Chapter Forty Eight

Disclaimer: I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.

Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.

El Spanish Dr: You're definitely right! Rumpelstiltskin was one of the inspirations behind Lance's character, as well as Danzo from Naruto. Thank you for all the reviews you have left!

Enjoy!

HARRY POTTER

Three days later

Freya sat in the familiar courtroom of the Wizengamot as she waited for Lance's sentencing. She sat next to James, and next to him was Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Draco. All of them waiting for Lance's trial to begin. Draco and Hermione appeared calm, but it was Ron and Ginny who were impatient – wriggling in their seats as they couldn't sit still. Harry attempted to calm down his wife by reassuring her everything was fine, but Ginny stilled seemed anxious. Freya's stormy grey eyes swooped around the room as she silently watched people. Kingsley was in his bench at the back and far away from everyone – his expression stoic and composed. Seamus and Dean were also present and appeared much better – healthier and animated. They no longer looked as if they were going to collapse at a moment's notice or if a strong breeze rolled into the room. Freya had heard through the grapevine that both Seamus and Dean hadn't left their daughters' side in St Mungo and was mutely surprised to see them present. The courtroom was set up exactly as it had been three days previous, but there was one slight difference. All the ex-Guardians still alive were in attendance, all eager to witness Lance be condemned and punished for what he had done. McGonagall hadn't questioned Freya when she requested that they all attend the trial, in fact, she seemed pleased. McGonagall had asked Freya to report back what Lance's sentencing was as she couldn't attend due to meetings and paperwork and Freya was more than happy to do this. She would recount Lance's fate with glee – just as long he got what he deserved.

Lance's judgement would happen today as nothing was stopping it. Not even the Guardian Mark was an issue anymore. Rupert had shared with Harry how he got rid of the Mark on the back of his neck in detail and Bill had his team had eradicated the Mark. Now, the ex-Guardian's parents were free and most of them had been released without charge. The Wizengamot had been understanding to their situation but all the parents were to be monitored closely and had to attend weekly meetings within the Ministry to make sure they stayed on the right path. They would also have to pay a heavy fine, but most the parents were just happy they had avoided Azkaban. However, Rupert and Vivienne did not get off that easily and would receive just as harsh a sentence as Lance for their crimes. Freya had no idea what would happen to them and she honestly didn't care. As far as she was concerned, they were going to get everything they deserved.

Freya watched as the members of the plum robes Wizengamot members came into the room and sat down in their seats. As they sat down in their seats, James leaned over and whispered. "What do you think the verdict is going to be?"

"If they have any sense, they will kill him," Freya whispered back. It would only be sensible because Lance was a high risk. If there was even a chance he survived today, he would spend his time trying to kill off the ex-Guardians for betraying him – starting with Freya. Lance was obsessive and if left to live, he would obsess over Freya and the other ex-Guardians, which would only serve to make him even more dangerous.

James hummed in agreement.

Once settled in her seat, Cassandra cleared her throat and gained everyone's immediate attention. "First of all, I want to thank you all for being here. I will not waste anyone's time so we will get straight to it," She said as she motioned to the Auror to retrieve Lance. This issue had already been pushed back three days so the Guardian Mark could be dealt with. Cassandra was sure people were starting to become impatient – just as she was.

Four Auror left the room out of the side door and Freya watched them anxiously. She reached out for James' hand and squeezed it.

Sensing her distress, James leaned over and whispered lowly. "It is okay. There is no way he could have got away," He had noticed that Freya had been stressed for the past three days, the main issue being Lance's unknown location. Freya had made her feelings very clear that she didn't trust the Aurors that escorted Lance away and it had taken the combined force of himself, his dad and Hermione to convince her that Lance couldn't escape. James had been by Freya's side the entire time, to reassure her that there was no way Lance would make another escape.

Freya inhaled through her nose deeply, his words worked wonders on her nerves. She mentally repeated his words in her head as she tried to force her heart rate to calm down.

The four Auror came back, the Auror in front used his magic to levitate an unconscious Lance into the room. When Freya saw him, she calmed down. To see Lance still unconscious and in the courtroom where he would get what he deserved soothed her. Lance still looked the same – he was still in the same robes he was arrested in. The Auror magically levitated Lance into the chair and then magically bound him to it. Once he was secure, three Auror stepped back but one stayed close, awaiting further orders.

"Wake him," Cassandra instructed.

The lone Auror waved his wand and muttered a spell under his breath. Slowly, the spell came into effect and Lance slowly opened his eyes. He groaned as he rolled his neck and it took him a few moments to realise where he was. Once he did, his icy blue eyes widened and horror shined in them. He attempted to struggle, but it was useless.

"Lance Johnson," Cassandra said, her loud voice and filled every corner of the room, "It has been three days since we last saw you and this has allowed us to properly discuss your fate. In that time, we have also managed to get rid of those bothersome Marks."

Lance whimpered under Cassandra's harsh gaze.

Cassandra paused for a moment as she let her words sink in. "My colleagues and I have had lengthy discussions on what your fate should be. However, it has been decided that you shall receive the Dementor's Kiss. Such a sentence has been approved by Kingsley Shackelbolt." Cassandra glanced in Kingsley's direction.

A few heads turned to face Kingsley, but his eyes were trained on Lance.

Gasps rippled from the audience. Freya's eyes widened at the news, this wasn't the sentence she had expected, but it was wholeheartedly welcomed. Use of Dementors within the Ministry had been outlawed when Kingsley came to power as Minister of Magic and the fact he had approved such a thing seemed inconceivable. Receiving a Dementor's Kiss was a fate worse than death and it was a punishment that was only used for people who had committed atrocious crimes or had escaped Azkaban. The soul was a person's self, the loss of that person's soul would make them cease to be.

"No! I beg you to reconsider!" Lance pleaded, desperation in his voice.

Cassandra glared at him, "This decision is final. You have committed atrocious crimes and it's about time you paid for it. Bring the Dementor in," She ordered the Auror to bring in the Dementor and then she turned to the crowd with a grim expression. "A Dementor's Kiss is not a pleasant experience to witness. If anyone wants to leave now you have my permission and someone will collect you when it is over. Otherwise, you may look away or watch if you so please,"

A few people in the audience left the room and some people on the Wizengamot looked away as the Dementor was escorted in the room. Freya stayed where she was as she refused to not watch – she didn't care how disturbing it was. As the Dementor was escorted in the room, the temperature in the room instantly dropped and the cold chill drifted in. Ice crept in on the edges of the doorway that the Dementor came through.

Freya shivered at the temperature dropped, feeling uncomfortable. It felt like all her happiness was being sucked out of her. James inhaled sharply at the sudden cold, a heavy pressure sitting on his chest. Harry stared at the Dementor with hardened eyes as he remembered his experiences with the creatures. He had been one of the many people who had campaigned for the use of Dementors to be stamped out alongside Kingsley. Usually, he didn't agree with them being used as a punishment, but he thought it to be appropriate in this case.

The Auror brought the Dementor further in the room. He had used a charm to keep the Dementor restrained. The Auror stopped walking when he was a few feet away from Lance – whose head was leaned away from the Dementor as if he was trying to getaway. The Auror muttered a spell under his breath and this let the creature free. The moment the Dementor was free from the Auror's control, it immediately levitated towards Lance as a fast speed. Old, decayed hands reached out for Lance as he screamed when he saw what was under the hood. His face paled drastically as pure terror filled his face. Slowly, the Dementor pulled back its hood – not enough where Freya and everyone else could see – but enough where it could perform the Kiss. The Dementor leaned forward slowly, only adding to Lance's terror, and covered Lance's mouth with its own. Lance screams were swallowed by the Dementor as it began to draw out his soul. The only sound in the room was Lance's muffled screams and a sucking sound from the Dementor. Lance attempted to squirm in his seat but found that he couldn't move, he was completely immobilised other than his head. Lance's head attempted to move, but the creature's bone hands had a tight grip of him as it refused to let its prey go.

Freya and all the other ex-Guardians watched with mixed reactions. Connor, Miles, Simon and Richard had chosen to look away, their eyes closed and hands covering their ears, not able to stand the sound of the slurping noise, nor did they have the stomach to watch this. Cordelia, Rebecca and Ryan all watched but there were a wince and terror in their eyes. Leo, Riley, Georgia and Alexander all watched through their hands, not fully having the stomach to deal with this. Even Noah was half eyeing and half not. However, Freya watched in glee. She watched as the life slowly left Lance and his soul was forcefully taken from him.

Lance's screams in pain started to quieten down and that's when Freya knew it was nearly over. She couldn't help but feel disappointed because she had wanted Lance's pain to be prolonged, just as he had done to the Guardians, but she would have to settle. Lance's skin became impossibly pale and Freya watched as the light left his eyes. The Dementor moved away when its job was complete and that's when the Auror muttered a spell that locked the creature back under his control. As the Dementor removed its decayed hands, Lance's head flopped forward lifelessly, the expression of pure terror forever etched onto his face permanently.

A separate Auror came over to check Lance as another Auror led the Dementor out of the room. Everyone watched with bated breath for his death to be confirmed. The Auror checked over Lance before he looked back to Cassandra, "It is done,"

Freya sighed in relief and she slumped in her seat. It was over. Lance was finally gone and couldn't hurt them anymore. There was an audible sound of relief from the ex-Guardians, a sound that Freya had never heard before. Even when she told them all they were free, there was still some scepticism as they wanted to see for themselves that Lance was truly gone and now they had it.

Cassandra nodded her head, "Thank you. Take him away, his body is to rot in Azkaban,"

The Auror levitated Lance's body out of the courtroom. Freya watched them go with a sense of satisfaction. Lance had finally got what he deserved. There was a reason why a Dementor's Kiss was worse than death but no one truly knew why. There were theories that the soul would be forever trapped within a Dementor or the soul was completely obliterated. Freya honestly didn't care which one it was, either option was great but she would like to think Lance's soul would forever suffer within the Dementor, just like he had made them all suffer.

Cassandra looked out to the audience, her eyes settled on Freya and the other ex-Guardians. "Miss Williams, I want to thank you for coming forward. I am truly sorry that this has happened to you and the other children involved. In the future, if you ever need anything, do not be afraid to get in contact,"

Freya nodded her head in response, silently thanking her.

Just then, Kingsley stood up and cleared his throat, gaining him the attention of everyone in the room. "I would also like to make an announcement if that is okay?" He asked, his gaze trained on Cassandra, awaiting her approval.

Nodding her head, Cassandra answered. "As long as it doesn't take long," She looked down at her watch, mentally noting that she had another trial in the next fifteen minutes.

Kingsley smiled in response before he turned to face everyone. "First and foremost, I would like to apologise for what has happened. If I had known this was Lance's plan, I would have never allowed him to set up this Department. I have done a lot of reflecting and I think it's time for someone else to be in charge. As such, I will be resigning at Minister of Magic,"

Gasps filled the room as everyone looked at Kingsley in astonishment. Mutters full of surprise filled the room, everyone chatting with one another with what they thought about this decision. Freya's face was like stone, her expression stoic. She stared at Kingsley with mixed feelings. Kingsley turned to face Freya and sent her an apologetic look, one that Freya ignored.

"I want people to trust the Ministry and I betrayed that trust. I believe it's time someone else took the reins and lead the Ministry." Kingsley finished with a content smile. He knew what he was doing was the right thing to do.

"Well damn," James muttered lowly in shock. He had not expected Kingsley to pull such a stunt but he agreed with it.

"I am sure that decision wasn't taken lightly," Cassandra said, her tone full of intrigue. Kingsley had done a good job as Minister and she hadn't expected him to take such an action. However, it also made sense because of how grave this blunder was. Cassandra stood up, indicating that the session was over and she left the room. She was followed by the other members of the Wizengamot.

Freya watched Kingsley as people approached him, thanking him for his years as Minister. Harry and Ginny were amongst those people. As she watched him, she couldn't help but wonder who was going to become the next Minister of Magic.

Would she trust the next Minister of Magic?

HARRY POTTER

A few moments later

Freya and all the other ex-Guardians arrived back at Hogwarts and everyone had gone their separate ways. James had to run off because he had Quidditch Practice, he had kissed Freya on the cheek before he dashed off to the Quidditch Pitch. He had neglected his duties as Quidditch Captain for a little while, giving his team a break, but now it was time to start back up before the summer break. For once, Freya didn't have to follow him and didn't have to watch as he practised and it was something Freya found odd. Her instincts screamed at her to follow James to make sure he was safe even when she didn't need to. James could look after himself. For the past three days, Freya and James had been practising duelling with one another as James didn't want to get left behind. She was impressed with his progress and was confident that James could hold his own if anything happened.

Freya arrived at McGonagall's office as she wanted to inform the Headmistress of what had happened to Lance. As she walked into the office, she saw McGonagall behind her desk, doing the never-ending paperwork.

"It's done," Freya said and watched as McGonagall stopped writing.

McGonagall looked up from her paperwork, "Good. What was the ruling?" She inquired, a smug gleam in her eyes. She had waited for this news for a long time and it made her feel satisfied to know he had finally been dealt with.

"A Dementor's Kiss," Freya smirked as she remembered Lance's screams of agony. She had expected the experience to be worse from what she had heard, but she had seen worse. Lance had put her through worse or similar and so it hadn't affected her like it had others.

A thoughtful expression rolled on McGonagall's aged face. "Nothing he didn't deserve," She was aware that the Dementors were not used in the Ministry ever since they were banned and it was curious to know one had been brought back, "Who was the judge?" She asked as she regarded Freya.

"Cassandra Summers," Freya answered. She had been impressed by Cassandra since she had helped in bringing Lance to justice. Freya made a mental note to keep in mind the promise Cassandra made about her needing anything. Freya intended to cash in on that promise when the time was right.

McGonagall hummed when she recognised the name. "No wonder. She has always advocated that the punishment should fit the crime and I would say she was spot on," McGonagall had met Cassandra a few times and had been impressed with her conduct. McGonagall had been a fan of Benjamin but she thought Cassandra would fit in well as the new Head of Wizengamot.

Freya smirked, mentally agreeing with her words.

McGonagall watched Freya for a moment, "What are your feelings about it being over?" She had been watching Freya carefully during the three days and she didn't find any cause for concern. However, she understood why Mrs Weasley would be troubled as this was a delicate situation.

Freya remained silent for a moment as she considered McGonagall's words. At the forefront, she felt relieved and pleased that Lance was now gone. However, there was a part of her that was in disbelief and couldn't relax. She had half expected Lance to have escaped and come to kill her again. "I…feel restless," Freya answered lowly, a lump formed at the back of her throat. If anyone else had been in the room, she wouldn't have admitted this. She was still used to being the Ice Queen of the Guardians and all the ex-Guardians were still looking to her for guidance. But for McGonagall, she would be honest.

"I understand," McGonagall said, her stern face softened for a moment, "You and the others have been through a painful experience, one that I have protested against for many years. If you ever need to talk, I am here."

"Thank you," Freya said lowly before she turned around to walk away. However, before the left the office, McGonagall's words hit home. Everything made sense as the pieces fell into place. She stopped and turned back around, "You're the reason,"

McGonagall looked up from her paperwork once more, "Pardon?"

Freya unconsciously reached for the pendant that was no longer there. "My pendant stopped working at one point and it allowed James to remember certain things about me. I thought it was an error but I realise now that wasn't the case. When you planted the charms on my pendant for protection, you were breaking the memory charm." This had always confused Freya as no other Guardian had this issue. It had nearly caused her to have a breakdown because she was scared that Lance would find out.

McGonagall snorted. "If cause I did. I tried for years to get past that memory charm. I had to resort to making my own charm to temporarily negate the effects of the pendant." McGonagall scowled that the memory. The charm in the pendant had been powerful and had taken her years to get past. Begrudgingly, the charm in the pendant was strong and she detested it, hence why she had to get creative.

Freya's eyes widened at this news, she couldn't believe what she heard. She didn't know what to feel because she couldn't understand why McGonagall had gone so far for her. "You… did that for me?" Her voice was low, barely above a whisper but filled with emotion.

Nodding her head, McGonagall answered. "Of course I did. What Lance was doing was atrocious and it needed to be stopped. That's why I met with Eva to see if there was any way that I could be of assistance but she was useless," McGonagall scoffed haughtily at the memory. Eva had been nothing but defensive when she met with her, not pleased with how McGonagall was getting involved. If Eva had done her job in taking Lance down then she wouldn't have needed to get involved – or involve Mr Potter.

"You met with Eva?" Freya repeated in surprise.

"Never keenly. She was as useless as a broken wand," McGonagall answered flatly. She had not been impressed by Eva and she still wasn't. Mr Potter had informed her that Eva was to be charged as an accessory to Lance's crimes and she couldn't help but agree.

Freya snorted and silently agreed.

McGonagall looked down at her papers, "Actually while I have you, I want to talk to you about next year. Usually, I would have already picked the Head Boy and Head Girl but it appears I have been waylaid. However, I cannot think of anyone better for a Head Girl than you. What are your thoughts?" McGonagall asked with an expecting arched brow. On her desk were the documents that recorded who the next Head Boy and Girl would be and it had been left blank for some time. She had been having difficulty finding the right candidates.

Freya blinked slowly, "Head Girl? Me?"

McGonagall shrugged her shoulders, "Why not? It would be a great way to introduce you to your peers. Your level of professionalism is exceptional and you're very observant." Honestly, there was no one better to be Head Girl than Freya. None of the other candidates came close to Freya's skill. McGonagall was also well aware that Freya was well versed in leading people and knew she would be the perfect fit for the role. Usually, students were chosen because of their academic achievement, an outstanding reputation and an honest, good, and hard-working personality. McGonagall was confident that Freya had a lot of potential and looked forward to seeing her blossom, which she was confident would happen now that Lance and her parents were out of the picture

"I… would be honoured," Freya answered as she got over her shock. She had not expected this offer but she welcomed it at the same time. Mentally, Freya made a note to herself not to let McGonagall down. She would make sure to live up to McGonagall's expectations. "Who would be Head Boy?" She asked as she remembered she wouldn't be the only person in charge. She hoped it wouldn't be anyone annoying.

McGonagall smirked slightly, "You'll find out later. Now, make sure to keep this between us until I announce it." She had one person in mind for Head Boy. Her choice wasn't exactly the most conventional. Choosing both a Head Boy and Girl that weren't Prefects was almost unheard of but not entirely impossible.

Freya nodded her head and turned to leave once more. However, she stopped and turned her head, "Thank you, for everything," She said softly before she left the room.

McGonagall smiled slightly before she returned back to her paperwork.

HARRY POTTER

One more chapter to go!