Totally just hitting the AUs here.
Official warning: Dark themes, murder, sexual shit, swearing
...
Wow, I tried not to make that chapter TOO long and it was 3300 words. I know I get distracted with extremely long chapters and usually end up taking a few hours to read anything over 1K words, just to keep my brain focused. So I do apologise if you are also not a fan of chapters that are super long haha
Anyways, here is what's left for the trial(and I solemnly swear to try to keep below 4K words):
Remus/Charlie
Harry/Kingsley
Lucius/Deliberation
Verdict
This guarantees at least 5-6 more chapters haha
Harry supposed it was good that Remus couldn't see Tonks as he was answering questions. He was concerned that Remus would perhaps get angry if he had to face Tonks during his testimony. He was surprised with how calm Remus was from the second he stepped up to face the Wizengamot.
"Remus John Lupin, born March 10th of 1960 in Cardiff, Wales. Bitten by Fenrir Greyback and turned into a werewolf on March 17th, 1965. Is this correct?" Audrey asked.
"Yes."
Audrey nodded, and Remus sat.
"The Wizengamot once again recognises Angus Cunningham." Audrey said, and Cunningham once again walked forward.
"Mr Lupin, when did you first meet Mrs Lupin?"
"We both joined the reformed Order of the Phoenix in 1995. I met her when she was recruited by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody."
"And did you two work closely often?"
"Not at first." Remus said. "A few night missions together, and she spent a lot of time at Headquarters with us."
"And you began courting in 1996?"
"No, we never officially courted. We simply married in July of 1997."
"And what date was your marriage?"
Harry had a copy of the exact file Cunningham was holding, and he knew it said in very clear writing, but Cunningham always liked to ask pointless questions of his witnesses.
"July 22nd of 1997." Remus said.
"Who brought up the idea of a marriage?" Cunningham asked. "With no courting, one has to wonder why an elopement would take place so quickly between two people who were borderline strangers."
"Objection!" Dawlish called, jumping to his feet. "Prosecuting Wizard is making assumptions that have no bearing on the case presented today."
Audrey looked a little unsure of which to say, and glanced sideways at Percy, who gave half a nod that could have easily been missed.
"Overruled."
Cunningham winked at Dawlish, and had Harry not been watching, he would never have believed it had even happened.
"Mister Lupin?" Cunningham asked.
"I'm the one who brought it up." Remus said. "I gave her barely two minutes of warning before we got married."
Harry glanced at Tonks, who smiled slightly at what Remus had said- Harry never knew any details of their rushed wedding, and now he wished he had asked either one for details just for pure curiosity's sake.
"If you were the one who initiated the marriage, might I inquire one why- just this morning, an hour before the trial was set to begin- you visited the Marital Law Department and filed the paperwork to be legally divorced from your wife?"
There was a sharp intake of breath from Tonks, and she looked like she had been slapped.
Apparently Remus hadn't been expecting the question, because he stayed silent for what felt like a long few minutes. It turned out only a minute had passed before he finally spoke.
"I was planning to do so since December of 1997." He said, and Cunningham raised his eyebrows.
"And what event could cause a divorce in a marriage you initiated?" Cunningham asked, surveying Remus closely.
"The original plan had been to remove our marriage from the records, and then I would find a way to give her the wedding she deserved- and the one her mother had been hoping for once the war ended." Remus explained calmly.
"And has that changed?"
"I suppose it has, yes."
"Mister Lupin, you had a son born on April 13th of 1998. Correct?"
"Correct."
"And your son's birth didn't change your plans?"
"I began to plan it while she was already pregnant."
"And now, you say the plan has changed. Do you wish to leave your wife, Mister Lupin?"
"I would not be leaving if she's imprisoned."
"And you plan to raise a son alone? I mean no insult, Mister Lupin, but there has always been concern when werewolves become parents."
"I do not plan to raise a son that's not mine."
There were mutters among the tiny crowd, which quickly vanished as Cunningham cleared his throat.
"That's an interesting statement, Mister Lupin. Now, if I may divert the topic once more- did your wife ever have a tendency for violence?"
"I wouldn't say she had a tendency, but once she's threatened, she'll duel to kill." Remus said.
"And do you believe any of these Death Eaters threatened her?"
"Yes."
"Despite the fact she willingly sought them out?"
"I fully believe she would not have killed if she had any other choice." Remus said confidently.
"And do you believe her when she claims to have only met Fenrir Greyback a few times?"
Remus stayed silent, clearly trying to formulate a proper answer.
"Mister Lupin, do you believe your wife was friendly with Mister Greyback?"
"I don't know." Remus finally said. "There were times we didn't see each other, I admit I did not know much of what she was doing. If she was friendly with Fenrir Greyback, I wouldn't know about it."
Cunningham smiled smugly, quickly wiping the smile from his face as he turned to Audrey. "Your witness, Miss Pebbleburn." He said, walking back to his seat.
"Mister Lupin." Audrey said, before pausing, trying to think of a question. "If I might inquire, have you any reason to believe your son is not yours?"
"Merely a thought that's become a suspicion." Remus replied. "I plan to find out for sure."
Audrey looked around the courtroom and then exhaled slightly. "I have no further questions for Mister Lupin. I invite the Wizengamot to ask questions if they have any."
And again, no member of the Wizengamot had any questions.
"The court thanks Remus John Lupin for his testimony." Audrey said and Remus rose, returning to his proper seat. "The court would now like to call forward Charles Septimus Weasley."
Charlie walked forward, his long hair tucked into a ponytail- Charlie had truly never changed. Harry noticed he glanced at Tonks momentarily, before turning to face Audrey.
"Charles Septimus Weasley born on December 12th of 1972, in Ottery St Catchpole in England. Is this correct?"
"Yes." Charlie said.
Audrey nodded and Charlie sat.
"The Wizengamot recognises Angus Cunningham." Audrey said and Cunningham walked forward once again.
"Mister Weasley, you attended Hogwarts with Mrs Lupin between 1984 and 1991, didn't you?"
"Yes." Charlie said.
"She was a Hufflepuff, and you-?"
"A Gryffindor."
"Would you say you were close to Mrs Lupin, despite being in separate Houses?"
"We shared a few classes throughout the years, spent a lot of time together outside of class." Charlie explained. "Spent most of our time together, honestly."
"And did she ever get into trouble?"
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Again, this was information Cunningham must already know.
"Little things here and there, pranks and breaking small rules."
"Any fights?"
"There were two. One in our 6th year, one in our 7th year. Both Quidditch related."
"So would you say, then, that she has a tendency to purposefully harm people?"
Harry almost wished he could see Charlie's face now. Charlie never spoke bad of anyone, and no doubt, he was not pleased right now.
"No. She didn't start either fight, but she finished them."
"If I'm reading this correctly, she put the Slytherin Seeker in the Hospital Wing for a week in your 6th year, and the Ravenclaw Beater in the Hospital Wing for two weeks in your 7th. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, but there was no lasting damage." Charlie said. "If I had stepped in, there might have been- but she can handle herself."
Harry covered his mouth and coughed quietly, trying to keep himself from laughing. This was the Tonks he knew, the one who could be pulled into a situation and end it effectively.
Cunningham didn't look happy. "What was your relationship with Mrs Lupin?"
"We dated." Charlie said simply. "Throughout 4th and 5th year. Remained friends after."
"And did she have any other relationships?"
Tonks exhaled suddenly beside Harry and Harry knew that couldn't be a good thing.
"She had one other boyfriend." Charlie said. "John Scabior, he was a Ravenclaw a year above us. They dated for most of 6th year."
"And John Scabior was a Snatcher in this war, correct?"
"Yes?" Charlie answered, but didn't seem too sure of himself suddenly.
"Mister Weasley, you're telling us that she's been with other known Dark Wizards, is that correct?"
"Just one, and to be fair, he wasn't a Dark Wizard until the war." Charlie said firmly.
"No more questions." Cunningham said simply, turning away from Charlie to Audrey. "Your witness." He said, returning to his seat.
"Mister Weasley, you say you spent a lot of time with Mrs Lupin, correct?" Audrey asked.
"Yes."
"And did she ever mention having an interest in the Dark Arts?"
"The only interest she had was to destroy them." Charlie answered. "She decided to become an Auror in 3rd year, if I remember correctly."
Harry glanced at Tonks briefly, and held up two fingers on her lap, indicating it had in fact been her second year when she decided.
"And when she became an Auror, did she mention the Dark Arts much, with the exception of work?"
"We didn't speak much once we completed Hogwarts." Charlie explained. "But when we did talk, we barely mentioned work. We found each other's careers to be boring. The only times she mentioned anything about the Dark Arts was during Order meetings, but she never seemed to have an interest in becoming involved."
"And she's admitted to using Dark Magic against four Death Eaters." Audrey said. "Would she ever do so willingly?"
"No, not unless she had a choice to do otherwise."
"I have no further questions." Audrey said. "I invite the Wizengamot to share their questions for Mister Weasley."
It appeared the Wizengamot was simply listening to the trial, because they had no questions for Charlie. Harry would have assumed they weren't even listening had their gazes not followed Cunningham whenever he paced.
"The court would like to thank Charles Weasley for his testimony." Audrey said, and Charlie walked back over to his seat, this time not looking at Tonks. "The court would now like to call forward Kingsley Elijah Shacklebolt."