-Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling
-
-
-
-
-
The Eighth Year
Chapter Twenty-Five
Completion
-
"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Harry asked Ginny as they made their way to professor McGonagall's office late on the last day of February.
"None." She answered "She came into the library and asked me to find you and bring you to her office."
They stopped before the stone gargoyle. Ginny unfolded a piece of paper.
"Orange Lime."
The gargoyle nodded and jumped aside. Ginny and Harry took turns stepping up on the revolving staircase. When it stopped they stood before the heavy wooden door, memories of his many visits with Professor Dumbledore fell over Harry and he found himself smiling a little as he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Come." Professor McGonagall said from the other side.
Harry pushed the door open to find that he and Ginny weren't the only ones summoned. Draco sat nervously in a heavy uncomfortable looking chair in the farthest corner from the desk. Ron and Hermione occupied half of the the squashy chintz sofa, on the other end were George and Luna.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley. Sit, please." Harry and Ginny moved into the office and sat on the loveseat that matched the sofa, wondering what they had done to be summoned so.
"I've gathered you all because I have what might be a bit of difficult news." Harry reached for Ginny's hand, gripping it tightly in his.
"Have we done something wrong professor?" Luna asked, her face wrinkled in worry.
"You?" Professor McGonagall looked up sharply "Oh, no...no of course not."
She sat sedately behind her desk and took a deep breath.
"Now then, there's no easy way to say this, so you'll forgive me for just blurting it out. I've received word from the Minister of Magic that Dennis Creevey has admitted guilt in the murders he arranged and in his attack on you. However, as the maximum punishment for his deeds is death, he has a right to a hearing to plead his case for leniency. As part of this hearing, his victims have a right to testify as well. Although you all have a right to testify, Kingsley has requested that I ask you to consider appointing a representative from among you seven to testify, though you should all be present at the hearing."
"Professor." Harry asked "Who all will be testifying?"
Professor McGonagall nodded "The families of Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe, Mrs. Knott, Seamus Finnegan, and the family of Healer Reycowin. Also, Mr. Goyle's mother I believe."
Draco looked up sharply "I thought they hadn't found Goyle's body?"
Professor McGonagall paused and took a deep breath "I'm sorry Malfoy, but I thought you had heard."
"They found him then?" Draco asked
"A body was found, in the back of a burned out muggle grocery. Nothing has been verified, but Dennis Creevey's finger prints matched those that were found at the scene. The Aurors department has taken control of the remains and should have the results before the hearing."
Draco's face had gone even paler than normal.
"When is the hearing professor?" Harry asked
"A week from today." She nodded and stood "I'll leave you to use my office, discuss this among yourselves and let me know what you decide so I can owl Kingsley."
She went up the small golden staircase and disappeared into her private chambers.
Luna stood and went to kneel in front of Draco. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"I'm so sorry Draco."
"Me too." Hermione reached out her hand and touched his arm.
One by one they echoed the sentiment. With a final pat, Draco let go of Luna and smiled sadly.
"I know he was working for Creevey, that he hated me because I lived and Crabbe died...but, he was my best mate. Since we were kids, Crabbe and Goyle and me...we did everything together."
He took a deep breath. "So, what do we do about the hearing?"
"I think you should tell the Wizengamot what you just told us." Luna said softly as she stood again and went to sit next to George.
"Harry should testify too." Ron said
"Both of you" Hermione added "because you two are the one's who really suffered because of what Creevey did."
"But you lost your father." Harry said
"And you can tell them that." Hermione smiled encouragingly "I trust you to do that Harry."
"You almost died." Harry looked at Luna "It was because of Creevey that you both were attacked."
"And Ginny was set up for it." Ron added "All we went through when we thought she was dead, and almost losing Harry too...that was all Creevey's fault."
"And Pansy's." Draco sighed "he used her, her anger at me, to hurt others."
"We trust you to tell them that too." George said as he took Luna's hand and looked from Harry to Draco "Both of you."
-
The morning of the hearing they gathered at the Ministry of Magic. Harry felt a horrible sense of deja vu as they were directed to the same courtroom that he'd had his years before, the same courtroom he had first visited in Dumbledore's pensieve. They side by side on a cold hard bench outside the court room.
"We meet again, boy who lived."
Harry looked up to see a strong hand held out in offering.
"Dr. Toyoki." He stood and gripped the hand tightly. "It is nice to see you again, I only wish the circumstances were different."
"Hello again, Harry." A small woman with long auburn hair put her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. "It's nice to see you too."
"Your highness." Harry smiled and bowed slightly at her husband.
"Don't freaking call me that!" Shippo groaned "I'm Shippo, she's Kuroki, remember that next time, would you?"
"Yes Sir."
Ginny rose and hugged them all in turn. "InuYasha and Kagome didn't come?"
"They could not." Sesshomaru, aka, Dr. Sessho Toyoki, said "The young Miko is well into her last month of pregnancy. It would be unwise for her to travel at this time. I would like to introduce my eldest daughter Rin, Chrystyanna's aunt, and my daughter, Tabi, Chrystyanna's mother."
"It's nice to meet you at last." Tabi said, with her American accent, her voice reminded Harry so much of Rey.
"Your daughter...she was a wonderful friend to me." Harry said softly as he took her hand. "She was there for me during the darkest time of my life, she...she saved me."
Tabi smiled "Thank you for saying that. My daughter had the pressures of the world on her shoulders, she lived her early years in fear, a target for those who wished to destroy the yokai monarchy. Chrystyanna hated it, hated her lot in life. I am very pleased to know that she had such a friend to make her smile when life troubled her."
"Rey was an amazing person." Harry smiled "I made her pretty miserable at times. But she took it, and then turned around and gave it back to be ten times as much."
"Excuse me?" A young wizard broke into their small circle "Are you here for the Creevey hearing?"
They all nodded
"You can come in now." He nodded
-
None of them had seen Dennis Creevey since the polyjuice potion had worn off, so seeing him in the courtroom was a terrible shock. He was smaller than they had remembered, more frail looking. It was nearly impossible to reconcile in their minds the picture of the maniac who had tried to kill them, and the boy who sat waiting for his final sentence.
The parents of the victims went first. The Chang's looked horribly embarrassed to have to admit that their daughter had been involved. Mrs. Chang spoke of the girl she had raised, who had been changed by the ugliness of war. Harry had had to bite his tongue, it wasn't the war that had changed Cho Chang, it was her own vanity.
The Edgecombe's seemed barely willing to admit that Marietta had been their daughter. They were vain and haughty, Referring to her as "that girl". Harry felt a sudden understanding as to why Marietta had behaved the way she had in life. Likely, that was why she had turned the D.A. In, to win her parent's praise.
On and on it went, family after family. Mrs. Goyle, her husband in Azkaban for being a death eater, sneered at the Malfoy's and spoke of the lonely boy who had allowed himself to be drawn into the wrong crowd. The Parkinson's did the same. There was only one, mrs. Knott, who admitted that her child had been wrong. She spoke of how he had had a cruel streak in him since he was a small child, how he liked to bully and be cruel to others.. She was the only one of the parent's of the Marionette Masters pawns that didn't seem as though they were expected to be pitied, and hence, they were the only one's who received any.
Harry nearly broke down when Rey's family took the stand, speaking of how she had fled to London in search of a safe place, a place where she wasn't Chrystyanna Kitsu Reycowin, heir to the yokai monarchy, but CJ Reycowin, brilliant healer. When they turned to leave the courtroom, Sesshomaru nodded to Harry in encouragement.
They did cry as Seamus testified on behalf of Lavender's family. His words were sweet and sad, speaking of the life they'd planned but now, would never have.
Yet neither Seamus nor Rey's family has asked for Dennis Creevey's death.
Then, the time came for Draco to take the stand. He walked quietly to the front, flanked by Lucius and Narcissa, one on each side. Neither planned to speak, but wished to give support. Draco looked at Dennis Creevey for a long moment, then he spoke.
"I want you to die, to rot in the deepest pits of hell." Draco said "Is that what you are expecting me to say? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you Creevey, but, I won't say that."
He turned away from Dennis to face the Wizengamot.
"There was a time not so long ago that I would have said that. I would have felt that, with everything that is in me. I loved Pansy Parkinson, once, I thought she would be the one I would marry and Gregory Goyle was my best mate since we were kids. I thought the two of them would be a part of me my whole life. But things change, people change. I changed.
"I've seen horrible things, I've done horrible things. I'll wear the mark of the those things for the rest of my life. I should hate Dennis Creevey, I should want him dead. But I can't, I've seen the path of hatred, I've seen where it leads. Hatred is the path that Pansy and Greg chose, and where are they now? I stand here today representing a group of people I would have once said I hated."
He turned and motioned towards Harry and the others.
"I would be dead now if not for these people. They saved me, not only physically, but mentally as well. It's also because of these people that my father found a reason to change, to let go of his own hate, the hate that ruled his life."
He turned and Looked at Dennis again. "It's in my nature to hate you, and no one would blame me if I did. You killed people I cared about. You almost killed the girl who is now my best friend, and you almost killed me. I spent months recovering from what you did to me. But still, I won't do it. I won't hate you. I've seen first hand what hate does to a person, and I refuse to be that person ever again.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Winzengamot, I can't ask for this persons death. If I learned one thing during my time under Voldemort's control, it is that no matter how many wrong's you commit, it wont make things right. Executing Dennis Creevey won't bring Pansy or Greg back. It won't give Knott, C.J. Reycowin, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe or Lavender Brown back their lives. It will only be another in a world that has already seen far, far too much death as it is."
He gave a small nod and turned and walked back to his seat.
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand as he rose and took his place in front of the Wizengamot.
"I don't know what else I can say to add to what Draco said. I guess I feel partly to blame for us all being here today. Dennis Creevey went after me because he lost his brother Colin, he blamed me for that and while that isn't my fault, I am guilty. I'm guilty for ignoring Colin, for not accepting the hand of friendship he tried so many times to give me. I was too busy, too busy being Harry Potter. For that, I am sorry. I'm sorry I'll never have another chance to know him.
"None of this excuses what Dennis did, but like Draco said, executing Dennis Creevey won't bring anyone back. Most of my life has been about death. I am famous, and why is that? Because I didn't die and, because I am the one who killed Voldemort. The whole while I've lived, I've had death as the center of my life. I don't want it to be like that anymore. I want my life, and lives of those around me, to be about living.
"It's human nature to want retribution. There is a part of me that wants to ask for his death. But if I do that, if I stand here and say he should die, then I may as well pull out my wand right now and kill him myself. But, isn't that exactly what Voldemort would do? Voldemort was ruled by hate and loathing...and...do we really want to be on his level? This is a chance for forgiveness, a chance to show mercy. I wont take part in yet another death."
Harry turned away and returned to his seat.
"Is that all you have to say?" Dennis Creevey was on his feet, his face furious. He looked at Harry and sneered "Forgiveness and Mercy! Well aren't you just brilliant, the famous Harry fucking Potter!"
Aurors surrounded Creevey, trying to force him into his seat.
"I don't want your mercy Potter! I don't want to live with your forgiveness, and you better hope they don't let me!"
"Sit down and be quiet Creevey!" Kingsley banged the gavel furiously
"I'll get out! I'll escape somehow and when I do, I'll fucking kill you Potter! Just you watch! I'll kill you!"
Ginny took Harry's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.
"Silencio!" Creevey went silent as he was hit with Kingsley's curse.
"Marston." Kingsley yelled to the auror in charge "Get him out of here."
"Yes sir." He took out his wand and aimed it at Creevey "Petrificus Totalus."
Creevey went stiff and a moment later he was carried from the courtroom.
-
"How long do you suppose it will take?" Ginny asked that night as they sat together in the transfiguration courtyard.
"Who knows." Ron shrugged
"Father said these things can take awhile." Draco said as he used his wand to transfigure small sticks into butterflies.
"You don't imagine he really could escape do you?" Ginny asked worriedly "I mean, Sirius did, didn't he?"
"Things were different then." George said reassuringly "They depended solely on dementors then. Now they've replaced them with human guards."
"It 's still scary though." Luna said as a small shudder went through her. George wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"Don't worry Luna, you've nothing to be afraid of." Harry grinned "As usual it's me someone wants to take out."
"Thats not funny Potter." Ginny admonished
"It's a little funny." Ron smirked
"Professor McGonagall's coming towards us." Hermione nodded "You don't imagine they've decided already?"
"Professor? Is there..." Luna began but she went quiet at the look on her face.
"I've come to tell you....there won't be need of a decision." She said, her voice crisp and worried.
"What? What do you...?" Hermione went silent as well.
"Dennis Creevey is dead."
"What?" Harry stood "Dead, how?"
"They were preparing to move him back to Azkaban when he broke free of his restraints and got hold of a wand. Before he had a chance to fire off a single spell he was killed by one of the aurors. I know you didn't want him executed, but in this case, given his threats...perhaps this outcome is for the best. Unfortunately, that isn't the extent of the bad news."
"There's more?" George said as he looked at Harry with concern.
She patted Harry on the shoulder."I'm sorry Potter...I'm afraid word came this evening that your uncle has passed on."
Harry sank back to the ground, his head in his hands.
"Damn it."
-
-
Chapter 26 Preview
The term comes to an
end as plans for the future
are made
The final Chapter of
The Eighth Year
Coming soon
-
-
-
-