Ch.21 - The Trial of the Year

The newspapers where relentless with the constant reminder about the impending trial of Vincent Crabbe Sr. and Gregory Goyle Sr. It was being set up as the biggest trial of the year. It hasn't even been 10 years since the Death Eater trials were finished. And now, everyone was being reminded of the war. [AN: I don't know if those are their real names.]

The people were expecting a quick and decisive execution of the Law. It was being broadcasted live on the WWN, something the Observer had suggested to the masses. The Ministry obliged the demands quickly when accusations of back dealings within the offices of the Ministry started going around.

Dumbledore normally would be the presiding judge since he was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. But, it was agreed that he would not seat in the trial due to his known 'bias' on issues that were related to the Dark Lord.

Minister Fudge was the second wizard to be considered for the role of judge, but he had decided to abstain as the judge to what could be one of the most important trials of his career. He would lose out regardless of the outcome of the trial. He would either damage his reputation among the public or be abandoned by his wealthiest supporters. Abstaining was the least painful option for him. Of course, he made some big speech that he was stepping down from the responsibility to ensure the fairness of the trial.

Amelia Bones eventually was chosen as the presiding judge for the trial. She was a witch known for her tough but fair attitude as the current Head of D.M.L.E. Alex remembered from the other timeline that she eventually succeeded the Minister's position after Fudge was dismissed, only to be killed personally by the resurrected Dark Lord. She could very well be the best option for a judge, thought Alex.

When the accused were brought in, they were escorted by a detail of Aurors and Hit-Wizards. The details of the case were read by the judge. Interestingly, Lucius Malfoy was not present in the trial.

Representing the accused was a barrister named Nott. Representing A.I.M. was Edward Tonks, Nymphadora's muggleborn father who interestingly became a member of the Association soon after its first public announcement.

Edward Tonks was actively involved in the Association, but other members of A.I.M. were wary of him in the beginning due to his pureblood wife. He had proven himself throughout the years and even volunteered to give several lectures regarding the wizarding Law to the other members. And now, he was entrusted with the first legal battle that the Association was facing.

Should he succeed in winning the trial, Alex would bring his name forward at a prospective member of the Order. As a rule, a person needed the sponsorship of four members of the Order before finally being invited. His addition in the Order would be a great boon if he could be more flexible with his strict adherence to the written Law.

"On the charge of Destruction of Property, how do the defendants plea?" asked the judge, Amelia Bones.

"After counselling, my clients have decided to plead guilty, your honour," said the defence lawyer, Nott.

"On the charge of Reckless Endangerment, how do the defendants plea?"

"Guity, your honour."

"On the charge of Attempted Murder, how do the defendants plea?"

"Not guilty, your honour."

Everyone already knew how guilty the defendants were even before the trial began. However, there was no such thing as a hate crime in the wizarding world. Tonks had to file for 'Destruction of property', 'Reckless Endangerment' and 'Attempted Murder' instead.

The fines for the two charges were decided by the judge based on the evaluation of the Wizengamot. The payment would be deducted from their Gringotts vaults by the order of the court. They were easy enough, just basing on the site of the crime, Tonks could easily win those cases. The opposing legal counsel had wisely conceded those charges. But, the accused could still avoid an Azkaban sentencing on those alone if they were willing to compensate the victim party.

Alex had made it clear to his people that he wanted the accused in Azkaban. And, he didn't want it to come to a situation where they would be forced to protest a guilty plea with a large compensation. It could paint the Association as being not willing to compromise and cooperate with the pureblood for the sake of maintaining order. He would rather lose the trial than be forced with the partial win.

At least, with a losing verdict, they could decry the conclusion of the trial and accuse the Wizengamot and the Ministry of being corrupted. It would be more chaotic, but it would also be a win for the Association in terms of public sympathy.

Therefore, Tonks had to push for the third charge of 'Attempted Murder'. The matter would depend on whether or not the accused knew that there was no one in the building during their attack.

In his opening statement, barrister Nott argued that his two clients were inebriated, during the absence. Therefore, they were not fully accountable for what they may have done.

To that, Tonks quickly put it to question whether or not the defendants had a hobby of allowing themselves to lose control of their actions while making allusions to their experience being under the Imperious curse. He was warned by the judge to keep his questioning relevant.

Tonks apologized to the judge, but, his words were already out there. He knew that the people that he truly needed to convince were the ones listening to their radio in their homes.

Then, Nott reasoned that his clients could not be guilty of Attempted Murder' because there was no one in the buildings during the incident question.

"But, how could they be sure of it?" was Tonks's next question. His point was if they had already claimed of being too drunk to control their actions, how could they know for sure that the building was empty?

Questions and accusations were thrown back and forth. When the defendants were finally on the stands, Tonks began questioning their motives behind their actions. He hadn't touched this topic since the beginning.

Because the Wizengamot always deals with cases involving magic, the motive or intent of the accused played a huge part in determining their verdict. Opportunity and methods could be explained away with magic. But if the intent did not contradict the result, the case would most likely be resolved with a guilty verdict.

Mr Tonks had chosen his moment well. His questioning became more loaded. The pace was becoming faster giving the defendants less time to think of their answer. He had even mentioned, as a side note, his muggleborn status and that his wife was a pureblood maiden from the proud Black family.

He got what he wanted. Crabbe and Nott had both lost their cool, spouting curses and insults toward him and his wife. Alex had admired Mr Tonks's conviction that he was willing to involve the name of his wife in the trial. Tonks was definitely Order material, he thought.

After that, the judge had called for a vote. Everyone had heard enough of Crabbe and Goyle. The vote was 17 for imprisonment and 4 against, with three undeclared votes. Each defendant was sentenced with 5 years of imprisonment in Azkaban.

5 years might have been a lenient punishment for Attempted Murder, but Alex didn't mind. Any Azkaban imprisonment was a huge accomplishment for them.

It was a big win for all the muggleborns in the country. Alex was truly relieved. Because Wizengamot trials were determined by voting, one could never be sure of the outcome. Back door deals were probably common. After all, the jury was selected from the same set of people each time. Any scheming person would find a way to contact the jury members before the trial even began.

Despite the rampant corruption, the Ministry was still a democratic government. The Minister of Magic was an elected official. Even if there was no limit in the number of terms a person could occupy the position, they need to be elected at least every seven years.

There had been muggleborn Ministers before, but, he could not imagine there being a muggleborn Chief Warlock ever. The Wizengamot is a club that had been very exclusive to purebloods.

There were 24 juries in each trial held by the Wizengamot. Each one had a vote and the judge had 1 deciding vote in case of a tie. Members of the Wizengamot consisted of witches and wizards of good standing. Most of whom worked for the Ministry. Some seats were reserved for those who were renowned like the recipient of an Order of Merlin award

For Alex, it was a very hard-earned win for the Association and the Order. They had already started infiltrating the Ministry. However, they had no reliable way to introduce their agents in the Wizengamot.

[AN: I'm making some of these up. I don't really know how the Wizengamot works, but I feel like this is pretty close to canon. See my note at the end for more details. Also, I'm not very knowledgable about the law and trial procedures, so I'm straining my thinking muscles a bit here (^~^). Let me know if you have any objections about this bit of court drama. I'll allow it.]

One amazing news that didn't get much reaction due to the on-going controversies that summer was the announcement of Alexander Grey being chosen to play as Seeker for the England quidditch team for the coming World Cup next year. The invitation had come shortly after his graduation from Hogwarts.

The games would start in March of next year with the finals held during the summer. Practice was set to start next September with one practice session every week, finally becoming a full-time commitment before the start of the Cup. Most players were professional quidditch players who had commitments in their pro-team, so, practice time was limited.

[AN: The Quidditch World Cup is held every four years, so 1990, 1994, so forth. England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales have separate teams in the World Cup.]

After the trial was concluded the Observer finally approached him for an exclusive interview. The newspaper company had enjoyed the boost in its business during the trial. So, they had decided to launch a monthly sports magazine that would have more in-depth articles all related to sports. This interview was to be for their first issue to be released in September.

He met with the reporter in the Leaky Cauldron where they rented a private room for the interview. The photographer and the other staff were already finished setting up the room and Tom, the barkeep, just delivered some snacks and tea for them to enjoy.

"Thank you for meeting with us," said the reporter. "My name is Jullian Henson, Sports Correspondent for the Observer, later, editor of the M-Sports Monthly."

"It's good to meet you. And thanks for having me," said Alex.

"Let's get started, shall we? For my first question, you started playing quidditch on your second year in Hogwarts, as a muggleborn student, how were you able to compete with the other players on the team who were probably playing the game since before coming to Hogwarts?" asked the reporter.

Alex was surprised that the reporter started with the muggleborn angle so soon. But, he understood that it was the hot issue at the time.

"I tried out for the team, just like everyone else. I've always liked the idea of flying, soaring in the sky, free as a bird. That is probably why quidditch appealed to me so much," said Alex.

"On your first game, you scored a goal as a Seeker for your team. As I understand, few Seekers in the world play as a scoring Seeker, what made you decide to play like that on your first officiated game?"

"To be honest, we were losing that game. We were playing the Gryffindor team if I remember correctly. They had a strong offensive team. Our strategy was to focus on defence while I look for the snitch. But I could not just wait for the snitch to show up, I had to intervene to create my own opportunities."

They talked about quidditch some more, and about his thoughts on the upcoming World Cup. Before closing, the reporter asked him about his opinion on the recent events.

"Mr Grey, you probably read about the big news recently, do have any thoughts about it? And about the Association?" asked the reporter.

"I'm optimistic. The Minister has promised that the ministry itself would promote more equality within its ranks. I think we'll see more muggleborns in the Ministry soon enough. As for the Association, I've become one of its members since last year. I really like what they're doing over there."

"Do you see yourself having a position in the Ministry one day?"

"Hm... It hasn't crossed my mind. But, our future is not yet decided. We can only do our best every day and hope for a better tomorrow."

"Fantastic. Do you have anything to say to your fans out there?"

"I just like to say something to my admirers, especially the young ones. A dream does not become a reality through magic. It takes hard work, determination, and perseverance. If you have doubt, just take the next step. Just like my grandfather once said to me, the cure for fear is action. So, just take the next step.

"Good. Really good. You'll be a great idol for our young readers. Why don't we end the interview right here? We'll start with the photographs over here. I just feel like you will be great in the future."

During the following months, Alex occupied himself with duelling training, meditations, and quidditch practices. His people were very capable of handling the affairs of the Order and the Association by that point. At times, he would have a spar with the best duelists from the 'Arms', as he never overlooked the importance of practical experience. When he had the time, he met with his friends who were also busy with their own endeavours.

When the special article about him was released, Katie and Clay teased him about it nonstop over dinner. 'Stop sounding like some wise old man', they said, commenting on his answers in the interview. But, they were very proud and happy for him. Alex had always been the wiser of them all. Then hoped that other people would appreciate that side of him

Katie had started her apprenticeship with a potions master. The forefront of the art of potions was very different from just learning the known potions in the Potions class in Hogwarts. Mastery of potions involved more research and experimentation. Her master pointed out that the path to mastery is where the good potions brewer got separated from the true potions masters. She was very happy to say that, thankfully, not every potions master was like Prof. Snape.

Clay, on the other hand, had taken more interest in his family business. He said that with the help of the Association, they could finally start expanding their business once again.

Clay had never brought it up, but, under disguise, Alex had actually dropped an anonymous package with a letter in Rosewoods' home personally. The letter informed them of the details regarding what truly happened with the former patriarchs of the Rosewoods Family. It had also alluded to the fates of the Travers, but asked them to keep the matter as a secret. In the package was the sum of all liquidated assets that were stolen from the Travers' home.

Alex had hoped that the news, tragic they may be, would finally allow the Rosewoods to mourn properly and start to move on with their lives.

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Note:

In this fic, the Wizarding Britain is more like an Oligarchy, where the few elites rule. This is more apparent in the Wizengamot where the Laws are written and passed. The Wizengamot here is not the same as how it is usually described in other fanfics, where Harry Potter can inherit his family seat, similar to the House of Lords in the U.K. In this fic, background, wealth, and reputation are required to be a member of the Wizengamot. Membership is probably be voted on by the current members, requiring a minimum amount of sponsorship. Hence, it is more exclusive from the muggleborns than the ministry.

There are many good people among the purebloods as well, like Dumbledore and the Potters, however, the Laws that they have to work with are laws written by the few elites designed to benefit the powerful and keep the status quo.

Because the jury of the Wizengamot trials is chosen among the same members of the Wizengamot, you can imagine that back door deals are more prominent here. And, because the majority vote rule, not a unanimous vote, it is practically very easy for the wealthy to get away with anything.

Disclaimer:

This work is not for profit. No copyright infringement intended. All recognizable characters, plot, setting, etc. are the property of J. and/or Warner Bros.