Chapter Forty Four
Harry was suddenly sitting in a large square room with rows and rows of seats around the edges and a large chair, the arms wrapped in chains. Harry knew that it was not a good chair to end up sitting in. Harry looked around; there were a few faces he recognised, mostly from various parties and balls at the Mafloys'.
He was sitting next to Dumbledore, Harry knew Dumbledore couldn't see him, he was a ghost to these memories, but it still felt weird not saying hello.
The dark doors at the end of the room flew open. Two Dementors floated in, clutching a frail looking man in between them. Harry felt himself shudder and shy away, even though he knew they couldn't hurt him. The man they had between them looked like he was about to faint, Harry couldn't blame him.
They moved forward and dropped the man into the chair. Harry gasped, it was Karkaroff. A much younger Karkaroff, slimmer and more ragged looking. He was clearly not a well man at this point.
The chains on the chair quickly jumped to life and wrapped tightly around his arms and legs. Karkaroff was visibly shaking now, as the cold iron dug into his flesh. Harry looked around; no one seemed even slightly bothered by the sight of Karkaroff, flanked by Dementors and barely able to move he was so tightly bound.
Harry could see Mr Crouch, again looking younger, sitting to his left. He was surrounded by papers and files. Harry glared at him; there was something about the scene that made him hate Mr Crouch, it almost looked like he was enjoying Karkaroff's suffering.
"Igor Karkaroff," Mr Crouch said, reading from a bit of paper, "You have been brought from Azkaban to give evidence to the Ministry of Magic. You have given us to understand that you have important information for us."
Karkaroff tried to sit up straighter, failing miserably from both lack of strength and how tightly the chains were wrapped around him.
"I have sir." He said, his voice sounded much weaker and scared than he was now but it still have the same slimy note in it, "I wish to be of use to the Ministry. I wish to help. I… I know that the Ministry is trying to… to round up the last of the Dark Lord's supporters. I am eager to assist in any way I can."
There was a mutter than ran around he room. Some of the witches and wizards sounded interested, others disgusted, and filled with contempt.
"Filth." Muttered a voice from just the other side of Dumbledore.
Harry looked over and saw Mad-eye Moody sitting there, he looked very different than he did now. There were fewer scars and his nose was more intact, although he was missing a chunk of nose already. He also still had both of his eyes, which were glaring down at the trail happening before them.
"Crouch is going to let him out." Moody whispered, "He's done a deal with him. Took me six months to track him down and Crouch is going to let him go if he's got enough new names. Let's hear his information, I say, and throw him straight back to the Dementors."
Dumbledore bowed his head to the side and made a small noise of disagreement.
"Ah, I was forgetting… you don't like the Dementors, do you, Albus?" Moody said quietly, clearly thinking Dumbledore was in the wrong for such an opinion.
"No." Said Dumbledore calmly, "I'm afraid I don't. I have long felt the Ministry is wrong to ally itself with such creatures."
"But for filth like this…" Moody said softly.
"You say you have names for us, Karkaroff." said Mr Crouch, "Let us hear them, please."
"You must understand," said Karkaroff hurriedly, "That He Who Must Not Be Named operated always in the greatest secrecy… he preferred that we… I mean to say, his supporters… and I regret now, very deeply that I ever counted myself among them-"
"Get on with it!" Moody shouted, sneering nastily.
"We never knew the names of every one of our fellows, he alone knew exactly who we all were..."
Moody rubbed his chin, and narrowed his eyes again at Karkaroff."Which was a wise move, wasn't it, as it prevented someone like you, Karkaroff, turning all of them in." he spat.
"Yet you say you have some names for us?" Said Mr Crouch, clearly getting impatient.
"I… I do." Said Karkaroff breathlessly, "And they were important supporters, mark you. People I saw with my own eyes doing his bidding. I give this information as a sign that I fully and totally renounce him, and am filled with a remorse so deep I can barely-"
"These names are?" snapped Mr Crouch.
Karkaroff took a deep breath and stifled a sob, "There was Antonin Dolohov," he sputtered, "I… I saw him torture countless muggles and… and non-supporters of the Dark Lord."
"And helped him do it," muttered Moody.
"We have already apprehended Dolohov." said Mr Crouch, "He was caught shortly after yourself."
"Indeed?" said Karkaroff, his eyes widening, "I… I am delighted to hear it!"
Harry thought he looked anything but delighted, it was clear that the loss of one of the few names he had had come as a real blow to him, and to his case.
"Any others?" said Crouch, his voice was as cold as ice.
"Why yes… there was Rosier!" Karkaroff said quickly, "Evan Rosier."
"Rosier is dead." Mr Crouch said, with a rather bored voice, "He was caught shortly after you were, too. He preferred to fight rather than coming quietly and was killed in the struggle."
Moody indicated to his nose, "Took a bit of me with him, though."
"No…no more than Rosier deserved!" said Karkaroff, he sounded very panicked now.
Harry could almost feel his worry; that none of the information he had was going to be any good, he'd waited too long to give the names over.
"Any more?" Crouch demanded.
"YES!" Karkaroff begged, "There was Travers, he helped murder the McKinnons! Mulciber, he specialised in the Imperious Curse, forced countless people to do horrific things! Rookwood, who was a spy, and passed He Who Must Not Be Named useful information from inside the Ministry itself!"
Karkaroff had struck gold. Everyone in the room fixed their eyes on Karkaroff and started whispering to whoever was closest.
"Rookwood?" Mr Crouch said, leaning forward and nodding to a witch nearby who was scribbling on a long piece of parchment, "Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries?"
Karkaroff nodded eagerly, "The very same! I believe he used a network of well placed wizards, both inside the Ministry and out, to collect information..."
Mr Crouch nodded, "But Travers and Mulciber, we have. Very well Karkaroff, if that is all, you will be returned to Azkaban while we decide-"
"Not yet!" screamed Karkaroff, looking like he was about to cry, "Wait, I have more!"
Harry watched him as he sweated and panicked stuck to the chair, the Dementors, eager to get their hands on him again.
"Snape!" he shouted, "Severus Snape!"
Harry leaned forward, not sure what he was going to hear, not sure what he wanted to hear.
"Snape has been cleared by this council," said Mr Crouch, "He has been vouched for by many, well respected members of our community."
"No!" Shouted Karkaroff, "I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!"
"He has been cleared!"
Harry looked across the room, Sirius was standing on the other side of the hall.
"I might not like the man, and his habit of leaving damp socks in my bathroom is driving me insane but I have no question in my mind that he has been rightfully cleared of these ridiculous accusations. I am also here on behalf of Lily Potter, she would say the same thing." Sirius said, glaring down at Karkaroff.
Dumbledore got calmly to his feet, "I have also given evidence already on this matter. Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort's downfall and turned spy for us, at great personal risk, this included the saving of Lily and Harry Potter. Lily would almost certainly not have survived if not for Snape. He's no more a Death Eater than I am!"
Harry felt his heart grow a bit lighter at the people willing to speak from Severus. Moody was looking a little more sceptically behind Dumbledore but Harry ignored him.
"Very well, Karkaroff." Mr Couch said coldly, he might as well have been talking about an ant rather than another human being, "You have been of assistance. I shall review your case. You will return to Azkaban in the meantime..."
The memory ended and the scene around Harry faded away, it reformed quickly though and Harry was once again in the dungeon.
The people had changed, Dumbledore was sitting next to him again although he was wearing different robes.
Harry scanned the rows and rows of people looking for faces he knew. The atmosphere seemed very different this time, everyone was happier, people were talking freely to those around them. Even the room seemed lighter.
Rita Skeeter was sitting half way along a row nearby, she too looked younger but it was definitely her. She still had her bright green quill that she was sucking the end of, her blonde hair, still in ringlets around her head.
Mr Crouch was the only one who looked unhappy; he was tired, with large dark circles under his eyes.
The door at the end of the room opened and in walked Ludo Bagman. He looked fit and healthy, his trim figure and well kept hair made several of the ladies around Harry blush and whisper to their friends. Harry could see why he'd been so popular at the height of his Quidditch days.
Ludo looked nervous as he made his way across the room, but he made sure that he had a smile on his face and waved to the crowd, several of which cheered at the sight of him. The chair still stood in the middle of the room but when Ludo sat in it the chains didn't come to life and lock him up. In fact they hardly moved at all.
"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters." Mr Crouch said, "We have heard the evidence against you, and are about to reach our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgement?"
"Only," Bagam said, smiling awkwardly, "Well, I know I've been a bit of an idiot."
Mr Crouch glared down at Bagman, several people around them however smiled fondly at him.
"You never spoke a truer word, boy." Moody muttered, "If I didn't know he'd always been dim, I'd have said some of those Bludgers had permanently affected his brain!"
"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information to Lord Voldemort's supporters." said Mr Crouch, "For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Azkabam lasting no less than..."
There was an angry outcry from around the room. Some wizards even went so far as to stand up and shake their fists at Mr Crouch. Bagman was clearly well liked, even now, even after he'd been giving information to Voldemort.
"But I've told you! I had no idea!" Bagman shouted over the cries from the crowd, his eyes wide, "None at all! Old Rookwood was a friend of my dad's… never crossed my mind he was in with You-know-who! I though I was collecting information for our side! And Rookwood kept talking about getting me a job in the Ministry later on… once my Quidditch days are over, you know! I mean, I can't keep gettting hit by Bludgers for the rest of my life, can I?"
Mr Crouch looked very unmoved by what Bagman was saying, "It will be put to the vote." he turned to the right side of the dungeon, "The jury will please raise their hands, those in favour of imprisonment..."
Harry looked over, not a single person raised their hands. The room erupted in large cheers, Mr Crouch looked, stony faced at the jury, as though they had betrayed him personally.
One of the witches in the jury slowly stood up and coughed nervously to get Mr Crouch's attention.
"Yes?" snapped Crouch.
"We'd just like to congratulate Mr Bagman on his splendid performance for England in the Quidditch match against Turkey last Saturday." the witch blushed.
Mr Crouch slammed his papers down while the rest of the hall cheered loudly. Ludo actually got up and gave a small bow.
"Despicable." Mr Crouch spat towards Dumbledore, falling into a chair, "Rookwood get him a job indeed. The day Ludo Bagman joins us will be a very sad day for the Ministry..."
The room faded again, this time they were not in the dungeon but in a large, open office.
A smart looking house plant sat on the desk along with three quills sitting in a perfect row, and three pots of ink in blue, black and red. Two trays, labelled in and out, the in one had only a single piece of parchment and the out, filled up, each piece of parchment perfectly lined up.
Harry looked around the room. Narcissa Malfoy was sitting in one of the chairs, she looked tired and pale, slimmer than she was even now.
Mr Crouch was also sitting in the room, on the other side of the desk. Harry sat down next to Dumbledore, who was also sitting opposite the desk with Narcissa and several people who Harry didn't recognise by name.
Moody was standing there, growling and leaning heavily on his walking stick, although it looked a lot newer.
"Lady Malfoy I understand what you are saying but this plot is evidence of their guilt!" Mr Crouch said, holding up several letters, the Lestrange crest showed clearly on several of them.
"She wouldn't do something like this." Narcissa insisted, "She has been cleared of every other charge and this, it's not even a real charge, just that you think they might have done something, possibly, maybe, there is no proof! Frank and Alice Longbottom are fine."
"But it is true that Bellatrix Lestrange held contempt for Alice and Frank, we have it on record that she was rejected by Frank and that's why she married Lestrange in the first place." a man to the side of Dumbledore said, "Hell hath no furry and all that."
Narcissa sat up a little straighter, "Bellatrix never wanted to marry Frank Longbottom, pure-blood marriages are complicated things, you wouldn't understand."
The man to the side sneered and muttered something under his breath, Harry couldn't hear what he said but he knew it wasn't nice.
"Pure-blood marriages didn't called us all hear today." Mr Crouch said, "There have been four named, we have letters from all of them. Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange and… and Bartemius Crouch Junior."
There was a loud sob from a frail looking women tucked in the corner of the room.
Crouch ignored her, "These persons have been accused of plotting to use the unforgivable curses in order to extract information on the where abouts of Lord Voldemort. Intended targets were Frank and Alice Longbottom, both Aurors for the Ministry."
"Why?" Narcissa asked, "Why would they need to 'extract' information from anyon? Lily Potter has been more than forth coming in telling everyone what happened!"
"This information has been carefully gathered by highly skilled Aurors." Moody said.
"Yes, it's not like they've ever gotten anything wrong before!" Narcissa snapped.
"We mean no offence Lady Malfoy." Mr Crouch said, rubbing his forehead, "We all know that mistakes have been made, and that you have been a victim of those mistakes."
"Bellatrix may be… well she can be… she wouldn't do something like this, and writing letters is no crime!" Narcissa said, "No matter what you put in them."
Dumbledore nodded his head, "Many have put down in writing what they plan to do, many more have put down things that are nothing more than fantasy. We cannot take everything on paper as the truth."
"We don't even know if the people accused wrote those letters." Narcissa pointed out.
Mr Crouch turned around, digging his finger nails into the desk.
"Of course." he muttered, "Tara," he turned to a witch sitting towards the back of the room, behind Harry, and holding a large file, "Do we have enough evidence to take this to trial?"
Tara looked through everything and shook her head, "No sir, the only evidence we have is the letters and with the testimony from Lady Malfoy, I don't think we even have enough to arrest them. Not such high ranking members of society."
Mr Crouch rubbed his head again, "Very well. Case dismissed."
"I think it's time we were back in my office. Don't you Harry?" Dumbledore asked.