Chapter 25
Order in the Court! (Part 1)

A/N: This chapter will not be in normal Point-of-View (a.k.a: Jamie's point-of-view). This chapter will be about what happens in the Ministry, and the Order vs. Wizengamot Hearing. As you can see, this will be in two chapters (Part 1 and Part 2). If I didn't do that, this would be the longest chapter I have ever written in one session and it would take you forever to read it!

Harry sat alone in the office of Arthur Weasley, waiting for any word on what the Wizengamot had said. He had been ordered by Arthur Weasley to stay in the office and wait for the members of the Order of the Phoenix, for they were expected any moment now. It was from this office in which Harry had sent news to his family about what was happening at the Ministry. His family... that was all that Harry could think about.

It had been so long since he had defeated Voldemort, ensuring the victory over the Dark Arts. But victory had not come as far as Harry had expected. Harry remembered when he had graduated from Hogwarts, engaged to who was now his wife, expecting to start his Auror training, believing the worst was over. But Harry had learned the day he became an Auror that there were still rumors of Death Eaters alive and well. Death Eaters whom had survived the Second War and had taken refuge in unknown parts of the world. Of course, Harry had to keep these secrets from his family and friends, believing that nothing like this would ever affect them again.

Harry stared at the burning red and orange coals in the fireplace, trying to decide if he was living in a dream, or if he was in the real world. It all seemed so unreal. Harry had become an Auror believing that he wouldn't have to go through something like the Second War ever again. And now the Dark Mark had returned to the skies and the two words Harry believed he would never hear again had come back into existence: Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse.

For years, Harry knew that the rumors that some of the Death Eaters were alive and out of Azkaban were true. But he wanted to keep the thoughts of these rumors locked inside his mind, where they belonged. Harry still had dreams of the Second War. The thoughts of the Second War still haunted him to this day. Some people, people who should have been killed or sent to Azkaban, were still free. And Harry knew the name of one of these people: Draco Malfoy. For years, Harry had been hunting down the man who had been his enemy for so long. Harry could not believe that the one person he wanted to get his hands on, was still free somewhere in the world. And now Draco's own family was involved. Draco's wife was murdered, and his own son was now involved in the plot. Harry knew this. Harry knew that Draco's son wasn't like his father. There was good in him, Harry could see that from miles away. And now Romeo Malfoy was involved in something he should have never known about... the terrible history of his father, Draco Malfoy.

A noise behind Harry caused him to lose his concentration. Harry turned around to see Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway.

"No one has come yet?" Arthur asked, sighing.

"They will come, Arthur," Harry said, "You need to give them time."

"Time is something we do not have right now, Harry," Arthur said, as he shut the double doors behind him, "The members of the Wizengamot will not listen. Some are even doubting if I have what it takes to be Minister right now. Many of the members of the Wizengamot are friends of Rufus Scrimgeour and I am afraid that they trust him too much, even if they know he is in Azkaban for treason."

"Don't they know what the Order did during the Second War?" asked Harry, "It is thanks to the Order that many of the Death Eaters were either killed or sent to Azkaban, and now the Wizengamot is doubting the strength of the Order?"

"We hid the Order from the Ministry, Harry," Arthur said, "Don't you remember? And then the Ministry found out about the Order and forced us to disband or many of its members would have faced life in Azkaban for treason."

"But doesn't the Wizengamot know what is going on right now?" Harry asked, "The Dark Mark..."

"The Dark Mark isn't enough of a threat to bring the Wizengamot to agree with me," said Arthur, "I thought I had power over the Wizengamot, but they have a right to make a choice as much as I do. And right now, many of the council members are saying that the Dark Mark was a hoax."

"How could they say that, Arthur?" Harry said, his anger rising, "Pansy Malfoy is dead! The Dark Mark was above her house. Don't they know who Pansy was married to? Don't they know who Draco Malfoy is!"

"Of course they do," Arthur said, "But there is still the fact that many of the members of the Wizengamot are afraid that something like the Second War is going to happen again. You know what it was like when people didn't believe that Voldemort had returned. People had remembered when Voldemort was first in power. They were afraid to believe that Voldemort was back. And now that fear has returned."

Harry sighed and looked back into the fireplace. He then turned around and looked back at the Minister.

"Can I talk to the Wizengamot?" he asked, "Surely my name still has some meaning to them..."

"We have to wait until our friends get here," Arthur said.

As he said that, the double doors opened. Charlie, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur walked into the room, all dressed in their work robes.

"Thank Merlin!" Arthur said, "We were wondering when you would get here."

"We were trying to get in contact with the others, Dad," Bill said.

"How did that go?" Arthur asked.

"Well, we were trying to decide who we should ask," Bill said, "And our first thought was Minerva and Hagrid. They were still at Hogwarts so we used the Floo Network. They will come back into the Order if we call for them, but I don't think they can be here tonight."

"Anyone else?" Arthur asked.

"How about me?" said a deep voice.

A tall, aging, black man walked into the office.

"Kingsley," said Arthur, walking over to the man to shake his hand, "My good friend."

"I heard about the Dark Mark, Arthur," Kingsley said, "I couldn't stay away."

"Where is Lupin?" Charlie asked, "I know he will come."

"I am here," said another voice.

Remus walked into the room. "I had to drop off Tonks and Joseph at Grimmauld Place," he said.

"Hey, that reminds me," said Fred, "What about them? Tonks and the others?"

"They are at Grimmauld Place," Arthur said, "They were the first to agree that the Order should reassign."

"Then I guess it is official," Fred said, "If we are here, then the Order is back together."

"Not quite," Arthur said, "Which brings me to why I called you all here tonight. The Wizengamot believes the Order should not reform."

"What?" Charlie said.

The other members of the Order started to express their own anger. Fleur stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Zis eez an outrage!" Fleur said, "I thought ze Wizengamot would be ze first to agree wiz us!"

"You are forgetting that it was the Wizengamot who disbanded the Order so many years ago, Fleur," Arthur said.

"And they are still sticking with their decision?" George said, "Aah, I knew it. Never trust a Ministry official. Oh... no offense, Dad."

"I called you here tonight," Arthur said, "Because I wanted all of you to stand in front of the Wizengamot and explain why the Order should be reformed. If the council gets enough opinions, I believe they will have no choice but to allow the Order to reform."

"Which is exactly what we need to happen," Remus said, "Without the Order, I don't think the wizarding world will manage to survive if something happens."

"I agree, Remus," Kingsley said, "I shudder at the thought of what will happen without the Order."

"All right," Arthur said, "The council members are waiting for us. I don't think we need to keep them waiting any longer."

Harry and the others followed Arthur out of the office and toward the courtrooms.

---------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Harry, Arthur and the other present members of the Order walked into courtroom eleven. Harry looked around at the members of the Wizengamot, all seated and staring at the members of the Order. It was hard for Harry to recognize any of the members of the Wizengamot, because few were on the council when Harry was a teenager. A grim looking witch was sitting in the highest seat. Harry noticed a quill resting above her ear, and a stack of parchment was resting in her lap. Harry knew this who this witch was. Her name was Susan Bones, and was in the same year as Harry when they were in Hogwarts. She was the niece of the highly respected late Amelia Bones. She had been appointed the new Head Judge recently, and it was probably because of her family history that she had gotten this job. Harry noticed that the years since Hogwarts hadn't been nice to Susan. Either this, or she was in a particularly foul mood.

"Ah, Minister," Susan said, "You have returned. Good. And I see you have brought friends. And also a few family members, I believe. I suppose this is whom you chose as your defense."

Defense? This struck Harry as an odd choice of word. But Harry guessed that Susan was probably right. They were, in fact, defending the Order.

"These people agree that the Order should be reformed," Arthur said, "And they have a good reason for their beliefs."

"Well, I would like to hear it, Arthur," Susan said, "But keep this in mind that I want to get this over quickly. It has been a very long day, and you will probably agree with me."

"Oh yes, it has been quite a long day," Arthur said.

"Then... let's get this over with," Susan said, shuffling through her papers, "We are now starting the Wizengamot vs. Order of the Phoenix Hearing. It is..."

Susan looked at the clock on the wall.

"Exactly ten-fourty in the evening," Susan continued, turning her attention back to Harry, Arthur and the others, "On the twenty-second day of the twelfth month. I, Susan Bones, will be the Head Judge for this Hearing, accompanied by various members of the Wizengamot. Defense, please state your names, your line of work, bloodline and reason for being here."

One by one, Harry and the others stated their information, finally ending with...

"Arthur Weasley," Arthur said, "Minister of Magic, Pure Blood, defending the right for the Order of the Phoenix to reform."

"All right," Susan said, writing something on a piece of parchment in her lap, "Arthur, as you fully understand, that because you are participating in the defensive half of this hearing, that you will not have the right to vote at the end of the hearing. As a result, it will be the Wizengamot's decision and our decision only."

"I understand," Arthur said.

"Very well," Susan said, "All right. We will begin with an opening statement from myself on behalf of the Wizengamot, and then I will let you have your turn."

Arthur nodded. Susan stood up and cleared her throat.

"Now," she said, "Minister Weasley, seeing that you have worked at the Ministry for over twenty years, you will know that the Ministry stands tall in believing that protecting the people is our highest priority. But, you will also know that the Ministry is very proud of what it does, and it does not like seeing things that could overpower it. The Dark Arts is one example, but the Order of the Phoenix is another example. As you had explained when the Order of the Phoenix revealed itself eighteen years ago, the Order had been together for many years. All that time, it had been keeping secrets from the Ministry of Magic, something that the Ministry strongly opposes. The Order was operating under the Ministry's nose and had recruited many wizards and witches who had jobs with the Ministry. As you know, Rufus Scrimgeour hadn't approved of this and called for the Order of the Phoenix to be disbanded immediately."

"The reason the Wizengamot are here tonight, Minister Weasley," Susan continued, "Is because we feel that if the former members of the Order of the Phoenix want to reform their group, is that it means that there are schemes going on that the Ministry doesn't know about. And what is worse is that the Minister is part of the Order. There was enough evidence eighteen years ago that told the Wizengamot that the Order of the Phoenix did not like everything that was going on in the Ministry. Now, what I, as well as the other members of the Wizengamot, want to know is... do you have other reasons then treason to reform the Order?"

"Well, there is no doubt about that, your honor," Arthur said.

"Then I beg of you," Susan said, "Please... continue."

"Now, before I adress the council members of the Wizengamot," Arthur said, "I want to make sure something is clear in this room. Do the council members of the Wizengamot know about what certain Aurors and other wizards and witches witnessed last night at the residence known as Malfoy Mansion?"

"If you are talking about the Dark Mark, Minister," Susan said, "Yes, I assure you, we know all about the story of the Dark Mark reappearing."

"Then you will not have any questions when I tell you about why the Order wants to reform again," Arthur said, "But since you had decided to take a little look back in history, it is only fair that the defense goes on a little trip through history as well."

Arthur paused, deciding on what to say. His following speech would decide the fate of the Order, and most likely the future of the wizarding world. A minute later, he looked back up at Susan and the other members of the Wizengamot and began to speak.

"Everyone in this room knows what happened during the wars," Arthur said, "Over thirty years ago, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters started to create havoc. He used his servants, as well as Dark Creatures, to..."

"Yes, yes," Susan interrupted, "We all know what happened during the First War, thank you. But what does that have to do with the Order reforming at this moment in time?"

"Your Honor," Arthur said, "It was during the First War when the Order of the Phoenix was first formed. And it was formed for the same exact reason that the members here tonight want to reform the Order."

"Are you telling me," Susan said, "That you expect Lord Voldemort to come back from the dead and set his servants on us again?"

"Of course not, Your Honor," Arthur said, "Harry here made sure that Lord Voldemort would not... come back from the dead, as you nicely put it."

"Then what do we have to worry about?" Susan said, "Why are we even here tonight?"

"The return of the Dark Mark, Your Honor," Arthur said, "That is the exact reason why the talk of the Order's return even started."

"You are putting too much into the return of a simple object, Minister," Susan said.

"My dear Madam," Arthur said, "The Dark Mark wasn't just a simple object. Has ten years of being in the Ministry clouded your mind? The Dark Mark was the sign of Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"I say it again!" Susan said, standing up and pointing her quill at Arthur, "Voldemort is gone! We know this!"

"Yes," Arthur said, remaining calm, even though his opposition was nearing the point of screaming, "Voldemort is gone... but his Death Eaters aren't. We already know that there are Death Eaters who remain out of Azkaban. Pansy Malfoy was murdered last night by someone who used the Killing Curse. Let me remind you that the Killing Curse, like every one of the Unforgivable Curses, hasn't been used for nearly eighteen years... until last night, of course. They are illegal and were only used by Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. There were times that wizards on the good side used these, but we know that they were Dark Magic and were perfected by those who were associated in the Dark Arts. And now, the worst Unforgivable Curse in our history has returned. Which means one thing... the Dark Arts have returned. I say it again. Voldemort may be gone, but some of his servants are not."

"Thank you for your... insight into what happened last night," Susan said, "And it's involvement with the Dark Arts. But I assure you, we have no evidence that states that the events of last night were nothing more than a hoax."

"You are blinded by your fears!" Harry said standing up.

"Mr. Potter," Susan said, "Let me remind you that this is a hearing and the defense can only speak when they are called upon!"

"I remember when Voldemort had returned a little over twenty years ago," Harry said, taking in little of what Susan had just said, "Cornelius Fudge had everyone in the Ministry, and nearly everyone in the wizarding world, brainwashed. Most people were refusing to believe that the night I saw Voldemort return had ever happened. Everyone, at least those who didn't believe that Voldemort had returned, were blinded by their fear. They had remembered what had happened when the First War was going on. Well, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were the only ones who believed that Voldemort had returned. And if you don't remember, the night everyone found out that they were wrong about Voldemort's return, it was the Order of the Phoenix who defended the Ministry against the Death Eaters as well as Voldemort himself. Instead of tearing the Order of the Phoenix apart eighteen years ago, the Ministry should have been thanking us!"

"Order! Order! Mr. Potter watch your tongue!" Susan finally said, "This is my court room and I will not have everything get out of hand! Mr. Potter, are you going to settle down, or will I have to remove you from this hearing?"

Harry said nothing and continued to stare at Susan and the members of the Wizengamot. Arthur, noticing that Harry's anger was about to reach its peak, spoke up.

"Your Honor," he said, "We need to take a short recess in order to... sort everything out."

"Minister, I want to get this done tonight!" Susan said.

"And it will be done tonight, Your Honor," said Arthur, "But if we are going to do this right, I ask you to grant us this recess."

Susan sighed, looked at Harry, then looked back at Arthur.

"Fine, fine," Susan said, "A twenty minute recess. But you better be back here in twenty minutes, or you can consider this hearing over."

"Thank you, your honor," Arthur said, turning his attention to the Order members, "Follow me outside."

Harry wrenched his focus away from Susan and followed Arthur out to the halls outside the court room.

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Well, this cliffhanger might just be the biggest cliffhanger I have ever written. Part 1 of this long and gripping Hearing is over, yes. But I can tell you that the Hearing is NOT over. I can assure you it will only get much more interesting as the night goes on. But that will take place next chapter!

When I first started this chapter, I did not know it would turn into a 2 part chapter. I also did not know how well I could portray the Ministry and their power-hungry schemes.

I would also like to explain that Harry is not like he was in his youth (someone who feels like yelling can get you anything)... but like I have shown... he does still get mad. And that will probably continue next chapter.

Well, would love Feedback! I love and appreciate your feedback, no matter how many times I say it.