Harry Potter and the Magic of Nature and Change Chapter 4: Cases, Rats, and Fun, a harry potter fanfic

Previously on The Magic of Nature and Change:

Harry walked into his and Andromeda's room inside the palace-tent, and quietly packed any of his belongings that weren't in his trunk. He paused when he got to the nightstand, which had several pictures of Andromeda, with him in some of them.

Harry saw that there was a parchment under one of the frames, and he took the parchment and read the contents.

Harry,

I'm sorry. I don't think I can live with the fear of losing you all the time. I already went through that once, and I can't go through it again. All I can see is your dead body, bleeding. I'm sorry, darling.

Love, Andromeda.

Harry read it several times, tears flowing down his cheeks.

Then he carefully folded it and put it in his breast pocket, and continued to pack.

Two days later:

Harry was sitting at his desk, running arithmancy to find out the nature of the Sectumsempra spell, its counter, and what shields could block him. He'd have finished by now, but he had called Dobby a while ago to see if he would respond, then he asked Dobby to bring him fire whiskey, and he was mostly drunk but still working.

"Dobby." He slurred. "Can I get some more fire whiskey?"

"Dobby isn't sure Great Master Harry Potter should have more fire whiskey." Dobby said.

"S'alright, Dobby." Harry said. "Andi left me, like everyone else. Looks like I'm not great at all, so everyone leaves me."

The door to his office opened, and Narcissa entered. "Harry, you've been stuck in your office for the past two days! You can't just -"

She cut herself off when she saw the empty whiskey bottles all around him. "Harry, how did you get so much fire whiskey?"

"Dobby helped me." Harry muttered, pointing at a house elf.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows in surprise when she recognized the house elf. "Dobby? What are you doing here?"

"Dobby always helps Great Master Harry Potter after he freed Dobby." Dobby said. "Why is Old Mistress here?"

"Lucius is dead, Dobby, so I'm free now." Narcissa said.

"Bad Master is dead!" Dobby said happily. Then his ears drooped. "But Dobby thinks Great Master Harry Potter has too much firewhiskey."

"Clearly." Narcissa drily said, observing the bottles everywhere. "Dobby, can you clean this place up? I'll take care of Harry."

"Yes, Mistress." Dobby said.

She navigated through the bottles, then picked Harry up and hoisted his arm over her.

"Heyyyy, Cissaaa." Harry drunkenly said.

"Hey, Harry." She said, walking him towards the door.

"Why didn't you leave yet?" He asked.

"Why would I leave?" She asked. "I have no reason to leave, I'm here to stay."

"Andi said the same thing when she realized that I was scared that she was going to leave." Harry said in his drunken and sad tone. "Andi left anyway, just like everyone else. Everyone leaves because I'm not worth it."

Narcissa gritted her teeth at Andi's blatant betrayal of Harry's trust. She struggled to hold his weight as they walked up the stairs from the dungeon, but eventually she managed.

"We'll talk about this when you're sober, Harry." Narcissa said.

"I'm sober!" He slurred.

"No, you're not." She said as she dragged him towards the stairs.

"Need some help?" Nymphadora asked, walking up to them and hoisting Harry's other arm over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Narcissa said.

"Not a problem." Nymphadora said.

Together they took him to his room.

"Andi isn't here anymore." Harry said when they entered the room. "But it still smells like Andi."

They laid him into the bed, then Narcissa took a potion vial.

"Open your mouth, Harry." She said patiently.

"That's a sleep potion." Harry said.

"Yes." Narcissa said.

"Ok." Harry said, then he opened his mouth, and Narcissa poured it down. "Cissa, stay with me, please? Please don't leave."

Narcissa was once again righteously angry at Andromeda for just leaving without a damn about Harry's insecurities. "Of course." She said, getting into the covers, then she looked at Nymphadora. "You can leave if you want. But tomorrow, we'll go to Andromeda's."

"Don't…" Harry said as he was slowly descending into sleep.

"Why not?" Narcissa asked.

Harry tapped his breast pocket. "Andi… sent… message… before she… left."

Narcissa read the message, then she returned it to Harry's pocket. "That's not enough, Harry. C'mon, let's sleep."

She curled into him, and Nymphadora went to the kitchen to get a snack before she went to sleep in her own room.

As she went to the kitchen, she heard Cassiopeia talking to Arcturus' portrait.

"You told me that House Black was rising!" She exclaimed. "Now all I find is a fugitive and a little disappointment of an Heir who spends his days and nights crying!"

"My godson isn't a disappointment!" Sirius yelled back.

She entered the dining room to insert herself into the conversation. "Cassiopeia, what did you think about the strength of Harry's spells the other day?" She asked.

"They were slightly above average," She said.

"And if I told you that he was using less than 1% of his power?"

"I'd say you're lying."

"Oh, but I'm not." She said, "Tell me, what do you know about manticores?"

"They are fierce animals who originated in Persia, then they were chased away into the Sahara. They can hide as lions, and mask most of their magical cores when they hide in their lion forms."

"Listen, Cassiopeia." Nymphadora said, leaning forward, and Cassiopeia flared her nostrils in anger at the use of her first name without permission. "Harry is a Superior Animagus, and one of his forms is as a manticore. I know that he was fighting in his lion form because believe me, I've seen him when he lets his magic go, and he can quite literally destroy a building the size of Hogwarts with a low powered Bombarda in that stage should he wish to do so. And remember that palace we stayed in the night you barged in on us?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, what do you think of it?"

"I thought the boy was smart to hire artisans good enough to make such an impressive palace."

"He made the palace-tent himself." Nymphadora said. "Right now, it's back in his pocket, and it's the size of a small coaster. So tell me, knowing these two minor things, how is he a disappointment?"

"He is crying and drunk because of a lover's spat." Cassiopeia said derisively.

"No one knows how bad his childhood was other than Dumbledore, Aunt Cassie." Sirius said angrily. "But what I do know is that he was underfed, abused, and he honestly thinks everyone will leave him sooner or later. So, I'm not surprised that he's taking this hard, but I'm waiting for when he jumps back."

"You all look up to him too much." Cassie said.

"Perhaps." Arcturus said. "But look at it this way. Yes he might be a tad young, but he will make waves in the wizarding community, and you know it. Otherwise you'd have left by now."

"He has one week." Cassiopeia said. "If he doesn't get his head out of his ass by then, I'm out of this coup thing."

Cassiopeia bounded out of the room.

"She has a point, as much as I hate to admit it." Sirius said after a moment. "The trial's in five days. I know he already has the whole trial planned out, but he needs to be sober for that. Lily isn't sure what to do, she's always just reading books to avoid any discussion about Harry."

"Aunt Cissa is working on Harry." Nymphadora said. "She brought him out of his office/lab, and she fed him some sleep potion. She plans on talking to Mom tomorrow."

"Well, let's hope that Cissa gets through to both of them."

"Yup."

~~~~~

Narcissa woke up, then she gave a light kiss to Harry's temple.

She went through her morning rituals, then she left the room and knocked at Nymphadora's door.

Nymphadora opened the door to show her face. "Yes?" She groggily said.

"Get ready, we're going to your mom's place." Narcissa said.

"Yes, Aunt Cissa." She said, then closed the door.

After a quick breakfast, they apparated to a muggle neighborhood.

"How do you know where we live?" Nymphadora asked.

"I've always watched you all from afar." Narcissa said.

"Of course, you can just casually keep tabs on us." Nymphadora grumbled.

"Of course, what told you otherwise?" Narcissa asked with a smirk.

"Let's just get this done." Nymphadora said.

"Of course." Narcissa said, then she walked up to one of the houses and rang the bell.

The door opened, but before Andromeda could process who was on the other side of the door, Narcissa slapped her.

"You idiot!" She exclaimed, walking into the house.

Nymphadora quietly walked in and closed the door so no one could hear Narcissa rant at her mom.

Narcissa took out a portable pensieve and laid it on a table, then she took her memory of last night and placed it in the pensieve.

"Watch the memory, Andromeda!" Narcissa said. "See what happened to the man you left with a message and a bleeding head!"

Andromeda looked like she wanted to cry, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Narcissa cut her off.

"I didn't ask for excuses or reasons, Andromeda!" Narcissa said. "I asked you to watch the memory!"

Realizing that Narcissa wouldn't let her get a word in until after she viewed the memory, she dove her head into the pensieve.

A minute later, she came back out, then she sat on a couch and started crying.

"Well, Andi, what do you have to say for yourself?" Narcissa asked, using Andromeda's nickname for the first time today.

"You were supposed to take care of him." She whispered.

Narcissa exploded. "Well that would not be a problem if you weren't such an asshole! Andromeda, didn't you promise that you wouldn't leave him?"

Andromeda nodded.

"And did you know how deep his insecurities were?"

"Yes!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Yes, I did! He's not the only broken person! I know what he feels because I feel it myself! Why do you think I left? Because losing him but him staying alive is better than losing him dead!"

"Really?" Narcissa shot back. "You're telling me that you want him to be a drunk, depressed, broken man? I hate to ask you this, Andi, but if you were taken back in time and you were told you had to leave Ted otherwise he'd die like he did, what would you do?"

"I'd spend whatever time I could with him." Andromeda said.

"So what's stopping you from doing the same with Harry?" Narcissa asked. "You leaving hasn't hurt just him! Lily started spending all her time in the library when she realized that Harry locked the door to his office, and Sirius is also hurting!"

"I can't just go back." Andromeda said. "Not after I hurt him, hurt us, like that."

"I'm done here." Narcissa said. "Nymphadora, if you want, you can stay, or you can come back. Andromeda, get your head out of your ass."

She disapparated.

Andromeda put her head in her hands and started sobbing.

Nymphadora sat next to her and hugged her.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" Andromeda asked between sobs.

"I think you did." Nymphadora said, rubbing Andromeda's back. "But it's ok, you'll just have to work hard to fix it."

Andromeda descended into quiet sobs.

~~~~~

Harry woke up with a massive headache. "Ugh." He said, trying to understand why he felt so bad.

Then someone poured a potion down his throat, and his headache cleared, somewhat.

"More." He pleaded, and another vial was poured down, and his headache fully cleared.

"Must have been one hella hangover headache, huh?" Narcissa asked as she put his head on her lap.

Harry nodded, then he attempted to get up, but Narcissa forced him to stay. "Nu-uh, you're not getting off that easy." She said. "We're going to have to have a talk, Harry. First, how much firewhiskey did you have?"

Harry shrugged. "I think like twenty?"

"That's already eighteen too much, and I am quite sure you had more than that." Narcissa said. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Mistress?" Dobby said, popping into view.

"How much firewhiskey did Harry have?" She asked.

"Dobby counted 117, Mistress." Dobby said, and Harry winced guiltily.

"Thank you, Dobby." Narcissa said. "But please, don't give him anymore alcoholic items unless I give permission, ok?"

"Yes, Mistress." Dobby said, then he popped away.

"So, Harry, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Cissa." He said.

"It took me almost all of two days to break through your door, so I guess a sorry is a good place to start." She said in a slightly amused tone. "Do you remember what you said while I pulled you here?"

"Kind of?" Harry said, wincing in memory of his drunken actions.

"You asked me why hadn't I left." Narcissa reminded patiently.

"You don't owe me anything, you know." He said, unsubtly redirecting the conversation. "You can leave, if you want. I'll understand that."

"I asked you this yesterday, but you gave me a drunken answer." She said, and he winced in memory of his too truthful response. "Why would I leave?"

"Why would you stay?" He countered.

Narcissa sighed patiently as she combed her hands through his hair. "I don't know, Harry. Maybe because I have family here?" She asked sarcastically but not harshly. "Maybe because I don't want to get killed by Lucius' lap dogs, whatever's left of them? Maybe because I want to stay here? Maybe because I don't want to see you turn into a husk of the person you are?"

"And who am I?" Harry asked.

"A good man. I see someone who is strong enough to take the world and win. I see someone who knows how to keep himself and those in his charge. I see someone who isn't only looking out for himself. I see a leader. I see someone I can stand behind, and with."

"That person is a mask, Cissa." He said. "Andi had the right idea when she left. I'm a weapon, just like Dumbledore planned for me. I will only ever throw myself into battle, that's what I'm meant for." Harry sat up. "You'd do well to follow Andi's footsteps, Cissa. Staying with me will only get you killed."

Harry turned the doorknob, when Narcissa's words made him pause. "You might think so, Harry, but I know that's not true. If that were true, you would have killed Pettigrew."

Harry didn't respond and left, then Narcissa stood up with a sigh.

~~~~~

Harry went over the issues of The Daily Prophet that were released in the days since the World Cup.

All of them were calling for the blood of 'Gryffindor' and his allies, stating that he had killed 'upstanding members of the elite society' and framing them. Day before yesterday's issue mentioned that the Aurors had found Peter Pettigrew at the scene along with the members of the Veela Enclaves along with the dead body of Jean-Luc Delacour, French Head of Inter-Magical Species Communication Department, and several others. According to the newspaper, the Veela claimed that Death Eaters had come and proceeded to torture them and attack them, until several people who were led by 'Gryffindor' came to help them, and then there was a cloaked person who killed Jean-Luc. The newspaper said that they believed that the Veela were ' Confunded' to believe that, and that this 'Gryffindor' had in fact been the ones to make them believe this, along with his allies.

Yesterday's issue stated that Pettigrew's memories of the 'massacre' had been locked, and according to Pettigrew, the only person who could unlock them was Gryffindor, who stated that he wouldn't unlock them until the trial. The issue also stated that the Veela Enclaves had decided to stay until the trial was held, as they were witnesses. The French Government had also released a press statement that they were extremely sorrowful at the loss of the head of one of their departments, and that they were calling on the British Ministry of Magic to bring justice upon his killer.

Today's issue stated that the Ministry would hold a trial in four days against the vigilante known as Gryffindor for homicide of thirty-two innocents as well as use of the Unforgivable Curses and Dark magic. In a previously unheard of situation, both Dark and Light factions of the Wizengamot were calling for Gryffindor's head.

According to Lord Cameron Yaxley, this unknown vigilante was "possibly a threat to the Statute, and to blatantly use forbidden magicks proved that he was unfit to be a member of this auspicious society."

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was claiming that "the deceased were esteemed members of the Wizengamot and society, and for one to take the law into their hands and slaughter such honorable people is beyond barbaric."

However, the French Government was supporting Gryffindor, and already offered asylum to Gryffindor and his allies should the British Ministry of Magic persecute them.

Having gone over everything, Harry cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Let's get to work."

~~~~~

Two days later, evening:

Narcissa groaned as she opened the door to Harry's office.

"Harry." She said in a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"Yes, Cissa?" He said. "Everything is looking up right now, I got Amelia Bones neutral for now, she isn't on any of the sides, and I've got the trial basically set up, just a few kinks to fix. I -"

"Harry, you've done enough." She said, cutting him off. "Now you're just trying to ignore other things."

"No, I'm not." He said stubbornly. "There's still some problems. Like making sure that Dumbledore doesn't interfere, or -"

"Harry, we both know you've taken care of that, that's one of the biggest problems, you've obviously already taken care of that." She walked up to him, cradling his head in her hands. "Just let it go, dear, it's ok not to be ok."

He leaned into her stomach, and sniffed. "I'm ok."

"And I have a stronger aura than you." She said, scoffing at his blatant lie.

"Ok, maybe I'm not ok." He said. "But that doesn't mean I can ignore all this." He gestured to the papers on his desk.

"Harry, you have to ignore this temporarily." Narcissa said. "Tell me, how can you get the Wizengamot eating out of your hand if you don't have the energy to charm them?"

"I have the energy!" He protested.

"The emotional energy, dear." She countered. "You're hurting, and we all know that. What happens if you're speaking, and you see Andi in the benches?" He made a sound at that. "Just let it out, dear."

He sniffled. "I knew it was going to happen. It wasn't supposed to hurt like that."

"Because you started believing that it wasn't going to happen."

Harry nodded. "She wasn't supposed to leave, Cissa. Why did she have to leave?"

Harry's voice was cracking, and Narcissa could feel his tears flowing down his cheeks.

"It's alright, dear." She said softly, massaging his head.

They stayed there for a while, then they went to bed, and Harry had the most peaceful sleep he'd had since the World Cup.

The next day, Harry joined the others for breakfast rather than retreating into his office.

"You're finally done sulking, good." Cassiopeia commented.

"Why, thank you for your concern." Harry sassed with a smirk.

Cassiopeia's lip twitched upwards, but made no comment.

"It's good to see you finally talking to us again, honey." Lily said, giving him a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Mum." Harry said.

Kreacher brought their breakfast, and they dug in.

~~~~~

Two days later, Harry woke up and went through his morning rituals, then he changed into official robes that were black except for the Gryffindor crest on the chest.

"Are you ready for the Wizengamot?" Narcissa asked as she walked in, wearing her own official getup.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, buttoning his cuffs.

She walked up to him and checked him over for anything she might need to fix. After going over everything, she kissed him. "You've got this." She said when she broke the kiss. "Show the world who you are, dear."

"Oh, I will." He said. "Watch out, Moldy Shorts and Dumbledork, neither of y'all are ready for this."

Narcissa chuckled at his childish names for them. "I'm sure that with those names, they've no other choice."

"Of course." He said.

After a quick breakfast, they apparated to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic.

"Well then, here's to a good show." He said. "You go in and take a seat, I'll have to make my entrance."

"Keep the hood up, Gryffindor." She teased.

Harry lifted a hood to his head, concealing the majority of his face. "See you in a minute, Cissa."

Narcissa nodded, then she walked in.

She headed to the Wizengamot Hall, and took a seat.

Several minutes later, all members of the Wizengamot council were present, and Narcissa smirked as the show started.

"All rise for Chief Warlock Dumbledore!" The bailiff called as Dumbledore entered, and everyone stood.

"Please take a seat." Dumbledore said after he took his seat.

Everyone sat back down.

"Thank you." Dumbledore said. "Now, let us begin. This case is the Ministry of Magic against the vigilante known as Gryffindor. Gryffindor has been accused of homicide, and usage of Dark Magics and forbidden magicks. How do you plead, Gryffindor?"

Everyone looked at the defense's table, which was still empty.

"Gryffindor, if you don't present yourself, you will be judged guilty, and you will be a fugitive to the world." Dumbledore said.

Still, there was no reaction, and there were hushed whispers.

"Last call, Gryffindor." Dumbledore said, and when there was still no response, he began to raise his gavel. "If Gryffindor wishes to take this path, then -"

The main doors to the council room slammed open, and a cloaked figure entered the court.

The figure wore black robes with a golden crest on his left chest. Upon further inspection, it was clear that it was the Gryffindor crest. His face was cloaked, and his steps were calculated.

"Gryffindor is present." Harry said when he took his seat.

"You must address the Chief Warlock with respect." A bailiff said.

"I have no respect for thieves." Harry said, then he locked eyes with Dumbledore. "Let alone this one."

The bailiff didn't seem to have a response to that, and Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"It is indeed sad to see how low people go…" Dumbledore said, commenting to himself for the benefit of the crowd. "Nevertheless, you are accused of using the Unforgivables, and we must confine you to make sure you don't attempt to escape or attack anymore members of this auspicious council. Bailiffs, please detain him and ensure that he is unarmed."

Three bailiffs moved forward, when Director Bones stopped them. "Bailiffs, return to your posts." She called out. "While Chief Warlock is correct, the fact that Gryffindor has presented himself on this date with his hands on the desk should be enough assurance."

"You have my word that I will not attack unless I am attacked first." Harry said, nodding at Amelia, then he turned back to look at Dumbledore. "Besides, I am not the only one of us two who has used the Unforgivables, am I not correct, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore seethed inwardly, but he showed no reaction outwardly. "I've never used any of them unless I was in dire need of escape, unlike you." Dumbledore lied smoothly. "But that doesn't matter. For now, I must insist that you remove your hood."

Harry removed his hood, and the reactions all across were satisfactory.

Dumbledore started in shock that Gryffindor was Harry, and across the room, you could see everyone reacting at the revealed identity of Gryffindor.

"I must say, Harry, I didn't expect you to fall so far as to throw your morals away the way you did." Dumbledore said. "It truly saddens me to see how far you've fallen over the summer."

"You say I've fallen from grace, I say I've risen above meaningless platitudes." Harry countered. "However, this is not how a case is to be held. Shall we officially begin?"

Dumbledore's fists were clenched in anger at the boy taking charge, but he smiled for show. "Of course. Minister Fudge, may you begin?"

"Of course." Fudge flustered for a second, then he cleared his throat and began reading. "Harry James Potter, you have been charged as the vigilante known as Gryffindor for pillaging, homicide of thirty-two innocents, use of the Unforgivable Curses, use of Dark Magics, use of mind altering magics, and conspiracy against this auspicious council. How do you plead?"

"I plead not guilty." Harry said clearly.

"Harry, you were seen using the Unforgivables-" Dumbledore began.

"I do not recall giving you permission to use my first name, Albus." Harry said, cutting him off. "And as I'm sure we both can recall, usage of the Unforgivables isn't necessarily illegal, otherwise you'd have been carted off to Azkaban decades ago. I believe you mentioned something to the effect of you admitting to using the curses under duress previously, so please elaborate."

"I apologize for not doing so already, you are correct." Dumbledore ground out. "We are not charging you for use of the Unforgivables, but for illegal use of them. Do you still plead innocent, even after that clarification?"

"I can say that for myself, but I doubt either you or Ariana can say that for you." Harry said.

Dumbledore almost drew his wand to smite the boy where he sat, but he didn't, with great difficulty, and instead settled for glaring at the boy. "How do you know of Ariana, boy. "

"We are in an auspicious council room, do not disrespect it, Albus." Harry said calmly. "We are here to discuss the events after the World Cup, not to discuss your murdering of your sister." He turned to Fudge. "Now that we've cleared my plea, shall we proceed to opening statements?"

Fudge nodded. "Yes, we shall. Plaintiff, defendant, if you both are ready, let us proceed."

The plaintiff rose. "We are ready, your honor."

Harry rose as soon as the plaintiff sat. "We are ready as well, Minister Fudge."

Harry sat back down.

"Then let us proceed." Dumbledore declared. "Plaintiff, please give your opening statements."

The plaintiff rose. "Esteemed council members, I am Elphias Doge of Doge Diggory, Mages of Law. I stand before you today because there has been a blatant disrespect of the laws set down by our ancestors.

"One week ago, we were proud to host the Quidditch World Cup in our honorable country. This boy," he turned to glare at Harry, "methodically hunted for citizens of our honorable country and killed them, then he planted evidence using mind magics, and left their families grieving. All of these victims were attacked once before, during the War. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named controlled these citizens under the Imperius and forced them to be his pawns. Now, this boy has come and killed them to slowly remove any who might oppose him. -"

"Objection, speculation." Harry called out.

"Objection overturned." Dumbledore said, and there were sounds of disagreement across the room. "Silence!" He said, slamming his gavel.

"Thank you, your honor." Elphias said. "As I was saying, this boy is a risk to our society. He is disrespecting laws, and killing our citizens. If he is wrongly acquitted, he will be in Hogwarts along with our children within a week. Who knows what he will do. We already know that he is a parselmouth, and -"

"Objection, relevance." Harry said.

"Objection overturned." Dumbledore said, causing many glares to be aimed at him.

"As I was saying, he is a parselmouth, the sign of many Dark Lord's, including He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Who knows, maybe on that fateful Halloween of 1981, maybe the Dark Lord survived and none of the Potters did. -"

"Objection, speculation!" Harry called out.

"Objection overturned." Dumbledore said, inwardly smirking.

"I must protest!" Harry said. "The Chief Warlock is clearly biased, and has no will to follow the processes of the Wizengamot! He must either judge fairly, or stand down!"

"Harry, are you blatantly acting against this honorable ministry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I agree with Heir Potter." Director Bones said. "I put forward a motion to appoint another as Acting Chief Warlock as Professor Dumbledore is letting personal feelings obstruct the processes."

"I second this motion." Madame Longbottom said immediately. "I also nominate Director Bones to be Acting Chief Witch."

"Very well, let the motion be voted upon." Fudge declared.

All of the Neutral faction voted in favor, raising their wands, as well as some assorted members of the other two major factions. Eventually, about sixty percent of the Wizengamot voted in favor of the motion.

"I see that I am unwanted in this position." Dumbledore said once the votes were counted. "I shall take my family seat for this case then."

Dumbledore stood up, discreetly laying a loyalty charm on the chair as he stood up, then he took his family seat.

Director Bones was about to take the seat, when Harry raised his hand to stop her.

"Madame Bones, I would advise you to check the chair for any loyalty or compulsion charms before you take a seat. I saw Albus' wand slide into its holster as he stood."

Amelia checked, and sure enough, there was a strong loyalty charm. Once it was taken care of, she took her seat, glaring slightly at Dumbledore as she did so.

"Proceed, plaintiff." She said, once she took the seat. "While all previous objections have been overturned, they were all valid objections, so I will treat any future objections as if you have already been overstepping."

Elphias gulped and nodded. "Yes, your honor." Then he regained his bearings. "I would like to point out several items before I take my seat. Firstly, as you might already know, Lord Yaxley is representing 18 different Houses, not including his own. 17 of those were people that were alive eight days ago, until they were murdered, some of them without even a body to return to their families. Even his own seat was originally his brother's, until his brother was brutally murdered, his body cleft in three pieces. Secondly, this case is against one person. Said person had several allies, as I will prove later, and there's no knowing what they can unleash on our country. Thirdly, I want to point out that until less than an hour ago, we were unaware as to his identity, and he is classified as a vigilante. A vigilante is one who undermines the laws set in place, and deem themselves Chief Warlock, Lord, and executioner. To have such an unhinged individual near our children is quite dangerous. Thank you for lending your ears, esteemed members of this auspicious council."

Elphias took a seat.

Amelia looked at Harry. "Heir Potter, would you please take a stand and offer your opening statements?"

"Certainly, Chief Witch." Harry said, standing up and pacing.

He looked them in the eyes occasionally, and they immediately looked down from the power in his gaze.

"I've been accused of several things, Lords and Ladies." Harry finally said after a tense minute. He walked over to the vacant Malfoy seat. "I've been accused of needless murder." He walked to Yaxley and glared at him, causing him to fidget in his seat. "I've been accused of pillage." He walked over to Fudge. "I've been accused of illegal use of the Unforgivables." He stopped at Dumbledore, glaring at him. "I've been accused of obstructing the processes of the Ministry."

"Blasphemy!" He shouted. "All of it, blasphemy! Lies made by slaves of a fallen Dark Lord and an old man!" He gestured widely. "I ask you, members of the Wizengamot, in the case file, what have I pillaged? The Veela Enclaves' tents? The safety of our foreign guests? No! I've pillaged the grounds! What grounds? Any may head to the site of the so-called massacre, and they will find no sign of any massacre! Who have I needlessly murdered? Did I needlessly murder Jean-Luc Delacour? Did I needlessly murder Peter Pettigrew?" Harry stopped in front of Barty Crouch Sr. "Did I murder Bartemius Crouch?" Barty's eyes widened slightly at the discreet threat. "No, your honors, I did not do any of that."

(A.N.: You've probably noticed that he didn't say "needlessly" when he asked if he killed Barty Crouch.)

Harry drank some water. "I and my allies fought several sadists, then we killed them. Lucius Malfoy, Tiberius Nott, Antonin Dolohov, Gregory Goyle Sr, Vincent Crabbe Sr, and Camden Yaxley, are among those fallen by our wands. I killed them, using the Unforgivables, among other spells. However, I wasn't the first to use them. I entered the field to see several of them using the cruciatus. If I'm supposed to stun them and let them continuously reawaken and attack me, then I might as well put my head under the guillotine.

"I've apparently obstructed the law's processes. When I was fighting, not once did I see an Auror, or any other government official. The spells started flying ten minutes before I arrived, and I was there for at least thirty minutes. That's forty minutes total since the screaming started, give or take." Harry stopped next to the side doors, which were being guarded by Dawlish. "If anyone's obstructing the processes of the law, it's a spy inside the DMLE."

"Objection, speculation!" Elphias called.

"Or is it?" Harry said, grabbing Dawlish by his right arm before Amelia could sustain the objection, or Dawlish could realize that his cover was blown.

Everyone jumped, pointing their wands at Harry, but Harry already ripped Dawlish's robes off his left arm, displaying the Dark Mark.

"Is it speculation or not, Chief Witch?" Harry asked, as the majority of the wands changed direction from him to Dawlish.

"Aurors, arrest the Death Eater, and snap his wand." Amelia said after a moment.

The aurors took Dawlish from Harry, then they snapped his wand and dragged him in chains.

After that was done, everyone sat back in their seats.

"The objection is overturned, however, if you do something similar, you will be charged with two objections, Heir Potter." Amelia said.

"That will not happen again, your honor." He said.

"Very well, you may proceed." Amelia said.

Harry nodded. "I ask you once again, members of the Wizengamot. What have I done? By tonight, I aim to show you the truth of the matter, then I leave it to you to acquit me. Thank you, your honors."

Harry took his seat.

Amelia banged the gavel. "We shall adjourn for lunch, and resume in sixty minutes."

Harry walked out of the courtroom, and several people followed him, but they stopped when they realized that Dumbledore was chasing after Harry.

"Harry, I hope you'd give an old man a few minutes of your time." Dumbledore said when he caught up to Harry.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but I'm in a rush. The clocks are already ticking, and there's only an hour for lunch. I have plans for lunch." Harry said.

"Surely whoever you'll have lunch with would understand." Dumbledore said, but his eyes showed his rage, the damn twinkle not present.

"There you are, Harry." A familiar voice called, and they both turned to see Andromeda regally walking towards them. "I thought you'd be at our place already."

"I just got held up." Harry said with an obviously forced smile. "Shall we go?"

"Sure!" Andromeda said. "Unless you have something to clear with the Chief Witch before we go?"

"No, I don't." Harry said. "See you later, Albus."

Dumbledore understood perfectly that he couldn't do anything, especially with the observing crowd.

"Of course, Harry." Dumbledore said pleasantly, but his eyes were blazing with anger.

Harry and Andromeda walked to the floo, then went to 13 Grimmauld Place.

As soon as they came out of the floo, they burst into giggles, rolling on the floor.

"Ohh, God." Harry said when they stopped laughing. "He looked like he was going to try to use battle-mage spells on you just to get me."

They both erupted in laughter again.

Narcissa went through the floo expecting an empty floor, but she wasn't expecting two giggling adults rolling on the floor, and she tripped on them then she fell on them.

"Oh, sorry, Cissa." Harry said genuinely, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What happened to you two?" She asked.

"Andi metaphorically bitch slapped Dumbledork!" Harry gleefully said.

"Tell us the story over lunch." Sirius said, leaning against the entrance to the floo room.

Then he left the room, Narcissa following after him, leaving only Andromeda and Harry in the room.

"Andi?" Harry said hesitantly.

"Yes, Harry?" She responded.

"It's good to see you again."

"You too."

"...they left us alone on purpose, didn't they?"

"Obviously."

~~~~~

Lunch went by splendidly, then then Harry, Narcissa, and Andromeda returned to the Ministry.

Everyone took their seats, then Amelia banged the gavel. "Let us resume. Plaintiff, please provide us with your first witness."

Elphias rose. "Your honor, the plaintiff presents our witness, Peter Pettigrew."

Two aurors entered, dragging a chained Pettigrew with them.

When Pettigrew took his seat, Amelia looked at Harry. "Heir Potter, if you could please remove the lock on Pettigrew's memories, that would be appreciated."

"Yes, Chief Witch." Harry said, then he turned to Pettigrew. "Brother of my father."

"I'm sorry, but was that the password?" Amelia said after a moment's silence.

"Yes, your honor." Harry said.

"Very well, let us proceed." Amelia said, nodding at Elphias.

"State your name, for the court." Elphias said.

"Peter Pettigrew." He said, clearly.

"Peter Pettigrew, do you swear to tell the truth, to the best of your ability?"

"I do."

"Thank you, Peter. Peter, is it true that you are a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class?"

"Yes."

"Why were you awarded such a prestigious honor?"

"I supposedly died fighting against Sirius Black."

"Why were you fighting Sirius Black?"

"Because he betrayed the Potters."

"Can you tell us how the fight went?"

"He chased me into an alley with a dead end, then we started duelling. He was able to land a cutting curse on my finger. I escaped using my illegal animagus form, then Black killed the muggles."

"Thank you, Mr. Pettigrew. Now that your background is clear, let's move onto the main focus of this case. Mr. Pettigrew, do you have memories of the events that occurred after the World Cup?"

"Yes."

"And did you have it before today?"

"No, my memories were locked."

"By who?"

"Harry Potter."

"You say your memories were locked by the defendant?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Do you know what spell he used?"

"It was in Parseltoungue, that's all I know."

"Is it possible that Potter has altered your memories of the event?"

"Yes, your honor."

"If that is so, then I fail to see the reason in asking unneeded questions. Any questions I ask may be false. Thank you, your honors, this is all for now, from the plaintiff."

"Very well." Amelia said. "Defendant, do you wish to cross-examine the witness?"

Harry stood up, inwardly grinning at the chaos he would cause within the next few minutes. "Yes, your honor, I wish to cross-examine the witness. However, before I do so, I must ask a few questions for clarification."

"Proceed."

"You honor, is Peter Pettigrew not recorded as dead since 1981?"

"Yes, he is."

"And are there any laws regarding application of Veritaserum posthumously?"

"No, there are not."

"Then, I request that Pettigrew be administered with a full dose of Veritaserum."

Dumbledore stood up. "Veritaserum may not be administered without the individual's approval."

"As far as anyone is concerned, we are merely pouring Veritaserum down a corpse's throat."

"I must protest on behalf of my client." Elphias said. "Mr. Pettigrew is apprehensive that he might over speak under the influence."

"More like you both are afraid that he will speak the truth." Harry shot back. "Poor Pettigrew, backed into a corner." Harry looked at Amelia. "Chief Witch, his appearance at the World Cup was no coincidence. May I explain?"

"Please do." Amelia said.

"First, I want to take us back to 1981. I was born to James Potter and Lily Potter. James Potter chooses Sirius Black to be my godfather, and with both of them being respectful people who follow the Ancient Rites, they go through the godparent ritual." Half the court gasped at the revelation. "That's right, that means what you think it means. Sirius Black couldn't have betrayed my parents, it would go against his magic. Second, as all of you know, Sirius Black was supposedly the secret keeper of the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow. According to who exactly? Is there anyone here that can tell us that either of my parents said that they chose Sirius Black to be the keeper? It's all hearsay, and hearsay is unacceptable in court. Third, if Sirius betrayed my parents, but didn't have the Dark Mark supposedly to keep his cover, why does Pettigrew have it? Fourth, Pettigrew hid all these years. How, you may ask? Well, our witness here is an animagus! A rat, to be precise. And this rat ratted my parents out, so I guess he's a rat all the way. And I'm sure Albus kept this under wraps, but he spent his days in the Weasley residence! As an impressionable rat lovingly named Scabbers! That's right, people! Any of you who shared a dorm with Ron or Percy Weasley has also shared it with Pettigrew! Fifth, last year I met both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, and both of them admitted that Peter was the secret keeper. The only reason he escaped then was some dementors conveniently attacking us, perhaps too conveniently." Harry scrutinized Dumbledore and Fudge. "Your honor, I hope you understand that I don't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth."

Throughout Harry's explanation, Pettigrew was paling further and further, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Very well." Amelia said. "Administer four drops of Veritaserum."

After the Veritaserum was administered, Harry looked at Peter.

"Pettigrew, what house were you in?" He asked.

"Gryffindor."

"Were you friends with my father?"

"Yes."

"Who was my godfather?"

"Sirius Black."

"Was he your friend?"

"Yes."

"Were you the secret keeper for my parents' residence?"

"Yes."

"Who administered the ritual?"

Dumbledore stood up. "That is not a relevant question."

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Harry said calmly. "Maybe the one who did the ritual was one of the people at the World Cup."

Amelia knew that that was bullshit, but she let it go because Harry clearly has a reason for asking the question.

"Objection overturned." She said, "Proceed."

"Pettigrew, who administered the ritual for the Fidelius charm?"

"Professor Dumbledore."

The court burst in chaos. Everyone turned to glare at Dumbledore, but Harry took it in stride.

Amelia banged the gavel. "Order!" When it all quieted down, she continued. "You may continue, Heir Potter."

Harry nodded. "Pettigrew, are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

"Did you betray my parents?"

"Yes."

"Moving on. Why were you at the World Cup?"

"Lucius told me to come."

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me to bring my Death Eater robes."

"Did you attack anyone at the camps?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Several Veelas."

"Why?"

"We wanted to have our way with them."

"Were any of those who came with you forced to attack the Veelas?"

"No."

"Were all of them Death Eaters?"

"Yes."

"Did they all have the Dark Mark?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, Pettigrew," he paused. "What do you need to get the Dark Mark?"

"The forcefully taken blood and cum of five virgins."

Everyone gasped at that.

"Can the Dark Mark be taken unwillingly?"

"Objection, relevance." Elphias said.

"Objection overturned." Amelia said promptly.

"I repeat, can the Dark Mark be taken unwillingly?"

"No."

"Who procures the… ingredients for the Mark?"

"We had to get the ingredients for ourselves."

"Did anyone not get it themselves?"

"Regulus Black."

"I'd ask you to explain, but that's irrelevant. What I will ask is this; were any of you Death Eaters forced to serve Voldemort under Imperius?"

"No."

"Did I kill Jean-Luc Delacour?"

"No."

"Who did?"

"Barty Crouch."

"Who?" Harry said, feigning surprise.

"Barty Crouch Jr, Barty Crouch Sr's son."

"Oh." Harry said, honestly half surprised. He knew that the unknown person had something to do with Barty Crouch, but he hadn't known it was his kid. "Pettigrew, are all of those who attacked at the World Cup still loyal to Voldemort?"

"Yes." Pettigrew said over the gasps.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!" Harry exclaimed. "None of the people I killed were innocent; they were the scum of society, hiding behind the comfort of their lies. I may be guilty of going around the law, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let them rape innocents. That is all, Lords and Ladies."

Harry sat down, and Pettigrew was fed the antidote.

"Very well." Amelia said. "That concludes the list of witnesses for the offense. As for the defense, they have no witnesses. So, shall we set a vote?"

"Since there is no more evidence required, we should." Madame Longbottom said.

After several more gestures of agreement throughout the Wizengamot, Amelia banged the gavel. "Then we shall vote. All those for deeming Harry James Potter, also known as Gryffindor, guilty for pillaging an international event?"

Most of the Dark faction and half of the light faction (including Dumbledore, of course) raised their wands with a light at the tip.

"And those deeming Harry Potter innocent?"

All of the Gray faction and the leftovers of the other two factions raised their lit wands.

That was the advantage Harry was banking this whole case on. The Gray faction didn't like Dumbledore much, and they revered those who followed the rites, but they had no love for Voldemort and his methods either. They had most of the power in the Wizengamot, but they were purposely ignored. Their power was that most of the time they usually went in a "to each their own opinion" fashion, so their votes usually didn't matter much. But whenever they decided on something, they practically controlled the case. Harry agreed with most if not all of their ideologies, and he needed allies, so it was two birds with one stone.

"All those in favor of ruling Harry Potter guilty of the homicide of thirty-two innocents?"

This time, a few more wands were raised against him, but not enough to change the verdict.