Harry woke up at half past five the next morning unable to sleep at the thought of hearing , nearly his future is going to be determined in this fateful day . His insides were squirming with nervousness despite the assurances by Percy last night .
When he reached the door he heard the soft rumble of voices on the other side and when he pushed it open he saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks sitting there almost as though they were waiting for him.
All were fully dressed except Mrs. Weasley, who was wearing a quilted, purple dressing gown. She leapt to her feet the moment he entered.
"Breakfast," she said as she pulled out her wand and hurried over to the fire.
"M-m-morning, Harry," yawned Tonks. Her hair was blonde and curly this morning.
"Sleep all right?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"I've b-b-been up all night," she said, with another shuddering yawn. "Come and sit down. . . ." She drew out a chair, knocking over the one beside it in the process.
"What do you want, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley called. "Porridge? Muffins? Kippers? Bacon and eggs? Toast?"
"Just — just toast, thanks," said Harry.
Harry felt vaguely grateful that he was not required to join in the conversation. His insides were squirming. Mrs. Weasley placed a couple of pieces of toast and marmalade in front of him; he tried to eat, but it was like chewing carpet. Mrs. Weasley sat down on his other side and started fussing with his T-shirt, tucking in the label and smoothing out creases across the shoulders. He wished she wouldn't .
Mr. Weasley was not wearing wizard's robes but a pair of pinstriped trousers and an old bomber jacket. He turned from Tonks to Harry. "How are you feeling?"
"It'll all be over soon," Mr. Weasley said bracingly. "In a few hours' time you'll be cleared." Harry said nothing. "The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's the one who'll be questioning you." "Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," said Tonks earnestly. "She's fair, she'll hear you out." Harry nodded, still unable to think of anything to say.
Something very cold trickled down the back of Harry's neck; for a moment he thought someone was putting a Disillusionment Charm on him again, then he realized that Mrs. Weasley was attacking his hair with a wet comb. She pressed hard on the top of his head.
Lupin looked at Harry and asked " Where is Percy ? "
Harry looked around and noticed Percy was not there " Maybe he woke up late " .
Mrs. Weasley asked with a frown still trying to comb his hair " Why did you ask about Percy ? "
" Percy is a witness Molly . He should be there for the hearing " said Lupin .
Tonks looked at Harry curiously and asked " Percy was there right . You said Percy helped you with the dementors . Then how come he was supposed to use magic . I thought he was still an underage wizard " .
Harry shrugged taking a bite of his toast " I was the one who used the patronus at one dementor while Percy killed the other one " .
As soon as he said that Harry wished he had a camera to capture their reactions . They were dumbfounded to speak is an understatement . Mrs. Weasley dropped the comb , Tonks fell from the chair she was leaning on landing on her butt , Sirius dropped the Daily Prophet he was reading while Mr. Weasley and Lupin looked like they have been stupefied .
After regaining his senses Lupin said slowly like a teacher explaining to a student who has trouble with understanding " Harry dementors cannot be killed . They can only be defeated . There was not even a single book saying dementors can be killed . Even the killing spell cannot be effective at them " .
" Yes it is impossible to kill a dementor . They are a nightmare for wizards due to this reason " Tonks said with a shudder sitting back on her chair .
" No they can be surely killed " a voice said causing Harry to turn towards the source of voice . He looked at Percy who entered the kitchen wearing a black jacket over a red t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans with his perfect windswept hair and his sea green eyes sparking in the dull kitchen light .
" What do you mean they can be killed . There is no spell to kill the dementors " Sirius said looking at Percy .
" I didn't say I used a spell instead I used this " Percy said taking Riptide from his jeans .
Sirius blinked at the pen and roared with laughter , clutching his stomach he said between gasps " A .. muggle ... pen seriously " .
Others couldn't help but snicker at that even Mrs. Weasley covered her mouth to stop snickering.
Percy calmly waited for them to calm down , once they did " I said I used this " uncapping the pen turning it into a three feet long bronze sword lightning the kitchen with its ethereal glow .
Now it was Percy's turn to smirk at them . Percy took his place next to Harry patting his shoulder greeting him with a smile who in turn smiled at him .
" Can I see it ? " Sirius asked tentatively .
" Sure " Percy shrugged handing him one of his most important possession .
Mrs. Weasley asked with a frown " Why do you have such a dangerous weapon ? "
" No one will know when a monster will attack . This is a magical world . So better safe than sorry " Percy said taking a bite in his bacon .
Tonks asked still not taking her eyes of the beautiful sword in front of her " Wait do you mean , it will work only with dark creatures and monsters " .
" Yep . It will only work on monsters . If normal people touch it , Riptide will pass through them " Percy lied without hesitation but Harry knew it will also affect the demigods and immortals .
To test the theory Sirius tentatively placed the tip of his index finger and grinned when his index finger passed through it . Everyone looked marveled at the sword except Lupin who looked wary of it . Harry wouldn't blame him for that , he is a werewolf after all . At first Harry thought Celestial bronze does not have any effect at the werewolves but Percy confirmed Celestial bronze will work on these werewolves which are very different from the original werewolves .
Sirius handed over the sword to Percy who capped it placing it in his pocket . " Where do you get it ? Is it a goblin made one like the sword of Godric Gryffindor " Mr. Weasley asked curiously wondering where Percy got it .
" It is a family heirloom and it is not like the Sword of Godric Gryffindor . Riptide is much more older than that with many tragic pasts " Percy said with a shrug .
" You have to keep it safe . Ministry may try to get their hands on a weapon which could kill dementors " Tonks warned with a serious tone unlike her usual cheerful tone .
" Let them try " Percy snorted . On seeing their puzzled expression . Percy threw Riptide in the pen form at Tonks asking her to catch it . After a few seconds the pen vanished reappearing in Percy's pocket surprising everyone . Percy said with a grin " Riptide will always come back to me no matter what " .
" Now enough taking about the sword . If you keep talking about this Harry will be late for his hearing " Mrs. Weasley said in a stern tone effectively cutting off any further conversation .
-TIME SKIP-
A cold male voice rang across the courtroom. "You're late." "Sorry," said Harry nervously. "I-I didn't know the time had changed." "That is not the Wizengamot's fault," said the voice. "An owl was sent to you this morning. Take your seat." Harry dropped his gaze to the chair in the center of the room, the arms of which were covered in chains. He had seen those chains spring to life and bind whoever sat between them. His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked across the stone floor. When he sat gingerly on the edge of the chair the chains clinked rather threateningly but did not bind him.
Feeling rather sick he looked up at the people seated at the bench above. There were about fifty of them, all, as far as he could see, wearing plum-colored robes with an elaborately worked silver W on the left hand side of the chest and all staring down their noses at him, some with very austere expressions, others looks of frank curiosity.
In the very middle of the front row sat Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge was a portly man who often sported a lime-green bowler hat, though today he had dispensed with it; he had dispensed too with the indulgent smile he had once worn when he spoke to Harry.
A broad, square-jawed witch with very short gray hair sat on Fudge's left; she wore a monocle and looked forbidding. On Fudge's right was another witch, but she was sitting so far back on the bench that her face was in shadow. "Very well," said Fudge. "The accused being present — finally — let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row. "Yes, sir," said an eager voice Harry knew. Ron's brother Percy was sitting at the very end of the front bench.
Harry looked at Percy, expecting some sign of recognition from him, but none came. Percy's eyes, behind his horn-rimmed glasses, were fixed on his parchment, a quill poised in his hand. "Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," said Fudge in a ringing voice, and Percy began taking notes at once, "into offenses committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley —"
"-and witness for defense Samantha Parks " said a feminine voice from behind Harry, who turned his head so fast he cricked his neck. He saw a woman who must be in her late thirties striding serenely across the room with a regal look on her beautiful heart shaped face and volcanic black eyes gazing across the members of the Wizengamot unnerving everyone in the room giving hope to Harry knowing this is what Percy was talking about .
Harry noticed many of the wizards and witches looking surprised on seeing the woman even Fudge looked wary of her . Harry doesn't know who she is but he can say surely she is famous based on their reaction .
After a few moments Fudge regained his composure and said glaring at Harry and the woman with hatred in his face " I was not informed the accused has filed for legal defense " .
The woman raised an eyebrow boringly " I had filed myself as Mr. Potter's legal defense days ago and I have proper evidence for it . You may even ask Madam Bones " .
Fudge turned an ugly shade of red and before he could speak he was cut off by Madam Bones " Yes Minister I have all of paper work filed out here " passing a stack of papers to Minister who glanced at it for a few moments and nodded stiffly .
He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read, "The charges against the accused are as follows: That he did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on August the second at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offense under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy. "You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.
"Yes," Harry said.
"You turned your aunt into a balloon , did you not ?"
This time it was his legal defense who answered " I fail to see how this is related to the hearing that is happening now " .
Fudge glared at her with barely concealed rage " It is related to the hearing . The accused has a habit of performing illegal underage magic " .
Mrs. Parks retorted " May I recall , you yourself personally excused that incident as an accidental magic which is basically true ".
Mr. Fudge gripped the desk hard making Harry think it will break . "you conjured a Patronus on the night of the twelfth of August?" said Fudge.
Harry glanced at Mrs. Parks who gave him an encouraging smile .
Yes," said Harry feeling confident .
"Knowing that you were in an area full of Muggles?"
"Yes "
"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time? "
"Yes "
The witch with the monocle on Fudge's left cut across him in a booming voice. "You produced a fully fledged Patronus?"
"Yes," said Harry,
"A corporeal Patronus?"
"A — what?" said Harry glancing at Mrs. Parks . "Your Patronus had a clearly defined form? I mean to say, it was more than vapor or smoke?"
"Yes," said Harry "it's a stag, it's always a stag."
"Always?" boomed Madam Bones. "You have produced a Patronus before now?"
"Yes," said Harry, "I've been doing it for over a year "
"And you are fifteen years old?"
"Yes ma'am"
"You learned this at school?"
"Yes, Professor Lupin taught me in my third year"
"Impressive," said Madam Bones, staring down at him, "a true Patronus at that age . . . very impressive indeed." Some of the wizards and witches around her were muttering again; a few nodded, but others were frowning and shaking their heads.
Harry noticed Mrs. Parks is smirking at the minister who looked like he has swallowed a lemon .
"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice. "In fact, the more impressive the worse it is, I would have thought, given that the boy did it in plain view of a Muggle!" Those who had been frowning now murmured in agreement .
Mrs. Parks said in a sharp tone " Minister did you forget the muggle you are saying is Mr. Potter's cousin by blood who along with his whole family know about the wizarding world and by the rules of statue of secrecy the magic performed in front of those who know about the wizarding world is not a crime to punished " .
Harry had to suppress a grin on seeing Fudge's dumfounded expression , he noticed many members were nodding in agreement to that .
" This trial is not about whether Mr. Potter had performed magic in front of a muggle or not . It is about performing under age magic " a sweet sickly voice said next to Fudge .
Fudge cleared his throat after regaining his composure " Indeed Dolores , you are quite right . The accused broke the law , he even admitted himself " .
Mrs. Parks retorted " Well the same rules also say even an under age wizard could perform magic at the time of danger to his life " .
" And what danger could have faced in Little Whinging " Fudge asked with a raised eyebrow .
" Dementors " Mrs. Parks simply said .
"Dementors?" said Madam Bones after a moment, raising her thick eyebrows so that her monocle looked in danger of falling out " What do you mean by that ? "
"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot, as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."
"Dementors in Little Whinging?" Madam Bones said in tones of great surprise. "I don't understand —"
"Don't you, Amelia?" said Fudge, still smirking. "Let me explain. He's been thinking it through and decided dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Muggles can't see dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient, highly convenient . . . so it's just your word and no witnesses. . . ."
"We do, in fact, have a witness to the presence of dementors in that alleyway," Mrs. Parks said with a smirk , "other than Dudley Dursley, I mean."
Fudge's plump face seemed to slacken, as though somebody had let air out of it. He stared down at Mrs. Parks for a moment or two, then, with the appearance of a man pulling himself back together, said, "We haven't got time to listen to more taradiddles, I want this dealt with quickly —"
" I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to THE HEARING present witnesses for his or her case? If you have problem with that then I can personally complain to ICW as a member with every right " Mrs. Parks finished in a low calm voice .
"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "Where is this person?" "I brought him with me," said Mrs. Parks . " He 's just outside the door. Should I — ?"
"No — Weasley, you go," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, hurried down the stone steps from the judge's balcony, and hastened past Mrs. Parks and Harry without glancing at them.
A moment later Percy returned by another Percy who throw a subtle wink at him , Harry had to suppress his grin on seeing his friend whom he had to come see as an older brother .
On seeing Percy all the room erupted in whispers and faint voices wondering what he is doing here . Even Fudge was surprised to see Percy but he ignored everyone and sat in a chair which was conjured by Madam Bones after saying thanks to her .
After the voices died down " Full name?" said Fudge loudly.
" Perseus Jackson " Percy said .
" What is your story ? " Fudge asked loftily .
" Simple . I came to visit Harry since he is my friend when I experienced the unnatural cold followed by utter despair , hopelessness and grief " Everyone present there grimaced having their own experiences with them " That's when I saw two dementors , one went after Harry while the other tried to suck soul from his cousin . Harry managed to defeat a dementor by his patronus while I killed the other -"
" Excuse me . Did you just say you killed a dementor ? " Madam Bones asked with disbelief evident in her voice . " I did kill it ma'am " Percy confirmed .
" How did you do it ? It has not been done before " Fudge asked with wide eyes and disbelief in his voice . Percy shrugged and pulled out his pen uncapping it turning it into the beautiful bronze blade . Everyone fell silent as they tried to proceed what happened now . Percy capped his sword and placed it in his pocket .
Mrs. Parks took the silence foe her advantage and said " If you still have doubt , you yourself can go and check Azkaban and you will surely find one missing " .
Fudge stuttered for the first time that morning " Dementors ...in ...Britain ...outside ..Azkaban...This ...is ..absurd ..I can't believe it " .
Madam Bones said calmly " Of course . It's too much to believe but it is possible , as Mrs. Parks suggested we can check the counts of dementors later but for now we have to finish this hearing" . Fudge wordlessly nodded at the turn of events .
"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?" said Madam Bones's booming voice. Harry's head jerked upward. There were hands in the air, many of them . . . more than half! Breathing very fast, he tried to count, but before he could finish Madam Bones had said, "And those in favor of conviction?"
Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including the witch on his right and the heavily mustached wizard and the frizzy haired witch in the second row. Fudge glanced around at them all, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and then said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well, very well . . . cleared of all charges." Then he glared at Harry " If the count of dementors is correct then you will be expelled without a hearing boy " .
Mrs. Parks said sweetly " Of course minister . But the counting will be done in the presence of a committee of ICW as the dementors under your charge roaming in Britain is a breach of international statue of secrecy and if it is proven then the ministry will be charged with punishment" . She looked around looking satisfied at the stunned faces of the members and continued " The date of the inspection will be informed , until then good bye " .
With a huge cocky smirk directing at the minister she walked out of the chamber filled with stunned members of Wizengamot .
Harry breathed in relief feeling the enormous weight lifted off his shoulders . Grinning like a madman he stood up and tightly hugged Percy who chuckled and hugged him back .
" I told you there will be no problem " Percy laughed .
Harry pulled back still grinning like a madman he asked " Who is that woman ? Everyone was wary of her ."
" Mother of my best friend at Illvermourny . She is a member of ICW and well known among the wizarding community . She is the reason why the former M.A.C.U.S.A president was sacked out of his office . So that's why I asked her to be your witness of defense for the hearing , knowing even her presence will unnerve everyone present here " Percy said with his famous lopsided grin.
" Really . No wonder Fudge looked nervous on seeing her "
" Only a fool will not be wary of her but she is a good woman . She doesn't like people who abuses power . Once you know her , you will understand she is loyal and friendly , she even allowed me to call her Sam. " Percy said with a shrug .
Harry suddenly frowned , smile disappearing from his face and asked nervously " What if somehow the dementor count is correct . I will be expelled right ? "
Percy looked around and when he confirmed no one was eavesdropping he whispered " Don't worry Harry . Before we came here , I asked Uncle Hades to call back one-fourth of the dementors . Within a few hours the ministry will notice that and they will surely panic and when the ICW checking happens they will be charged for that . At the same time those who could not choose between Ministry and Dumbledore will surely believe Voldemort is back after the mass missing of dementors and they will believe either the ministry or Voldemort is responsible for the dementor attack making them to surely choose Dumbledore over Ministry " .
Harry stared at Percy for a moment and roared in laughter which was followed by Percy , both the boys roared with laughter clutching their stomach drawing weird looks from the members of Wizengamot . Harry noticed Fudge and Percy Weasley glaring at them with looks of pure hatred . Percy must have also noticed them , he smirked at them mockingly causing them to look like a tomato with anger.
Harry after regaining his composure but still grinning whispered " Excellent idea mate . They won't even know what hit them " .
Percy slung an arm over his shoulder "Yep , now come on . I have to meet up with Sam and after that I have to go to camp " .
Both the boys walked out of the chamber laughing and grinning , not noticing the look of disgust and hatred directed at them by a woman , sitting near Fudge who is still internally fuming of her failed plan to either kill or expel Harry but she vowed to herself she will soon get her revenge . What she doesn't know is as long as the green eyed half-blood prince of sea also popularly know as Titan Slayer among the Greek pantheon is with Harry she will not get her revenge .
Response to VictoriaCP2's review : Yep the order themselves said that Voldemort will try to recruit Percy and they said he is more powerful . But remember they also said that Order is not for underage wizards or those who had not finished school .Even if other members allowed Percy to join the Order , Mrs. Weasley will surely not allow that no matter what how powerful Percy is, thinking he is still a child due to her motherly instincts . Besides that Percy is already an unofficial member of the Order appointed by Dumbledore , he knows every stuffs happening in the Order and finally he is already hunting for Hocruxes and protecting Harry . I hope this answers your question .
Stay tuned till next update .