Author's note: Oops. Didn't mean to leave out poor Neville from the list.
I've updated that chapter to put his name where it belongs. My apologies
to Neville fans everywhere.
Enjoy!
Chapter Seven - May it Please the Court
Dumbledore nodded his head at Malfoy and then motioned to Madam Bones.
"Madam Bones, you may begin."
"I call as my first witness Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived."
Startled at being called that, as if it were part of his official title or his full name, Harry was surprised that he was the first witness.
Moving down towards the center of the chamber, Harry looked up at Dumbledore who gave him a sly wink.
When he stepped down on to the same level that Lucius sat, Dumbledore waved his wand and a comfortable chair appeared. Taking this as a suggestion, Harry sat.
Madam Bones walked down to him and gave him a glass with liquid in it.
"Mr. Potter, there is Veritaserum in this glass, enough to compel truthfulness for the next two hours. Do you consent to taking this?" When she saw his hesitation she smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter, the questions you are asked will be strictly relevant to this trial. The Chief Warlock will not allow spurious lines of questioning."
Reassured, Harry quickly gulped down the potion. He didn't feel anything different, but assumed it worked. Madam Bones immediately started questioning him.
"Please state your name for the record."
"Harry James Potter."
"And your address?" Harry hesitated for a moment, panic setting in. He was about to reveal the address of the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix! Fortunately Dumbledore was prepared.
"Madam Bones meant, of course, your permanent address, Mr. Potter," he said with a straight face and a knowing look.
Relieve, Harry flashed him a smile. "Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
"Can you identify that man," Madam Bones asked, pointing to Lucius Malfoy.
"Yes, he's Lucius Malfoy, one of Voldemort's Deatheaters." When Harry said the dreaded name, most of the audience in the courtroom gasped in shock. Lucius Malfoy simply sneered at him.
"Objection!" It was a voice Harry recognized as belonging to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "That's simply speculation. Just because this deranged boy believes it to be true does not make it true."
Dumbledore gave Fudge a withering look, but nodded his head. "Sustained. It has not yet been proven conclusively that Mr. Malfoy is indeed a Deatheater. Please continue Madam Bones."
"Thank you. Now Harry, please relate to the Court the events of the final night of the TriWizard Championship."
Harry found himself talking in a calm, dispassionate voice as he explained the events of that night. He described the maze and the events that took place there. He related the conversation between himself and Cedric about who should take the Cup. He then described how he found himself in the graveyard and Cedric's death at the hands of Peter Pettigrew.
He continued by describing the resurrection of Voldemort and his confrontation with the Dark Lord. Again the audience gasped at the mention of that name, but Harry ignored the interruption.
Madam Bones asked him to continue.
He explained how he recognized the Deatheaters that appeared at the graveyard. How Voldemort had called Lucius by name and Lucius had begged for forgiveness. Madam Bones interrupted him at that point.
"You are sure that it was Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yes, Voldemort called him by name, and Lucius responded to it. Plus I recognized his voice and I saw his eyes. I'm positive it was him."
Madam Bones paused and looked up at Minister Fudge, anticipating on objection. None came.
"Very well, please continue."
Harry continued to describe the duel between himself and Voldemort, and how Lucius had tried to lead the Deatheaters in attacking him. He finished with a short explanation of how he returned to Hogwarts before Madam Bones stopped him from going further.
"Thank you, Harry. Now I'd like you to describe the events of your visit to the Ministry last year."
Unsure of where to start, Harry described the vision he had seen of Sirius being held at the Ministry. How he had envisioned Sirius being tortured by Voldemort.
"So you admit that Sirius Black was with You-Know-Who. How do we know they weren't in league with each other?" Minister Fudge spoke with deep contempt and anger at the thought that Sirius had evaded the Ministry for so long.
"I admit no such thing Minister," Harry said with equal contempt. "It was a vision, one that proved to be false. And Sirius wasn't in league with Voldemort, as you should have figured out since Peter Pettigrew is very obviously not dead since he is in your custody awaiting trial. Sirius was innocent."
"Harry," interrupted Madam Bones. "Please continue with your testimony."
Sighing, Harry explained his attempt to verify where Sirius was by breaking in to Umbridge's office. As he described the events that happened there, Madam Bones interrupted again.
"You mean to tell me that she was going to use the Cruciatus on you? And that only the interruption of Ms. Granger prevented that?"
"Erm, I guess. Yeah."
"This is outrageous!" Fudge was spluttering. "This is the unfounded accusation of a deranged boy. This is irrelevant and immaterial. I demand it be stricken from the record."
Dumbledore looked calmly at the enraged Minister. "I find it odd the things you are objecting to Cornelius, but you are right, this is not relevant to this matter. However, it will not be stricken from the record as I am sure that this will need to be investigated further.
"Madam Bones, perhaps we could proceed to the moment that Mr. Potter arrived at the Ministry? I think that will be more relevant."
Nodding her head, she motioned to Harry to continue.
Harry described his arrival at the vacant Ministry, how the guard was missing, and how he and his friends made their way down to the Department of Mysteries. He explained the search for the room in his vision, and how they eventually found their way there.
As he described the confrontation with Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and the other Deatheaters over the prophecy, he heard a slight murmuring from the audience. Continuing with his story, he described the battle that ensued, up to the point where Dumbledore had arrived. Tears welled up when he explained how Sirius had died. Madam Bones allowed him to compose himself before she continued.
"I think that's enough, Mr. Potter," she said kindly. "We all know the rest of the story you needn't continue." Harry realized that she was protecting him, keeping his own paltry use of the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix from becoming known.
"We know," she said, "that you and Voldemort had a confrontation before Albus intervened and chased Voldemort off."
When the audience gasped again Madam Bones lost her composure.
"Seriously people, enough. We all know his name and it's ridiculous to persist with such silly fear. He's simply a powerful Dark wizard, no more, no less. I don't see the need to pretend like his name alone has power."
Turning back to Harry, she paused, trying to determine if she had any more questions for Harry. Realizing that she had all of the information she needed, she turned to Lucius.
"I'm satisfied with his testimony. Your witness," she said, nodding to Lucius.
With a greasy smile, Lucius stood up and crossed over to Harry.
"I have just two simple questions for Mr. Potter. One, were you in my presence before I apparated to the graveyard on the night of the championship?"
Harry looked at the man he loathed with tremendous force. "No," he said angrily. "Of course not, I was at the graveyard with your boss. You weren't summoned until after he had been restored to a body."
"Excellent. Two, were you in my presence prior to my arrival at the Ministry last summer on the night in question?"
Again Harry looked at the man with loathing. Harry knew where Lucius was going with this.
"No, I was busy defending myself from the hag Umbridge." Harry was pleased to see Fudge's face contort in anger at that statement, but he said nothing.
"Perfect. Thank you Mr. Potter. No further questions."
Seething, Harry stood up and stomped angrily to his seat with the Weasley's. Looking across the room he saw Draco and his mother smiling exultantly, as if they had won a huge victory. Scowling at them, Harry slumped into his chair, oblivious to the encouragement of his friends.
Madam Bones continued with several witnesses, including Aurors, some Ministry officials from her office, and finally Moody, Remus, and Tonks. Each of them added additional information to support Harry's statement and proving conclusively, in Harry's eyes, that Lucius Malfoy was a Deatheater and active in Voldemort's campaign to take over the world.
Lucius asked each witness the same questions that he had asked Harry. Were they in his presence immediately prior to any attack that he participated in? Did they witness his interaction with other Deatheaters prior to any incident? When each witness confirmed that they had not, Lucius' grin widened.
Finally, Madam Bones rested her case. Dumbledore decided to break for lunch and called for a recess.
Fuming, Harry stormily marched out of the courtroom and found his way back up to the entrance level. Exiting the Ministry to the outside street, he looked around for a place to eat and pour over his thoughts, desperately worried that Lucius would manage to get off.
As he felt two hands reached out to grab his shoulder, Harry whirled around, his hand diving in to his pocket. He stared abashedly at Ginny and Hermione who had hurriedly followed after him and just now caught up with him.
"Harry, Mum wants us to go back to the Burrow for lunch," said Ginny. "She says it's easier to Floo there and back from the Ministry as opposed to going to your place. Plus, we're amongst Muggles out here and we're not really dressed for it." Pointing to their robes and the curious looks they were getting from some of the Muggles walking by them, Harry shook his head.
"Oh, sorry. I was just so frustrated about Lucius, I wanted to be get out of there." Gritting his teeth, he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, let's go."
Climbing back into the telephone booth, they punched in the number and sank back down to the Ministry. Mrs. Weasley was standing there, wringing her hands with worry. Seeing Harry and the girls return, she reached out to him and grabbed his arm.
"Harry, you have to control that temper of yours. Everything will be alright. Dumbledore knew this was a possibility, and he's prepared for it. Now, let's go home for lunch."
Marching her family over to the fireplaces, she picked up the pot of Floo powder and watched as each person grabbed a handful and threw it into the fireplace. As the group disappeared one by one, Harry watched, still trying to figure out how Dumbledore would solve this. As his turn arrived, he too grabbed a handful and threw it into the fireplace. Shouting "The Burrow!" he jumped into the green flames and was whisked away.
***
Coughing and spluttering as he emerged from the fireplace, he was helped to his feet by Ron and Hermione.
"We need to talk Harry," she whispered. "Let's go upstairs while Mrs. Weasley prepares lunch."
Disappearing before Mrs. Weasley emerged from the fireplace, the trio marched upstairs to Ron's room. Entering the familiar place, Harry was stunned to see that it was much neater than he had ever seen it. Apparently Ron had taken some effort to clean it. Immediately understanding Ron's motivation, Harry rolled his eyes and flopped down on the floor.
"Ron, you certainly didn't need to clean this mess up for me," he teased. "What gives?"
Smiling as Ron's face turned red, Harry glanced over at Hermione. She was unconcernedly settling herself down on the floor, across from Harry, though Harry thought he saw a fleeting grin pass quickly on her face. Harry was pleased that he would now have a challenge, since Ron was so easy to fluster, and tried to figure out how to make her blush.
"Honestly Harry," she said impatiently. "Does it really matter why Ron cleaned up his room? There are other things more important to discuss."
The door swung open at that point and Ginny marched in, her eyes spitting fire. "Like why you didn't include me in this little chat?" she asked coolly.
"No Ginny," Hermione said with dignity. "I actually thought you'd already be up here waiting. I assumed you'd be along shortly."
Ginny looked suspiciously at the trio for a moment, and realized she had nothing to work with. She sat down with a thud and intently looked at Harry.
"Fine then, let's continue. Harry, what trick does Dumbledore have up his sleeve?"
"I honestly don't know. Is there a way to determine if a person was under the Imperius? I mean, that's obviously where Lucius is going with this. It's how he got off last time."
"Well," started Hermione. "I should think that Veritaserum would work, but he has to consent to taking it. I wouldn't think that he would do so, since he'd have to tell the truth. Unless he could overcome that? I just don't know. I wish we were at school and we could-"
"Go to the library," said Ron, Harry, and Ginny in unison, finishing the sentence for her with smiles.
"I guess we have to assume that he can overcome the Veritaserum and he'll lie about being a Deatheater. But wouldn't Dumbledore have planned for that?"
"I think you'll find that Dumbledore is prepared for this contingency," said Mrs. Weasley from the doorway. Her eyes flashed at the surprised looks at the children in front of her. "You don't need to worry about it, just wait until we return and it will be clear.
"Now," she said firmly. "Lunch. Downstairs, march."
Shaking their heads ruefully, the four of them quickly got up and raced down the stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had prepared a mountain of sandwiches of all kinds and there were several pitchers of pumpkin juice and butterbeer placed randomly around the table.
Quickly sitting down and passing the sandwiches around, everyone dug in to the meal, anxious to get back to the Ministry for the rest of the trial.
***
When they returned to the courtroom, Harry noticed that security had increased since the morning. Looking over at several of the Aurors, Harry saw that several were still sporting injuries from the raid on Azkaban prison. Grimly shaking his head, he sat back in his chair as Professor Dumbledore entered the courtroom.
Nodding to Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore resumed the session of the Wizengamot. "Mr. Malfoy, you may proceed with your defense."
Lucius grandly stood up, straightening his robes with panache, and looked at the members of the high court.
"May it please the Court, my defense is simple, though unfortunate and highly embarrassing. I will concede that Madam Bones laid out an excellent case. Her accusations were entirely accurate. I was summoned to You-Know- Who's side on that dreadful night when poor Cedric Diggory lost his life. I was also present this past June in the Department of Mysteries and participated in the assault of the Wizarding world's hero, Mr. Potter.
"It is all very tragic. I regret that I was involved in those attacks. However, I must admit to a point of personal embarrassment now. You see, I was under the Imperius Curse during each of these events, and my will was not my own. I protested, of course, and fought valiantly against the Dark wizards who were unfortunately stronger than I.
"It is shameful, that I am so weak. But I had no control over my actions. On that fateful night last summer, just as young Harry was being pulled away from the safety and sanctity of Hogwarts, I was visited by a business colleague. Unfortunately I made an unwise decision. Unbeknownst to me, he was in league with Mr. Pettigrew, and if we are to believe young Harry, and of course I see no reason not to, Mr. Crouch Jr. as well.
"I was placed under the Imperius Curse and compelled to join Him at the graveyard. There, I was cursed again by several of his most loyal followers, and for the past year I have been under their control. I struggled, and fought on a daily basis. I was almost able to alert the Minister to my predicament, but as I fought against the horrid curses last summer, Mr. Potter created quite the stir and I was unable to see the Minister as he was busy handling that matter. Such a cruel twist of fate.
"All year I have struggled against the evil that was inside of me, but I was too weak, too incapable of fighting it off. I am embarrassed and ashamed. I humbly ask for mercy from this just and honorable court, though I know I do not deserve it. I will live with shame for the rest of my life that I was not able to fight off, single-handedly, the forces of evil that attacked me."
Lucius was a masterful performer, Harry realized. The audience was silently lapping up his every word. Harry looked with astonishment as he saw several witches quietly wipe tears from their eyes.
Seething, he clenched his teeth and was about to stand up and denounce this for the farce that it was when he saw Minister Fudge stand up.
"My dear man, what moving testimony. That certainly sheds quite a bit of light on this unfortunate matter. We will certainly have to take this into consideration. We all know how horrid those Deatheaters are, and it makes sense that they would target you. Such a proud and noble family, with such admirable resources at your command, you were an obvious target. The Ministry failed you, and I apologize for that.
"And as you say, if only Harry hadn't caused the ruckus with his claims of Dementors attacking him, I would have been able to help you. I just hope that you can forgive Harry, and myself for our failures."
Harry stared with shock as Fudge also wiped tears from his eyes. Fuming mad Harry stood up, only to be pulled back into his seat by Mrs. Weasley.
"Control yourself. This is exactly what Dumbledore has been waiting for."
As if in concert with Mrs. Weasley's words, Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked over at Fudge with an inscrutable face.
"Perhaps we should seek some evidence of this before we accept it at face value, Minister? Of course, I would hate to impugn Mr. Malfoy's character in any way, but these are serious offenses, we should do the utmost to verify his claims?"
"Of course Albus. But how would we do that? Veritaserum doesn't work, I'm sure his mind has been wiped of the memory of the original curse, and he wouldn't be able to speak to that with any accuracy. I'm afraid we are left with no choice but to take him at his word. After all, Mr. Malfoy is an upstanding citizen, he has donated substantial sums to many worthy causes, and he sincerely regrets being used..."
Fudge's voice trailed off as Dumbledore continued to glare at him. The contempt emanating from the Chief Warlock was obvious to everyone in the room.
Dumbledore turned to Madam Bones and nodded his head. Smiling she stood up and walked over to Lucius.
"Well Mr. Malfoy, we have a conundrum. How do we verify that you are telling the truth?"
"I regret that I have no ideas. Unfortunately you must take me at my word. I hoe that is enough."
"Ah yes, we could do that. But fortunately we do happen to have other resources available to us," she said with a slight smile. She snapped her fingers and the doors to the courtroom opened.
Standing in the entryway was the most bizarre looking witch Harry had ever seen. First, she was absolutely ancient. She made Dumbledore look middle aged. Second, her outfit made Luna's usual choices of attire look completely normal. Her robes were a deep pink that crackled as she walked. Her hair was an off putting orange color. Not red, like the Weasley trademark, but really bright orange. She did not wear makeup, and Harry was convinced that was a mistake. As she approached Dumbledore, Harry saw that her gait was just not right. He couldn't say what it was, but everything about this woman shrieked 'odd' to him. He was surprised by the hushed conversation that erupted throughout the room as she stopped in front of Dumbledore and looked up at him expectantly.
"Thank you for coming, Portia, did you bring the potion?"
"Of course Albus. I'm not senile yet. Here it is."
She handed him a cauldron that was filled with a bubbling potion. Steam was wafting over the cauldron, and the silence of the courtroom was interrupted by cracks and fizzles from the potion.
Smiling, Dumbledore got out of his chair and approached Lucius. Holding the cauldron in his hand, he addressed the chamber.
"Portia here has developed a new potion. We all know her history as the greatest Potions Master of the past two centuries, and she has developed a potion that can detect whether an individual has been subjected to the Imperius Curse in the past two months. That should be sufficient, I believe, to determine whether Mr. Malfoy was, as he claims, under the Imperius the night of the attack on the Ministry. I suggest that if he was under it then, we can assume he was under it for the past year as well.
"Is the Court agreed?"
Several whispered conversations were taking place as the members of the Court whispered furiously amongst each other. Harry was watching Lucius intently.
When Dumbledore initially explained the potion, he saw a look of panic jump across Lucius' face, before he quickly resumed his normal bored, arrogant expression. Harry felt a surge of triumph at the fact that Lucius was afraid.
Then he watched as Lucius' eyes kept darting to Minister Fudge who was busy chewing on his lips, obviously worried. As Dumbledore asked his question Fudge nervously stood up.
"Well, erm, Albus, how do we know it works? Has it been tested? I'd hate to see Lucius be accused unfairly."
"Of course it has been thoroughly tested you nincompoop," the witch Dumbledore had identified as Portia said crossly. "Who do you think you are to question my abilities?"
His dignity ruffled, Fudge glared at the witch. "I am the Minister of Magic and I refuse to accept this potion unless it can be demonstrated as harmless and effective."
Sighing, Dumbledore shook his head. Looking over at Harry, his eyes twinkled a bit and a small grin appeared on his face.
"Very well Cornelius, we do this the hard way. Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley, if you don't mind, please come forward."
Looking at each other with confusion they hesitantly got up from their seats and walked down to stand next to Dumbledore. Lucius quickly looked away, but not before a flash of hatred shot through his eyes at Harry.
"Cornelius, if these fine students of mine agree, I will place Ms. Weasley under the Imperius and then give her the potion. I will simply give Mr. Potter the potion. Ms. Weasley will exhibit the signs of having been under the Imperius, while Mr. Potter will not. I trust that this is a sufficient test of the potion?"
Nodding his head, Fudge knew he was trapped. Harry and Ginny meekly nodded their heads as they too agreed to participate in the test.
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and as he was about to cast the spell he looked back over at Fudge.
"I trust that my use of an Unforgivable will be deemed as necessary and you won't seek my prosecution?" As the chamber filled with laughter, Fudge blushed a deep red and nodded his head angrily.
Dumbledore cursed Ginny and made her demonstrate that she was under his control. He then ended the curse, apologized to her, and pulled two cups out of the air. Pouring a small measure for her, and then Harry, he asked them to drink the potion.
Surprisingly to Harry it did not taste too bad. It was actually infused with a peppermint flavor that Harry found he liked. As he stood there, feeling foolish, nothing happened. But the gasps from the crowd made him turn to look at Ginny. In the center of her forehead a glowing letter I had appeared.
"Excellent!" cried Portia. "See, it works perfectly. Now, let me administer the counter potion so the poor girl will not be afflicted for the rest of the day."
Another cauldron appeared out of nowhere with the flick of Portia's wand and she poured two generous portions in the mugs that Harry and Ginny were holding. Quickly swallowing the contents, Harry grimaced at the taste. This was not nearly as pleasant, and it made Harry think as if he were swallowing bugs.
Returning to his seat, he looked across the room and saw that Draco was ten times paler than he normally was. He was obviously worried about his father, and Harry felt a surge of triumph. This would get Lucius convicted, he was sure of it.
Scowling, Lucius took the proffered mug from Dumbledore and quickly drank down his mug. The courtroom hushed and all eyes were staring intently at his forehead. Seconds passed slowly as nothing happened. Seconds passed into a minute and still nothing happened.
Dumbledore looked Lucius in the eyes. The hatred that Lucius had for Dumbledore was now apparent; his eyes shot daggers at the venerable wizard.
"It appears," Dumbledore said triumphantly, "that Mr. Malfoy may not be as innocent as he claims. Perhaps we should ask a few more questions?"
Not hearing any objections, Dumbledore waved his wand and Lucius found himself seated in his chair, this time he was bound to it with thick magical ropes. Her eyes boring into him, Madam Bones approached Malfoy with a grim expression.
"Alright, Mr. Malfoy. Please tell me about the night of the TriWizard championship. You say that you were put under the Imperius before apparating to Voldemort's side. Who did that to you?"
In a calm, dispassionate voice Lucius spoke very clearly. "No one, I acted of my own free will."
As a gasp went up through the courtroom, Harry saw that Lucius' eyes were spinning wildly. A thought popped up in Harry's head and he turned to look at Dumbledore who was calmly staring down at Lucius.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, are you saying that you were not under the Imperius and that you voluntarily went to Voldemort's side as a Deatheater."
"Yes. I went willingly to his side when finally summoned after his return."
"Objection! Objection! Objection!" screamed Fudge. "This Court has obviously been misled, I demand to know what was in that potion. Mr. Malfoy is obviously being coerced."
"Cornelius, control yourself," Dumbledore said mildly. "It was simply a potion designed to determine whether the Imperius had been cast on the subject."
"Then why is he suddenly changing his story?" demanded Fudge.
"Because," replied Portia, "the foundation of my potion is the same as the Veritaserum potion. It would have detected the Imperius Curse, but since it did not, he is compelled to tell the truth."
Fudge's face fell and he blanched. Crumpling back into his seat, he stared at Lucius, then Dumbledore, and finally back at Lucius.
"But, he swore, he, I mean, Lucius, you swore that you hated Him. How could you do this? What would possess you to become a Deatheater?"
"You pathetic fool. You were so easily swayed. A few kind words here, some Galleons there, and you believed what you so desperately wanted to believe. I easily preyed on your weakness for glory and accolades, for the appearance of power. For the past several years I have whispered to you that Dumbledore was plotting against you. I convinced you to ignore the actions of my associates as we scoured the world for the Dark Lord's return. When you managed to think for yourself and get suspicious, another generous contribution made your feeble mind quickly forget.
"I fully believe in the Dark Lord's goal of taking over the world and ridding it of Muggles and Mudbloods," Lucius continued in that same calm, dispassionate voice. "I relished the power that he allowed me to exercise, the ability to torture Muggles, to destroy the Ministry from within.
"I look forward to the Dark Lord's eventual triumph over you pathetic fools. Race traitors and half breeds, all of you. Pure blooded wizards should rule the world, not cower in fear at being discovered by filthy Muggles. The Dark Lord will win, and we will rule the world for eternity."
What stunned Harry the most was the clam way that Lucius Malfoy said all of this. Though Harry knew it was partially due to the Veritaserum, it was also because Lucius so strongly believed in it.
Dumbledore looked down at Lucius, contempt flaring in his eyes.
"So, Mr. Malfoy, you freely admit to being a Deatheater, to willingly following Voldemort's orders, to using the Unforgivable Curses on muggles and wizard kind alike, to the attempted murder of Harry Potter and others, and to the other crimes you are accused of?"
"Of course you pathetic old man. Of course I did all those things, and more. I killed for the Dark Lord, I wreaked havoc for the Dark Lord. I waited patiently for his return, preparing myself for his rise to power. I longed for it, I dreamed of it. I am not ashamed to admit it to you pathetic fools, for I will be freed and I will resume my position at the right hand of the greatest wizard to ever live."
With Lucius' speech, Fudge fainted. It was too much for him to bear. He slumped to the ground, unconscious to the world. It was telling that no one went to his aid. The rest of the courtroom was stunned in to silence. Every witch and wizard in the room was disgusted at what Lucius was saying. All eyes were staring blankly down at him, except Harry's.
Harry was coldly looking across the room at his school nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Draco was infuriated that his father had confessed his crimes. And Draco was also terrified that Lucius had confessed. Harry saw Draco struggle with the two conflicting emotions as the audience went wild with Lucius' last statement.
Dumbledore stood up, the aura of power surrounding him was almost tangible. Harry was convinced he could feel the power of his headmaster as he calmly looked out at the audience and silenced them with a look.
"Lucius Malfoy, the Wizengamot finds you guilty of all charges. Guilty of murder. Guilty of the use of the Unforgivable Curses. Guilty of attempted murder. Guilty of trespass. Guilty of treason against the wizarding world."
"Do your worst old man," sneered Lucius. "You won't live to see another year. The Dark Lord will not forsake me. I will be freed."
Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes flash with pain, a shadow of anguish momentarily flitted at the edge of Harry's awareness, and Harry knew he was sensing the ancient wizard's emotions. Dumbledore bowed his head momentarily, and squared his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy, you leave us with no choice. Your crimes against the world, wizard and Muggle alike, are too numerous, too hideous, too complete. You show no remorse, instead you have gloried in your crimes. You even propose to continue your dark and evil ways should you ever escape or be freed."
Lucius stared calmly at Dumbledore. Arrogantly looking around the room he sneered at the witches and wizards looking down at him.
"You haven't got the guts to do anything but lock me up you wretched excuse for a wizard. Don't pretend to think you'll intimidate me into begging for mercy. Send me to Azkaban where I will await my Lord's deliverance."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. First, we shall destroy your wand. Harry? Please come down here again, if you would."
Firmly telling himself not to smile at this honor, Harry walked down to Dumbledore's side. Dumbledore solemnly picked Lucius' wand up off the bench in front of him and handed it to Harry.
"I believe it is appropriate for the Boy Who Lived to do what he has always been called to do, strike a blow against evil. Harry, if you would."
Gesturing to Harry, Dumbledore nodded his encouragement and offered him a small smile. Grasping the sleek black wand in his hands, Harry raised the wand over his head.
Later he would reflect that emotion welled up inside of him as he stood dramatically, poised with Lucius' wand over his head. That would be the only explanation for what he shouted.
"Remember Cedric Diggory and all the innocents who have fallen. Voldemort will be defeated and we will win!"
With a sharp gesture he savagely cracked the wand down, hitting his upraised knee. The sound of the wood snapping in two reverberated throughout the courtroom, the crackle of magic flashed across Harry's face and a puff of green smoke wafted out of the broken wand halves. Staring proudly at Lucius Malfoy, whose face had turned white with anger, Harry offered the broken wand to Dumbledore.
"Keep them," Dumbledore said, refusing the offer. "Keep them with the others, as a memory of what we face. Keep them and never give up hope that we will win."
Even here, Harry realized, in a courtroom full of people who were watching every moment, Dumbledore was reaching out to Harry. Knowing that others would question his judgment, knowing the Ministry would want the wand as a trophy, Dumbledore ignored custom and duty and gave the broken wand to his young protege, hoping to bring Harry some small pleasure from this dreadful day.
His eyes glistening, Harry solemnly placed the wand halves in his pocket and quietly returned to his seat.
Dumbledore returned his attention to Lucius who had regained some color in his face, but was still staring with the deepest loathing at Dumbledore.
"Second, your financial assets, corporate holdings, business ventures, and real estate holdings are hereby confiscated. Everything will be liquidated and half the assets used to create a foundation to support the education of any muggleborn witch or wizard that attends Hogwarts. The other half will go to St. Mungo's to care for its patients."
Lucius' scowl, if possible, deepened. Harry saw a commotion at the other side of the room and realized that Draco and his mother were animatedly whispering to each other, gesturing at Lucius and Dumbledore. As Dumbledore cleared his throat they both fell silent, staring at him with hatred exceeded only by their husband and father.
"Finally, the Wizengamot has decided on your fate, Lucius Malfoy. You have shown no compassion to your fellow wizards, so you will receive no compassion. You have shown no mercy to your victims, so you will receive no mercy. You have shown no humanity to your fellow man, so you will lose your humanity.
"The Wizengamot, without dissent, decrees the ultimate penalty, a penalty unused for some time. Your life is forfeit to the wizarding world, and you will be executed by the Killing Curse at sundown tonight."
Hanging his head, Dumbledore looked weary and spent. Harry knew that Dumbledore believed in the power of mercy and redemption. Hagrid, Sirius, Lupin, even Snape, and countless others that Harry never knew, and would never know, had received second chances from the powerful wizard. Love was a powerful thing, and Harry knew that emotion lay at the very core of who Dumbledore was, it defined his very being.
Harry knew this was taking too much out of Dumbledore, that it endangered everything that Dumbledore stood for, to sentence even this miserable, disgusting wretch, to his well deserved death. It would hurt Dumbledore to the core, and perhaps lessen his ability to stand as a symbol for the wizarding world as a beacon of hope. His mind racing, his heart pounding, Harry stood up.
"NO!" he shouted. "This cannot be done. We cannot do that. It's not right." Racing down to Dumbledore's side, he looked up at his headmaster, his eyes pleading.
"Professor, I'd like to address the court, please."
Dumbledore's eyes misted as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. We have no choice."
"But we do Professor. We always have a choice. That's what makes us different from him, from them. Please? Trust me."
Dumbledore stared at Harry with wonder. Looking deep into Harry's eyes, Dumbledore saw the determination, and the hope, surrounding Harry. And the love. The love that Harry felt for the Headmaster of Hogwarts poured out of Harry's eyes, filling Harry with a sense of purpose. Dumbledore saw that purpose, and his spirits soared. Gravely he nodded his head and sat down, giving Harry the freedom to speak.
"May it please the court," Harry started with a calm, but powerful voice. "I beg you to reconsider this decision. I ask not for Lucius' sake, for he deserves this fate. Were we on the field of battle, I would eagerly find a way to kill him as savagely and foully as possible. You know that I mean this, as I am due for trial myself before this body for similar crimes. His life is not worth a single knut. His life is not worth a second thought."
Harry's voice was calm, but determined. He looked earnestly at each face as he spoke, moving around the room. He addressed each member of the court and then all others gathered there. He spoke with his heart, with his soul. He spoke with passion and conviction. And he spoke with hope.
"He has admitted his guilt and he deserves his fate. But death sometimes is too easy. I know, I have dealt with death all my life. My parents were cruelly taken from me by his dreaded master when I was a mere babe, an infant in my mother's arms. Their death was quick because of his foul master, but I have suffered from that moment on.
"When I came to Hogwarts, I was again stalked by evil. Voldemort was stirring and he controlled a weak wizard. I had to combat Him, again, and overcame his evil. I killed the wizard that Voldemort controlled, but it was my life or his, it was in battle that he died. I do not regret the death I caused, but I do not glory in it either. It was, and is, necessary to defend myself against evil.
"Over the past few years I have confronted that evil again and again. And this disgusting fool aided and abetted it at every turn. This malicious, heartless fanatic tried to find ways to bring about my death, the death of those close to me, hoping it would hasten Voldemort's return. And when Voldemort did return, he rushed to his side, eager to cause death, destruction, and worse. Eager to cause harm to me. To you. To us all.
"This is my fate because I will always stand against evil. But I will always win. My mother made a similar choice when she sacrificed herself for me. Despite her death, she still won, because she protected me, she saved me for future battles against evil. She helped me defeat Voldemort.
"I make that choice too. I choose, every day, to confront and defeat evil. And I will win.
"WE will win, together.
"A wise man once told me it is often most difficult to choose between what is right and what is easy. It is right that Lucius be made to suffer. He has caused so much suffering in his life that it is right that he be made to suffer mightily. But it is easy to exact retribution and take his life, even though he deserves it.
"It would be a good example to set, I know. 'Cross the wizarding world and you will die.' Normally I would agree with you. Normally I would volunteer to cast the curse myself. This man richly deserves his death. On his own he has killed countless people, magic and muggle alike. By aiding Voldemort he helped kill my parents. He helped kill my godfather. By aiding Voldemort he helped kill Cedric Diggory. Of course he deserves to die.
"But that same wise man also once said that death is not always the worst you can do to a man. Sometimes there are worse things you can do to punish a man than take his life. Sometimes it is right, and easy, to make a man truly suffer for his crimes."
Harry finally found himself in front of Draco and his mother. They were glaring at him with hatred, eyes flashing at him, loathing pouring out of every fiber of their beings.
"In your wisdom you have taken away his money and resources. You have taken away his freedom. What does he have left? He has hope that his Lord will come for him. Hope is power, a power we should not underestimate. And he also still has his power, his magic. His wand is broken, but his power remains. But does it have to?
"Can we take away his power? I understand that there are spells and instruments, are there not, that can rob a wizard of his power forever, never to be returned? They require great effort, and certain items that the Ministry has secretly guarded for centuries. They have been unused because of the terrible toll it exacts. But it can be done, can it not?
"I suggest this measure of retribution. Let us remove Lucius Malfoy's magical power, turn him into a Squib, something less than worthless in his world view. He would be akin to a muggle, and it would tear at his soul every day for the rest of his miserable life. Without his money, without his power, Voldemort wouldn't think twice about rescuing Lucius or saving him. Voldemort holds no loyalty to his followers. He uses them for his goals and discards them when they are no longer helpful to his mad plots. And we would then rob Lucius of his hope of being freed."
Turning his back on the Malfoy's he crossed back over to Dumbledore and finished his speech while staring straight into Dumbledore's eyes. Harry's voice was firm and smooth as he finished, but his eyes were pleading. Begging Dumbledore to do this, for Harry, for himself, for the world.
"I beg of you to take this action. You will exact a just retribution, and you will not stain your hands with his death. He does not deserve to have his death on your conscience, sir, on any of our consciences."
Silently he turned to walk back to his seat when he heard the soft sound of applause from a darkened corner of the room. Harry stopped and stared up to see who was making the noise, but he couldn't quite make it out. Slowly others joined in, tentatively at first, but with growing confidence. The noise crescendoed around the room as more witches and wizards joined in the applause. Almost every person in the room, save the Malfoy family and Dumbledore, was applauding. As Harry looked up at his headmaster he saw an expression he hadn't seen often in his life. It was filled with love and respect. As their eyes locked, the sounds of the applause faded in Harry's ears as if he were alone in the room. Dumbledore's pained expression had vanished and he smiled, a smile that made Harry want to laugh with joy.
"You're right, of course," said Dumbledore. "This will give us hope, it will give us justice, and with this we set ourselves against Voldemort with an excellent symbol: the lowering of his most faithful servant. With this gesture we are showing that we will win."
As if on cue, the room stood, clapping louder and louder, people were slamming their hands together to make as much noise as possible. With a grin the Weasley twins started chanting, but Harry couldn't make out what they were saying. Then the rest of the Weasley family joined in, Ron and Hermione grinning widely and applauding as loudly as possible.
The chant spread as others picked it up, nervously at first, but with growing strength. It slowly spread down to where Harry could finally pick out the words. In a strong cadence that would have made a marching band proud, the chant quickly made its way around the room.
"We will win! We will win! We will win! We will win!"
Enjoy!
Chapter Seven - May it Please the Court
Dumbledore nodded his head at Malfoy and then motioned to Madam Bones.
"Madam Bones, you may begin."
"I call as my first witness Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived."
Startled at being called that, as if it were part of his official title or his full name, Harry was surprised that he was the first witness.
Moving down towards the center of the chamber, Harry looked up at Dumbledore who gave him a sly wink.
When he stepped down on to the same level that Lucius sat, Dumbledore waved his wand and a comfortable chair appeared. Taking this as a suggestion, Harry sat.
Madam Bones walked down to him and gave him a glass with liquid in it.
"Mr. Potter, there is Veritaserum in this glass, enough to compel truthfulness for the next two hours. Do you consent to taking this?" When she saw his hesitation she smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter, the questions you are asked will be strictly relevant to this trial. The Chief Warlock will not allow spurious lines of questioning."
Reassured, Harry quickly gulped down the potion. He didn't feel anything different, but assumed it worked. Madam Bones immediately started questioning him.
"Please state your name for the record."
"Harry James Potter."
"And your address?" Harry hesitated for a moment, panic setting in. He was about to reveal the address of the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix! Fortunately Dumbledore was prepared.
"Madam Bones meant, of course, your permanent address, Mr. Potter," he said with a straight face and a knowing look.
Relieve, Harry flashed him a smile. "Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
"Can you identify that man," Madam Bones asked, pointing to Lucius Malfoy.
"Yes, he's Lucius Malfoy, one of Voldemort's Deatheaters." When Harry said the dreaded name, most of the audience in the courtroom gasped in shock. Lucius Malfoy simply sneered at him.
"Objection!" It was a voice Harry recognized as belonging to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "That's simply speculation. Just because this deranged boy believes it to be true does not make it true."
Dumbledore gave Fudge a withering look, but nodded his head. "Sustained. It has not yet been proven conclusively that Mr. Malfoy is indeed a Deatheater. Please continue Madam Bones."
"Thank you. Now Harry, please relate to the Court the events of the final night of the TriWizard Championship."
Harry found himself talking in a calm, dispassionate voice as he explained the events of that night. He described the maze and the events that took place there. He related the conversation between himself and Cedric about who should take the Cup. He then described how he found himself in the graveyard and Cedric's death at the hands of Peter Pettigrew.
He continued by describing the resurrection of Voldemort and his confrontation with the Dark Lord. Again the audience gasped at the mention of that name, but Harry ignored the interruption.
Madam Bones asked him to continue.
He explained how he recognized the Deatheaters that appeared at the graveyard. How Voldemort had called Lucius by name and Lucius had begged for forgiveness. Madam Bones interrupted him at that point.
"You are sure that it was Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yes, Voldemort called him by name, and Lucius responded to it. Plus I recognized his voice and I saw his eyes. I'm positive it was him."
Madam Bones paused and looked up at Minister Fudge, anticipating on objection. None came.
"Very well, please continue."
Harry continued to describe the duel between himself and Voldemort, and how Lucius had tried to lead the Deatheaters in attacking him. He finished with a short explanation of how he returned to Hogwarts before Madam Bones stopped him from going further.
"Thank you, Harry. Now I'd like you to describe the events of your visit to the Ministry last year."
Unsure of where to start, Harry described the vision he had seen of Sirius being held at the Ministry. How he had envisioned Sirius being tortured by Voldemort.
"So you admit that Sirius Black was with You-Know-Who. How do we know they weren't in league with each other?" Minister Fudge spoke with deep contempt and anger at the thought that Sirius had evaded the Ministry for so long.
"I admit no such thing Minister," Harry said with equal contempt. "It was a vision, one that proved to be false. And Sirius wasn't in league with Voldemort, as you should have figured out since Peter Pettigrew is very obviously not dead since he is in your custody awaiting trial. Sirius was innocent."
"Harry," interrupted Madam Bones. "Please continue with your testimony."
Sighing, Harry explained his attempt to verify where Sirius was by breaking in to Umbridge's office. As he described the events that happened there, Madam Bones interrupted again.
"You mean to tell me that she was going to use the Cruciatus on you? And that only the interruption of Ms. Granger prevented that?"
"Erm, I guess. Yeah."
"This is outrageous!" Fudge was spluttering. "This is the unfounded accusation of a deranged boy. This is irrelevant and immaterial. I demand it be stricken from the record."
Dumbledore looked calmly at the enraged Minister. "I find it odd the things you are objecting to Cornelius, but you are right, this is not relevant to this matter. However, it will not be stricken from the record as I am sure that this will need to be investigated further.
"Madam Bones, perhaps we could proceed to the moment that Mr. Potter arrived at the Ministry? I think that will be more relevant."
Nodding her head, she motioned to Harry to continue.
Harry described his arrival at the vacant Ministry, how the guard was missing, and how he and his friends made their way down to the Department of Mysteries. He explained the search for the room in his vision, and how they eventually found their way there.
As he described the confrontation with Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and the other Deatheaters over the prophecy, he heard a slight murmuring from the audience. Continuing with his story, he described the battle that ensued, up to the point where Dumbledore had arrived. Tears welled up when he explained how Sirius had died. Madam Bones allowed him to compose himself before she continued.
"I think that's enough, Mr. Potter," she said kindly. "We all know the rest of the story you needn't continue." Harry realized that she was protecting him, keeping his own paltry use of the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix from becoming known.
"We know," she said, "that you and Voldemort had a confrontation before Albus intervened and chased Voldemort off."
When the audience gasped again Madam Bones lost her composure.
"Seriously people, enough. We all know his name and it's ridiculous to persist with such silly fear. He's simply a powerful Dark wizard, no more, no less. I don't see the need to pretend like his name alone has power."
Turning back to Harry, she paused, trying to determine if she had any more questions for Harry. Realizing that she had all of the information she needed, she turned to Lucius.
"I'm satisfied with his testimony. Your witness," she said, nodding to Lucius.
With a greasy smile, Lucius stood up and crossed over to Harry.
"I have just two simple questions for Mr. Potter. One, were you in my presence before I apparated to the graveyard on the night of the championship?"
Harry looked at the man he loathed with tremendous force. "No," he said angrily. "Of course not, I was at the graveyard with your boss. You weren't summoned until after he had been restored to a body."
"Excellent. Two, were you in my presence prior to my arrival at the Ministry last summer on the night in question?"
Again Harry looked at the man with loathing. Harry knew where Lucius was going with this.
"No, I was busy defending myself from the hag Umbridge." Harry was pleased to see Fudge's face contort in anger at that statement, but he said nothing.
"Perfect. Thank you Mr. Potter. No further questions."
Seething, Harry stood up and stomped angrily to his seat with the Weasley's. Looking across the room he saw Draco and his mother smiling exultantly, as if they had won a huge victory. Scowling at them, Harry slumped into his chair, oblivious to the encouragement of his friends.
Madam Bones continued with several witnesses, including Aurors, some Ministry officials from her office, and finally Moody, Remus, and Tonks. Each of them added additional information to support Harry's statement and proving conclusively, in Harry's eyes, that Lucius Malfoy was a Deatheater and active in Voldemort's campaign to take over the world.
Lucius asked each witness the same questions that he had asked Harry. Were they in his presence immediately prior to any attack that he participated in? Did they witness his interaction with other Deatheaters prior to any incident? When each witness confirmed that they had not, Lucius' grin widened.
Finally, Madam Bones rested her case. Dumbledore decided to break for lunch and called for a recess.
Fuming, Harry stormily marched out of the courtroom and found his way back up to the entrance level. Exiting the Ministry to the outside street, he looked around for a place to eat and pour over his thoughts, desperately worried that Lucius would manage to get off.
As he felt two hands reached out to grab his shoulder, Harry whirled around, his hand diving in to his pocket. He stared abashedly at Ginny and Hermione who had hurriedly followed after him and just now caught up with him.
"Harry, Mum wants us to go back to the Burrow for lunch," said Ginny. "She says it's easier to Floo there and back from the Ministry as opposed to going to your place. Plus, we're amongst Muggles out here and we're not really dressed for it." Pointing to their robes and the curious looks they were getting from some of the Muggles walking by them, Harry shook his head.
"Oh, sorry. I was just so frustrated about Lucius, I wanted to be get out of there." Gritting his teeth, he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, let's go."
Climbing back into the telephone booth, they punched in the number and sank back down to the Ministry. Mrs. Weasley was standing there, wringing her hands with worry. Seeing Harry and the girls return, she reached out to him and grabbed his arm.
"Harry, you have to control that temper of yours. Everything will be alright. Dumbledore knew this was a possibility, and he's prepared for it. Now, let's go home for lunch."
Marching her family over to the fireplaces, she picked up the pot of Floo powder and watched as each person grabbed a handful and threw it into the fireplace. As the group disappeared one by one, Harry watched, still trying to figure out how Dumbledore would solve this. As his turn arrived, he too grabbed a handful and threw it into the fireplace. Shouting "The Burrow!" he jumped into the green flames and was whisked away.
***
Coughing and spluttering as he emerged from the fireplace, he was helped to his feet by Ron and Hermione.
"We need to talk Harry," she whispered. "Let's go upstairs while Mrs. Weasley prepares lunch."
Disappearing before Mrs. Weasley emerged from the fireplace, the trio marched upstairs to Ron's room. Entering the familiar place, Harry was stunned to see that it was much neater than he had ever seen it. Apparently Ron had taken some effort to clean it. Immediately understanding Ron's motivation, Harry rolled his eyes and flopped down on the floor.
"Ron, you certainly didn't need to clean this mess up for me," he teased. "What gives?"
Smiling as Ron's face turned red, Harry glanced over at Hermione. She was unconcernedly settling herself down on the floor, across from Harry, though Harry thought he saw a fleeting grin pass quickly on her face. Harry was pleased that he would now have a challenge, since Ron was so easy to fluster, and tried to figure out how to make her blush.
"Honestly Harry," she said impatiently. "Does it really matter why Ron cleaned up his room? There are other things more important to discuss."
The door swung open at that point and Ginny marched in, her eyes spitting fire. "Like why you didn't include me in this little chat?" she asked coolly.
"No Ginny," Hermione said with dignity. "I actually thought you'd already be up here waiting. I assumed you'd be along shortly."
Ginny looked suspiciously at the trio for a moment, and realized she had nothing to work with. She sat down with a thud and intently looked at Harry.
"Fine then, let's continue. Harry, what trick does Dumbledore have up his sleeve?"
"I honestly don't know. Is there a way to determine if a person was under the Imperius? I mean, that's obviously where Lucius is going with this. It's how he got off last time."
"Well," started Hermione. "I should think that Veritaserum would work, but he has to consent to taking it. I wouldn't think that he would do so, since he'd have to tell the truth. Unless he could overcome that? I just don't know. I wish we were at school and we could-"
"Go to the library," said Ron, Harry, and Ginny in unison, finishing the sentence for her with smiles.
"I guess we have to assume that he can overcome the Veritaserum and he'll lie about being a Deatheater. But wouldn't Dumbledore have planned for that?"
"I think you'll find that Dumbledore is prepared for this contingency," said Mrs. Weasley from the doorway. Her eyes flashed at the surprised looks at the children in front of her. "You don't need to worry about it, just wait until we return and it will be clear.
"Now," she said firmly. "Lunch. Downstairs, march."
Shaking their heads ruefully, the four of them quickly got up and raced down the stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had prepared a mountain of sandwiches of all kinds and there were several pitchers of pumpkin juice and butterbeer placed randomly around the table.
Quickly sitting down and passing the sandwiches around, everyone dug in to the meal, anxious to get back to the Ministry for the rest of the trial.
***
When they returned to the courtroom, Harry noticed that security had increased since the morning. Looking over at several of the Aurors, Harry saw that several were still sporting injuries from the raid on Azkaban prison. Grimly shaking his head, he sat back in his chair as Professor Dumbledore entered the courtroom.
Nodding to Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore resumed the session of the Wizengamot. "Mr. Malfoy, you may proceed with your defense."
Lucius grandly stood up, straightening his robes with panache, and looked at the members of the high court.
"May it please the Court, my defense is simple, though unfortunate and highly embarrassing. I will concede that Madam Bones laid out an excellent case. Her accusations were entirely accurate. I was summoned to You-Know- Who's side on that dreadful night when poor Cedric Diggory lost his life. I was also present this past June in the Department of Mysteries and participated in the assault of the Wizarding world's hero, Mr. Potter.
"It is all very tragic. I regret that I was involved in those attacks. However, I must admit to a point of personal embarrassment now. You see, I was under the Imperius Curse during each of these events, and my will was not my own. I protested, of course, and fought valiantly against the Dark wizards who were unfortunately stronger than I.
"It is shameful, that I am so weak. But I had no control over my actions. On that fateful night last summer, just as young Harry was being pulled away from the safety and sanctity of Hogwarts, I was visited by a business colleague. Unfortunately I made an unwise decision. Unbeknownst to me, he was in league with Mr. Pettigrew, and if we are to believe young Harry, and of course I see no reason not to, Mr. Crouch Jr. as well.
"I was placed under the Imperius Curse and compelled to join Him at the graveyard. There, I was cursed again by several of his most loyal followers, and for the past year I have been under their control. I struggled, and fought on a daily basis. I was almost able to alert the Minister to my predicament, but as I fought against the horrid curses last summer, Mr. Potter created quite the stir and I was unable to see the Minister as he was busy handling that matter. Such a cruel twist of fate.
"All year I have struggled against the evil that was inside of me, but I was too weak, too incapable of fighting it off. I am embarrassed and ashamed. I humbly ask for mercy from this just and honorable court, though I know I do not deserve it. I will live with shame for the rest of my life that I was not able to fight off, single-handedly, the forces of evil that attacked me."
Lucius was a masterful performer, Harry realized. The audience was silently lapping up his every word. Harry looked with astonishment as he saw several witches quietly wipe tears from their eyes.
Seething, he clenched his teeth and was about to stand up and denounce this for the farce that it was when he saw Minister Fudge stand up.
"My dear man, what moving testimony. That certainly sheds quite a bit of light on this unfortunate matter. We will certainly have to take this into consideration. We all know how horrid those Deatheaters are, and it makes sense that they would target you. Such a proud and noble family, with such admirable resources at your command, you were an obvious target. The Ministry failed you, and I apologize for that.
"And as you say, if only Harry hadn't caused the ruckus with his claims of Dementors attacking him, I would have been able to help you. I just hope that you can forgive Harry, and myself for our failures."
Harry stared with shock as Fudge also wiped tears from his eyes. Fuming mad Harry stood up, only to be pulled back into his seat by Mrs. Weasley.
"Control yourself. This is exactly what Dumbledore has been waiting for."
As if in concert with Mrs. Weasley's words, Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked over at Fudge with an inscrutable face.
"Perhaps we should seek some evidence of this before we accept it at face value, Minister? Of course, I would hate to impugn Mr. Malfoy's character in any way, but these are serious offenses, we should do the utmost to verify his claims?"
"Of course Albus. But how would we do that? Veritaserum doesn't work, I'm sure his mind has been wiped of the memory of the original curse, and he wouldn't be able to speak to that with any accuracy. I'm afraid we are left with no choice but to take him at his word. After all, Mr. Malfoy is an upstanding citizen, he has donated substantial sums to many worthy causes, and he sincerely regrets being used..."
Fudge's voice trailed off as Dumbledore continued to glare at him. The contempt emanating from the Chief Warlock was obvious to everyone in the room.
Dumbledore turned to Madam Bones and nodded his head. Smiling she stood up and walked over to Lucius.
"Well Mr. Malfoy, we have a conundrum. How do we verify that you are telling the truth?"
"I regret that I have no ideas. Unfortunately you must take me at my word. I hoe that is enough."
"Ah yes, we could do that. But fortunately we do happen to have other resources available to us," she said with a slight smile. She snapped her fingers and the doors to the courtroom opened.
Standing in the entryway was the most bizarre looking witch Harry had ever seen. First, she was absolutely ancient. She made Dumbledore look middle aged. Second, her outfit made Luna's usual choices of attire look completely normal. Her robes were a deep pink that crackled as she walked. Her hair was an off putting orange color. Not red, like the Weasley trademark, but really bright orange. She did not wear makeup, and Harry was convinced that was a mistake. As she approached Dumbledore, Harry saw that her gait was just not right. He couldn't say what it was, but everything about this woman shrieked 'odd' to him. He was surprised by the hushed conversation that erupted throughout the room as she stopped in front of Dumbledore and looked up at him expectantly.
"Thank you for coming, Portia, did you bring the potion?"
"Of course Albus. I'm not senile yet. Here it is."
She handed him a cauldron that was filled with a bubbling potion. Steam was wafting over the cauldron, and the silence of the courtroom was interrupted by cracks and fizzles from the potion.
Smiling, Dumbledore got out of his chair and approached Lucius. Holding the cauldron in his hand, he addressed the chamber.
"Portia here has developed a new potion. We all know her history as the greatest Potions Master of the past two centuries, and she has developed a potion that can detect whether an individual has been subjected to the Imperius Curse in the past two months. That should be sufficient, I believe, to determine whether Mr. Malfoy was, as he claims, under the Imperius the night of the attack on the Ministry. I suggest that if he was under it then, we can assume he was under it for the past year as well.
"Is the Court agreed?"
Several whispered conversations were taking place as the members of the Court whispered furiously amongst each other. Harry was watching Lucius intently.
When Dumbledore initially explained the potion, he saw a look of panic jump across Lucius' face, before he quickly resumed his normal bored, arrogant expression. Harry felt a surge of triumph at the fact that Lucius was afraid.
Then he watched as Lucius' eyes kept darting to Minister Fudge who was busy chewing on his lips, obviously worried. As Dumbledore asked his question Fudge nervously stood up.
"Well, erm, Albus, how do we know it works? Has it been tested? I'd hate to see Lucius be accused unfairly."
"Of course it has been thoroughly tested you nincompoop," the witch Dumbledore had identified as Portia said crossly. "Who do you think you are to question my abilities?"
His dignity ruffled, Fudge glared at the witch. "I am the Minister of Magic and I refuse to accept this potion unless it can be demonstrated as harmless and effective."
Sighing, Dumbledore shook his head. Looking over at Harry, his eyes twinkled a bit and a small grin appeared on his face.
"Very well Cornelius, we do this the hard way. Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley, if you don't mind, please come forward."
Looking at each other with confusion they hesitantly got up from their seats and walked down to stand next to Dumbledore. Lucius quickly looked away, but not before a flash of hatred shot through his eyes at Harry.
"Cornelius, if these fine students of mine agree, I will place Ms. Weasley under the Imperius and then give her the potion. I will simply give Mr. Potter the potion. Ms. Weasley will exhibit the signs of having been under the Imperius, while Mr. Potter will not. I trust that this is a sufficient test of the potion?"
Nodding his head, Fudge knew he was trapped. Harry and Ginny meekly nodded their heads as they too agreed to participate in the test.
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and as he was about to cast the spell he looked back over at Fudge.
"I trust that my use of an Unforgivable will be deemed as necessary and you won't seek my prosecution?" As the chamber filled with laughter, Fudge blushed a deep red and nodded his head angrily.
Dumbledore cursed Ginny and made her demonstrate that she was under his control. He then ended the curse, apologized to her, and pulled two cups out of the air. Pouring a small measure for her, and then Harry, he asked them to drink the potion.
Surprisingly to Harry it did not taste too bad. It was actually infused with a peppermint flavor that Harry found he liked. As he stood there, feeling foolish, nothing happened. But the gasps from the crowd made him turn to look at Ginny. In the center of her forehead a glowing letter I had appeared.
"Excellent!" cried Portia. "See, it works perfectly. Now, let me administer the counter potion so the poor girl will not be afflicted for the rest of the day."
Another cauldron appeared out of nowhere with the flick of Portia's wand and she poured two generous portions in the mugs that Harry and Ginny were holding. Quickly swallowing the contents, Harry grimaced at the taste. This was not nearly as pleasant, and it made Harry think as if he were swallowing bugs.
Returning to his seat, he looked across the room and saw that Draco was ten times paler than he normally was. He was obviously worried about his father, and Harry felt a surge of triumph. This would get Lucius convicted, he was sure of it.
Scowling, Lucius took the proffered mug from Dumbledore and quickly drank down his mug. The courtroom hushed and all eyes were staring intently at his forehead. Seconds passed slowly as nothing happened. Seconds passed into a minute and still nothing happened.
Dumbledore looked Lucius in the eyes. The hatred that Lucius had for Dumbledore was now apparent; his eyes shot daggers at the venerable wizard.
"It appears," Dumbledore said triumphantly, "that Mr. Malfoy may not be as innocent as he claims. Perhaps we should ask a few more questions?"
Not hearing any objections, Dumbledore waved his wand and Lucius found himself seated in his chair, this time he was bound to it with thick magical ropes. Her eyes boring into him, Madam Bones approached Malfoy with a grim expression.
"Alright, Mr. Malfoy. Please tell me about the night of the TriWizard championship. You say that you were put under the Imperius before apparating to Voldemort's side. Who did that to you?"
In a calm, dispassionate voice Lucius spoke very clearly. "No one, I acted of my own free will."
As a gasp went up through the courtroom, Harry saw that Lucius' eyes were spinning wildly. A thought popped up in Harry's head and he turned to look at Dumbledore who was calmly staring down at Lucius.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, are you saying that you were not under the Imperius and that you voluntarily went to Voldemort's side as a Deatheater."
"Yes. I went willingly to his side when finally summoned after his return."
"Objection! Objection! Objection!" screamed Fudge. "This Court has obviously been misled, I demand to know what was in that potion. Mr. Malfoy is obviously being coerced."
"Cornelius, control yourself," Dumbledore said mildly. "It was simply a potion designed to determine whether the Imperius had been cast on the subject."
"Then why is he suddenly changing his story?" demanded Fudge.
"Because," replied Portia, "the foundation of my potion is the same as the Veritaserum potion. It would have detected the Imperius Curse, but since it did not, he is compelled to tell the truth."
Fudge's face fell and he blanched. Crumpling back into his seat, he stared at Lucius, then Dumbledore, and finally back at Lucius.
"But, he swore, he, I mean, Lucius, you swore that you hated Him. How could you do this? What would possess you to become a Deatheater?"
"You pathetic fool. You were so easily swayed. A few kind words here, some Galleons there, and you believed what you so desperately wanted to believe. I easily preyed on your weakness for glory and accolades, for the appearance of power. For the past several years I have whispered to you that Dumbledore was plotting against you. I convinced you to ignore the actions of my associates as we scoured the world for the Dark Lord's return. When you managed to think for yourself and get suspicious, another generous contribution made your feeble mind quickly forget.
"I fully believe in the Dark Lord's goal of taking over the world and ridding it of Muggles and Mudbloods," Lucius continued in that same calm, dispassionate voice. "I relished the power that he allowed me to exercise, the ability to torture Muggles, to destroy the Ministry from within.
"I look forward to the Dark Lord's eventual triumph over you pathetic fools. Race traitors and half breeds, all of you. Pure blooded wizards should rule the world, not cower in fear at being discovered by filthy Muggles. The Dark Lord will win, and we will rule the world for eternity."
What stunned Harry the most was the clam way that Lucius Malfoy said all of this. Though Harry knew it was partially due to the Veritaserum, it was also because Lucius so strongly believed in it.
Dumbledore looked down at Lucius, contempt flaring in his eyes.
"So, Mr. Malfoy, you freely admit to being a Deatheater, to willingly following Voldemort's orders, to using the Unforgivable Curses on muggles and wizard kind alike, to the attempted murder of Harry Potter and others, and to the other crimes you are accused of?"
"Of course you pathetic old man. Of course I did all those things, and more. I killed for the Dark Lord, I wreaked havoc for the Dark Lord. I waited patiently for his return, preparing myself for his rise to power. I longed for it, I dreamed of it. I am not ashamed to admit it to you pathetic fools, for I will be freed and I will resume my position at the right hand of the greatest wizard to ever live."
With Lucius' speech, Fudge fainted. It was too much for him to bear. He slumped to the ground, unconscious to the world. It was telling that no one went to his aid. The rest of the courtroom was stunned in to silence. Every witch and wizard in the room was disgusted at what Lucius was saying. All eyes were staring blankly down at him, except Harry's.
Harry was coldly looking across the room at his school nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Draco was infuriated that his father had confessed his crimes. And Draco was also terrified that Lucius had confessed. Harry saw Draco struggle with the two conflicting emotions as the audience went wild with Lucius' last statement.
Dumbledore stood up, the aura of power surrounding him was almost tangible. Harry was convinced he could feel the power of his headmaster as he calmly looked out at the audience and silenced them with a look.
"Lucius Malfoy, the Wizengamot finds you guilty of all charges. Guilty of murder. Guilty of the use of the Unforgivable Curses. Guilty of attempted murder. Guilty of trespass. Guilty of treason against the wizarding world."
"Do your worst old man," sneered Lucius. "You won't live to see another year. The Dark Lord will not forsake me. I will be freed."
Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes flash with pain, a shadow of anguish momentarily flitted at the edge of Harry's awareness, and Harry knew he was sensing the ancient wizard's emotions. Dumbledore bowed his head momentarily, and squared his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy, you leave us with no choice. Your crimes against the world, wizard and Muggle alike, are too numerous, too hideous, too complete. You show no remorse, instead you have gloried in your crimes. You even propose to continue your dark and evil ways should you ever escape or be freed."
Lucius stared calmly at Dumbledore. Arrogantly looking around the room he sneered at the witches and wizards looking down at him.
"You haven't got the guts to do anything but lock me up you wretched excuse for a wizard. Don't pretend to think you'll intimidate me into begging for mercy. Send me to Azkaban where I will await my Lord's deliverance."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. First, we shall destroy your wand. Harry? Please come down here again, if you would."
Firmly telling himself not to smile at this honor, Harry walked down to Dumbledore's side. Dumbledore solemnly picked Lucius' wand up off the bench in front of him and handed it to Harry.
"I believe it is appropriate for the Boy Who Lived to do what he has always been called to do, strike a blow against evil. Harry, if you would."
Gesturing to Harry, Dumbledore nodded his encouragement and offered him a small smile. Grasping the sleek black wand in his hands, Harry raised the wand over his head.
Later he would reflect that emotion welled up inside of him as he stood dramatically, poised with Lucius' wand over his head. That would be the only explanation for what he shouted.
"Remember Cedric Diggory and all the innocents who have fallen. Voldemort will be defeated and we will win!"
With a sharp gesture he savagely cracked the wand down, hitting his upraised knee. The sound of the wood snapping in two reverberated throughout the courtroom, the crackle of magic flashed across Harry's face and a puff of green smoke wafted out of the broken wand halves. Staring proudly at Lucius Malfoy, whose face had turned white with anger, Harry offered the broken wand to Dumbledore.
"Keep them," Dumbledore said, refusing the offer. "Keep them with the others, as a memory of what we face. Keep them and never give up hope that we will win."
Even here, Harry realized, in a courtroom full of people who were watching every moment, Dumbledore was reaching out to Harry. Knowing that others would question his judgment, knowing the Ministry would want the wand as a trophy, Dumbledore ignored custom and duty and gave the broken wand to his young protege, hoping to bring Harry some small pleasure from this dreadful day.
His eyes glistening, Harry solemnly placed the wand halves in his pocket and quietly returned to his seat.
Dumbledore returned his attention to Lucius who had regained some color in his face, but was still staring with the deepest loathing at Dumbledore.
"Second, your financial assets, corporate holdings, business ventures, and real estate holdings are hereby confiscated. Everything will be liquidated and half the assets used to create a foundation to support the education of any muggleborn witch or wizard that attends Hogwarts. The other half will go to St. Mungo's to care for its patients."
Lucius' scowl, if possible, deepened. Harry saw a commotion at the other side of the room and realized that Draco and his mother were animatedly whispering to each other, gesturing at Lucius and Dumbledore. As Dumbledore cleared his throat they both fell silent, staring at him with hatred exceeded only by their husband and father.
"Finally, the Wizengamot has decided on your fate, Lucius Malfoy. You have shown no compassion to your fellow wizards, so you will receive no compassion. You have shown no mercy to your victims, so you will receive no mercy. You have shown no humanity to your fellow man, so you will lose your humanity.
"The Wizengamot, without dissent, decrees the ultimate penalty, a penalty unused for some time. Your life is forfeit to the wizarding world, and you will be executed by the Killing Curse at sundown tonight."
Hanging his head, Dumbledore looked weary and spent. Harry knew that Dumbledore believed in the power of mercy and redemption. Hagrid, Sirius, Lupin, even Snape, and countless others that Harry never knew, and would never know, had received second chances from the powerful wizard. Love was a powerful thing, and Harry knew that emotion lay at the very core of who Dumbledore was, it defined his very being.
Harry knew this was taking too much out of Dumbledore, that it endangered everything that Dumbledore stood for, to sentence even this miserable, disgusting wretch, to his well deserved death. It would hurt Dumbledore to the core, and perhaps lessen his ability to stand as a symbol for the wizarding world as a beacon of hope. His mind racing, his heart pounding, Harry stood up.
"NO!" he shouted. "This cannot be done. We cannot do that. It's not right." Racing down to Dumbledore's side, he looked up at his headmaster, his eyes pleading.
"Professor, I'd like to address the court, please."
Dumbledore's eyes misted as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. We have no choice."
"But we do Professor. We always have a choice. That's what makes us different from him, from them. Please? Trust me."
Dumbledore stared at Harry with wonder. Looking deep into Harry's eyes, Dumbledore saw the determination, and the hope, surrounding Harry. And the love. The love that Harry felt for the Headmaster of Hogwarts poured out of Harry's eyes, filling Harry with a sense of purpose. Dumbledore saw that purpose, and his spirits soared. Gravely he nodded his head and sat down, giving Harry the freedom to speak.
"May it please the court," Harry started with a calm, but powerful voice. "I beg you to reconsider this decision. I ask not for Lucius' sake, for he deserves this fate. Were we on the field of battle, I would eagerly find a way to kill him as savagely and foully as possible. You know that I mean this, as I am due for trial myself before this body for similar crimes. His life is not worth a single knut. His life is not worth a second thought."
Harry's voice was calm, but determined. He looked earnestly at each face as he spoke, moving around the room. He addressed each member of the court and then all others gathered there. He spoke with his heart, with his soul. He spoke with passion and conviction. And he spoke with hope.
"He has admitted his guilt and he deserves his fate. But death sometimes is too easy. I know, I have dealt with death all my life. My parents were cruelly taken from me by his dreaded master when I was a mere babe, an infant in my mother's arms. Their death was quick because of his foul master, but I have suffered from that moment on.
"When I came to Hogwarts, I was again stalked by evil. Voldemort was stirring and he controlled a weak wizard. I had to combat Him, again, and overcame his evil. I killed the wizard that Voldemort controlled, but it was my life or his, it was in battle that he died. I do not regret the death I caused, but I do not glory in it either. It was, and is, necessary to defend myself against evil.
"Over the past few years I have confronted that evil again and again. And this disgusting fool aided and abetted it at every turn. This malicious, heartless fanatic tried to find ways to bring about my death, the death of those close to me, hoping it would hasten Voldemort's return. And when Voldemort did return, he rushed to his side, eager to cause death, destruction, and worse. Eager to cause harm to me. To you. To us all.
"This is my fate because I will always stand against evil. But I will always win. My mother made a similar choice when she sacrificed herself for me. Despite her death, she still won, because she protected me, she saved me for future battles against evil. She helped me defeat Voldemort.
"I make that choice too. I choose, every day, to confront and defeat evil. And I will win.
"WE will win, together.
"A wise man once told me it is often most difficult to choose between what is right and what is easy. It is right that Lucius be made to suffer. He has caused so much suffering in his life that it is right that he be made to suffer mightily. But it is easy to exact retribution and take his life, even though he deserves it.
"It would be a good example to set, I know. 'Cross the wizarding world and you will die.' Normally I would agree with you. Normally I would volunteer to cast the curse myself. This man richly deserves his death. On his own he has killed countless people, magic and muggle alike. By aiding Voldemort he helped kill my parents. He helped kill my godfather. By aiding Voldemort he helped kill Cedric Diggory. Of course he deserves to die.
"But that same wise man also once said that death is not always the worst you can do to a man. Sometimes there are worse things you can do to punish a man than take his life. Sometimes it is right, and easy, to make a man truly suffer for his crimes."
Harry finally found himself in front of Draco and his mother. They were glaring at him with hatred, eyes flashing at him, loathing pouring out of every fiber of their beings.
"In your wisdom you have taken away his money and resources. You have taken away his freedom. What does he have left? He has hope that his Lord will come for him. Hope is power, a power we should not underestimate. And he also still has his power, his magic. His wand is broken, but his power remains. But does it have to?
"Can we take away his power? I understand that there are spells and instruments, are there not, that can rob a wizard of his power forever, never to be returned? They require great effort, and certain items that the Ministry has secretly guarded for centuries. They have been unused because of the terrible toll it exacts. But it can be done, can it not?
"I suggest this measure of retribution. Let us remove Lucius Malfoy's magical power, turn him into a Squib, something less than worthless in his world view. He would be akin to a muggle, and it would tear at his soul every day for the rest of his miserable life. Without his money, without his power, Voldemort wouldn't think twice about rescuing Lucius or saving him. Voldemort holds no loyalty to his followers. He uses them for his goals and discards them when they are no longer helpful to his mad plots. And we would then rob Lucius of his hope of being freed."
Turning his back on the Malfoy's he crossed back over to Dumbledore and finished his speech while staring straight into Dumbledore's eyes. Harry's voice was firm and smooth as he finished, but his eyes were pleading. Begging Dumbledore to do this, for Harry, for himself, for the world.
"I beg of you to take this action. You will exact a just retribution, and you will not stain your hands with his death. He does not deserve to have his death on your conscience, sir, on any of our consciences."
Silently he turned to walk back to his seat when he heard the soft sound of applause from a darkened corner of the room. Harry stopped and stared up to see who was making the noise, but he couldn't quite make it out. Slowly others joined in, tentatively at first, but with growing confidence. The noise crescendoed around the room as more witches and wizards joined in the applause. Almost every person in the room, save the Malfoy family and Dumbledore, was applauding. As Harry looked up at his headmaster he saw an expression he hadn't seen often in his life. It was filled with love and respect. As their eyes locked, the sounds of the applause faded in Harry's ears as if he were alone in the room. Dumbledore's pained expression had vanished and he smiled, a smile that made Harry want to laugh with joy.
"You're right, of course," said Dumbledore. "This will give us hope, it will give us justice, and with this we set ourselves against Voldemort with an excellent symbol: the lowering of his most faithful servant. With this gesture we are showing that we will win."
As if on cue, the room stood, clapping louder and louder, people were slamming their hands together to make as much noise as possible. With a grin the Weasley twins started chanting, but Harry couldn't make out what they were saying. Then the rest of the Weasley family joined in, Ron and Hermione grinning widely and applauding as loudly as possible.
The chant spread as others picked it up, nervously at first, but with growing strength. It slowly spread down to where Harry could finally pick out the words. In a strong cadence that would have made a marching band proud, the chant quickly made its way around the room.
"We will win! We will win! We will win! We will win!"