A/N: I will go ahead and admit there is some duplication of the True Confessions chapter, however this includes the audience's reactions. I'd like to thank those who participated in the poll I had earlier on the sentence. I've also posted a new poll (I hope!) on Harry's Patronus form. Now, on with the show!
53. The Trial of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian DumbledoreLord Ogden then ordered the Aurors to bring in Albus Dumbledore. Again, Amelia led the prosecution. Once he was secured, she read the charges against him and asked him how he plead to them.
"I am sorry to say that I must plead guilty to them all," said Dumbledore.
There was a collective gasp throughout the room. The reporters in the press section were writing furiously. Once order was restored, Amelia continued.
"In order for the Wizengamot to understand the full extent of the charges against you and determine an appropriate sentence, we will continue the questioning under Veritaserum. Auror Shacklebolt, please administer the Veritaserum."
Kingsley walked over and administered the three drops of Veritaserum. After waiting the required minute, Amelia began her questioning. Dumbledore wasn't aware this was a special blend of Veritaserum created by Severus for those who were known or suspected to be immune to the normal potion. That finally dawned on Albus while his eyes turned glassy.
"Please state your full name."
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
"Mr. Dumbledore, to make this easier for all to follow, I will question you charge by charge. We'll begin with the charges regarding Harry James Potter. First we'll address the child endangerment charge. On the night of November 1st, 1981, did you leave Mr. Potter on the doorstep of one Petunia Dursley, muggle sister of Lily Evans Potter?"
"Yes."
"Did you ring the doorbell or knock to let them know that you were delivering their nephew to them?"
"No. I left a letter with the information about her sister's death and instructions for the care of the boy."
The first of many gasps ran through the audience.
"How was he wrapped?"
"Hagrid had wrapped him in a blanket that he found. I cast a warming charm on it."
"Do you know the approximate temperature that night?"
"No."
"According to the information I found, the low temperature that night was 35 degrees. Were you not concerned that the areas of the boy not covered by the blanket might suffer damage?"
"No. He was fine as he was."
"Did you make any provisions for someone coming by and taking him or him crawling away?"
"No. I did cast charms on the house so that no one branded with the Death Mark could enter."
The noise in the gallery crept up as each question was asked. Harry looked at Remus in alarm and mouthed 'he just dumped me there?'. Remus nodded sadly. Lord Ogden called for order again.
"What provisions did you make for the Dursleys to take Mr. Potter?"
"I told them that no one from the magical world would contact them until it came time for Harry to attend Hogwarts. I also told them that a stipend for his care would be set up in a Muggle bank and they would be notified of the amount and the account once it had been established."
"Where did the money for this account come from?"
"I took it from Harry's trust vault."
"Did you have permission to access that vault?"
"No."
"How were you able to gain access to his vault?"
"I found the key when I searched their home in Godric's Hollow after the event and appointed myself Harry's magical guardian. The goblins allowed me access with that. Once I set the account up, I had no further need to access the vault as the payment was automatic."
"Do you know how much was removed from Mr. Potter's vault?"
"The Dursleys were paid 1000 galleons each year on the anniversary of their accepting his care."
While there was whispering around the room, Harry just looked bored at that statement. He already knew about the payments. Still, it was one thing to know about it but another to hear Dumbledore confess to it.
"Speaking of his care, did you ever visit with him or the Dursleys after you placed Harry with them?"
"No, I promised them they would not be bothered by the magical world."
"How did you know if he was even alive after you placed him there?"
"I placed Arabella Figg in a neighboring house. She is a squib and, as such, is aware of the magical community. I also had monitoring charms on Harry."
"Did you receive regular reports from her?"
"Yes. At least once each month she would send an owl letting me know how Harry was doing. If something important happened, she would floo call me. I had set up a floo node in her home for emergencies."
"Please give the court a summary of her reports over the years?"
"She said she often saw Harry out in the garden weeding the flower beds, mowing the lawn or washing the car. Many times she would see him being chased by his cousin and some of his friends."
"Did she say if he ever appeared injured?"
"Yes. Several times. She reported seeing him limping quite severely once. When she asked Harry what happened he said he tripped on the stairs."
"Did she spend much time with Mr. Potter?"
"Yes. Whenever the Dursleys would go out of town or needed to be away for the day she would babysit him."
"And did she report these occasions to you?"
"Yes. Usually each time."
"Why?"
"She told me he appeared extremely small for his age. When he was smaller, she would help him bathe and she said he was quite undernourished. When he was with her, he rarely ate more than a few bites regardless of what she served him. She also reported seeing bruises all over his body many times. She said he never had any clothes of his own but always wore his cousin's cast-offs."
"Didn't these reports cause you concern?"
"Yes. However, I knew that Petunia had no love of magic and had a son of her own to take care of. I did not think she would deliberately harm her nephew."
Harry felt Minerva put a hand on his arm while Remus put one around his shoulders. Arthur also reached down and patted him on the back. Knowing about it and hearing Dumbledore admit it was a bit much for him to take in. He was trying to maintain a stoic front, but every now and then, a tear escaped.
"If you suspected there could be abuse or neglect, why didn't you personally check on him?"
"I did not believe this was abuse, just that he was not treated as well as their son and we all know children have certain quirks. I believed that a certain amount of humility would serve the child well when he returned to our world."
Augusta Longbottom had been exchanging glances with Sirius throughout this part of the testimony. While trying to maintain her poise, she was horrified at what she was hearing. Apparently Amelia knew more than she was letting on to preserve some semblance of dignity for the child. She would ensure the time she spent with him in the future would provide him with the tools he would need to lead an Ancient and Noble House.
"Why did you place Mr. Potter with the Dursleys instead of a magical family?"
"Petunia Dursley was the only remaining blood member of Harry's family. I felt that superseded all other options."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No. I believed that if Harry was brought up in a magical family, he would be spoiled and worshipped as The Boy Who Lived and not just Harry Potter. I also believed that keeping the knowledge of the magical world from him until he was ready to attend Hogwarts would be to his benefit."
"How so?"
"Harry has the potential to be a very powerful wizard. I've known too many of similar strength who have let this power go to their heads and, as a result, used their power for evil instead of good. We needed Harry to remain with the Light."
"Mr. Dumbledore, do you know whether the Potters left a will?"
"They did."
"Can you tell us what happened with it?"
"They left a will with their Gringotts account manager. I knew that until Harry requested it to be read, it would be sealed."
"And what of the will that was filed with the Ministry?"
"It was a fake that I fabricated and then sealed as was my right as the Chief Warlock."
There were shouts of 'That's absurd!', 'You didn't!' and 'That's stepping way over bounds!' and other similar comments coming not only from the gallery but also from members of the Wizengamot. Needless to say, any friends he thought he had were rapidly dwindling away.
"Were you aware of the Potters' wishes regarding who should care for Mr. Potter should something happen to them?"
"When Harry was born, I knew they had asked Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom to be his godparents. I believe Sirius had also suggested the Tonks as another alternative. Minerva had always said that if anything happened she would love to care for Harry as well."
"Did you know of their wishes regarding Petunia Dursley?"
"I knew they were estranged and she had no love for Petunia anymore."
"Let's move on to other areas. Did you place a bind on Mr. Potter's magic when he arrived at Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"When I scanned his magical core, it was even larger than I had first thought. I felt that if Voldemort's followers were aware of the power he possessed he would be in even greater danger. When the time was right, I would remove the bind and Harry would take his place with the great wizards of our time."
"You are aware that it takes time once a bind is removed for a wizard to adjust to their magical abilities?"
"Of course."
"Were you aware that the Potters had placed a bind on Mr. Potter's magic as an infant?"
"Yes. I instructed James on the proper way to place it. To my knowledge, it was due to release on his tenth birthday in order for his core to stabilize before he came to Hogwarts."
"How much did you restrict Mr. Potter's core?"
"He had use of sixty percent of his magical core."
Again gasps and mutterings were heard around the room. Binding a wizard's magic once they had come of Hogwarts age wasn't heard of! Even Snape scowled at this discussion.
"You said earlier you'd placed monitoring charms on Harry. Please describe them for the court and when they were placed."
"I placed an owl redirect so that any owl other than a Hogwarts owl would bring any mail to me. I placed a tracking charm so that I would be able to find him regardless of where he was. I also cast an aversion charm for anyone named Dursley."
"What was the intent of these three charms?"
"The owl redirection charm was so that the Dursleys would not be bombarded by owls day and night since they lived in a muggle neighborhood. I did adjust it after Harry arrived at Hogwarts and made friends with the Weasley boy and to account for his own owl. The tracking charm was mostly for his safety in case someone abducted him I would be able to find him. The aversion charm was so that he and the Dursleys would not have a favorable relationship."
"Did you expect the aversion charm could lead to abuse on the Dursleys' part?"
"I knew that was a possibility."
"Regarding the owl redirection, did you ever make Mr. Potter aware that he had mail that had accumulated over time?"
"Yes."
"When was this?"
"Two weeks ago when I met with him, Sirius Black and yourself."
"My final question regarding Mr. Potter and his family is whether you placed any charms on the house specifically as well as the Dursleys individually?"
"Yes."
"Please tell us when they were placed and who they were placed on."
"The night I left Harry with them, I cast an owl redirection charm as well to ensure the owls would stay away from them. I also cast one that would repel anyone with the Dark Mark. Then I cast one to repel anyone with ill intent towards anyone living in the house. Finally I cast anti-apparition and anti-portkey charms on the house so no magical person could come upon them unexpectedly. A year after I left Harry there, I cast compulsion and aversion charms on the Dursleys against anyone named Potter. I also cast an anger charm on the adult male Dursley which would make him overreact to any situation that elicited anger."
"Were you worried that the combination of these charms could result in severe injury or possibly death to Mr. Potter?"
"I trusted Arabella to let me know if anything got out of hand."
"You said you promised the Dursleys they would not be visited by anyone from the magical community if they took Mr. Potter. How were you able to cast the later charms on the Dursleys?"
"Arabella told me they were going to visit Hyde Park and were leaving Harry with her. I disillusioned myself and cast them then."
"And you aware that it is against the law to place any charms on a muggle?"
"Yes."
"Why did you do this?"
"It was for the greater good. It ensured Harry would be a humble boy when he arrived at Hogwarts and would readily accept my guidance."
"Once he began at Hogwarts, was there any reason for him to go back to the Dursleys each summer? Could he not have stayed with friends such as the Weasleys?"
"No. However, to maintain the illusion for the Dursleys that they were protected by ancient magics by taking him in, Harry had to go back for a time each summer."
If there weren't wards suppressing accidental magic on the chamber, quite a few things would have blown up by that point. The people surrounding Harry were all talking to him and trying to get his attention in order for him to calm down. Severus reached into his robes and pulled out a vial, handing it to Remus with a curt 'calming draught'. Remus got Harry to drink half of it and soon he settled back down. The representatives of the press were again writing furiously describing the scene in the chamber. If it weren't for the fact that photography was forbidden in there, there was no doubt there would have been pictures of a very angry Harry Potter on the front pages of all the wizarding presses as well as descriptions on the WWN.
"I believe we have covered the items regarding Mr. Potter so let us turn to the events regarding Sirius Black. Did you direct that Lord Black be sent directly to Azkaban after he was captured?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I believed at the time that he had committed the crimes he was accused of and it would be best to move him out of the Ministry holding area for security's sake."
"Did you discuss your decision with Bartemius Crouch, Senior and Cornelius Fudge?"
"I told Barty that it would be in the Ministry's best interest to move him out immediately to avoid an attempt by Voldemort's followers to rescue him."
"Did you believe Lord Black was a follower of You Know Who?"
"I did not want to believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming. I knew there were other Death Eaters who would be captured and we could use the space in the Ministry for them."
"How were you able to convince Mr. Crouch and Mr. Fudge to cooperate?"
"I cast a mild compulsion charm on them. Once the paperwork was signed and Sirius was moved to Azkaban I removed it."
That statement got another round of muttering going around the room. Lord Ogden quickly brought the room back to order.
"Once things had settled down, did you make any attempt to ensure Lord Black was given a trial?"
"No."
"Why?"
"By then I had Harry settled at the Dursleys. I knew that if Sirius was found innocent of the charges for some reason, he would immediately want custody of Harry and that just wouldn't do. I needed Harry to remain with the Dursleys."
Of course now Sirius was the one needing the calming drought, but he had better control of his outward emotions to not let it show quite as much as Harry.
"Do you regret not having a trial for Lord Black after what you now know?"
"No. There are some things that must be sacrificed for the greater good and this was one of them."
If there weren't charms to protect the defendant, many of the purebloods in the chamber would have hexed Albus then and there. They were surprised that charges of attempted line theft had not been included as sending Sirius to Azkaban for life would have effectively ended that branch of the Black line.
"Let us turn to your actions while Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Did you place charms on Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape and Poppy Pomfrey?"
"Yes."
"Please describe each of them and when and why they were placed."
"I placed a compulsion charm on Minerva shortly after we placed Harry with the Dursleys. She disagreed with my leaving Harry with them. I needed her cooperation to ensure he remained where he was and for her to not question my actions. I placed an aversion charm on Severus when he was a second year. He was much too close to Lily Evans and it wouldn't do for Gryffindors and Slytherins to be seen together. I knew that James Potter had taken an instant liking to her so it made sense to do that in order to break up their relationship. Once they graduated, I saw no reason to remove it. When Severus began teaching at Hogwarts, it was even more important to keep that charm so that when Harry arrived, he would continue the grudge. As for Poppy, I knew that she normally gave students an extended health scan when students first come to the hospital wing. I had her ignore any signs of abuse first on Severus and then again on Harry. These were necessary circumstances."
Both Minerva and Severus were ready to beat the old man senseless but you wouldn't know it by looking at their faces. Minerva did her Scottish heritage proud while Severus had so much experience keeping an unexpressive face. Severus had reinforced his Occlumency shields to help keep his emotions in check.
"Finally, I'd like to look at events of the past two years. Did you bring the Flamel's Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts?"
"Yes."
"For what purpose?"
"I had an indication that Voldemort's spirit had inhabited a body and was trying to return fully. By placing the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts, I was hoping to lure him to it and capture him once and for all."
"Did you take any precautions to ensure its safety?"
"Yes. I had several of the professors build traps to protect it."
"Did you also warn the entire student body on the first night to stay away from the corridor that housed the Stone?"
"Yes."
"Did you not think that would encourage students to investigate further?"
"Of course; especially students like the Weasley twins. I was sure once the word got out that the reason it was off limits was because there was a Cerberus living there, the curiosity would go away."
"Were you aware your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was possessed by the spirit of You Know Who?"
"I suspected as such. He had taken a sabbatical in Albania to further study the Dark Arts the previous year. I was aware of the possibility that Voldemort's spirit was also in that area. When Quirinus returned permanently wearing a turban and had begun to stutter, I suspected that he had possibly been possessed. I was not able to confirm it until after Harry had confronted him."
"So a first year student was able to get through all of your protections?"
"Actually there were three of them, Harry and his friends Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley."
"But you saw no problem setting the trap for You Know Who in a school full of children."
"There was no danger to them. The stone was well protected as I said."
"How was You Know Who finally identified and what happened to him?"
"I cannot say for certain as to how he was defeated, I can only go by what Harry told me after I got there."
"You were unaware three first year students had gone after the stone?"
"No. I had been summoned to the Ministry unexpectedly."
"And was there an urgent need here?"
"No. As soon as I realized it was a diversion, I immediately returned to Hogwarts. I was immediately accosted by Minerva and the other two children and told that Harry had gone after the stone. Once I made it through to the final chamber, I found Harry unconscious. He told me that Quirrell had unwrapped his turban and the face of Voldemort was sticking out the back of his head. When Quirrell tried to touch Harry, it burned his hands."
"And was Mr. Potter successful in removing the Stone and keeping it from You Know Who?"
"Yes. He held on to Quirinus until he perished and Voldemort's spirit was evicted from his body."
"And of Mr. Potter's condition?"
"He suffered a severe case of magical exhaustion, but nothing else."
The whole chamber shuddered at the casualness Dumbledore spoke of Harry's condition, especially with the knowledge that his magic had been bound.
"Let's discuss the events of last term. Can you tell us what happened on Halloween last?"
"We held our usual Halloween feast in the Great Hall. Nearly Headless Nick was also holding his Death Day celebration in one of the dungeons. As the feast broke up, I was made aware of a situation in one of the halls. Someone had written on the wall 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware.' Mr. Filch's cat was seen hanging from a torch bracket. She had been petrified."
"Were you concerned at this time?"
"No. There had been much speculation over the years about a fabled Chamber of Secrets and Slytherin's monster, but after many exhausting searches over hundreds of years, nothing had been found. I felt someone was playing a large prank, although I did not know at the time as everyone had been at the feast with the exception of Harry and his two friends. Nick and several other ghosts attested to their presence at Nick's party."
"Was that the only instance?"
"No. Over time, four other students and a ghost were also petrified."
In the back of his mind, Albus was wondering how she knew all of these details, but the Veritaserum overcame any ideas of challenging or evading the questions.
"Did you report these events to the Ministry?"
"Yes. I spoke to Cornelius concerning the last of the instances. As he was at Hogwarts the last time, he knew that Hagrid had been implicated. He said he was coming to Hogwarts and was going to take Hagrid into protective custody until the mystery of the petrifications could be solved."
"What about the Board of Governors?"
"I had not had time to do so, however, apparently Lucius Malfoy's son did and he arrived shortly after Minister Fudge with an order for my suspension."
"Did you notify the parents of those who had been petrified?"
"No. All of the students who had been petrified were muggleborn and I saw no reason to panic their parents. They would be fine by the time to return home for the summer holidays."
The chamber turned into total chaos at how casually he made this statement. It could have been one of their family members petrified.
"Were you there when the mystery was solved?"
"I arrived back shortly before Harry returned with the Weasley girl, young Mr. Weasley and Gilderoy Lockhart."
"And what was the final resolution?"
"Ginevra Weasley had been possessed by an artifact of Voldemort and had been the one who had written the words on the wall. The monster inhabiting the Chamber was revealed to be a basilisk. Harry had slain the beast and revived Miss Weasley."
All throughout the chamber it suddenly clicked in everyone's mind that the basilisk in the Chamber was the same one the Goblins were offering up for auction next month. Most had a new respect for Harry Potter.
"And the other students who had been petrified?"
"Professor Sprout had been growing a crop of mandrakes and once they had matured, we were able to brew the mandrake potion and revive them all. No student suffered permanent harm."
"Were any of these students seen by a mind healer after their ordeal?"
"No. As they had been in a state of suspended animation, there was no reason to do so."
"Once students began to get petrified, did you think to close the school until the source could be located?"
"I did not see a need. We were getting close to the end of year and we had a cure for those who had been petrified. The school would be empty and we would have ample time to search the castle again."
"Knowing what you know now about the Chamber, do you think you would have been able to discover what the monster was and where it was hiding?"
"Alas, no. It requires someone who speaks Parseltongue to gain entrance to the Chamber."
"Have you had a chance since then to go down into the Chamber?"
"Yes. I have also seen the slain basilisk as confirmation."
Amelia then rested the case against Albus Dumbledore and directed Shacklebolt to administer the antidote. Since he was not represented by counsel, she afforded him the opportunity to make a statement to the court which he politely declined. She then went through the list of victims who were present and offered them a chance to speak to the court. Minerva, Severus and Sirius all declined. When it came to Harry, he took a deep breath and rose.
"Albus Dumbledore, I once thought you were the greatest wizard alive. You were kind to me and encouraged me to become the wizard I was supposed to have been. I should have known when I asked you after first year if I could stay at the castle over the summer that there was a whole lot more that you weren't telling me. I even asked you why Voldemort kept trying to kill me and you refused to answer me saying I was too young to understand. You made me live with people who despised me and everything I was. You looked the other way when they treated me worse than a house elf and my cousin thought I was his private punching bag around. All I ever wanted was to be a normal kid in a normal family. You had the responsibility to see that Sirius was given a fair trial. Had you done that, I would have had my godfather to take care of me as well as another of my parents' best friends to tell me stories about them. I would have known about my responsibilities as the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House. I would have hopefully had friends. Because of you, I had none of that. As much as I would like to get angry with you because of all that I lost, I can't. All I can do is pity you and whatever it was that turned you into a bitter old man who got his greatest pleasure by interfering with the lives of everyone around him. Whatever punishment the Wizengamot gives you can never make up for what those of us you have wronged have had to live with and through."
With those words, Harry sat down. Once again he felt the touches of those who truly cared about him as he fought through the tears that finally came.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I ask that you accept Albus Dumbledore's guilty plea. As punishment for these many crimes, I ask that you strip him of his magic and sentence him to spend the remainder of his days in Azkaban prison. Were it not for his extensive knowledge of magic and his advanced age, I would have requested we remand him to the Muggle authorities as we do with most all squibs."
Lord Ogden rose from his seat, visibly affected by the testimony he had just heard. He had Harry's party escorted out, then he cleared the chamber for the deliberation and vote.
In the antechamber, Harry finally let all of the hurt and anguish that had been pent up inside him for so many years out. Remus held him as he had the young infant Harry, giving him assurances that everything really would be fine now. Minerva rested a hand on his back, rubbing it comfortingly, hoping to soothe the hurt the boy felt. The others in the room gathered around the tea service that had appeared, giving them a bit of privacy. It took a while for Harry to finally calm down, his sobs turning into hiccups turning into soft breaths of sleep. Remus let him stay like that for another ten minutes before he gently shook the young man awake.
"Harry, I know you want to rest and I'd love to let you do it, but you need to wake up now. Why don't you go freshen up then have some tea? We don't know when they will return with a sentence."
Harry grudgingly got up and went into the loo off the chamber. After taking a few deep breaths and splashing water over his face, he felt a bit better. He straightened his shoulders and rejoined the group, gratefully taking the cup of tea Remus pressed into his hands as well as a chocolate biscuit Minerva gave him.
Arthur was the first to speak to him, "Better, Harry?"
"Yeah, thanks Mr. Weasley."
"Do you require another calming draught, Mr. Potter?"
"No. Thanks, Professor Snape, for the one earlier. I'd have hated to have blown up the courtroom," Harry said with a strained chuckle.
"I'm sure everyone appreciates your restraint."
After another ten minutes, Emily came and ushered them back into the courtroom. Harry looked up at Sirius who gave him a questioning look. Harry nodded his head to let him know he was okay. Once everyone had returned to the courtroom, Lord Ogden called the court back into session then had Dumbledore brought back into the room. Once he had been secured, Lord Ogden proceeded to read the sentence.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, having plead guilty to all charges against you, we, the members of the Wizengamot, sentence you to be stripped of your magic and confined to Azkaban prison for the remainder of your natural life. We order that your worldly possession be divided as such: Five percent each to Minerva McGonagall, Poppy Pomfrey and Severus Snape; fifteen percent to Sirius Black; twenty percent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the remaining fifty percent to Harry Potter. Your abuse of power, regardless of your reasons, puts you in the company of wizards such as He Who Must Not Be Named and Grindelwald. May you suffer as you have made these people, and others, suffer. Court is adjourned."
As expected, pandemonium broke out among the gallery as well as the press corps. The Aurors surrounded Dumbledore and took him out to the Ministry holding cells. Emily came over and escorted Harry and his party to Amelia's office. Sirius joined them as they departed. The press members were clamoring for statements while members of the gallery were shouting to them 'We're behind you Harry!', 'We'll adopt you Harry!', 'Senile old coot!', 'Dementor's Kiss is too good for him' and other more colorful statements. Once in the Minister's office, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Minerva and Severus quickly took their leave and used the Minister's private floo to return to Hogwarts. Remus was staying the weekend with Sirius and Harry. Arthur then left, but not before extending an offer for dinner at the Burrow. Amelia arrived just then. She thanked them all for their help, then sent them on through the floo to rest and recover from the day.
The three floo'd to Potter Hall where, as usual, Harry had an arm full of Dobby.
"Harry! You be OK? Do you need Dobby to make you some hot chocolate? I have extra marshmallows."
"No, thanks, Dobby. But some tea would be good."
Dobby snapped his fingers and a tea service popped in to view with biscuits and a slice of the treacle tart from last night. Dobby knew how to spoil his master. The three wizards sat down and drank their tea in silence, contemplating the events of the day.
OoOoOoOoOo
Now that all of the trials, except for Lucius Malfoy's, were over, Amelia could focus on other, more pressing Ministry activities. She had developed a priority list of things she needed to do, one of which was to appoint someone to become the Director of International Magical Cooperation. They would need to make a decision quickly on whether or not to have the TriWizard Tournament next year. Personally, she was in favor of cancelling it.
There was just one more thing she had to do - witness stripping Albus Dumbledore of his magic. She'd heard of it being done before, but had never seen it. An Unspeakable would actually perform the spell. Dumbledore requested a few minutes with her before the sentence was carried out.
"Yes, Albus, what do you want?"
"If I could have a quill and parchment, I have a few other things I need to let Harry know about. You will give him my wand, won't you?"
"Yes, I will. Is there anything else you need for me to do?"
"No."
She had the jailer get the requested items and bring them to the cell. The jailer stayed with him while he wrote whatever it was he needed to write. This wasn't an unheard of activity at all. Many people who had been sentenced to Azkaban requested the same to write out their will if it hadn't already been done. It took Albus about twenty minutes to complete his missive before nodding to the jailer that he was done. The jailer then escorted him to the larger conference room. Besides Amelia, Rufus Scrimgeour was there representing the DMLE and Tiberius Ogden was there representing the Wizengamot as they were the ones pronouncing the sentence. There was also a healer present just as a precaution. Albus handed his letter to Amelia.
The Unspeakable stepped forward.
"Are we ready to proceed?" seeing nods all around, he began the task.
"Please remove the magic suppressing bracelets." The jailer stepped forward and released the bracelets on both of Dumbledore's wrists.
Seeing everything complete, he began waving his wand and chanting, "Auferent omnes offensionesmagicaeex hocveneficusanima. Magicismortalibus,aeternumerit."* When the last word was spoken, Albus Dumbledore fell to the floor, dead.
*A/N: According to Google translations, this is supposed to mean: Remove all magic from this wizard's soul. From magic to mortal for all eternity shall it be.
