Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, and I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money from the writing of this fan fiction.
Chapter Seventeen
Petunia Dursley sat in her cell looking at the registered letter the Warden had just delivered to her. She and Vernon had been in this jail for two weeks now, and she had only seen her solicitor once since then. Hoping the letter could tell her when she and Vernon would be going home, she opened the envelope. Skimming past the usual greeting, she began to read the enclosed letter. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she read the contents.
Mrs. Dursley, it is with regret that I must terminate my services as your solicitor. Unfortunately the payment requested by my firm was denied when sent to your bank. Upon investigation, and in an attempt to find a reason why the payment for the retainer was denied, my firm was informed by the bank that the account held by you and your husband Mr. Vernon Dursley has been frozen pending the outcome of an audit.
It is my recommendation that you show this letter to the Magistrate who will be hearing your case, so you may ask for either a Public Defender or information for a solicitor who will act on your behalf pro bono.
Sincerely,
James Tiberius Hooke
She didn't know how, but she was certain this was all that little freak's fault. Until he disappeared, and she still had no idea how he'd done that, she and Vernon had never even been accused of neglecting keeping the yard tidy. Now she and Vernon were in jail, poor little Dudley didn't have his Mummy or Daddy to take care of him, and even if they were released, they wouldn't have any money to buy the things they needed. Why did it matter if the little freak didn't eat as much as her Dudley? Dudley was a growing boy; he needed the extra food to be strong.
There's also the bare possibility that if the little freak doesn't eat much, he won't turn out like my oh so perfect sister Lily. Mum and Dad should have never let her go to that freak school.
On the other side of the jail, Vernon Dursley was reading a very similar letter from his own solicitor. He scowled as he thought about his bank account being frozen. He didn't like the sound of an audit at all; he and Petunia could lose more than just access to their bank account, there was a possibility that whoever did the audit could find he'd never declared the money the old coot that left that little freak with them had been giving them every month for years.
No, he didn't like the sound of an audit at all.
OOO
Kyle Stanton was sitting in his office when his assistant knocked on the door. Looking up from the parchment he had been reading, he nodded for her to enter.
"What is it, Deborah?"
"An owl just delivered this, Mr. Stanton. I wanted to bring it to you right away in case it was important."
"Thank you Deborah. I won't be requiring your help for a bit, so why don't you take an early lunch and have a decent tea for once?"
"I think I'll do that Mr. Stanton, thank you."
Opening the letter, Kyle began to read. Within a few words, he had pulled a piece of parchment out and began taking notes.
Mr. Stanton:
We have completed the audit you requested for Vernon and Petunia Dursley. We compared the amounts of their stated expenses as well as Vernon Dursley's known income from his employment, and it would seem that Account Manager Krogund was correct in his suspicions.
From the beginning of January 1980 until the month of October 1981 there had been regular payments to Garden Financial Group, and payments then stopped completely. Garden Financial Group is the development company which built all of the houses in the area in which the Dursleys live, and arranged for mortgages allowing people to buy the houses that were built. Garden Financial Group was founded by Lily Janet Potter nee Evans. It was her idea to give the streets in that area names related to gardening, such as Wisteria Walk, Privet Drive, Magnolia Crescent, etc. Almost all of the mortgages for that area have been paid off completely, with two exceptions: the house in which Vernon and Petunia Dursley reside, located at Number four Privet Drive, and a house that you purchased recently. There is however, one house which was never offered for sale, located on Wisteria Walk. This house was intended for Lily Potter's parents, who passed away before they could take possession. Although it should have remained empty, as it was never sold to a buyer or rented to a tenant, this house has been occupied since December of 1981 by a Ms. Arabella Figg. All attempts to discover how or why Ms. Figg was able to take possession of the property have proven unsuccessful, as Garden Financial Group has no record of either a rental agreement or mortgage in her name; employees have reported being unable to approach the property to rectify the situation through eviction or a formal lease of rental or mortgage.
Vernon and Petunia Dursley were considered late in making a payment on the mortgage for number 4 Privet Drive beginning in November of 1981 when their payments stopped. The mortgage was considered defaulted in February of 1982. Garden Financial Group never attempted to foreclose on the house as Vernon Dursley sent a letter detailing the fact he had needed to take in his wife's recently orphaned nephew Harry James Potter. As Mrs. Potter's only child, Harry James Potter is considered de facto owner of Garden Financial Group, and thus the owner of number four Privet Drive when the mortgage obtained by Vernon and Petunia Dursley fell into default.
There have also been monthly deposits to the account for Vernon and Petunia Dursley beginning in November of 1981 which are simply annotated as 'stipend for care and maintenance' and bear the letters AD following the annotation. Each of these deposits is in the amount of £995.
It is our opinion that Vernon and Petunia Dursley have not declared the monthly deposits, as we have been unable to locate any reference to the amounts deposited in any other financial or tax records. Copies of all records used in the audit will be sent under separate cover.
Sincerely,
Miranda Killian,
Forensic Accountant
Gringotts Bank
Kyle walked over to his filing cabinet and removed the file for James and Lily Potter. After placing the file on his desk, he opened it to look over the Last Will and Testaments once more. On finding the relevant clause, he again read through the letter and his notes; he needed to be absolutely sure about what he was seeing before attempting to contact Lord Black about this. As much as he was tempted to do otherwise, he did his best to bring his anger under control. His mentor in Magical Law had an iron clad rule: never try to work on a case while angry; your anger will make you overlook what you need to see the most.
Taking a deep breath, Kyle began going over what else needed to be done in order to help Harry Potter.
OOO
Wizengamot Chamber, Trial of Peter Pettigrew, August 3, 1989
"How did Albus Dumbledore know you were Secret Keeper for the Potters?"
"Albus Dumbledore set the Fidelius Charm for the Potters."
Before Albus could fully rise from his seat in the visitor's gallery, he was hit with hexes from three different directions. The hexes combined saw him silenced, bound, and stuck to his seat in the gallery.
Lord Arcturus Black watched silently as there was now Veritaserum evidence his grandson hadn't betrayed the Potters, from one of his alleged victims no less. Evidence that also implicated Albus Dumbledore had known the identity of the Secret Keeper, yet had done nothing when an innocent man had been accused and sent to prison.
Just a bit more information Albus, and I can put the final nail in the coffin you've made for yourself.
Madam Amelia Bones wasted no time after seeing what had happened to Albus Dumbledore. Turning her head slightly, she gave a slight hand signal to one of the Aurors stationed within the chamber. Before he had been able to completely work his way free of the spells cast at him, the Auror had crossed to where Albus Dumbledore was currently stuck to his chair and placed a pair of magic suppression cuffs on his wrists. Nodding, Amelia spoke before anyone on the Wizengamot could object.
"While he is not currently under arrest, the fact Albus Dumbledore appeared to be trying to leave would make him a flight risk in my opinion. Auror Duquesne has merely ensured Mr. Dumbledore will not be able to use his magic until he can be questioned about information discovered during these proceedings. With your permission, Acting Chief Witch, I would like to have Auror Duquesne escort Mr. Dumbledore to an interrogation room in the DMLE."
"Permission granted. We will take a ten minute recess to allow for the transport of Mr. Dumbledore to the DMLE," Griselda Marchbanks stated.
Before the Auror in question reached the door of the chamber with Albus Dumbledore, Arcturus spoke up, his voice cold.
"Acting Chief Witch, it is my understanding that Albus Dumbledore has a Phoenix for a familiar. What will prevent him escaping custody by calling his Phoenix to remove him from the DMLE by Phoenix travel? As the information given today directly relates to those in my House, I don't want there to be a possibility of Mr. Dumbledore escaping justice, should justice be warranted."
"Excellent point, Lord Black. And I am sure that the DMLE can and will erect wards on any cell or room Mr. Dumbledore is in to prevent Phoenix travel. Am I correct, Madam Bones?" Griselda asked pointedly.
"Absolutely, Acting Chief Witch. I can see to those wards personally."
"Then we are in recess for ten minutes."
OOO
"You're absolutely sure about your findings?" Krogund asked the forensic accountant, his voice low with anger.
"I am, Account Manager Krogund. I have examined the financial records for the Dursleys for the time period stated, as well as the ledgers for the Peverell and Potter accounts as requested by Lord Arcturus Black and Solicitor Kyle Stanton. Albus Dumbledore has been steadily transferring funds from the Potter vault to Vernon and Petunia Dursley, as well as removing a significant amount of gold from the Peverell vault. There are also heirlooms of the Potter family through the Peverell line that should have been returned to the vault following the deaths of James and Lily Potter that are not in any of the vaults. Magical trace on the heirlooms leads to Albus Dumbledore. There are no mistakes," Miranda Killian reported matter of factly.
Looking at the ledgers for both the Peverell and Potter vaults, Krogund could see the discrepancies immediately. He took a moment to bring his anger under control before speaking again.
"Are you able to show definitively where the missing gold was transferred to at this time? Gringotts will want to levy our own charges against those responsible if a clear line of proof exists. To say nothing of what Lord Arcturus Black may decide to do."
"I anticipated your question when I saw where the investigation was leading, Account Manager Krogund. I examined the trail and found the gold removed from the Peverell vault was transferred into two separate vaults: one of the vaults has the designation of Order of the Phoenix, the other is the Hogwarts vault. Both are currently in the control and name of Albus Dumbledore. The vault for Order of the Phoenix is periodically emptied with just enough left in the vault to keep it open, and the funds transferred to the personal vault of Albus Dumbledore."
"Which goblins are supposed to oversee those two accounts? I want to save the time of calling the records to my office if possible. I will need to report the goblins involved to Ragnok regardless, and want to have all of the facts when I do so."
"The vault for Order of the Phoenix doesn't have an Account Manager as far as my investigation was able to find. The vault for Hogwarts is overseen by Account Manager Stoneblade. I would need to check the records to see if there is a pattern of a certain goblin being the one to take Mr. Dumbledore to the vault for Order of the Phoenix. As for the Peverell vault, I am still investigating who is Account Manager."
"Inform me as soon as you discover the name of the Account Manager for the Peverell vault. I unfortunately am unable to summon the ledger myself as I'm not the Account Manager, however I wish to give the information to Chief Ragnok."
"You'll have the information soon."
After watching the forensic accountant leave his office, Krogund pulled the Potter Account ledger closer and opened it, briefly scanning it page by page. All of the monetary transactions were matched by the findings of the forensic accountant, so he wrote a note on some parchment and sent it, requesting the assets list to verify the heirlooms and properties for the Potters. Running a single claw down the list, he ticked off which items were listed as being in the vault for heirlooms, and noted which properties were listed to make note of what may need repairs. The further he scanned both lists, the angrier he became.
Potter Heirlooms
Jewelry (45 brooches, 300 necklaces, 25 wrist cuffs, 1 ring for Lady Potter, 1 ring for Lord Potter, Heir ring claimed by Harry James Potter)
5 trunks of Journals
Gold dinnerware, goblets (removed by Albus Dumbledore, November 1981)
2 gold high backed chairs (removed by Albus Dumbledore, November 1981)
Gold cutlery service for 16 (removed by Albus Dumbledore, November 1981)
1 Cloak of Invisibility (handed down to Potters from Peverell line, last authorized holder James Charlus Potter, magical trace shows currently in possession of Albus Dumbledore)
Various weaponry, armour
1 trunk of Family wands
Potter Properties
Cottage in Godric's Hollow (partially destroyed 31 October 1981, seized by Ministry of Magic for use as Memorial)
Potter Manor (vacant since death of Charlus Potter-possible need of repairs)
Scanning the rest of the properties list, Krogund noted that the houses built by Garden Financial Group were listed as a subset to the company name, and all but two houses had been paid in full. He then noted one line in the list of properties of the subset.
235 Wisteria Walk (property was designated for parents of Lily Janet Potter nee Evans, never put up for sale or rent; currently occupied by Ms. Arabella Figg since December 1981-authorization given by Albus Dumbledore)
With a low growl, Krogund stood from his desk and went to his practice room, picking up a heavy battle axe and several knives. Methodically, he began throwing each one into the various targets in an attempt to cool his rage. As the Wills of James and Lily Potter had not been read, Albus Dumbledore should have been unable to access anything to do with the Potter estate, yet he had been systematically using a child's inheritance for his own profit and to assist those he knew, although for what purpose, Krogund didn't-yet-know.
That would soon change, and Krogund would take pleasure in extracting every penalty and fine he could think of against Albus Dumbledore for what he had done to the Potter Heir. And as soon as he had calmed enough to be rational, he would be sending a letter to Lord Arcturus Black, detailing what had thus far been found.
OOO
Wizengamot Chamber, Trial of Peter Pettigrew, 3 August, 1989
After calling the session to order after the recess, Griselda Marchbanks looked at Amelia Bones.
"Madam Bones, do you have any further evidence or questions for the prisoner?"
"No, Acting Chief Witch, although I reserve the right to resume questioning should cross examination require clarification or elaboration."
"Granted", Griselda said before turning to the solicitor for Peter Pettigrew, "do you have any questions for your client, sir?"
The solicitor, a short man who looked nervous, stood.
"Ah, Franklin Cosgrove for the Defense, Acting Chief Witch. Although I would ordinarily have a list of questions for cross examination, I feel that Madam Bones has already adequately covered all of the points of the case. Therefore, I have no questions."
"Very well. Does anyone on the Wizengamot itself have any questions?" She looked around the chamber a moment, but seeing no lighted wands or seals, continued, "Then I shall call for the vote on this case. Lighted wand for guilty, unlit wand for not guilty. Please cast your votes now."
Looking around, the chamber suddenly became very well lit. Griselda Marchbanks looked at the Scribe for confirmation.
"There are no votes for not guilty, Acting Chief Witch. All members of the Wizengamot have voted."
"Guilty on all charges, lighted wand, guilty on only some of the charges, unlit wand. Please cast your votes now."
Again, the chamber was brightly lit, and Griselda looked at the Scribe.
"All members vote guilty on all charges, Acting Chief Witch."
"Do any members of the Wizengamot have recommendations as to sentencing?"
Arcturus lighted his wand, as well as the seal for his seat. Griselda looked over, and nodded slightly.
"Lord Black, you have a recommendation for sentencing?"
"I do, Acting Chief Witch. As a result of the actions of the now convicted prisoner, a young boy lost his family, and my own House has been deprived of its rightful Heir for a number of years. I am disallowed by law to exact the retribution I would like for these offenses, so I ask the convicted prisoner be sentenced in one of three ways: a life sentence in Azkaban, a Dementor's Kiss, or being sent through the Veil. I feel anything less than a life sentence in Azkaban Prison, should Azkaban be the sentence, would trivialize what this young boy and my family have been forced to endure. Thank you."
"Noted, and thank you, Lord Black. Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, please light your wands to indicate your vote for the options. If you do not want a particular option, please leave your wand unlit. As Acting Chief Witch, I abstain from voting. As Prosecutor for the case, Madam Bones will also abstain from voting. For sentencing, majority vote will rule. Those who choose life in Azkaban Prison for the sentence, please vote now."
"Ten votes for life in Azkaban, Acting Chief Witch," the Scribe stated.
"Those who choose Dementor's Kiss as the sentence, please vote now."
"Twenty-nine votes for Dementor's Kiss, Acting Chief Witch."
"Those who choose being sent through the Veil as the sentence, please vote now."
"Ten votes for being sent through the Veil, Acting Chief Witch," the Scribe stated.
"By majority vote Peter Pettigrew, you have been sentenced to a Dementor's Kiss for your crimes. As I am also aware you had been given an Order of Merlin during the time you were believed to have been dead, that is also stripped from you. Your sentence will be carried out by the end of the day. Madam Bones, please assign two of your Aurors to stand as witness to the sentence being carried out."
"I will, Acting Chief Witch, and I will be certain the proper paperwork is filed following the sentence being carried out."
"Then unless anyone has any other business for this session?" Looking around, no one spoke, so Griselda continued, "then I hereby close this session of the Wizengamot. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, thank you for your time and service. Madam Bones, you and your Aurors may now remove the convicted to administer his sentence."
The only sound after the sentence was passed was the loud sobs and begging coming from Peter Pettigrew as Amelia and the Aurors led him from the chamber.
We have the evidence now, Sirius. By tomorrow, you should be a free man, Arcturus thought before standing to leave the chamber, never try to cross a member of my family.