The entire chamber was stunned into silence by Amelia's proclamation. She sat back down, satisfied by the looks of shock on both Dumbledore's and Fudge's faces. Umbridge continued to scream and shout silently in her seat.

Dumbledore took nearly a minute to recover. He cleared his throat.

'Very well,' he said with a deep frown. 'Dolores Umbridge, you are hereby accused of murder, attempted murder, use of Unforgivable Curses, financial and material aid to known Death Eaters, and corruption. How do you plead?'

One of the Aurors unsilenced the toad. 'False charges!' she shouted, 'Brought up to discredit me for trying to bring about a proper wizarding – ' Umbridge was interrupted as she was silenced once more.

'Not guilty, then,' Dumbledore said. 'Madam Bones?'

Amelia stood up. 'Clearly, given the severity of the crimes accused, a Veritaserum interrogation is in order,' she announced, 'Robards, administer the potion.'

Robards – the Auror on the left – forced open Umbridge's mouth. She tried to bite the Auror as he tipped the potion into her throat. Instantly, her face grew slack and her resistance stopped. Robards unsilenced her once more.

Amelia turned to Umbridge with an unmistakable look of distaste on her face. 'Name?' she demanded curtly.

'Dolores Jane Umbridge.'

'Date of birth?'

'26 August 1945.'

'Wand?'

'Eight inches, birch, dragon heartstring.'

'Were you responsible for the instructions found on the dementor control medals that were discovered in your office last week?' Amelia began her questioning.

'Yes,' Umbridge replied monotonously, 'I personally gave the dementors their instructions.'

Amelia's face morphed into an look of disgust. 'What instructions?'

'To administer the Kiss to the brat Potter.'

Gasps of shock sounded all around the chamber – even from some members in the Dark faction. The entire Light and most of the Neutral factions was glaring at Umbridge with murderous eyes. Harry glanced over at Hermione. She was incredibly pale, probably from hearing about Umbridge's cold-blooded premeditated murder. Harry reached over and took her hand, squeezing tightly.

'Were you aware of the fact that you were attempting to remove Mister Potter's soul, and thereby, attempting to end his life?' Amelia continued, seemingly not noticing the commotion.

'That was the intended result,' Umbridge replied immediately. Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand to almost vicelike pressures. Harry did not complain or withdraw his hand.

'Were you aware of the potential for injury or death to bystanders who might have happened to be with Mister Potter, or otherwise muggles?'

'I was,' the pink toad answered. 'I sent two dementors on purpose. If the felon Black was with him, or better, the Mudblood girl, then I would have taken them both out in one go. As for muggles, any injuries or deaths would just be collateral damage.'

Never mind potential impropriety, Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulled her into his side. He could feel raw fury welling up inside him, like he would like nothing better than to curse Umbridge to smithereens right in the middle of the courtroom. But he remembered Sirius's warnings. As hard as it was, he reigned in his temper.

The Light and Neutral members of the Wizengamot were all fully sneering and jeering at Umbridge now. Veritaserum could compel the truth, but Umbridge's liberal use of slurs was completely of her own accord. Even some of the Dark faction were shaking their heads in disapproval at Umbridge's behaviour in front of the entire Wizengamot.

Amelia nodded. By the expression on her face, Harry thought that she was barely stopping herself from throwing up. With effort, she schooled her features.

'I conclude my questioning of the accused for this charge,' she announced, sitting down.

'Does the defence wish to question the accused?' Dumbledore asked.

Fudge looked like he had just swallowed an actual toad. He seemed to know that Umbridge's goose was cooked and shook his head. It seemed to Harry that Fudge was only focused now on how to save himself.

'Does the prosecution wish to call any witnesses?'

Amelia nodded. 'I call Mister Harry Potter to the stand.'

Hermione gave Harry's hand a small squeeze as Harry proceeded down to the courtroom floor. 'I consent to Veritaserum questioning,' he declared before Dumbledore even asked. The Chief Warlock simply looked at him with a disappointed frown on his face.

He was shown to an empty chair by the second Auror, who then dripped three drops of the potion onto his tongue. Again, he felt a sense of calm and a forceful voice in his head that urged him to the truth.

'Your name?' Amelia asked.

'Harry James Potter,' he answered without question.

'When did the dementor attack in question occur?'

'Last Thursday.'

'Describe the dementor attack.'

'I was walking home with Hermione from the park,' he recounted, the Veritaserum forcing him to give the full story. 'And suddenly, I felt an unnatural cold. We turned around and saw two large, cloaked dementors. We both cast our Patronuses and drove them off.'

Harry could hear indistinct muttering in the crowd. Through the potion's effects, he surmised that they must be talking once more of how two fourth-year students had learned the Patronus Charm. He felt his mouth being gently opened and the antidote being tipped in. His questioning was complete.

He rose to return to the stands. 'I now call Miss Hermione Granger to the stand,' he heard Amelia say.

As he passed Hermione, he nodded to her with a reassuring smile. Harry watched as Amelia posed to Hermione the same questions as she had given Harry. Her answers matched everything Harry had said. The defence once more refused to question Hermione.

Robards gave Umbridge the antidote as Dumbledore asked, 'Any other comments?' Amelia and Fudge shook their heads.

'I have a comment,' Umbridge simpered.

Fudge looked at his former Undersecretary and gave a slight shake of his head, silently discouraging her from digging her own grave any deeper. Umbridge did not heed this warning, however.

'Very well, Miss Umbridge,' Dumbledore said, 'You may speak.'

'Honoured witches and wizards of the Wizengamot,' she said in a horribly sweet voice. 'I hope that you were not misled by the awfully…biased…questioning earlier.' She again did not seem to notice that the glares from the Light and Neutral factions grew more intense than ever. 'These people – ' she pointed at Amelia, then at Harry and Hermione, ' – are simply trying to discredit me for attempting to do a deed to our society!'

Umbridge giggled as bile once more rose in Harry's throat. Hermione grasped his hand and squeezed tightly, keeping his temper at bay.

'What have we heard from young Mister Potter and his allies in recent months?' she asked rhetorically, 'You-Know-Who back from the dead? So-called Death Eaters at large, when we have obviously purged every last one who had remained free in the last few months? And what is this talk of prominent members of our society being killed in a muggle graveyard? Surely you can see that I am being accused of murder by murderers themselves!'

'Calm down, Harry, it's okay,' Hermione was whispering in his ear, 'She's just antagonizing everyone, she's making things worse for herself.'

That did not change the fact that she was saying those vile words, Harry thought, as Umbridge opened her mouth once more.

'And look at who's been telling you these lies!' she continued innocently. 'A fourteen- and a fifteen-year-old? And one of them cannot even be considered a…proper witch! All I ask is for you to consider: do you believe their word over that of an esteemed member of wizarding society?'

Hermione was firmly pressing Harry into his seat now. Harry saw red. His hand was already over his wand pocket. Hermione firmly grasped his right wrist and tugged it away, forcing him to keep control over himself.

'Thank you, Miss Umbridge,' Amelia managed to choke out. He turned to Dumbledore. 'Chief Warlock, I would like a vote concerning Dolores Umbridge's guilt on the charge of attempted murder.'

Dumbledore nodded with a small frown. 'All for conviction, please raise your wands.'

Every witch or wizard in the Light and Neutral side of the stands raised their wands. Surprisingly, even a select few in the Dark side of the room raised their wands. Harry noticed that they were looking at Umbridge with an almost pitying look at her idiocy.

'All for acquittal?'

A few members of the Dark faction raised their wands. It appeared that most of that faction was simply abstaining from the vote.

Dumbledore gave a loud sigh. 'Dolores Umbridge, you are hereby convicted on the charge of attempted murder. Prosecution, any further charges before sentencing?'

'Dolores Umbridge, you are accused of murder and the use of Unforgivable Curses,' Amelia's voice boomed, 'Robards, Veritaserum.'

Umbridge kicked and screamed again as Robards administered the truth potion for the second time. Once more, she was only silenced when the potion touched her tongue.

'Dolores Umbridge, have you ever cast one of the Unforgivable Curses on another witch, wizard, or muggle?' Amelia asked.

'Yes.'

'Which curses?'

'The Killing Curse on one witch; the Cruciatus Curse on three witches and wizards and eight muggles; the Imperius Curse on six witches and wizards and two muggles,' Umbridge answered. Once more, gasps reverberated around the room and the faces of many in the chamber bore scowls and glares.

'Have you ever murdered or successfully orchestrated a murder?'

'Yes.'

'On whom?' Amelia demanded, ignoring the gasps and shouts from the Wizengamot members. 'When, how, and for what reason?'

'I planned the death of the Mudblood Robert Fenbridge six years ago,' Umbridge answered in an even voice. Harry did not know if it was induced by the potion or if Umbridge was truly so remorseless about murder. 'He was an opponent of Cornelius's who had compromising material on him. He knew about his match-fixing with several Quidditch teams, facilitation of illegal gambling, and about half a million Galleons in bribes. He had to go. I hired an assassin from Sweden to administer a deadly poison to his evening meal.'

'Haaziq Shafiq, five years ago,' she continued without stopping. 'He was going to oust Fudge's illicit dealings with the Egyptian Ministry. He was a day away from going public with information about a one-million-Galleon bribe he took from the Egyptian Minister of International Magical Relations. I got rid of him with a Heart-Stopping Potion and bribed the Healers at St Mungo's to rule it as a heart attack.'

'The Auror Browyn Pritchard four years ago. She thought Shafiq's death was suspicious and was investigating it on her own accord. Naturally, she had to die. I sent her on a mission near a werewolf colony in Austria four days before the full moon. She was killed five days later.'

'Hans Muller,' Umbridge continued, 'He was a German criminal who was laundering Galleons that Fudge had received from Lucius Malfoy. Two years ago, he was intending to turn himself in to the German Ministry. An assassin was hired to kill Muller in his home in Aachen.'

'There's also the Wizengamot member Priscilla Li a few months ago. She was going to release information that would have ensured Fudge's removal in the motion of no confidence. I broke into her home and cast the Killing Curse on her as she slept.'

Amelia looked deathly pale at the revelations and Hermione was burrowing her face into Harry's shoulder, sobbing. Harry stroked her hair comfortingly. He himself felt like he was flitting between passing out and throwing up at the horrible woman's cold-hearted killings. Even Dumbledore had dropped his disappointed look and exchanged it for one of shock.

The chamber erupted in a cacophony of shouts and gasps. Dumbledore sent another blast into the air with his wand and the members quieted at once.

'I have one more question,' Amelia said shakily. 'Was Cornelius Fudge aware of these murders, as well as the attempted murder for which you have already been convicted for?'

'He knew,' Umbridge replied. 'He authorized the murders of Potter, Li, and Shafiq. He knew about the murder of Fenbridge after the fact. He personally asked for the deaths of Pritchard and Muller to be arranged.'

The Wizengamot's glare shifted from Umbridge onto Fudge. Harry, too, was glaring at Fudge with venom. He had thought the man was incompetent, foolish, power-hungry, but never once had he thought that he would be a murderer. Fudge seemed to cower under the gaze, his face rapidly losing colour. Dumbledore let off yet another cannon blast into the air.

'Does the defence wish to question the accused?' he asked with a hint of resignation in his voice.

Fudge barely managed to shake his head.

'I would like to call a vote of guilt on the charges of murder and the use of Unforgivable Curses,' Amelia said, her voice cutting through the din.

Dumbledore nodded. 'All for conviction?'

Every member of the Light and Neutral factions once again raised their wands.

'And all for acquittal?'

Not one witch or wizard seated raised their wand. The entirety of the Dark faction seemed to have abstained.

'Dolores Umbridge, you are hereby convicted on the charges of murder and use of Unforgivable Curses. Any more charges from the prosecution?'

To Harry's surprise, Amelia shook her head. He exchanged a look with Hermione and saw that she was just as flummoxed as he was.

'The prosecution drops the charges of corruption,' Amelia announced, 'We would like to move on to sentencing.'

'It makes no difference,' Hermione whispered in a shocked Harry's ear. 'Actually, I think she's being rather smart, calling the vote just when everyone's heard about all the horrible things that bitch has done.'

Harry nodded. 'You think she'll get the Kiss?'

'Definitely,' Hermione replied. 'No matter what Dumbledore argues. Five murders, one attempted murder, multiple uses of Unforgivables. I'd be shocked if she ends up not getting Kissed.'

'The charges of corruption are hereby dropped,' Dumbledore was announcing. 'What is the suggested sentence from the prosecution?'

'The prosecution believes that, given the magnitude of the crimes of the accused, the only fitting punishment is the Dementor's Kiss,' Amelia replied firmly.

Dumbledore gave a slight frown. 'As the Chief Warlock, I put forth the penalty of six years in a medium-security cell in Azkaban. Though Madam Umbridge has committed serious crimes, I believe that she, like all others, has the power within herself to find the error in her ways and reform. I implore you to give her that chance and stay above such dark and vengeful methods such as the Dementor's Kiss.'

'What?' Harry gasped sharply under his breath, 'Six years in Azkaban? For five murders? And what's this shite about Umbridge reforming herself? We all know she would never.'

Hermione squeezed his thigh reassuringly. 'Nobody will agree to that. Look. Everyone's looking at Dumbledore like he's lost his mind. Honestly, I agree with their assessment.'

Harry scanned the Wizengamot seats. Sure enough, every last member of the Light and Neutral factions was glaring venomously at the Chief Warlock.

'And the defence?' Dumbledore asked.

'The defence proposes the same punishment as the Chief Warlock,' Fudge managed to blurt out.

Dumbledore nodded almost gratefully. 'We will vote by increasing severity of punishments, then. All those in favour of six years in a medium-security cell in Azkaban?'

Every seated member raised their wands.

'All in favour of the Dementor's Kiss?' Dumbledore asked in a disapproving tone.

The Light and Neutral factions were a bloc of raised wands. Fudge and the Dark faction did not move. Just as with Malfoy, though, their resistance was meaningless. There was already a solid majority and there was nothing they could do to change the outcome.

Dumbledore sighed and looked pitying at Umbridge. 'Dolores Umbridge, you have been convicted of murder, attempted murder, and the use of Unforgivable Curses. The Wizengamot has sentenced you to the Dementor's Kiss. Aurors, remove the convicted to await the execution of her sentence.'

Robards and the other Auror removed the shackles from around Umbridge's wrists and ankles. She began kicking and screaming silently at once. Robards withdrew his wand and silently Stunned the toad before he and his partner dragged the unconscious woman out of the Wizengamot chamber.

Dumbledore looked around the courtroom, giving the Light and Neutral factions looks of disappointment and the Dark faction looks of pity. 'If there is no more business,' he said finally, 'Then this session is – '

One of the Wizengamot members rose out of his seat, interrupting Dumbledore before he could finish. By the crest on his formal robes, Harry recognized that the man was affiliated with the House of Longbottom. His robes seemed more extravagant than those of others, perhaps indicating that he was a member of higher importance.

'Chief Warlock,' he spoke in a clear, loud voice, 'As the Speaker for the Government, I initiate a motion of no confidence against the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. As proven by former Senior Undersecretary Umbridge's testimony under Veritaserum, Minister Fudge has been implicated or directly involved in numerous illegal activities, including murder. He is clearly unfit to retain the post of Minister and should be removed immediately and face charges for his crimes.'

Fudge looked as if he were about to soil his trousers as Dumbledore turned to the man and gave a slight frown. 'Honourable Mister Jager, that is a serious step to take.'

'And I would like to take it, Chief Warlock,' Jager replied smoothly. 'It is a shame upon this country that this incompetent criminal retains the seat of Minister.'

Dumbledore sighed. 'Very well. A motion of no confidence has hereby been initiated against the Ministership of Cornelius Fudge. Those who vote with the motion?'

Almost every wand in the Light and Neutral blocs rose into the air, along with two from the Dark faction.

'Majority,' Hermione mouthed excitedly. Fudge was not going to escape this time. His fate was already sealed. The look on the soon-to-be former Minister's face revealed that he knew it as well as everyone else.

'And those who vote against the motion?'

The rest of the members of the Dark faction raised their wands. Even without the two defections, they would still have been far in the minority.

Dumbledore turned to his lectern. 'By a majority vote of the Wizengamot,' he announced, 'The Ministership of Cornelius Fudge is at an end. Former Minister Fudge has until midnight tonight to vacate his office. The Wizengamot will have until next Wednesday, one week from today, to nominate their choices for the successor Minister for Magic.'


Nearly every day for the next week, some sort of earth-shaking news came out of the Ministry. First, it was Umbridge receiving the Kiss, then, it was Fudge being arrested for his complicity in Umbridge's crimes. The following Monday, Kingsley Shacklebolt was nominated as a candidate for Minister. With Amelia's popularity, there was little chance that the Wizengamot would vote in favour of the Opposition candidate.

'Who even is this Commodus Nott?' Hermione asked Sirius one evening over dinner.

Sirius just shrugged. 'A Nott, obviously. Never heard of him, though. Probably a Death Eater or wants to be one.'

The mirrors that Sirius and Remus had been working on were finally finished. The two Marauders had succeeded in enchanting small muggle pocket mirrors that could be discreetly carried, unlike the mirrors that Sirius had given Harry in the 'old timeline'. Another meeting was called at the Bones manor so that the mirrors could be distributed. Rumour had it that Amelia had designated five Aurors to monitor the Ministry end of the communication mirrors and was in the process of rolling them out to the rest of the Ministry.

Harry and Hermione spent the last two weeks of summer at the Grangers' since Sirius was constantly in and out of the Ministry, meeting with an assortment of people in support of Kingsley's bid for the Ministership.

The Tuesday after Umbridge's trial, two owls arrived as Harry and Hermione were eating their breakfast.

'Oh, they must be our Hogwarts letters!' she exclaimed happily.

Hermione walked over to the window and removed both their letters from the owls carrying them. She tossed Harry's to him and excitedly tore hers open.

She gasped as a silver and red badge tumbled out of her envelope onto the table.

'Prefect?' Harry asked with a grin.

Hermione nodded mutely. 'Open yours, Harry.'

Harry opened his letter and removed the booklist from the envelope. He tipped it upside down and shook it, but no badge fell out.

'Looks like Ron got it again,' Harry said with a sigh.

Hermione's mouth dropped open and her face rapidly lost colour. 'Ron? Are you sure?'

Harry shrugged. 'Who else can it be? Ron got it in the "old timeline".'

'I don't know, Neville, maybe?' Hermione suggested. 'Who in their right mind…after the potions…would make Ron…Prefect?'

'Dumbledore would,' Harry replied. 'He gave the badge to Ron "last time" because he thought I had "too much responsibility" or something. I'll bet you that Dumbledore picked Ron again. He seems to have some sort of obsession with getting us to make up with Ron. And Dumbledore was behind the potions, anyway. I don't think he would think that it should disqualify Ron as a Prefect.'

Hermione buried her face in her palms. 'If that's true, then I can't…I'm not going to be a Prefect if I have to work with Ron…who knows what he'd do after the potions…'

Harry raised his eyebrows with a measure of disbelief. 'You're going to return the badge?'

Hermione nodded into her hands. 'I'm not going to work with someone who tried to potion me…and you…and will probably do it again now that he's in a position of power…'

'Do you want to, though?' Harry asked, 'Maybe we can write to McGonagall…get Ron removed… Maybe it's not Ron at all…'

Hermione shook her head. 'I think you're right. It's Ron,' she said dejectedly. 'Dumbledore wouldn't give Neville the position…even though he's more than qualified…and he's not had any contact with any of the Gryffindor boys besides you and Ron. I don't think McGonagall can do anything, either. If Dumbledore overruled her once, he'll overrule her again.'

'Frankly, I can't care less about being a Prefect anymore. There're so many more important things than a badge,' she added after a deep breath.

'As long as you're sure…'

Hermione reached across the table and squeezed his hand. 'I am sure. Can I borrow Hedwig?'


'Ronald Bilius! Your Hogwarts letter is here!'

Ron left his room – his prison – and descended the stairs. His Hogwarts letter was only the third correspondence he had had all summer, and though he despised his imminent return to school, he would at least now be able to consort with Lavender again. He had spent the entire summer with nothing and no one to pleasure him besides his right hand and a lurid wizarding magazine that he kept well-hidden in his pillowcase.

He was still fuming. What possessed his mother to lock him in his room? It was not like he had done anything wrong. The potions scheme was all Dumbledore's idea! Sure, Ron had gone along, but why was he the one being punished and not Dumbledore?

Ron descended the stairs to the ground floor. In the lounge, Ginny was talking with Fred and George. The moment Ginny saw him come in, she shot him a contemptuous look and bent down over the parchment that the twins were looking at, not even bothering to say hello to her own brother.

'Your letter,' Mum said curtly, handing over an envelope with a stony expression. Immediately, she turned back to the kitchen.

Ron grumbled under his breath as he sat down at the breakfast table. Why did Mum – and Ginny, Fred, George, Dad, and everyone else – hate him? Were they really still on about the potions? He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Ron skimmed it quickly. He was in the fifth year in all his classes, it seemed. McGonagall, Flitwick, and even bloody Snape had warned him that he was in danger of being held back in their classes. Their 'fears', as always, were ludicrous. Ron Weasley did not get held back! Who was he, the Longbottom squib? Besides, it was not his fault that the greasy git Snape had paired him with the slimy snake No-Name. What kind of proud Gryffindor lowered himself to the level of those Death-Eaters-in-training?

Well, Potter also got paired with a snake in Potions. He even got a somewhat intelligent one – as far as Slytherins went, anyway. Why did even misfortune favour Potter? That was utterly unjust.

Ron set the letter down and crumpled the envelope in his hand. Suddenly, he felt something hard and edged. He examined the envelope. Inside was a silver badge…

And Ron gasped. His worst fear was confirmed. He was a Prefect! He needed to hide this. The shame!

Just as he was about to tuck the badge into his pocket and never mention it again, Mum looked directly at him. He tried to hide the badge, but it was too late.

'Ronald, what's that in your hand?' she demanded tersely.

Ron shamefully parted his palms and held out his left hand, letting his Mum see the Prefect badge. Mum's eyes flashed in recognition of what it was, but instead of wild congratulations or disapproval, she simply frowned and knitted her eyebrows.

'Prefect?' she asked.

'What?' Ginny shrieked from behind him.

'Did I hear you right, Mum?' one of the twins called.

'Yes, Ron was made a Prefect,' Mum replied in a flat, pensive voice.

Ginny, Fred, and George came around to stand next to Mum. Each one of them wore a sceptical and suspicious look on their features.

George looked at Mum. 'Why Ron? I thought it'd be Harry. Especially after everything that happened this year.'

That singular statement made Ron see red. Potter? What did Potter do to deserve becoming Prefect? And as much as it shamed him to admit it, Ron felt rather proud that he was picked over that celebrity-obsessed, know-it-all-snogging, Potter.

'I thought so too,' Ginny – the traitor – added. 'Prefect? After the whole potions thing?'

When Ginny said that, a look of understanding grew across Mum's face that Ron seriously did not like.

'I think…the same…powers…were behind both,' Mum said slowly and deliberately, shooting Ginny and the twins meaningful glances.

Ron did not comprehend what Mum had said, and he was not going to bother, for he had just realized a perk of being a Prefect that he had not seen before. No one except the teachers could give him detention! That opened up many possibilities, many of which involved broom closets. That, Ron thought, almost outweighed the shame of being appointed a Prefect.

'Who do you think got the girls' badge?' Fred asked.

Ginny snorted. 'Do you even need to ask? Hermione, of course.'

That, more than anything, sent a cold jolt down Ron's spine. Granger? The know-it-all was the other Gryffindor prefect? But of course she was. It came with being a know-it-all, Ron thought. That would prove to be a wrench in his plans to utilize his Prefect position to its maximum potential. He would have to figure out a way to give her the slip. That should not be difficult. Fred and George were more than capable of that. Besides, Ron had learned not to underestimate what Lavender could come up with when presented with the male appendage.

'Ronald!' Mum called. Deep in his amazing thoughts, Ron had not even heard her voice. He looked up to see his mother scowling at him.

'Percy will have a chat with you when he comes home,' she said in a no-nonsense voice. 'Since you were…somehow…granted this position, you best learn the responsibilities that come with it.'

As if my day could not get any worse, Ron thought.