Chapter Seven
Lily was waiting outside, clutching at Danica's shoulder, holding her tightly against her legs.
"We need a Miss Danica Snape." Percy said.
"You know who I am." Danica said, loudly and with a look of disgust on her face, Percy looking rather embarrassed.
Lily picked Danica up and stepped though the door, breathing a sigh of relief and hurrying over to Harry. Danica wriggled free of Lily's arms and onto Harry's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hey." Harry said, hugging her back as best as he could with Lily also hugging him tightly.
"Are you all right?" Lily asked, looking over him.
Harry nodded, "As well as I can be. Fudge seems to have it in for me." he whispered in her ear.
"Excuse me." Fudge said loudly, more than a slight edge of annoyance in his voice, "Can we be getting on?"
Dumbledore stood up and lifted Danica onto his chair, conjuring new ones for himself and Lily.
"Can you state your full name please." Fudge said, looking down at Danica.
Harry was not at all happy with how Fudge was glaring at his little sister.
"Danica Rose James Snape." Danica said, glaring back at Fudge, not a bit afraid of the stupid looking old man.
"And you are Harry Potter's half sister?" Fudge asked.
"No." Danica said, stubbornly, "I'm his sister. I'm not half a person!"
There was a small chuckle of laughter around the room.
Danica pulled at the end of one of her plaits, looking very cute and innocent, "But we do have different Daddies if that's what you mean."
Fudge coughed, "And you were there when Harry produced the Patronus Charm?"
Danica nodded, "I think so."
"What do you mean you 'think' so?" Fudge demanded.
Madam Bones looked rather unhappily at him, "What the Minister means is what did you see?"
Danica took a deep breath, "We were in the park talking and… it went weird. It got all cold and I felt funny. I didn't want ice cream any more!"
There was another small ripple of laughter.
"Harry said we needed to go to Mummy and ran with me out of the park. We were near the shop when a big black thing came along, like swoop!" Danica said, throwing her hands down to show the swooping, "I felt like crying, everything was bad and was always going to be bad. Harry told me to run and I did. I could feel one of the swoopy things chasing me but it went away."
"Thank you Danica, you may go." Madam Bones said, with a small smile.
Lily showed Danica to the door, leaving her with Arthur Weasley before coming back over to Harry.
"A child?" Fudge scoffed, slightly annoyed that someone else had dismissed the witness, "Not the most convincing of witnesses."
"I would say that she described what a Dementor attack is like very well." Madam Bones pointed out, "Especially considering her age."
"Yes but Dementors just wondering into London and finding the boy? I don't think even Bagman would bet on those odds..." Fudge scoffed.
Dumbledore stood and smiled slightly, "I don't think that any of us here believe that the Dementors were there by mistake."
The room was suddenly very quiet, the witch on the other side of Dumbledore from Madam Bones moved slightly but didn't say anything.
"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?" Fudge asked, coldly.
"It means, that I think they were ordered there." Dumbledore said simply.
Fudge looked down at them furiously, "I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of Dementors to go wondering around London!" he barked.
"Not if the Dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic these days." Dumbledore suggested, "I have already given you my views on this matter, Cornelius."
Fudge slammed his papers down, "Yes you have, and I have never heard such a load of… bilge, Dumbledore. The Dementors remain in place at Azkaban, doing everything we ask them to."
"Then it was someone at the Ministry who sent Dementors after my fourteen year old son and six year old daughter!" Lily snapped, taking a small step forward.
Harry did wonder for a moment, how many of the Wizengamot members his mother would be able to take out before they took her down, Fudge would certainly be dead, and he didn't hold much hope for at least ten or fifteen of the others.
Attacking the Ministry, however, wasn't going to help anything and Lily knew that.
The witch to the right of Fudge moved forward, she was thick and flabby and looked a lot like a toad with a bow in it's hair. He was very glad that Danica had left the room, she would most definitely be laughing at the woman's odd appearance which also wouldn't help the situation.
"The Chair recognises Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Under-secretary to the Minister." Said Fudge, looking almost fondly at her.
"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you Professor Dumbledore, Mrs Snape," the witch said, she spoke with an annoying, put on girlish voice and simpered on every other word, "So silly of me. But is sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry had ordered an attack on this boy and his sister!"
Harry wanted to slap her. She was one of those people where everything about her was annoying and the stupid tinkly laugh she gave out made the hair on the back of Harry's neck prickle painfully.
"No," Dumbledore said slowly, "Apart from anything else I believe that Danica was not the intended target, she was simply in the way. However there was and attack on Harry. IfTwo Dementors attacked Harry and his sister, just under two weeks ago, then it follows logically that somebody at the Ministry might have ordered the attacks, if you insist that the Dementors are only taking orders from the Ministry." Said Dumbledore calmly, "Of course, these particular Dementors may have been outside Ministry control…"
Fudge slammed his hand down on the wooden banister in front of him, turning bright red, "There are no Dementors outside Ministry control!"
Dumbledore didn't say anything but simply gave Fudge a small bow, "Then undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why two Dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorisation."
"It is not for you to tell me what the Ministry of Magic does or does not do!" Fudge snapped.
Dumbledore smiled, "Of course it isn't, I was merely expressing my confidence that this matter will not go un-investigated." He looked at Madam Bones who frowned slightly.
"I would also like to know the results of this investigation." Lily said, quickly.
"We are not here to discuss the behaviour of these Dementors, although I believe they are little more than figments of this boys imagination, we are here to discuss the boys crimes!" Fudge said loudly.
Dumbledore nodded, "Of course we are, quite right, but the presence of Dementors are highly relevant. Clause Seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before muggles in exceptional circumstances, and those exceptional circumstances include situation which threaten the life of the wizard or witch him or herself, or any witches, wizards or muggles present at the time of the-"
"We are familiar with Clause Seven, thank you very much!" Fudge snarled.
"And you have heard from eye witnesses that there were, in fact, Dementors there and attacking although we don't yet know why-" Dumbledore said.
"I still do not believe that there were Dementors." Fudge sniffed.
"Are you publicly calling my children liars?" Lily demanded, "Because if you were to make such a claim, I would sorely hope you have proof."
Fudge glared down at her, he was a shade of red that Uncle Vernon would have been proud with, "Lily please I-"
"If you wish to question either Danica or Harry further I'm sure they would be willing." Dumbledore said calmly.
"We don't have time for that!" Fudge spat, "I want this dealt with."
"We all want this dealt with, Cornelius." Dumbledore said, "But I will remind you, as I did on the night of the twenty eighth that you do not have the power to expel students from Hogwarts."
"And that reminds me!" Fudge said, sitting forwards, "His behaviour at Hogwarts!"
"The Ministry has no business at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said.
"No business!" Fudge gasped, "Not our business? You really think so?"
Dumbledore calmly ignored him, "The Ministry also doesn't have the power to confiscate wands until the proper hearing has taken place, which I also reminded you of on the night of the twenty eighth."
"Laws can be changed!" Fudge bellowed.
"Of course they can." Dumbledore said, "And you certainly seem to be making many changes. Why in the few weeks since I was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of under age magic!"
There was an uncomfortable murmur around the room, Fudge turned an even deeper shade of red while the toad-like witch glared down at Dumbledore without moving.
"I think we are ready to reach our verdict." Madam Bones said, "Unless there is anyone who would like to examine any more evidence?"
She looked to Fudge but he remained quiet for a moment, "Very well, very well." he choked.
Harry looked down at his feet for a second, his heart thumping in his chest before looking back up at the Wizengamot, fixing his eyes just above Fudge's head.
"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" Madam Bones said clearly.
More than half the hands went up, and Harry took a deep breath.
"And those in favour of conviction?" she finished.
Fudge raised his hand, as did a few others, including the toad witch. Fudge glanced around him, looking with a mixture of disgust and betrayal.
He coughed slightly, "Very well, very well, cleared of all charges."
"Excellent." said Dumbledore, springing to his feet and vanishing the chairs he'd made, "Well I must be getting on. Lily, I will see you soon. Good day to you all."
Harry watched as Dumbledore swept from the room without even looking at him.
"Professor…" Harry said, "I was hoping to have a word."
Dumbledore didn't stop though, he didn't even look back just swept from the room without another word.
He had been ignoring Harry all summer; there had been a few times that he had been round to Grimmauld Place and it might as well have been that Harry wasn't in the room.
"Mum… is he mad at me?" Harry asked, as Lily guided him from the room, "Because of Cedric or something?"
Lily shook her head, "No, no of course not. There's just a lot going on right now is all. He doesn't blame you, no one does."
Harry wanted to be comforted by her words but he knew there was something up, he wasn't stupid after all.
"Come on Harry, lets go." Lily said, pulling him up gently from under his arms.
Harry stood up from the chained chair and followed his mother towards the door they'd come in from. Danica was sitting on the floor just outside with Arthur, playing what looked like a very overly complex thumb wrestling game. Harry suspected that Danica was making up the rules as she went along to make sure she won.
"How did it go?" Arthur asked, jumping to his feet.
"Well, I get to go back to school, and keep my wand." Harry said, forcing a smile. He should have been happy, he knew that, but Dumbledore's cold treatment of him was spinning around his mind and blocking out the majority of the relief he should have been feeling.
"He did very well." Lily said, pulling Danica to her feet and holding on tightly to her hand, "I think it's time I got these two home. You never know, Kreacher might of made a treacle tart." she smiled.
Harry grinned and nodded, even a home filled with Weasleys seemed like a brilliant idea right now.