Chapter Three

The Hammer Falls

Albus Dumbledore rasied his pass to the man and with a nod was let in through the door behind him. Walking passed the usual bustle of the hospital ward he came to another door at the far end of the hall. Here he hesitated, seeming to stop and think to himself, before he rasied his chin and pushed on through.

"Good morning Headmaster." Arty Shiller, a round faced former Hufflepuff said from behind his desk against the far wall of what seemed to be an otherwise completely bare room.

"Good morning Mr. Shiller. I hear he is awake?"

Arty smiled at being remembered, but lost it slightly as he nodded in answer to the Headmasters' question.

Dumbledore gave a great sigh and steeled himself. "Can I see him?"

"Your not to go in though, remember I still have my orders."

Dumbledore gave him a benign smile in reply.

Arty walked to the wall behind his desk and tapped it sharply with his wand.

The white wall seemed to distort and with a great shudder it disappeared opening into a similar bare room with the exception of its occupant.

Harry Potter sat against the far wall of the room, apparently not realizing he was being observed. He legs were pulled up underneath him and his head hung down towards his chest, so that all that was visible was his perpetually wild mop of black hair.

Dumbledore turned to Arty. "What has he said, does he remember what happened?"

Arty gave a shrug. "I d'know, they escorted him in on the last shift before I came on. Just said he had woken and was not to be disturbed."

Dumbledore nodded going silent again. Oh Harry, what must we do now?

Dumbledore watched the prone boy for a moment longer, then turning to Arty he said. " I think it's time you had a break Mr. Shiller, perhaps we could both enjoy a nice cup of tea, care to retrieve it? I'm getting quite old you know, don't think I can take the strain myself."
Arty searched the Headmasters eyes, and then with a nod, walk silently out the doors behind them.

Dumbledore raised his wand to the magical barrier in front of him, muttered an incantation and stepped through into the room with Harry.
There was silence for a moment as the old man took in the appearance of who he had often thought his greatest pupil. He had mastered his magic at an unbelievable rate, taking him beyond the power of only a scant few of the adult witches and wizards alive today.

And he was here today to make sure all that talent would not be wasted.

"Hello Professor." Came a voice from beyond the hair.

"Hello Harry." Dumbledore said quietly, not surprised in the least the boy knew he was there.

Harry raised his head, his green eyes shining suspiciously.

"I've been very worried about you Harry, we all have. When you didn't wake up for so long I…"

Harry leaped to his feet and paced angrily to the far wall, "I didn't want to, I couldn't." he shook his head and his eyes well up again. "Not after… not after what I saw in my dreams."

Dumbledore nodded his head in understanding. Magic was a complicated and mysterious force. It was always there, even in your sub-conscious. Magic telling your slumbering self was almost how a pensive worked really, it intensified the memory and could tell you what had gone on behind your line of sight, just as well as what happened before it.

"So you saw?"

"Yes, Merlin." Harry placed his hand to his forehead. " I saw it, the magic bleeding out of me, and then Neville." His face crumbled as he bit back a sob into the palm of his hand.

Dumbledore crossed the room and placed a hand on the boys quivering shoulder. "We can find the answers Harry. You are not alone in this."

Harry rubbed the back of his hand vigorously over his eyes, and then looked up. "Where am I anyway?"

Dumbledore's hand fell to his side.

"Your at the Ministry of Magic."

"But why aren't I at Hogwarts, or St. Mungos'."

"You were", said Dumbledore " until the Board of Governor's got involved and demanded an investigation to commence immediately." Dumbledore sighed greatly, a habit he had endured since Harry had come into his care. "The untimely death of a student is a serious matter, they were getting pressure from the ministry and they had to act."

Harry nodded.

"It's not the end of the world Harry, it was an accident."

"Was it." Hissed Harry. "You told me remember. You told me I could hurt someone if I wasn't careful. Emotions are very powerful Harry, you have to be responsible, even in its most benevolent form magic can cause destruction. I thought I was being careful, really, but now, now I don't know. Maybe no one should have this type of power Professor. Even me."

Dumbledore peered at the young man over his glasses. "How do you feel now Harry?"

"Fine, no, not fine, angry at myself and hurt I guess."

"And yet I'm still here aren't I."

"Yes."

Dumbledore took him by the shoulders. "Remember Harry, the emotion has to be directed, it must have a focus, what happened to Neville was while the magic was flooding out of you body. I could feel the force of it ten meters away, and for many minutes after. Somehow your magic simply found a way out of your body. It had nothing to do with emotion."

Both hope and anguish filled the boy's eyes " What's going to happen to me?"

"There will be a hearing." Said Dumbledore. "They'll ask questions, some that I suspect will be hard to answer. But we'll find a way out of it Harry, don't despair."

Harry's eyes hardened a bit. "I won't fight whatever punishment they decide, whether or not I was I aware of it, Neville's still dead."

"But you'll let me try won't you Harry. I won't let all that is laid before you crumble, I have always felt that your future was mine as well."

Harry looked confused for a moment, taking in the Headmasters pained features. "The Defence job?"

"I am an old man Harry, I suspect that I won't be on this adventure much longer. The Deputy Headmistress would obviously take my place and after… I felt you might, if excepted by the Governor's, be ready for the Headmastership of Hogworts."

Harry's opened and closed his mouth for a few seconds. "Me, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore's eyes crinkled up as he smiled. "Yes, I suppose I knew the moment I saw you at Hogwart's it was as if, as if you had come home."

Harry nodded his agreement. " I remember, I never wanted to go home to the Dursley's, ofcourse there were other reasons for that." And Harry gave the Headmaster a tentative smile of his own.
"Headmaster Dumbledore." Said a small voice from behind them.

"Yes Arty." He said without turning around.

"Tea's ready."

" I must be going now Harry."

The boy nodded as the smile he had held vanished from his face. "When will the hearing be?"

"Now that you're awake, very soon I should think."

Harry nodded. "Will I be able to see my friends, will I be able to see Ginny?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, but they'll be at the hearing to give you support I suppose."

" Alright."

Dumbledore grasped the boy's arm once more and turned to walk through the barrier. Once the illusion was back in place, he turned to Arty. "Watch over him Mr. Shiller, just as he's watch over all of us."

Arty nodded, and then watched the greatest wizard of the age walk through the double doors at the far end of the room.

…………………………………………………………………………………

"Yes, very good Mr. Potter. Now take the stairwell to your right, turn left along the hall and wait at door three, the doors will open when we are ready." The disembodied voice went quiet and Harry followed the last of the directions.

Fifteen minutes ago, a set of plain black robes had appeared in his bare room and the voice had sounded from nowhere. It instructed him to put them on and wait at the center of the room for further instructions. The instructions had led him through a series of doors and hallways finally leading him here. It was strange he had thought, that he had seen no one on the way. Every hallway was empty of any persons, ministry or otherwise.

He stood staring at the grained oak door in front of him; a minute went by, then two. He caught snatches of scrapping and muttering from behind the door, until finally it creaked open.

The noise from the other side burst upon him as he walked up three steps that led onto a platform.

Wizards and Witches sat on raised seating opposite him. The ones to the front were dressed in shimmering purple robes that he recognized as the Wizengamot and behind them for several more levels rose the public seating. He was drawn to a row of red heads; the Wealeys were all there. Molly sat wringing her hands in her lap as she gave him a watery smile, and Ron and the Twins were shooting murderous looks at the purple robed wizards below them. Hermione was looking nervous as always. Bill and Charlie each gave him a wave, and Ginny looking quite pale raised her hand to her lips and blew him a kiss.

Harry waved back, but stopped short of a smile when he glanced up and saw Neville's Gran in the back row. She looked imperiously down at him for a moment, then gave a short nod and turned her attention to the Wizard next to her. Any joy Harry had at seeing his family washed out of him.

A bell sounded somewhere near the front of the court room and an elderly wizard rose from his seat in the middle of the first row.

"Please have a seat Mr. Potter and we will begin."

Harry nodded and took his seat on a chair in the center of the platform. A door opened to his right and two serious looking Wizards walked into the lower portion of the court, just below Harry.

"These are Misters Wright, and Dogan, they will be administrating the hearing today. Mr. Wright will be arguing for you Mr. Potter and Mr. Dogan for the injured parties, namely the Longbottom family and Wizarding Britian.

"But wait." Said Harry. "I've never even met Mr. Wright before, how can he argue for me?"

" You will find Mr. Potter, that I am quite capable." Said Wright, a tall blond hair wizard with a long nose and serious expression.

The bell sounded again. "Mr. Wright has been apprised of the circumstances surrounding the incident." Said the elderly Wizard. "Now if we may begin."

Just then there was a knock at the door that Wright and Dogan had come through and without so much as an invitation, Albus Dumbledore stepped through.

"Sorry I'm late, floo network seems to be down again."said Dumbledore as he walked to the Harrys' platform, waved his wand in the air; which shimmered for a moment and stepped up gracefully.

The bell sounded again, this time a bit erratically. "Professor Dumbledore, this is a court of Wizarding law, as a member of our order your place is with us but I cannot permit you to sit with the accused!" said the Wizard, who by this time Harry thought must be the head of the Wizengamot.

Dumbledore conjured a chintz armchair and sat down next to Harry. "You will find Boris, that my place is with the Harry as the accused."

A spattering of Whispering broke out in the upper levels and Harry saw Ginny grab Bills arm tightly.

" I don't understand." Said the elderly wizard that Dumbledore seemed to know as Boris.

"This unfortunate circumstance that Harry finds himself in is to be blamed partly on myself."

Harry turned sharply to Dumbledore. "What are you doing?" he whispered harshly.

Dumbledore held his gaze and leaned over to him. "Your Future is mine Harry, remember."

"But you can't, it was my fault."

"We shall see." Whispered Dumbledore. He leaned back in his chair and faced the court again. "Proceed Barristers, the evidence is the same."

Wright and Dogan looked at each other, then turned towards the purple clad Wizards behind them. Harry saw Boris give Dumbledore a long gaze and then nod his head.
"Mr. Potter." Said Dogan, coming forward towards them. " Is it true that on the night of June the 9th 1998, you were attending the closing feast in Hogwarts Great Hall?"

Harry nodded.

"And was Mr. Longbottom there as well?"

Harry nodded again. It when on like this for several minutes; Dogan asking questions and Harry nodding.

Dogan read off a series of names that Harry recongnized as Hogwarts students that he presumed had seen the accident.

"And what happened as you left the hall?"

"Well." Said Harry. "Neville and I turned to leave, but I'd only taken a step or two, and my legs just gave out. I couldn't really see anything. I heard Neville calling me but I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying."

Dogan nodded his head. "What happened next?"

"I remember feeling my muscles kind of twitching, all over me, and I started to feel some heat coming from underneath me against the floor."

"Was the heat coming from you?" Said Dogan

"Yes, I think so."

"And Then?"

"My vision cleared a bit. I saw Neville turned yelling at someone. The heat was getting worse, it was spreading, it felt like I might explode."

"And did you?"

Harry looked down at Dogan. His black eyes stared back at Harry unabashedly. "Yes, yes I think so."

Harry realized that there was no getting around it. His body, involuntarily or not, had caused the death of a good friend.

Dogan turned back to Wright. "You may question him now."

But before Wright could even open his mouth, Dumbledore spoke from beside him. "If it would please the court, I believe we can skip this unnecessary questioning and head right to the point."

"And that is?" asked Boris, not even rising to his feet this time.

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Harry did you intentionally attack Mr. Longbottom?"

"No." said Harry

"Did your actions result in his Death?"

Harry eyed Dumbledore. "Yes."

Murmuring broke out in the court again. Someone in the back snapped a picture and a flash went off.

Boris was back ringing his bell and eyeing the crowd behind him. He turned back to Dumbledore. "Certain procedures must be followed Albus, we cannot simply skip them as you say."

" I am merely suggesting that we get to the heart of why Harry is here and why you have magically barricaded yourselves against him."

Silence, only silence met this statement. Harry thought about the room he had stayed in and about his trip to the courtroom. No one had come into contact with him since he'd been awake. No one except the Headmaster.

A witch rose directly behind Boris, it was Madame Bones the Minister of Magic. "Albus, you know we must, if Mr. Potter can't control his magic or in someway may cause harm using it, we must be ready."

Harry shifted in his seat. They were afraid of him, they were afraid he would have a fit again and blow them all to bits. His eyes shifted up to Ginny. Was she afraid of him too?

The Minister was speaking again. "You know I must ask myself, if the boy can do something like he did to Mr. Longbottom in the middle of a fit, what would he do, if he really meant it?"

Harry felt his blood run cold. So it all came back to that did it? The anger rose up inside him. "You know what I can do." He said, before he could stop himself.

"What was that?" asked the Minister.

"You know what I could do." He said again, stronger this time. "What I did to Voldemort."

There was a gasp from the crowd and a woman shrieked somewhere in the back row.

"Oh stop it!" shouted Harry. "He's gone, he won't get you from the grave, I promise, I put him there!"

Madame Bones adjusted her monocle. "Yes we know Mr. Potter, and many here today in this court wonder what you might do with a deadlier spell then what was used to defeat him."

"What does it matter? He's gone, thats what you wanted isn't it!" Harry had half rose in his seat but was stopped by Dumbledore's hand on his arm. "I did what I had to do to live, I did what I had to do to save my friends."

Harry looked up and saw all of them there. He had done it for them, so they could live. He hadn't cared really, about living himself, just as long as they were safe. He glanced over and saw Ginny crying softly against her brothers arm, she looked up when she felt his gaze and gave him a look so full of love, he felt a tear trickle down his face as well.

"What would you have done?" he asked, turning back to the minister.

The minister gave him a hard look. "The Battle of Hogwarts Mr. Potter, tell us about it. Some of us were there, we saw it, but I want to know what to know what you really did."

Harry saw a thousand flashes across his vision, spell light and screams, and that horrible cruel laugh. "Why. Its over." he mumbled

"Because I believe, and this court believes, that you may be a danger because of it. That you may be a danger because of the magic you were taught to accomplish it. And because you used an Accio spell to destroy the most powerful Dark Wizard in a century."

………………………………………………………………………….

"As you wish Harry."

Voldemort raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry leapt to his left out of the way of the green spell and sent an Impediment jinx back at Voldemort.

As his curse was deflected he jumped to his feet and ran at Voldemort, catching him around the mid section and hurling them both to the ground. He felt the skeleton body struggle beneath him. "IM NOT ABOVE MUGGLE FIGHTING, YOU BASTARD." He yelled, as he drove his fist as far as he could into the sickly face.

Voldemort raised a wandless hand to his chest and Harry was thrown back several feet.

He leapt up as soon as his back touched the ground, only to meet a cruciatus curse on the way.

The pain swept over him in a tidal wave. He felt as if ever cell in his body was bursting to break free. And the laughter, the laughter that seemed to ring over even his screams.

"Thought you could duel me potter? Thought you could defeat me?" Screamed Voldemort.

As Harry lay there in agony, visions started to appear before him. At first he thought that this must be his life flashing before his eyes, but then if it was, it hadn't been much of a life. He saw himself as a young boy, being picked on at school for his scar that ran like a lighting bolt across his brow. He saw people gawking at him at Hogwarts, whispering behing their hands. Then he was in a graveyard and Wormtail was cutting the crook of his arm and taking his blood, Voldemort rising out of the cauldron. Then he was in the Headmasters' office and he saw a fleeting look of triumph on the old man's face.

"The power the Dark Lord knows not…"

The power OVER the Dark Lord…

The pain stopped and Voldemort was talking again, but Harry didn't hear him.

The Power OVER the Dark Lord…

Harry focused on his wand still clutched in his hand, he was going to die, but why not one last go of it.

And with every last bit of strength left in him, he screamed…

"ACCIO HARRY'S BLOOD!"

And everything went black.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Summoning spells should only work on inanimate objects. You shouldn't be able to just summon someone's heart or something to kill them. But Harry had a connection to Voldemort and really, the blood that ran through his veins was Harry's own blood. The best that he and Dumbledore could figure was that the shared connection in both mind and blood, had allowed Harry to summon it from the Dark Lord. The strange thing was, when members of the order talked to him later, and heard what he had done; they all said that there was no sign of the blood, on Harry or on the ground when they found him.

At the time, Harry felt it was just enough the Son of a Bitch was dead.

"Mister Potter?" said the Minister again, looking down at him from her position above.

Harry shook his head and tried to focus on her.

"Will you please tell the court what happened that night?"

Harry looked around at Dumbledore, who stared blankly back at him, as if to say the decision was his alone. He looked up at the Weasley's and saw on each of their face a blanket plea to cooperate. But really, was it so easy? It was plain that this hearing wasn't about the unfortunate death of his friend Neville. It was about Harry and his magic, and what he planned to do with it in the future.

Since the time he first had known of Wizard's he had found them to be timid in certain matters. Always fearing the unusual, and Harry was one of the most unusual Wizard's that could be. He was young, had fought and won a war against a powerful enemy, and was now very much… Idle.

Idle hands, lead to evil plans.

Harry looked back at Madame Bones. "No, I don't think I'll tell you."

Muttering broke out across the room, Madame Bones looked quite confused at what to do now, having been flat refused she was left in a very tricky corner. She took the monocle out of her eye, and cleaned it with a conjured rag, apparently vying for time to think.

Replacing the monocle, she looked back to the platform. "Mr. Potter, I am prepared to drop the matter of Mr. Longbottom, if and only if, you swear to undergone a procedure."

"What kind of procedure?" asked Harry warily. Dumbledore had gone still to his left.

"Magus Reducto."

A great roar when up from the crowd and several more flashes came from the back of the courtroom.

"NO!" Dumbledore has risen from his seat. "I won't allow it Amelia, the Magus Reducto is a dark spell; you could kill the boy!"

Madame Bones had now gone very red in the face. "Won't allow it? Albus I have always trusted your judgement, but now I must remind you of your position. You are to oversee and protect the students of Hogwarts. I must protect all of Wizarding Britain, this boy is a threat to them, and since the last threat was not defused early, I am going to do all that I can to see that this one is stopped NOW!"

Harry sat stunned in his seat. He had heard of the Magus Reducto, the best way to explain it was a magical lobotomy. The Witch or Wizard in question was magically relieved of a certain part of their magic, leaving what someone else had deemed a respectable and usable level. That is if they had any left at all.

He listened for a moment more to the Headmaster and the Minister fighting. Two years ago a different Minister had wanted to contain him, he had fought that Ministry, and he would fight this one also.

"STOP!" Harry shouted over the voices. Anger pulsed threw him and he leveled it just a bit at the Magical barrier in front of the platform.

In a showering burst of sparks, the barrier collapsed outward towards the crowd. Harry rose slowly from his seat, trying to control the rage that seemed bent on lashing out at the people in front of him.

"I WONT HAVE ANYONE TELL ME WHAT TO DO ANY LONGER!" he shouted and the crowd as one shrank back in their seats.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dumbledore step to his side. He very calmly reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. "Minister, if what I think is about to occur, occurs; then I think it would be wise to have you give the Governor's my resignation as Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Madame Bones only looked resigned and nodded.

Harry took a deep breath. One of them wandless and very outnumbered by the Wizengamot, some of the most powerful Wizards in Britain, they stood waiting for their purple clad opponents to move.

A cry went up from the stands. "Were with you Harry!" Ron and twins had risen from their seats and made their way down the aisle to the steps that led to the platform. The crowd watched silently as Hermione rose behind them and made her way down also.

Harry saw Bill and Charlie look to their parents, and with a nod from each, they too rose and made a walk that over the next few months would tear the Wizarding World more then they could know.

Ron stepped up next to Harry.

"I can't let you do this Ron." Said Harry

"You can and you will." Was his only reply.

"Yeah Harry." Said Fred.

" We're not gonna let these gits turn you into a Squib." Said George.

It was Ginny's turn. She silently walked to her mother, kissed her on the cheek, hugged her father and turned to walk back down the aisle.

Harry watched her make her way down the steps to the lower portion of the courtroom. He was torn between running and grabbing her up in a hug, or pleading with her to stay put. Of course, if Ginny was with him, he could do anything.

She had almost made the steps to the raised platform when a movement out of the corner of his eye distracted him.

Dogan the Barrister had pulled his wand from his robes and was spinning around towards the front of the courtroom. Harry instinctively raised a shield around himself and his friends, but Dogan stopped halfway in his spin and shot a spell in Ginny's direction.

"NO!" shouted Harry, along with various screams from his friends and the crowd alike. Ginny caught unaware, took the spell on her right side and flew to the wall with a sickening crunch.

"Ginny!" Harry made a move to run to her, but spell light flashed before his eyes and stopped him.

The Wizengamot had risen as one and were now raining spells down on the platform from their rasied position. The crowd behind them were either staring in horror at the scene,or turning and running for the exits at the back of the courtroom.

The Weasley brothers and Dumbledore returned the spells, but Harry saw one of the twins take a stunner to the face and he collapsed to the ground.

Harry crouched down almost to his knee's trying to make his way to Ginny. She hadn't been moving and the Wizengamot, who were coming down the stairs to the side were now blocking his vision of her condition.

"Harry!" he turned and saw Hermione trying to hold up Ron who looked like he had taken a nasty spell that left black boils all over his skin.

"Do something!" she cried.

Do something? "Alright."

Harry rose from his crouched position. Even without a wand Harry James Potter was a powerful wizard.

Focus on the Emotion. Anger.

Gather the Magic. Harry breathed deeply from the smell of magic in the air.

Direct the Power. Harry spread his arms as wide as he could.

Focus on the Desire. Stop, he thought to himself, just make them stop.

Release. Harry swept his arms together and with a clap of his hands, that sounded very much like thunder; the courtroom in front of him went motionless.

Dumbledore conjured a quick barrier that caught the last of the spells that had flown in their direction, and stared around the courtroom in amazement. What in Merlin's name had the boy done?

"Well, I did wish them to stop." Harry mumbled to himself.

Ignoring the looks his friends were giving him, he jumped off the stage, and pushed through the forest of upright bodies to where Ginny had collapsed.

Please let her be all right.

Winding his way between Wizards he came to the wall where she had fallen, and… found nothing. He dropped to his knees and tried to look beneath the purple robes of the Wizengamot. Where is she?

"Is she alright Harry?" Hermione called over the still Wizard's

"I can't find her, she's not here."

Suddenly, Harry heard the door on the opposite side of the courtroom burst open, and someone cried out "Colloportus!". Harry made his way back to the stage and saw Tonks and Remus Lupin jump onto the platform.

"Headmaster!" cried Tonks. "Its just as you suspected. We were stopped in the Atruim by the Aurors. We only just got away."

Remus looked gravely at Harry as he made his way over. "Really know how to celebrate your graduation eh?"

Harry just gave him a hard look. Right now wasn't the time for jokes.

" We must leave Harry." Said Dumbledore as he summoned Harry chair over and whispered. "Portus!"

" I won't leave without Ginny!"

The Weasley Brothers, those that hadn't been hexed, all nodded their agreement.

Dumbledore raised his hand. " I'm sure she'll be alright, but right now we must leave." Voices could be heard from the door with the locking charm on it.

Harry gave a pained look around to Hermione, looking for support, but she just shook her head, and held on ever tighter to a moaning Ron.

" I'll send Fawkes along to Arthur and Molly with a letter as soon as we're safe at Order Headquarters." Dumbledore looked up into the seats. "That is as long as the ministry has found a way to counter act Harry's most emphatic Freezing jinx by then."

Harry took one last look over towards Ginny's wall, then turned back to the Headmaster and nodded his head.

They all gathered around the chair and pressed a finger to the cold wood. They had all come into the courtroom as friends, and would leave it as friends and quite possibility rebels against Britain's Ministry of Magic.