional protections to prevent his status from being revoked except under special circumstances.

With each successive tap, pale blue sparks rained down upon him and danced through Harry's short hair, until they poured over the side and began covering his body. Trevor, because he was physically holding Harry, also became covered in the living magic. When the last member had returned to their seat, the entire body chanted out the ritualistic phrase that sealed the magic inside Harry (and Trevor by default).

"A capite ad calcem et a pedibus usque ad caput, a posse ad esse et ab hinc ad vitam aeternam, causarum justia et misericordia, de iure Corpus Juris Civilis annuo Harry James Potter, vox adultus canonicus. So mote it be."

The blue sparkles of magic flared brightly before turning silver and sinking into the skin of Harry and Trevor. Trevor shivered at the feeling of foreign magic settling inside of him, like fog settling on the bank of the Thames, coating everything inside of him with a burning mist that clung to his very being. Harry on the other hand whimpered and groaned before passing out completely.

Concerned, Trevor rushed the boy back over to Healer Weber who promptly scanned the child's vitals and pronounced him unconscious and magically drained. Jake then ran a scan over Trevor and frowned. He ran a second scan and shook his head before telling Trevor to pass Harry back to Leticia so he could scan him independently from Harry. Jake performed two additional scans and then told Trevor to come see him later that night.

"How is the boy?" Tiberius inquired, having left the bench when Harry collapsed.

"He's just exhausted; the ritual drained his unstable core further than anticipated. He should be just fine in the morning," Jake supplied while Lettie wrapped the boy back into the blanket and sat down next to Moody, who performed a scan of his own to see if the protective wards were still functioning on said blanket.

Ogden returned to his seat and the next case was presented, Potter versus Dursley. Klouse read his opening statement which was very similar to the one he used in the Muggle courts, and listened while Dumbledore stood in defense of the Dursleys and asked for understanding and compassion. He also reminded them that allowances should be made for guardians who only tried their best to teach their wards the proper behavior and suggested that Harry's condition might have been exaggerated by the boy (despite the visual evidence that his condition had not been exaggerated when he'd been revealed to the courtroom just minutes earlier).

The rest of the morning, and just about the entire afternoon, was spent viewing various memories as evidence against the Dursleys. These were the original memories of Leticia's from when Harry had visited her at the library, the memories of the extraction team, the memories taken from the medical staff that had tended to Harry when he was first taken to the hospital, and a few select memories from Harry of his years living with the Dursleys. All the memories were viewed by projection pensieve so that everyone in the court room could see the memories taking place. Many of those seated in the gallery became sick when they saw the cupboard that was Harry's room. Few eyes remained dry as the healers and doctors discussed the many injuries. More than one person watching the proceedings had to leave because they couldn't stomach watching any longer.

Around four o'clock Tiberius Ogden called for an end of the proceedings for the day, requesting all parties to return in two mornings' time so that the trial could proceed. It was the bitter end of a bitter day for the Defense but most especially for Albus Dumbledore as he was made to look the fool on more than one occasion and made to look the villain on even more. He was beginning to question the wisdom of his actions all those years before. Before he could completely give in to his doubts though, a voice in the back of his mind whispered that the life of one small boy was outweighed when compared to the survival of the wizarding world and sacrifices must be made for the Greater Good. By the time Albus Dumbledore reached his office high in one of the towers of Hogwarts, he was once again confident that only he held all the answers and that only he could know how best to serve the world. Any lingering doubts were crushed ruthlessly by what he called his Voice of Reason.

June 24, 1985 5:30 PM

While the various reporters who had attended the day's hearings were rushing off to their editors to have their articles prepped for the morning edition, Trevor guided Leticia into the center of the goblin contingent while Moody and several Aurors gathered round the entire group, escorted them off of Ministry property, and drove them to Diagon Alley in Ministry vehicles where they quickly disappeared into the depths of Gringotts. Instead of leading them down to the guest room where they'd been staying for the past week, they were led into a large, ceremonial chamber where a large group of finely dressed goblins waited for them. Backbiter hurried forward and held a private conversation with the shortest and most richly dressed goblin present before beckoning the humans forward where the group was introduced to Ragnok, the manager (and ruling war chief) of Gringotts' London branch.

Ragnok showed no interest in the group until mention was made of Harry Potter. Ragnok demanded at once to see the child who'd reportedly destroyed an entire rock cavern and shook the very foundations of the bank. Upon his first site of the still sleeping child, Ragnok curled his lips and hissed in disgust that one so weak should have caused such damage. Backbiter whispered hurriedly to Ragnok, explaining that the child had undergone the emancipation ritual of the wizards after the huge magical display in the caverns and had only been exhausted; not burnt out.

This information made Ragnok reconsider the child with considerably less hostility. He reached forward to brush aside the boy's hair so he could see the lightning bolt scar but stopped when Harry opened his eyes and just stared at him. After spending a few minutes locked in a staring contest with the not quite five year old, the esteemed manager burst out laughing to the shock and surprise of the humans. Backbiter was grinning ferociously to one side, a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he watched the scene while the other goblins all looked away and pretended not to notice their leader cackling in an ungoblinlike manner. Finally, when the diminutive goblin regained control of his emotions he began barking out orders in the guttural language of the goblins.

"We will perform the goblin Right of Ascension for Mr. Potter now," Backbiter announced.

"Wouldn't it be best to wait until he's recovered?" Healer Weber asked with concern.

"No, it is best to perform the Ritual of Rites when the wizard's power is at its weakest; otherwise a wizard's natural magic will fight the goblin magic creating a magical explosion that could kill all involved in the ceremony. That he is so young and has displayed an unnatural depth of magical reserves was worrisome to Senior Ragnok at first. The boy still has other reserves but they are protected and restrained by the recent ritual performed by your Wizengamot. Please, place the boy on the dais and remove his clothing, there will be a silver sheet to cover him with; leave no wizarding object of magic upon his person."

Leticia moved forward and reluctantly placed the sleeping child on the stone table in the center of the room. Trevor followed and helped strip the child down before placing the woven silver sheet over Harry's waist and thighs as instructed. When Trevor moved away from the table, as instructed by Backbiter, Harry's eyes flew open once more and he began to struggle and whimper, his green eyes searching out Trevor among those crowding near. The moment Trevor returned to his side, Harry relaxed and sank back down into unconsciousness.

Backbiter and Ragnok argued fiercely in gobbledygook for several minutes, both goblins gesticulating wildly as they bickered back and forth. "What is your relationship to this child?" Ragnok demanded of Trevor at one point while Backbiter chattered on seemingly unheeded.

"I am his legal guardian under Muggle Law and his second cousin by marriage through my late wife Grizela Paterson."

Ragnok turned back to the still talking Backbiter once he had his answer and picked up the argument once more. It took the two goblins another twenty minutes to settle whatever dispute they'd been trying to resolve and Trevor was instructed to stand above Harry's head and keep his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"You are wizard?" Ragnok asked.

"No, a squib. I was born with Thurkellian's Curse"

"Good, you will not disrupt the ritual then."

All of the goblins in the room, minus Backbiter and Ragnok, gathered around the dais and placed the butts of their spears on the floor and began banging out a rhythm. Tap, tap, thump. Tap, tap, thump. The sound echoed sharply in the round room, circling around and around until it was difficult to tell where the sound ended and the echo began. Just when the cacophony grew loud enough to hurt the ears, the goblins abruptly stopped and the echoes softened until they hovered just on the edge of consciousness while Ragnok dropped his fancy robes to reveal a shriveled and twisted body riddled with scars wearing nothing but a silver loin cloth.

The circle of goblins then turned on their heels, pulled their spears off the floor, and spun them horizontal. Half of the circle then pulled the shafts of their spears up flush against their stomach while the other half held them to their chests, creating a double barrier to separate those inside the circle from those outside. The entire group of guards then began to tap out the same rhythm with their booted heels, the sound resonating deeper and softer than when beat out with the spears butts.

Over the odd hum of the booted music, chanting could be heard as red and orange wisps of magic began collecting above the point where the dais sat. The magic danced and flickered, burning like flames in time to the thumps and taps of the goblin guards.

Inside the circle, Backbiter used a ceremonial knife to remove Trevor's robes that he'd been wearing, leaving the older man standing in a flimsy pair of boxers. Trevor flinched slightly as the knife grazed his back, leaving a bloody trail down his spine but otherwise did not move. Backbiter used a long, thin finger to wipe Trevor's blood from the knife and smear it across Harry's forehead. Harry's eyes flicked open for a moment but closed after seeing Trevor was still there with him.

Ragnok then took the knife from Backbiter and pierced the heel of Harry's right foot and smeared it across Trevor's face from his right temple to his left jaw. Harry's left heel was pierced next and the blood allowed to run freely until it reached a groove cut into the edge of the stone table. The blood, moved along by goblin magic flowed into the grove and soon formed a thin rectangular frame around Harry's small body.

Trevor was then instructed to place his forehead against Harry's as the goblins began chanting and twirling madly. In Trevor's mind it was sheer madness and reeked of the sacrificial offerings from the days of the druids. He said nothing though, for he suspected that the magic growing in the air around them would turn lethal should the bizarre ceremony be interrupted.

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Ragnok fell silent and walked up to Trevor where he stood leaning against Harry's head and placed a hand on the back of Trevor's head. Burning magic filled him briefly before passing down into Harry through his hands where they rested on the child's shoulders. Harry's magic reacted badly to the foreign invasion and a wave of blue burst out of the child and washed over everything inside of the circle, chilling everything it touched before it vanished the moment it brushed up against the protective goblin barrier being held in place by the circle of guards. A minute later, Ragnok released Trevor and his legs collapsed out from under him.

His knees had barely touched the floor before Backbiter grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him away from the dais before leaning down and whispering to him, "Your part is finished but you can not leave the circle. We must begin the inheritance ritual now and you will feel pain because you do not belong here."

"Then what did we just do?" Trevor gasped as he shivered against the cold stone floor.

"Blood adoption, of course, it was the only way to finish forging the connection between you and Mr. Potter. We can now safely sever that connection and forge a new one between Mr. Potter and his ancestors."

"Don't you have to have our permission to perform the adoption?"

"No, the bond already existed, we just formalized it."

"And if you can't sever that connection?"

"Then we all die – horribly and painfully; in a most messy explosion that will sink the entire bank."

"Cheers!" Trevor barked before he closed his eyes and fought to control the tremors that wracked his exhausted body. When he next opened his eyes, it was to see Ragnok painting runes on the back of Harry's hands, the top of his feet, and in the center of his chest using goblin blood. He shivered when Backbiter cut a shallow circle in the palm of Harry's left hand and a triangle in the left. Harry's arms were then crossed over his chest and Ragnok placed his hands on Harry's forehead and cried out once in gobbledygook. Goblin magic poured directly into Harry's body for a full minute before something went terribly wrong with the ritual.

A sound like the furious scream of a raging lion tore through the air and two arms of Harry's magic lashed out and lifted Ragnok and Backbiter by their throats into the air above the dais. A second wave of blue magic now mixed with green tumbled over the table and onto the floor where it splashed against the vulnerable backs of the circle of goblins, burning cloth, armor, and skin with each touch. The stone floor soon began smoking as the magic rolled over it, leaving a fine coating of stone dust in its wake. If the goblin guards were afraid or in pain, they didn't show it; their bodies having been frozen in place almost the instant the magic touched them. When the tidal wave of destructive magic reached Trevor, it split in half and flowed around him.

An ethereal figure formed from the green tinged portion of the magic and stood facing the now extremely pale pair of goblins wrapped firmly in the two fists of blue. The figure pointed one hand at the two dangling goblins and cried out harshly in Old Norse: "Þú munu ekki rífa þeirra fjölskylda í tveir."

"Fyrirgefa okkur! Við vilja hætta! Við vilja hætta!" The goblins cried out as one in return (the ancient guttural language a forerunner to modern day gobbledygook), their cries growing more frantic as the magic holding them tightened around them painfully.

"Þinn búpeningur munu vera vara-."

The blue arms of magic then brought the two goblins close together, gave them a firm shake before dropping them down on either side of Harry. The green figure nodded once before the visible magic burst into a millions points of light and began swirling through the circle, rushing round like a cyclone before it flowed back inside Harry's body until all that remained was a single arm of blue and green sparkling lights that tenderly brushed against Trevor's face before fading into nothing. Backbiter was the first to get back up on his feet and he swallowed thickly and rubbed at his bruised and slightly burnt throat before walking around the table to see if Ragnok was okay.

The rest of the inheritance ceremony passed without incident as Harry's magic was tied into that of the Potter Vaults and the bond between the child and his ancestors forged through goblin magic. There was a second moment of concern when a small river of Harry's blue magic combined with the red magic of the goblin, causing the circle to be bathed in a deep indigo as the link between Harry and his ancestor's finalized. The moment quickly passed though when it became obvious that the magic was not causing any harm.

As the final strands of wild magics faded completely, the circle of goblins that had contained the magic to the area around the dais sank to the floor with moans of pain as their backs burned from the magical backlash of the failed severing ceremony. Those who had only witnessed a portion of the rituals from outside the circle could only gape at the site of the burned and blackened floor surrounding the dais.

Leticia was the first one to bolt between the fallen goblin soldiers, her sights set on the still pulsing and glowing form of Harry where he lay on the partially burnt table. Jake followed her a full minute later, stopping on his way to run a scan on the obviously hurting goblins that had absorbed the brunt of the magical backlash. None of them had suffered any life threatening injuries, thankfully, just magical burns that would leave some scarring behind; something the soldiers would later say bound them closer together as clan and warriors. Scars that they would wear proudly.

Jake next scanned Harry, who still only appeared to be magically exhausted. It was puzzling, Jake, as a wizard trained in the healing arts, had felt the amount of magic that had filled the cavern only minutes earlier. Even though he'd been separated from said magic by a barrier of goblin magic, he could tell it was very similar in nature to the magic unleashed by Harry that morning when the child had been distraught. There was no way his tiny body, still just recovering from his ordeal and near death at the hands of the Dursleys, should have been able to produce that much magic; let alone produce it twice in one day! It was puzzling from a magical standpoint but concerning from a medical point of view because of the potential danger it could represent to Harry and those around him.

Leaving Harry in the capable hands of Leticia, now that she'd been assured the boy would be fine, Jake turned his attention to Trevor where he lay almost frozen on the floor. A quick scan of the middle aged lawyer revealed that the anomalies present during the earlier scans had disappeared. His condition was fairly normal, for the Thurkellian Cursed man, with more than a small hint of wild magic floating through his system but that could be attributed to the part he played in the rituals.

"Trevor? Trev? Can you hear me? Can you tell me what happened?" A nod followed by several shakes of the head were the only responses Trevor gave him before the man passed out completely from exhaustion.

The healer sat back on his heels and frowned before conjuring a sheet to cover Trevor's near nakedness and levitating the man as a new group of goblin guards escorted the humans out of the ceremonial chambers and down into a new guest room; the previous room they'd been using still in shambles.


AN: Please forgive my butchering of the Latin and Icelandic languages as I've never formally studied either and have enough trouble with the English language. If anyone feels to need to correct my grammar, I'll be more than happy to repair what I killed here. lol. Here's what I was going for…

** English translation of the Latin Chant by Wizengamot:

From head to heel and from feet to head, from possibility to actuality and from here on for all time; for the causes of justice and mercy, according to law this body of civil law grants Harry James Potter, legal (lawful) power as an adult. So be it.

** Icelandic/Old Norse:

Þú munu ekki rífa þeirra fjölskylda í tveir. – You shall not rend (split) this family in two.

Fyrirgefa okkur! Við vilja hætta! Við vilja hætta! – Forgive us! We will cease! We will cease!

Þinn búpeningur munu vera vara. – Your lives shall be spared.


I'd also like to apologize for a lack of real detail in the courtroom scene; I'm not good at writing out those parts though I did at least try. I'm also not very good at writing Umbridge which was one of the reasons she didn't cross examine more of the witnesses. I also need to go back and fix a bit of the courtroom scene in the previous chapter to change 'The People' to 'The Crown' as one of my reviewers so kindly pointed out; I'll be the first person to admit that my American heritage influenced me on that and I didn't even think of how odd it would be in a British court until it was pointed out to me. I'll have that fixed when I upload the next chapter.

On Harry's accidental magic… there are two reasons why I've seemingly given Harry's magic a life of its own and there was a hint of what was wrong a couple of chapters ago when Jake made mention of the core anomalies he found when Harry was first rescued. It is also tied into the ritual that the Future's Harry used to send Kreacher back but I can't say anything further without giving away plot points which will be coming up halfway through the sequel. I didn't even want to say that much but I felt it important to say something because I know it will bug people if I don't.

And I have to say my favorite part of this chapter was cursing Snape and using his outburst against both him and the Wizengamot to award Harry his emancipation. I love hexing Snape. I don't do it nearly often enough though. We also see the first hint that something is not quite right with our illustrious headmaster. There's also finally been mention of Sirius, I know some of you had been asking what I planned for our favorite mutt and there will be more coming up dealing with him now that his status has been revealed. There was something else I had planned to mention but I'm having a blonde moment and can't think of what it is... oh-well if I remember I'll put it in the next chapter's AN.

Anywho… hope you enjoyed the chapter… will be posting chapter ten tomorrow. ~ Jenn