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-1Author's Note: I admit my shamefulness in choosing 24601 as the prisoner number. I tried changing, believe me. It just kept changing back. ;p But I promise, not many links to Les Mis, except a generic Law vs. Right thing. If anything, Boston Legal's Alan Shore (James Spader) has inspired my characterization of Alan Wiltschild most.

The Greatest Trial

Chapter 2. The Crusader

Courtroom Ten was in a complete uproar the next morning. Not many supported the new Minister's sudden decision to reopen old wounds, especially one that was so sensitive to the entire country. But he was the Minister.

Alan Wiltschild stood alone in one corner of the ominous chamber of judgment. He faced his opposition, the entirety of Magical Britain with steadfast resolve.

"By order of the Wizengamot, any trial authorized specifically from the Minister's Office cannot have the Minister himself presiding as a judge," the Minister remarked by way of greeting when all had assembled. "So I prescribe to the Wizengamot's decision in appointing the following three personalities to adjudicate the hearing - Amelia Bones, please take the first seat." He waited for the middle aged woman to take her position as the first judge. "Augusta Longbottom, please take the second seat." The old and new great-grandmother walked proudly to the front and took the offered seat. "And finally, Filius Flitwick, amongst the staff of Hogwarts gathered here, your involvement was minimal. The Wizengamot requests your presence in the judging panel. Please take the final seat."

"Minister Witschild," Madam Bones asked in exasperation when everyone had settled. "What do you seek to achieve by this? The prisoner has been tried, convicted and now executed. We have a busy season at hand and I like to stick to my schedules…"

"Of course," interrupted Wiltschild with angry sarcasm. "Why bother with justice when there is a rota system involved!"

Amelia Bones regarded the Minister with cold fury. "I understand you received your Law degree in France and America and have worked in India and New Zealand with the International Confederation, Minister, but over here in Britain, we do not take kindly to sarcasm in the courtroom. What do you propose?"

"I present myself as lawyer for the defendant," he stated calmly.

"A defendant who is dead," Augusta Longbottom added sharply, "if I may, so add."

"A defendant who should not have died today," the Minister retorted back. "A defendant who should be living happily, free from the shackles this very corrupt court bound him in. That is what I intend to prove."

There was a resurgence of uproar in the courtroom as Flitwick banged his hammer loudly. The short man looked at the Minister curiously. "Please refrain from exchanging insults, Minister. You may proceed with your case."

"I understand the sensitive nature of this trial. No new witnesses may be introduced due to the long interval. I merely seek to reexamine the old witnesses. In keeping with the past chronological order, I call forth Rubeus Hagrid as the first witness. I have authentic copies of the court transcripts from the first trial, with Cornelius Fudge as the Prosecutor, and will repeat the questions and answers asked in the first trial, before I commence with my cross-examination."

"I see no problem with that," Amelia Bones said, "except for an unsubstantiated delay in all our schedules. But do continue."

So the Minister began reading from the transcripts.

"It is to be noted that the Defendant is immune to Veritaserum and thus, his innocence cannot be established through it. It is my contention as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, to show that the Defendant coldheartedly took three innocent lives on the morning of the First of January in the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The deceased, Mr. William Weasley, Mrs. Fleur Weasley and Ms. Nymphadora Tonks were in friendly terms with the Defendant and their murder shows a foul and contemptible mind at work. It is the intention of the Prosecutor to prove to the court that the Defendant attempted to rape at least one of the female deceased and in the ensuing struggle, killed all three of them.

"To continue with my case, your name and occupation?"

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys of the Grounds of Hogwarts, and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures."

"Where were you on the morning of the First of January, 1998?"

"I was in my lodge. It was snowing something dreadful and Fang doesn't like to be alone on stormy days."

"Fang?"

"My dog."

"Did you leave your lodge anytime in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Kindly give a more detailed explanation."

"I saw lights at the edge of the forest and was afraid some students might have wandered off. So I got meself me old bow and got going to bring them first years back."

"What did you see at the edge of the forest, Mr. Hagrid?"

"(Witness squirms uneasily) I saw several people lying on the ground. I recognized Bill and that French wife of his. Then there was little Nymphie Tonks. Both girls' clothes were torn. I rushed to them but they was all dead. Then I heard someone crying and I found Harry sitting beneath a tree, his head in his hands."

"What was the state of the Defendant when you found him, Mr. Hagrid?"

"(Witness remains silent for a minute, then breaks into tears and speaks incoherently) Harry was sobbing… he was saying…'I killed him… I killed him.'"

"Thank you, Mr. Hagrid. Your witness, Mr. Potter."

"No questions."

The Minister paused and looked at Hagrid intently. "Was it as I said?"

"Yes," the giant boomed sorrowfully. "Yes. T'was like yeh said."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hagrid," the Minister said kindly. "I understand this cannot be easy for you. But I have a few questions before you can leave."

"When you were in your lodge, what color lights did you see?"

Hagrid scratched his beard thoughtfully before saying, "Red, for a long time. Then there was green."

"Red, for a long time," the Minister mused thoughtfully. "That's a Stunner. All right, Mr. Hagrid. Now when you saw the three limp figures, how did you ascertain they were dead and not merely stunned?"

Frowning, Hagrid said, "They looked lifeless, if yeh know wha' I mean. They looked dead. Then when I took 'Arry to the Castle, Snape and Dumbledore went to look at the bodies. They said the three were dead."

"So, when you said you found three dead people, you merely assumed them to be dead. For all you know, they might have merely been stunned, and when you took Harry Potter to the Castle, someone else might have appeared and killed them. Isn't that a possibility, Mr. Hagrid?"

"No!" Hagrid shouted. "No!"

"Why not?"

"It… it just can'…'Arry must have killed 'em… He must have… he's been in Azkaban and he's…" he wailed woefully and blew his nose. "He must have killed them. He said he did. I sent him to Azkaban! He must've killed 'em!"

"Right. The strange words of Mr. Potter when you found him. If I'm not mistaken, you quoted him saying, 'I killed him'. Are you absolutely sure of those words?"

"Y-Y-Yes," he said, completely shaken by the possibility that Harry might have been innocent and convicted because of his testimony. "I c-can n-never forget his eyes and v-voice."

"I killed him… that is a strange pronoun to use for confessing a crime of three murders, including two women," he turned to the judges. "Why confess at all if you want to absolve yourself of guilt? And if you do not wish to plead innocence, then why hold back? Do you not sense some kind of complexity in this case? Do you honestly feel that the first trial determined the entire truth, and that justice has been served?"

"You have made your point, Minister," Amelia Bones said, her burrows furrowed with interest. "But you still have several more damning testimonies to come. I was one of the judges presiding the case the first time. I remember. But please continue."

Nodding, the Minister excused Hagrid and called the next witness. "Albus Dumbledore. I will first read the testimony from the previous case."

"Name and occupation?"

"Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump…"

"Yes, yes, that's enough, Dumbledore. I only required the relevant occupation. Where were you on the morning of the First?"

"I was in my office, Minister Fudge, having a warm cup of coffee and reading a new muggle book, The Alchemist by Paulo…"

"(Interrupts) Right. What part of the ground does your office window oversee?"

"I see the direct route from Hagrid's hut to the Main Entrance of the Castle."

"Describe the events of that morning."

"I saw Hagrid rushing towards the Castle with a highly distraught Harry Potter. I went as fast as I could to join them. Hagrid told me that people had been killed at the edge of the forest. Seeing Severus Snape in the Great Hall, I asked him to join me in corroborating Hagrid's story."

"What did you find?"

"I found three dead young people, none of which were current students, but all three I knew quite well personally."

"William Weasley, Fleur Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks?"

"Yes."

"And they were definitely dead?"

"Yes."

"What did you do after that?"

"I returned to the Castle. Harry Potter was continuously claiming that he killed them. I asked Severus to call the Aurors and I went to notify the family members of the deceased."

"You performed admirably, Headmaster. Thank you. That is all."

The new Minister of Magic paused and looking at Fudge, shook his head in disgust.

"Albus Dumbledore, how long have you been in Hogwarts as a staff member?"

The Headmaster smiled weakly. "Since long before you were born, Minister, of that I'm sure. It's been over sixty years."

"Then you should know that your first responsibility is always to your students? Yes. Good. Then tell me. You notified the Aurors and the family of the deceased… very good… what did you do about Harry Potter's distressed state?"

"What do you mean?"

"For all you know, he could have been a victim of some attack that he survived and the others didn't. For all you know he might have killed in self-defense. What did you do to ensure Harry Potter's emotional needs were taken care of? That Harry Potter's story was revealed?"

"It wasn't necessary. All he would say was, 'I killed him.' His admission of guilt left me with no alternative. As you say, I had a responsibility to ensure the safety of the rest of the school. Harry Potter was guilty. It pained me more than you can imagine," he paused to rub his eyes. All those present saw that Harry's betrayal still hurt the old man. "He was like a grandson to me. But evidence was plain in sight… as well as his own confession. I had no choice. Once he ventured down that path, I could protect him no more."

"Ah, the confession," the Minister said. "There seems to be a slight discrepancy in the pronoun ascribed to your testimony in the first trial and that of Hagrid's. Do you wish to clarify… was it 'I killed him' or 'I killed them'?

"I killed him," Dumbledore said with a thoughtful frown.

"Is it true that all three victim were part of your little vigilante group?" the Minister asked.

"Objection. Immaterial and irrelevant," Dumbledore said calmly, facing the judges.

The Minister interrupted the judges before they could rule. "I intend to tie it up within the next few questions. It goes to show motive for the murders."

Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom looked unsure but Flitwick banged his hammer. "Overruled. Let there be justice today! The witness will answer the question."

Sighing, Dumbledore said, "Yes. All three were members of the Order of the Phoenix."

"So their murderer would likely be an enemy of your Order?"

"I would assume so."

The Minister looked intently at the Headmaster and asked seriously, "Was Harry Potter an enemy of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I would assume so, based on the fact that he killed…"

The Minister interrupted. "Do not assume. Was Harry Potter an enemy of the Order of the Phoenix, to your best knowledge, on the day of the murder?"

After several second's silence, Dumbledore shook his head. "No."

"And yet you assumed everything you believed to be false based on flimsy circumstantial evidence, Headmaster?"

"There was also the matter of his own confession," Dumbledore returned back.

"Ah yes, once again the confession," the Minister said musingly. "But I'll keep that for later. Just a few questions more, Headmaster, do you think that Harry Potter killed the deceased?"

"I do."

Shaking his head, the Minister asked his next question, "Do you know, for a certainty, that Harry Potter killed the deceased?"

"No, not to a certainty, but to a high probability."

The Minister nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't much, but he had to begin somewhere. "Can you tell us roughly how long it took between you seeing Hagrid approach the Castle and your reaching the bodies in the Forest?"

Dumbledore pondered silently for quite a while and then said, "Not to an absolute certainty, I'm afraid I can't. But between ten to twenty minutes."

"Ten to twenty minutes!" the Minister repeated with an extravagant emphasis while gesturing Dumbledore to leave. "Ten to twenty minutes! Imagine you are a person with a strong reason to despise Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. Someone clearly unlike Harry Potter, to the best of the witness's knowledge, and you stumble upon three stunned members of the Order. You then flick your wand and say Avada Kedavra, Avada Kedavra, Avada Kedavra, and then you walk away. Ten to twenty minutes!"

"Minister Wiltschild," Augusta Longbottom began politely but with a hint of patronizing humor, "You are searching for complexities when there exist none. But do proceed with your case."

"Very well," the Minister said in annoyance. "I call forth Miss Hermione Granger now Weasley. Please take the stand. For the remainder of this trial session, you will be referred to as Miss Granger. This is to avoid any confusion between the old and current court transcripts. Is there any objection?"

Hermione shook her head and gazed at the Minister in complete bafflement. Much of what he had argued so far made complete sense to her. How could she have not seen all that earlier? Was there a possibility that Harry was innocent… no, Hagrid was right… Harry must have killed them. She fixed her attention back to the Minister as he recited the past transcript. She remembered every single word.

"Name and occupation."

"Hermione Jane Granger, Sixth Year student in Hogwarts."

"Relation to Defendant?"

"Friends since our First Year."

"Relation to any of the deceased?"

"Ron Weasley is my boyfriend. Bill was his brother and Fleur is… was Bill's wife. Tonks was a good friend too."

"When was the last time you saw the Defendant before he was taken into custody?"

"At breakfast. We had an argument and he left the Castle."

"Who were involved in the argument?"

"Harry, Ron, Ginny and I."

"Ron and Ginny being?"

"Ronald Weasley, my boyfriend, and his sister Ginny Weasley, Harry's girlfriend."

"What was the nature of the argument?"

"Fleur Weasley."

"Surely you can give a more detailed response than that, Miss Granger?"

"Ginny was complaining about how annoying Fleur was. Ron had a crush on her and defended her. I took Ginny's side. We all asked Harry for his views and he snapped at us. He said Ginny was being childish about Fleur, as she was fast becoming Bill's foremost priority instead of his baby sister. That Ron was just affected by her Veela charm, and I was trying to get back at Ron by supporting Ginny, and while doing all this, we ignored the feelings of Fleur completely. He said that she had overheard Ginny and her mother complain about her once and had stayed up all night crying."

"How would Harry Potter know if Mrs. Fleur Weasley had stayed up all night?"

"Harry has a sleeping problem. He goes down to the living room when that happens as Ron snores loudly. He might have seen Fleur then."

"So Mr. Potter and Mrs. Fleur Weasley had a habit of spending late nights together?"

"You are taking my words out of context, Minister Fudge."

"But that is the impression one gets. What about Harry Potter? How has his mood been lately?"

"He has been aggressive and volatile. He has attacked a few students unprovoked."

"Physically?"

"(Witness remains silent for over two minutes)."

"You are under oath, Miss Granger."

"He cast a highly dangerous curse on Draco Malfoy."

"What curse?"

"Sectumsempra."

"Ah, a very popular curse used by Death Eaters during the War. Do you think him capable of murder, Miss Granger?"

"I… the Harry Potter I knew would never kill anyone! He wouldn't even hurt a fly!"

"Is the person whom you've been seeing for the past few months the Harry Potter you knew, Miss Granger?"

"(Witness remains silent for a minute) No, he has changed."

"Do you think the Defendant is capable of murder, Miss Granger?"

"(Witness starts crying) I don't know… I just don't know."

"That is all."

Minister Wiltschild waited patiently for the witness to wipe her eyes. Hermione had started weeping once again.

"Are you ready, Ms. Granger?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Your answers were misconstrued to indicate that Harry Potter lusted after his girlfriend's sister-in-law. Do you wish to clear your stance?"

"I do," Hermione said. "Harry, as a person, was very caring. He took other people's hurt to heart and that is what happened with Fleur. He saw her crying, felt bad, and lashed out on us for being immature."

"You say Harry was a caring person… but you also speak of Harry Potter as a raging maniac who wouldn't hesitate before inflicting dangerous curses on his schoolmates. Which Harry Potter are you speaking of now?"

Hermione's shoulders sagged. "Both. He was always caring. Later, he… he discovered some things about his supposed role in the war against You Know Who and that affected him a bit. But he was always a decent human being."

"And yet you claimed only yesterday at his execution that the Harry Potter you knew had died long ago," the Minister eyed Hermione with a frown. "You should make up your mind, Miss Granger."

His words made Hermione burst into tears again. "I shouldn't have said that! I had… I had forgotten how… how noble he was when I saw him… standing with the guards… I only saw a prisoner… the dead bodies of… it is only today… this trial… I realize… he wouldn't have hurt a fly! He couldn't have hurt a fly! He's innocent!"

"A bit late, isn't it?" the Minister said scathingly. Then he shook his head when the woman's sobs intensified. "Forgive me. That was uncalled for. I have one last question. Please listen carefully, this is very important." He waited for Hermione to calm down and then said, "Did Harry Potter ever use those words 'I killed him' or 'his death is my fault' before… without actually killing anyone? It could have been an accident, a misconception, a dream, anything. Did he ever use those words before?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she brought her hand to her mouth. "Merlin! How could we have been so blind!" She got up from her seat and looked around from Dumbledore to the rest of the Weasleys. "Cedric… Sirius… he always blamed himself for them… he always blamed himself for everything that went wrong…"

Hermione's words created a new round of ruckus but this time it was staggering in magnitude. The seeds of doubt were sown. Every single person was horrified.

"Order!" Flitwick shouted. "Order! This court will take a recess for lunch. We will reconvene at Three."

-------

Minister Wiltschild left the courtroom without so much as a second glance towards anyone, despite several attempts by Dumbledore and the Weasleys to accost him. He brushed them aside indifferently. In his early thirties, he was the youngest Minister of Magic, leading his people in the war against Voldemort that had stretched for so long.

He knew it was the inability of his predecessors to end the war that made the public turn to a new and revolutionary leader such as himself. And he had no doubt that his current undertaking had probably cost him his political career. But he had no choice but to defend the convict. He had no choice merely because Dumbledore had no choice but to blame an innocent.

But most importantly, he had understood Harry Potter's half-crazed words under his state of delusion. It was a desperate plea for justice from one caught between several extremes. Harry Potter was innocent. The Minister knew that in his heart, the difficult task was to prove it in court. The morning session had gone much better than he could have hoped for. The seeds of doubt were sown and at least a few people would pursue the case with an honest desire to discover the truth. But by morning, the media would have destroyed every single inroad he created. The people just didn't want Harry Potter to be innocent. They just didn't want to be guilty of such a horrendous exploitation of their savior.

The most difficult task, however, would be to convince the court to believe that it had made such a grave error, an error the likes of which would leave the entire nation, and perhaps the world, staggered. Harry Potter was a beacon of hope. His mistreatment would not go down well. History would judge those who hurt him with much contempt.

And if he failed, it would be Minister of Magic Alan Wiltschild who would face that very contempt.

"Why are you doing this?"

Wiltschild raised his head over his desk and saw his Undersecretary face him in confusion. He couldn't suppress a smile. The usually calm and stoic Percival Weasley had finally broken his mask of impassivity. The Minister shook his head.

"Tell me, Percy," Wiltschild said kindly. "You knew him personally. Would you consider Harry Potter capable of murder?"

Percy frowned and said, "You are forgetting, Minister, that many people who commit murder wouldn't usually be capable of it under other circumstances. Who can tell what happened to Harry Potter? The boy must have broken down under all the stress finally."

"What stress?" the Minister asked suddenly. On Percy's continual silence, he repeated, "What stress, Percy? If you know anything that might have a bearing to the case, tell me."

Sighing, Percy sat down. "You will regret making me reveal this, Minister. It will only add credibility to why Harry Potter could have cracked up like he did. To answer your first question, no, I did not consider Harry Potter capable of murder. But I truly believe he did commit it. He finally broke under all the pressure."

"What pressure, Percy?"

Giving a sudden ironic laugh, Percy said, "Where to begin… a mind link with You Know Who, Umbridge's torture, Fudge's moronic attitude, Dumbledore's lack of faith, Snape's Legilimency attack, a kill-or-be-killed Prophecy with You Know Who… that is all I can think of from the top of my mind. Minister, if any person ever had cause to break down and become insane, it was Harry Potter. I am ashamed to admit my ambition perhaps contributed to it."

Nodding, the Minister said, "True. I have read the detailed analysis by several people on his case. Tell me, Percy, about your sister and her reaction to Harry Potter's supposed crime."

"She was devastated. Until the end of the trial, she didn't believe Harry to be capable of murder. Then when Harry himself came to the stand… she was crushed. She stopped speaking to everyone for more than a month. For a year, she was a hollow shell. Then she visited Harry. I don't know what happened but since then she began to move on. She started seeing other boys, but never the same one for too long."

"She hasn't married yet," the Minister observed.

Percy sighed. "She married once. Neville Longbottom. It only lasted a week. Apparently, she was still in love with Harry despite everything. She still is."

The Minister absorbed the information in silence. Shaking his head, he said, "There has to be someone. At least one person, who believed in his innocence." When Percy didn't respond to his despairing comment, the Minister shot his head up. "Percy?"

"There was someone, Minister. She…"

"Minister," a voice called out from outside, interrupting Percy. "Five minutes to session."

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