Chapter 8: The Disciplinary Hearing
The week leading up to Harry's hearing was a blur. His time was divided between helping clean the many squalid rooms of Grimmauld Place, spending time with his friends and Sirius, and doing research on how to break the Sticking Charm on Mrs. Black's portrait.
Harry had discovered the library on his third day at Grimmauld Place, spending as much time in there as he could.
Along with his research into Sticking Spells, Harry found himself spending hours poring over obscure Potions texts, enthralled by the fascinating recipes and rare ingredients. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and try out his new knowledge in an actual lab. He thought Snape might just die of shock.
During the day, Harry felt almost content. He was able to put on a smile as he cleaned, laugh at the twins' jokes, and keep a straight face as he watched Ron try (and fail) to pretend he wasn't into Hermione.
Harry's nights, on the other hand, were hell.
When he was alone, he could no longer keep the panic at bay. Reading his books and using the Stone of Serenity sometimes helped, but he still found himself reliving the events of June far more often than he wanted.
To make matters worse, the strange dreams continued to disturb any sleep that wasn't filled with Cedric's dead eyes. The nightmares had only grown more vivid since he'd found the locket, filled with images of blood, chaos, and carnage. The emotions the dreams provoked turned exclusively to murderous rage and a kind of profound incompleteness that was physically painful to experience.
Harry would wake from these dreams with splitting pains in his chest and head, gasping for breath as he fought to understand what was happening to him.
Somewhere deep down, Harry knew something was wrong. He knew that whatever this locket was, he shouldn't have it.
Despite these concerns, Harry simply needed to have the locket close. Since he'd picked it up, he hadn't been able to be away from it for long without experiencing pain and dizziness. He found that he was able to leave it in his room during the day only if he wore it at night.
The speed with which he had become dependent on the necklace should have been terrifying.
Somehow, it wasn't.
Harry felt strangely numb to his concerns, thoughts of getting rid of the locket turning dull and amorphous, slipping from his grasp when he tried to focus on them.
Once, on the day before his hearing, Harry found a moment of clarity, trying to tell Sirius about the locket and the dreams. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, nothing came out, words failing him.
He physically couldn't tell Sirius about the locket. Something stopped him, magic silencing him.
The locket's ethereal whisperings helped calm his worries, reassuring him that there was nothing wrong.
He didn't really need to tell Sirius anyway.
Everything was fine.
...
At last, the morning of his hearing arrived.
Harry had managed barely an hour of nightmare-filled sleep, tossing and turning throughout the night.
He had so much nervous energy he feared he might shake apart.
After putting on the suit Mrs. Weasley had laid out for him, choking down a piece of dry toast, and attempting to tame his hair, Harry left with Mr. Weasley for the Ministry of Magic.
They had originally planned to take Muggle transportation, but Remus had shot down that idea. It was far more dangerous to be out in the open, he pointed out, than it was to just apparate.
Apparate they did.
Harry didn't like it any better the second time.
He was so nervous that he wasn't even aware of his surroundings until he heard Mr. Weasley's panicked announcement that the time and location of his hearing had been changed. Harry felt his heart speed up at the news, panic increasing as he realized that he might miss his hearing entirely.
After a mad dash through the Ministry, they finally arrived at the door of Courtroom Ten.
"I'm afraid I'm not allowed in," Mr. Weasley said gravely. "Good luck, Harry."
Harry offered Mr. Weasley a faint smile before turning and walking into the courtroom, legs trembling slightly beneath him.
Harry very nearly lost his composure when he saw the inside of the Courtroom. The scene was eerily similar to the courtroom he had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve the year before. He had to actively remind himself that there was absolutely no chance of him ending up in Azkaban today.
He walked shakily over to the chair in the center of the room, warily eying the chains wrapped around the chair's arms. Sitting down carefully, Harry let out a sigh of relief when all the chains did was rattle slightly.
His entrance dawned on the rest of the court, purple-clad members of the Wizengamot ceasing their chattering and turning toward him.
"You're late," Minister Fudge said, looking decidedly smug.
"I was unaware that the time of my hearing had been changed," Harry replied evenly, trying to sound respectful even though he didn't feel it.
"Nonsense," Fudge scoffed. "We sent word."
"If you did, I certainly didn't receive it."
Fudge smirked down at Harry. "Are you suggesting that we would fail to follow procedure?"
Harry had a hard time understanding how this man had become Minister of Magic.
"It would hardly be the first time you have violated procedure in this case, Minister," Harry said, ignoring the sudden outbreak of whispering sweeping the courtroom. "I am here today being tried for underage magic," he continued, trying to sound confident despite the terrible weight of panic settled in his stomach. "Underage magic is only ever brought before the Wizengamot on the third offense. This is only my second." More whispering broke out, harsh rustles of noise echoing about the room.
"Furthermore," Harry continued, doing his best to ignore the eyes fixed on him. "I am being accused of violating the Statute of Secrecy when the only Muggle who saw my Patronus Charm was my cousin. He has lived with me for the past fourteen years and is very much aware of magic. You, of course, already knew this. He is officially registered as a Magic-Aware Muggle, after all. Finally, the letter I received after I performed the Charm was not the official warning for a second offense it should have been. It was, instead, a letter informing me of my expulsion. The Ministry has no right to expel a Hogwarts student without first giving them a platform to defend themselves. So, yes, I am accusing you of violating procedure."
At his speech, the Wizengamot had fallen completely silent, purple-robed officials staring at him with curious eyes. Fudge had turned bright red with rage while the witch in pink sitting next to him was looking at Harry like she wanted to grind him beneath her heel. Another witch with gray hair and a monocle was rapidly flipping through a file full of parchment, a frown on her face. Harry assumed this was Amelia Bones.
"It seems your accusations are correct, Mr. Potter," she said. "Mr. Weasley, please note down that I will be taking over the interrogation in this case due to the apparent bias and/or gross negligence of the Minister."
At the name Weasley, Harry looked around, noticing that Percy Weasley was sitting in the corner of the room taking copious notes. He felt a sharp ache of betrayal as Percy glanced quickly at him before looking away, distrust obvious in his brown eyes.
"Now see here, Amelia," Fudge started. "This boy has…"
"No, you see here, Cornelius," Madam Bones snapped. "The proper protocols must be followed. I do not believe you are capable of handling this in an objective manner. I have every right to take over this hearing. I am, after all, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Minister or not, you do not have ultimate authority in this case. That power rests with me."
Fudge, looking furious, seemed to have no reply to give. Harry had to hold back a smile as he watched the man sulk. He was glad he wasn't the only one who thought Fudge was an idiot.
Madam Bones turned back to Harry, adjusting her monocle. "Now, Mr. Potter," she said. "This is only your second offense, so you will certainly not be expelled today. You are still entitled to protest the charges on the grounds of self-defense. Would you like to lodge such a protest?"
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said. "Is it possible for me to contest my first offense as well as my second?"
Madam Bones frowned slightly but nodded. "Yes, that is permissible. Could you explain why the offenses should be viewed as self-defense?"
"The first offense, the Hover Charm, wasn't me at all," Harry explained. "It was a House-elf named Dobby. As for the Patronus Charm, I cast that because two Dementors attacked me and my cousin."
"Come now," Fudge interrupted. "Surely you don't expect us to believe that? This is hardly the first tall tale you have concocted, after all."
"Fortunately for all of us, Minister," Harry said shortly. "It doesn't matter what you believe. The truth will come out whether you like it or not. I would like to request the use of Veritaserum."
Harry cursed himself slightly after that comment. He hadn't meant to sound quite so scathing. He knew it probably wasn't wise to so clearly show his disdain for the Minister of Magic. Fudge just made it so damned hard to be respectful.
Fudge had not missed the tone of Harry's response, turning an even darker shade of red. The Witch next to him was glaring at Harry so hard he thought he might burst into flames at any second.
Thankfully, before Fudge could make a response to Harry's insult, Madam Bones waved her hand at an Auror who had been standing by the door of the Courtroom, moving so she was standing just in front of Harry.
"Mr. Weasley," she said. "Please note that Mr. Potter has requested the use of Veritaserum. Auror Langley will administer the Veritaserum and place the rest of the gallery under a silencing spell so that Mr. Potter cannot hear any questions they might ask."
The Auror, Langley, waved his wand in front of the gallery, uttering a spell Harry couldn't quite catch. Harry could see the bubble of silencing magic settling over the Wizengamot. Only Madam Bones and the Auror were left free of it.
Auror Langley pulled a small green bottle from inside his robes, approaching Harry with it. "You'll feel a bit fuzzy in the head while you're under the influence of the potion," the Auror said kindly. "Don't worry, that's expected. I'll have the antidote ready for you as soon as the questioning is over. Do you have any questions?"
Harry shook his head and opened his mouth when Auror Langley instructed him to do so. The Auror carefully let three drops of the potion drip into Harry's mouth.
As the Auror had warned, Harry felt slightly fuzzy. Like his brain was wrapped in cotton.
"We'll start with a few test questions," Madam Bones said. "What is your full name?"
"Harry James Potter."
The answer flowed from his tongue like water. He had no control over his words.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"What is your date of birth?"
"July 31, 1980."
"Very good," Madam Bones said. "We'll go over your offenses in chronological order. Did you perform a Hover Charm on July 31, 1992?"
Wow. He had almost forgotten that Dobby had shown up on his birthday. Even while he was contemplating when he could see Dobby again, the Potion forced the answer from his lips. "No."
"Who performed it, then?" Madam Bones asked, looking surprised.
"A House-elf," Harry said. "His name is Dobby."
She nodded, making a note on one of the pieces of parchment in the file she still held.
"Moving on to the second offense. Did you perform a Patronus Charm on August 2, 1995?"
"Yes."
"Was it a Corporeal Patronus?"
"Yes."
Madam Bones' eyebrows went up at his answer. "What form does it take?"
Harry remembered Remus saying that further details about the Spells performed were under the purview of these hearings. He assumed Madam Bones was just curious. He doubted this had anything to do with his case.
"It's a stag."
Madam Bones nodded, looking intrigued. "Why did you perform the spell?"
"My cousin Dudley and I were being attacked by Dementors," Harry answered automatically. "If I hadn't cast the spell, we would have both been kissed."
Madam Bones seemed satisfied with his answers, giving a nod to Auror Langley who quickly administered the antidote.
Harry felt clarity returning to him as the antidote took effect, the strange fuzziness leaving his head. Auror Langley released the Silencing Spell as Madam Bones turned to address the rest of the Wizengamot. "Considering the testimony we have just heard, I can only recommend that Mr. Potter be cleared of all charges. Neither one of his offenses are valid strikes under the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery. I would encourage my colleagues to keep this in mind as we vote. All those in favor of conviction?"
To Harry's relief, only Fudge, the woman in pink, and a few others raised their hands.
"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?"
Many more hands rose this time: a clear majority.
"Cleared of all charges," Madam Bones said, slamming her file of parchment shut with an air of finality. Then, she turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter," she said. "I want to apologize on behalf of this court for dragging you here today. Rest assured that both the Hover Charm and the Patronus will be expunged from your record. You are free to go."
Offering her a weak smile, Harry stood from the chair and walked from the room on shaking legs. Upon seeing him, Mr. Weasley, who had been sitting on a bench just outside the door, jumped to his feet.
"Cleared of all charges," Harry reassured him.
"Oh, thank Merlin!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "I knew they would acquit you of course, but it's a relief nonetheless." He clapped Harry merrily on the shoulder, a broad smile looking right at home on his kind face. "Now that this is all sorted, let's head back," he said, pulling Harry toward the exit. "The others are probably going mad with worry."
The others were, in fact, going mad with worry.
They were all in the dining room when Harry and Mr. Weasley arrived back at Grimmauld Place. Strangely enough, Professor Dumbledore was there as well.
As soon as Mr. Weasley announced the results of the trial, Dumbledore left. He didn't seem particularly happy about the news. He didn't say a word.
He didn't look at Harry once.
Even the chanting of "HE GOT OFF! HE GOT OFF! HE GOT OFF!" couldn't erase the hurt of Dumbledore's disregard.
Maybe Dumbledore was disappointed that he hadn't been expelled. He probably didn't want such a liability around the other students. Harry couldn't really blame him if that was the case. Cedric certainly would have been safer if Harry never went to Hogwarts.
Harry knew he was dangerous to be around. He was like a disease, infecting those around him, ruining their lives, hurting them.
The relief of his acquittal faded quickly, leaving Harry with nothing but the fear that his return to Hogwarts would be a curse on the other students, a danger, a liability.
He didn't want to hurt anyone else.
He couldn't bear it.