Alexandra Potter
Chapter Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Alexandra Potter
WORLD EXCLUSIVE
THE GIRL WHO FELL
By Rita Skeeter
Tuesday night: Aurors were called to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when a school girl rivalry turned deadly. Today, The Daily Prophet is able to exclusively reveal the involvement of none other than Alexandra Potter, the Girl Who Lived.
On Wednesday morning the Prophet received an anonymous tip: something big was happening at Hogwarts. Aurors had been spotted on the grounds, and students were disappearing from classes for questioning. At that time the facts were unclear, the stories contradictory. An attack had taken place, that much was known. But the identity of both victim and attacker were mysteries, as was their condition. By the end of the day, all the Prophet could report was this: a Slytherin girl had been attacked. She was alive, but had been transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital.
Then, on Wednesday evening, the gag order came. Judith Swelting, a junior minister in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, explains: "All Ministry information regarding ongoing criminal cases involving minors is subject to censorship, to protect the identity of those involved. Only upon a conviction is the identity of the accused released." The mystery deepened: not only were the identities of those involved unknown, it was clear from the gag order that the offence was serious enough to merit criminal investigation.
The key to the puzzle was to come not from the Ministry, but from Hogwarts itself. While Ministry information is censored by the gag order, Hogwarts business is a matter of public record, for those resourceful enough. And what a record it is: "For causing grievous bodily harm to another student, for reckless behaviour, and for the use of Dark Magic, Alexandra Alice Potter is suspended from Hogwarts school." An anonymous contact at the Owl Office confirms that Lady Potter's current mailing address is listed as "CARE OF Rufus Scrimgeour, Auror Office".
For those old enough to remember the rise of[YOU-KNOW-WHO], such accusations beggar belief. That the Girl Who Lived should be practiced in powerful Dark Magic must worry every thinking citizen. How did such an innocent young girl come to involve herself in the very powers which murdered her parents? What made her try to kill Daphne Greengrass?
"This isn't the first person Alex's injured," said Draco Malfoy when I spoke to him, "a few months back a Muggleborn almost died after duelling her." Has Lady Potter made it a habit to hurt and intimidate her fellow students? She certainly seems to have left a trail of destruction behind her. But not everyone agrees with young Master Malfoy. "Alex is a good person," insisted Lily Moon, a fellow Hufflepuff. A credit to her House, Ms. Moon remains loyal even though her friend sits behind bars.
Draco Malfoy's story is a tragic one. For many months he considered Lady Potter his girlfriend - right until the day she betrayed him. "As I told the Aurors, I accidentally helped Alex in her quest for violence," he admitted, confiding in me willingly, "Alex told me it was safe, but it wasn't. I regret it every day."
For his part, Harmand Greengrass holds Draco Malfoy no ill will. "Young Master Malfoy is as much a victim of Potter as my daughter is," he told me. "I've spoken to Lord Malfoy, and have accepted both his and his son's heartfelt apologies." And what of Lady Potter? "I have consulted with my solicitor and we shall be pushing the Ministry to hold a full criminal trial, as befits a crime of this severity."
Such an ambition is not so easily achieved. The Ministry has strict guidelines regarding juvenile crime. A hundred years ago, Mr Greengrass could have sought satisfaction from Lady Potter's guardian, but modern times require a less direct approach. "A hearing is held," explains Judith Swelting, "the purpose of which is to establish the correct venue for the young person's trial. In most cases, the panel decides that the matter is best settled outside the Wizengamot. In such cases it's normal for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to hear the case and assign punishment."
But this is not most cases. "A committee of civil servants is not the place for hearing charges of attempted murder," Mr Greengrass says. "It flies in the face of justice." Should the three Warlocks hearing Lady Potter next week share Mr Greengrass' views, then young Alexandra may find herself chained before the Lords of the Wizengamot. "Hypothetically, if a juvenile was convicted by the Wizengamot, they could face Azkaban like any other adult," says Swelting. Such a prospect may horrify some. I caught up with Anne Coulthard, chairwitch of the WSPC. "Azkaban is no place for a child, no matter the crime," she said. "The WSPC shall be making sure the Ministry obeys the letter of the law in this matter."
If there is one thing all can agree upon, it is the desire to see justice done. On that count, there are those who worry that Lady Potter may be able to use her magical ability to sway the hand of the law. "The court shall have to be wary of whatever Dark powers Potter possesses," said Quentin Plunkle of the Dark Force Defence League. "She defeated[YOU-KNOW-WHO]as a baby. Who knows what dreadful forces she commands?" Indeed, Lady Potter is reportedly capable of complete human Transfiguration at the tender age of eleven - something not even Albus Dumbledore can boast. Griselda Marchbanks, head of the WEA, told me: "If it's true... she may well be the most talented witch in history."
The stakes couldn't be higher. It's clear that Lady Potter is a momentous individual: how she emerges from this trial could divide Britain.
Lady Potter's Muggle guardians could not be reached for comment.
Alex stared at the article, stunned. She was on the front page! By lunchtime half of Britain would know what she'd done.Andwhat Draco had said about her.He was just saving his own skin, she thought, reading and rereading his quotes. She narrowed her eyes.I've spoken to Lord Malfoy, Greengrass had said. Alex could see the meaning behind those words: it would be fair to assume that Lucius had forgiven the Greengrass debts. The Malfoys had bought Draco's innocence.
Do I have enough gold to buy mine?
Alex put the paper down and sighed. She was guilty, yes. She'd told Dumbledore the truth, and the Aurors the same story, more or less. But that didn't mean she wanted to go to Azkaban, or wherever they sent children.I made a mistake. I know that. But that doesn't mean I want my life to be ruined. I just wish I could go back and change it all. But she couldn't. She'd made her bed, and now she had to sleep in it.
An uncomfortable bed, Alex thought, glancing over to the hard and narrow cot she had to sleep in. Ministry holding cells were a far cry from Hogwarts. All she had was a plain metal desk, two chairs, and a bed, all of them stuck to the floor. Far worse than the lack of comfort, though, was the lack of privacy: her "room" only had three walls. In place of the fourth was a wide opening looking onto the corridor beyond, through which guards and other Ministry officials passed regularly.
Like her cell, the corridor was all white stone, harshly lit with a white light that was never turned off, not even at night. And, though it was invitingly open, Alex was unable to leave her cell - attempting to do so was like trying to walk through thick glue. The last time she'd tested pushing on the air by the edge a pair of annoyed guards had come running and told her off.
She'd been stripped of all her belongings upon arrival, and now she sat at her desk wearing a light blue onesie and no shoes, looking very much the young criminal she was accused of being. What worried her most, though, more than her missing robes and books, was her wand. Auror Shaklebolt had taken it when he had first arrested her and she hadn't seen it since.
The clap-clap of footsteps approached, and Alex looked up. There was really very little to do in such a bare environment, so anybody walking past was a rare novelty. From the sound of their shoes, this wasn't a booted guard, whose footsteps she now knew well. No, this person's steps were louder, sharper, almost like high heels. They got closer and closer until they paused just out of sight.
"This is the one?" said a man's voice, surprising Alex. She'd expected a woman, from those shoes. He sounded quite posh, and his voice lacked any of the grit or gravel of age. A young man, then, thought Alex, under fifty.
"That's right, number sixteen," said a familiar voice - one of the guards. She didn't know his name, but he brought her breakfast and the paper every morning, and he always smiled at her. "I'll have to take your wand before you go in."
Alex sat up straight. Number sixteen was her. She had a visitor - though who it was, she had no idea.
"Oh - yes, of course," said the guest, "how shall I call you when I'm done?"
"No need. Only the prisoner's locked in - you can walk out fine. Just come back to the office at the end of the hall for your wand."
"All right then," said the visitor, and there was a pause. "Thank you for your help, Geoffrey."
Another pause and Alex heard footsteps heading away from her cell. The sound of shuffling outside, however, told her that she wasn't alone. And then he walked into sight. Alex had been right - he was young. Probably not even twenty five, he was tall, skinny, and pale, with short, light brown hair and razor burn on his neck. A blob of dried shaving foam sat just behind his ear, and he was wearing large, blocky glasses.
"Knock knock," he said, rather nervously, rapping his knuckles against the wall just inside her cell. Alex noticed that his robes were far too baggy for him, the sleeves flapping around like he was Merlin.
"Come in," Alex said, rather pointlessly.Am I even allowed to tell people to go away?The boy - for Alex had trouble thinking of him as a man - gave her a brilliant smile and came over to her table, taking the seat opposite her. He was carrying a satchel, and this he rested on the desk, opening it up to remove several sheets of paper, a pad of parchment and a quill.
"Well," he said with great weight, moving his satchel to the floor and arranging his things on the surface, "my name is Hugh Welsey-Wesley, and I'm to be your apologist."
"My what?" said Alex, frowning.Does he apologise for me, or something?
"Oh!" said Hugh, clearly surprised. "It means I defend you in court, or in this case at a Ministerial hearing in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The word comes from the Greek, actually -apologia, meaning 'a speech in defence'..." He trailed off, perhaps remembering where he was. "But never mind that - shall we begin?"
Alex's eyes narrowed. Her confidence was not high. "Are you a good apologist?" she asked. She didn't want an idiot defending her. "How many people have you defended?"
Hugh coughed and looked everywhere other than her eyes. "Well, I haven'texactly- that is, of course I'm qualified... did rather well in my final exams, actually..."
Alex felt her heart sink.Great. "I'm your first case, aren't I?" she interrupted, wondering how you went about changing apologists. She had a lot of gold in her vault.Surely I can afford someone better than this.
"Strictly speaking... yes," said Hugh quietly. "I qualified last month."
Alex ran a hand through her hair. "I don't want to offend you," she began, trying to be nice. He looked nervous enough as it was. "I'm sure you're a great apologist. But I'd really prefer someone a bit more... experienced. This is my life, you know?"
Hugh's shoulders slumped.
"Of course that's your right," he said, moving to put his papers back in his bag. "I can give you several recommendations, if you like." He paused, and looked at her apologetically. "I did warn him, when he asked me to take your case, that I-"
Hang on. "Who's 'he'?" said Alex, leaning forward.
Hugh blinked. "Why, Professor Dumbledore, of course."
Alex sat back, exhaling. She hadn't seen Dumbledore since she'd been arrested. She'd thought - hoped - that he would have visited her by now. But it looked like he'd abandoned her - until now. She looked at Hugh speculatively. He didn't look like much. But Dumbledore, surely, knew what he was doing.
"Wait," she said, reaching out to grab his wrist as he stood. He jumped at the contact, and Alex remembered she was a dangerous criminal. "Sorry," she said, letting go. "I'd like it if you were my apologist, if you still want to."
Hugh grinned, and he sat down in a flash.
"Of course!" he said, more confidently. The papers jumped back out of his bag, and he shuffled through them. "We've got a lot to get through, so let's get straight to it." He pulled out several sheets of paper, stuck together with a charm, from the stack. "This is the statement you gave the aurors, the day you were arrested," he said, passing it over to her. She glanced through it, skim reading, her mind flashing back to her first day in the Ministry.
She'd arrived through the Floo at the auror office, a large open plan office filled with cubicles. Auror Shaklebolt had been very nice to her, though he looked scary. He'd taken her to his own desk, covered with documents and photos pinned to a large map, and conjured her some hot cocoa. Then he'd asked her lots of questions. Alex remembered her hand was shaking when he asked her to sign the document - and there it was, at the bottom of the paper Hugh had given her, that shaky signature.
"Now, is there anything you'd like to add to that report?" said Hugh, giving her the time to read it. "Anything which might help in your defence?"
Alex looked at Hugh, wondering whether to trust him. He was there for her defence, right? He was on her side.
"There is one thing..." she said, looking at a part of the report she'd left vague.Daphne said she had my father's cloak, and wouldn't give it back to me unless I paid her money.
"Go on," said Hugh, his quill poised to take notes.
"The cloak Daphne took from me - my father's. It's worth a lot of money. Maybe five thousand galleons."
"Goodness!" said Hugh, scribbling away. "Does she still have it? How is it worth so much?"
"I don't know," said Alex, suddenly realising. Did Daphne still have her father's cloak, stuffed away in her dorm somewhere? "It's an invisibility cloak."
Hugh paused. "Ah," he said, slowly. "That's unfortunate."
"Why?" said Alex, frowning. She'd been thinking a lot over the last few days, and Daphne's theft of her cloak was a major part of her defence.
"Perhaps you were unaware: invisibility cloaks are considered Schedule Four Restricted Goods. You have to be of age to own one, and they should be registered with the proper authorities."
Damn. There goes that idea.
"Now, the cloak was your father's, yes?" said Hugh, making notes again.
"Yeah," said Alex, wondering where he was going.
"Well, the Heirloom Protection Act means you wouldn't get into too much trouble for owning it, then. But I'm afraid it won't help us much either." He turned over to a new page. "Now, is there anything else about your statement you'd like to amend?"
"I don't think so," said Alex, and Hugh took it back.
"Good. It's always tricky if your first statement is wrong in some way. Contradicting stories. Okay, what next... oh yes. Let's talk strategy."
"Strategy?" asked Alex. Surely it was simple: she'd be accused of things, and he'd argue against them.
"Strategy," confirmed Hugh, rubbing his thin hands together. He looked at the Daily Prophet, resting on the table. "I see you've read today's paper," he said, "so you know the basics of what you're in for. The Greengrasses are wanting to bring charges of attempted murder-" Alex's stomach flipped unpleasantly "-which means a full trial, if the Preliminary Hearing goes their way. That's our chance."
"I'm sorry?" said Alex. Nothing in that sounded good.
"The Greengrasses themselves are pressing charges.Notthe Department of Law Enforcement. It's a recent law, stemming from the criminalisation of honour duelling - Harmand Greengrass has essentially taken this as a personal affront. Fifty years ago you - or a champion on your behalf - would've had to duel him, but now the law intervenes. He has to press charges instead."
"I still don't see how that's good," said Alex, pointing at the paper. "Mr Greengrass hates me."
"Maybe so," said Hugh, spreading his hands wide, "but it at least gives us room for negotiation. If we can get him to drop charges, you're free. It would behighlyirregular for the Ministry to press criminal charges if Greengrass declares himself satisfied. The Wizengamot would refuse to hear it."
"I don't know..." said Alex. She didn't have a lot of confidence in the idea of negotiating with the Greengrasses. "It's worth a try, I guess."
"I'm glad you think so," said Hugh, "because I've already arranged a meeting with the Greengrasses. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!"
"Your hearing is set to take place in five days, so we have to move quickly," said Hugh. He reached into his satchel - which must have been magically expanded - and pulled out a white dress. Alex stared at it. It looked like the kind of dress she might have worn at age six - very conservative, with lots of frills and lace. "I'd like you to wear this for the meeting, and for the hearing."
Alex tried to control her blanch. "White isn't really my colour," she said, trying to be tactful.
"It is now," said Hugh, hanging to dress over the side of her bed.
Alex coughed. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said, looking over his robes, "but I'm not sure if you're the best person to be giving fashion advice."
Hugh looked down at himself, and tugged a sleeve self-consciously. "I - what's wrong with these?" He flapped an arm around, watching the sleeves swish. "I thought they looked rather wizardly."
Alex stifled a giggle. "They're a bit big," she said, trying to not offend him. People could be awfully prickly about their clothes. "You look like a ghost, or something. And really, you're a bit too pale for black. It just makes you look paler. Dark blue would be better."
Hugh looked contemplative. "No-one's ever explained it like that before," he said. He swished his arm again, somewhat forlornly. "But we're getting off topic. The dress isn't for fashion, it's for strategy."
"Oh?"
"People associate white with innocence. That's our best angle, I think. It would be a mistake to try to demonise Daphne Greengrass, especially so long as she remains in St. Mungo's. Instead, we need to stress your own youth - you're eleven years old, innocent of the world, and made a mistake. Any of their own children could do the same. That's the way to win them over."
"And the dress will help with that?" said Alex, looking at it speculatively. "Won't it be obvious what we're doing?"
"Oh, completely transparent," said Hugh with a smile. "But even when people know it, they can't help but fall for it."
Alex laughed, and found herself agreeing. "All right, I'll wear the dress," she said, before giving him a cheeky smile. "Even if it is hideous."
Hugh snorted, and sat back down. "It's good to see you smile, but don't do it at the hearing. You need to be very careful with your expression, because people will be watching you constantly. Always look solemn. Regretful."
"Okay," she said.I had no idea there was so much involved in this. I thought it would just be about the law, but it's like being in a play.
"Now, what else have we got to do... oh yes. One last thing. I think you should do an interview with a paper."
"What!" cried Alex, surprised. "No way. Did youreadthe paper today?"
"I did - which is exactly why we need to get your side of the story out there. So far the Greengrasses are dominating the narrative."
"They'll just twist my words to make me look bad," said Alex. "They did that with Lily. She tried to defend me, and they made it look like she was just being loyal, rather than actually believing it."
"That is, of course, a danger," said Hugh. "But I think it's worth the risk." Alex frowned, and opened her mouth to argue. "Not the Daily Prophet, mind you," he continued, cutting her off. "The Hogsmeade Herald is somewhat more sympathetic to your cause. Or at least, more neutral. And I know a reporter there who we could trust to do things right."
Alex bit her lip.
"I will be at the interview with you," he added, seeing her indecision. "To make sure they don't ask any questions that could be damaging."
"Fine," said Alex, still not happy with it, but willing to trust Hugh. She was trusting him with everything else, after all - she was in too far to stop now.
"I'll set it up for two days time," he said, and he started packing his things away. "Well, I think that's everything for now. Do you have any questions?"
"Not that I can think of," said Alex, standing up.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, at ten o'clock, for our meeting with the Greengrasses."