The last chapter was on the small side, this one became a monster. I wanted to have the entire trial in one chapter so we can wave good-bye to the toad. So here it is. As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, liking, and everything. I own nothing, I just play in the sandbox and try to put the toys back where I found them.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I have no idea how the criminal justice system works in England, or the Wizarding world. And since Jo hasn't written an in depth crime thriller set in the Potterverse, I made it up as I went along.
Chapter 47
The sight of Dudley waiting on the platform made Hermione grin. She noticed Pansy staring at him forlornly. 'Follow my lead.' Hermione signed. The Gryffindor linked arms with her Slytherin year mate after departing the train. She pulled the girl towards her waiting family. While the two couldn't embrace, or acknowledge that they knew one another beyond a nodding acquaintance, but at least they would be in speaking distance. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Perseus Parkinson watching them.
Hermione dragged Pansy over. Narcissa and Lucius greeted her warmly. "And this is Harry's cousin, Dudley."
"A pleasure." Dudley told her with a little bow.
"Likewise." Pansy nodded. Feeling a little uneasy, she looked over at her father. He looked torn. On one hand, befriending Hermione Malfoy meant the opening of political and social doors his family could not unlock alone. On the other hand, the girl's head of house held rather radical beliefs in Perseus's opinion. The man's ward was a muggle for Merlin's sake!
Perseus gestured to his wife and they moved to join their daughter. Pansy moved to his side with a nervous look that resembled a grimace rather than a smile. "Father, Mother, you know Mr and Mrs Malfoy, and their son, Draco. This is my friend, Hermione Malfoy, and her head of house, Sirius Black." She gestured to each of them. She paused swallowing hard, unsure of how her father would react to be introduced to a muggle, but not wanting to slight Dudley.
Sirius sprang to her rescue, "A pleasure to meet you, officially." He held out his hand to shake. "These two strapping lads are my wards, Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley." Perseus nodded in greeting, the boys bobbing their heads in response.
The group stood glancing around in awkward silence for several minutes before Perseus spoke up, "We should be going. I am sure we will see you all soon."
Lucius nodded, "The Pucey's Yule Ball, if not before."
The Parkinsons departed, Pansy turning around twice to wave farewell. "That was pointlessly uncomfortable." Draco remarked.
"No, it really wasn't, you just don't have all the information." Hermione told him, picking up one end of her trunk.
"But you do?"
"Of course." she smirked at him. "See you at home." Hermione spun on the spot and apparated away, laughing.
Upon arriving home, she left her trunk in the foyer and released Crookshanks from his carrier. Winky would take it upstairs and unpack for her. After numerous rounds of argument, Winky finally wore Hermione down. Any time the witch attempted to do something Winky felt was her job, Winky dropped her ears, sighed pitifully, and asked, with tears in her eyes, "Is Mistress displeased with Winky? Is Winky a bad elf?" The emotional manipulation generally ended in victory for Winky. Sometimes Hermione managed to turn the tables and insist that she just didn't want to overwhelm Winky because she cared about her so much. At Black Cottage, Kreacher ignored just Hermione's protests that she could do things for herself. Often, he simply took the objects out of her hands and completed the task. Sirius found it hilarious, which generally earned him a glare from the elderly house elf and the curly haired witch.
To celebrate the first day of vacation the Malfoys took out fish and chips. Lucius and Draco joined Hermione eating with their hands, while Narcissa insisted on using cutlery. She did the same when eating pizza. Lucius teased that she was missing out on the full experience, to which she simply rolled her eyes.
After dinner, Lucius suggested a game of Scrabble. Things got quite heated when Hermione insisted that snornack was a word. "Luna Lovegood is not a valid source."
"She can describe what the animal looks like, how it acts, what it eats, how it sleeps. It is a thing."
"It is an imaginary animal!"
"So you acknowledge that it is a thing?" Hermione smirked.
Nix popped into the room, "Pardons, master, but yous have visitors from the Ministry to see young miss."
Lucius nodded, "We'll meet with them in the formal parlor. Thank you, Nix." He offered his arm to Narcissa, who took it and gracefully stood.
In the parlor, the three young men stood in front of the fireplace. Hermione recognized them instantly. "Hello, Cedric, Percy, Cassius. What can I do for you?"
"Good evening, Hermione." Cedric greeted her. "The Wizengamot wants to make sure that everyone is prepared."
Percy nodded, "This is the last of the proceedings, they want to wrap this up before they break for Christmas. I'm here to go over your testimony." He gestured to the others. "Cassius and Cedric are here to make sure I don't offend your innocent sensibilities."
Hermione snickered, "Please tell me those are your exact instructions."
"Not quite, Miss Malfoy." Cassius replied.
"Call me Hermione, please."
"Cassius, then. We're supposed to make sure Percy's questioning doesn't offend anyone."
"So long as you don't imply I'm lying, or that I should lie to protect someone's reputation, I think we'll be okay."
"We have no intentions of doing that." Percy pulled a scroll from his messenger bag. "Would you look over this and see if we left anything out?"
Hermione reviewed the statement. "That covers the gist of things."
"Any major changes or additions?"
"No, I don't think so."
Percy nodded, "The children of ministry employees that she terrorized into spying for her will testify first, so I'm not sure exactly when you'll be called. They begin calling witnesses Monday morning."
"I believe Lord Black plans to have Scion Black accompany him during the last of the session." Cedric noted.
Lucius nodded, "Draco will be with me as Scion Malfoy."
Cassius made a note on a pad, "I'll make sure everything is set up."
"Thank you."
Percy took the scroll back from Hermione. "Thank you for looking over everything. Have a good evening." He bowed to Lucius and Narcissa. The three young men departed through the fireplace.
Draco looked at his father, "Is there a strategy behind exposing her spying first? Using underage children to report the mature goings of over age men seems the graver offense."
"It is, and it isn't. The spies were psychologically tortured, some of them really weren't old enough to really understand what they were watching. This has the potential to haunt them for years. A few have suggested modifying their memories so they don't remember. The same cannot be offered to the blood quill victims. Those vile words are carved on their skin for life, so in the knowledge that they put them there. Both physical and psychological torture. Not all of them had the sense to change the words to an affirmation of strength." He smiled fondly at his daughter.
"I just thought about how Mum would have dealt with it. Defiance through obedience seemed right up her alley."
"Indeed." Narcissa stood, "We should head to bed. Since I am losing all of you to Ministry hearings we need to begin preparations for the party season earlier than usual." Lucius and Draco groaned. "Don't think I didn't hear that." Laughing, the family made their way upstairs and to bed.
The weekend flew by in a flurry of party planning. Monday morning Hermione flooed over to Black Cottage so that she could arrive with Sirius and Harry. "Don't you two clean up nice?" She admired the formal black robes trimmed with burgundy and gold Harry wore. "The Potter House colors suit you." Sirius wore the purple robes of the Wizengamot trimmed in black and hunter green.
Harry grinned back, "You look pretty smart yourself." Hermione's black robes were fitted at the waist and trimmed with black, hunter green, and a soft cornflower blue to acknowledge her connection to House Malfoy.
"Yes, yes, we all look marvelous. Let's get this show on the road." Sirius grabbed a handful of powder and flooed away, Harry and Hermione hurrying to follow him.
Swarms of people moved through the atrium. Employees streamed in and scurried to their departments. The trial had been open to the public, the minister desperate to make sure no one suspected Dolores was getting off easy, or being made into the scapegoat to appease angry parents. Now people attended to see what could be worse than the last trespass. In the last three months four hundred laws had been thrown out due to prejudice they produced and coercion used to pass them. They joined the flow of wizards making their way to the courtrooms. Just inside the Wizengamot entrance, Hermione heard someone call her name.
"Miss Malfoy, a moment."
Hermione turned to see a bright bottle blonde witch in magenta robes approaching rapidly. She pasted a fake smile on her face. "Yes, Rita?"
"Relax, sweetie, I'm not after an interview," she paused, "yet anyway. I wanted to assure you that I have not written a single false statement since we made our agreement." She gave a genuine chuckle, one that was a much lower pitch than her fake giggles. "I couldn't make this stuff up in a hundred years."
"When this ends just remember the consequences of returning to your old ways."
Skeeter paled, "I won't." Hermione nodded and rejoined the group.
Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow, Hermione shook her head once. "It's nothing. Skeeter wanted a quote, I told her my lips are sealed."
Sirius nodded, "Okay. There's the lay of the land as it stands: while she didn't make many friends on the way up, Umbridge still has some allies, or at least people are afraid that if she goes down, she'll take them with her. They are trying to find a loophole, or escape clause they can. Be prepared for some dirty tactics and name calling."
"That means control your temper, Harry." Hermione told him.
"Look who's talking?"
"I didn't say we couldn't get even later, just don't rise to the bait."
Sirius looked about the room, "Just try to be ready for anything." He led them towards their seats.
Being an ancient and noble house, the Black seats were located directly behind the Chief Warlock and Minister of Magic. To their right sat House Longbottom and to the left House Malfoy. House Potter's seats were three rows back and to the left of center. Most members had brought their scions, leading the room to be rather crowded. Sirius elected to sit in the Potter seats to make more room in the front. Hermione waved to Theo sitting with his father. Thoros scowled until he realized how full the room had become. He softened his stern expression into a polite frown. Theo gave her a crooked half smile.
As Chief Warlock, Dumbledore called the chamber to order and announced the opening of the day's session. Before the prosecuting solicitor could begin, a plump man from the back of the Wizengamot raised his hand. "I object." He stood. "House Malfoy has three members present today, a clear violation of our bylaws."
Dumbledore looked to Lucius, who stood and turned to address the assemblage. "Lord Black named Hermione Celeste his heir, with my permission. She is present as Scion Black." He returned to his seat with a nod in Sirius's direction.
Nathaniel Pucey again attempted to begin the proceedings only to be interrupted by the fat wizard again. "Then I object to Lord Black having two votes as the Potter regent." The man smirked.
Hermione leaned over to Sirius, "I assume there is a small loophole preventing Harry from voting as a minor?" Sirius gave a slight nod. "I got this then." She gracefully stood and began making her way to the front.
"Your moving seats changes nothing, Malfoy." The paunchy wizard called.
Hermione whirled, flaring her robes about her majestically. Professor Snape would have been green with envy over the withering glare she shot the man. "In these chambers I am addressed as Scion Black. If you must address me otherwise, then you will use the honorific, lady or miss. I am returning to the seats of House Black. My seventeenth birthday was in September. Since you are limiting Lord Black to voting in Scion Potter's place, I will be voting in his." She dimpled at Fudge. "That is how this works, is it not?"
"It is, Scion Black." Lord Flint stood and offered her his arm. She accepted and allowed him to escort her to her new seat. She warmly greeted Neville and his grandmother. Augusta Longbottom made a show of standing up to embrace the younger witch.
"Well done, girl, that's putting them in their place." Both witches sat down.
Another of Umbridge's allies spoke up, "Shouldn't those with a personal stake in these proceedings recuse themselves?"
"Are you suggesting this august body is incapable of putting aside personal feelings and judge the case on the merit of the facts?" Hermione primly smoothed her robes over her legs.
An angry murmur ran through the room, in the gallery and the assembly. "That is not what I meant." The lanky man tried to backtrack.
"That's good. Shall we begin, Mr Pucey?" Hermione beamed at the solicitor, who smiled back, clearly charmed by the young woman.
"Of course, Scion Black." He addressed the crowd. "Today marks the beginning of the last stage of the charges against Dolores Umbridge. Bailiffs, please bring in the accused."
Two burly aurors half lead, half carried, Dolores Umbridge into the room. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, her shoulders slumped forward. She refused to lift her feet, as if by refusing to walk she could halt the proceedings, and make all of this go away. The aurors placed her in a wooden chair, securing her with chains. She looked up, accidentally making eye contact with Hermione. Umbridge's eyes went wide in surprise, then narrowed in anger. Hermione kept a bored neutral expression on her face, while raising one taunting eyebrow. The bland grayish beige of the prison robes washed out Umbridge's complexion. It felt odd seeing the toad without her garish pink outfits. The aurors stepped to the side once she was secured.
"Dolores Umbridge, today you stand accused of forcing underage students to spy on of age sixth and seventh years, and recent Hogwarts graduates they might know. How do you plead?"
"This is a farce. I'm being railroaded. I've done nothing wrong. This is a conspiracy against me. Those brats are lying." Umbridge struggled against the chains as she ranted. Eventually, Pucey motioned to one of the aurors, who cast a silencing charm on her.
"Let the record show the defendant pleads not guilty. For our first witness, we call Marietta Edgecombe to the stand." The dark haired witch rose from her seat and quietly made her way to the front. One of the bailiffs swore her in. "Miss Edgecombe, would you please describe the chain of events occurring last year in regards to Miss Umbridge and her demands on you."
"Um, around Halloween, Profess, I mean, Miss Umbridge made me stay after class. She asked if Adelina Edgecombe was my mother. When I said she was, Umbridge, uh, she told me that if I didn't do what she wanted she would find a reason to fire my mum."
"What did she ask you to do?"
"She wanted me to follow some seventh years around and report back if they flirted with any girls, or did stuff with them."
"Who did she have you follow?"
Marietta looked at the floor in front of her. "Um, Cedric Diggory, uh, Adrian Pucey, and Roger, uh, Davies. Neither one of them really did anything with any girls or boys. On Hogesmeade weekends she suggested I go the village and see if any recent graduates came around."
"Did she specify anyone specifically?"
"Besides the seventh years, she asked if I ever saw Cassius Warrington or Marcus Flint. One time she mentioned that Lucien Bole was quite fetching."
"Did you ever attempt to refuse to spy for Miss Umbridge?"
"Yes, sir."
"What happened then?"
"She started ranting about how important she was, and that she would fire Mum and make sure she couldn't find a new job. When she was done with us we would be completely broke and homeless."
"Did you ever think to report this to your head of house or the headmaster?"
"I tried, but I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't even write down what was happening."
"Thank you, Miss Edgecombe. No further questions."
Umbridge's solicitor stood and attempted to mount some kind of defense for his client. "Miss Edgecombe is it possible that you misunderstood Madame Umbridge's request?"
"She was practically foaming at the mouth when she told me to follow them and report back what kind of slags they were seducing into broom closets. And she started waving her hands around all wild when she promised to destroy my family. She was very clear about what she wanted and what would happen if she didn't get it."
He changed tactics, "Are you sure you aren't exaggerating your inability to tell someone what was going on?"
"No, I passed out trying to tell my best friend, Cho, what was going on. When she took me to the medical wing, I passed out again trying to tell Madame Pomfrey what happened." She glared at him.
"No further questions."
The remaining witnesses were called and gave similar testimonies. At noon, Dumbledore announced a lunch recess. Augusta Longbottom turned to Hermione, "Would you like to join us for lunch, Scion Black?"
"Should we invite the boys, or leave them behind?" she winked at Neville, who simply rolled his eyes at their antics.
"I suppose it would be rude to leave them behind. We'll bring them."
Hermione chuckled and turned to her father and brother, "Madame Longbottom has invited us to lunch. I'll go collect Sirius and Harry."
Lucius nodded, "Thank you, Lady Longbottom, for your generous offer."
"Not so generous, when we get to the song and dance about who's paying I fully intend to let you win." she sassed back.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." He offered her his arm as Hermione returned with the others. Cedric and Cassius fell in behind the group as they exited the courtroom. "Where did you have in mind?"
"If no one objects, I prefer the tea room down the street and around the corner. They have a lovely full cream tea, as well as an actual meal menu."
"That sounds delightful."
White lace curtains framed the front windows of the Honeysuckle Tea Room. Each pastel colored table sat four. Hermione found the bright room enchantingly cheerful. Lucius pulled out Augusta's chair for her, while Sirius did the same for Hermione. The boys seated themselves at the nearby tables. A pretty waitress strawberry blonde waitress approach. She quickly took their orders and bustled back to the kitchen to prepare them. "I've always like Emma, very efficient girl." She turned to Hermione, "How much worse is this going to get? I'm about ready to throw propriety to the wind and hex the toad myself."
"I know of at least one more student who has to testify about the spying. They went through them faster than I thought they would. We might get to the blood quill users today."
"Excuse me? Did you just say blood quill users?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Merciful Merlin, how did that monster manage to hide for so long? I thought those dreadful laws were bad enough."
Lucius sighed, "Most of the laws were passed by decree, not vote. She just had to collect enough signatures from department heads, and then have Fudge sign off on it. The Wizengamot does not have enough time to meet and discuss to death every topic that needs regulation. That's why the system was created the way it was."
"Godric knows what other archaic trash still exists. When this is over I am going to demand a review of every law still on the books, enforced or not." Augusta snapped her cloth napkin open and spread it across her lap.
"That should ensure anyone looking for a ministry job is able to find one." Sirius quipped.
"Indeed." Augusta paused as Emma served their food. "It looks delicious as usual, my dear."
"Thank you, Mrs Longbottom,"
"You are very welcome."
Hermione took a small bite of her sandwich and agreed with Lady Longbottom, it was delicious. "I know where I want to have lunch when I'm at the ministry."
"Agreed." Harry moaned, chewing his roast beef sandwich. "This is incredible."
Sirius smiled impishly, "Someone remind me to tell Molly Weasley I found a cook better than her. Does anyone know if Emma is single?"
"You stay away from her, you slag. You are not spoiling my favorite place." Augusta snapped.
"I promise to have you over for dinner often."
"No, down. Bad dog."
"That was a low blow, madam."
"I call them like I see them." Augusta sipped her tea. "Back to the business at hand, what are we going to do with Umbridge?"
"Fudge doesn't like to admit it, but after the breakout Azkaban isn't as secure as it once was. The dementors cannot be trusted or controlled." Cassius offered.
"We really need more than one prison." Sirius remarked.
An idea occurred to Hermione, which ballooned into another one, until eventually she couldn't keep the giggles in. Everyone turned to stare at her. "I'm sorry, but muggles have a saying about the punishment fitting the crime. Umbridge should be forced to do community service for the groups she has mistreated, or allowed to be mistreated."
Augusta let out a loud unladylike guff of laughter. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." She looked at Lucius, "I assume you are still standing by your decision to let your children pick their own spouses?"
"Narcissa would skin me alive and wear me like a cape."
"Pity. She'd make a lovely Lady Longbottom."
"Gran!" protested Neville.
"Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're not, but still."
"Relax, Neville, I recognize it for the compliment it is." Hermione assured him.
"And she is going to be an amazing Lady Black." Sirius proudly stated.
"Though sometimes I think Queen Hermione, first of her name, has a nice ring to it." she mused.
All three tables stared at her in silence for a moment before bursting out in laughter. The group quickly finished their food. Emma brought the check to the table and watched with amusement as Lucius and Sirius bickered over who should pay. Eventually the group made their way back to the Ministry of Magic.
Once Dumbledore called the room to order again, Nathaniel Pucey called his next witness, eleven year old Sarah Jane Mockridge. The tiny girl solemnly took the witness stand. She tucked her pin straight jet black hair behind her ear. Her bright blue eyes looked too large for her face, giving her an innocent appearance. "Miss Mockridge, could you tell us what Miss Umbridge wanted you to do?"
"She told me I had to spy on my older sister, Jean, and her boyfriend. She wanted to know everything they did. She got really angry when I told her about all the time they spent kissing when he came to see her, and that they liked to hide in the broom closet on the fourth floor. She threw one of her kitten plates at me, when I told her about how they liked to lick each other down there." She whispered the last part, and looked uncomfortable. "She said if I didn't watch and report back that she would fire Daddy and make us live on the streets. I didn't like watching though. She sometimes started talking about how she could break them up, because she didn't think Jean deserved to have such a good boyfriend because we're half bloods and he isn't."
"Miss Mockridge, did you ever try to tell someone about the spying?"
"Yes, but no words would come out, and I would have trouble breathing." Tears glistened in her eyes. "It made my stomach hurt all the time."
An angry murmur ran through the crowd. Umbridge's solicitor didn't even bother to cross examine the child. He allowed her to be dismissed. Pucey glanced at his watch, debating what to do next. It wasn't even two in the afternoon. Plenty of time to move onto the next charge, and yet that last witness had unsettled everyone. Would it be better to push while everyone's emotions were turbulent, or let the immediate horror fade? He mentally reviewed the last nine testimonies and decided to ask for a recess, it would be best to keep them all together for impact. Also, if he could get through them before lunch, they might be deliberating by that afternoon, depending on what kind of defense Morton Applewhite planned to mount for his client. He looked at Dumbledore, "Sir, I suggest we recess until tomorrow morning and let everyone process this latest testimony."
Dumbledore looked to Applewhite, "Your thoughts?"
"I have no objections."
"Very well, this court stands in recess until nine am tomorrow."
Augusta Longbottom began spreading Hermione's suggestion of community service and writing lines herself. Hermione made her way through the crowd to Sirius and Harry, who waited in the hallway for her. She noticed Mr Nott gesturing emphatically to Sirius, and Theo looking a little uncomfortable. She stood next to Sirius. "I would think you would want something formal in place before something scandalous occurred."
"I agree with and support the Malfoys' decision to allow their children to make their own choices in this manner. I also trust Hermione to take precautions should she decide she wants to take their relationship in that direction. Just as I know your son would step up and accept his responsibilities in this manner." A pale blush spread across Theo's face. Hermione felt her own warming. "I trust them, and should an accident occur, I would support them to the best of my abilities."
Thoros continued to glare. Hermione made a show of gesturing with the arm bearing her amethyst bracelet. "We both know the possible consequences of those actions and consider them very carefully. We have no intention of rushing into anything." Thoros's expression softened a bit. "But we appreciate your concerns."
"See that you continue to do so. Come along, Theodore." He stalked off, Theo obediently following. He looked back once to wave farewell, and Hermione blew him a kiss.
Sirius offered Hermione his arm, "You were amazing today, kitten.
"Thank you, Padfoot. I assume Mr Nott wanted to discuss a formal betrothal?"
"He got nowhere with Lucius, so he thought he'd try to get me to agree."
"Mum would be rather displeased with you."
"Yes, she would. Though his desire to push for a formal arrangement worries me."
Hermione waited until they had returned to the privacy of the Cottage to ask her question. "Why does it worry you?"
"Anyone who spends more than five minutes with the two of you, knows you're crazy about each other. Why push for something unbreakable, unless you know you're going to need something to keep someone toeing the line?"
"You think Mr Nott is about to side with Riddle?"
"I think it is a possibility. And your engagement might see Theo, Lucius, Draco, and maybe even, myself following him to ensure your safety."
"I don't bloody think so." Hermione snapped. "His followers don't seem to be exactly sane."
"Lucius and I will make sure Theo knows he has somewhere safe to run to if he needs it. The Potters did that for me, they were what saved me from having no choice but to join the Death Eaters."
Hermione hugged him tightly, "Thank you, Padfoot."
"You're welcome, kitten, though I would do it even if he wasn't your boyfriend."
"I know."
The next morning Hermione selected a bright blue skater dress with a modest neckline. She layered a white button up sweater over it. The outfit suggested sophistication and innocence at the same time. She paired it with white high heeled Mary Janes. She wore the sapphire and diamond necklace Theo gave her for her birthday. Again she arrived with Sirius and Harry. While the former wore his purple robes again, the latter dressed in a dove gray oxford button down with khaki slacks. Sirius chuckled at their appearances. "Queen Hermione indeed." He moved to the fireplace, "After you, your majesty." He bowed playfully, gesturing for her to proceed him through the floo.
Harry escorted her to the Black seats before joining Sirius in the Potter ones. Augusta looked them over before asking, "I applaud your brilliance."
"What brilliance, Gran?" Neville asked, looking a bit confused.
"Look around the room and notice how people are dressed."
Neville looked about the room, it was a sea of purple robes, and blacks and browns. Nearly everyone dressed in drab colored robes. "Hermione and Harry are the only ones not wearing traditional robes and Hermione is the only one in bright colors."
"Which makes them stand out. It draws attention to them."
"So, today when they take the stand, everyone will notice and be reminded that not only did Delores mistreat other students, she mistreated one of us."
"Which shouldn't matter, but it does. It will remind them that Umbridge things herself above the law, above them."
"Wow, Mione, that is brilliant." Neville looked awed.
"Thank you, Neville."
Dumbledore called the assembly to order and turned the floor over to Pucey. He called his first witness, "Fern Ryder."
Hermione recognized her as a fourth year Hufflepuff. She remembered her as a much more energetic girl, one who smiled easily and made friends with everyone. Now, she walked slowly to the witness stand, looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact.
"Miss Ryder, what did you do that made you end up in detention?" Pucey asked in a soft voice.
"I kept talking in class. We were supposed to be copying the textbook, and it was boring." she answered in a quiet voice.
"How many detentions did you serve?"
"Three."
"What happened in detention?"
"Professor Umbridge made me write lines, and they ended up on the back of my hand, making it bleed."
"What did you write?"
"Witches should be seen and not heard."
"Did you go see Madame Pomfrey?"
"No, Professor Umbridge told me not to, she also told me I couldn't tell anyone what happened in her office."
"Did you try to show a teacher your hand?"
"Professor Umbridge told me not to."
"Thank you, Miss Ryder."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Professor Umbridge told me not to tell, or show it to anyone. Meaning, Delores Umbridge knew what she was doing was unacceptable. She knew that the other teachers would stop her, and she did it anyway. And she rendered her students helpless to stop her or seek help for themselves."
Applewhite declined to ask any questions. Hermione figured he doubted upsetting a younger student would win his client any sympathy.
Olivia Kinley and her story about her uncle went next. Pucey made sure to drive home that Olivia had not been in class, had not spoken out of turn, or disrespectfully to the teacher. She just pointed out that a wizard Delores Umbridge didn't like had taught her better than copying paragraphs from a book did. So, the woman forced her to call herself ugly and unlovable.
Kevin Whitby, then a fourth year, took the stand to explain that he had decided to work his way through the educational decrees, to see how many he could break before his rebellion was quelled. He proudly announced the answer was twenty-six. His crime spree landed him five detentions, where he wrote that he was nothing but a common criminal.
Essence and Ginny both testified that Umbridge gave them detention for lying to the professors about the love potion incident before the Christmas break. Pucey did his best to breeze over why they were in trouble, trying to show the punishment was a bit extreme for the crime. This time Applewhite did cross examine the witnesses.
"Miss Weasley, would you say that your crime was a minor one?"
"Yes, many people use love potions to get the attention of the people they like."
"But you ended up in detention over it?"
"Yes."
"And Miss Broadmoor could have faced criminal charges?"
"Since Theo had given Hermione a family heirloom, yes."
"And that doesn't seem like a big deal to you?"
Ginny looked a bit flustered, she opened her mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by a member of the Wizengamot. "Objection, Miss Weasley and Miss Broadmoor are not on trial. They confessed and accepted their punishments."
Applewhite scowled, but dropped the line of questioning. He attempted again to trap Essence into admitting what they did was enough to warrant an extreme punishment, but again members of the jury assembly objected.
Pucey next called Fred to the stand. "Mr Weasley, you and your brother received the most detentions, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir. George and I served a total of twenty detentions."
"Why is that?"
"We noticed early on that she seemed to have it out for certain students. So when she was bearing down on them, we would pull some kind of prank to distract her."
"Even after you knew the punishment would be writing lines with a quill that carved them into your own hands?"
"Actually, after the first ten or so, she enchanted the quills so we were writing on each other's hands."
"What were you instructed to write?"
"I was supposed to write no one likes a clown. And George was supposed to write I am unoriginal. One the first night she remarked that now she would be able to tell us apart, so we both wrote each other's lines, too. Gave her a fit when she found out weeks in."
"Were you able to report her to anyone?"
"Nope, not even in writing, or by subterfuge. The words would not come out."
"Were you able to seek medical assistance?"
"No, but George and I are old hands at injuries. We knew to soak in dittany and essence of murlap. Sadly, not knowing who else had detention, we couldn't share the information."
George gave much the same testimony. Applewhite again tried to paint the students as out of control. "Did it ever occur to you to stop breaking school rules and not pull pranks?"
"We didn't behave for Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, who we have the utmost respect for, why on earth would we behave for a toad like Delores Umbridge? And we got caught to protect younger students from her wrath. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant some firstie didn't have to carve up themselves." George retorted fiercely. Hermione wanted to jump to her feet and applaud. She settled for smiling at George.
The next witness called was Harry. He stood, and slowly made his way through the sea of purple robes, his light colored shirt making it easy to watch his progress.
"Mr Potter, you were in detention when Professors McGonagall and Snape discovered what was going on, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why were you in detention?"
"The literal reason would be that I broke down the statistics of how I was in more danger in her class than I was anywhere else."
Pucey chuckled, "And the figurative reason?"
"To make sure I knew my place."
"Objection." Umbridge's plump ally whined nasally. "He has no way of knowing that."
Harry shot back, "She had me write I will not tell lies. And numerous times over the course of the year she suggested that because I was raised by muggles I was somehow less of a wizard, just like anyone else with muggle roots." That created a buzz of noise through the courtroom.
Dumbledore called the room back to order. He gestured for Pucey to continue. "Mr Potter, did Miss Umbridge give you any reason to believe you needed to know your 'place' as you called it?"
"She said so, repeatedly, that we students need to know our place and let the ministry protect us. Any time someone questioned the safety of that suggestion she lashed out. She also ordered dementors to attack myself and my muggle cousin over the summer, to deal with the Dumbledore/Potter issue. She told me that Dumbledore saying the Dark Lord was back was an attempt by Dumbledore to grab more power for himself." Again Dumbledore had to call the courtroom to order as the entire room erupted into shouts.
Applewhite tried to paint Harry as a spoiled attention seeking child, upset that the spotlight was no longer on him. "Sir, a muggle policeman died in the line of duty, urging us to flee from a threat he really couldn't see, and one he had no defenses against. I want justice for him. I have schoolmates that are forever changed by what they saw or were forced to write. If demanding they get the justice they deserve is 'attention seeking,' then I will gladly agree to attention seeking." He glared at the man until he released him from the stand.
Hermione took the stand and her testimony matched Harry's. "I was to write my blood is still dirty. Miss Umbridge often went out of her way to tell me that my presence was destroying an ancient and noble house." She demurely crossed her ankles, tucking her feet under the chair.
"You didn't write your lines as ordered?"
"Much like with the Weasley twins, she put the compulsion on the order to write, not on what to write."
"What did you write?"
"Toujours forte." Her smirk caused the crowd to laugh.
When Pucey finished asking questions, Applewhite slowly stood up and approached Hermione. He had a mean gleam to his eyes, like a predator about to pounce on its prey.
"Miss Malfoy, why did the other professors interrupt your detention?"
"Miss Umbridge summoned them."
"Why would she summon them? If, as you claim, she was doing something illegal and immortal."
"Because she thought she was dying." Hermione said in a matter of fact tone.
"Why would she think she was dying?"
"Miss Umbridge believed she had been bitten by a Zithna snake." "She believed? She wasn't sure?"
"Well, no one found the snake, so we can't be sure. But it was bright green with a red stripe. Harry thought it might be one."
"So, your teacher had been bitten by an unknown snake and you simply sat there while she could have died?"
"No..."
"So, you summoned help immediately?"
"If you want me to answer, you have to stop talking. We could not stop writing, because she had not released us. She summoned a house elf and sent him for help before we could. We were unable to render her first aid or look for the snake in question, because she used a compulsion spell to force us to write. Professor Snape had to force her to release us."
"Miss Malfoy, you are the registered owner of a Zithna snake, are you not?"
"I am. And before you go off accusing me, I most certainly did not order my snake to bite her. Witnesses can put my snake in my dorm on my bed with my cat for the night. She was agitated and my friends brought her to the infirmary once they found out what happened." She sniffed and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. "And I object to your manner of questioning. I am not on trial here." She looked at him sternly, as if daring him to keep pressing.
"You cannot deny you disliked Miss Umbridge?"
"No, she was a poor teacher, and at best delusional. I often worried that her true aim was to ensure that my generation was unable to protect itself so that the Ministry could easily subdue us, but I have no real proof of that. Perhaps, she truly believes that dangerous wizards would wait until the trained professionals were present to begin attacking, but that has never been my experience." "And you've had experience with dangerous wizards?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow and smirked at the man, while everyone who attended Hogwarts at the same time as she did laughed. "You could say that. Harry's had more, but his experiences match up with mine." Applewhite attempted to regain control, but Pucey and Dumbledore forced him to release her. Court adjourned for lunch at that point.
After lunch, Applewhite attempted to mount a defense for his client. He tried to paint her as patriotic, doing what she felt was best for her country and government. Hermione admitted she was biased, but she didn't think anyone really bought it. His closing argument came off as a plea to believe in her.
Pucey's closing argument reminded them that ministry employees were civil servants. They were suppose to serve the people, but Delores Umbridge spent her career building herself an empire, one that she controlled through torture and fear.
Dumbledore called for the vote as soon as the solicitors were finished. The vote convicting Delores Umbridge wasn't even close. Only three staunch allies stood by her side. The prisoner was returned to her cell and sentencing was scheduled for the following day.
The spectators were cleared from the gallery as sentencing was discussed. Augusta Longbottom led the charge for restitution and community service. "If we put her in Azkaban, she'll come out crazier than she went in. We should have her make things better for the being she terrorized and harmed. She needs to experience what she has done."
"So, what lines should she write?" demanded Perseus Parkinson.
"How about, 'they won'?" Hermione suggested. "She wanted us to write things that would upset us for the rest of our lives. That should upset her."
In the end Delores Umbridge was sentenced to write they won over forty one hour weekly sessions. They required her to do ten thousand hours of community service to each group of beings her laws restricted: centaurs, werewolves, veela, merfolk, goblins, and muggleborn wizards. Any negative behavior would result in another one hundred hours. Until her service was completed she was required to surrender her wand and wear a device that monitored any magical use, similar to the Trace underage witches and wizards had. When not working off her sentence she was restricted to the holding cells in the auror department. Each witch or wizard she personally attacked, with magic or blood quill, was given 10% of her net Gringott's account in restitution.
"Provided she is on her best behavior she should be free in about 29 years." Hermione declared at dinner that night.
"What are the chances of her being on her best behavior?" Draco questioned.
"As she was attempting to kick her escort in the groin as they took her away? Pretty slim for a while anyway. But she's a smart woman. She might not ever change her way of thinking, but she will figure out how to avoid making things worse." She shrugged, "Eventually, anyway."