It's My Life
The day of the dreaded trial had come at last. Harry felt his nerves taking over as the days had passed, but he wanted this done. Harry had done work in school to cover what he'd miss today, all his teachers except Umbridge cooperated. That was fine, one class to make up for was better than a bunch. Harry and Severus arrived at the ministry early, and found the room it was being held in. Harry looked around, the room was a massive horseshoe. One place for the judge, other members of the jury on either side, then room for witnesses and guests. Lucius had given Harry this rundown already, so it was nothing shocking. Harry just never thought he'd see the inside of a courtroom.
"Doing alright, Harry?" Severus asked his son. The teenager gave a nod to his father. "It's alright to be nervous."
"I know, I'm just at the point, after all these years, of wanting it to be over." Harry informed.
"We all are, son," Severus gave Harry a one-armed hug. "Everything will be fine. Have faith."
"Harry, Uncle Sev! Over here," Draco called to them.
Severus and Harry walked over as Harry greeted his boyfriend first, then accepted the hug from Narcissa before Lucius had Harry step beyond the boundaries of where guests and witnesses sat at his table as plaintiff. Severus sat with Narcissa and Draco, right behind where Harry would be to give him all the support they could. Lucius was dressed in his barrister robes and would be presenting Harry's interests, should the boy's testimony be needed in court today. The court was filled with the Wizengamot who were in attendance along with several Lords and Ladies.
Even Fudge was in the audience and Harry observed he looked rather nervous. Harry hoped he got outed in everything today too, maybe even Umbridge. The clock struck 10:30 am as Amelia Bones, who was presiding over this trial, called the court to order. Percy Weasley, who was now working as the court aide, opened the side door to admit the accused. Albus Dumbledore was escorted to the middle of the room in magic binding cuffs. His lawyer was right behind them.
"I call this court to order," Amelia declared. "The accused Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore stands trial today for inheritance tampering, fraud, attempted kidnapping, more than 100 counts of child endangerment and negligence!"
The room was buzzing with incredulity as the staggering amount of charges were read. Even Harry was surprised. He turned to Lucius to ask quietly, "Where did that number counts come from?"
"The man didn't only endanger you but the whole school when he kept a Cerberus on the 3rd floor during your first year. Plus the troll in first year when it was in the dungeons and he sent the Slytherin's there." The elder Malfoy stated. He and Severus had discussed the possible charges Amelia might tack on and this had come up then.
"Let us begin then," Amelia began. "Lawyers will introduce themselves and their clients, for the record." She invited.
"Lucius Malfoy for Harry Potter-Snape," Lucius stood as Harry did the same, and once Amelia nodded, they sat back down.
"Ralph Calprine for Albus Dumbledore," The man, Ralph, informed.
"Excellent." Amelia made some notes. "Now, let us get started."
"I address the honorable court and ask that the witness testimony given by Harry James Potter be stricken from the record," Ralph began immediately.
"Objection, on what grounds?" Lucius rebutted while his eyes narrowed. "And it's Harry James Potter-Snape." He corrected.
"It's Harry James Potter, that is who he was born as. And on the grounds that there was no Ministry-appointed Healer or official to verify if Mister Potter's memories are genuine nor if his alleged injuries caused by this abuse he claims to have been subjected to!" Ralph argued. "The memories were drawn by a known Death Eater. One that is a master Occlumens as well. Who is to say they weren't tampered with?"
Lucius shot back, "Master Snape was never charged with any crime. Born as does not dismiss legal adoption. Your honor, I request Mr. Calprine refer to my client by his legal name."
"Granted, Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Calprine, you will abide by Mr. Potter-Snape's legal name at current." Amelia informed firmly.
"Fine, but for my request…I call for the memories to be stricken from the record! Their source is questionable at best. We do not know the full chain of custody before those memories had been turned over to the Auror department," Ralph said. "The investigation was done without anyone knowing and my client wasn't aware he was being investigated, believing all along he still had his guardianship over Mr. Potter-Snape, as he's had since the boy was a baby when his parents died. It was very underhanded…"
"I was there when the report was made and memories taken, they were directly from Mr. Potter into the vials that were given to Griphook, the goblin in charge of the Potter accounts at Gringotts." Lucius stated. "There is no law saying that the person being investigated has to be told. And I might add that an investigation was set up to remove Mr. Dumbledore's guardianship status over my client. The fact it has landed him arrested for his actions speaks volumes to why we are here today. The man was found unfit to continue his duties as a magical guardian." He remarked.
"While the memories are a substantial part of what we have based our findings on, I will have to declare them inadmissible in court. Master Snape, while competent, is not a member of the Ministry. The chain of custody does come into question," Amelia declared.
"Your Honor!" Lucius looked outraged. Most of their case had been built around Harry's memories after all. Dumbledore's lawyer looked pretty smug about that while Albus looked content. Lucius caught Amelia's eyes, them saying that she had no choice and they'd have to battle this the old fashioned way. If they wanted to win, it would have to be through hard evidence that couldn't be questioned. Lucius understood and sighed, accepting the decision.
"I call to strike the remaining evidence against my client from the record as well. Fruit of the poisonous tree, Your Honor!" Ralph now declared.
"Objection! While the memories might be stricken from the record the witnesses are present today and ready to testify if need be. Both Master Snape and Mrs. Malfoy have signed waivers allowing for the use of Veritaserum during their testimony as well. Including myself."
"I'll allow it." Amelia announced and Lucius called up his first witness; his wife. The court waited as a Ministry official went to retrieve the potion. When said official returned Narcissa was administered the potion and asked several control questions including her birthday and full name. Once she answered with "Narcissa Malfoy nee Black," The cross examination could begin.
"Mrs. Malfoy, where did you find Mr. Potter?" Ralph asked.
"He was locked inside a room upstairs at his muggle relatives home. He was calling for help," Narcissa answered in a monotone voice.
"Was Mr. Potter in your line of sight in any way?" The lawyer then asked.
"No," Narcissa spoke.
"Did you help him immediately?" The man questioned.
"No," Narcissa answered.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, clearly this witness broke the law. If she were so concerned about the child's safety she would have gone to help him immediately. This testimony is the basis of negligence on Mrs. Malfoy's part. Any evidence obtained through unlawful means must be stricken from the record."
"Objection!" Lucius called. "Broke the law how?"
"She clearly entered the room of private property to see the boy's status and then rushed to accuse them of harming him." Ralph said.
"I most certainly did not enter any room without permission." Narcissa remarked.
"You can't claim she broke the law when all she said was that she didn't act immediately. You don't know what actually happened. Call to cross-examine, your honor?" Lucius asked.
"Sustained! You do, in fact, have no proof of what Mrs. Malfoy said to back up your claim she unlawfully entered a room without permission." Amelia called. "Go ahead, Mr. Malfoy." She added.
"Now, wait…He can't be allowed to question his own wife! She could have been coerced," Ralph said.
"I assure you she has not as I too was present the night this all happened." Lucius informed. "And she's under Veritaserum…"
"Mr. Malfoy is permitted to question his own wife. There is no law against this. If either were on trial themselves, they couldn't testify against the other…But Mr. Malfoy nor Mrs. Malfoy are on trial for themselves. Mr. Malfoy is representing his client, so he is allowed to question on Harry's behalf." Amelia said and then gave leave for Lucius to ask his questions.
"Why did you not immediately aid the child in question?" Lucius asked.
"Because I was unsure what exactly I heard," Narcissa spoke.
"Could you please elaborate?" Lucius then asked.
"On the night of August 1st, 1995, my husband and I were invited to dinner at number four Privet Drive in Little Whinging's Surrey by the Dursley's, a muggle family. My husband, Lucius, had taken over the company, Grunnings, that Vernon Dursley worked for. The man wanted to extend his thanks for buying out the company and allowing them to keep all their jobs. After the meal, I had asked to use the restroom and was told by the wife, Petunia Dursley, where it was."
"As I left the restroom, I passed by the closed door where I heard someone, a child's voice, call out for help. I was confused as our hosts had already introduced us to their son, Dudley Dursley. When I went to verify my concerns with said hosts they first claimed that there was no other child in the house and then subsequently claimed that their nephew was in the house and that he was a troubled, possibly violent adolescent." Narcissa told the court.
"Can you tell us what happened next?" Lucius then asked.
"I asked which child would need six locks on a door and I grew suspicious as our hosts at the time kept changing their story thus I asked to see the child myself. Their cries were nothing like a violent child. It was very much so a desperate plea for help." Narcissa relayed. "We were told, at first, it was not our place to wonder. We argued summoning the authorities to handle it and they complied with taking myself and my husband upstairs and willingly opened the door to the room. What I found in that room was Mr. Potter in an awful state. He needed immediate medical attention."
"Objection," The defense yelled. "Mrs. Malfoy's personal opinion on the state of Mr. Potter is conjecture!"
"Mrs. Malfoy is a licensed Medi-witch, as thus she is more than qualified to have made a decision on the medical needs of Mr. Potter at the time!" Lucius informed. "I too saw Mr. Potter, at the time, and was shocked to find him in such a state."
"I'll allow that part of the testimony," Amelia announced.
"How did you find Mr. Potter, Mrs. Malfoy?" Lucius questioned.
"Unconscious on the floor in a pile of his own vomit, and my professional opinion was that if he'd been left there; he would have choked and died. There was also bleeding on his back, cuts on his face, some bruising. I determined that there was more damage I could not see until given a thorough exam. I insisted to my husband, Mr. Malfoy, that we would remove the child from the home immediately for treatment. My husband did not disagree, and asked why the family would treat Mr. Potter so." She paused.
"Go on, my dear," Lucius invited.
"They claimed they never wanted to take Harry in, but were forced by the old fool. Later determined that it was Mr. Albus Dumbledore. The woman told me, word for word; I never wanted to care for my freak sister's spawn. I never wanted a freak in my house; we only agreed because the old man promised us money to keep him here, under some…Protective covering through blood relatives." Narcissa informed.
"It was my husband who deduced on his own that this meant Albus Dumbledore placed Harry in the muggle's home under the protection of blood wards as the woman, Petunia Dursley, was Lily Potter nee Evans', older sister. The woman confirmed it herself when she referred to Harry as her sister's spawn."
There were murmurs of why Dumbledore would force these muggles to take in Harry when they didn't want him.
"Could you please list Mr. Potter's injuries after he had been tended to?" Lucius then asked.
"Malnutrition, dehydration, multiple lacerations to his back; most likely made by a whip, bruised ribs, broken fingers, bruising to the face and abdomen, internal bleeding, a broken wrist, infected wounds, and there was evidence of untreated concussions as well as ligature marks on the legs from possibly being restrained. Ligature marks on the neck in the form of hand prints which denotes manual strangulation." Narcissa listed as the crowd gasped.
"One final question," Lucius paused. "You claim that the child, now identified as Mr. Potter, was calling for help. Can you tell the court, please, what you heard?"
"Quote; Help…Mom? Dad…Someone? Anyone…Help me. I can't…Do this anymore. I don't want to. I just want it to end." Narcissa replied gently, but sadness to her tone of being hurt by what she heard that night.
"Thank you, darling." Lucius smiled softly and faced Amelia now. "I don't have any more questions for this witness, your Honor," Lucius declared as his point was made. He turned to see Dumbledore glaring daggers at Narcissa for just a brief moment. "So my wife did not break any laws, nor did I. We simply removed Mr. Potter from a bad environment after he himself had asked for help in a weakened state. The prosecution now calls Potions Master, Severus Snape, to the stand!" Lucius announced.
Severus took the witness stand, was given the Veritaserum and asked the same control questions Narcissa was.
"Master Snape, you have to have a medical background to become a Potions Master, isn't that right?" Lucius questioned.
"Yes, basic medi-wizardry is a requirement," Snape answered.
"And can you please tell us how you knew Mr. Potter-Snape, before he became your adopted son?" Lucius asked.
"Mr. Potter-Snape is a student of mine at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Severus replied.
"How did you come to find out over the summer of 1995 when Mr. Potter-Snape is not present at Hogwarts about Mr. Potter-Snape's injuries?" Lucius pushed.
"I was summoned to Malfoy Manor by Mr. Lucius Malfoy and his wife, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy to come with my potions bag." Severus informed.
"And how is it you know the Malfoy's?" Lucius persisted calmly.
"I met them as a student myself in Hogwarts, and remained good friends with them over the years. I was granted the honorable position of godfather to their only son, Draco Malfoy." Severus answered.
"When you were summoned to the manor, did you know you would be treating Harry Potter?" Lucius inquired.
"I did not. I was just urged to come quickly in returning their son home as he'd been with me for the evening while they went out to a dinner party." The potions master responded.
"And how did you feel when you arrived to find you would be treating Mr. Potter?" Lucius asked.
"I was shocked, but it had no bearing on the fact that a student of mine, a young child of only fifteen years old, was injured and needed help. I wasted no time in getting to work to heal the damage." Severus claimed.
"Can you tell us a bit more about Mr. Potter-Snape's injuries given your medical background?" Lucius then asked.
"The immediate findings were the physical aspects. The multiple lacerations to Mr. Potter's back were severely infected to the point that he was running a dangerously high fever. The bruised ribs and bruising to the face and abdomen coincide with being kicked repeatedly in those areas and the broken fingers seemed to be the cause of something hard like a boot being stomped on Mr. Potter's hand. The untreated concussions seemed to have happened over the course of several days before he was retrieved." Severus informed. "Mr. Potter was also suffering from malnutrition and dehydration."
"Was there any other findings during your treatment?" Lucius wondered.
"Yes. Before I began my treatment, I ran a diagnostic exam at the level St. Mungo's would on an unconscious patient who couldn't speak for themselves and found that this night was not the first of Mr. Potter's abuse. The record shown indicated that he had many old injuries of the same caliber. Broken bones, scars…Long term malnutrition. The boy wasn't even at the required chart's numbers to register in his age group. Mr. Potter's weight and height registered on that of a ten-year-old." Severus said calmly.
"Allow it shown in evidence exhibit A, the parchment containing Mr. Snape's diagnostic charm done on August 1st, 1995, revealing the damage over the years Mr. Potter has endured with his muggle relatives." Lucius held up the evidence, and gave it to the Auror to hand over to Amelia.
"This evidence coincides with the testimonies of Mr. Severus Snape, and Mrs. Malfoy on the state Mr. Potter was found in and backs up the previous claims of Mr. Potter being in an abusive home." Amelia declared.
"I have nothing more." Lucius stepped away as Ralph finally stood and approached Severus.
"You claimed to have gone to school with the Malfoy's, but they were years above you. Your Hogwarts records show you attended from 1971 to 1978, is that true?" Ralph asked.
"It is." Severus replied.
"So then you would have attended school with Mr. Potter's father, James Fleamont Potter? Is that correct?" Ralph continued. "And his mother, Lily Evans?"
"That is correct, Mr. Calprine." Severus nodded.
"Objection! Relevance?" Lucius stated.
"Lucius," Severus spoke before Amelia or Ralph could. "It's quite alright. I don't mind answering anything he asks regarding my rival." Severus smiled. "He merely wants to know if my hate of James Potter spilled over into mistreatment of Harry Potter to try and paint me the criminal. It's fine, let him continue…" Lucius nodded and sat back down. Ralph sputtered at what Severus said. "Well, go on…You were asking me about my relationship with James?" The potions master invited.
"So you admit James Potter is your rival?" Ralph pushed.
"I, in fact, never denied it." Severus said calmly. "It's no offense to you, my son…And Harry is more than aware of the situation that his father was a bully of mine during our time as Hogwarts students." He informed. "I never attacked James Potter, or his friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, or Peter Pettigrew despite their bullying. And I was indeed best friends with Harry's mother, Lily Evans." He continued. "I never antagonized the Marauders, which is the name the four dubbed themselves back then."
"Your antagonism towards James Potter is well known by many. Did this factor into your medical assessment of Mr. Potter at any point?" Ralph asked.
"It did not. I might hate James Potter but I did not wish for his offspring to be tortured. No one wishes for a child to go through that," Severus responded.
"Was there or wasn't there a situation in your fifth year where Sirius Black knowingly led you to a student turned werewolf?" Ralph inquired.
"I don't see what that has to do with anything, but I'll humor you anyway. There was indeed a situation where Sirius Black told me where I could find a student I'd been curious about. I took notice that Remus Lupin would disappear several days a month, notably on the full moon. Did Sirius lead me to Remus? Absolutely not. He only mentioned where I could find him on the nights in question. It was entirely my decision to go seeking the man out for the truth." Severus stated.
"And was it not James Potter who saved your life?" Ralph questioned.
"It was indeed," Severus nodded. "James found me in the passageway as I approached Lupin and yanked me back, telling me to run. I will also admit to owing the man a life debt, and to push on your next question; despite James Potter's actions, my disdain of the years of bullying do not erase one night of a changed heart. The same that Mr. Dumbledore over there claims the blood wards over the Dursley's property do not excuse the fact he left Mr. Potter in an abusive home under the bribe of money for fourteen years." Albus stiffened in his seat at what Severus said. "Are you quite finished?" Severus asked Ralph.
"The reports show that after you healed Mr. Potter at the Malfoy's, you took custody of him. Why would you do that for a child you claimed to hate? Was it, perhaps, the life debt you owed James that guilted you into protecting the boy?" Ralph said.
"The night James and Lily Potter died so tragically, I swore to both of them that I would protect their only son with my own life. A promise to my best friend, and on the life debt owed to an old rival. You could call it guilt, I won't deny it." Severus said. "But it was more annoyance that Mr. Potter requested at the end of every school term for Mr. Dumbledore to place him elsewhere, and refused on the excuse of protection via the blood wards." He continued. "Allowing a child, no less the boy who lived, to return to such awful people. Had I known where Mr. Potter was going to be placed, I'd have stepped up when his parents died to take him in and raise him as my own."
"Did you have knowledge he would not be safe if you knew where he was being placed?" Ralph pushed.
"I did. Petunia Dursley was Lily's older sister and the woman has always detested Lily and the entire wizarding world since learning her sister was magical and she was not. She often called Lily a freak too." Severus admitted. "Harry deserved to grow up in a loving home and I would have been more than happy to provide that, as would anyone else. Why Mr. Dumbledore chose the worst place is beyond me."
"Why did you blood adopt Mr. Potter if you were so certain that Mr. Dumbledore would lose guardianship for his accused acts?" Ralph asked.
"My time as Harry's temporary guardian allowed us to get closer and develop a father/son relationship." Severus confessed. "I chose to blood adopt him to cement that bond, preventing Mr. Dumbledore from interfering was just a bonus." He smiled at Harry, who was beaming. "As you well know, blood magic performs perfectly when all parties are in agreement and believe in the base the magic was built from."
"The protection of the blood wards over Privet Drive were useless because Harry never considered that house his home, nor the people there his family. What was up over the house was an over-glorified barrier. The bond of blood Harry and I have as father and son is unbreakable because we saw one another as family long before the potion was even brewed." Severus informed.
Harry mouthed an I love you, Dad to Severus and he mouthed back, I love you too, son.
"Mr. Calprine, are you finished with your questioning?" Amelia asked.
"Y-Yes. That is all for this witness," Ralph replied.
"Mr. Snape, you may stand down now." Amelia told Severus, who bowed his head and left his place to walk by Harry and put a hand on his shoulder before taking his seat next to Draco. "At this time, we're going to take a short, thirty minute recess. We'll convene back here at the time and pick up where we left off. Thank you." Amelia tapped her papers straight and stood up to walk away.
"Let's go get some air," Lucius told Harry.
"Please," Harry agreed.
After that, Harry and Lucius joined up with Draco, Severus, and Narcissa to exit the room and grab some fresh air. Hopefully, for Harry, all would be over soon.