BLOOD OF THE MOTHER by BertaS Nov. 2005

Chapter 25

Description: The Death Eater Trials.

Disclaimer: They are not mine. They all belong to JKR.

Trials and Tribulations

This time when they approached the guard desk he said, "Good Morning Gentlemen," and waved them through. He did not ask to see their wands, as he did not wish to antagonize his superiors again, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement herself had called him to her office two days ago for harassing The Boy Who Lived and his guard.

When the others in line behind them started protesting loudly they heard him yell, "That's Harry Potter and his bodyguard. I have orders." To which Sev smirked. It was the truth, Harry had made him responsible for his safety, but very few people knew that. The rest of the conversation was cut off as they entered the elevator.

They entered courtroom ten through a different door than Harry had used last year instead of being on the floor they were in the stands. It felt more like when he was in Dumbledore's pensive during fourth year.

They where directed to places in the first tier of seats. Sev was uncomfortable with people behind them until Remus Lupin took the seat directly behind Harry. Sev might not like Lupin very well but he knew that the werewolf would die to protect the 'cub of his pack'. He was further reassured of Harry's safety as the Weasleys filled the seats around Remus, Molly leaned forward giving them each a hug and explaining that Ron and Ginny had been deemed to young to attend and they where at Hermione's for the day.

Mad-Eye was seated next to Sev and Narcissa, who had come in at almost the same time as Harry and Sev, had some how managed to obtain the seat beside Harry, and Tonks was beyond her. There were several other order members in the general vicinity.

Moody whispered to Severus that Bones had removed the 'old sots' spells and they were setting up interviews with all known Order Members as quickly as they could. A few of those interviewed so far had not had spells but they also had very minor roles within the organization. They believed they would have enough evidence to be able charge Dumbledore by the end of the trials. He also told Sev, "this isn't gonna make any sense, but when the time comes play along." as he gave Sev a strange look.

The morning paper had reported that several of the Death Eaters had died in their cells. Among the dead were Bellatrix Lestrange, Avery, Crabbe Senior, and Nott.

What they did not say in the papers was that it was from apparent magical overload, they had lost control of their magic in various ways Bella had seemed to shrivel and dry out like a mummy while Crabbe had blown up similar to what had happened to Aunt Marge, however when they punctured him, he exploded, it was most unpleasant. Nott and Avery went in gruesome and painful ways as well. All but Crabbe where clutching their left arms when they died, there was speculation that he would have been had he been able to each it.

Most all of those remaining were already exhibiting signs of insanity, many, complaining of intense pain in their Marks. Curse breakers had been called in two days ago. They had been able to help those that would cooperate, but most were already beyond ever being normal again. They learned this from Bill who had been one of those called in to help. He had offered his condolences to Cissa. Harry was amused by the look she gave the good looking Weasley, kind of like he had seen Hermione look at chocolate pudding, as she thanked him for his concern, telling him that her sister was lost to her a long time ago.

Cissa was speaking softly to Harry, but most of those around them could hear, giving him all the recent gossip about nearly every person that entered the courtroom. Some of it had Harry hiding his face as he giggled almost uncontrollably. Sev just smirked at him and raised his eyebrow. And Molly occasionally leaned forward with info that even surprised Cissa in a few cases.

When Mrs. Longbottom entered Harry nudged Sev and smirked pulling the picture of Neville's boggart to his public mind where he knew that Sev would see it. Sev was actually finding it very hard not to snigger as the woman was speaking with Harry, telling him that Neville sent his regards and was looking forward to seeing him at the Cotillion. When she went to her seat, Cissa told him that she would have a list of facts about the young women that would be attending by the next afternoon. Harry had thoughts of running away screaming and Sev finally elbowed him and hissed, "Stop it. I am not the only one in this room that can hear you." His eyes flicked to where Dumbledore was seated in the middle of the Judges all wearing plum with large 'W's on the breast. Harry just grinned and began projecting waves on the beach which seemed to calm Sev and every one else around them down, at least until Sev caught the fleeting image of a nearly naked person in the surf.

When the trial actually started there were additional witness chairs created so that they could judge five people at once. There were several groups of people that Harry had never meet personally, though he had seen some of them in visions, they where each given Veritaserum and ask to recite their crimes most where quickly sentenced to life in Azkaban. Some including Macanair, Goyle, Dolohov, and the Lestrange brothers, were sentenced to receive the Dementors Kiss.

It was late in the afternoon when Cornelius Fudge, former Minister of Magic, was brought in screaming and gibbering so much that they had trouble getting the Veritaserum into his mouth. They finally had to stun him and wrench his jaw open. His list of crimes took two additional doses of the potion, which Sev said was far more than he had ever seen any one take and not suffer permanent side effects. He implied that Voldemort had proven just what happens when you give too much of this potion. His opinion was that Fudge would be more likely to need a bed next to Frank and Alice Longbottom than the attentions of the Dementors. He would, at the very least, be unable to ever lie again, that is, if he where able to speak at all.

They decided to adjourn after ordering him to Azkaban for the rest of his life. Harry didn't think he would last long. In fact he didn't think any of those sent to the prison would survive very long, they seemed a pretty pathetic lot.

Just after they adjourned for the evening Dumbledore made the mistake of approaching Harry.

"Harry, my boy, I was quite distressed to find that you have left the security of your Aunts house. I really must insist that you return there. It is not safe for you anywhere else." the Headmaster said in his most grandfatherly voice.

"Headmaster, I would have thought you would have been informed by now that I claimed Head of Family recently and am, in the eyes of the law, an adult." Harry smirked, "I should not have to remind you that you are not my guardian, you never have been. You have no more right to interfere in my private life than you do any of the other students at school. I notice that you do not, for example, try to dictate to Luna," he waved at her standing behind Dumbledore, holding what looked to be a magic tape recorder. She had her usual dreamy smile, but her eyes twinkled as Harry smiled at her.

When Dumbledore looked around he realized that there where a lot of reporters around. He frowned and cleared his throat; "Perhaps you would accompany me to my office Harry, so that we can speak a little more freely?"

"No, Albus. I will never again be alone in a room with you." he could feel his friends and family moving closer, "There are too many inconsistencies, too many lies, whether outright or through omission." Harry heard a low growl behind him and realized that Remus was getting overly angry. Several people eyed the werewolf nervously, most knew him to be mild-mannered and hard to anger, it was however Molly that stepped forward next to Harry, looking daggers at the headmaster. Harry put his arm around her and continued, "I have other things to do today, like spending time with my family. Perhaps I could meet with you and the Heads of House a few days after school starts."

"Harry I must insist. You are still in danger," his eyes flicked to Snape. "I am not entirely convinced that Severus is to be trusted in his current state. I believe that there may still be Voldemort sympathizers out there that would be tempted to harm you." this caused a surge in the reporters.

Harry smiled and looked at the reporters, "Please my friends, I would prefer that, the fact that an old man tends to worry, over things that most likely will never happen, not make it into print."

Dumbledore sputtered and started turning red. Sev spotted Auror Jones not too far off and called him over, "Mr. Jones? Would you come help the Headmaster to his office, he seems to be suffering from an unknown illness." his supposed smile of concern was actually quite frightening.

The young auror seemed most solicitous as he led the protesting old man away, promising to have a healer give him a looking over.

This of course left Harry as the focus of the reporters, who all started calling for his attention. Harry held up his hand, still smiling. When they where quiet he said, "I am not going to answer a bunch of questions right now. I am confident that all the marked Deatheaters have been caught and that those who have been implicated by their testimony will soon be in custody as well. As for Professor Snape, I trust him with my life." He looked at Sev and smiled, when the man smiled a little at his words.

A female voice called out, "There is a rumor that the two of you will be attending the Fall Cotillion, is it true?"

Harry smiled, "I suggest you speak to Mrs. Longbottom about the gust list. If you have specific questions for me, please write them out and owl them to me, if you put on them when you go to press I will do my best to get them back with that in mind. If you will excuse us now I understand that Mum-Weasley was baking this morning and I plan to beg a few scraps from her table, thank you." He gave a small bow and started toward the exit Remus quickly took point which cleared the way quickly as any one who cared to look could see that the wolf was very close to the surface, he was moving with more grace and strength than he usually did, he was also still emitting small sniffs and growls and his eyes where glowing yellow.

The only reporter brave enough to get close to Harry was Luna who breezed up and said, "Hello Professor Snape, Professor Lupin," she gave Harry a quick hug, "I am beginning to suspect that the Headmaster has fleables in his beard. I will see you in a couple of days, Harry. I do hope you will save me a dance." she drifted off after that leaving several of them looking puzzled. And Sev mouthing the word 'fleables?'

Harry laughed, "I don't know Sev. I think we'll need a subscription to the Quibbler, if you are really that interested."

Lupin was grinning and frightening people even more with his canines extended. The rest of the group was laughing as they left the Ministry building most headed for dinner at the Burrow.

The next day was much the same with the sensational, high profile cases being the last of the day.

Peter Petigrew was brought in as the last Deatheater to be tried. He confessed to the murder of Cedric Diggory, as well as many others and to being the secret keeper for the Potters, to being an illegal animagus and framing Sirius Black and faking his own death and living as a rat with a an unsuspecting wizarding family. The surprise was that he said that Dumbledore was the one to cast the Fidelius charm on the Potters. This could only mean that Albus had to have known that Sirius was innocent.

Once Peter was sentenced and taken away to be Kissed the Trials were over. Harry had found he was exhausted and just wished to go home. But that was not to be as the Headmaster stood and spoke, "There is just one more matter to clear up some loose ends before we adjourn this evening. It saddens me to do this but I must call Severus Snape to the witness seat."

Sev sat a moment shocked, then stood slowly. Harry stood with him looking scared. Moody stood and whispered, "They ain't charged em yet." Out loud he said, "Come on Snape, move it along." as he pushed Severus toward the stairs to the floor.

When they reached a position near the witness chair, Dumbledore said, "I really am sorry Severus, sit down please," when he sat the chains wrapped themselves loosely around his wrists. He looked neither left nor right but Harry could tell that he was very uncomfortable being bound like that. Dumbledore said, "Bring the veritaserum."

Moody stepped forward, "Less'en the laws been changed whilst I weren't lookin ye can't do that. He ain't been charged with a crime. He's just given information out the goodness o' his heart as it were."

The irritation was starting to show in the headmaster's voice when he said, "I was just going to ask if we had the witness's permission to use the potion on him, I hope he will note that it is from the last batch that he provided for this purpose. May I take it you are volunteering as counsel in this case, Mr. Moody?"

Mad-Eye snorted, "I guess that'd be up ta the Professor, now wouldn't it?"

Severus looked at Moody, "I will consent to the Veritaserum, if you will make sure that they limit it to one dose only and, that you silence me before I answer any questions you deem inappropriate."

After Moody had to silence Severus the third time for inappropriate questions Madam Bones insisted on taking over the questioning and it was revealed that Severus had been under compulsion spells that caused him to maintain the cover he had as a spy and made him unable to speak of certain things to anyone but Albus Dumbledore. He revealed that he had done worse things under orders from Dumbledore than Voldemort had ever asked of him, and that the Headmaster had repeatedly manipulated students, Harry Potter and his friends, into dangerous situations that could have been avoided.

When Dumbledore tried to protest, there where several cries that having Snape testify was his idea and several of them ask questions of their own causing Severus quite a bit of stress as he did not know which question to answer.

Moody stepped in front of Snape, looking him squarely in the eye "You do not need to answer any of those questions." Something about the way the Potions master looked at him made him say "Do you want to answer one of them?"

Sev nodded, and then said firmly, "I have never slept with or had sex with Harry Potter." He then snapped his mouth shut they hadn't asked if he would, just if he had. Nor had they asked about any other student.

Harry who was still standing at his place chuckled. Harry caught Moody's real eye and they both realized that there was something that Sev had omitted from his answer, but it would serve to squash a lot of the rumors.

Before they dismissed the audience the Minister Pro Tem stood and thanked Snape for his willingness to sacrifice for the light and asked that Dumbledore, Madam Bones and several others meet with him in private immediately.

Sev was released from the chair and Harry vaulted to the floor as soon as Madam Bones declared that the court was adjourned. Alastor and Harry where helping Sev walk toward the exit where some how the others had gathered.

The members of the press where ready this time with Rita Skeeter being the only one to speak with Harry, she had a sheaf of parchments that she handed to Harry saying that they had gotten together in the press room and gathered the questions for the day to save him from being buried in owls. She also said that there where several papers that would like to interview Professor Snape. She had smiled hopefully at Sev, very careful not to ask any actual questions in case the potion had not fully worn off, Sev made a face and growled, "Write the questions out, Miss Skeeter. I will see what I can do." The man beside her held out a second sheaf of parchments with hastily written questions, which Sev took with smile that was a bit scary.

A/N I had a hard time with this due to a distraction stemming from the end of chpt 20 where Harry says "You will never guess what I got this time."

I kept picturing poor Sevie's reaction to being handed a Ping Pong paddle as Harry walks past saying, "Now we just have to transfigure the table and we can begin."

As you can tell the possibilities are staggering. This could be very slashy D/s, there were several versions of this go thru my mind. I like slash but don't think I can write it properly. If this bunny bites you, let me know, I want to read it.

Next chapter: I am not Prince Charming – will be the Cotillion and more confusion for Sev ----- unless Harry and Sev decide they want to discuss Dumbledore's arrest first and answer all those interview questions. I haven't decided yet. Anyone with questions that they would like the guys to answer let me know.