"Thank you, Mr Potter." He took the parchment the clerk was patiently holding. "The Wizengamot will confer and inform you of our decision."
Fifteen minutes later Harry was holding his breath and Hermione's hand. Would the five members of the Wizengamot agree to his requests? Would he get what wanted?
"The sitting members of the Wizengamot have reached a consensus…"
Lucius Malfoy looked at Harry from his seat in the Wizengamot members' benches. For the first time, Harry saw a Malfoy that was not pleased with his own actions.
"We regret that we are unable to meet all of your requests, Mr Potter." He sighed. "A lot, certainly, but not all. As far as your requests in relation to Life in Exile? Point One. Your muggle identity and altering it are a minor issue. Nominating only one person to be aware of your muggle identity, we believe not to be a wise idea, however there are ways to lock that information away in a person's mind that is only released upon your chosen information holder's death. Point Two. Altering your appearance. Miss Granger's suggestions are feasible, both of them. We do understand your reasoning and to a point, we agree with it. We don't like it, but we do understand it. Point Three. We have conferred with St. Mungo's and the only option available to you is sterilisation, be it temporary, linked to your core binding or permanent. There are no other alternatives, I'm afraid. Point Four. Your finances. That's a little more complex. Gringotts have informed us that the Potter Family Charter states that no more than ten percent of the gross estate value may be transferred to the muggle world, however that is still a respectable amount. But the Black Family Charter stipulates that no monies from any of the Black Estates may be transferred into muggle control. Your personal possessions? Professor Flitwick believes that he can cast a charm that will enable you to see and value a trunk, but have no curiosity or desire to open it, until or if the bindings are lifted. Point Five. You are an adult of legal age and as such have the right to disperse your assets where you choose. If you write a Will, we will see that it is apportioned as per your wishes." He held out a fresh sheet of parchment. "Here are the agreed upon requests for the Exile option."
Harry waited while the clerk fetched the parchment and handed it to Hermione.
"As for the Veil option? A wand. Mr Potter, a conviction under Mordred's Law prohibits this Ministry from providing you a wand, at least until your sentence is complete." Malfoy paused. "To clarify… If you were to select the Exile option and at some point, in the future, you were called upon to assist with a situation that required the bindings one your core being lifted, that would constitute the completion of your sentence."
"Thank you for adding that, Mr Malfoy. That hadn't been covered." Kingsley commented.
"Understandable and I apologise for not mentioning it earlier. But we digress. A wand. We have to deny this request, not because we wish to, but because it is the law. Point Two. The mokeskin pouch. Yes, certainly we shall return it to you. Point Three. This is a grey area, if you choose the veil, you will no longer be a citizen of our world and the only legal equivalent is death, however, we do understand your hypothesis and can clearly state that you will not be entering the muggle world as we know it."
"Understood." Kingsley spoke and Harry and Hermione both nodded.
"Point Four. Battle robes. This court must provide you with clothing, but there's no way we can approve dragonhide, it's way over budget. Not to mention that Mordred's Law specifically stipulates the items we can and must provide. Three pair of cotton canvas trousers, three cotton button-down shirts, three cotton undershirts, six pairs underpants, six pairs socks, one pair cow-leather shoes or boots, one wool knitted jumper/pullover, one change of sleepwear."
"Damn." Harry whispered.
"Point five. The trunk. While Miss Granger holds your complete trust, Mordred's Law again inhibits us, in what can be provided to you. A trunk and its contents are not on that list, I'm afraid. The best we can do is to provide a muggle bag of Miss Granger's choosing."
"Double damn." Harry muttered and fell back in his seat in re.
"However…" Malfoy held up a hand. "Having said all that… There is an even older law, one of the first that Merlin laid down, that basically states that no witch or wizard shall be denied the right to bear arms, nor shall they be dictated to, in what they wish to spend their own finances on."
"We, who sit here, have determined that we should be abiding by this older law." Lady Longbottom added. "As it supersedes Mordred's Law, we are going to add this to your situation."
"What this means for you, Mr Potter?" Malfoy began, "is that, while the Wizengamot cannot provide these items, we will not deny you from providing them for yourself."
"The main concern we have at this point is… time." Lady Longbottom sighed. "Under Mordred's Law, sentences must be carried out immediately after a conviction is handed down. The longest we can delay is… twenty-four hours. Which means… Three-fifteen, tomorrow afternoon."
"Mr Potter we would need to remand you to the DMLE holding cells until your sentence is to begin. We are bending a number of laws to allow visitors, but as you will not be permitted to leave the DMLE holding cells, there is no other way for you to procure the items you with to carry with you. However, you will be accompanied at all times by a senior Auror." Malfoy straightened his shoulders.
"May I suggest that Gringotts be your first priority, knowing what you have in available funds, may change what you purchase or at least, the priority that you rank your purchases by." Lady Longbottom offered.
Malfoy nodded his agreement. "So, it comes down to which sentence you would prefer. Have you reached a decision, Mr Potter, or would you like a few minutes to discuss the matter with your advisors?"
"I'd like five minutes to discuss it, sir." Harry answered.
"Granted. Auror Shacklebolt may place a silencing ward around you and your advisors." Malfoy nodded.
"Thank you, sir." Harry nodded back.
Kingsley tossed up a privacy ward and Hermione instantly began to rant.
Until Kingsley silenced her.
"Thanks, Kingsley. Mione, shut up and listen. Logically, we knew we weren't going to just walk away, too much has happened. This isn't as good as you might have wanted but it's better than I expected. Hell, I expected 'go straight to Azkaban, do not pass GO, do not collect ʛ200'. This is better."
"Better? How the hell do you figure that?" Kingsley demanded.
"Okay, Life in Exile might be hell on earth to you or other magicals, Kingsley, but not to me. Magic is cool, but I've had to live without it every summer, I can keep going if I have to. It might be different if I were older or been living in the magical world fulltime, able to do magic anytime I wanted, but that hasn't been the case. Since August, Hermione, Ron and I have been on the run, we used magic rarely, we weren't sure if the Ministry… under Voldy's control… could track our magical signatures."
"Only if their signature is on record. The closest is if someone splinches, we can use their signature to collect whatever parts they misplaced." Croaker answered.
"Good to know." Harry snorted.
"So, you're not concerned about living in the muggle world permanently?" Kingsley asked.
"No, not really. But… That's not the option I'm choosing." Harry words made the three gasp, in shock.
"What?" Hermione overrode Kingsley's silencing hex.
"Hermione, you read the same book, about the veil, that I did." Harry chided.
"What am I missing, then?" She asked.
"Did you see the piece of parchment that was glued into the book's rear cover?"
"Yes, it was just scribble, Harry, I think it was a child's attempt at writing Cyrillic."
"And I know it was parselscript. Anyway, it said that the Veil isn't the Veil of Death, like the Ministry think, but rather that it's the Veil of Judgement. If I step into the Veil, Lady Magic will judge me. If she finds my actions and motives immoral or unjust, I'll be sent somewhere to pay for it, purgatory, if you like. If, however, she finds me deserving of it, I'll go somewhere I can earn the right to live in peace." Harry didn't say that if Lady Magic found him righteous in his actions, he would merely be transported to a different place and his life recreated afresh. His core wiped clean of any taints, his magic fresh and new. A gift of Lady Magic, herself.
"Oh…" Hermione gasped.
"The wizarding world, as a whole, hasn't been good to me, Mione, I can easily live without it. Magic? Not so easily. The only good things this world has given me, are my friends. Life in Exile means losing those friends. Same with the Veil. But with the Veil? At least with the Veil, I will still remember you. I'll have my album, I'll be able to see you, or pictures of you. Exile? With the memory charms, it'll be like you never existed to me. I can't, I won't accept that."
"So, you're choosing the Veil?" Hermione whispered.
"I am." He nodded."
"Oh, Harry." She whispered and a tear ran down her cheek.
"You need to be strong, Mione. Go get your parents back. Live, be happy. For me? Please?" Harry let his own tears fall. "Even if the Wizengamot cleared me, I wouldn't be staying in the wizarding world, I can't, not after the way they've treated me for the last seven years. I can't."
"What if another Dark Lord comes?" Hermione pleaded.
"I risked my life for them every year, Hermione, and not once did anyone other than you or the Weasley's ever say thanks, not one person. I died for them and do your really think any of them are going to say thanks? Maybe, but if another Dark Lord came, they'll expect me to die for them again. No, once was enough. More than enough. It's time I lived for me, not the wizarding world." Harry begged his friend to understand.
"I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. Alright. What can I do to help?"
"Help me get my stuff together and put up a trunk?"
"You got it."
"Thanks. Kingsley, I'm ready." Harry nodded towards Malfoy and the other members of the Wizengamot.
Kingsley didn't say anything, he just flicked his wand and let his privacy wards fall.
"I've made my choice, Mr Malfoy." Harry said, once he had the wizard's attention.
"And which sentence have you decided upon, Mr Potter?" The blonde wizard asked.
"I choose the veil."