I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter Six — The Trial

Remus arrived home the next afternoon to find a black haired Tonks and a blue-haired eleven-year-old chatting on the couch. To say he was perplexed at the site would have been an understatement. He gave Tonks a confused look that caused the two on the couch to laugh. Harry quickly changed his hair back to black but it was shorter than before. Remus still looked confused since no one had their wands out. He was about to ask what was going on when Tonks interrupted him.

"Young Potter here is quite an amazing kid. I have never seen someone grasp their Metamorphmagus powers as quickly as Harry. He has a lot of skill. If he's anything like his father and Sirius then the school is in big trouble."

"Don't give the boy any ideas. He causes enough trouble as it is. I hope that he will be more like me and Lily; rather than like James. I think Minerva is still recovering from the prank they pulled at graduation. I have never seen her so red, of course the paint may have had something to with it.

"So, you decide you were going to train him or am I going to have to find him a teacher?"

Harry could see a mischievous look in Tonks eyes telling him it was time for him to hide in his room. He could tell that a hex war was coming and it wasn't going to be pretty. Hours later, he risked leaving his room and saw Remus with a large amount of paint on his robes and Tonks was completely soaked. But both of them were laughing. He realized it was the first time he heard Remus laugh.

"Are you done with your war? I'm hungry and you two are in my way. Tonks, if you behave I'm sure Remus would love to have you stay for lunch. I suggest that you both clean up and repair whatever that has been broken." He left the room again with a smirk on his face that neither of them noticed.

"That kid is too smart. I'm glad I'm not in your shoes."

"He's not that bad. But yes, he is very smart." Remus shot another jinx toward Tonks before running to his room to change.

The days before the trial passed faster than Harry and Remus wanted. Harry read most of his books and became bored easily. He practiced the spells he learned from his copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade One on Remus; who wasn't happy when Harry thought it would be fun to try out the levitation spell on him. When he finally was let down he sent Harry to his room and took all of his books and his wand away. There is nothing like boredom as a punishment. It would always beat James into submission.

The day of the trial did arrive and Remus and Tonks were even more nervous than Harry was. They didn't know what to expect during the trial because they both were used to the way the Ministry of Magic did things. Neither one of them knew how the judicial system operated. Harry told them that it going to be alright but were scared of how to act in front of Muggles.

They arrived at the courthouse with plenty of time to spare so they could find what room they had to be in. With some advice from Harry, Tonks and Remus looked the part of common Muggles; though it was hard to convince Tonks to wear a skirt and keep a normal hair color. They compromised by allowing her to have blonde streaks in her brown hair.

They met Officer Abel at the back of the room where the trial would take place. He explained how the lawyers would ask questions about they night that Remus took Harry and about his life before Remus found him. That what scared Harry the most; relieving what he experienced and then not being believed. He was still convinced that adults saw him as nothing more than a liar.

The judge was a kind-face, middle-aged woman who smiled at Harry before she sat down. On the left side of the judge sat Vernon and a pompous looking lawyer. From the sneer on the man's face, it looked like the man hated to lose. But Harry didn't time to worry about the man because the judge began to speak.

"Mr. Dursley you have chosen Mr. Hayes as your lawyer, is that correct?" Vernon nodded to the judge. "Mr. Lupin, I see you have chosen Ms. Tonks to represent you even though she is not an attorney, why is that?"

"Harry has trust issues with adults and isn't comfortable speaking to anyone who isn't a friend of mine. Dora has proven herself worthy of Harry's trust and agreed to represent him. They have spent time together talking about his past with the Dursleys' making her capable of asking Mr. Dursley question about his treatment while in their care."

"Very well, you may begin Ms. Tonks by calling up your first witness."

"I would like Mrs. Arabella Figg to come to the stand." Mrs. Figg, Harry's babysitter, nervously walked to the stand. "Mrs. Figg, in your opinion, was Harry treated equally with his cousin?"

"Heavens no, Harry was always left out of everything. Every year on Dudley's birthday Harry would be sent to my house. He would always show up alone, after the Dursleys' rudely call me. On Harry's birthday, I would see him out in the garden doing chores. His clothes were always too big for him. I offer to give them some of my son's old things that would have fit him better but they refused to take them. I have seen the boy without a shirt on and he was incredibly thin for a ten-year-old."

"Have you ever seen Mr. Dursley mistreat Harry? Have you ever seen unusual bruises on Harry?"

"I never actually seen Mr. Dursley harm the boy but I live close by and could hear a child's screams coming from the Dursleys' house. No one else has children in our neighborhood so I figured that was where they were coming from. Harry had many bruises on his back, some of them were hand shaped, and when Dudley turned nine Harry came over with a black eye. I didn't say anything because I was afraid of what Mr. Dursley could to me."

"Did Harry ever tell about what life was like at home?"

"No, he was always afraid. When he came over, he just sat in the corner of the room and read. He never said anything to me, but when I touched his shoulder or hand he would always wince as though he were expecting pain."

"I have no further questions for you Mrs. Figg. What now?"

"Now you can sit down while Mr. Hayes questions her. You do have questions, right?"

"Of course, okay Mrs. Figg, how long have you known Mr. Potter?"

"Harry doesn't know this but I was friends with his mother. So I knew him from birth. We lost contact soon after Harry's first birthday. I moved to Surrey and there was Harry. It was about two years after his parents died but no one could forget that tuft of black hair that was so much like James."

"Why didn't you tell the Dursleys' that you knew Harry from before the deaths of his parents'?"

"It wasn't any of their business if I knew his parents."

"I have no further questions. Thank you Mrs. Figg."

Harry leaned over to whisper into Remus' ear. "What was that about? How could those questions help them win?"

"They can't. He was just stalling so he would have more time to think about what he wanted to ask you." Tonks stood again before she asked Vernon to the stand. He had horrible smug look on his face as he looked at her. He thought that look would intimidate her. She just smiled at him like he was getting over his head if he thought he scared her.

"Mr. Dursley, describe a day in the life of your nephew. How does Harry spend his time while he is in your home?"

"Harry has always been an early riser, so he is expected to make breakfast every morning. He is allowed half an hour to eat then he does his chores. They range from cleaning the garage to tending to the garden. My son is excused from these chores because during these hours he is in training to become a heavy weight champion for his school's boxing team. Harry is so small so we kept him away from sports. He is expected to make his own lunches during the summer because my wife is busy with other things. He spends the afternoon doing more chores. I thought it was a good for him to develop character. He would help Petunia with dinner since he seemed to enjoy it."

"On the night of the 31st, how did he sustain injuries such as broken ribs and a small concussion?"

"I don't know. I barely pay attention to the boy. All I expect from him is for him to finish his daily chores, correctly and without any mistakes. For all know he could have fallen out of a tree."

"How do explain the hand-shaped bruises described by Mrs. Figg?"

"He may have gotten them at school. There are bullies that like to pick on him."

"The doctor's report also said he was severely malnourished. What are Harry's eating habits?"

"I don't know."

"No further questions.

"Your witness, Mr. Hayes."

"I have no questions for my client."

Harry knew what was coming next. He knew that he had to give his testimony. When Tonks called his name she gave him an encouraging smile that calmed his fears.

"Harry, describe a typical day for you while you lived with Vernon."

"During the school year, I would get up really early to finish my homework. Aunt Petunia would come downstairs and pound on the cupboard door where I slept. I would make breakfast for the family; they usually take all the food before I could get any. I would then make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I then had to cleanup the kitchen before school. If I didn't I wasn't allowed to go. After school I had half an hour to do schoolwork before I had to do chores. My uncle wasn't lying when he said I had to clean the garage or tend the garden. What he didn't say was that I had to do it all in one day. He didn't care if I became sick or was sore; that was only an incentive for him to work me harder. I would make dinner for the family while getting little for myself. If I didn't finish the chores I would have to finish them after I make the kitchen spotless. Once, he caught me falling asleep while doing the chores and smacked me hard on my back to wake me. That's how I got the bruises that Mrs. Figg was talking about. When I was done I'd do some more homework until I pass out from exhaustion."

"What happened on your birthday?"

"I just finished a two week punishment for getting better marks than Dudley. I was locked in my cupboard; only let out for meals that consisted of a small piece of cheese and two slices of bread. That day I had to tend the garden, which included pulling weeds and clipping the hedges. Shortly before noon Remus introduced himself as a friend of my parents, I trusted him immediately. I became distracted from my chores and didn't finish them. I became so involved in a conversation with him I lost track of time and was late in preparing Uncle Vernon's dinner. Remus told me to go inside the house and wait for him to do something, I obeyed. Uncle Vernon wasn't happy to see Remus. Remus left for a short period of time to send a letter. While he was gone Uncle Vernon turned all of his anger toward me and started to hit me I don't know how long it lasted. I really can't remember much but I do remember being thrown against the wall and my head hitting the doorknob to the cupboard."

"That's all of my questions. Your turn Mr. Hayes."

He glared at Tonks as he asked his only question for the boy. "If what you said was true then why did you wait so long before telling anyone of the treatment your uncle held toward you?"

"I was afraid. I was taught that no one care about me so I had no reason to tell. I didn't want anyone else to hurt me."

Tonks stood up once more to say that she had no other witnesses. Mr. Hayes however called Remus to the stand. He looked at him with a deep hatred.

"Mr. Lupin, you have never been to the Dursley residence before; so why after ten years have you had the desire to see your best friend's son?"

"I was sent to tell Harry that he was accepted to the same school that his parents went to. The headmaster knew that we might have trouble getting in contact with Harry so he sent me."

"Did you actually see Mr. Dursley mistreating the child?"

"Yes, I saw him throw him into the wall. I took Harry to a hospital then went to the police. I didn't trust his aunt so I took Harry home after he was released from the hospital."

"Has Mr. Potter told stories of when his uncle mistreated him?"

"Yes, but he was reluctant at first. He seemed afraid that I would turn against him if he told me something that was unpleasant."

"I have no further questions."

"Very well, you are dismissed until 3:00pm. Then I will give my verdict."

Harry left the courtroom leaning against Remus. It was just passed noon so they had a lot of time to burn. They didn't want to go anywhere that was too public but they didn't want to be hidden either. It was obvious that Vernon didn't have a strong case and his answers were weak. They went to Diagon Alley for lunch but someone recognized his scar. He was soon surrounded by everyone in the restaurant. Remus tried to push the masses away from him but it seemed that everyone wanted to see the-boy-who-lived. Tonks shot sparks in the air and threatened to stun anyone who came near him. She conjured a hat for but it was too late the whole alley knew that Harry was there. They managed to leave though the archway and made back the courthouse in time for the judge to read the verdict.

"This case was hard to depict what was true and what was false. The doctor's report shows that Mr. Potter has indeed been neglected and abused by his relatives. Mr. Vernon Dursley is hereby sentenced to ten years in Bristol Institute for the Criminal with no parole. Mr. Lupin, since you took Harry because he was being abused and neglected all charges against you will be dropped. Case dismissed, you three are free to go."

The three left with huge smiles on their faces. Harry wanted to go out to Muggle London to celebrate. Tonks thought it was a good idea but Remus was a little hesitant before he gave in to Harry's puppy-dog eyes. He agreed to anything but pizza.