Warnings for this chapter: (Memories of) torture.
42. TURN ON THE LIGHT
"Order in the courtroom!" Fudge finally called, his voice cracking a little. "Everyone be seated."
Most of them were already seated of course, except Dumbledore, who was still greeting people left and right, as if this was a mere social gathering. At Fudge's proclamation he waved at a few more wizards and witches and then finally sank down into his seat. Holly didn't turn away quick enough to avoid his eye, a frighteningly bright smile spreading over his face.
"Holly, my dear girl, it's so good to see you again," he exclaimed, much too loudly, making as if to rise from his chair again.
"Please don't address my client," Damian interjected sternly, and Dumbledore raised his hands in mock surrender before neatly folding them on the table in front of him. With one last smile at Holly, he then turned to the Minster of Magic offering him his most attentive mien.
Fudge nervously cleared his throat, shuffling through some papers before he abruptly declared, "The trial of this sixteenth of December will be presided by Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in her capacity as Acting Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot."
"Thank you, Minister," Madam Bones replied, stepping up to the smaller, slightly raised desk between Dumbledore's table and the table of the Ministry, smoothing down her crinkle-free black robes. "The trial will address the breach of the peace contract, signed into effect on the eighteenth July of this year between the parties here present and broken on the thirty-first of October due to the violent attack on Holly Jay Potter. The Wizengamot and I myself are here in an advisory capacity and to weigh in on the Ministry's verdict; the final decision will be taken by the signatory parties."
She looked around the room, giving Holly a tiny, encouraging smile as she met her gaze, and then continued, "Pursuant to the motion submitted by Mrs. Potter's counsel and upon agreement by the other parties, these proceedings will be closed to the public and all here present shall further be advised that I have classified them under the highest level of secrecy and that no details regarding must be divulged to any third party, up to but not limited to representatives of the press."
She cleared her throat. "Before we call the first witness, I understand you wish to submit another motion, Mr. Lojack?"
"Yes, Madam Chair, thank you," Damian said, rising to his feet. "Mrs. Potter respectfully requests that the restriction on her use of magic, in accordance with the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, be lifted for the duration of these proceedings."
"We have no objections, Madam Chair," Nott offered swiftly, also standing up. "Lady Potter has been taking on the responsibilities of an adult for far longer than she should have had to. It is well past time, that she received the corresponding rights as well."
"Of course, but may I ask why?" Madam Bones asked with a delicate crinkling of her forehead.
"Following the advice of her healer, Mrs. Potter will not submit to questioning. However, we understand that there're still some questions the other parties might wish Mrs. Potter to answer," Damian said, ignoring the murmurs that broke out around the room. "She is thus prepared to offer memory testimony where appropriate. That is, if she is freed from the restriction of using magic."
"The spell to project one's memories to a room is quite advanced," Madam Bones replied. "We'd be happy to provide a Pensieve…"
"Thank you. But I can do the spell and I don't want… I don't want to use a Pensieve," Holly finished, trailing off weakly. Using a Pensieve, taking one of the memories from her head, would rip a hole in her mind and she was afraid that all the other memories would crash down into it, drowning her and destroying her feeble Occlumency shields. She couldn't do that.
"The Ministry has no objections to waiving the restrictions in this particular case," Fudge spoke up as several Ministry wizards and witches murmured their agreement.
"Neither do I," Dumbledore proclaimed brightly and Holly had to force herself not to flinch back. She wasn't sure she managed.
"So agreed. The motion is granted," Madam Bones declared. "Now, if there are no further motions or preliminary matters, I shall call Auror Robards, who led the investigation, as a witness."
The Auror in question, one of the three wizards who had escorted Dumbledore into the courtroom, stepped forward and after a respectful nod to Madam Bones, sat down at the small table to Holly's left.
"Please state your name for the record," Madam Bones asked.
"Gawain Octavius Robards," the Auror stated clearly, his posture and demeanour upright and confident.
"Thank you, Auror Robards," Madam Bones replied. "Your report has been made available to the contract parties and the Wizengamot, but perhaps I could ask you to summarise your findings before addressing any open questions."
"Yes, ma'am," Robards agreed, clearing his throat and taking a moment to order his thoughts and the rolls of parchment he had brought with him. "As Madam Bones already stated I led the team of Aurors charged with investigating the attack on Mrs. Potter. Our findings are supported by the evidence collected on the scene of the crime, witness statements and interviews, Mrs. Potter's medical records and Reverse Spells performed on the wands of Bellatrix Black and Albus Dumbledore. However, please be advised that there're still some unknowns.
"This is what we were able to establish: On the thirty-first of October, at approximately half past eleven in the morning, Mrs. Potter was abducted from a corridor on the fourth floor in the western part of Hogwarts Castle. She was knocked unconscious from behind and taken to the so-called Chamber of Secrets where she was restrained and subjected to torture by Bellatrix Black."
It didn't feel real. She had lived through that. But she still couldn't connect it to Robards' factual report of what had happened. And it wasn't that Robards was cold or indifferent. He wasn't. He was just professional.
"At 11:53, Mrs. Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, and her husband, Tom Riddle, were alerted that something was amiss by the respective Monitoring Spells they had placed on a charm bracelet Mrs. Potter was accustomed to wearing," Robards continued, referring to his notes. "They contacted each other over the Floo network and raised the alarm. The Ministry and the Auror Department were alerted by Lucius Malfoy at 12:01."
Robards continued by giving an overview of the concerted search efforts that had ensued, referring to Appendix G of his report for the full list of properties that had been searched and people that had been questioned by the Auror corps and the Death Eaters and Order members that had also tried to find her.
"At approximately a quarter after one, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts, entered the Chamber of Secrets by means of an enchanted snake figurine. After a thorough search of the Chamber, they reached the hall where Mrs. Potter was being held and encountered there also the Dark witch Bellatrix Black. Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore agreed in their statements that Professor Snape hastened to Mrs. Potter's side and administered first aid whilst the headmaster engaged Mrs. Black in a duel and tried to contain her.
"According to Professor Snape, Ms. Black had been disarmed and fully immobilised when the headmaster instructed him to take Mrs. Potter to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing."
He paused briefly, but then continued, skipping to when Snape had brought her to the Hospital Wing and contacted the Auror Headquarters again.
"My team and I had been coordinating the search of the Hogwarts grounds and once alerted of this new development, reached the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets at 15:49. We found the entrance closed and unopenable and thus were unable to proceed at that point. We instead made our way to the Hospital Wing. On route, we encountered the headmaster, who was also directed towards the infirmary and who informed us that there was no haste in reaching the Chamber as he had been forced to kill Bellatrix Black in self-defence."
Murmurs broke out in the courtroom again, several members of the Wizengamot putting their heads together or exchanging looks. Holly wasn't sure what to make of it and before she could figure it out, Robards had already continued.
"As is standard protocol in these situations, I asked Professor Dumbledore to hand in his wand for examination. He refused, but given my own risk assessment and the credible assumption that Bellatrix Black, a known and convicted Death Eater, had acted on behest of Mr. Riddle, I did not insist on the issue at that point."
Holly saw Tom grimace in distaste, but honestly, she couldn't blame Robards for making that decision. If Tom had truly been behind everything, she would have wanted Dumbledore and his wand on her side as well.
Robards then described what had happened when they had reached the Hospital Wing, the different versions of events he had been presented with, pointing out Tom's willingness to submit to questioning under Veritaserum and an examination of his wand while Dumbledore had proven less cooperative.
Holly couldn't quite hide her surprise when he mentioned that Neville had been the one to put Dumbledore out of commission with a well-timed Stunner, turning to her godfather with a question in her eyes.
Sirius flashed her a grin. "It's true. Surprised everyone, including himself, I bet. You have some great friends, pup."
"I really do," Holly agreed in a whisper, managing a smile when Sirius squeezed her around the shoulders. "Do you think there's a card for something like this?"
"I'm sure we can think of something," Sirius replied with another grin, keeping her distracted with possible designs and clever words for a thank you card to Neville while Robards summarised what they had found down in the Chamber of Secrets.
She started paying attention again when Robards came to what he and his team had established as the most likely course of events that day.
"Our interview with Mr. Riddle that day and the follow-up interview we scheduled on the eighth of November raised no red flags and indeed managed to dispel most of our initial doubts and suspicions," Robards said. "We noted, however, some key differences in the statement given by Professor Snape, also under Veritaserum, and the answers provided by Headmaster Dumbledore during his formal interview at the Ministry of Magic. Namely with regards to the question of whether Ms. Black was at any point fully disarmed and contained and could still feasibly pose a threat that needed to be eliminated by lethal force."
Holly cast a quick glance in Dumbledore's direction, wondering if she would read any regret on his face for ending Bellatrix' life. But Dumbledore had leaned comfortably back in his chair, his hands folded in front of him and a relaxed smile playing around his lips. She hastily turned away again.
Robards went into some detail about two very similar snake figurines, modified with the same Recording Spell, one of which had been used by Dumbledore to gain access to the Chamber, while the other had been removed from Bellatrix' things by Snape and handed in as evidence, and the Reverse Spell evidence gathered from Bellatrix' and Dumbledore's wands.
"Headmaster Dumbledore did not agree to the use of Veritaserum to verify his account of events, citing security concerns. Instead he provided us with his memory of the final altercation with Ms. Black," Robards said, pausing for a few seconds. "The memory was incomplete, however, and thus could not be admitted as evidence. Headmaster Dumbledore suggested that this was due to a Dark curse used by Bellatrix Black against him."
Robards paused again, shuffling through his papers before pushing all of them slightly to the side. "Some aspects of the case remain as yet unclear: We could not establish with satisfactory certainty whether Ms. Black's death was an act of self-defence; likewise, we were unable to confirm how exactly she entered Hogwarts Castle or how she came to be in possession of the second snake figurine that very probably allowed her to gain access to the Chamber of Secrets. It seems likely, however, that she had inside help."
He stopped there, his last sentence hanging in the air with all its ugly implications. Murmurs broke out again, though Madam Bones quickly called everyone to order again.
"Thank you, Auror Robards," she said. "We appreciate your and your team's assistance in this delicate matter. Are there any questions for the witness?"
"Yes, with your permission, Madam Chair?" Nott said, rising to his feet before anyone else could speak up. "Mr. Robards, in the course of your investigation, did you find any indication that my client had planned, orchestrated, incited or in any way supported Ms. Black's attack on his wife?"
"No, we did not," Robards replied evenly. "Other than their previous, long-standing association."
"Hm. And would you say that my client was cooperative?"
"Yes."
"Could you give us some examples?"
"He volunteered to give his statement under Veritaserum. Provided his wand for examination. Gave us leave to search his castle and his quarters at Hogwarts," Robards answered after a short hesitation.
"I see, and referring to those examples, what assistance did Dumbledore offer?"
"We were able to examine -"
Nott interrupted him. "Excuse me, but that was not my question. I want to know if Dumbledore volunteered to submit to questioning under Veritaserum; if he agreed to hand in his wand for examination; if he invited you to search his personal quarters or his office."
"No, he did not," Robards replied.
"Thank you, Auror Robards." Nott nodded in satisfaction, ignoring the uneasy shifting in the room. "Now, just one last question: What was your impression of the headmaster when you encountered him on your way to the Hospital Wing?"
Robards paused for much longer than for any of the previous questions before he finally said just one word. "Unhurried."
Dumbledore chuckled into the uncomfortable silence. "My dear boy, when you get to be my age, 'unhurried' is often the only available pace."
"Holly was in the hospital, tortured within an inch of her life. We didn't know if she would survive," Sirius snapped before Damian could rein him in. "And you… what? Meandered through the castle day-dreaming about what a beautiful service you could arrange for her funeral?"
"Sirius, please," Holly whispered. "Let's just get through this."
"I was worried sick about her, Sirius, and truthfully I still am. I'm afraid that you have allowed yourself to be blinded to the truth, my dear boy, and that you are putting Holly in a position to be hurt again," Dumbledore said gravely.
"She wouldn't have been hurt in the first place if you hadn't invited that fucking bitch to have a go at her!" Sirius retorted loudly, his hands clenched so tightly that the skin around his knuckles turned white. Holly had to turn away from the sight, feeling sick even through the pleasant calm of Snape's potion.
"Mr. Black, please refrain from using such language in my courtroom," Madam Bones admonished him, her grey brows pinched together in disapproval.
"Sorry," Sirius said, not sounding overly sorry at all, still glaring at Dumbledore as if he hoped that he would catch on fire.
"Perhaps we could move on," Damian suggested. "If I may?"
"Please," Madam Bones said, waving for him to go ahead and ask his questions.
"Thank you. Now, Mr. Robards, I understand that you found two snake figurines in the course of your investigation. Is that correct?"
"Yes, one was recovered from the Chamber of Secrets by Professor Snape while the other was found on Headmaster Dumbledore's person when he was taken in for questioning," Robards replied. "We verified that both could be used to open the entrance to the Chamber."
"May I see them?" Holly asked, forcing herself not to shrink away when all eyes turned to her.
"I don't see why not," Robards replied, motioning to one of his colleagues.
The Auror reached for a large suitcase that had been stuffed underneath one of the benches, heaving it onto the bench and popping it open. After a bit of rummaging, he emerged with two small gauze bags that each contained a delicate glass figurine. He handed them over to Damian, who was closest, who in turn handed them down to Holly.
"Can I open these?" Holly asked, fiddling with the drawstrings when Robards nodded.
The first figurine, when she let it drop into her hand, felt heavier than she had imagined, and very cold as if the inside of the Aurors' suitcase had been equipped with a permanent Freezing Charm. She stared down at it, traced the curls of the tiny body with her finger.
"How does it work?" she asked.
"Loquere," Snape told her and she nodded, drawing her wand and tapping gently against the snake's head as she said the spell.
The figurine hissed out a few strings of words in Parseltongue, the glass twisting unnaturally in her hands so that she almost dropped it.
"That's not Tom's voice," she said, carefully placing the figurine down. "And it's cut off, mid-sentence, mid-word."
"The headmaster told us that he had used that figurine to record Mr. Riddle's snake," Robards told her, looking at her with a little too much interest for her liking.
She hummed non-committedly and then reached for the second figurine, tapping it with her wand again. "It's exactly the same."
"And as I explained to these fine gentlemen at length, Holly, I suspect that someone broke into my office and made this second copy you now hold in your hands," Dumbledore said, in a tone of voice of someone who was being very reasonable indeed.
"It's not a copy, though, is it, Auror Robards?" Nott interjected, standing up again. "I think you mentioned earlier that these figurines had both been enchanted with the same Recording Spell, which to me implies that neither one of them is a copy. Or is there some error in my reasoning?"
"According to our analysis both these figurines are originals," Robards answered. "Though we were unable to confirm until now that the Parseltongue was the same."
"It is," Holly said again, sliding the second little snake also back into its pouch and then pushing both of them over to Damian, who handed them back to the Auror.
She looked up to meet Tom's gaze. He smiled at her, soft and encouraging, and then grimaced with a tiny shrug. Maybe one day they would be able to laugh about this, about the absurd way the recording had been cut, truncating Nagini's hiss of Salazar Slytherin's name until it almost turned into an insult. But not today.
"Thank you," Damian said and then turned back to Robards. "And thank you also for your very detailed report. Though I was wondering whether you questioned any of the portraits at the site of abduction. I was given to understand that there're quite a few of those at Hogwarts."
"We did, of course," Robards said. "Unfortunately, though, they had no useful information. The occupants of the portraits in that corridor had been told to evacuate earlier that day. Apparently, the custodian, a Mr. Argus Filch, was going to use a particularly strong Cleaning Solution on a stubborn trail of slime on the floor that would have been harmful for them."
"And do we know if that was just an unlucky coincidence or if someone planned it that way?" Damian inquired.
"Both are possibilities. But as far as we could ascertain, no-one knew that Mrs. Potter would be walking along that corridor. And Mr. Filch confirmed that he had made several previous cleaning attempts on that stain so we don't believe that he was involved."
"Who knew that the portraits would not be in their frames?" Damian asked next.
"Mr. Filch stated that Professor Snape had provided him with the Cleaning Solution the evening before," Robards answered and Holly tensed as several heads swivelled to look at the Potions Master. "And that he had informed the headmaster, as was his practise whenever something like this occurred."
The heads swivelled back again, turning to the headmaster instead, and Holly relaxed a little. But she still wished that Damian had never brought up that line of questioning. It seemed all so pointless to her and in a way it was. The way Tom, Damian and the others had explained it to her, the consequences for a breach of a magical contract were decided not by a court of law, but by the magic imbued in the very parchment it was written on. They had all four made a vow on their magic and so their magic would decide how to rectify that betrayal.
But the thing was, their magic wasn't a sentient entity and it didn't have a secret knowledge of the truth. It was still bound to them, to their beliefs and convictions, and that was why they had to go through this farce of a trial. Fudge might still cast his vote, his magic, against Tom and then it would be two against two. Holly hadn't asked what consequences that would have; she hadn't needed to to understand that they wouldn't be good, for any of them.
So all of this was mostly for Fudge's benefit, and maybe a little for the other members of the Wizengamot, to show them that Tom wasn't the villain they had so long thought him to be. And Dumbledore probably expected that he could still change the current, that he would be able to convince everyone, including Holly, of his version of events. She wasn't looking forward to that; it made her sick just thinking about it. Because she knew the truth, and she would feel it, too.
Damian had continued with his questions, asking Robards about specific parts of his report, such as the incident the day before the attack when Sirius had hurt his hand and Dumbledore had intervened and possible obtained a sample of his blood.
Dumbledore heaved a sigh. "If I may interject here?" He didn't wait for a reply. "If memory serves Sirius also visited Holly more than once in Slytherin Castle – a castle populated by Death Eaters, including Bellatrix, and a small army of house-elves all loyal to their master, Lord Voldemort. And after all, this wouldn't be the first time you placed your trust in the wrong person or underestimated the capabilities of these servile little creatures, Sirius."
Holly sucked in a harsh breath as Sirius' anger slammed into her, leaving her almost dizzy.
"Do you have a question for the witness?" Madam Bones asked with an unamused scowl on her face.
"Not a question, merely an observation, Amelia," Dumbledore replied easily.
"Then perhaps you'll allow Mr. Lojack to continue without any further interruptions," she retorted, making it very clear that it wasn't a suggestion.
"My apologies, Amelia, but I find myself on unfamiliar territory with these proceedings. I never imagined that yet again, I would have to convince so many of my friends and colleagues not to give in to Lord Voldemort's manipulations." He sounded contrite, pained, tired and some of the Wizengamot shifted uncomfortably. Holly almost believed him, too, but she was also struck with how familiarly he addressed everyone, from Madam Bones over Sirius to herself, and yet had now twice referred to Tom by his old moniker as if to remind everyone just whom they were dealing with. There was manipulation at play, no doubt.
"You waived the right to have your own legal counsel present," Madam Bones reminded him sternly. "You insisted on representing yourself, in fact, and after your long tenure as Chief Warlock, I should think that the workings of this court should be well familiar to you. Mr. Lojack, if you would like to proceed?"
"Thank you, Madam Chair, I have just one more line of questioning, actually," Damian took up again, inclining his head respectfully at her. "Auror Robards, if I may, you mentioned earlier that the memory testimony by Mr. Dumbledore was not admissible due to its lack of completeness, is that correct?"
"That is correct."
"And I also understand that Mr. Dumbledore's explanation for this was a curse by Ms. Black."
"Yes."
"Did he say which curse specifically he thought responsible?"
"I don't believe so," Robards answered after a short hesitation.
"But are there curses that could impact one's memory?" Damian followed up.
"Of course, there're a number of curses, as well as some spells, that can alter or erase someone's memory," Robards explained.
"And were you able to identify any such curse or spell when you examined Ms. Black's wand?"
"No, none of the magic we revealed through the use of Priori Incantatem is likely to cause such an effect."
"I see. And are there other possible explanations for the incompleteness of the memory testimony provided by Mr. Dumbledore?" Damian asked again, not even sparing a glance towards the headmaster, who had cleared his throat as if readying himself for another interruption.
"There're of course spells or potions one might use on oneself to obscure or erase certain memories, but we did not find any evidence of those," Robards said and Dumbledore leaned back with a satisfied little smile. "Besides that, well, our experts confirmed that it is also quite possible for a skilled Occlumens to exclude selected aspects of a memory when providing testimony."
"And is Mr. Dumbledore a skilled Occlumens?" Damian demanded, raising his voice slightly to make himself heard over the new outbreak of murmurs and whispers.
"I believe so," Robards replied, tapping his fingers on the papers in front of him, just once.
Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "And as I have tried to explain to my esteemed colleagues in the Ministry, I use Occlumency to order my thoughts, not to modify or erase memories." He chuckled, twinkling at some of those esteemed colleagues. "And if it is the Ministry's position that any skilled Occlumens can alter their mind at will, well, then surely, it would be most unwise to hinge all these twisted accusations on the testimonies of Severus Snape and Voldemort, both of whom are expert Occlumens."
"And both of whom testified under Veritaserum," Nott cut in scornfully, throwing Tom a quick sideway glance as if to tell his Dark Lord to let him handle this.
"Just to clarify, Auror Robards, do you have any reason to doubt the veracity of the statements provided by Professor Snape or Professor Riddle?" Damian asked.
"No," the Auror replied. "As Mr. Nott just pointed out, both statements were given under Veritaserum and are substantiated by the evidence we gathered as well as other witness statements."
"Ah, of course. And no doubt you have considered that Severus is an accomplished Potions Master and Voldemort a master of manipulation," Dumbledore replied rather cheerfully.
"You're very generous with your compliments when it suits you. But that doesn't change the fact that everyone else would have to be lying to lend any plausibility to what you claim as truth," Tom retorted with acid calm.
Nott cleared his throat rather pointedly and Holly threw Tom a pleading look, hoping that he would remember his promise to her to keep his temper in check. Tom sighed soundlessly when he caught her eyes and then sent her a rueful smile, mouthing an apology.
"And this shiny, new façade of yours will never be enough to cover all the horrors you committed in the past," Dumbledore replied, more sharply than he had before. "Holly has borne the mark of your hatred ever since she was a baby, has suffered and escaped from your attacks throughout her childhood. And now you want us to believe that you would never even think of harming her?"
"We're not here to discuss any of the events prior to the signing of the peace contract," Nott interjected hastily, trying to quieten the gathered witches and wizards before their murmuring and whispering could gain further traction. Holly didn't think he had much success and her head started spinning as the sentiments suddenly shifted, not in intensity or intent but in direction. She threw Sirius a pleading look.
Sirius sighed before straightening up and raising his voice enough to drown out even the most indiscreet members of the Wizengamot, "Yes, let's leave the past in the past, shall we? Otherwise we'd have a quite a few more scores to settle, Dumbledore."
He bit the name out like a dog snapping for a bone, teeth-bared. It was certainly not the release of tension Holly had hoped for.
But Madam Bones intervened, calling for order in the courtroom again and asking Fudge and Dumbledore if they had any questions for Mr. Robards.
"Oh no, thank you, Amelia. I found the report sufficiently enlightening," Dumbledore said, beaming again. "Very thorough indeed. Perhaps the only thing missing was a statement from Holly – but of course it's clear why certain elements in this room would wish to silence her…"
Holly furrowed her brow, but in confusion rather than in anger, instinctively glancing over to the female Auror, Veracity Valgard, who gave her a small smile and a nod just as Robards spoke up again.
"Mrs. Potter did in fact give her statement," he said. "She was able to answer our questions in an interview conducted by my colleague Auror Vangard. It was a short interview, given Mrs. Potter's fragile health, but the information provided by her was essential in reconstructing the progression of events."
"I don't believe I saw that in the report, Auror Robards," Fudge commented after a quick, whispered exchange with the wizard next to him.
"Mrs. Potter's counsel requested that we exclude the transcript due to the sensitive nature of the discussed topics," Robards answered.
"My client has a right to her privacy, even if that has too often been trampled underfoot in the past," Damian added. "And as I explained to Auror Robards, we have no objection to the inclusion of the information discussed or his and his team's findings in his report. The exact wording and any incidental details that might have been recorded about Mrs. Potter's demeanour during the interview should be irrelevant."
"I'm afraid I have to disagree," Dumbledore spoke up, sending Damian an amiable smile. "I believe it is highly relevant to know who might have influenced Holly when she was giving her statement."
"Holly was accompanied only by her mind healer," Vangard replied rather sharply before her team leader could field the question. "A Muggle woman whose identity and credentials we verified before the interview. And she didn't influence Holly's answers – merely tried to offer her support and keep her calm."
"Ah, and perhaps Holly took a Calming Draught as well?" Dumbledore asked slyly. "No doubt prepared by Severus?"
Holly felt sick just remembering the taste of that Calming Draught, the sudden numbing of her fears that had left her feeling hollow before the calming effects had washed away seemingly just as quickly, like rain washing away paint that had not yet dried, in cloudy streaks and soggy trails. She felt sick, too, at the insinuation, at the cold calculation with which Dumbledore was trying to discredit the Potions Master. She looked over to her Professor, understanding only too well how it would look that Snape had chosen to take his seat at Tom's side. If Dumbledore's ploy was successful, if he managed to cast doubt on Snape's credibility and integrity, it would be only a very small step for people to start to believe that the known spy had finally picked a side.
Snape caught her gaze with his own inscrutable, black eyes and then shook his head ever so slightly. Holly wasn't sure what he meant, exactly, but her breathing eased nonetheless. Snape was clearly aware of what Dumbledore was attempting, and surely so too was Tom. And she had to trust that the Head of Slytherin and the heir of said great founder were well prepared and able to handle any attempts of subterfuge or manipulation.
She was still grateful when Valgard spoke up again, "No, provided by our own potions expert." Her wide-set eyes were narrowed dangerously and she had crossed her arms in front of her ample bosom, an air of such disapproval around her that Holly was surprised that Dumbledore didn't just wilt underneath it.
"Ah, that's good," Dumbledore replied brightly. "Given Holly's fragile state… well, we just heard how easy it would be to affect someone's memories with spells or potions. And we're here to uncover the truth after all…"
"So now you're accusing Holly of lying as well?" Tom asked with open disgust.
"On the contrary, I'm sure I shall be very glad to hear her account of what transpired, in her own words," Dumbledore replied with an ever so slight emphasis to leave no doubt about his meaning.
Fudge nervously cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, perhaps now would be a good time to give Holly a chance to speak? I don't believe there are any further questions for you, Mr. Robards."
He looked around at the other parties, finally settling on Holly and giving her what she assumed was intended to be a reassuring, friendly smile, but which only managed to make her feel even more uncomfortable. She hunched her shoulders, leaning over to Damian to whisper her question to him.
The werewolf sent her a brief smile and then stood up to address Madam Bones. "Madam Chair, as we stated earlier, Mrs. Potter is prepared to give memory testimony to help the other parties in their deliberations. Before she does so, however, we would like to know whether this court plans to follow Mr. Dumbledore's reasoning and discard her testimony based on the fact that earlier she took a Calming Draught prepared by Professor Snape. If so – as I trust you will all understand – we feel that the merit of her giving testimony would be so diminished that it would not justify the emotional toll it would have on my client."
Holly hunched over in her chair as the noise level in the courtroom swelled, people talking over each other to voice their opinions and make their discontent heard. She couldn't tell if they were angry at her, for taking the potion, at Snape, for potentially trying to influence her, or at Dumbledore, for possibly depriving them of all the juicy details they hoped she would reveal.
"That is quite enough!" McGonagall's voice suddenly cut through the chatter, as easily as if she was commanding the attention of a class of First Year students. "Of course we shall accept Miss Potter's testimony! And I shall thank the members of this court to remember that Professor Snape has been entrusted with the welfare of the students of Hogwarts for fifteen years – and has performed said duty, always and without fail, with the utmost diligence and integrity."
There was a short silence, but Holly could tell that though some felt a moment's embarrassment at McGonagall's rebuke, very few of the witches and wizards present had been convinced, especially as Dumbledore made no move to back her arguments.
"Perhaps, I might offer a solution?" A rotund wizard with a portly belly had risen from his seat, his plum-coloured robes clashing rather unfortunately with his apple-red cheeks. "If Mrs. Potter still has the bottle she drank from I will be very happy to verify that it contained, in fact, only a Calming Draught."
He sketched a bow in her direction, his face lighting up with a brilliant smile. "Alonzo Alvarez, Potions Master, at your service."
He was clearly well liked and respected as several members of the Wizengamot immediately voiced their support for his suggestion and he seemed so honestly eager to help that Holly wanted to trust him as well. She purposefully didn't look over at either Tom or Professor Snape, knowing how that might be interpreted, but she could feel no hesitation or reluctance from either one of them.
She reached into her robe pocket, closing her trembling fingers around the cool hard glass, and pulled out the small, now empty vial. She held it out in Alvarez' direction and his round face lit up with an even more brilliant smile as he immediately set himself in motion towards her. Damian played intermediary again, gently taking the vial from her hand before standing up to meet Alvarez and hand it over.
Alvarez didn't seem to mind his intervention, instead accepting the vial with a loud thank you before pulling a sheaf of parchment from his robes and then tapping both the vial and the parchment with his wand.
"This will tell me exactly which ingredients were used," he explained cheerfully. "And if there were to be any irregularities … ahh, just as I thought." He paused dramatically, only to look up again with another beaming smile. "An excellently brewed Calming Draught. And I see you used elderberries instead of juniper, Severus, to avoid a cross reaction with any Pain-Relieving Potions, I would presume?"
Snape inclined his head in agreement, reaching into his robes to extract three small potions vials and placing each one carefully down on the table in front of him. "I prepared these just in case, as well as another vial of the Calming Draught. You're welcome to examine them."
Alvarez turned to Madam Bones. "I'm quite happy to do so, of course, but I can say with certainty that this was a Calming Draught and nothing else."
"Thank you, Alonzo, but I think that should be quite enough for everyone," Madam Bones declared, sending Dumbledore a piercing look.
"Yes, thank you, Alonzo, that has been most helpful indeed," the headmaster offered. "I'm afraid we can never be too careful in these fraught times. And given the cold indifference with which Severus informed me of Holly's disappearance, well, I must admit, I feared the worst…"
Madam Bones didn't deign that with a response, instead waiting in silence as Alvarez retook his seat before she turned to Holly with a slight softening of her stern expression. "Holly, I believe there was something you wanted to show us? Whenever you're ready."
Holly nodded, trying to swallow against both the anger at Dumbledore's continued maligning of Snape's character and the familiar, crushing fear that threatened to bury her despite the Calming Draught. She pulled in a shuddering breath, clenching her hands into fists and holding them closed for a few seconds, before opening them again with the release of breath.
Sirius smiled encouragingly at her, his hand resting warm and steady on her back, before repeating Madam Bones' words, "Whenever you're ready, pup."
Holly nodded again before glancing up, finding Tom's warm red eyes already resting on her. There was a small furrow between his dark brows, but he still sent her a soft smile, alert and supportive. She closed her eyes, gathered her resolve as she drew her wand and carefully placed it against her temple.
She knew what memories she wanted to show, but to think of them, to pull them to the forefront of her mind… She knew it was important, even more so after she had heard what Dumbledore had had to say and could guess what lengths he would be willing to go to to save his own neck. She didn't want him to win; she didn't want Bellatrix to win.
A shudder of emotion went through the courtroom when she projected the first memory, the moment of her abduction, but she kept her eyes closed, did her best to block everything out as she moved through her memories. She tried to follow the timeline Auror Robards had established earlier, from her abduction to when she had woken up in the infirmary, and she tried not to focus on the torture, but as she had told Tom, Bellatrix had liked to talk and there were things she needed Fudge and the others to hear.
She sucked in a harsh breath as Bellatrix high-pitched yowl of pain suddenly echoed through the courtroom, morphing into a cackling, manic laugh. She didn't open her eyes, but she still remembered how Bellatrix had clutched at her arm with the burning Dark Mark, shaking in pain and exhilaration.
"Ha, it seems I finally got my Lord's attention." Holly flinched away from her triumphant, lilting voice, from the memory, and her wand hand shook so much that the spell failed, plunging the room into sudden, deafening silence.
"Perhaps we could take a break, Madam Chair?" Damian asked, but Holly jerkily shook her head, raising her wand again and restarting the memory. She couldn't stop now.
"… finally got my Lord's attention," Bellatrix shouted gleefully again and Holly saw again how the other witch had almost lovingly caressed her fingers over the angry red tattoo on her arm, still half-hunched over from the pain, before muttering a spell to numb the connection. "Later, my Lord."
She had sighed almost dreamily before she had turned back to Holly, that same crazy grin reappearing on her face. "Ah, don't worry, little girl, we still have time. I don't intend for him to find you while you're still alive..."
Her laughter had only stopped when she had cast another curse at Holly, one that had peeled the skin from her arms and legs. Sirius' fingers clenched helplessly around her shoulder before his arms settled more firmly around her, enclosing her in a warm and safe embrace. She didn't open her eyes – she couldn't – but she pressed her ear against his chest, trying to listen only to his heart beat and not to Bellatrix' reedy voice in her mind and in the courtroom.
"Oh, the old man wants you just properly tenderised – gave me the key and everything." Bellatrix cackled again. "A few cuts…" She spoke another curse to carve bloody gouges into Holly's torso. "A few bruises…" Another curse, that had felt like the pummelling of a thousand fists. "And then I'm to wrap you back up and return you to his magnanimous care… So little imagination! But I promise we can do better than that, little girl – I was always one to exceed expectations, after all."
She howled with laughter again, almost hysterical in her amusement, and Holly jerked out of that memory, stumbled into the next one of Bellatrix talking, talking, talking, saying "my Lord" with reverence and adulation, mocking the "old fool" for thinking he could manipulate her. She tried to blend out the torture, kept her face pressed against Sirius' chest and focussed only on him so that she wouldn't have to feel all the pity and disgust and anger and horror that seethed around her like sulfuric fire.
When she finally cut off the last memory – a hazy, blood-soaked snapshot of Snape freeing her with gentle hands and carefully catching her in his arms while whispering reassurances and pleadingly calling her name – she felt completely wrung out. She didn't protest when Damian called for a break this time.