A/N: One last reminder that the update speed will slow down a bit while I continue to write. I'm gonna shoot for 2-3 chapters uploaded per week, but it'll depend on what life looks like. I'm determined to finish this story, even if it's just for my personal sense of accomplishment, and hopefully I'll be able to maintain a decent schedule.

Quick question that I'd love your opinions on: when I picture Diagon Alley, it's sloped slightly downwards towards Gringotts from the Leaky Cauldron, with Knockturn Alley to the left of the bank as you approach. I'm sure there's a canon description that proves me wrong, but I just can't think of it any other way. Anyone else or just me?

Thanks for the reviews, and for reading!

Chapter 11

Harry hurriedly grabbed the documents he needed, roughly shoving them into his bag. He didn't know what was happening in the Alley, but knew it couldn't be good. Jim risked a look out the window, before his employee stepped into the room with fear in her eyes.

"Jenny," Jim said with authority. "Floo home to your family right now. When you get there, call the Ministry and tell them there's an emergency in the Alley and to send aurors. Do not come back until you hear from me. Is that clear?"

The fearful woman nodded, clearly glad for the instruction. She left quickly, and Jim turned to Harry.

"You can use my floo, Harry. Go on home. I'll try to figure out what's happening, and likely do the same."

"Can't do that," Harry replied, drawing his wand and rushing from the office.

He paused at the exit of the building, trying and failing to get a glimpse of what was happening through the shaded glass of the window.

"Harry, seriously," Jim countered, catching up. "Get out of here. The aurors will be here soon, no need to get yourself hurt."

Harry, not hearing a word as he tried to figure out where the repeated spell-fire was coming from, turned quickly towards the man.

"Jim, head on home. The aurors will be here shortly, I'd hate to see you injured."

With that he rushed out the door, hearing a frustrated, "Damnit kid!" from behind him. He immediately took cover behind a large flower pot, adjusting to the chaos of the Alley.

Ron and Hermione were across the street, ducked into the deep doorway of the apothecary. People ran through the Alley haphazardly, and Sirius was nowhere to be seen. Worried, Harry began to move down the alley towards the sound of repeated explosions. He motioned for his friends to stay put, though they immediately moved to ignore him, and broke into a controlled jog. Apparating into an unknown situation was always best avoided.

"Harry!"

He heard Sirius' call from his left, and watched the man appear from a side alley, out of the way of the rushing crowd. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Not having this argument, Pads," Harry called in response, refusing to slow down. "Join me, or take Ron and Hermione home."

Sirius grimaced, and ran to catch up. "You two stay there and head into the Leaky Cauldron if you need to. And no magic unless necessary!" he yelled firmly over his shoulder.

Harry nodded his thanks as Sirius drew level, and the two ran through the alley, careful to avoid the terrified shoppers. As they drew near the bank, they crouched behind an unopened delivery crate, taking turns peaking over.

Six wizards in black masks and robes were standing in front of Gringotts, four casting explosive curses at the doors to the bank, with the remaining two casting curses indiscriminately at the fleeing shoppers. Because of the bank's protections, it wouldn't really have been a problem if not for the people stuck near the entrance. Harry counted at least twelve hiding behind the crooked pillars of the building's impressive entryway, and knew there were more he couldn't see. The bank's transportation wards extended to the street, meaning they were truly stuck.

He tried to move forward, but was stopped by Sirius grabbing him roughly. Expecting to be told to stay where he was, Harry was surprised by the man's calm gaze.

"Three deep breaths, kiddo," the man said soothingly. "Three deep breaths, and we split to opposite sides of the alley. I'll cross the street, you follow along the storefronts here. When we're even with the front of the steps, blast the living fuck out of them and we don't stop until they're all down."

Harry, shocked by the man's composure, merely nodded. The two took the required breaths, maintaining eye contact. As they exhaled the third, they moved as one. Harry ran as fast as he could, moving from cover to cover when he was able to.

He quickly reached his position unseen, and ducked into a doorway for a moment as he watched Sirius approach his. Meeting his eye, his godfather took an exaggerated deep breath, and Harry mirrored it, understanding the suggestion. As they held eye contact, the man held up three fingers.

When the last one fell, Harry cast the most powerful blasting curse he knew, aiming at the feet of the masked attackers. The surprising power behind the spell nearly ripped the wand from his hand, and its impact shook the ground under his feet.

He saw Sirius hesitate for a second, choosing his target, and pick off the two attackers that somehow remained standing after the street beneath them exploded. All six were either dead or down for the count, but Harry didn't lower his wand as he approached.

The destruction his spell wrought was impressive. The cobblestone road was a mess, the point of impact gouged three feet into the earth beneath. The assailant standing closest to the blast was simply gone. Two were missing limbs, quickly bleeding out, and the two that Sirius hit were stunned.

The last attacker was groaning in pain, his wand still in hand. Harry moved towards him, but before he could cast a stunner, the man activated a portkey.

The activation triggered the portkeys the others must have had on their person, and suddenly the alley was deafeningly silent.

"Damnit," Harry heard Sirius mutter at the disappearance, as the older wizard approached. "Harry! You okay?"

"Of course, Pads," the young man replied. "I'm fine. Fucking hell."

Harry spun slowly, taking in the destruction, and felt his stomach twist painfully at the sight. He had intended to cause as much damage as possible, but the thought didn't live up to the result. He noticed a ringing in his ears, and shook his head to clear it to no avail.

"Aurors will be here soon," Sirius said, his calmness returning. "Put your wand in your holster."

Harry did so with a flick of his wrist, the wand quickly returning to his forearm.

"Now kneel on the ground, Harry," the man continued softly, grabbing his godson's shoulder.

Harry, unable to think straight at the moment due to the gore surrounding him, did so immediately.

"Place your hands on the back of your head, and say nothing unless I tell you to," The comforting voice continued. Harry complied.

"I'm proud of you, Harry. The aurors will be here in a moment. Don't move, and don't speak. Everything is fine, and everyone is safe. Look at me."

He did so, noting the man's incredibly calm demeanor. "Everyone is safe. You're safe."

Harry finally realized what the man was doing, and understood why. His brain seemed to be shutting down, and he felt his hands trembling from their spot on his head. Shock.

Putting a name to it helped him fight it, and Harry concentrated on his breathing, managing to steady his pounding heart a bit. He looked at Sirius, who was kneeling next to him in the same position, though with his wand in hand, and nodded firmly.

Padfoot, seeing his gaze returning to normal, sighed in relief. The two simply knelt, maintaining eye contact for far longer than they expected. When Sirius gave up and moved to stand, multiple loud pops finally sounded around them. A small number of scarlet robed individuals appeared in front and behind the pair.

"Put the wand on the ground!" A raspy voice called harshly, and Sirius complied. Harry felt hands on his wrists, and shot a nervous look at Sirius.

"Just keep breathing, Harry. We're fine."

Harry, closing his eyes and returning his focus to his breathing, felt his hands shackled together tightly, and his magic seemed to fade.

"Might want to look who you're slapping those cuffs on, Dawlish," he heard a familiar voice call out.

Opening his eyes, he realized Jim Griggs had followed them down the Alley. He stood at the front of a quickly growing crowd, Ron and Hermione just behind him. "That's two Lords whose magic you just suppressed."

The auror in question leaned forward from behind, checking Harry and Sirius' faces, before standing with a muttered curse. Harry felt the handcuffs removed, and Sirius slowly stood beside him. He followed the man's lead, standing slowly with his hands in the air.

"Thank you, Jim," Harry called, smiling at the man in gratitude.

Jim nodded in reply, concern on his face. "You alright?"

"Never better," Harry lied, still woozy at best.

He slowly turned, noticing the absolute silence of the gathered crowd. Sirius and the named auror were standing especially close, glaring at each other.

"Dawlish," his godfather greeted, a smirk replacing the scowl. "Savage. Williamson. Proudfeet," the man nodded, mockingly formal, to the other men as he named them.

"It's Proudfoot!"

Sirius barked a laugh, but before he could reply, another wizard apparated into the Alley with a 'crack'.

"Robards," Harry's godfather said more politely as he recognized the man. "You in charge of this lot?"

"I am," the auror said as he approached. He was a well-built man, with a well-worried look on his face.

"Lord Black," he nodded to Sirius, shaking the man's hand. "What the hell happened here?"

"Not really sure, Gawain," Harry was surprised at the friendly tone. "Lord Potter and I were up near the Leaky, and all Hell broke loose. We ran down to see if we could help, and found six masked wizards firing on Gringotts."

"Masked?" the man hissed.

"Black masks," Sirius offered with a shrug. "Harry and I stopped them, but they porkeyed away once they were down."

Sirius leaned towards the man and muttered softly, "I'd rather not go into much detail here, Gawain. I assume the Wizengamot will call a session to hear the full story anyway."

Robards nodded seriously. "Count on it, Sirius," he said equally as quietly. "There was a simultaneous attack at Azkaban. This was likely meant to be a distraction or to pull auror resources."

Sirius and Harry both blanched, mentally preparing themselves for a long night.

"I'll clean up here, and Scrimgeour can take your official statements at the Ministry."

"Let's grab a drink next week," Sirius responded with a nod of thanks.

The man returned the nod before turning to his aurors and issuing instructions to gather the remaining body parts, gather witness statements, and transport any injured to the hospital.

Harry turned to his Godfather, who gave him a concerned look. "Let's get you to St. Mungo's, kiddo."

"No," Harry said firmly. "I'm fine. We need to go to the Ministry."

"Just to have someone to take a quick look. Maybe a calming draught."

"Pads, I'm fine. I feel better now."

Before a worried Sirius could respond, they were interrupted by Ron and Hermione rushing towards them. Hermione quickly pulled Harry into a hug, and Ron squeezed his shoulder.

"Alright, mate?"

"I'm good," Harry said with a reassuring smile. "I'm gonna have to miss Ginny's party, though. Tell her I'm sorry, would you?" The boy nodded in agreement, clearly concerned for his friend.

"I sent a Patronus to Dumbledore when things kicked off," Sirius said to the pair. "He should be here any minute to take you two home. I'm sure you can get the story from someone in the crowd in the meantime. Don't leave the area, and we'll wait for someone to pick you up before we leave."

"We won't," Hermione promised.

As Harry and Sirius moved from the scene of the attack, the man obviously wanting some privacy with his godson, they were stopped by a raised voice from behind.

"Lords!"

Daniel Greengrass was hurrying in their direction, leading his clearly shaken family.

"Are you hurt?"

"We're fine," Sirius answered.

"We were stuck at the entrance," Daniel explained with a relieved look. "I could barely poke my head out for fear of losing it. Thank you for what you did."

"Of course," Harry said, noticing the man was much less formal at the moment. "Are you all okay?"

Harry looked to the ladies behind, getting grateful nods from the oldest and youngest. Daphne just stared at him, her eyes wide, forcing Harry to hesitate. Shaking himself, he turned back to Daniel.

"There's more to this than what happened here. We'll be needed in the Chamber soon."

"I'll take my family home and meet you there."

"Gentlemen," Emily Greengrass offered seriously, her American accent sounding strange in their surroundings. "I don't have the words to thank you. That was a terrifying couple minutes."

"You're welcome," Harry replied with a small smile.

Astoria, he noticed, wouldn't quite meet his eyes. And Daphne still hadn't looked away from them. He met her gaze for a quick moment before turning to Sirius. They stepped away from the grateful family, and seeing Dumbledore and Remus had arrived, disapparated.

—

Harry and Sirius, having a bit of time before the session began, made use of the fully equipped bathrooms connected to their suite of offices. Clean and in fresh robes, the two sat on opposite sides of Sirius' desk, nursing cups of tea.

Remus' large wolf Patronus appeared through the nearby wall, startling the two men, before delivering its message in an ethereal voice.

"Glad you two are okay. Stick together until you're home."

The Patronus faded away as the two chuckled. "Yes, mother," Sirius muttered, before settling into silence once more.

Harry felt relatively normal, though a bit tired, his body still coming down from the adrenaline.

"Where did that come from, Pads?"

Sirius, knowing he didn't mean the Patronus, just gave him a questioning look.

"The 'three breaths' thing, and how calm you were? Not that I don't appreciate it, but it was unexpected."

"You were wired,Harry. From the second you stepped out of the office, your magic was all over the place. It was unreal," Sirius answered. "But I needed you in control."

"Fair enough," Harry said thoughtfully. "It definitely helped."

"It's what Marlene said to me on my first mission for the Order," Sirius added with a bittersweet smile. "I was fresh out of school, and she had already been in the order for a couple years."

Harry, not expecting the explanation, sat forward, his eyes full of sympathy.

"We were posted up outside what we thought was about to be the site of an attack. I was an absolute jittery mess. She grabbed my hand, forced me to look at her, and said 'Three breaths, Padfoot'."

Sirius wiped a stray tear from his face, chuckling to himself. "She was always so calm and collected. Nothing could shake her. She mellowed me out in the best way."

"I'm glad I got to meet her, Pads," Harry offered gently after a long moment.

"Me too," the man said with a sad smile, drying his eyes on a conjured handkerchief. "How do you feel now?"

"Better. I didn't expect to react that way."

"We all did the same," Sirius said supportively. "Me, Remus, your dad. There's a big difference between being dropped into a fight, and willingly walking into one for the first time. Knowing what you're heading into makes your brain overcompensate. You kept it together until the end, and I have a feeling it'll get easier," the man finished with a grimace.

"Goody," Harry countered darkly.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the office door, which Sirius opened with a wave of his wand. Daniel filled the frame holding a bottle of liquor as an offering. Sirius quickly waved the man in, gesturing to the seat next to Harry.

"I figured you could use a pick me up," he said, sitting.

"More than anything," Sirius answered, conjuring three glasses. At Harry's raised eyebrows, he smirked. "You can try a little if you want."

Harry, feeling a bit weird, but pleased his godfather was treating him as an adult, nodded his agreement.

Daniel poured a good measure of the drink into two of the glasses, adding a little more than a splash to Harry's. The three men raised their glasses together, and sipped.

Harry's eyes bulged, and he fought the urge to immediately cough out the liquid. The older men chuckled at the reaction before Daniel added a splash of water from a nearby pitcher to the young man's glass.

"Kentucky bourbon, Harry," the man said with a smile. "It's an acquired taste, but blows firewhiskey out of the water for settling nerves."

"I think I'll stick to tea for a few years." Harry set the now watered-down drink on the desk.

"Good idea."

"How are your wife and girls, Daniel?" Sirius asked.

"A bit rattled, but Emily was brewing some chamomile when I left. They're a strong bunch, they'll be okay."

"I noticed your eldest seemed a bit more than rattled," Sirius suggested gently.

"Daphne's as stubborn as her mother," Daniel said with a quick glance at Harry. "She kept peeking around Emily, looking for a way for us to escape, I guess. She saw the whole thing."

Harry's stomach dropped at the idea of her watching him kill people. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't think of the effect my spell would have on the people that saw it."

"Stop," Daniel said soothingly, placing a hand on the flustered boy's shoulder. "You saved our lives, Harry. You and Sirius. You did what needed to be done. Don't apologize to anyone for your actions. Daphne and all the others will get past it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"And quit calling me sir," the man said with a smile. "It's Daniel."

Harry nodded, grinning slightly. "It's just after the last few years, I've grown a bit used to people looking at me like some sort of villain. I'm sure today didn't help."

"You'd make a good one," Daniel countered with a chuckle. "You were a sight to behold out there."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked in surprise, looking at Sirius.

"Your magic, like I mentioned earlier," Sirius answered with a shrug. "I know you didn't notice, but it was kicking up all sorts of stuff around you. Your own little Potter tornado."

"Your eyes were glowing, too," Daniel added. "You'd have been visible in the middle of the ocean on a dark night."

"Great," Harry groaned. "People will think I'm some sort of freak. Again."

"Nah," Daniel corrected, thinking nothing of his response. "It's a Potter thing. Charlus was apparently famous for it, and I even saw James do it a time or two in the Chamber."

"The blasting curse was a lot stronger than I expected it to be," Harry said, thinking back.

"Magic reacts to adrenaline," Sirius explained. "Kind of like those stories of muggle mothers picking up cars to save their children. Your magic will always be more powerful in intense situations."

"Like the Dementors," Harry realized. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Dementors?" Daniel confusedly asked.

"Harry sent more than a hundred packing his third year," Sirius said lightly, smirking at his godson.

"A hundred?" Daniel asked, flabbergasted.

They were interrupted by a paper airplane flying underneath the door. Their summonses to the emergency session.

"A story for another time," Harry said, smiling at the timing. He and Sirius stood and moved to the door.

"Third year?" Daniel said from his seat, his brain not catching up yet.

"Shall we leave him to it?" Sirius asked, both laughing at the man. Harry closed the door behind them, wondering if the 'Lord' would be late to the meeting.

—

Before Harry and Sirius could take their seats, they were approached by Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head Auror. Following the man to the far corner of the room, they provided their official statements on what happened during the attack, and supplied a copy of the memory from both perspectives. The rather odd looking man thanked them for their time, and left to review the memories.

As they moved to their seats, Harry noticed Daniel enter, his 'Lord Greengrass' mask as strong as ever. Taking a look at the other gathered members, he noticed quite a few empty seats, mainly those his team considered of questionable morals. Attendance was technically not mandatory at any session, but the roll call was made public knowledge so the constituents could judge their elected officials' fulfillment of duty.

Albus, having already called the session to order, acknowledged a standing Lucius Malfoy. "Fellow members, before we get into the subject of this session, I would like to apologize on behalf of our missing members. They are sequestered at Lord Yaxley's summer home, discussing possible marriage contracts for future generations. I will, of course, pass on any information gathered tonight so they may stay up to date."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Albus said evenly. Harry and Sirius shared a look, and he noticed a handful of other suspicious glances.

"This session was called quickly, and I understand many of you have other responsibilities," the older man continued. "To have two emergency sessions in such a small amount of time is not something that has happened since the war, and I am sad to say the reason for this session is similar in nature."

The elected member section began whispering amongst themselves, and Fudge, who sat next to Lucius, briefly glanced in Harry's direction. The young Lord sent the man a quick sarcastic salute, the Minister flushing in response.

"Our world has been attacked," Dumbledore continued gravely. "The Wizengamot itself was attacked in the person of Lord Greengrass and his family. I trust they are now home safe?"

Daniel answered with a terse nod, and Dumbledore took the hint and moved on.

"A small group of people wearing black robes and masks attacked Gringotts at approximately 3:25 this afternoon. They were stopped by the joint efforts of Lords Potter and Black, with thankfully, few serious casualties. Those that were injured have been sent to St. Mungo's. We will receive a further briefing by Head Auror Scrimgeour when he is available."

"There was a second attack," the tired looking man said through the whispers in the room. "At approximately the same time of 3:25 in the afternoon, an assault was staged on Azkaban island, resulting in the 'Kiss' of seven prison guards, and the escape of ten prisoners, all convicted of heinous crimes."

At this, the room erupted. Even Daniel leaned forward in concern, and Harry felt guilty at not forewarning the man. Only Sirius remained unmoved, though his look was murderous.

Fudge, having been briefed by the aurors, was doing his best to calm the members around him. He was having little success.

"Which prisoners?" a witch that Harry couldn't identify shouted over the din.

Dumbledore, banging his gavel a few times to restore order, recited from memory.

"Rudolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix Lestrange," he began, and Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Lady Longbottom. "Phillip Mulciber, Jonathan Travers, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Luca and Grady Young, and Roger Greengrass."

Harry felt his stomach twist in knots, and forced himself not to do more than glance in Daniel's direction. The man sat back in his chair heavily, his mask slipping briefly to show a very anxious expression. Harry made a mental note to speak to him as soon as he could.

Scrimgeour entered the room quickly, moving to the podium set into the floor at the front of the Chamber. Albus gestured from his seat for the man to have the floor.

Harry only half listened to the man's summation of the attack on Gringotts. He heard enough to know he and Sirius were free of suspicion of any wrongdoing, and that their names were being submitted to some committee that would decide if their actions deserved an official commendation of some sort. Harry hoped not.

He did learn that he'd likely killed all three wizards affected by his spell. According to Scrimgeour's medical expert, unless the men portkeyed directly to someone with healing abilities, they would have quickly lost too much blood to survive. Harry had assumed that fact, but it was a bit of a weight on his conscience to have it confirmed. Better them than the innocents in the Alley, he decided darkly.

As the discussion moved on to the attack on Azkaban, Harry made sure to pay full attention. Members were allowed to ask questions of the Head Auror, who was doing his best to answer.

"How many human guards were stationed at the prison?" Lord Boot asked.

"Ten in total. The three not found are presumed missing or dead."

"Are you suggesting they had a hand in the escape?" Robert continued.

"I'd like to steer clear of suggesting anything at all, sir, and rather relay the facts as I know them. The seven guards we found who had received the Dementor's Kiss were all located in their designated guard rooms, with the doors open. The three we haven't located left no trace as to their condition, and their assigned guard rooms were locked from the inside."

"So it's possible the Dementors have turned on the Ministry?" asked Augusta Longbottom, her voice shaky.

"We don't have enough information to say one way or the other ma'am."

"If they Kissed the guards," the woman responded angrily. "I'd say that's a pretty big hint!"

"When my aurors arrived," Scrimgeour explained, clearly trying to keep his own opinion out of his response. "All Dementors were present and accounted for. They showed no hostility to my aurors, nor any effort to leave the island."

"How exactly did the prisoners escape?" a member of the elected section asked.

"Through an opening blasted into the top floor. Our exterior detectors point to one witch or wizard, on broom, as the culprit."

"One person?" Robert Boot exclaimed. "One person penetrated the wards of the most protected building in Britain."

"That appears to be the case, Lord Boot."

"Thank you, Rufus," Dumbledore interrupted, the man nodding and leaving the room. "He and his team are currently writing up plans for the manhunt, and I believe we have enough information to discuss. My primary concern is how the Ministry plans to react to these attacks."

Fudge stood to a chorus of murmured agreement. The man was pale and sweating, nervously fiddling with a stack of papers. Harry knew he would catch heat for the events of the day, and wondered if it would be enough to push him from office. That would be a decent silver lining, at least.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the man began before clearing his throat nervously. "Today will go down as one of the worst in our recent history. My heart goes out to the injured, and the families of our brave prison guards. Any loss of…"

"Fudge," Sirius called from his seat. "Get to the point. This isn't a damn stump speech."

The Minister scowled, but did not respond. "The Ministry plans to investigate the two attacks, and to figure out if and how the two are linked. The connection appears obvious, but without any of the responsible persons being captured, it may be difficult to discover."

Harry scoffed loudly, unsurprised the man had found a way to blame Sirius and himself for part of the ongoing calamity. The Minister continued despite his interruption.

"I believe the most important piece in this is the man who broke through the prison's wards, and a reward will be offered for any information on someone capable of doing so."

"I have some information, Minister," Augusta Longbottom said sarcastically while standing. "We all know who the escapees followed, and we all know he was more than strong enough for the feat."

"The Dark Lord is dead, Lady Longbottom!" the man spluttered, turning red. "Why do we keep coming back to this ridiculousness?"

"It was at your accusation, Minister," Harry said from his seat. "That we spoke of Voldemort during the last session."

He ignored the cries of outrage at the name, and pinned Fudge with a gaze. "If you can bring him up, so can Lady Longbottom. Are you so set in your ways that you won't even discuss the possibility?"

"The Dark Lord has been dead since '81," the man spat. "Why would we waste our time on the conversation? We have much to discuss."

"The fact that it is ten of his most dangerous followers doesn't feel a tad suspicious to you?" Harry knew he had to tread carefully. He wouldn't be able to change the public perception from this Chamber, he just hoped to get the ball rolling a bit.

"Post hoc, ergo propter hoc," Lucius said pompously, standing at Fudge's side. "I don't suppose you know any Latin, Lord Potter?" he asked condescendingly, obviously hoping to lord it over the young man.

"After this, therefore, because of this," Daniel answered for the younger man, saving him from any possible embarrassment.

"It's all well and good to speak in platitudes, and in foreign languages for no reason other than arrogance, but you'd be foolish to not accept the possibility, Minister," Sirius added, causing Lucius to flush with anger. "If there's a sliver of truth in what Lord Potter believed he witnessed that night in June, we need to find it."

"And how do you suggest I do that, Lord Black?" Fudge responded snarkily.

"You can start by compiling a list of every known person with a Dark Mark and sympathizer that retained their freedom. Have them investigated, followed, questioned, detained, whatever it takes to find the truth of the matter."

"That would only open old wounds unnecessarily! Those that were acquitted were innocent. Those citizens suffered the indignity of being controlled by the enemy in any number of ways, and have worked hard to regain their standing in society. I believed you, if any, would understand that. Why would I cast aspersions on their character once more? That would only cause division among us when we need to pull together."

"Because," Dumbledore interjected calmly. "If you're wrong in your assertions, and the man has found a way to return, to not do your due diligence will cost lives, Cornelius. Not votes. Lives."

"I won't stand here and be vilified for trying to protect my citizens," Fudge snapped, gathering his things. "To those of you that have had to witness this absurdity, you have my apologies. You also have my solemn vow that the Ministry will do everything in its power to capture the escapees, and set our world to rights once more. If you have any further concerns, I suggest you contact my office, as I find myself disgusted with the direction the Wizengamot seems intent on moving in."

With that, the man stormed from the Chamber, his head held comically high. Before he had even reached the door, Albus turned to Amelia Bones.

"Lady Bones, perhaps you could run through your first thoughts as Director of the DMLE," he suggested.

Harry bit back a laugh as the Wizengamot's reaction to the loss of such an esteemed member wasn't nearly as dramatic as Fudge would have wanted it to be.