Chapter Eighteen: Consequences

Harry and Anakin walked up to the Council chamber, and with every step Harry could feel Anakin's nervousness growing. He knew that Anakin had every right to feel nervous but couldn't help sympathizing a tiny bit. When they reached the outer waiting room he saw James and Lily waiting for them, and gave them a tiny nod.

"How are you two?" James asked. Harry ran his hand through his hair and replied, "OK I think. We've got things to work out and work on but we'll be OK. We just need to get past the Council and get on with putting this behind us."

James nodded and then looked towards the doors as they swung open. The four looked at each other before Harry walked forward. Anakin gulped and followed him, with James and Lily bringing up the rear.

Mace watched the four walk into the chamber and spared at moment to hope that he and Harry could prevent Anakin's expulsion. He needed to get the rest of the Council's reaction to the story first. He blanked his expression, putting on his Jedi Councillor mask, the one that Harry hated him wearing and prepared to hear once again, the most disturbing yet heart wrenching story he'd ever heard.

Harry, Anakin, James and Lily all bowed and then waited for the debriefing to start. Yoda started the ball rolling. "Went wrong something did" he stated. The group in the centre nodded before Ki Adi said, "Tell us what happened from the beginning."

Harry started the story, and told everything that happened. He was backed up by Anakin, James and Lily. The story took half an hour to tell, given the number of interruptions by various Council members to ask clarification questions. Finally Mace spoke up.

"James, Lily you're dismissed. We wish to speak to Harry and Anakin privately now."

James and Lily bowed and left the chamber, returning to the guest apartments where Hermione, Snape and Dumbledore were, to answer their questions on what was going on. Harry and Anakin watched them leave before turning their attention back to the Council who suddenly seemed graver and more intimidating than before.

"Padawan Skywalker, committed a grave offence you have" Yoda said solemnly. Anakin nodded and answered, "I know Master Yoda, and I'm deeply sorry about it. It won't happen again."

"Why should you remain in our Order Padawan, you used the Dark Side and attacked your Master. How can we trust you when you can't control yourself" Eeth Koth asked. Anakin flinched and Harry stepped forward.

"Masters, I realize that my Padawan has done something that is unthinkable but he is still young. He will learn from this and he is sorry about what happened."

"Yes Knight Potter we are well aware of his age, but he is old enough to face the consequences for his actions" Ki Adi Mundi said firmly. Harry slowly turned to face him and stated equally firmly, "Yes but those consequences needn't involve expulsion Master Mundi. How is he supposed to become a better Jedi because of this experience if you throw him out?"

"What would you suggest then Knight Potter. I understand you want to protect your Padawan but we do have to ensure that this won't happen again."

Harry considered the question before replying, "It would not be productive for us to debate this issue with my Padawan present. We have told you what happened, and now a decision needs to be reached about what to do, however having him here while we debate the issue would not help. Let him go back home or even just outside while we come up with an answer."

The Council considered the request, while Anakin and Harry waited for their reponse. Anakin was tense and radiated nervousness, while Harry was giving him support through their bond. Finally Mace looked at the two of them and said, "Very well. Padawan Skywalker, you will return home while we discuss the issue with your master."

Anakin bowed and left, casting a worried look at Harry who nodded reassuringly at him. Just before his Padawan closed the door Harry sent a message through their bond.

Don't worry Padawan; I won't let them expel you. If you don't want to go home go to where Hermione and Professors Snape and Dumbledore are staying. I know that they wanted to meet us again.

Ok Master. Do I have to tell them what happened, and what's going on now?

Only if you want to. I won't force you to do so and they should have enough tact to not question you if you say you're not willing to talk about it.

Alright Master. I'll see you later then?

I'll come and find you and let you know the outcome.

As the doors closed behind Anakin, Harry steeled himself for the battle ahead. Master Yaddle spoke first.

"Treat this lightly we should not" she said firmly. Harry frowned and nodded. "I agree Master but by the same token we shouldn't overreact."

"Overreact? Knight Potter your Padawan murdered a camp full of beings, half of whom were women and children! How is expulsion an overreaction?"

Harry growled. "It is an overreaction when we can keep him here, and help him learn from the experience. He has taken a step off the right path; allow me the opportunity to bring him back onto it. He took the actions he did because he was overwhelmed with grief and anger due to his mother's death. I understand what he's going through and I can help him."

"How do you understand what he's going through Knight Potter?" Adi Gallia asked. The Council leaned forward, interested in the answer. Harry closed his eyes and then said, "On Earth, in the magical community, there are 3 curses that are known collectively as Unforgivables. They are the Imperius curse, the Cruciatus curse and the Killing Curse. The Imperius curse is like mind control; it gives the caster complete control of the vicitim. The Cruciatus curse is the pain curse. It causes unending, intolerable pain which can drive someone insane or kill them. The killing curse is self explanatory and it is the one that I survived as an infant. Now, the catch with these curses is the intent. You have to want to control, or hurt, or kill someone in order to use them."

Eeth Koth broke in at this point. "Yes but what does this have to do with the current situation Knight Potter?" Harry frowned and replied, "I'm getting there Master, I needed to give that background so you'd understand my next statement."

When the Council member nodded and indicated he should continue, Harry did so. "When I was 15 I was tricked into going to the Ministry of Magic building by Voldemort. He had set a trap for me there, and showed up with his followers to try and kill me. My godfather and other members of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret group dedicated to fighting Voldemort showed up to rescue me. Sirius, my godfather, fought with one of Voldemort's followers and she killed him, right in front of me. I couldn't do anything to stop it, and then she taunted me about it."

Taking a deep breath Harry finished with, "I went after her. I too was consumed with grief and rage. I tried to use the Cruciatus curse on her and for a brief time it worked."

The Council was stunned. Hearing one of their best Knights admit that he'd used the Dark Side at one point in his life, and knowing that Harry wouldn't use it now, and was actually more strongly bonded to the Light because of it changed their view on what to do about Anakin.

"How brief" Yoda asked. Harry looked straight at him and said "About 2 seconds. She told me that righteous anger wouldn't work and I needed to hate in order to use it. Then she invited me to have another go. I refused."

Yoda nodded. "Similar to your situation, you believe your Padawan's is?"

"Yes Master."

The Council members looked at each other and then back at the Knight who was standing in the centre of the circle. "What do you suggest then Knight Potter?"

Harry thought. "Probation for a specific time period and leave me to handle the rest."

Mace glanced at him before replying, "We need to ensure that the Dark hasn't gained hold of Anakin. What would you say to 12 months probation and having him undergo a mind quest?"

Harry took a step back, visibly shocked. He got himself under control and then hissed back, "6 months probation and no mind quest. You don't need to invade his mind to know that he won't do this again. It would break him."

The Council considered his counter offer and then Even Piell spoke. "In situations like this the mind quest is mandatory Knight Potter. We will offer your Padawan 9 months probation if he undergoes the mind quest, and we will let you handle the rest of his punishment."

Harry eyed him warily. "What if I refuse to let him be put through that?"

Another look was exchanged and then Mace answered, his voice tinged with regret. "If you do not allow Padawan Skywalker to undergo the mind quest then he will be expelled Harry. We have to do it."

Harry closed his eyes. Let his Padawan undergo a mental invasion that could very well kill him or give him permanent brain damage, or stand by and watch him be expelled from the Order. It wasn't much of a choice.

"Mind quest and 9 months probation, plus whatever else I choose to impose?" he queried, to ensure that he understood it correctly. Mace nodded. "Yes that is correct Knight Potter."

Harry sighed. "Will I be allowed to support him while you lot rip his mind to shreds?" he asked. The Council frowned. "We will not "rip his mind to shreds" as you put it Knight Potter" Ki Adi Mundi snapped. "We will endeavor to make the search as non stressful as possible, as well as cause the minimum amount of damage. If you like you can have Master Hikari examine him after we're finished in order to assure yourself that we didn't permanently harm him."

Harry frowned and then said, "When would you want to do the mind quest?"

Mace answered the question with "As soon as possible. Tomorrow morning would suffice if you're not available today."

Harry stared his former master straight in the eye. "Tomorrow morning. And I WILL be supporting him while you do it."

"Of course Knight Potter. You can go" Adi Gallia said, giving Harry permission to leave and break the news to Anakin.

Anakin had gone straight to the guest quarters where their visitors were staying and knocked on the door before entering. He looked round briefly before sitting down on the couch. Snape and Dumbledore exchanged a look, while Hermione sat down next to him.

"How are you doing Anakin?" Hermione asked. Anakin smiled at her before replying, "OK I guess. Master Harry's just in with the Council convincing them not to expel me."

"Why would they expel you?" Snape asked. Anakin looked at him for a moment before remembering the man's history. Sighing he said, "I stuffed up on this last mission. I received a vision of my mother being hurt, and I went to save her. She'd been captured by Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, and she'd been badly hurt."

Looking away, he continued, "She died in my arms. I lost my temper and started killing every Tusken I could find. Harry arrived and tried to stop me."

Looking straight at Snape he said, "I attacked my master, and then when he was down I slaughtered the rest of the camp. I killed them all, the men, and the women and the children too."

Snape was shocked speechless as was Dumbledore and Hermione. "Now I understand why you might need defence from expulsion. How did Harry take it?" Snape finally enquired.

Anakin glared at him before replying, "Not well."

He wasn't going to elaborate on that, and he didn't have to as Harry arrived at that moment. The Knight walked through the door and sat down on the other side of Anakin before running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Hello Albus, Severus, Hermione. I'm sorry I couldn't greet you properly before but I'm here now. How was the trip?"

"The trip was fine Harry, but how are you? Things seem a bit tense at the moment" Hermione replied. Harry sighed and nodded. "Has Anakin told you the reason for that?" Seeing nods he continued, "Well, the Council has come to their decision. It's not one that I particularly agree with but I had to agree to it in order to prevent them expelling Anakin."

At that Anakin's head shot up. "I'm not expelled?" he said hopefully. Harry shook his head and smiled slightly. "No Padawan you're not expelled. However, when you hear what I had to agree to in order to stop that then I think you might reconsider."

Anakin frowned, and then looked shocked when Harry said, "They want to perform a mind quest Anakin. Apart from that they've given you 9 months probation and left the rest up to me."

Anakin shook his head. "A mind quest Master? Can they do that?"

Harry was about to answer when Dumbledore broke in. "What exactly is a mind quest Harry?" Harry looked at him and then answered, "A mind quest is where the victim – sorry, subject, is required to drop all their mental shields and let the person, or people performing the quest to see any memory at will. In effect the Council will be going through Anakin's mind to see if his brush with the Dark Side has left any permanent mark on him."

"What if it has?" Anakin asked. Harry looked at him and smiled. "It doesn't mean expulsion if that should be the case Anakin. Remember what I've been through? That has left its marks, the most prominent one being this scar" he said, lifting up his fringe.

Anakin looked somewhat happier and then asked, "Er, what else are you planning on doing?"

Harry smirked. "Give me time Padawan, I've just been busy saving you from expulsion, I need time to consider the issue."

Anakin nodded, before asking, "What time is the mind quest being performed?"

"Tomorrow morning Anakin. They said that to give you time to recover from the briefing today, and to give us all time to prepare for it."

Seeing that Anakin looked shaken at the thought of willingly giving the Council full access to his mind and not being able to repel them, or put up his shields until they were finished, Harry put his arm round Anakin's shoulders and hugged him. He let go a few minutes later and then looked at their audience, who had been politely ignoring the private moment between Master and Padawan.

"So, now you know what's been happening, do you want to know anything else?" he asked. His three visitors exchanged glances before Dumbledore said, "Actually I wanted to talk to you Harry, and so does Severus. Would that be possible?"

Harry looked at Anakin before nodding. Before he got up he said "I would advise going to Master Hikari and telling her about what the Council is planning. I want her on hand tomorrow to ensure that no damage is done. Then you can do whatever you want as long as you don't leave the Temple without informing me."

"May I visit Padme?"

"If you can find her then yes you may. It might be a good idea actually."

Anakin nodded and rose when Harry did. Before he left he turned and said, "I love you Master." Harry smiled back, a genuine smile and replied, "I love you too Anakin, now go before these two get impatient."

Anakin grinned and left, leaving Harry to face Dumbledore and Snape alone, as Hermione had left with James and Lily on a tour of the Temple. Harry met Dumbledore's and Snape's gazes evenly, not giving anything away. After a few minutes the staring match stopped and then Dumbledore asked, "Can we go on a tour while we have this discussion?"

"As long as privacy shields are up so no one can overhear us if you want to discuss what I think you want to" Harry replied. His two guests consented to the terms so Harry led them on a tour of his home.

While they were walking down the corridor with a modified privacy shield in place so that people could see that they were talking but wouldn't remember what the subject was, the mini interrogation started.

"It would seem that you had an eventful time on Tatooine Harry" Dumbledore started. Harry glanced at his old mentor and then shrugged. "Yes we did. Is there something specific you wanted to know about it or are you on a fishing expedition?"

"We wanted to know if the situation was as serious as Anakin made it out to be Harry" Snape said from his other side. Harry looked at him and then replied, "It could hardly have been less serious Severus, you heard what I told Anakin about the Council meeting. The only reason I'm allowing the mind quest tomorrow is because it was the only way to save him from expulsion."

Snape nodded before asking another question, followed by Dumbledore asking a question of his own. Slowly they drew the story out of him, including his own reaction to what had happened.

"Grief is a dangerous thing Harry, you ought to know that better than anyone" Dumbledore said calmly. Harry stopped and turned to face the old wizard, his eyes bright with restrained anger. "I know that Albus. There's nothing that can be done now though apart from get through tomorrow morning with as little trauma as possible."

He walked off, and noticed that his companions weren't with him when he was halfway down the corridor. Growling he called, "Come on." Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other and mutually agreed to drop the subject, concentrating instead on the tour that Harry was giving them.

The next morning, the Council convened early to deal with the distressing matter of Anakin Skywalker. Harry walked into the chamber with Anakin following quietly behind him. They stopped in the centre and bowed. Hikari had followed them and was now standing in a corner, keeping her eyes and senses trained on what was going on.

Anakin had knelt in the middle of the circle, following the logic that if he fainted or anything like that then he wouldn't have as far to fall. Harry stood behind him, knees bent slightly so his hands could rest lightly on his Padawan's shoulders.

Mace looked at Ki Adi who was an expert at mental probing, who gave a slight nod, indicating that he was ready. Mace looked round the rest of the circle, seeing nods from the rest of the members. He then looked at the Master/Padawan pair in the middle, who looked resigned (Harry) and slightly worried (Anakin).

"We're convened today to perform a mind quest on Padawan Anakin Skywalker in response to his use of the Dark Side in his most recent mission. Supporting him is his master, Knight Harry James Potter. Also in attendance is Master Mind Healer Hikari."

Looking straight at Anakin Mace continued, "Padawan Skywalker, at the start of this mind quest you will be required to drop your mental shields and then keep them down for the duration. Should you raise your shields at any time we will break them down and continue. Your master will help you keep them down if necessary. We will be looking at your memories however your thoughts will still be private. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Anakin swallowed, this all seemed so intimidating and threatening to him, but he felt Harry's hands tighten minutely on his shoulders and felt a wave of comfort from his master. That enabled him to meet Mace's eyes and reply, "Yes Master I understand. Will it take long?"

"It will take as long as necessary Padawan Skywalker, you are not allowed to leave until we're finished" Yarael Poof said sharply. Anakin drew back slightly and Harry tensed behind him. Yarael noticed this and spoke a bit more gently when he said, "We won't do any damage Padawan, your master has already threatened to dismember us if that happens."

Anakin twisted to look up at Harry who looked back down, a small smile on his face. He hadn't actually threatened to dismember the Council members but the small fib helped to break the growing tension in the room. Yoda coughed to draw their attention.

"Begin we will" he said. Anakin stiffened, and Harry tried to help him past the momentary fear he sensed coming from his apprentice. The Council also sensed the fear and held off for a second to give Harry time to calm Anakin down. Although the search had to be done they weren't heartless and they knew it was a disorientating and frightening process for the subject. When Anakin was as calm as he was going to get Mace leaned forward.

"Padawan Skywalker you will drop your shields now" he said formally. Anakin took a deep breath and, with some help from Harry, lowered his shields and allowed the collective mind of the Council into his memories.

Harry closed his eyes, his mental presence joining Anakin's as they felt the Council enter Anakin's mind. Anakin started to panic when they drew near his memories of Padme but Harry calmed him.

Relax Anakin; they're not going to care about that. They're searching for darkness not anything else. There's no darkness in those memories, they won't examine them.

This is really hard Master, I'm scared.

I know, Padawan I know, just stay calm though. This should be over soon. Just stay with me OK.

The Council searched Anakin's memories thoroughly. They noticed the growing love between Anakin and Padme but figured that Harry was keeping an eye on that, plus there was no darkness in it so left it alone. They were interested in Anakin's visions about his mother prior to her death, and also the actual Tatooine happenings. Another set of memories that they focused on was his childhood, where they found anger and resentment of his status, but also love and caring for his friends and his mother, and later on, for Harry. Digging deeper they found no permanent root of darkness in the Padawan, and concluded that what happened had been a tragic mistake, regrettable but not one that would cause them to label Anakin as irredeemable.

Withdrawing, they opened their eyes, to find that Anakin had collapsed due to the withdrawal. The Padawan was on the floor, with Harry supporting his shoulders and head. Anakin was conscious, but weak from the shock of the mental probing. Harry steadied his apprentice and helped him up from the floor. With one arm firmly round his shoulders, Harry supported Anakin and stared challengingly at the Council.

"Well, did you find anything that would label my Padawan as irredeemable?" he asked. The Council shook their heads before Mace replied, "No Knight Potter we did not." He looked at Anakin and said gently, "Padawan Skywalker, you may raise your shields now." Anakin lost no time in putting his shields back up again, while the Council deliberated on what to say to the pair that they had put through that ordeal.

"Knight Potter, Padawan Skywalker, we found no evidence of darkness. What happened on Tatooine was regrettable, and we hope that it doesn't happen again. Knight Potter, make sure that your Padawan learns from this mistake, and Padawan Skywalker, please do learn from this so we don't have to go through this again. You are both dismissed."

Harry and Anakin bowed and left the room, passing Hikari on the way out, who nodded to the Council and then followed them. The trio walked to Hikari's office in silence. The mind healer offered her guests some tea and then sat down watching both Master and Padawan intently.

"I can tell you that they did no damage whatsoever" she started. "I was watching carefully and they only looked around, they didn't try anything. The only reason Anakin collapsed was because they withdrew suddenly, rather than gradually."

"So he's OK then" Harry asked. Hikari nodded. "Physically yes. Emotionally it will take time for him to recover." Harry nodded before turning to Anakin.

"You OK Padawan?" he asked. Anakin nodded. "I think so. I just didn't like letting them in like that, it felt funny having them moving round my mind like that." Harry nodded sympathetically, knowing the feeling all too well.

"I know Padawan. I didn't like it much myself when Snape did it to me."

Hikari stood. "I'll leave you two alone, I have no appointments today so I'll leave you to use this office as long as you need to."

"Thank you" Harry nodded as the mind healer left. There was silence in the office for a few minutes before Anakin spoke.

"Master, have you decided what to do with me now that the Council has given their opinion?" the Padawan asked. Harry sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're already on probation for the next nine months Padawan. I was thinking last night about what to add on without completely going over the top. I had to consider the state of the galaxy as if this unrest turns into war then I'll need you with me. I also had to consider what had already happened and I came up with the following:"

Turning to look his Padawan squarely in the eyes, Harry said, "For the next nine months you will stay with me when we're on missions. You won't be allowed to go on solo missions and you will have to clear any decision regarding a mission with me. You will also be going through the emotion control exercises that you went through when you were 12 again. Particularly the anger management ones. We will also be sparring every day, with you using your emotions rather than repressing them. The main reason you were able to wound me on Tatooine was because I was reluctant to fight back. In our sparring matches that will not be an issue. I want you to be able to use your emotions in a fight without losing control of either them or yourself."

Anakin nodded silently, he was relieved that Harry was being relatively lenient. The having to clear mission decisions was a bit humiliating, as was the no solo missions, but the one thing he was worried about was the emotional control exercises. Those had been the hardest ones for him to deal with when he was younger and he dreaded having to retake them. Finally he asked, "Is there anything else Master?"

Harry looked at him levelly. "You will also be working with both Master Sora and myself to work through the guilt that this whole event has brought up, and you will be studying the effects that using the Dark Side has on a Jedi and the dangers of using it. I will expect a report on that topic by the time your probation is up so you have time to thoroughly research it."

Anakin nodded and leant back against the seat, relaxing fully and moving his neck from side to side to loosen the tense muscles across his shoulders. He then sat forward and dropped his head in his hands.

"I really screwed up didn't I?" he muttered. Harry placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You made a mistake Padawan, a big mistake true, but a mistake nonetheless. You've already apologised for it, now you need to accept the consequences and do the hardest thing in the world."

"What's that?" Anakin asked, his voice muffled. Harry smiled and rubbed his hand on his apprentice's shoulder in a small circle. His answer consisted of two words.

"Forgive yourself."

Anakin looked up. "How can I forgive myself when you haven't?" he queried. Harry shook his head. "I have forgiven you Anakin. What you'll be doing over the next nine months is regaining my trust. You screwed up on the mission, which is why I've imposed those restrictions regarding missions over the next nine months, and your emotional control went to hell so you're going to relearn how to control them. You're going to spar with me so you don't always think that fighting me in a lightsaber duel is a bad thing, and you're going to examine what happened with Master Sora and me, and do that research. All that's left is to forgive yourself and move on which you'll hopefully do over the course of your probation."

Anakin nodded. His master had been very clever. The restrictions imposed could be seen as a punishment, and indeed they were, but they were all chosen to address key areas which Anakin had dropped the ball on, combined with allowing Anakin to find out why using the Dark Side was so frowned upon for a Jedi. It was very clever and very appropriate.

Harry stood and stretched, working the kinks out of his back. He then offered a hand to Anakin who took it and stood as well. Wrapping an arm round his apprentice's shoulders Harry steered them out of the office and down the hall, heading home.