Chapter Seven: The Beginning of the Trial/XX Judgement
Harry found himself in a cell. He looked around him and hoped he wasn't in Azkaban.
"…can you believe it? It is really awful... Yeah, THE Harry Potter attacking two people out of cold blood and putting them into a coma. That must have taken a lot of dark magic"
Harry could not detain his anger. So he shouted for the man. "You were not there… I didn't aim for them."
"Oh, right. Of course." The man said sarcastically. "How could we possibly be right? You only had your want pointing at them, while one was already in a coma. No, of course it wasn't you."
"Lucius Malfoy was th…"
"Look, kid. Just shut your fucking gob." Smack.
THE BOY WHO TRIED TO KILLOn August the twenty third. Harry Potter was caught while attacking two of his classmates with the Cruciatus spell. His two victims are now in St. Mungo's hospital.
Many experts have been predicting that this sort of thing will happen because of Harry Potter's past; but it seems this was done in complete cold blood. Potter is now in custody in the Ministry of Magic, waiting his trial which is to begin tomorrow – which by lots of people has been named: the trial of the century.
Harry remained in the cell for the next twenty-four hours, when he was brought forth to the same courtroom that he had been before, with his hearing last August.
"Please stand up, for the minister has now arrived." The whole room stood up.
"Thank you." Fudge said, smiling at them. When his gaze fell upon Harry, it faded.
"Harry Potter, you have been accused of attempted murder, using an unforgivable curse. How do you plead?"
This had happened all so very fast. Harry then recalled what he had heard on a film that the Dursley's had watched.
"I refuse to say anything without a qualified attorney." He said.
Fudge looked down through his nose at him.
"Death Eaters are not allowed attorneys. Due to the fact that they serve such…"
Harry had not had enough. "I am no death eater." He shouted.
Fudge glared back at Harry. "In the eyes of the law, you are."
"Well the law can go and f…"
Fudge had now stood up. "If you speak out of turn once more, Mr Potter. I shall hold you in contempt, in Azkaban." He said menacingly.
"So, how do you plead."
"Not guilty." Harry said seethingly, through gritted teeth.
Why did the Ministry always seem to have it in for me? Harry wondered. I didn't do anything wrong… Well… I did try to get Malfoy, but…
"OK, this court is adjourned until tomorrow."
Harry found himself back in the cell. This was the loneliest he had ever been.
He couldn't contact a soul who could guide him - he was on his own.
He had been hoping that at least Dumbledore would visit him.
There was some food slipped underneath the door for Harry. He looked at it with disgust –he hadn't eaten in days. But he didn't care.
However his stomach grumbled, announcing his stomach did care.
Knocking at his cell door awaked Harry.
"Potter, you have a visitor."
Harry climbed out of the hard bed and shivered. It was freezing in this place.
Harry got dressed, all the time names of people rushed through his mind of who it could be that was visiting him.
"Potter."
Oh shit.
"Professor." Harry said dejectedly.
Snape looked at Harry.
"Professor Dumbledore is sorry that he cannot be here, but he has some major paper work to complete on Pedigrew's capture, which happened last night.
Harry's eyes widened. Tear were beginning to well up… If only he had been practising Occlumency… Then Sirius would be…
Snape sensed that this would cause some pain to Harry.
"Potter, I am sorry for your loss. And given the situation, this is not helping to brighten it up. But we know your innocent."
Harry sighed in relief. "How do you know this?" Harry asked.
"We have our sources. Now, I need to know what happened."
Harry explained what happened, and Snape nodded.
"They planned this." Snape noted.
"How do you know?"
"Well, you know about my position for the…" Snape paused and looked around.
"Yes I do." Harry said.
"Well I heard things from other Death Eaters, and since it isn't in their nature to lie to others… We have been given a warning."
"Of what?" Harry asked.
"Fudge has been linked to many of the death eater sightings and occurrences."
"But…"
Snape nodded.
"I don't understand. How could Fudge be a death eater. It doesn't make any sense."
Snape smiled grimly. "That is the ugliness of this situation. It doesn't make any ghost of sense."
Harry nodded.
"Well, what happened at the courtroom was very unfair." Snape said.
"Why do they reckon I am a death eater?" Harry asked.
"Makes it easy for them. The law is in favour of them."
Harry sighed.
"Alright, times up." Said the man.
"Good luck, Harry." Snape said.
The next day wasn't much better than the day before.
"Mr Potter. Can you please explain to us what happened that night?" said Fudge.
Harry nodded. Harry then explained in as much detail as possible, what happened.
"…I couldn't control my anger… I…"
Fudge nodded, and cut him off by saying: "So you couldn't control your anger? How come?"
"I couldn't handle that they would attack so deviously, and the fact that they had used the Cruciatus curse on Ron and Hermione."
Fudge looked at him, "But you did cast the curse at Ronald Weasley."
"Not on purpose." Harry said.
"What do you mean, not on purpose?" Fudge asked.
"I was casting it at Draco Malfoy."
That didn't go down very well.
"But that is not any better than you cursing Ronald Weasley is that correct."
"But he…" Harry started.
"What did he do?" asked Fudge who looked at Harry with a look of distaste.
"He cursed Ron once, and curse Hermione twice." Harry shouted. "I know I was sinking down to his level, but I knew he had to have a piece of his own medicine…"
…And fall into their trap.
"Harry, they are still heavily sedated." Snape told him.
"Look, Snape. I have had a shitty day; they nearly had me for breakfast out there. I don't need to see you, to make; making this the best day of my life."
"No need to be sarcastic." Snape said evenly. "Just hear me out, and I will be gone."
"Right." Harry said.
"The order has found out that Fudge is not a death eater, it seems that Malfoy is blackmailing him."
"But you said…"
Snape now looked angry. "Look, that was what Pedigrew told us. He told us two different stories, both under the Veritaserum. There seemed to be a mistake with the first one. Which did an incompetent trainee concoct. So, it enabled Pedigrew to lie."
Harry shrugged, it all seemed a bit odd to him.
The next day didn't go any better than the first two. This time he spotted Rita Skeeter at the back.
"Draco Malfoy do you swear that…"
Harry and Malfoy's eyes met, and Harry glared at him; but Malfoy just smiled.
"I do."
"Can you tell me what happened on the night in question?"
"Certainly. I was at home, mother was cooking the usual Sunday roast. Then we eat it and I then completed some of my homework. My mother can verify all that I tell you."
"Ok, no further questions." The prosecution took a seat, and Harry's defence lawyer stood up.
"Can you please fill the gaps in your story? What did you do before you eat and after? After all, your father was a death eater, he could have taught you to apparate to where my client and is friends were."
"Before I had my dinner I played some Quidditch with some friends I have in my village." Draco said.
"Did you see your father on that day?"
"Did I see my father?" Draco mused.
"Remember that you are under oath."
"I did not." Draco said simply. "The last I saw of him was before the fifth year had even began."
The lawyer turned to the minister and nodded at him. When he had taken a seat he said to Harry, "Malfoy is very good at lying, but not good enough."
The days leading up to the beginning of the Hogwarts term were filled with Harry sitting in the courtroom, while Hermione and Ron were still in a comatose state.
"… The prosecution has now delivered all their witnesses."
Fudge nodded. "Has the defence finished?"
"Yes, indeed we have."
Fudge nodded again, then said to the jury.: "You have heard the case, now you have as long as you need to come up with your verdict."
The jury nodded and they filed out through a door into the jury room.
Harry gulped.
Harry had another visitor, Remus Lupin. Lupin had cuts all over his face that looked recent.
"Full moon?" Harry asked, as if a greeting.
"Yes, Harry." Lupin said.
"How did it go?" Harry asked.
"Well I have learned to not make the potion myself. Well, moving on. The trail."
Harry groaned. "I've had it up to here with this goddamn trial. Why the hell isn't Malfoy on trial, why don't they check his wand?"
"The curse would be erased, there would be no trace of that curse."
"And how do they expect me to case that sort of curse, Barty Crouch told us that when it comes to unforgivable curses, that you have to really mean it; and when I did it on Bellatrix… Who…" Harry gulped, feeling a tight lump in his throat. "She said that I had to mean it, and I did… But it failed. Why did that…"
"Mr Potter, we are ready for you now."
"May the jury please state their verdict."
"The jury find Mr Harry Potter not guilty of murder."
Harry sighed with relief, his heart was pounding when the Jury leader has stood up.
"However…"
Harry already knew what was coming.
"… the jury finds Mr Harry Potter guilty of man slaughter."
"Thank you." Fudge turned to Harry. "I hereby sentence you to ten years imprisonment, in Azkaban."
Harry's jaw dropped, and people behind him muttered angrily. But this noise faded when Harry saw the doors opening and three dementors emerging.
