DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you recognize.

Curiosity
Part Ten: The Trial

Jacob was in trouble and he knew it. As he patiently sat in the Minister's office – Kingsley had wanted a word – waiting for the time of his trial to come around or the Minister, his hands were shaking and his heart pounding in his chest. He was so nervous and so scared about what would happen to him if they found him guilty or if they decided he was unfit to continue his lessons in magic. They would Oblivate and just dump him back home with no memory of what had happened over the past few weeks and he'd never see George again.

As he sat alone in the big cold office he thought of how much he had learnt and how little he knew of the world before he had discovered this place. It was unfair for them to just chuck him out of it for one little slip up. But it could happen again, if Jacob didn't control his temper it could very easily happen again. Yet he wasn't about to tell them that.

What George had told of the Department of Improper Use of Magic was that they monitored the Traces on all underage wizards and witches in England. When a normal underage wizard or witch used magic all they got was a warning letter and if they received too many warning letters perhaps they'd get a trial. But the trials held for them were small and just in the Head of the Department for Improper use of Magic's office. Jacob was different and so many people wanted to attend his trial to give their opinion so it had been moved out of the head's office and down to one of the old court chambers that hadn't been in use for over two years. It was frightening.

Suddenly the door of the office opened and in came Kingsley looking very important dressed in the black robes he wore that blended in with his skin tone. He smiled at Jacob and sat down behind his desk leaning back in the chair and observing the young man in front of him. Jacob felt relief flourish over him; he had forgotten how nice and open-minded the Minister was and seemed. He relaxed just a little.

'Good morning, Jacob,' the Minister said calmly with a smile that showed off two rows of very white teeth.

'Morning Minister.' It was hard for him to not stutter when he spoke. When he glanced at the clock it showed there was only thirty minutes until his trial and George still hadn't showed up, Jacob needed him there for support and to make him calm.

'As you're case is a very unusual one we have had to move it down to the old courtrooms,' Kingsley said. 'Lots of wizards and witches are interested to see you and give their vote, though it will not count.'

'I know about the courtroom thing, Tiberius Ogden told me this morning.' Jacob had come to the Ministry about an hour ago by himself and had run into Tiberius as he was getting into the lift to go to the Minister's office and Tiberius had told him the news. 'Uh, Minister?' he asked.

'Yes?'

'Who will be at the trial and honestly what are my chances?'

'The entire Wizengamot court will be there and they will be the ones who will vote on what happens to you, which is lucky because you and Tiberius have already met and he has no problems with you. I will be there and many other Ministry of Magic workers who want to see the outcome, they have a chance to vote amongst themselves but it will not count towards you.' Kingsley paused and scratched his chin. 'I think you will be just fine, Jacob.'

Jacob nodded relieved. 'So, I'll be great and everything, no Oblivation or whatever?'

'I don't think anyone in the Wizengamot is that spiteful, though some do still think that Muggles should be treated very cautiously when it comes to magic. It is an old way of thinking nothing else.'

Jacob nodded again feeling his nerves subsiding a little.

'Now, Jacob,' the Minister said in his deep soft voice. 'Can you tell me what happened?' he then added, 'you're going to have to get used to telling people this story today.'

'Ok,' Jacob said and then hurtled into his tale. 'I was at Weasley Wizard Wheezes and it was lunch time, George had gone out to lunch and I was basically minding the shop. I'd been wanting to cast some spells for ages and my wand kept twitching and stuff, I think it wanted too as well, I'd only done Potions at the lesson the day before so I was a little bored wanted to do some proper magic,' Jacob paused for a breath. 'Then it just kind off happened, all the windows smashed and everything fell of the shelves, most of it broke. And yeah … that's it.'

'Were you angry at the time?'

'Yeah, I was angry,' Jacob said feeling like he was in a councilor's room. 'That I couldn't do anything because of the Trace, and then … boom.'

Kingsley nodded. 'It happens a lot to wizards and witches who haven't had the proper training yet, the magic in them just explodes out and things very similar to what happened to you occur.'

'It happens a lot?' Jacob asked hopefully, if this was so it would probably help his case along that much more. But he was no lawyer.

'Occasionally but not as explosive as yours.'

Jacob nodded. That was good, if it happened a lot then that fact would be on his side since it had happened to him and many others.

He remained in Kinsley's office for another twenty minutes before the Minister rose and left his office beckoning for Jacob to follow him. They walked down the corridor and at the end Jacob saw George getting out of the lift. He rushed towards him and George engulfed him in a hug. It just seemed like the best thing to do and all he needed had a hug (aw). George pulled away from Jacob after a short embrace and looked to Kingsley with a flushed face. The Minister was holding the door of the lift open wide for the two to get inside.

The doors clanged shut as the lift began hurtling downwards. George shot Jacob a reassuring glance as the lift stopped on another floor and let a couple of gossiping witches in both who greeted the Minister with a giggle as the lift moved down again.

As they all ground to a halt on the ninth floor and the Minister strode out followed by the two witches, George and Jacob bringing up the rear.

'Where are the courtrooms?' Jacob asked wringing his hands together from the doubt of nerves that had revisited him.

'Tenth floor,' George replied sounding a little nervous but it was hard to tell. 'You have to walk down some more stairs to get to them.'

'Ok,' Jacob said. 'T – That's great.'

'Are you all right?' George asked him as they followed the Minister down the stairs

'I'll be fine,' Jacob said strongly but he felt himself shaking from nerves again.

Jacob found himself walking down dungeon like corridors and at the end was a small stone door, from that door he could hear voices and the clanging of chairs being moved around. Kingsley pushed the small door open and walked forward, immediately the silence in the large hall dimmed. And Jacob walked forward after a nudge in the back from George.

Inside it was more like a dungeon than anything else. The walls were bare apart from the small black door from which he had entered. There where absolutely no windows and the only light in the room emitted from candles that burned strongly on the rows of seats which to Jacob's horror were filled. Fifty people sat in the front two rows wearing plum coloured robes with a large silver W on the front of them. In addition to the entire body of the Wizengamot there sat three people not wearing purple robes. One was the Minister and one he recognized as Percy Weasley, the other he did not know. In the center of all these people he saw Tiberius Ogden's face smiling down at him. Jacob waved back uncertainly.

George left him standing in the center of the room and walked up the stairs past the first two rows and settled himself on the edge of the third next to someone who supported a head of curly locks. The three third rows behind the area where the Wizengamot sat, they had to be members of the Wizengamot, were filled with ordinary witches and wizards who had wanted to be present.

'Mr Smith,' Kingsley said surprising him by not using his first name as he normally did. Jacob's attention snapped from the rows of wizards and witches to him. 'Would you please take a seat?'

Jacob looked behind him to where Kingsley was pointing with his wand. A large high backed chair sat in the center of the room with a plump purple cushion the same colour of the Wizengamot robes. Shuffling nervously across to the chair and rubbing his hands across his face, Jacob sat in the chair where he had a perfect view of everyone in the stands and they all had an equal view of him. He shifted uncomfortably.

'Firstly,' the Minister said. 'I need to make Jacob Smith's case clear to you all you for anyone who doesn't know. He only discovered his magically talent several weeks ago when he stumbled across Diagon Alley quite by accident. He has been receiving training from the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and various other Professors' teaching there. He is perfectly aware of many aspects of our society but still learning.'

Jacob rolled his eyes at the introduction which made him seem rather dimwitted.

'Now,' Tiberius said sounding more general then when he had greeted him this morning. Jacob understood he had to sound like he was on the side of the Wizengamot's, though Jacob had already begun to hope he had chosen his side. 'Is it true that on Wednesday the 17th of December, this month,' he added as if he thought some in the audience to be incompetent, 'you performed magic outside of the set arrangement the Minister and the head officials of the Ministry had organized for you?'

'Yes,' Jacob said with a nod wondering vaguely what would happen if he refused.

'Can you tell us the spell you performed?'

'I don't know …' Jacob said honestly.

'Could you tell us what happened then?'

'I was angry,' Jacob stuttered feeling the eyes of a hundred or more people piercing into him. 'And I wanted to do some spells, try out what I had learned when … uh … everything in the shop – Weasley Wizard Wheeze's -, just suddenly smashed or fell over or broke.'

'Are you certain?' an elderly woman with pitch black hair pilled on top of her hair who was sitting on the edge of the first Wizengamot row. 'Are you certain it was you performed that spell?'

'His Trace detected him using magic, didn't it?' a sour looking short woman demanded of the one who had just spoken.

'Yes, but -' the black haired women began before she was interrupted.

'The Trace has changed,' the sour one reminded her. 'It only goes off when the person it is attached to uses magic.'

The black haired woman fell silent and the sour faced one looked smug as she sank back into her chair.

'Was anything broken beyond repair or anyone hurt?' Tiberius asked and must have seen Jacob's puzzled expression as he wondered why this comment was relevant as he quickly said. 'Just for us to judge how powerful the magic you used was.'

'No, everything was fixed and put back to how it was.'

'Excellent,' Tiberius said as if that fact would help Jacob. 'Do you think this sort of thing could happen again?'

'I don't know,' Jacob said with a shrug.

'With more magical training I don't think it should happen again,' Kingsley said. 'It is surely all he needs?'

Tiberius nodded. 'I too think so, but abiding to the old laws we must all take this to a vote. Is there any more questions?'

'Yes,' a man asked with a huge amount of shaggy hair. 'Did Mr Smith just randomly come by this ability, or does someone in his family already posses the talent?'

'Mr Smith,' Kingsley said, 'has no idea if any of his family members are wizards or witches.'

The shaggy man nodded and then Tiberius called for a vote, during which Jacob held his breath and caught George's eyes. Was the trial extremely short or was it his imagination? Jacob decided it must have been very short because some people in the stands also looked quite surprised by the quickness of the trial. Jacob thought it would span on for a lot longer but then again there wasn't much to say. He had explained what had happened and the Wizengamot had asked questions and that was it. It was simple and quick. And now there was suspense as Tiberius called for those he thought Jacob would be Oblivated and sent him home without so much as a goodbye or allowed him to stay. Jacob thought the answer was obvious.

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