A/N: Thank you all for the great comments, suggestions and theories! Keep them coming - they sometimes inspire me to write something totally different than what I had planned ;)
amb6675: Yes there should be... maybe there is one but it is just not part of my story ;)
randomplotbunny: Of course he is :D
Dixie.f.9: At least one of them, yes. I believe there are more than one nail to a coffin :D
mizzrazz72: It may be hard on him but it is very important for the Wizengamot to see how affected the teen is by all this than just reading about it. It just is not the same...
Charms93: Happy Birthday! How funny :) We drove through MD on our way to NYC - have you ever been in Berlin, MD? :D I've been to Colorado before! I hope you like it there :)
Zoysite: Nicht nur dir ist es da eiskalt den Rücken runter gelaufen... Ich denk nicht viel nach beim schreiben sonder lass es einfach laufen und mich hat es auch gerissen, als ich den Satz dann gelesen habe :P Dumbles ist wahrscheinlich krebsrot angelaufen vor Wut als er Marvolo erkannt hat ;) Ja, der Urlaub ist für alle dringend nötig :D Unserer ist bis jetzt unglaublich gewesen :D Vorgestern ist einer unserer Unifreunde angekommen und gestern dann Miu-Sama und jetzt machen wir alle gemeinsam NYC und dann Boston unsicher :D Es wird so cool :D Ich hoffe du hast auch einen schönen Sommer!
Mephistopeles: I do as well which is why I wrote this kind of story ;) He gets away with way too much in the books. I actually believe that Tom Riddle had been an isolated and very sad child and even after he got to Hogwarts there was nobody there to apprechiate him. You probably didn't just boil yours but mine as well ;) Thank you for the high praise :)
Kanisha Agarwal: Dawlish and Kingsley are a pretty awesome team :) I imagine them being like any of those crime series where the partners can practically read the other's mind ;)
Guest: It is the vacation of a lifetime :D Yeah I like that pairing as well :)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling - I just played a bit in her universe.
Thanks to miu-sama95 for prereading, betaing and helping with the storyline ;)
Chapter 51: Sentencing & Escape
Words: 3096
Sirius was very grateful that the aurors had let him stay with Harry. He may have growled at the mere mention of him leaving but if they had ordered him to leave he would have had to follow their command.
"Aurors, continue the testimony!" Amelia's repeated command pulled the animagus out of his thoughts and he did his best to follow the questions.
"We want to remind everyone in the room that since Harry had already given his complete statement, we are just clarifying and highlighting a few details here." Kingsley said to the audience. The less the visitors knew the less the press could talk about.
Dawlish focused his attention back on the teen and continued his interview.
"Harry, we want to ask you a bit about the events at the end of your first year in Hogwarts."
"You mean the Philosopher's stone and Quirrell's death?"
There was a collective gasp in the audience at Harry's comment.
"Yes. In your statement you said that Quirrell started to turn into dust the moment he touched you, correct?"
"Yes. It was all happening very quickly. One second I thought he was going to strangle me and the next he was lying screaming on the floor, disintegrating before my eyes."
"What happened next?"
"I don't know. I must have passed out because I woke up in the hospital wing a few days later."
"Were you alone?" Kingsley asked.
"No. D… The headmaster was there." Harry couldn't say his name.
"Did Dumbledore talk to you?"
"Yes. He told me that I had suffered a magical drain, my friends were okay and that the stone was safe."
"He wasn't concerned for your wellbeing? Or what had happened with your teacher?"
"Not really. He just said that I shouldn't worry, and everything was alright."
Although Dumbledore was spelled silent everyone in the room could see him fuming and screaming at the accusations.
"Was there anything else said?" Kingsley asked again – completely ignoring the old fool – and it took the teen a moment to understand where the auror was going with this.
"I asked not to be sent back to my relatives, but he said it was necessary for my protection."
"We would like to point out that Hogwarts charter requires counseling for students after traumatic events as well as a notification of the auror office for any and all crimes happening on school grounds." Dawlish explained to the Wizengamot and the audience.
"In all the years that Albus Dumbledore has been headmaster, we have only been notified three times. And none of the alerts came from the headmaster himself."
"Last school year Mr. Malfoy informed us of a hippogriff that had injured his son during class. Later on, the same school year, Mr. Snape informed us of a teacher being a werewolf and transforming on school grounds and only last month we were on site as security detail for the Minister when Cedric Diggory tragically died." Kingsley took over again.
The two aurors were a great team and didn't need any signal to time their speeches.
"The incident Harry just described was only one of many in his short time at Hogwarts which should have been reported to us. None of them were."
Since the duo could see that their point had been made clear to the Wizengamot, they decided that the teen had been through enough.
"Harry, you may go back to your parents. The Wizengamot has your full statement of all other incidents." Kingsley told the teen quietly.
The boy was only too happy to comply and didn't wait for them to change their minds. As quickly as was appropriate, he walked back to his parents, Padfoot pressed tightly against his leg.
Once Harry was seated between Severus and Marvolo again, they both hugged him sideways and his Dad murmured a praise in his ear.
"You did good, Snitch. It's over now."
Before the teen could say anything, the aurors continued with their case.
"We call Lord Sirius Orion Black to give his testimony." Dawlish demanded.
Since Sirius was still in his dog form, he padded down into the witness booth before turning back into his formal self.
"Do you, Sirius Orion Black, swear on your magic that what you say is the truth as you know it?"
"I so du swear."
"Since your story has been all over the papers in the last weeks we will not go into this." Kingsley assured him. "We just want you to reconfirm a few things."
"Ask away."
"Did Dumbledore know that you weren't the Secret Keeper?"
"Yes. He taught Peter the spell and he knew the location of the house."
"Did he know that you were an animagus and could get onto school grounds anytime you wanted after your escape?"
"Yes. He was aware of my ability as well as my knowledge of secret passageways into Hogwarts."
"So, there was no way the Dementors could have protected the students form harm?"
"From me, you mean? No. If I had wanted to, I could have killed anyone in the castle without any forewarning."
"Thank you, Lord Black." Dawlish said into the dead silence after Sirius' admittance. "You may return to your seat."
Sirius quietly made his way back to his seat while almost everyone else in the room was still shocked into silence.
To give all of them time to get their heads around this revelation, Kingsley and John interviewed a few other people who had experienced unfairness from Dumbledore.
Marvolo was sure they were just building up to Severus' testimony and sure enough, a few interviews later his husband was called.
"We call Lord Severus Prince – Slytherin to give his testimony." Kingsley called out.
The Potions Master squeezed his son's hand one last time before getting up and walking to the witness booth.
"Do you, Severus Prince – Slytherin, swear on your magic, that what you say is the truth as you know it?"
"I so do swear."
"There are just two points we want to clarify with you today." Dawlish explained.
"Just get it over with."
"Did Dumbledore know that Harry was your son?"
"Yes. He had read and sealed James and Lily's wills after their deaths."
"He never said anything to you?"
"No. He just told me how much Harry looked like James."
"Did Dumbledore lie to you about anything else concerning Harry?"
"He kept my son from me. Harry should have lived with me if anything were to happen to Lily and James."
"Thank you." Kingsley said kindly. "Now to the second point."
"What else do you want to know?" The Potions Master grumbled. He hated being in the spotlight.
"Something that is not in your statements and you don't have to answer."
"What. Is. It?"
"Were you, or were you not one of the many students that asked to be sent anywhere but home?"
There was a long silence before Severus let out a sigh of defeat. He couldn't expect his son to talk about the abuse he had suffered and then chicken out himself.
"I was. My father was a muggle who regularly tried to beat the magic out of me."
"Thank you for answering." Dawlish said. "Did the headmaster help in any way?"
"No. I was in Slytherin which meant he didn't care at all. My mother died when I was young and from then on my father made my home life a living hell. It was so bad, and I was so alone that I never noticed the path I had been pushed on until it was too late."
"You are talking about the Death Eaters?"
"Yes. I was pushed and pulled from all sides to join and nobody cared enough to tell me otherwise. I'm still paying for a mistake I made before I was even considered an adult."
"You weren't even seventeen when you took the mark?" Kingsley asked surprised.
"No. It was the fall before my seventeenth birthday."
"Which made the headmaster your magical guardian at that time since your mother was dead by that time." Dawlish combined. "Why do you say you are still paying for your mistakes?"
"I'm a Potions Master. The youngest ever in Europe. I spent the last 15 years trying to teach ungrateful hormonal brats at a school the art of potions. Do you really thing that is my dream?"
"What is keeping you from living your dream?"
"Dumbledore. After my Death Eater trial, where he confirmed my status as spy he told me that he would revoke this and send me to Azkaban if I ever did anything he didn't approve first."
"So, he threatened you into teaching."
"Yes, you could put it that way."
"Thank you for your honesty, Lord Prince – Slytherin." Kingsley said. "You may go back to your seat."
Severus just nodded before he made his way back to his family. This was not what he had expected. He was rather curious as to how they found out about his father. Maybe Amelia would tell him if he asked her.
He was very glad to be able to sit down next to his son again. Harry also didn't waste any time in grabbing and squeezing his hand which made him feel a lot better.
After Severus' testimony things happened very quickly. They had another small break, which the family spent cuddled close together. After they came back into the court room they were surprised when the Wizengamot didn't arrive after them.
Instead the headmaster was brought out again first and the Wizengamot only entered ten minutes later with determined looks on their faces.
Once everyone was settled, Amelia stood up and addressed the room.
"The Wizengamot has seen and read all available testimony, which included an interview under Veritaserum with the accused, and has decided not to hear the accused again."
"Has the Wizengamot voted then, ma'am?" Dawlish asked formally.
"We have voted and come to a consensus." Amelia answered just as formally. "The Wizengamot has voted on this day, 21st of July 1995 on the trial of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and decided on him to be guilty on all charges."
For once there was a mix between unbelieving outcries and thunderous applause at the sentencing. Before the crowd could go too wild, Amelia banged her wand on her table and continued with the formalities.
"The Wizengamot sentences this wizard to twenty years in the maximum-security wing of Azkaban with no outside contact. Since the prisoner has already been found guilty by the gobbling nation, he shall serve his sentences consecutive."
To finish off the trial she banged her wand three times and the Wizengamot stood as one and left the room.
The moment they were gone, chaos broke out in the room. Most were overjoyed at the sentencing but there were still a few that believed that Dumbledore had just been doing everything he did for the greater good.
The aurors hurried to get him out of the room and to keep anyone from doing anything stupid.
All the while Harry sat shocked in his seat. It was over. All the stress and fears he had had were over now. Dumbledore could never hurt him again. There was nothing for him to be afraid of anymore. He couldn't believe it.
Thankfully his parents noticed his shocked state and simply guided him along when Kingsley came to take them to Amelia's office.
The crowd was getting wilder by the minute and all adults were only too happy to get Harry out of there.
Once in Amelia's office, Severus sat down on the couch in the corner with his son in his lap. Since they had planned on waiting for the head of the DMLE anyways, he didn't see a reason to forcefully pull the teen out of his shocked thoughts. He just let Harry's emotions run their course, held him close and murmured encouragements into his ear all the while.
The auror distributed glassed of Firewhiskey to all the men and ordered a tray of tea for Harry, should he wish for a drink.
"To a successful trial." Marvolo toasted.
"Hear hear!" The others responded before taking a sip of their drinks.
They mostly waited in silence for Amelia to return. Although they had won, and it was finally all over, nobody wanted to talk about the trial so soon after it had finished. With all the memories that had been dug up the mood in the room also wasn't the best.
Marvolo had sat down next to his husband and was happy to see that their son was asleep or at least dozing. He could understand that completely. He also felt exhausted and emotionally drained after speaking about so many bad memories.
They must have sat there for a quarter hour or so when Amelia arrived and quickly closed and locked the door behind her. The sound of the lock caught everyone's attention.
"It's crazy out there. The atrium has been swarmed with people all day and the press are going crazy with all the stories they can print. I had to make quite a few detours to get rid of anyone following me."
"That sounds very unusual." Marvolo commented quietly.
"This is Dumbledore we are talking about." Amelia stated dryly. "I had expected chaos but not to this degree."
"All the better than that we are escaping for a well-earned holiday right now." Sirius said excitedly. He had been looking forward to this for days.
"That's right. I believe you have someone waiting for you at the other end?"
"Yes. We will be expected." Severus confirmed. "Thank you again for letting us use your private floo, Amelia."
"Don't worry about it. This is far safer for you than going through the atrium."
Severus carefully woke his son from his nap while the others said their goodbyes.
Although it had not even been half an hour, Harry felt refreshed and energized when he woke up. His excitement only grew when his Dad told him that it was time for them to leave. He still couldn't believe that he was going on his very first family holiday!
"Let's go, Dad!" He said excitedly and pulled his father to his feet. Harry also tried to drag him to the floo, but the older wizard resisted him and since he was a lot stronger than Harry the teen didn't stand a chance.
"Calm down, Snitch. First we have to say our farewells."
"Alright. Bye, Amelia and Kingsley! Have fun while we are gone and thank you for everything!" The teen called out with a generic wave in their direction while he nearly skipped to the fireplace.
The teen's excited antics caused all adults to chuckle and nobody could bring themselves to reprimand him for his behavior. Instead they all congregated in front of the fireplace.
"Hotel Mercure, Nice, France!" Remus called out as he threw down the floo powder and stepped into the flames.
Sirius dashed back to Amelia and gave her a quick kiss before jumping through the floo as well. He did this so quickly that the woman didn't have any time to react, much to the other's amusement.
"You are next, Harry." Marvolo said and held the pot of floo powder out to him.
Harry just nodded and threw down the powder before stepping though. He still hated the sensation of flooing, but he was getting better at it. The teen was caught completely off guard when he was enfolded by someone the moment he stepped out of the fireplace.
It took him a second to register the feeling of the arms around him and the curly brown hair that was trying to choke him was a dead giveaway as to whose embrace he was in.
" 'moine. Can't breathe." He managed to get out and was happy to feel the arms around his chest loosen.
"I'm just sooo happy to see you, Harry! I've been following the papers but it's not the same as seeing you and your letters were far too infrequent!" Hermione started talking a mile a minute, much to the amusement of all adults.
"I had no idea you would be here." Harry managed to inject when his best friend took a breath which set her right off again.
Apparently, Sirius had – for once – been listening and had hashed out a plan for Harry to meet up with the girl. Hermione was on vacation with her parents right here and although the Grangers would have to return to work on Monday, their daughter had been allowed to continue her stay with Harry's family.
All of these plans had been made without the raven-haired teen's knowledge and it had been very hard on Hermione to keep them a secret from her dear friend.
Thankfully he was here now, and she could talk to him freely again.
While she bombarded Harry with questions, the adults introduced themselves to each other in person since none of them had ever met before.
The whole group made their way to the elaborate wizarding hotel lobby and sat down in one of the lounge areas to continue their conversations.
The teens were so engrossed in their talk that they didn't even stop to admire the architecture of the hall.
Remus, always the sensible one, had excused himself and checked them all in at the front desk.
Once he came back he interrupted the current conversations with a suggestion.
"I checked us in. Since it is already late, why don't we go and freshen up before we meet again and go out for dinner together?"
"That sounds like a great idea!" Mr. Granger agreed and everyone else nodded.
It was a bit difficult to break the teens apart but a few minutes later they all made their ways back to their rooms. The Grangers in the muggle part of the hotel while the Prince – Slytherins used the magical elevator to go to the top floor.
They had booked one of the family suites the hotel offered. It had three bedrooms and bathrooms and a large living area. They also had a balcony that overlooked the promenade and the beach of the town.
Harry loved it! He spent ten minutes exploring every nook of their suite and exclaiming joyously over every little detail before his Papa shoved him into the ensuite bathroom of his room to get ready for dinner.
He had his own room that he would be sharing with Hermione and Ron later on. But for now, it was his alone and he loved it.
This holiday was going to be awesome!
TBC
You can not imagine how difficult it is to write a chapter for you guys while running around in the big apple :P I spent some time writing in the Nintendo store at Rockefeller Plaza while my boyfriend and another friend were off trying out games :D
Miu-sama made it to NYC and is lying on the bed right next to me while I finish this off :D
First posted on: 05. August2018
Next update planned: 19. August 2018