I opened the door to my office the next day, spotting a memo hovering above my desk. I walked over to it looking at it curiously, but as soon as I recognised the handwriting I rolled my eyes.

Dear Madam Megera,

I trust that you will remember our brief discussion of your non-attendance at today's hearing.

I do not like to tell you what to do, but I feel in this case it needs to be reiterated.

I hope you are well.

Sincerely,

Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic

I scrunched up the note and threw it under my desk where I heard the trash can eating it. I sighed and sat down pulling a stack of parchment towards me as my office door opened with a bang making me jump.

"How many times do I have to tell you to knock" I sighed as I spun around and faced the young intern.

"Sorry, Madam Megera - it's the Potter boy's hearing — they've changed the time and venue — it starts at eight o'clock now and it's down in old Courtroom Ten —"

Shit, I thought as I leapt up and grabbed my Wizengamot hat and thanked the intern as I sped out of my office and raced to the Courtroom.

I arrived in less than 5 minutes, nodded to Arthur who was waiting nervously outside, turned the heavy iron door handle and stepped inside the courtroom.

I could hear the Minister was still only announcing the Court attendances "- Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley —"

"—And for the defense, Meghana Maximiliana Megera, Member of the Wizengamot" I announced before Fudge could continue as I strode into the Courtroom, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

I walked around the chair that Harry was sitting in and noticed the look of surprise but also relief spread across his face at my appearance.

The other members of the Wizengamot were muttering but Fudge looked furious.

"Ah," said Fudge "you must have forgotten our discussion regarding you NOT attending this hearing, Madam Megera?" his voice was trembling slightly with anger as he sat forward frowning down at me "Did Dumbledore put you up to this?"

I looked up at Fudge and smiled, "I am here carrying out my duty as a member of the Wizengamot." I said simply noticing Madam Bones smile at me ever so slightly.

I took Fudge's silence as acceptance and continued. "Should you start by reading the charges, Minister?" he continued to stare at me as the other members of the Wizengamot were still muttering and fidgeting restlessly; only when Fudge spoke again did they settle down.

"Yes," said Fudge, shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes."

He extracted a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read the charges.

Once he had finished he glared at Harry over the top of his parchment.

"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said

"Yes," Harry said.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"

"Yes, but —"

"And yet you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August this year?" said Fudge.

"Yes," said Harry, "but —"

"Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen?"

"Yes, but —"

"Knowing that you were in an area full of Muggles and fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?"

"Yes," said Harry angrily, "but I only used it because we were —"

"Impressive," said Madam Bones, staring down at him, "a true Patronus at that age . . . very impressive indeed."

"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice.

"I did it because of the dementors!" Harry said loudly.

"Enough!" said Fudge with a very supercilious look on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story —"

"There is in fact a witness to the presence of dementors in said alleyway," I said talking over Fudge, "other than Harry's cousin, of course."

I was pacing up and down, hands behind my back, in front of the Minister and the other members of the court, my Wizengamot robes trailing behind me. I figured that if I stood still they would see how nervous this was making me.

"We haven't got time to listen to more tall tales, I'm afraid, Madam Megera. I want this dealt with quickly —"

"I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses for his or her case?" I cut across Fudge again but this time avoided looking up at him and continuing to pace. If I kept focusing on the floor, I could pretend that this was just a normal day at the office.

"True," I heard Madam Bones say. "Perfectly true."

Thank God for Amelia Bones.

"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "Is this person outside? Weasley, you go and get them," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, hurried down the stone steps from the judge's balcony, and hastened past Harry and me without even glancing at us.

I stood quietly next to Mrs. Figg as she gave her evidence and after she was done and dismissed by Fudge she shuffled off toward the door again.

"Not a very convincing witness," said Fudge loftily, looking down at me.

"Oh, I don't know," said Madam Bones. "She certainly described the effects of a dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't —"

"But dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happened to come across a wizard?" snorted Fudge. "The odds on that must be very, very long —"

"Are we really going to sit here and pretend that we believe the Dementors were there by coincidence?" I said quietly.

I looked up briefly and noticed the witch beside Fudge move slightly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Fudge icily.

"It means that I think they were ordered there," I said simply.

"I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of dementors to go strolling through Little Whinging!" barked Fudge.

"Not if the Dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic," I said, forcing my voice to be a lot more calm than I felt.

"The Dementors remain in place in Azkaban and are doing everything we ask them to." said Fudge forcefully.

"Then," I replied slowly, "maybe you should be asking why somebody within the Ministry ordered a pair of Dementors into that alleyway on the second of August."

In the complete silence that followed my words, the witch to the right of Fudge leaned forward and Fudge said "The Chair recognises Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister,"

"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Megera," she said with a simper that left eyes as cold as ever. "So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy!"

I didn't know Dolores Umbridge well, but I knew enough about her to know I didn't like her. She was a classic example of how sucking up to the Minister would get you a higher position in office than if you just worked hard at your job. She gave a silvery laugh and I forced a slight smile as I addressed her.

"If the Dementors are taking orders only from the Ministry and then two Dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a week ago, then one only has to reasonably assume that somebody at the Ministry ordered these attacks," I said shrugging. I paused as I watched Dolores sit back in her seat, still smiling. "And undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why two Dementors were not at Azkaban as they should have been and why they attacked without authorisation." I went on as I resumed my pacing in front of Fudge and the rest of the Wizengamot feeling his eyes boring into me.

"It is not for you to decide what the Ministry of Magic does or does not do, Madam Megera!" snapped Fudge.

"Of course it isn't," said I mildly pausing my pacing to look up at him.

"I would remind everybody that the behaviour of these Dementors, if indeed they are not figments of this boy's imagination, is not the subject of this hearing!" said Fudge. "We are here to examine Harry Potter's offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery!"

"Yes, we are," I said, taking a breath before reciting "but the presence of dementors in that alleyway is quite relevant. Clause seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations that threaten the life of the wizard or witch themselves, or witches, wizards, or Muggles present at the time of the —"

"We are familiar with clause seven, thank you very much!" snarled Fudge.

"Then we are in agreement that Harry's use of the Patronus Charm in these circumstances falls precisely into the category of exceptional circumstances of clause seven?" I said courteously.

"If there were Dementors, which I doubt —"

"You have heard from an eyewitness," I interrupted. "If you still have doubts about her evidence, I will call her back, and question her again." I gestured behind myself at the door.

"I — that — not —" blustered Fudge, fiddling with the papers before him. "It's — I want this over with today, Meghana!"

"Surely you would not care how many times you heard from a witness if the alternative was a serious miscarriage of justice," I said, resuming my pacing once again. I wasn't sure how far I could keep pushing and I was quite aware of how angry he was.

"Serious miscarriage, my hat!" said Fudge at the top of his voice. "Have you ever bothered to count the number of cock-and-bull stories this boy has come out with, Madam Megera? The stories that Dumbledore tries to cover up his flagrant misuse of magic out of school? I suppose you've forgotten the Hover Charm he used three years ago —"

"That wasn't me, it was a house-elf!" said Harry.

"YOU SEE?" roared Fudge, gesturing flamboyantly in Harry's direction. "A house-elf! In a Muggle house! I ask you —"

"That house-elf is currently employed at Hogwarts," I said. "I can have him summoned here in an instant to give evidence if you wish." I smiled at the thought.

"I — not — I haven't got time to listen to house-elves! Anyway, that's not the only — he blew up his aunt, for God's sake!" Fudge shouted, banging his fist on the judge's bench and upsetting a bottle of ink.

"And we very kindly did not press charges on that occasion," I said, still smiling as Fudge attempted to scrub the ink off his notes.

"And I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school —"

"— but as the Ministry has no authority to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanours at school this is not relevant to this inquiry," I said, now getting slightly impatient.

"Oh!" said Fudge. "Not our business what he does at school, eh? You think so?"

"I remind you that the Ministry does not have the power to expel Hogwarts students, Minister" I said, stopping in front of him once again and looking up. "Nor does it have the right to confiscate wands until charges have successfully been proven. In your haste to ensure that the law is upheld, you appear to have overlooked a few laws yourself."

"Laws can be changed," said Fudge savagely.

"Of course, they can," I said. "And you certainly seem to be making many changes. It is not lost on me that in the few short weeks since Dumbledore was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has already become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic!"

I noticed that a few of the wizards shifted uncomfortably in their seats and I glanced at Madam Umbridge who, merely gazed back at me, her face quite expressionless.

I sighed and continued "As far as I am aware, however, there is no law yet in place that says this Court's job is to punish Harry for every bit of magic he has ever performed. He has been charged with a specific offence and his defence has been presented. All he and I can do now is to await your verdict." I strode over to Harry and stood behind his seat placing my hands on top of it and looking over at the Wizengamot who had fallen into urgent, whispered conversations.

I took a deep breath as I wondered if I had done the right thing in disobeying a direct order, not once but twice, from the Minister for Magic. Dumbledore had assured me that he would be able to maintain my reputation and my position in the Court, however, my confidence in Dumbledore faulted slightly once I had seen the look on Fudge's face when entering this courtroom.

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" said Madam Bones's booming voice, and I noticed Harry's head jerked upward. There were hands in the air, many of them . . . more than half! Madam Bones continued, "And those in favour of conviction?"

Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including Madam Umbridge which did not surprise me at all.

Fudge glanced around at all the Wizengamot furiously, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and then said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well, very well . . . cleared of all charges."

"Excellent," I said briskly. "Well, I have a stack of work waiting for me. Good day to you all." I bowed my head to the Wizengamot and turned quickly to walk out of the Courtroom.

"Not so fast Madam Megera" Fudge yelled over the bustle of the Court gathering their things and preparing to leave. I froze instantly knowing what was coming next "I want to see you in my office immediately!"

I closed my eyes briefly at his words but painted a smile on my face as I turned around "Of course, Minister" I forced out.

The Wizengamot had all filed out, with Madam Umbridge following them until the only people left were myself and the Minister.

He gestured to the door and I took this as his way of telling me to leave, which I did and he followed me.

We were making our way, in silence, to level 1 when I spotted Lucius Malfoy loitering around the long corridor.

"Ah, Minister" he greeted as he spun around and spotted us. He looked directly at me "I just heard about your remarkable accomplishments today Meghana."

"What exactly are you implying, Uncle?" I asked dangerously.

"Nothing at all, merely expressing how proud your parents will be with your performance today in Court" he replied silky.

I laughed darkly "Well, you'll be seeing them before I do, so you can tell them all about it."

"Oh, you really think so? It's not me that keeps the company of criminals" he said, smirking at me.

"Now really, Lucius c'mon," said Fudge, glancing at me.

A million retorts ran through my head but thought better of it as I felt I was already in enough trouble. I looked him up and down with a look of disgust and Fudge cleared his throat, glancing between us desperately trying to defuse the situation.

I saw out of the corner of my eye Arthur and Harry cautiously approaching, my Uncle followed my gaze.

"Well, well, well … Patronus Potter," he said coolly, turning and looking at Harry.

"The Minister and my delightful niece were just telling me about your lucky escape," he drawled. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes … snakelike, in fact."

I spotted Arthur grip Harry's shoulder as though warning him not to react.

"Yeah," said Harry, "yeah, I'm good at escaping."

My Uncle raised his eyes to Mr Weasley's face.

"And Arthur Weasley too! What are you doing here, Arthur?"

"I work here," said Arthur curtly.

"Not here, surely?" said my Uncle, raising his eyebrows and glancing towards the door over Arthur's shoulder. "I thought you were up on the second floor … don't you do something that involves sneaking Muggle artefacts home and bewitching them?"

"No," Arthur snapped, looking angrily at my Uncle, his face starting to turn red.

"That's enough, Uncle" I snapped looking from Arthur to him.

"Now, now little Meg, don't tell me you not only keep the company of criminals but wizards like the Weasley's" He sneered at me.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and inclined my head whilst glaring up at him.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked him loudly before I could retort.

"I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours, Potter," my Uncle said, smoothing the front of his robes.

"Really, just because you are certain people's favourite boy," he glanced at me "you must not expect the same indulgence from the rest of us … shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"

"Certainly," said Fudge, turning around and facing the long corridor. "This way, Lucius - Madam Megera you come too."

I glanced at Arthur and Harry before I turned my back on them and sighed as I followed my Uncle and the Minister.