SCENE FOUR

#4A Amazing Journey Tag (Orchestra)

(An English Courtroom.

FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY doesn't move. UNCLE VERNON holds his hand and the Court arranges itself around them. LILY joins them and THEY all face CORNELIOUS FUDGE in a powdered wig and ALBUS DUMBLEDORE. They are surrounded by the rest of the WIZENGAMOT and two wigged BARRISTERS. JAMES, still in his Auror clothing, is in the prisoner's docket. Some of the OFFICIALS remain. The trial has been going on for some time. JAMES stands for the verdict.)

FUDGE

James Potter, after much consideration, on the grounds of justifiable homicide, this court finds you… Not Guilty.

(There is elation in the courtroom. UNCLE VERNON dances a little jig, JAMES and LILY embrace, DUMBLEDORE looks relieved. Even the OFFICIALS genuinely seem pleased and there is much handshaking, back-slapping, hugging. FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY doesn't move. DUMBLEDORE notices this. HE stands up. The courtroom becomes very still as they watch the boy and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. DUMBLEDORE begins to speak to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY.)

DUMBLEDORE

Harry, your parents have had some very good news indeed. I hope you can appreciate that fact?

(The words coming out of DUMBLEDORE'S mouth are no longer in English, nor are they in any other recognizable language. In fact, they sound positively unworldly – even sinister. There is no response from FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY.

Incomprehensibly garbled)

Harry, what about a small smile in celebration of this most happy turn of events?

(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY still doesn't react. The other members of the Wizengamot also speak to FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY with the same eerie sounds.)

UMBRIDGE

(Incomprehensibly garbled)

Do you hear, my boy, Professor Dumbledore is speaking to you?

AMELIA BONES

(To FUDGE, incomprehensibly garbled)

Young Master Potter appears to be under a certain amount of strain, Minister.

(FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY just stares blankly ahead. LILY rushes to him.)

LILY

(Incomprehensibly garbled)

My God, Harry—whatever is happening to you, my love?

(Her words are just as jumbled and strange as the others. It's as if we are listening from FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY'S standpoint to his descent into an extreme traumatized state.

The POTTERS kneel by FOUR-YEAR-OLD HARRY and grimly look at each other. THEY are gradually realizing what they may have done to their son.

The courtroom disassembles.)

END OF SCENE FOUR

Another one done!

miss confused: Actually, I do, but Lady Apolla was a name I came up with before I heard about the series. I chose this because I'm like the Greek god Apollo. However, my friend writes using the alias Goddess Ileana DuBaer on my account. I tried to explain to her about copyright laws, but she was adamant, so I gave up. BTW, I just updated my profile to include myself, since Ileana got there first. (grumbles about giving the girl her permission) Anyway, hope you enjoyed the fic and will continue to follow us!

Sofie Christianson: Okay, let me fill you in. At the beginning of the Scene, Lily is celebrating her twenty-fourth birthday with her four-year-old son and her new boyfriend, Snape. After Harry goes to bed, Snape and Lily go to enjoy the rest of the evening together. During that part of the night, James comes home and the fight ensues. He's like "What the bloody hell are you doing with my wife, Snivellus?" and Snape's like "Buzz off, Potter." In a jealous rage, James kills Snape. During this fight, Harry has woken up, obviously hearing the commotion. Lily, upon seeing her son, turns him to the mirror, where the witnesses the murder. When Lily and James realize this, they do all they can to stop their son from talking about it by telling him that he didn't hear it, he didn't see it, and he's not going to talk about it to anyone. However, a four-year-old does not understand any of this and after seeing his father murder a man Harry's probably grown up with, it's enough to traumatize the boy into a deaf, dumb, and blind state. The Narrator is the vision of Harry when he is older and he will appear at different intervals, including as older Harry. He only appears in Harry's mind, a creation of the traumatized boy's imaginative subconscious. Around the four-year-old, Ministry officials come in to investigate the murder and James and Lily tell them a highly revised version of what happened. Meaning they lie through their teeth, as this scene should have showed you.