Harry Potter and the Aliens
Part 7
Ministry of Magic Headquarters: The courtroom was rather full; today was the trial of Sirius Black. Amelia had discovered he had never had a trial, so she set up a new investigation of his case. Emiko had been invited, and was sitting with Remus in the stands. She wasn't too thrilled, since she had been forced to wear dress robes for the occasion, but decided it was a necessary evil.
Amelia called the court to order, and said, "Trial to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused, Sirius Black."
That got a roar of outrage from the assembled group of people, and Amelia banged her gavel against the desk. "There will be no further outcry from the court!" she snapped. "Bring in the accused."
Kingsley Shacklebolt left and returned with Sirius, who sat down in the chair for the trial. The chains on the chair immediately secured themselves to his arms, and Amelia said, "Administer the Veritaserum."
Kingsley did so, and Amelia asked, "Sirius Black, did you attempt to kill Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes, but he got away," Sirius said.
"Why did you attempt to kill him?" Amelia asked.
"The stupid Death Eater betrayed James and Lily Potter to Voldemort," Sirius said.
"So you were not their Secret Keeper?" Amelia asked.
"No," Sirius replied. "That was Peter."
"Were you responsible for the twelve Muggle deaths that night?" Amelia asked.
"No, that was Peter," Sirius replied.
"Were you given a trial?" Amelia asked.
"No," Sirius said.
"How did you end up in Azkaban?" Amelia asked.
"Crouch threw me in to rot," Sirius said.
Amelia sighed and said to Kingsley, "Administer the antidote." Kingsley obeyed as Amelia looked at the assembled people, and asked, "Those in favor of clearing Sirius Black of any and all charges, and restoring his good name?"
Every hand went up, and Amelia said, "In that case, let it be known that Sirius Black is now a free man, and is cleared of all wrongdoing."
Kingsley let Sirius out of the chains, and Amelia came over, as did Remus and Emiko. "I apologize for all this, Mr. Black," Amelia said. "I will see to it that Crouch and Pettigrew are tried and punished to the full extent of the law."
"Thank you, Amelia," Sirius said with relief.
Amelia nodded and said, "I would like you to testify against Peter Pettigrew, but you don't have to."
"I will," Sirius said. "What will you do about the things Emiko told us?"
"The trial is set up for the day after tomorrow; I'd like her to come too, since she was the one who discovered the Dark Mark on his arm, and captured him," Amelia said.
"Alright," Sirius said. He looked down at Emiko, who said, "I'll come."
"Good," Amelia said. "I assume the three of you will remain at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, we're staying for the school year, and then I'll take Harry to Potter Castle," Sirius said. "I intend to get custody of him, as his current caretakers weren't supposed to be allowed near him."
"Alright," Amelia said. "Good luck, and I'll see you Wednesday."
Before they could leave, a security guard came in and said, "I'm looking for a Miss Ikisatashi?"
"Emiko, what did you do now?" Remus asked.
"The door guard's mouth is frozen shut," Emiko said. "I don't like racist jerks."
"Perhaps you could unfreeze his mouth now that you're leaving?" Amelia asked.
"Oh, fine," Emiko said sulkily. "It would have worn off in about two days anyways…."
"Let's go," Sirius said. "You'd make a damn good Marauder, you know."
Emiko giggled as they left. At the door, she snapped her fingers at the guard, and said, "The next time I hear that, you'll be a hot pink bat, got it?"
"Yes," the guard grumbled, and waved them off.
Sirius and Remus waited until they were outside before bursting out laughing. "I'd kind of like to see that," Sirius said. "I've never seen a hot pink bat."
"They're funny," Emiko said.
Wednesday morning: Emiko, Sirius, and Remus were headed to the Ministry of Magic again, this time to go to Pettigrew's trial. The mood was less anticipatory this time and more grim.
They reached the courtroom, and sat down together, others filing in. Finally everyone was there, and Amelia started the trial, having Kingsley bring in Pettigrew. He was far more trouble than Sirius had been, and they had to force him to drink the Veritaserum. Then Amelia started her questions, and the court was grumbling softly, mainly about how evil Pettigrew was.
Emiko noticed both Sirius and Remus were on the verge of hexing Pettigrew as he answered the questions, and she took both their hands, trying to calm them down a bit. She was at least partially successful; they didn't take out their wands, but they didn't calm down much either.
Suddenly Amelia asked, "Have you had contact with Lord Voldemort since the day he disappeared?"
"Yes," Pettigrew replied.
"Where is he now?" Amelia asked.
"The Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton," Pettigrew said.
This caused no small amount of panic among the people gathered, and Amelia slammed her gavel into the desk in front of her. That shut people up, and Amelia said, "I would like Emiko Ikisatashi to come up here, and tell the court what she saw when she captured Peter Pettigrew."
There was a bunch of whispers when Emiko stood up and went to the front of the room. "Emiko, can you tell us what happened?" Amelia asked.
Emiko nodded and said, "I went to find Pettigrew, because I heard that he was the one who committed the crimes Sirius Black was accused of. When I found him, he was in a room with a snake and someone sitting in a chair. I couldn't see the person in the chair; only a wand poking over the side when the person used the Cruciatus Curse on Pettigrew. I could tell by the voice it was a man, and he asked if I knew who he was. I told him that due to the fact Pettigrew called him 'my Lord', I assumed he was Lord Voldemort. I told him I was taking Pettigrew back with me, and he asked how I was planning on doing that. I told him I was going to take Pettigrew's wand, use it to blow up his pet snake, and then teleport out of there. He ordered the snake, who he called Nagini, to attack me, and I blew it up. I Petrified Pettigrew with his own wand, grabbed him, and teleported out just before Voldemort could hit me with a Killing Curse. While he never confirmed nor denied that he was Lord Voldemort, I think that due to Pettigrew's last statement, Voldemort is not dead. My guess is that he's busy getting his body back."
"Thank you, Emiko," Amelia said over the noise.
"Sure," Emiko said, and went back to sit with Sirius and Remus as Amelia called the court to order.
"Now that you all have calmed down, the jury will decide the fate of Peter Pettigrew," Amelia said. "Those of you not on the jury, please wait here."
The jury went to a separate room, and came back not even half an hour later. Amelia took the judge's stand again, and announced, "Peter Pettigrew, it is the decision of this court that you will receive the Dementor's Kiss for your crimes."
Pettigrew went dead white as Aurors dragged him out. Most of the people on the court left after that, talking amongst themselves, but Sirius and Remus went to Amelia and Sirius asked, "What's being done about Dumbledore, Amelia?"
"The Minister has suspended him from the Wizengamot until we figure out what his plans are," Amelia said. "Fudge has also agreed to appoint Minerva McGonagall as Headmistress should it be found that Dumbledore is indeed up to foul play. Fudge isn't sure about that, but I can't say I blame him, despite what I've found out. I told him that Minerva was the ideal choice for Headmistress, and he seemed reluctant, so I told him if he didn't agree, I'd set Emiko on him. He immediately agreed, luckily. I think he's scared of her."
"Because he doesn't want to become a pink bat?" Emiko asked.
"No, because you escaped Voldemort without a scratch," Amelia said. "And because you're so powerful. He's afraid of losing his job, and so he agreed to my demands concerning Hogwarts."
"Good," Sirius said. "We'll head on back to Hogwarts now; thank you for your assistance, Amelia."
"You're welcome," Amelia said with a smile.
Sirius and Remus took Emiko back to Hogwarts, where they spent the rest of the day celebrating.
~XXXX~
October 29th, in the Great Hall: The students were excited. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were due to arrive the next day, and everyone was talking about them and the Triwizard Tournament.
There had been quite a few changes in the school recently. Dumbledore had been removed from his position as Headmaster, and Minerva had stepped in. Amelia Bones and the Wizengamot were working to figure out exactly what to do about Dumbledore's less-than-legal activities, and in the meantime, Hogwarts was attempting to find a Transfiguration teacher and a new Head of Gryffindor House.
Minerva had given a lot of thought to this, but hadn't gotten any ideas until Emiko came into her office one day and said, "You should ask Sirius to teach Transfiguration! And Remus could help out and they could be joint Heads of Gryffindor House!"
"You know, that's not a bad idea," Minerva said. "I'll ask them."
Sirius and Remus agreed to try it, and since Remus had been the DADA professor last year, he was good at teaching Sirius how to teach. That being said, you can imagine Harry, Ron, and Hermione's surprise when they got into Transfiguration class.
October 30th, outside the school: The students and Heads of House were gathered outside to greet the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Emiko, since she was technically a student, was there too, standing with Emily.
They were all wondering where the other schools' delegations were, and how they were getting here, when one of the sixth years shouted, "Look! Up in the sky!"
Everyone looked up, and Emiko saw what looked like a flying carriage coming towards them. That turned out to be exactly what it was, and the carriage was drawn by a dozen golden horses- all of which were enormous, much bigger than regular horses. The powder blue carriage landed with a huge crash, and the door was opened by a boy in pale blue robes, who unfolded a set of golden steps, and jumped back respectfully. The woman who stepped out was amazingly large; the only person Emiko had ever seen that large was Hagrid. About a dozen students, all wearing pale blue robes, stepped out behind her. Minerva stepped forward and bowed slightly, then said, "Madame Maxime, welcome to Hogwarts."
The Hogwarts students snapped out of shock at that, and clapped. Madame Maxime smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you, Minerva. I 'ope you are well?"
"Yes, thank you," Minerva said. "Professor Karkaroff is not here yet; would you like to wait for him, or warm up inside?"
"Warm up, I think," Madame Maxime said. "But ze horses-"
"I'm sure our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be happy to take care of them; he should be here soon," Minerva said. "He is dealing with some of his charges right now."
"Zey are very strong…." Madame Maxime said, sounding doubtful.
"I assure you Hagrid will be well up to the job," Minerva said.
"Very well, will you inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?" Madame Maxime asked.
"It will be done," Minerva said, bowing slightly.
Madame Maxime returned the bow and walked into the school, the Hogwarts students parting to let her pass. Her students quickly followed.
A few minutes had passed, and the students were wondering where exactly the Durmstrang delegation was when Lee Jordan shouted, "Look at the lake!"
Everyone spun to look at the lake, and saw a ship rising from the middle. It sailed over to the shore, and a boardwalk was lowered. A group of people got off the ship and came over; Emiko noticed they were wearing heavy fur cloaks. They were led by a man who was apparently about Dumbledore's age, but his white hair was short, and he had a goatee instead of a long beard. "Minerva, good to see you," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. His eyes remained cold and calculating, as if he was weighing her up. Emiko noticed, and watched him closely as Minerva said, "It's good to see you as well, Professor Karkaroff. Would you care to come inside?"
"Yes, thank you," Karkaroff said. He motioned a student forward, urging him to go inside. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked Minerva. "Viktor has a bit of a head cold."
Emiko missed the rest of the conversation; she was busy listening to a bunch of people whispering about Viktor Krum. As the Hogwarts students filed inside, Emiko went to Fred and George, and asked, "Who's Viktor Krum?"
"He's a really famous Quidditch player from Bulgaria," Fred replied. "I didn't realize he was still in school. We saw him at the World Cup, right George?"
"Yeah, he's supposedly one of the best Seekers ever," George said. "Hey, why is Filch putting out four chairs at the Head Table? There are only two guests."
"Maybe there will be more people coming later?" Emiko suggested as they sat down with Kisshu and Yuki. "And why is Ron staring at that Krum guy?"
"Can't get over the fact we've got a world-famous Quidditch player staying here, I'll bet," George said.
The hall quieted down as Minerva stood and said, "Ladies and gentleman, and most importantly our guests, I welcome you all to Hogwarts. I trust your stay here will be pleasant. The Triwizard Tournament officially opens after the feast, so for now, please enjoy the food and drink." She sat back down, and food appeared on the table. There was a greater variety than usual, and as they were starting to eat, a girl from Beauxbatons came over and asked them, "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" She had removed the headscarf she had been wearing, and she was revealed to have silky pale blonde hair that fell to her waist, and large, deep blue eyes. Emiko eyed her curiously as Ron struggled to form words and Harry said something about they were finished with the bouillabaisse. The girl took a dish of shellfish stew, and left, carrying it carefully back to the Ravenclaw Table.
Soon after, two men arrived, and sat down in the empty chairs at the Head Table. After the food was gone, Minerva stood again, and said, "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start, but before that, I would like to explain the rules. I would also like to introduce Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and sports. They have both worked very hard to see this Tournament become reality, and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime as judges for the Tournament. Mr. Filch, will you bring in the casket?" (A/N: I know I said Crouch would get tried for throwing Sirius in Azkaban, but since he was instrumental in getting the Tournament together, I figured that could happen afterwards.)
Filch brought over an extremely old-looking wooden chest, and placed it in front of Minerva. She nodded her thanks, and said, "The instructions for the three tasks of the tournament have been approved by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, and they have made the necessary arrangements. The tasks will be spread out over the course of the school year, and they will test the students in many ways; their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and most importantly how they react to danger."
The hall had gone silent as Minerva continued, "There will be three champions, one from each school, and they will be marked on how well they perform the tasks. The champion with the highest total will win the Tournament. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector; the Goblet of Fire." She tapped the chest in front of her with her wand, and pulled out a large, roughly carved wooden cup. The only remarkable thing about it was that it was filled with blue-white flames.
"Anyone wishing to become a champion must clearly write their name and school on a slip of paper, and drop it into the Goblet within the next 24 hours," Minerva said. "Tomorrow night, which is Halloween, the Goblet will choose the champions. The age limit is seventeen, and I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet, which will stop any potential cheaters. Please keep that in mind if you are under seventeen. Lastly, I wish to inform you that this Tournament is not to be taken lightly. Once you become champion, you can't back out. Becoming champion is a binding magical contract, so there can be no change of heart once you become champion. I urge you all to think this over carefully. With that said, I believe it's bedtime, so off you go."
Emiko watched Fred and George walk off, talking excitedly. "I hope they're careful if they do manage to get in," she said. "I know it's kind of selfish, but I hope they don't; Minerva told me the Tournament is really dangerous, and people have been killed."
"I think they'll be fine; they're capable of being serious when they need to be, and there's a high chance they'll be unable to cross the Age Line," Kisshu said.
"Bedtime, kids," Yuki said sternly. Emiko and Kisshu sighed and went off to the guest wing, followed by Yuki.
~XXXX~
The next morning: Emiko and Kisshu came downstairs to the Great Hall with Yuki just in time to see Fred and George get thrown out of the Age Line and grown long white beards. Minerva sighed and went over to them, saying, "I did warn you. Madame Pomfrey is already taking care of Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw and Mr. Summers of Hufflepuff, who tried the same thing. Although I must admit their beards aren't as long as yours."
Fred and George smiled sheepishly and headed off, followed by their friend Lee Jordan, who was laughing too hard to walk straight. "See, I told you you didn't need to worry," Kisshu told Emiko.
"You were right," Emiko said with a grin. "That was funny, though. Let's eat!"
The next chapter will be choosing the champions. I hope you liked this chapter, and just a little spoiler; Emiko won't have too much to do with the Tournament, since I don't plan on making her a champion. Review please!