The Hearing
Sirius had not given David a choice about talking with his father about their relationship, or lack there of. Severus had said nothing when David explained how he felt, but had simply walked out of the room and had not been see for the rest of the day.
The next day Severus had shown up for their Legilimency lesson as usual and had not mentioned the discussion, but had suggested that they cook supper together that evening.
"I'd be happy to," said David, with a small smile.
David's kitchen was clean and ready for them, despite not having been used for a while. David and Severus entered and rolled up their sleeves and donned a pair of aprons.
"Oi!" said David as Severus shot a spell at him, changing the plain cream front of his apron to a Gryffindor red with the words 'Chef to the King of the Jungle' on it in golden thread.
Severus smirked at him.
"Two can play at that game," said David, clicking his fingers and causing a basilisk to appear on Severus's apron, complete with the legend, 'I like my food petrified.'
David wondered for a moment if he had been too presumptuous, but then Severus chuckled and handed over a book David had not seen before.
"This was my mother's cookbook," said Severus. "When she ran away from home to marry my father she suddenly found herself without house elves and expected to cook for him. I think it was a sharp learning curve." He helped David open the book to a page near the back. "But she used to make this excellent bread and butter pudding..."
"I don't think I've ever made that," said David.
"Not something we have at Hogwarts," agreed Severus. "And no doubt Petunia would turn her nose up at it. But maybe we could try your grandmother's recipe?"
"Okay," said David, grinning. "So that's pudding sorted out. What would you like for the savoury?"
After investigating the book further, they settled on a sausages and mashed potatoes.
"You're right," said David. "The Dursleys would have turned their noses up at a lot of this, and I can't see Hogwarts serving sausages other than for breakfast, but I think it'll taste wonderful. Very... homely?"
Severus began to gather the ingredients they would need from Simba while David read through the recipes and notes, thankful that his grandmother's handwriting was copperplate rather than unreadable.
"So, Chef," said Severus. "What do we do first?"
"You want me to give you instructions?" said David. "Surely as a potions master you're an excellent cook."
"And there we have the difficulties you used to have with potions in a nutshell," said Severus. "Apart from both having recipes potion brewing and cookery are completely different. I can intuitively brew a potion and interpret the given recipe to produce the best results. You, however, can cook and know how to produce a meal. I have tried to make that bread and butter pudding several times, but something eludes it's perfection."
"That's quite a tall order," said David. "I have never made it before, and you expect perfection?"
"No," said Severus.
"So you expect me to fail."
"No," said Severus, "I mean... that is to say..."
"Got you!" said David laughing, his eyes slightly weary in case he had gone to far, but Severus merely smiled and waved his wand at David's apron once more. "Big Headed Chef to the King of the Jungle.'
The twelfth of August came all too soon. David was reasonably confident in his Legilimency abilities but he would have liked longer to practice. He got up early that day and apparated with Sirius to Headquarters to travel to the Ministry. They walked since it was not far and Sirius kept giving David bits of advice. David was nervous enough and in the end he had to just say:
"Stop Sirius, I know you mean well, but I really don't want to hear it right now!"
Sirius led David out to a telephone box. They squeezed in and Sirius dialled the number, 62442.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," said a female voice.
"Sirius Black and Harry Potter," said Sirius. "Here for a disciplinary hearing."
"Thank you," said the voice. A couple of badges fell out of the rejected coin slot in the telephone. "Visitors please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes. Please make your way to the security desk."
The box started to descend and they were soon standing in the atrium of the Ministry. David's feet felt like lead. Sirius took hold of David's arm and steered him towards the security desk. The wizard waiting there produced a piece of long golden wire and passed it up and down Sirius's front and back and then did the same to David.
"Wands please," said the wizard and Sirius handed over his wand. The wizard weighed it on a strange set of brass scales and a piece of paper emerged. "Ten inches, unicorn hair core and been in use about a year?" he said.
"Correct," said Sirius. He took back his wand and walked into the nearby cubicle to change into robes from the muggle clothing he had been wearing to travel through London. Sirius emerged to trouble.
"Eleven inches, phoenix feather core, been in use three years, correct?" the security wizard was asking David.
"Actually, I got it four years ago," said David, "but otherwise that's correct."
The security wizard put the wand on the scale again. He frowned as the same words were written on a second piece of paper.
"This wand's not working properly in my machine," said the security wizard.
"We don't have time for this," said Arthur Weasley coming down from behind the Ministry offices. "The hearing has been brought forward an hour."
"I can't let him in if his wand isn't registering properly," said the wizard.
"What if I leave my wand here?" asked David. "After all, I'm underage so I can't use it anyway." All three wizards looked at David in surprise. It made sense, but who had ever heard of a wizard giving up his wand like that?
"Very well," said the security wizard holding on to the wand.
"Change quickly," said Sirius, looking anxiously at his watch. They did not really have time for this, but David needed to make a good impression and he was unlikely to do so in muggle clothing.
David entered the gents and quickly pulled on the robes he had been carrying in a bottomless bag.
"Harry?"
David pulled the robes over his head and readjusted his glasses. Looking up he saw Cedric lurking by the sink.
"Cedric."
"Harry, there're rumours... well, what I mean to say is good luck today. They seem to be leaving me alone while they go after you, since you're the one who said You-Know-Who is back and I had to say I didn't see that... not that I don't believe you... but there are people who have too much invested in the status quo to let you say such things."
"Figured as much," said David. "Look, I've gotta go, Cedric... Wish me luck!"
"I do wish you all the luck in the world," said Cedric. "Owl me afterwards?"
"Sure thing," said David and he dashed out to find Sirius waiting impatiently with Arthur Weasley. Mr Weasley led David and Sirius up to the lifts.
"No, the down one Sirius," said Mr Weasley as Sirius was about to step into a lift. "They're holding it down in…"
"Not in the courtrooms?" asked Sirius. "Surely they wouldn't… not a little thing like underage magic?"
"Yes they are, courtroom ten, you know the way don't you? I must get going. Thank goodness you're so early."
David and Sirius stepped into a lift going down and descended several floors before the 'Department of Mysteries' was announced. "It's along here," said Sirius. "And down here and then round this corner and hopefully," he looked at his watch, "yes, just in time. In you go. I'll be here when you come out and we'll deal with whatever happens. I'm not allowed in. Good luck!"
David pushed open the door and walked inside the courtroom. It was large and semi-circular, with the full Wizengamot present looking down at him. "Please sit!" said Minister Fudge who was presiding. David walked over to the chair in the middle and sat down. There were chains around the chair and they clanked menacingly, but did not bind him to the chair and David knew they did prisoners. He might be up in front of the Wizengamot but he was not a prisoner, yet. He looked around and took heart. Dumbledore was standing beside the wall.
Fudge began to speak, starting the hearing. David was wondering what the Minister for Magic was doing personally conducting the court for such a minor matter. He brushed Dumbledore's surface thoughts.
"He's scared," thought Dumbledore. "Scared that we might be right and Voldemort has returned. He'd prefer to think that you and I are plotting against him." David looked up at Fudge and decided Dumbledore was right. Dumbledore himself should have been sitting with the rest of the Wizengamot but he was not… David remembered that Dumbledore had lost his place, that had been in the newspaper earlier in the summer. Yes, Fudge was scared. But was he scared enough to expel an innocent teenager for something that was not so serious even had he been guilty?
"Please state your name," said Fudge. David was startled out of his reverie and looked at him blankly. "What are you called, boy?" repeated Fudge. David could answer that one.
"Harry James Potter," he said.
"Very well. Are you, Harry James Potter, aware that it is illegal for an underage wizard to do magic."
"Yes sir," said David.
"And are you also aware that it is illegal to do magic in front of a Muggle?"
"Yes sir," said David.
"And did you, Harry James Potter, use magic outside school?" David felt Dumbledore's thoughts. He remained silent. Fudge reiterated his question. "Did you use magic outside school on the second of August last at the house of Mr and Mrs Dursley, No. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?"
"No sir," said David confidently.
"No?" said Fudge.
"No."
"I think that rather sums things up doesn't it," said Dumbledore.
"He's lying," said Fudge. "I will sanction the use of veritaserum in this case."
"You can't Minister," Percy Weasley, the court scribe, whispered to Fudge. "Potter is too young, it is dangerous and will most likely not work, certainly any information obtained that way would be inadmissible in court." Fudge looked around and saw that the members of the Wizengamot were also muttering among themselves along the same lines.
Fudge tried another tack. "Where were you on the morning of second of August last? At the time of thirteen minutes past eleven?"
"I was at No. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey," said David.
"And why were you there?" asked Dumbledore.
"I was there because I had read in the Daily Prophet that there had been a Dementor attack and I was concerned about the Dursley family with whom I used to live," said David.
"And being concerned, you naturally cast a diagnostic healing charm to check on your relatives?"
"No," said David.
"Where was your wand at this time," asked Madam Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement.
David entered Dumbledore's head swiftly and suggested his answer. Dumbledore agreed with it.
"In my school trunk, in the box room at home," David said.
"Well, Minister," said Madam Bones, "I don't think that the case against Mr Potter has been proved. Unless you have further evidence to bring, I suggest you put it to the vote."
"All those in favour of conviction," said Fudge wearily. He was not going to win this one. A few hands were raised around Fudge's seat. "Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" The overwhelming majority of hands were raised. David was acquitted.
Dumbledore left and David followed him out. "I'll see you on September the first, Mr Potter," said Dumbledore and he swept off. Sirius looked hopefully at David.
"I assume that means you're still at Hogwarts?" he said. "That is if I decide it is safe enough there for you to return."
"I'm so glad that's over," said David. They walked back to the lifts and out into the atrium. David retrieved his wand from a still puzzled security wizard and they left the Ministry. David and Sirius walked back home, they passed a children's playground full of young children enjoying the sunshine. "It's all going to change, isn't it," said David looking at the children having fun without a care in the world.
"Yes," said Sirius, "But we are going to fight for what we have, and you're helping."
"Good," said David. "I want to help."
They entered Headquarters to find a large cake iced with the words, "Congratulations for not being expelled, yet!" Hermione had been responsible for the words but Mrs Weasley had made the cake. Everyone there, that meant the Weasleys and Hermione since everyone else was at work, either their main jobs or their Order jobs, joined in wishing David well. Fred and George patted him on the back and placed a large number of their new products in his pockets without him noticing. He found them later that day.
David and Sirius left and apparated back to Lions' Den. Remus and Severus were waiting for them.
"Congratulations Small One," said Remus.
"Yes, congratulations David," said Severus. "We hear that your Legilimency skills are very well developed now. Professor Dumbledore was quite impressed." David smiled.
David excused himself and went to send an owl to Cedric. He had not thought of keeping in touch with the elder boy, but seeing him again had made him wonder why he had not done so. He supposed that he was just unused to the idea that someone, who was not a very close friend, would want to hear from him.
To David's astonishment he got a reply from Cedric by return of owl.
"Dear Harry," it read.
"I am so relieved to hear that you haven't been expelled. I'm still very junior here at the Ministry, I haven't even been assigned a permanent department yet. Next week I'm working with your friend Ron's dad, Arthur Weasley in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, so at least that should get me out of the office a bit. Otherwise it's pretty boring here.
"Harry, please be careful. There are rumours that someone high up has it in for you. People are being asked to escalate any case where your name comes up. I can't think that a Dementor attack in your last known location is a coincidence. The Dementors are controlled by the Ministry. I fear that you may be under attack from both fronts.
"Take care of yourself, and do write back soon,
"Cedric."
David stared at the letter. He wondered whether someone in the Ministry had got wind of the truth. Too many people knew of his true identity for comfort.