All characters and events that you recognise from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K Rowling. Any others belong to me.
Enjoy :)
Harry and Ron trudged upstairs to bed, thoroughly exhausted. Yet, Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep.
The anxiety that had remained dormant in his stomach suddenly erupted and filled him with consuming dread.
Hogwarts had been his home for the last four years, and the thought that he might never return was terrifying.
Harry lay flat on his back under his duvet, staring at the ceiling. He was filled with an aching hollowness that threatened to consume him.
He gulped, taking off his glasses and closing his eyes.
He lay there for hours, attempting to will himself to sleep. Eventually, it came.
He was walking through a dark corridor. There was a door at the end. He sped up, desperate to get through.
Suddenly the dream changed, he was in the graveyard. "Kill the spare" a voice ordered. Cedric's lifeless corpse flew through the air and landed beside him. "No Cedric!" Harry yelled.
He shot up in bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. Ron was stood beside him, his face wrinkled with worry. The door opened and his parents ran through in dressing gowns. He could hear Mrs Black screaming in the hallway.
"We heard a yell, what's going on?" Fred and George appeared in the doorway.
Harry groaned and fell back into the pillow. He shared a glance with Ron who instantly knew what he was thinking.
"It was just a nightmare guys. Off you go." Ron shooed the twins away and left to head off anyone else.
Lily and James stood at the foot of Harry's bed, unmoving.
"Harry?" Lily whispered.
"I'm okay. It was just a nightmare." Harry responded, staring at the ceiling again.
"Do these happen often?"
"Yeah." Harry sighed. "Every night since June."
"What did you see?" She whispered again.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just a nightmare." He responded flatly.
"Will you be okay?" James asked
"Yeah. I always am."
With that, he turned on his side and closed his eyes. Lily softly kissed him on his forehead.
They left as Ron entered and laid down in his bed.
Two hours later, he awoke.
He quietly changed so as not to wake the snoring Ron, and tiptoed down to the kitchen. Trying not to think that they may never share a dorm in Hogwarts again, or catch the train together, or ride in the carriages and dig in at the feast, Harry pushed open the door.
His parents, Mr and Mrs Weasley and Sirius were already up when he walked in, and fully dressed.
"All right Harry?" Sirius yawned.
He nodded and sat down as Mrs Weasley pushed a plate of toast in front of him.
"H-how am I getting there?" He asked, feigning disinterest.
"I'm going to take you into work with me." Arthur said gently, "you'll wait in my office for a bit and then we'll go on down."
Harry nodded, attempting to gulp down his toast. It was like chewing cardboard.
"It will all be over soon, sweetheart." Lily smoothed his collar.
"Yeah, in a few hours you'll be cleared." James continued.
"The important thing to remember is to keep your temper in check." Sirius reminded him, "We would come with you but the ministry is undertaking a rigid checking system. We wouldn't be able to get through. All magic leaves traces, even concealment charms."
Harry nodded and Mr Weasley checked his watch.
"We had best go, Harry. We'll be a bit early but better early than late."
Harry nodded again, the panic settling in his stomach. His parents, Sirius and Mrs Weasley each embraced him tightly.
"Good luck, Harry"
"We've all got our fingers crossed!"
He smiled weakly, and followed Mr Weasley through the hallway and out into the misty dawn. Mr Weasley kept his hand clenched around his wand in his jacket as they walked briskly through London. They slipped down a bright street where a traditional, red postbox sat on the corner.
"After you, Harry." Mr Weasley gestured.
Harry raised an eyebrow and stepped in, Mr Weasley following. They stood inside the cramped box, and Mr Weasley reached for the telephone. He dialled 2-4-4-2, and a woman's voice sounded in their ears.
"Welcome to the ministry of magic. Please state your name and purpose, then head through into the atrium to present your wands and undergo security checks."
"Arthur Weasley, misuse of muggle artefacts office. And Harry Potter, disciplinary hearing."
"Welcome." Two badges fell out into a tray below the apparatus, which they both picked up and pinned to their shirts.
"Mr Weasley, if they don't believe us then what's with all the security?" Harry asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I think it's to intimate those who do believe, but we can't be certain."
Harry nodded, as the telephone box gave a shudder, and moved down under the ground. After a while, it stopped and the door flung open. Mr Weasley stepped out into a bright hall, where witches and wizards alike bustled around.
The hall was lined with black tiles and golden grout, so it appeared to glow. The ceiling was tall and high, and multiple fireplaces lined the walls. Every several seconds, a witch or wizard would step out of them, quite nonchalantly, and walk away to attend to their business. Where the hall opened up at the end to form a larger room, a fountain sat in the center.
As they passed the fountain, Harry noted that it read: 'all proceeds given will be donated to St Mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries.'
He swore to put in a few galleons when leaving, expelled or not.
Mr Weasley lead them over to a queue on the right. Eventually, they made it to the front, and a portly wizard sat behind a desk with a curious set of scales and what looked like a body scanner typically found at an airport.
"Names." He said boredly, not even looking up.
"Arthur Weasley, misuse of Muggle Artefacts." The wizard nodded and inclined his head towards the scales on his left.
Mr Weasley places his wand on the scales, and the wizard nodded and handed it back. He indicated for him to walk through the scanner on his right.
The scanner lit up green as Mr Weasley walked through and stood waiting at the other side.
"Now you." The wizard asked. "What's your name and business?"
"Harry Potter." The wizard looked up sharply and immediately stared at his scar. "Disciplinary hearing."
The wizard raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly maliciously.
"Place your wand on the scales, Mr Potter." He elongated his name.
Harry complied warily.
"We will keep this until after your hearing. After all, we may need to break it and we can't have you sneaking it out can we." He waggled his finger irritatingly and shook his head condescendingly.
"Right." Harry said, biting his tongue.
"Step through the scanner please."
Harry walked through and breathed a sigh of relief when it lit up green. The wizard clearly looked disgruntled at not being able to inspect him or get him in trouble.
Mr Weasley took Harry by the elbow and steered him away, towards a circular room full of lifts.
"What was that scanner Mr Weasley?" Harry asked as they waited.
"It checks for enchantments and concealment charms. Which is why we had to come alone." He whispered the last part, cautiously peering around his shoulder.
Harry nodded as the lift arrived. The golden grilles opened and Harry and Mr Weasley stepped inside with the crowd. Harry found himself jammed by the side next to Mr Weasley.
The doors closed and the lift juddered downwards.
A number of curious people entered and exited the lift, none of them noticing Harry, who realised that that was probably Mr Weasleys intention, who had moved to stand infront of him.
Eventually, the pair left the lift and walked through a large corridor lined with doors.
The corridor was empty save from a bald black man who was walking closer to them.
"Arthur will you follow me, I've been wanting a word" Kingsley said carelessly, almost as though they didn't know each other.
"We'll have to be quick. I'm in rather of a hurry."
Kingsley nodded sharply, turned on his heel and lead them through into an office filled with cubicles and workers dressed in purple robes.
They rounded a corner and Harry stifled a gasp. Pictures of Sirius lined the walls. There was even one of him at James and Lily's wedding.
"I need you to provide us with as much information as possible about flying vehicles sighted in the last 18 months." He said brusquely, shoving a piece of parchment into Arthur's hand. "And don't take too long. The last time you held up our case for three months."
He tipped Harry an enormous wink and whispered to Arthur: "give this to Sirius. I think he'll get a laugh or two from it." He pushed a newspaper titled 'The Quibbler' into Mr Weasleys hand and bid them good day.
Harry and Mr Weasley stepped out of the office and into one the size of a single bed.
Two desks were crammed in and Harry noted all the pictures of cars and engines that Mr Weasley had plastered onto the walls.
Arthur closed the door, conjured an extra chair and asked Harry to sit down.
"Kingsley is in charge of the hunt for Sirius. He's been feeding them false information. As I understand it, they currently believe that Sirius is hiding in an apartment in Minsk." Mr Weasley chuckled slightly.
A small man rushed in, his hat askew.
"Morning, Perkins." Mr Weasley said brightly.
"Arthur, quick! They've moved Potter's hearing! It starts at 8 and is in courtroom ten! Hurry!!"
"Merlin's beard!" Arthur leapt out of his seat. "Thank you Perkins! QUICK Harry!"
They both charged out of the room towards the lifts, and Mr Weasley frantically pushed one of the buttons. They hopped into one as it arrived, and sped down.
"Stay calm, Harry. You've done nothing wrong. It was a life-threatening sitiuation. You'll be okay."
Before Harry could respond, the grilles slid open and they rushed out and down a dark corridor which was illuminated by an unknown light source. There was a single door at the end, with a sign 'the Department Of Mysteries' on the wall beside it. They didn't enter, but turned left and bounced down a corridor until they were outside a door engraved with the words, 'Courtroom 10'.
"Good luck Harry."
"Are you not-"
"I'm not allowed. Quick!"
Harry gulped, pushing open the door.
The courtroom looked exactly like the one that he had viewed in the pensieve in his fourth year, except slightly smaller. He gasped as he remembered that this was where the Lestranges had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. There was a single wooden chair in the middle.
Benches lined the walls at increasing heights, and all the wizards and witches wearing black robes immediately stopped talking as he stepped through the door.
The walls were plastered with black tiles, the ceiling was high and a chandelier hung from the center. Harry recognised the minister for Magic sat at the highest point on a sort of pedestal. There were two women that he didn't recognise either side of him. The one on his left was half swallowed by the shadows. And the other had grey hair and rectangular glasses. She watched Harry with mild curiosity.
"You're late." A voice called.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't know that the time had been changed." Harry stammered, his heart fluttering in his throat.
"That is not the fault of the Wizengamot. Take your seat."
He walked to the center of the room, his footsteps echoing ominously.
This was it.
He sat down gingerly, afraid that the metal clasps would bind his legs and arms to the chair as they had done to the Lestranges, but they didn't.
"Very well, now that the accused is present, we can commence. Is the scribe ready?" Fudge began, having dispensed of his jovial smile which he had worn every other time he had spoken to Harry.
"Yes sir!" An eager voice sounded from behind him: Percy Weasley.
"Very well." He repeated, "let us begin. The court is gathered for a Discuplinary Hearing today, on the 10th of August. Looking into a crime committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statue of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey." He said all of this without coming up for air, and Harry heard the rapid scratching of a quill coming from behind him.
His heart thumped furiously against his Adam's apple in his throat.
"Interrogators Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Court Scribe, Percy Weasley-"
"Witness for the Defense" a familiar voice resounded from behind him, causing several gasps and smiles from the witches and wizards in the rows of seats. The semblance of a malicious smile which had remained on Fudge's face when he was speaking, vanished. And was replaced with clear dislike.
"Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore" the voice continued. Dumbledore strode up next to Harry, conjured a chair and sat down, gazing intently at the minister. He wore pale blue robes and his long beard gleamed in the light. He wore a perfectly serene expression, even quite cheerful, yet his eyes weren't twinkling.
"So you got our message that the time and place of the hearing had changed then Dumbledore?" Fudge asked quite spitefully.
"Oh no, I didn't. But, I've been here for three hours and ran into several people who pointed me in the right direction. They clearly thought it... unjust... to have a fifteen-year-old in what could be mistaken for a criminal trial completely by himself."
A few witches and wizards looked slightly guilty, others looked slightly frightened. Fudge appeared unfazed, but his hand was clenched on the podium in front of him.
The woman on his left, still submerged in shadows, whispered in his ear.
"Right. Charges" Fudge continued, "the charges are as follows: the accused did knowingly, with full awareness of the illegality of his actions and having received a warning on a similar charge three years ago, produce a Patronus charm, in the presence of a Muggle on the 1st of August. This constitutes an offence under paragraph C of the decree for the reasonable Restriction for Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section 13 of the International Confedoration of Warlocks' statue of secrecy. Are you Harry James Potter?" He asked, staring unblinkingly at Harry.
"Yes." Harry responded, meeting Fudge's gaze.
Some of the panic that had resided within him had disappated with the arrival of Dumbledore.
"Do you deny the charges?"
"Well, no-"
"Are you aware of the illegality of the nature of your actions?"
"Yes, but-"
"Are you aware that you are forbidden to use magic outside of school?"
"Yes, but-"
"Did you not receive an official warning three years ago for a crime of a similar nature?"
"Yes, I did, but-"
Harry was beginning to grow frustrated at this point.
"And yet you still conjured a patronus in the presence of a muggle, in a muggle inhabited area?"
"Yes. But I only did it beca-"
The witch sat on Fudges right cut across him in a booming voice:
"You produced a fully fledged Patronus?"
"Yes, but-"
"A corporeal Patronus?" She interjected again.
"A what, sorry?" He asked, slightly bewildered.
"As in it had a clear form, not just a whisp or vapour."
"Yes. It's a stag, always a stag." He responded, slightly confused as to why it mattered.
"Always? You have produced one before?" A witch in the second row asked.
"Yes. I've been doing it since my third year. A teacher taught me because the deme-"
The woman on Fudges right cut across again. "A corporeal Patronus at his age. Very impressive indeed."
The witches and wizards in the room began muttering or nodding their heads in agreement.
"It doesn't matter if it was impressive magic or not!" Fudge snapped, clearly flustered. "In fact, the fact that it was a corporeal Patronus makes it an even worse crime!"
"Yes well I only did it because of the dementors!" He said loudly, before he could be interrupted again.
Silence fell.
After a moment, the woman on Fudge's right spoke again. "Dementors? In little Whinging? What do you mean?"
"I mean that there were two of them and my cousin and I were nearly kissed!" He gushed, relieved to have finally gotten it out.
More silence.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Dumbledore sit up straighter, still watching Fudge.
He almost looked as though he was preparing for something.
Thank you for reading! By the way, I had to use some of the lines from the Order of The Phoenix book - with the certain paragraphs and techincalities of Harry's charges. That's why parts may look familiar.
As always, leave me any thoughts or comments in the review section.