And here we go again. I'm on chapter 9. The original story was at chapter 3 at this point and only about 15k long. What have I gotten myself into?

To the person (guest) who took the time to write a nice and long review, thank you so much. You were the first to review the previous chapter. After all the rewrites I did for it, I wanted to scream, but your review made it feel completely worth it. Thank you so much.

Warnings: Shounen-ai, slash, yaoi, gay, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle(jr), Sirius/Remus, etc. etc. You know the drill.

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter 9: The Ministry of Magic

Harry stared down at the kitchen table where a plate full of scrambled eggs and toast greeted him. The bright yellow food contradicted the feelings of everyone inside number twelve. The loud and cheerful birds chirping in the backyard were no exception. There was just something wrong about it being so nice out when their lives were in such a depressing state. It should be cold, rainy, and they should be eating undercooked porridge with too much water in it.

None of them were ready to face the day.

Ginny kept poking at her food with her fork. Harry had only seen her take one or two bites. Ron's plate was full, the redhead in question staring at the kitchen wall with no signs of life in his eyes. Fred and George had shown up earlier, but they'd taken their food and left without uttering a word. Bill, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley had yet to show up. Harry could only guess what they were doing. Probably arranging things for Mrs. Weasley's….

He poked the scrambled eggs with his fork, trying yet again to take a bite. He lifted the food to his mouth. His arm froze halfway up and refused to budge, the smell from the eggs still wafting towards him.

CLANK.

Harry dropped his fork onto the plate, the sound echoing through the room. Everyone present jumped. He bolted from his chair and ran into the nearest bathroom. He fell onto his knees next to the toilet just in time to heave what stomach juices he had into the toilet. He waited to see if his nausea would pass before leaning back against the wall. The trial was soon, and he needed to get ready. Sweat poured down his neck, his body hot as he caught his breath.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door. Lupin stepped in, took one quick look at the toilet, and focused his attention instead on Harry.

"Are you okay?"

Harry gave a small nod. He noted Lupin was holding a cup of coffee that wouldn't stop shaking. His ex-professor looked like he'd been beaten with a rather thick board. The haggard look and lack of energy reminded Harry of what Lupin had been like before he started taking the new potion. He didn't know if there was a full moon coming or if this was just a result of Mrs. Weasley's death. Either way, he hoped Lupin would get better soon.

"We need to leave soon… we can… pick something up after your trial… when your nerves have settled."

Lupin walked away before the words even began to make sense in Harry's head. Mr. Weasley was supposed to be taking Harry, but given the circumstances, it seemed the Order had appointed Lupin to the task. No wonder Lupin was a mess. A known werewolf was going into the Ministry of Magic to accompany a lawbreaking and supposedly lying, under-aged wizard, who Fudge would no doubt attempt to tack terrorism charges onto during the trial. They'd be lucky if either of them made it out.

Being late wouldn't help though. Fudge would probably accuse him of trying to run and would order the entire Auror department to track him down because he was such a dangerous threat to the Wizarding community. He rolled his eyes and flushed the toilet, wondering how his life could have spiraled so out of control so fast. Just a few months ago he'd been worried about surviving the last task for the Triwizard tournament and wondering how bad the summer would be at the Dursley's.

He stepped out of the bathroom and started for his room.

I don't know what's better. To just take my punishment and hope it's light or run and make everything worse.

"H, Harry?"

It took Harry a second to climb out of his thoughts. Ginny was walking towards him, a pained expression on her face. He could tell she'd been crying recently, probably all night, because it also looked like she hadn't slept.

"Yeah?"

"You have to come back… okay?"

"That's the plan," Harry said, trying to offer her a smile.

Ginny managed a choked laugh and hugged him.

"Promise me you'll come back."

Harry blinked, surprised at the sudden assault. He awkwardly brought his arms up and returned the hug.

"Even if I did, it might end up being a lie," he said. He kept looking around the hall, terrified Ron might see them.

"So, lie to me," she said, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"Eh… okay," he said. He wished one of her brothers would show up, or Hermione, or someone. He knew Ginny had had a huge crush on him back in his second year, but he'd thought she'd grown out of it. She's just worried she'll lose someone else, he told himself. "All right, fine. I promise I'll come back."

"Good." She smiled at him and hesitantly took a step back. "We'll all be waiting for you."

"Yeah…" He watched her go back into the kitchen making sure she stayed in there before starting up the steps. Is that how everyone who saw him off was going to act? If everyone in the house was going to be giving him their final goodbyes, he didn't want to see another person. He was so glad everyone had such hope for the trial. You don't even have much hope, he reminded himself. They would all be fooling themselves if any of them believed this would be easy.

He stepped into the room and locked the door once he entered. He refused to give anyone else a chance to sneak up on him and offer him their 'well wishes.'

I don't even know what to wear.

'Clothes, preferably ones that don't call attention to you. There are already enough people I have to maim.'

The shadow appeared stretched out on Harry's bed, his eyes on the Gryffindor.

'What are you talking about,' Harry asked. He was glad the shadow had done whatever he did to keep them for being in pain when they talked, but again, without being able to feel the emotions, he felt like he was missing an enormous part of the conversation. He opened his trunk and started rummaging through it. He had a pair of dress robes, but he wasn't about to wear them for Fudge.

The shadow moved to the foot of the bed, so he was closer to Harry.

'Exactly what it sounded like,' he said.

'I appreciate the offer, but you can't kill everyone at the trial today,' Harry sighed.

'I will do what I need to in order to keep you safe,' he said. 'But I wasn't referring to them.'

'No one else is threatening me,' Harry said. He pulled his pajamas off and began pulling on a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. It wouldn't matter if he walked in wearing a designer robe. Fudge had deemed him guilty the second he told the world that Voldemort was back.

'No,' the shadow agreed. 'But I will not tolerate any threats to myself either.'

'Who threatened you?' The shadow's eyes danced with amusement. 'Fine, don't tell me.' He turned to leave the room when a hand wrapped around his wrist. He turned back to the shadow. 'What?'

'I'm going to keep the bond as it is for now, so I don't crash in the middle of the trial.' He climbed off the bed until he was inches from Harry.

'O, okay.' Harry could feel his heart beating faster, his face burning. Was he suddenly scared of the shadow or nervous about the trial? I did just throw up thanks to my nerves. Besides, Harry had no reason to fear the shadow. It had hurt him, yes, but not intentionally, and he'd been feeling that same pain.

The shadow lifted his hands and dropped them onto each of Harry's shoulders.

'It would be inconvenient if anyone spotted me before the trial begins, so I'm going to go back into the necklace until the doors are shut.'

'It's not broken,' Harry asked quickly. He'd yet to feel a single bit of warmth from the necklace since the shadow had collapsed in the hallway.

'No,' he snickered. 'I just prefer being out and near you.'

'Oh…' Harry's entire about erupted into flames and he adverted his eyes.

The shadow laughed this time. The way he had yesterday that had caused Harry's heart to flutter. He grabbed the chain around Harry's neck and pulled the pendant up from beneath his shirt. He wrapped his fingers around the pendant, his form turning into mist. The pendant sucked the mist in and all traces of the shadows vanished.

Harry lifted the pendant. The warmth had returned to it. For some reason that put him more at ease than the shadow's words. He kissed the pendant and dropped it back under his shirt, reveling at the warmth against his chest. He left the room, feeling more confident than he had in days. He still didn't think he'd win his trial, but the warmth radiating from the pendant calmed him. One way or another, he'd survive, even if he ended up in Azkaban.

His confidence faltered as he made it closer to the stairs. It wasn't that the trial felt more real now or anything like that, but he still didn't want to talk to any of his friends, especially if they were going to act anything like Ginny had when she'd stopped him by the staircase. When he made it to the steps, he could only make out two people. Sirius and Lupin.

"Don't let anything happen to him or you," Sirius said. His hands were resting on Lupin's hips, and Harry found himself looking away. How could people show their feelings like this when anyone could be watching?

"I won't."

"Dumbledore will be there, not that I trust him, but every law in place says he's innocent."

"Right."

Sirius sighed. "And be careful on your way there and back. We still don't know who attacked Molly."

"I know," Lupin said, smiling slightly before he jumped. "Harry!"

Harry gave them a minute to separate or finish whatever it was they were doing before looking at them again. He had a feeling they'd started kissing after Lupin's last "I know".

"Why are you so nervous around him? He already said he was fine with us dating."

"That's not the problem here," Lupin said. His face had turned a dark shade of red.

Harry walked down the last few steps.

"Listen." Sirius grabbed Harry's upper arms. Everyone seemed bent on grabbing him today. "They're going to try to do whatever they can to get you to lose today. Fudge will probably lie, he might even bring in false evidence, whatever it takes to win."

"Sirius!"

"I know," Harry said. It sucked, but not liking something didn't make it go away. He knew full well that Fudge wasn't going to play fair.

"You said that shadow protects you," Sirius said lowering his voice. "Make sure it's with you in that courtroom."

"He—it is," he said.

"Good. Listen to Dumbledore and—"

"If I lose, grab Lupin and run," Harry said, managing to grin.

"Exactly." He gave Harry a hard pat on the back. "We'll celebrate your win as soon as you get back."

Harry laughed. He didn't know if his godfather believed he would win, or if he just considered him making it back to number twelve a win, but it was nice all the same. At least Sirius didn't make this sound like a final parting. "Okay."

"Remus will take good care of you."

"I know. He's the only professor I ever completely trusted."

"T, thank you." Lupin took a breath, let it out. He gave Sirius a quick kiss on the cheek. "We should get going…"

"Yeah," Harry said. They stepped out of number twelve together. The day was already warm, but Harry could smell water in the air.

"Going to rain," Lupin muttered.

"Yeah."

They stared at one another. Neither seemed to know what to say or do next. Harry had no idea where the Ministry of Magic was or even what it looked like, which meant waiting for Lupin to snap out of his daze.

"Okay…" Lupin looked at Harry. He still looked like he might collapse at any minute.

"Thanks for taking me. I know this can't be easy."

"Arthur offered to still take you, but…"

"Yeah."

Silence fell around them again and while Harry didn't want to go to the hearing, he would much rather stay put in number twelve the rest of his life until they threw him in front of Voldemort as... What? The only reason Voldemort had feared him was thanks to his mother's love shielding him. Now that Voldemort knew why his spell had failed and had taken the proper precautions to fix that unexpected setback, what good was he in helping rid the world of him? Remaining hidden until such a time that they could defeat Voldemort was not exactly convenient. Sirius was already showing signs of going stir crazy and he'd only been in the house for a week.

He glanced at Lupin, who looked extremely confused as to what their next move should be.

"Er...did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah…. I dazed out again, didn't I?" He shook his head. "Sorry Harry. There's so much going on right now." The realization of where they stood seemed to have sunk in. "Shite. We shouldn't just be standing out here in the open. Do you mind if we Appearate?"

"No?" He'd never Appearated before, but he wasn't about to make things more difficult for Lupin. He'd gone through enough already. "I've never done it before though."

"That's all right. You'd just be traveling by side along." Harry nodded. "Grab my hand then. This will probably be a little uncomfortable."

"Okay." He took Lupin's hand, and he was gone. Harry felt as if his physical body no longer existed. He'd become a conscious liquid that somehow retained all his senses. Harry could see everything around him at once and yet couldn't make out anything beyond the light streaks of color surrounding him. Sounds were nothing more than snippets, not a single one comprehensible. Smells rushed past him, none remaining long enough to be identifiable but colliding and mixing so each scent overrode the next and he couldn't tell where one started or ended. A nauseating smell that refused to go away and added with the view, was sure to make him puke. Only he couldn't, because he was liquid, and despite being a liquid, he could feel every bump, jerk, sudden stop, twist, and overall chaos of their travel.

Harry was sure he'd existed in this dimension forever. His physical form had been nothing but a dream. He'd always been hurdling towards something, a never-ending and pointless existence.

Pain broke Harry out of his trance. The light streaks stopped rushing past him and became identifiable shapes. Sounds, scents, touch, all of them rushed him all at once. They were now in a city, Muggles rushing past them as if they didn't exist. He was on his knees on a sidewalk. He held his palms up; scrapes and blood covering them. Had he always had hands?

He lurched forward, whatever his stomach had been holding onto splashing out in front of him.

"Harry!?" Lupin knelt beside him and began checking him over. "I didn't think you'd be that sensitive."

"With as many times that I've thrown up lately, I don't know why I bother to eat," he said, dropping onto his bottom and giving Lupin a weak smile. "Complete waste of food."

"Merlin, you are James' son," he said, dropping his head and shaking it. A small laugh erupted from him, and he smiled at Harry.

Harry grinned, glad to see that some of Lupin's energy had returned. At the very least, his eyes no longer looked dead.

"We need to go inside before we look any more suspicious than we already do. Do you need help up?"

"I'm fine," Harry said. He managed to stand up, stagger forward, catch himself, and almost fall back down. Lupin grabbed his hand before he smashed onto the concrete again.

" I don't think you are," Lupin said, amused.

"Maybe not. The world is spinning pretty fast."

"You'll definitely need some practice with Appearating before your test."

"Probably a good idea." They waited a minute, both standing in place until Harry could finally see straight. "Okay, I'm good." The idea that they would test him on this form of travel scared him, but the fear of the trial outweighed that.

"You're sure this time," Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Lupin released Harry's hand. The Gryffindor took a step forward, tried another, and didn't fall. "See?" For some reason, Harry felt incredibly proud of himself. He had no idea why, nor did he understand why he was laughing. Nothing about the last few months had been funny. Mrs. Weasley had just died yesterday. And yet, here he was, unable to stop.

"I think some of your brain got shaken a little too hard."

"I'm sorry, I know this is the last thing I should be doing," he said, trying to get himself under control.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." He choked back a laugh and held the rest back. Even with his laughter stopped, it had restored his energy. Maybe he could win the trial. Perhaps his life wasn't a series of one tragic event after another.

"With everything you've gone through, I'm just glad you can still laugh at all." He gave Harry's hair a quick tousle. "Let's get this over with. My wonderfully rich lover gave me some money. Once we're done here, he's adamant we bring home some burgers."

"That might be good if I win." Sirius and Lupin truly believed he was going to win. He hoped he didn't disappoint them.

"I promise, Harry. This will be rough, but every law is on your side."

'He's right,' the shadow echoed. 'If Fudge actually manages a guilty charge, you can demand a retrial based on the abuse of power and the intentional refusal of acknowledgement of laws.'

'So why were you threatening to kill people if I can get a retrial,' Harry demanded. Why hadn't anyone mentioned that? He wouldn't have worried nearly as much as he had had he known this wasn't his only chance.

'Because I don't know how far Fudge will go.'

"We need to go in there." Lupin motioned to an old red phone booth to their right. Like number twelve, it looked old, broken, and ready to implode into pieces of dust at the slightest shove.

"I... don't think it works...and it doesn't look safe...at all."

"It's sturdy. Arthur said they replaced it last summer. It just looks old."

"Right…." Harry had no reason not to believe Lupin, and he'd seen stranger things before. He just hoped no one could see them inside, because it would be a tight squeeze. They walked into the phone booth, and Lupin shut the door. To Harry's disappointment, the inside wasn't charmed to be larger than it appeared or to grow to accommodate when more than one person entered.

Lupin took in a shaky breath and picked up the phone receiver. He punched in some numbers, Harry couldn't tell which ones, because his current view was that of the road from the side window. It was so cramped he couldn't turn his head all the way.

"Good morning and welcome to the visitors' entrance for the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business." The voice was even, not a single rise or drop in her tone. Harry wondered if the voice was a recording.

"My name is Remus John Lupin. I'm accompanying Harry James Potter to a hearing today for underage magic."

There was a lengthy pause.

"...Understood." The voice sounded somewhat strained now. "Your badges are printing, please wear them where all can see," she said, her voice breaking every few words.

Two silver badges dropped into the change holder. One had the words "Harry Potter, Disciplinary Hearing" engraved on it. The other badge read "Remus Lupin, Guardian of Harry Potter" with a thumb-sized yellow dot to the right of Lupin's name.

"Is that….?" Harry couldn't finish the question.

Lupin grimaced as he put the badge on.

"A moon? Yes," he said, his voice stiff. "Everyone in the Ministry has to be aware of the danger walking around."

The phone booth gave a jerk and began sinking into the ground.

"It's not even nighttime, or a full moon," Harry growled. He'd known it would be hard on Lupin entering the Ministry, but this went too far.

"It's fine. It's not like everyone doesn't know already. The Daily Prophet made sure of that."

"That's beside the point!". He'd never hated the Ministry of Magic as much as he did right now. Despite all the lies, the name-calling, that they purposely put the entire Magical community as a whole in danger, this made his blood boil. This wasn't right. It was like they were not only making fun of Lupin's condition; they were rubbing it in his face. Acting like he'd contracted the werewolf disease on purpose. He'd been attacked as a kid! How was that his fault!?

Light poured in at their feet.

"Harry, your concern for me is much appreciated, but let's wait until you've won your hearing and we've left to plan a revolution," Lupin said the words so seriously, Harry wasn't sure if he was joking or not. The phone booth hit the ground with an earthquake shake and the door slid open. Lupin winked at him and Harry stepped out. He didn't know how Lupin could keep his good mood after this.

"I couldn't stay calm if it was me," he whispered.

"I've been dealing with this prejudice all my life. It would be nice if everyone would realize not all of us are bloodthirsty killers. But the people I care about know I'm not a monster. Most of the people who act like I am some uncontrollable beast I'll never see again. And, as I stated before. The patients I developed over the years, because of certain others, makes ignorance like this tolerable." An actual smile appeared on Lupin's face. "Besides, I am dangerous." He strode towards a desk, the magnitude of the place sinking in now.

The Ministry of Magic was huge! There had to be hundreds of wizards and witches moving about. Giant fireplaces lined both sides of the giant hall. People appeared from inside the fireplaces on the left and joined the gigantic crowd Lupin and Harry had merged with. Most of the crowd seemed to be going forward, but some were going to the fireplaces on the right. They stepped inside, green flames engulfing them, and then they would disappear. And they did this not just one at a time but in groups.

The ceiling set before them was a brilliant night sky with shooting stars and constellations. The walls were dark blue with golden organic moving lines creating unique designs. The designs would stop and hold their position just long enough for a handful of people to notice it and then they were moving again to create new ones. All the wood, from the floor to the trimmings to the front desk, was a dark mahogany.

As they continued down the hall, the biggest fountain Harry had ever seen compromised of multiple statues stood in the middle. A strong-looking wizard, a beautiful witch, and then what Harry assumed were those creatures considered below them. A goblin, a centaur, and a house-elf, all of them looking up at the witch and wizard as if the two were of divine importance. Harry wasn't one to dwell too much on these things, but after seeing Lupin's badge, he wanted to destroy the fountain. Let the supposed lesser ones sit on top of the witch and wizard.

Stacked offices with glass walls replaced the fireplaces. Harry could see witches and wizards inside the offices, most of them at their desks, or moving around grabbing papers. In front of them down the center of the hall was a front desk, filled with seven people. Most of them were checking badges or giving visitors directions, two of them were talking on the phone.

Harry couldn't believe the lack of security. Anyone could have gotten to this point, attacking the crowd as they went. And seven people at the front desk? He hoped there were spells in place to keep these people safe. Voldemort could wipe this place out with ease.

They stopped at the front desk, Harry trying hard not to look as angry as he felt, as if the witch in front of them had made the moon on Lupin's badge a requirement. He knew lashing out at the woman wouldn't do anyone any good, so he settled for glaring.

"May I help you," a witch with brown curly hair asked. She looked up from a document she'd been reading, her face paling when her eyes fell onto Lupin's badge.

"We're here for a disciplinary hearing for Harry Potter," Lupin explained. "Where do we go from here?"

"Th, that way," she said, pointing to a side hall. Sitting next to the entrance was a lone wizard at a small desk. He was reading a book.

"And from there?"

"So… um, his…" She shuffled through some more of the papers on the desk. She whispered something to the wizard next to her and he handed her a single piece of parchment. "Right, Mister Potter's hearing is starting soon. You'll take the elevator to the very bottom floor, to the Department of Mysteries. The hearing is in courtroom ten."

"Thank you," Lupin said. He ushered Harry towards the desk with the one wizard station.

"Wands," the man said in a bored tone. He set his book down.

Harry looked at Lupin, who nodded. He removed his wand and handed it to the wizard. The man dropped the wand onto a scale. A second later a piece of paper printed out at the bottom of the scale with all Harry's wand's details.

"This right," the man asked.

Harry looked it over.

"Yes."

"Okay and yours." He handed Harry his wand back before he took Lupins. Another slip of paper printed out that he gave to Lupin.

"Correct?"

"It is," Lupin said.

"Okay." He handed Lupin his wand back. "There's an elevator at the end of the hall here."

"Thank you," Lupin said. He pulled Harry with him down the hall. "That went better than I expected," he said.

"I guess," Harry said. No one had jumped out and arrested them the second they walked into the ministry. No one had cursed them or threatened them, and besides the witch at the front desk, no one seemed to even notice the moon on Lupin's badge.

"Good, both of you are here."

"Dumbledore," Lupin said.

"Professor Dumbledore?" He'd know Dumbledore was coming to his hearing, but he hadn't expected him to meet them in the hall.

The headmaster looked Harry over. "I see you didn't find this occasion worthy of dressing up for." He looked amused.

"O, oh Merlin," Lupin breathed. "I didn't even realize, I'm so sorry Dumbledore."

"Nonsense. I didn't see any reason to myself. Why I slept in these robes last night," he said smiling. Harry didn't think the headmaster was serious. His robes looked freshly pressed and clean. "Let us be off so we may be done with this nonsense." He started down the hall, Lupin and Harry following him. They piled into the elevator at the end of the hall. Thankfully, it was larger than the phone booth Lupin and he had shared.

"Do you know why they moved Harry's hearing into the Department of Mysterious," Lupin asked.

Dumbledore frowned and gave a small nod. "I'm afraid between Harry and I, we have driven Fudge into a corner."

"He wouldn't be in a corner if he hadn't been lying this whole time," Harry spat.

A smile returned to Dumbledore's face.

"How right you are, Harry. Especially with such an important matter. Had the truth been given to the community, why, I doubt there would be a trial at all. But, since Fudge has continued to lie, here we are, soon to be entering a courtroom reserved for the trials of some of the most heinous criminals of all time." The doors to the elevator closed and began its slow and shaky descent. "But worry not. The law is on our side and I believe this room may be to our advantage."

"How," Harry asked.

"Because if I am right, you have something hidden on you, and the courtroom down here cannot go up in flames."

'That's what he thinks.'

'I know I haven't made Dumbledore out to be a good person lately, but he actually is. He's—'

'Famous, strong, defeated Grindelwald. Yeah, I've read the chocolate frog card,' the shadow snorted. 'Amusing no one asked how Grindelwald got to power in the first place.'

'What?' Harry only knew Grindelwald's name, and that was from Dumbledore's chocolate frog.

'After the trial.'

"Do I even want to know what the two of you are speaking about," Dumbledore asked.

"We aren't…." Lupin looked at Harry questioningly.

"He's convinced he can burn the room down."

The elevator gave a tremendous shudder before the doors opened. A woman's voice from somewhere announced they had arrived at the Department of Mysteries.

'Why does every elevator at the Ministry act like they're ready to fall apart?'

'Because they are,' the shadow said. 'The Ministry is too cheap to keep up on renovations.'

"For everyone's sake, let us hope he doesn't try." Together they stepped off the elevator. "10 should be down this way."

"Wait, you can…?" Lupin started. "Never mind." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I can't go in, but I'll be right outside the door."

"Wh, What!?"

That was not okay. Lupin was his designated guardian; he wasn't of age.

"Just answer truthfully and try not to lose your temper."

"I ask that you only mention certain subjects if necessary," Dumbledore said. "Shall we go in, Harry?"

"O, okay." So, he wasn't being thrown in by himself. He'd have Dumbledore and the necklace. He'd be okay. He would get through this and go with Lupin to get burgers and they'd have a great lunch while celebrating Harry's win. Afterward, they would clean more of number twelve, because the headquarters was in desperate need of any cleaning it could get, and it would take their minds off Mrs. Weasley's death.

Dumbledore shoved both doors open and stepped into the room, his robes sweeping around him as his tall figure strode in, his head held high. The grand movement made him seem far more formidable than Harry had ever seen the headmaster. It seemed the group before them felt the same because the talking died down immediately, a few shrinking back as Dumbledore came closer.

He was grateful Dumbledore was on his side.

'Show off,' the shadow muttered.

"Dumbledore," Fudge blurted out.

"Yes, I do believe that's who I am. If not, I have been ill-informed my entire life." He smiled at the group, a few of them laughing at his words.

Harry stopped beside the headmaster, trying to push back his dread. He'd seen this courtroom before when Dumbledore had shown him some of his memories. The room hadn't changed at all. It was cold, the walls and floor made of stone. The group in front of them were sitting in the same wooden box and to Harry's growing unease. The chair with the chains stood in the center of the room. They seemed to sense that someone was near and gave small jerks towards Harry like an animal threatening someone.

"I see you, um, both of you," Fudge seemed to have lost the ability to speak comprehensively. That was fine with Harry. "You are late," Fudge said, his voice growing cold.

"I do apologize for that. Alas, we are all present now. Shall we begin?"

(TBC)

I had intended for this to encompass the entire trial or…more of it than this anyway. Guess not. Next chapter it is.