A/N: I am so sorry that this has taken this long to get to you! I had truly hoped that it wouldn't take this long to get another chapter to you. I have reasons...lots of reasons...unfortunately, none of them make much sense. I apologise to you, but here is the next chapter.
Molly Weasley knew that her life was over; when the Aurors found out about Bilius and that Ginevra Everscham, they would give her the Kiss. Not that either one of them hadn't deserved what had happened to them...imagine what trouble that would have caused in her relationship with Arthur. It was bad enough that he had broken up with her to date Amelia Bones, but then another girl started lusting after him; and then, when Bilius had moved in with them, he had cornered her to tell her that he knew about the Everscham girl. Of course, that meant that he had to die, too. Oh, a few potions here and some more there and Bilius' health had started to decline; just one more had done it at the very end.
She thought she had covered her tracks well, but apparently that hadn't been well enough; she knew that she was going to be given Veritaserum and that would end all of the speculation. They would discover her involvement in the death of the girl she had named her daughter after (Arthur had thought that she was being nice to the girl's memory...she just wanted a reminder of her success in keeping others away from her Arthur!) and that of Arthur's brother and she would either die in Azkaban or be taken to meet the Dementors...neither of which was a palatable occurrence.
She didn't know it, but her youngest son was sitting in a cell just one hallway over from hers; he had been charged with assault on an Auror and was awaiting his own trial. Once he was given Veritaserum, all hell was going to break loose; Albus Dumbledore was going to regret messing with Ronald Weasley's mind.
~O~
The Trial of Molly Weasley was definitely one to make the newspapers; there were representatives from The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler, Witches Weekly, Wizards Quarterly and several other smaller monthly periodicals. They all vied to get the seats in the gallery as close to the front as possible; none of them was willing to miss a single word of the trial.
The testimonies of her eldest son and her husband were heard before her own questioning began. The two barristers had both been trained on how to draw out pensieve-ready memories from a person who had been very young when the crimes were committed; William Weasley's memories had convicted his mother before Arthur Weasley even took the stand. The first memory that was taken was of his mother talking to herself about making Bilius Weasley even more sick, so that he died earlier than planned; the second memory showed her actually force-feeding Bilius Weasley the potion that killed him. The Hogwarts house elf, sent by Lady Hogwarts to provide memories for Amelia Bones, practically vibrated with glee as it watched the pensieve memories from the young man; Dibby was certain that the Ma'am Bonesy would enjoy this tremendously.
When Molly Prewett Weasley had been given the Veritaserum, and was fully under its effects, the questioning had begun. The trial barrister for the Ministry, one Sterling Foster, was known to be cut-throat in his methods and always took the time to research a case extensively; the trial barrister for Molly was a young man, barely out of his apprenticeship, and he had never dealt with a case involving murder before. As she couldn't afford a barrister with her own funds...her access to Arthur's vaults and those that had belonged to Bilius Weasley had been cut off...one had been appointed for her by the Ministry. The young man very quickly realised, after viewing Bill's memories, that he was in way over his head.
When Molly admitted, after several minutes of questioning, about her knowledge of potions and her abilities with them, Foster had gone for the kill.
"Did you give potions to Bilius Weasley to make him ill?"
"Yes."
"Did you give him a potion that you knew would kill him?"
"Yes." The court erupted into excited whispers and the bailiffs had to regain order before Foster could continue.
"Did you give potions to Ginevra Everscham?"
"Yes."
"Did you know that they would eventually kill her?"
"Yes." Again, whispering started up in the gallery and had to be contained.
"Why would you knowingly give deadly potions to these two people?"
"The Everscham bitch was after MY Arthur and I couldn't let her get anywhere near him." The manic smile that broke through the effects of the Veritaserum chilled the blood of everyone in the courtroom. "Bilius knew about what I had done to her and confronted me with it after he moved into our spare room. They had to die."
Sterling Foster turned to the younger barrister and smiled genially. "Your witness, Barrister McIlhenny." The young man gulped and shook his head...he wasn't going to try to cross-examine a woman who had just admitted to two counts of murder.
"Bailiff, administer the antidote." The elderly gentleman presiding over the trial was shaken to the core by the answers from the woman before the Wizengamot; never had he heard such a nauseating admission of guilt before. He turned to the crowd that threatened to burst the courtroom at the seams. "We will take a break to discuss what we have heard here." He led his fellow members out of the room and into the back room designated for this part of the trial.
"Gentlemen and Ladies...we have seen the memory evidence, we have heard the testimony from the witnesses and the defence...how do we find the defendant?" Dead silence greeted his words before complete mayhem broke out.
~O~
The courtroom plunged into anticipatory silence when the members of the Wizengamot re-entered the courtroom and took their seats; many people, especially the news reporters, leaned forward in their seats to better hear and see the reactions of the Wizengamot.
"Members of the Wizengamot, you have heard and witnessed the evidence against Molly Weasley, including her own testimony via Veritaserum...how do you find the defendant?"
This is what everyone had been waiting for...the verdict either for or against Molly Prewett Weasley. Everyone listening knew that, no matter what happened, no matter what the ruling was, the Wizarding World would be changing from this moment forward. There would be changes in the Potions curriculum at Hogwarts and the other, smaller schools around the country; a closer watch would be placed on those who showed a proficiency in the more malicious potions and spells. With the evidence proving that Molly Weasley had been allowed to practice both the malicious potions and spells, essentially unchecked, during her time at Hogwarts, the crack-down on these things would begin almost immediately after the trial adjourned. Everyone also knew that this spelled the end of Albus Dumbledore's reign at Hogwarts; he had allowed these things to happen, had basically approved of them, without actually giving his approval. By doing nothing to contain the knowledge being taught at his school, he had essentially been indirectly responsible for what had happened to Arthur and Bilius Weasley and to Ginevra Everscham.
Air stilled in the chests of all those watching the trial as a single member of the Wizengamot stood, one Charles Ogden by name.
"We, the members of the Wizengamot, after much thought and debate, find Molly Prewett Weasley guilty of two charges of murder; we also find her guilty of brewing and administering to her husband, Arthur Weasley, 362 Love Potions, 11 Lust Inducing Potions and 152 Compulsion Potions. We also find her guilty in the use of 206 Compulsion Spells on Arthur Weasley; these spells are not illegal individually, but in the concentrated amount used, it would have the effect of a life-long Imperius Spell cast on her husband...in essence, she is guilty of using an Unforgivable Curse on Arthur Weasley. We recommend that each of her children be tested for Obliviates and other spells, as well as illegal potions. Her sentence is to be stripped of her magic and committed to Azkaban for ten years; at the end of that time, she will be administered the Dementor's Kiss."
As Charles Ogden regained his seat, utter pandemonium broke out in the courtroom; Molly Weasley sat, chained to her chair, staring at the wall in shock. Bill wrapped his arms around his father and held him tightly; this was only the beginning. Bill knew that there would be much more to come from the fallout of the trial; he only hoped he could keep it away from Harry.
Sterling Foster walked up to Arthur and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Arthur...I have the paperwork ready to start the dissolution of your bond to Molly Prewett Weasley. Do you want me to submit it?"
From within Bill's arms, Arthur gave a single nod and then proceeded to ignore everything else around him. His marriage was over...but his life was just beginning.
~O~
Amelia Bones stepped in front of the head table in the Great Hall; she as anticipating much anger and screeching from both the teachers and the students after she made her announcement.
"Attention Everyone!" A Sonorus spell ensured that she would be heard by everyone in the Hall. "At this time, I, Amelia Bones, Head of the Hogwarts Board of Inquiry, am removing Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster of this school. In his place, Minerva McGonagall will assume the position of Headmistress. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide you with the reasons behind this change, but, rest assured, it is necessary for the competent running of this school. If you have any questions, ones that do not pertain to the change, please direct them to Headmistress McGonagall. Thank you."
She stepped down from the dais and strode back to the Board's table at the back of the Hall. As she had predicted, the room exploded with conversations and accusations from both the student body and the teaching staff; Minerva McGonagall sat in silence at the head table. That silence lasted less than one minute; a loud bang preceded a shower of red sparks emitting from the end of her wand.
"May I have your attention please! While I understand that this news is somewhat distressing to most of you, I can assure you that Madame Bones has her reasons for this change. Once again, I ask that you do nothing to interfere with the Board of Inquiry's mission here; they are working toward improving your educational experience."
Minerva moved one seat to her right and gingerly sat in the throne-like chair that was reserved for the Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts. Although the perspective hadn't changed much, she now felt that, along with feeling the buzz of the students' magic, she could see them all just that much better; there must be a spell, or something, on the chair to allow her to see everyone more clearly. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to acclimate herself to the constant buzz of magic just under her skin, magic that wasn't hers. She wasn't certain that she was truly prepared for this responsibility, but she would make damn sure that she did her best.