The atmosphere inside Abbott Manor on the morning of Dumbledore's trial was extremely tense.
Heather knew that Harry, Amy, Susan, and Hannah would not be able to concentrate on lessons on this day, so she set up a radio for them to listen in on Dumbledore's trial via the Wizarding Wireless Network.
They managed to tune in just in time to hear Amelia questioning Dumbledore.
"What influence have you had over Harry Potter's life?"
"I wish to raise Harry to fight Lord Voldemort. My expectation is that he will eventually walk into a fight with Voldemort and be killed by Voldemort, eliminating the greatest threat to Voldemort," answered Dumbledore.
Harry, Amy, Susan, Hannah, and Heather realized that Dumbledore was under the influence of truth serum and that he was going to spill everything.
"How did you plan on molding the boy?" Amelia grilled Dumbledore.
"First, I placed him in the care of his harsh Uncle Vernon Dursley and his wife, Petunia. I knew that Vernon hated magic and would treat Harry with cruelty. I told Petunia that she should go along with any hard or harsh treatment on Harry that Vernon wished to impose. As Petunia has to conform to Vernon's wishes to keep her marriage together anyway, this was an easy sell. Petunia already knew about the tendencies of young witches and wizards to perform accidental magic. I told her that she and Vernon should punish Harry harshly anytime he displayed accidental magic. The idea behind this was that I would gain his trust when he found his Hogwarts life far better and happier than his home life." spilled Dumbledore.
"Petunia is Lily's sister, " said Amelia matter of factly, "Would Lily have approved of Petunia and her husband raising Harry?"
"No, " said Dumbledore firmly, "James and Lily wrote it into their wills that under NO circumstances was Harry to be placed with Vernon and Petunia. They even went as far as writing into the will that they would rather Harry grow up in an orphanage or live at a school year round than have him raised by Vernon and Petunia. Their preference for Harry's guardian should anything happen to them was Sirius Black, followed by Remus Lupin, then Amelia Bones, and then Heather Abbott. Though James and Lily were on excellent terms with Hagrid, they preferred he not be the person to raise Harry because they didn't feel he was responsible enough to raise a child. But they were clear that under NO circumstances were McGonagall, Snape, me, or Vernon and Petunia to have anything to do with raising Harry. I destroyed the will using Fiendfyre before they died."
"You knew they were going to die?" Amelia asked Dumbledore suspiciously.
"I put the Imperius Curse on Sirius Black to make him change the Potter's Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, who I knew was now a Death Eater. After Pettigrew told Voldemort where the Potters were, I knew Lily would sacrifice herself for her son and that the resultant magic would rebound against Voldemort. I gave evidence against Sirius Black. I believed a temporary loss of power for the Dark Lord would benefit him in the future," leaked Dumbledore.
"So, Sirius Black is innocent?" screeched a startled Amelia.
"Yes, " admitted Dumbledore.
"That's another thing this court will have to address. But why did you think Voldemort would benefit from a temporary loss of power?" questioned Amelia.
"People would either believe he was dead or he would slowly fade from conscienceless. This reality has actually given the Dark Lord the ability to plan and prepare in secret what he wants to do when he returns. The Dark Lord was initially displeased that I set it up for him to lose his powers, but he now understands how much these down years are going to help him in the long run," finished Dumbledore confidently.
"What did you intend life at Hogwarts to be like for Harry?" inquired Amelia.
"I wanted him to be happy but tested while at school, " explained Dumbledore, "To test his skill, resolve, and determination, I had a series of obstacles set up guarding a Sorcerer's Stone I had hidden in Hogwarts that I intended Harry to beat. Unfortunately, Nicolas Flamel learned of my plans and removed his Sorcerer's Stone from Hogwarts and is now looking after it himself. When Harry learned Voldemort had killed his mom and dad, I intended him to want to stop Lord Voldemort at all costs. I arranged to have Professor Quirrell attempt to steal the stone for Harry to thwart him to discover Voldemort was the one who was really after the stone. I intended for Quirrell to be sharing his body with Lord Voldemort by this time. My intent was Harry would thwart the attempt to steal the Sorcerer's Stone and become more determined to defeat the Dark Lord in the process. I had not yet informed Voldemort of this, but my plan was to bring him back at the end of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts."
"You have publicly opposed Lord Voldemort in the past, " piped up Amelia.
"To avoid suspicion, " said Dumbledore calmly, "I knew that Lord Voldemort had horcruxes and could not truly be killed. When I learned of the prophecy between the Dark Lord and Harry Potter, I decided that it would be good for Voldemort to vanish for a while and believed if I could mold Harry to want to fight Voldemort, then Voldemort would kill Harry in battle, the light would give up, I would become the Dark Lord's most faithful servant and get the power and glory that came with it, and the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord and I could use our power and our magic to shape the world the way we wanted for who we wanted."
"Is it true, " asked Amelia sharply, "That you told students that, "The third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death?"
"Yes, " confirmed Dumbledore, "But my real intent was to pique Harry's curiosity. You open the door with Alohomora and then you come across an obstacle course consisting of a three headed dog, devil's snare, winged keys, a troll, a live chess game, and a potions riddle."
"So, by using the first year unlocking spell students would come face to face with a three headed dog?" said Amelia coldly, "Every student at the school was in danger and you piqued all of their curiosity. You know the curious and rebellious nature of many kids and teens."
"As long Harry got his test, I didn't care what happened to anyone else, " said Dumbledore tonelessly.
"Also, why are there dangerous creatures in the forest at Hogwarts?" asked Amelia.
"Most of them were already there before I got to Hogwarts, " answered Dumbledore truthfully.
"Did you allowing bullying at Hogwarts to go unpunished?" inquired Amelia.
"I rarely get involved with student discipline, that's up to the heads of house, " replied Dumbledore.
"That's another matter for another time, " said Amelia frostily, "Hogwarts whole way of doing things is going to receive a detailed review. But I take it you supported Snape to give him cover until Voldemort returned."
"Yes, " confirmed Dumbledore."
"Does Hogwarts staff trust you?" grilled Amelia.
"Snape, McGonagall, and Quirrell do. I don't know about the others, " responded Dumbledore.
Amelia gave a thoughtful look as though filing the information away.
Next nanosecond, a bell rang.
"Lunch break, " called Amelia. She stunned Dumbledore to ensure he could not possibly escape while they were at lunch.
Meanwhile, back at Abbott Manor, Harry was fuming.
"Fuck the manipulative old bastard! That fucking asshole DESTROYED my childhood!"
Heather did not approve of profanity, but said nothing on this occasion, realizing that Harry needed to be allowed to let his emotion out.
Once Harry had calmed down, Heather called on Topsy and she brought them an excellent lunch of spaghetti with tomato sauce and hamburger meat mixed in, a side of breadsticks, and Jack Daniels to wash it down with.
As Harry, Amy, Susan, Hannah, and Heather chowed down on their spaghetti and breadsticks and gulped down their Jack Daniels, Harry asked Heather a question.
"Did my mom and dad believe that I would become friends with Susan and Hannah?'
"I don't know if they believed it, but they desired it, " explained Heather, "Sirius never wanted to have kids and Remus believed he could not have kids. James and Lily knew that Susan and Hannah were your age and hoped they could provide you with friendship and companionship as you grew up. "
"Would it be fair to say that the friendships I now have with Susan and Hannah are a fulfilment of my mom's and dad's wishes?" asked Harry in a businesslike voice.
"On some level, yes, " said Heather clearly, "But they were more concerned that you had some friends of your age to grow up with. I can't say that they cared specifically who those friends were as long as they were decent people."
A few minutes after lunch was gone, a bell came over the radio and they knew Dumbledore's trial was about to continue.