I don't own Harry Potter.
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The Treasure Hunter.
The first thing Harry noticed when he was escorted into the courtroom were the number of people who looked ready to kill or torture him, even with Dumbledore's self-righteous beliefs hanging over them. Harry had come to realise that, no matter what, human beings were nothing more than naked chimpanzees banging rocks with sticks, and wizards were not immune to that regardless of what Dumbledore said and thought. Whoever was behind these attacks had stirred up one hell of a hornet's nest. Some of these people looked ready to curse him and run off, and after what he had heard about what was happening, Harry could not stay he would blame them.
But it did worry him as he crossed the room.
After looking around the courtroom, it didn't take long for Harry to pick Dumbledore out in the crowd. Over the last few months, Harry had heard rumours that Dumbledore had died at last. It wasn't until he had actually made arrangements to head down to the raft city that had just been discovered that he found out Dumbledore was, in fact, still alive. For some reason the elderly wizard had become more reclusive, stepping down not only from his positions in the ICW and the British Wizengamot, but also his Headmaster's position in Hogwarts, that was why rumours and myths circulated since the old wizard was more reclusive now than ever but he had somehow managed to hold on to what was left of his once-formidable power base, and because he made it a point of business to try to remain out of the magical world as much as he possibly could, Harry didn't know which was true and which wasn't, but it wasn't until he had seen a recent picture of Dumbledore being seen in public life that he realised the old man was still alive.
Harry hadn't thought much of it at the time. Once he had seen the picture he had avoided picking up the newspaper just so he could just avoid dealing with the man who had caused so much pain not just to him, but to so many people, and one of his greatest sins was not even admitting it to the people whom he harmed.
But now Harry wished he had picked up the newspaper, believing if he had done that then he would have known about these attacks and whoever was using his name to just kill, kill and kill.
Magic was an incredible gift to possess, but it wasn't designed to make someone automatically immortal, and just by looking at Dumbledore, Harry wondered if the elderly wizard was on his last legs or if he still had a couple of years left to him. The long effeminate robes that always harkened his mind back to the legends and the general image of a wizard in his head, and he was still tall and thin and not that different from the wizard he had known at school, the same wizard who had planned for something big while Voldemort had been waiting in the wings, but while he couldn't be sure, Harry could see the man looked tired as if the last 70 years were, at last, catching up with him. After what the old wizard had done, Harry found it hard to be sympathetic.
The moment Harry appeared in the courtroom there was a cacophony of noise as everyone began to become trigger happy, but Amelia Bones had made sure there were a few Aurors who were in the know about his innocence and they surrounded him in a protective bubble but Harry was not so sure if it was good enough. There were tiers to the courtroom all around. Anyone who was trigger happy could effortlessly kill him before he made his way and sat down, and it was doubtful Bones would be supported in prosecuting them, and he was very nervous by the harrowing experience.
He was almost glad to sit down, but he avoided the wrist manacles; he had heard enough about the so-called magical justice in the magical world to know what they did. He had no intention of being restrained especially if he needed to find some way to escape in a hurry. One of the more overzealous Aurors - Harry didn't know and frankly didn't care what their name was, although they looked familiar to Harry - stepped forward and tried to force his arms into the manacles.
Harry didn't let him. The Auror wasn't particularly strong, so Harry didn't have to put up much of a fight against him.
The Auror growled. "Put your hands in the manacles, damn you!"
"No," Harry refused, finally recognising the Auror as Cormac McClaggen. He had been a Gryffindor during Harry's time at Hogwarts. Harry had never really interacted with McClaggen in all the time they had attended school together. The other man had always been an unbearable, pompous, blustering fool, effortlessly joining the ranks filled by people like Percy Weasley, Zach Smith, and Draco Malfoy. Convinced of his own superiority because he seemed to know it best, McClaggen had always reminded Harry of one of those boastful braggarts who were best left ignored.
He hadn't known the other wizard was an Auror, though. But it seemed almost too obvious, really. But what did surprise Harry was what he was doing?
Didn't the other wizard know he was innocent? Or did he know, but he was trying to just look good for his superiors? If he was trying to see to the latter, he was only making himself look like a total idiot.
"McClaggen, what are you doing?" Bones saw what was going on.
McClaggen looked abashed about the question. "I'm trying to get the prisoner restrained," he replied like it was obvious, but luckily he was not trying to tell Bones her job. Something told Harry these two did not have a good relationship, but as with many things in the magical world, blood purity spoke louder than things like common sense and skill.
Bones was staring at McClaggen like the wizard was an irritant. "McClaggen," she began in a tone of forced patience, her tone stopping even the smallest hint of an argument that cut through even McClaggen's arrogance even though her eyes were spitting fire, "I told you and the others Harry Potter is innocent of murder. Why is it impossible for you to grasp that?"
"He is still a prisoner."
Bones nodded. "Granted, but how is he going to escape and where will he escape? Before he came here, he told me and swore an oath he had no intention of escaping, isn't that right, Mr Potter?"
"Yes, I want to discover who is using my name and form to commit these murders," Harry replied.
In typical McClaggen fashion, the other wizard couldn't stop himself from arguing back. "But he is still accused, Madam-."
"I'm aware of that, but we need to get this trial moving without wasting any more time. If you are so determined to make sure Mr Potter does not leave, then guard him," Bones ground out.
"Yes, Madam Bones," McClaggen ground out through gritted teeth as he saw his moment of glory escape him.
"What is going on, Madam Bones? Why is the prisoner not restrained?" One of the wizards judging the trial demanded while the new Minister was silent.
"Forgive me," Bones pressed her wand to her throat to magnify and augment her voice, "but I have received important evidence that suggests Mr Potter is innocent."
Everything went straight to hell with that announcement. Harry resisted the urge to close his eyes in exasperation when he heard the loud yells of denial, that he was guilty and he was deserving of the Dementor's kiss, while there were others who yelled that he was guilty of killing their loved ones.
"HE MURDERED MY FAMILY, THE BASTARD!" Harry looked up and he spotted a small cluster of redheads sitting with a familiar bushy-haired brunette.
"SILENCE!" The judge sounded like they agreed with the accusation but they wanted this to be an orderly trial even if the sentence was cut and dried. "Madam Bones, can you clarify?"
"I can."
"Then do so," there was sheer boredom in the judges' voice. Some things just did not change, nor did want to change it seemed.
Amelia took a deep breath. She looked thoughtfully at Harry, and she handed him his wand.
Instantly everyone was alert.
"Amelia-?"
"What?"
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"
"He's a murderer, are you working with him to kill us all?"
Ignoring the questions, Harry flicked his wand and recited the oath again using his magic to enhance his voice. "I, Harry James Potter, do hereby swear on my magic and on my life I have not committed any of the murders I have been accused of, and I have no intention of committing. So mote it be."
With that, he cast his Patronus charm.
Silence fell on the rest of the courtroom.
"I have never had any ambitions to become a Dark Lord," Harry announced to the room at large. "Why would I? My parents were murdered by one. Why would I want to bring pain to more people, for nothing more than to cause further bloodshed that the magical world has endured for the last 200 years? Voldemort was a savage, a murderous mad dog. I don't know who murdered the people who have died, but I have not been in this country for a long while now."
"I'm being framed, accused of something I haven't done. I'm just glad everyone here is not just throwing me behind bars in Azkaban like you have done so many times over the years. Someone out there is impersonating me and doing these terrible things. And before any of you ask, no I don't know who it is."
Out of the corner of Harry's eye, someone was standing up. Harry turned and grimaced inwardly when he saw it was Dumbledore. The old wizard stared down at him in his usual calm manner. But Harry noticed something even as he had his occlumency barriers on high alert.
It looked like anger in Dumbledore's eyes...
"May I ask where you have been all this time, Harry?" The old wizard's voice was reedier than Harry remembered, and it snapped him out of his reverie, but it was still the same tone he had always disliked.
"I've been travelling the world," Harry answered the old wizard so many people believed to be his mentor before he had pulled off the rose-tinted glasses and revealed to them Dumbledore's carelessness had nearly gotten him killed. "There is so much out there that becoming a Dark Lord is more unbelievable to me."
"Do you have any theories on who this impersonator is, Harry?"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "I just told you didn't know," he pointed out while he tried to be as polite as he possibly could since these people had his life in their hands and anything could happen despite proving he hadn't done what they were accusing him of, but it was almost difficult, not to mention impossible considering how he knew how this man had caused so much pain, to so many. "But….," he closed his eyes, unable to believe he was even thinking about this, "if we work together we can stop this."
"An alliance?"
"Yes."
"But why, you have always been independent?" Dumbledore pointed out while everyone looked intrigued by what Harry had just suggested.
Harry pinned the old wizard with a glower. "I want to find out who is it who is behind these murders and these attacks. To do that I need to work with you in order to do it. But I will only work with you on one condition."
Dumbledore lifted a brow while the judge asked, "And what is that condition, Mr Potter?"
Harry was silent as he considered what he wanted to do. He had already made enough preparations to ensure any children he had did not attend Hogwarts, but in this case, there were other things he would like to do.
"I am no longer a citizen of Magical Britain, but I would like you to swear it that when this is over you will let me go," Harry's voice was very clear.
Dumbledore gazed at him in surprise, and the old wizard wasn't the only surprised by the news. "You are no longer a citizen of…. When did you arrange that, and how?"
"It was a while back," Harry replied without giving too much away. "So, what is it to be? You need my help to find this impersonator," he added when he realised they might need an incentive, "and I can do that for you. But after nearly being locked up, or worse..killed, are you so surprised by the conditions?
For the next hour, the Wizengamot, Dumbledore, and many others argued with Harry but the arguments went nowhere since Harry shook them up, telling them about what he had been able to do, projecting memories of some of the things he had done in the last few years to show everyone he was capable of finding the imposter. It took an hour, but the verdict was clear.
Harry would be freed and they had sworn on their magic after he had demanded an oath.
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