Well, it's Monday again, and that means it's time for another chapter. This time, we find out that, while there may be twelve uses for dragon blood, there's only one proper use for dragon leather.

Also, for those of you interested, I've gotten the HBP story written up to the start of December. So any words of encouragement you could lend (to me or to Esdras) would be helpful since this book is harder to write because Esdras' story is finally starting to come together and he's pushing the limits of who and what he is. It should make for a wild ride.

Thank you to those of you who have read, and more thanks to those who have reviewed. To the ever faithful KRP, remember first that New Demnin is populated by the Fourth Fleet, whose loyalty is to Esdras alone. Also, remember that Esdras is of royal blood and has been trained from birth to rule his kingdom should the time come. And yes, more Marine troubles, and as for Sidara, we'll see…

All the rest of y'all should review. It helps me by letting me know what I'm doing right and wrong. And it lets me know what y'all are thinking so I can become a better writer. I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as a bad review.

By the way, to give credit where credit is due, the scene with Esdras and the popcorn is inspired by a work on deviantArt. I won't post the link because it's so long, but if you search for "Dementor Popcorn" it's the only thing that comes up. Funny little picture, too. If InchySquinchy is out there, thanks for the inspiration!

And the usual notes apply. Text in italics is in Azkabaaner, and I don't own HP.

Chapter 4 – Trial of Errors

The cafeteria in the Ministry of Magic was actually rather good as far as government office building cafeterias went. Esdras sat next to Albus Dumbledore, both of them drinking a cup of green mint tea. The Dementor was furious. "So it wasn't even two days later that Fudge himself had drafted orders stating that Voldemort was not alive and that all sorties off the island had to be approved by upper level Ministry officials. You have no idea how much paperwork I had to fill out just to get off the island for this today."

Dumbledore nodded silently and replied in Azkabaaner. "I understand how frustrating this is for you, Esdras. But you must remain calm and do your best to remain within the boundaries of the Ministry's demands. You have to set an example for your people in this matter."

Esdras huffed loudly. "Oh, I can set an example, but if frustrations like this increase, I can guarantee you that more Dementors will see Voldemort's way as a good way to go. I know the units that are loyal to me, and I can make guesses as to the ones who aren't. But there are a good number of them that could swing either way. Those are the ones I worry about."

The wizened wizard nodded slowly and took a sip of his tea. He rose slowly and switched to English. "Well, I believe that we've delayed long enough. We should get down to the courtroom now."

The Dementor drained the rest of his cup and switched to his native form, floating along quietly behind the Headmaster. "I can't believe they'd pull such an immature trick as changing the time and place of Harry's trial at the last minute. Do they really think it'll work? That they can outsmart us?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head slowly. "Fear and desperation make people do desperate things." The pair waited quietly for the elevator. "Did the Bells make a decision as to what to do about the possible threat?"

Esdras nodded. "They accepted my offer of a guard unit. There was no shortage of volunteers in my fleet. Katie has become something of a darling to them. Add that to the four month window, and I think everything is going to be okay."

The pair stepped into the window and Dumbledore pressed the button for level nine. "Small miracles."

When the doors opened, the two proceeded down the hall and then down the stairs and through the dark corridor until they reached the imposing door of Courtroom Ten. With a quick wave to a nervous Mr. Weasley, they entered silently. Esdras stayed hidden in the shadows while Dumbledore made his presence known to the Wizengamot. He watched with pleasure as the Minister attempted to waltz his way around the highly irregular and illegal time and location change. However, his entrance did not go completely unnoticed. "And who are you there, hiding in the shadows?"

Esdras looked up sharply; sitting to the side of the Minister was a squat, toad-like lady. The Dementor knew her well, Dolores Umbridge, the author of many massively unpopular amendments to the Treaty of Edinburgh. They were amendments which he, himself, had been forced to sign to insure the welfare of his people. Now, face to face with her, Esdras let his full accent take control of his voice, turning it into a low, intense rasp. "I am the Lord Admiral Esdras Tarsus of the royal house of Demnin, by the grace of the gods, of the kingdom of Azkaban and of the Azkaban dominions beyond the seas rightful king, defender of the faith. I float as witness for the defense."

He glided into the light, towering over Harry and casting shadows over him, protecting him from the harsh glare of the lights that shone upon him from above. Umbridge narrowed her eyes at the Dementor, her voice taking on the most insincere tone Esdras had ever heard. "Your presence here honors us, Mister Demnin…"

The Dementor was quick to correct her. "Lord Admiral Demnin."

The mortal smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "My apologies, Lord Admiral Demnin. Your presence here honors us, but I am at a loss as to what you can bring to these proceedings."

Esdras shrugged. "My evidence will be presented in time."

From his position directly behind Harry, Esdras was pleased to be able to provide moral support. Harry seemed to relax when the Dementor amended Mrs. Figg's testimony, stating she had seen Dementors walking towards Harry, to support the fact that Squibs could see Dementors. This was a complete and total lie, of course, but Esdras managed to support his claim by silently casting an Imperius charm on the woman. He simply made her head follow him as he moved about the room. The illusion was perfect. As was the illusion that Dementors could actually walk. He accomplished this by floating a mere centimeter above the floor and moving his feet like he did as a mortal. In the harsh light and dark shadows, no one could tell the difference.

Finally, it came time for him to give his testimony. The Dementor rose up, and floated over to the bench to be at eye level with the Wizengamot. "At approximately 2030 hours on the evening of the thirty first day of Seshaldes, Treaty Year 1023, the Defendant, Harry James Potter, reported an attack by two Dementors. As you may or may not know, all military sorties are registered by the Azkaban Guard Command. There is no record of any sortie being made in the area of Little Whinging at that time on that evening."

Fudge looked triumphant. "There! Proof that there was no attack."

Esdras scoffed. "Quite the opposite, Minister. This is merely proof that there was no regular sortie made. Two possibilities remain, either an action by rogue Dementors or a top secret, Ministry authorized mission for which no official record was made. These are not as uncommon as you may think. Dementors are the best black ops troops in the world. In order to determine if the latter is the case, I request all classified documents regarding to the night in question be released for review by this court."

The Minister looked shocked. "I will do no such thing, and I refuse to allow idle speculation that there this is some kind of Ministry conspiracy."

The Dementor shrugged. "Very well, then. However, by your failure to comply with my request, you have presented a situation in which reasonable doubt exists in favor of Mister Potter. To compound this, I cannot disprove the notion of a rogue Dementor attack at this time. No less than one hundred fifty five thousand Azkaban residents were off island at that time, most on vacation. They are not required to disclose the location that they are visiting during their time off. I can attempt to locate and obtain alibis for all of them, but it would take months to complete. And then there are the approximately six million Dementors that live in permanent off island settlements…"

Esdras scanned the Wizengamot under his hood. Most looked sympathetic, a few looked impassive, and only two looked belligerent. Fudge and Umbridge were positively livid. They held their tongues, however, as Amelia Bones spoke. "Thank you, Lord Admiral Demnin, your testimony has proven most illuminating. The court is in recess while we deliberate."

Bowing slightly, Esdras turned and floated back towards Harry. He flashed him a quick thumbs up before turning to face the Wizengamot again. Harry looked up to the dark hood and grinned. "That was brilliant, Esdras."

He hissed softly. "We'll decide if it was brilliant or not when we find out if you are acquitted or not."

Their wait was mercifully short. Esdras snapped to attention as Mrs. Bones again took charge of the proceedings. "While it is not a question of whether or not young Mr. Potter cast a Patronus on the evening of the second of August, the question is whether or not he was in mortal danger at the time from Dementors. Seeing as how Lord Admiral Demnin has done a more than sufficient job in proving that reasonable doubt exists in the short time allowed to him before this trial, the Wizengamot judges Mr. Potter to be acquitted of all charges."

The relief was palpable on the courtroom floor. Esdras sank down a few inches and took Harry's outstretched hand. "I will find out why those Dementors attacked you, and they will pay. Don't you worry about that."

Harry nodded. "Come on, let's get out of here." The smile on his face was a refreshing change. "I feel like celebrating."

While not entirely necessary, Esdras followed behind Katie in his Dementor form as they did their back to school shopping in Diagon Alley. They left the Apothecary with all the potions supplies they would need for the year and walked down the street. Katie smiled brightly. "I still can't believe I did so well on the OWLs."

Esdras nodded happily. "I can. You're a good student, you got all O's and E's. You even managed to pull an E in History and you slept through most of the class."

Katie laughed softly. "That was entirely thanks to you. And I didn't do as well as you did. Not much can compare to straight O's."

The Dementor shook his hood. "I still don't know how I managed to pull that O off in potions; it's just not my subject."

The mortal smiled. "Well, no one will be more surprised than Snape, I think. Besides, you have had a few decades of practical experience to prepare for this test, plus all your years in the Guard and Guard training. I would be surprised if nothing wore off on you during that time." Esdras stopped at one of the few carts on the street and bought a large bag of popcorn. Katie had to laugh at the sight of the immortal, hooded terror munching on the fluffy white snack. "You have no idea how much that destroys the whole Dementor image right now."

Esdras shrugged. "Don't know, don't care." He held the bag out to her. "Want some?"

Katie nodded and took a handful before scanning her list. "I think that's everything we need. Unless there's some more shopping that you wanted to do?"

The Dementor shook his hood. "No, but we can wander around and window shop if you'd like. Besides, we don't have to be home for a few hours yet."

The mortal grinned. "You, me, and a few hours in Diagon Alley without my parents; what more could you possibly ask for?" She turned to face Esdras but her eyes stopped on a nearby storefront. She walked towards it, drawn as if by a magnet. "That. I could possibly ask for that."

Esdras stared wide eyed at what was displayed in the window. It took only seconds for him to mentally picture Katie in the tight, black, dragon leather corset and precious little else. His voice was a soft whisper. "You'd wear something like that?"

Katie nudged him softly. "For you, absolutely." She sighed sadly. "But look at the price. It's way out of my league."

It took only seconds before the mortal Esdras appeared behind her and took her by the arm to lead her into the store. He grinned wildly as he did so. "Fortunately, it's not out of my league. Now, how about a little impulse buying?"

Esdras stood at the edge of Platform 9 ¾ where he was giving last minute instructions to the Thirteenth Infantry. They floated just ahead of the shiny red engine, listening intently to the admiral. "You know the drill; maintain a fifty foot perimeter around the engine while in motion, then pull back to one hundred once we reach Hogsmeade. I'm not expecting any trouble, but keep your eyes open. The Ministry may have tied our hands in regards to actively hunting the Death Eaters, but that doesn't mean we can take a break." With his mortal form, he smiled brightly. "Aaron, do your thing."

A chorus of affirmative replies echoed from the hovering forms and their leader saluted sharply. "We'll see you at Hogsmeade, sir."

The admiral returned the captain's salute and walked down the train towards the where the Bells were saying their goodbyes to Katie. When he got within range, he found himself swept up in Mrs. Bell's hug. "Now you take care of yourself this year, Esdras. Why all these things have to happen to you is beyond me, but I know you'll make the right decisions. Keep yourself safe."

Esdras returned the hug. "I will, and I will keep Katie safe, as well. I promise."

The matriarch smiled knowingly. "I never doubted that for a minute, my dear."

Katie nudged the Dementor softly and smiled up at him. "Come on, it's almost time for us to go." The pair made their way onto the train with a smile and a wave. When they were out of earshot, Katie again spoke. "Did the Admiralty approve your fleet deployment plan?"

The Dementor sighed softly as they boarded the train. "Thankfully, yes. I have Veras Maul and his Eighth Infantry on the island. They're keeping an eye out for Dementors who might be supporting the Dark Lord. But I can recall them to my side at a moment's notice." The train began to trundle to life as they walked down the aisle. Esdras stopped them at one of the compartments and opened the door. There in sat Harry, Ginny, Neville, and a curious girl with long blonde hair and turnip earrings. The Dementor smiled. "New earrings, Luna?"

Luna Lovegood looked up and smiled brightly at Esdras. Her voice was far away, though. "Only you would notice, Esdras."

Esdras laughed and stepped inside, temporarily taking a seat between the blonde and the redhead. He put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a friendly squeeze. "Now you let me know if anyone gives you trouble this year. I'm not afraid to threaten everybody again if you need to get your stuff back. Okay?"

The blonde leaned into the embrace for a second, and then returned to her magazine, which she was reading upside down. "You really don't need to make a big deal over me. Things always manage to find their way back to me by the end of the year."

The Dementor grunted and rose up. "Well, they shouldn't disappear to begin with." He turned to look at the scarred mortal sitting on the opposite side of the cabin. "Harry, look after Luna. She's a good friend of mine. Got it?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Got it."

Esdras smiled. "Good."

He gracefully floated out of the cabin with Katie quick on his heels. She prodded him gently as they continued to walk down the aisle. "You never told me it was that bad for Loony."

The Dementor sighed softly. "It is. And I really wish that you would call her Luna. She's a wonderful person, just a little different. And there's nothing wrong with different. Look at me, I'm a Dementor. I'm different."

Katie smiled as they reached their cabin. She opened the door and waved to Alicia and Angelina. "Fair enough, I'll give her a chance. Besides, I've come to realize that you only keep friendships with worthy people. That means you must see something in Luna."

Esdras nodded as they took their seats and Katie promptly leaned back, putting her head in his lap and closing her eyes. "I certainly do. And if nothing else, she's got access to the most amusing reading material in the world."