The Protector and the Four Guardians

by TigerSwarm9122

Sequel to the Protector of Magic! The Wizarding World will likely be in trouble now that Voldemort is back. However, that does not mean that Harry is out of the game yet. Can he and his allies bring an end to Voldemort and his Death Eaters or will the Dark Lord finally get what he wants? Rated M! Language, Violence, ancient Magic, etc.

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Unexpected Assistance. Part 1 of the trial: Oath and Humiliations.

Tensions at the Ministry have escalated significantly, and many workers have become restless. Much of the tension stems from Dumbledore's declaration about Lord Voldemort being back. Several workers believed that he was finally losing his hold on reality. However, this mainly came from the people who were blindly loyal to the Ministry (the Minister of Magic) or were afraid of being sacked if they refused to fall in line. However, several people who weren't afraid of Fudge looked at him with disgust as they believed that he was either abusing his position or hiding something. Likely both. If that wasn't bad enough, the Ministry somehow discovered that Harry Potter had a second animagus form and used magic in a muggle-populated zone. For some reason, he was to stand trial before the entire Wizengamot.

Deep within the Department of Mysteries, Daphne was in the process of organizing a set of files. This was one of the main things she had to do for her internship. Her boss Algernon Croaker was impressed with her work ethic as she was one of the only few people with the necessary requirements to work in the department. Ulrich, who had been working as an Unspeakable for the past two years, was glad to have taken her under his wing as it made his job much easier.

In his office, he was going through some papers regarding the mysteries about some archaic branches of magic and the growing increase of magical hotspots. Deciding to take a breather, he leaned back in his chair and released an exasperated breath. His attention then went to the double frame that had two different pictures. One of Lilith and him, the other was him and Bianca. Lilith will be entering her fifth year at Hogwarts, meaning she'll be taking her O. in June. It surprised him greatly when she got her end-of-year results after fourth year and became one of the top seven students in her year. While she knew how intelligent she was, he never expected her to get higher than twelfth place. What really got his attention was that she, among several others, was attending after-school sessions by Lord Hadrian James Potter.

Contrary to what Fudge wanted people to believe, Ulrich knew he was a good and honorable man. Several of his colleagues in the other departments have kids attending Hogwarts, and they all reported to have joined his tutoring sessions. All of which resulting in their kids achieving higher marks in their classes. Even the students who took their O. and N.E. did better in their exams. He did not know about Potter's teaching methods, but whatever he was doing made several students work harder in their studies and refine their magical abilities. Speaking of which, he noticed a change in Lilith. She took her magic more seriously and was not only stronger in her academics but in martial magic as well. Likely due to the influence of her friends and Potter.

This was indeed a blessing as he would not have to worry so much as she would be able to defend herself should the Death Eaters come knocking. However, Ulrich was no fool as he knew something was going on. His father warned him to keep his eyes and ears open around the Ministry and on wherever he went. Fudge and his peers were spending a considerable amount of time and resources denouncing the fact of You-Know-Who's return. While he never liked the portly man, he knew when someone was trying to hide something and a lot about politicians.

Having been so immersed in his thoughts, he barely registered the fact of someone knocking on his door. Snapping back into reality, "come in." The door opened to reveal the neutral face of his boss. "Hello, boss. Is there a problem?"

"Of sorts," Algernon closed the door. "There's something I need to speak with you about," he began in a cool voice. "It concerns the number of Dementors we have stationed at Azkaban. What do you know about them?"

"I know they're not supposed to leave the prison, they feed on every happy memory, are capable of performing a kiss, and the only way to deal with them is by producing a Patronus charm."

"Yes, the Patronus charm…," curling his lips, "…once thought to be a difficult piece of magic."

Swallowing his tongue, Ulrich spoke, "um, sir, what is this about?" He was never a fan of when people started beating around the bush. And Croaker was never one to mince words.

His expression quickly morphed into one of seriousness "as one of our many responsibilities within this department, it is our job to discover the origins of those foul creatures and ensure they are all accounted for. Earlier today, I discovered that two were missing."

Ulrich was completely surprised "how is that possible? There has never been a recorded lifespan for them. I know that fourteen are dead because of that incident two years ago, but…" he would have said more, but his eyes snapped open. "Do you think this has anything to do with why Lord Potter is being put on trial?"

Algernon shrugged his shoulders and looked indifferent. "I think this goes much deeper than his upcoming disciplinary hearing. Fudge should know that he is dealing with a Lord. Honestly, I always believed that he was a blithering idiot and unfit to become Minister of Magic. He only does what he is told by his "friends," whom we all know, pleaded to being under the imperius curse during the first war." He said with disgust as he was an expert on obscure branches of magic and aware of how the imperius curse works.

"In my opinion, this trial is merely a setup," he explained. "As for Potter, I've read his file and seen his handiwork numerous times. The timing of his trial and the two missing Dementors is hardly what I call a coincidence."

"My thoughts exactly," Ulrich agreed. "I actually meant to get in touch with him after work. Not hard to say, but I owe him a big thanks."

"Do you have any ways of contacting him?"

Ulrich shook his head; even though he and Potter weren't friends, he respected him. An idea then formed in his mind. While he could have his sister send the letter, he felt this was more of an immediate concern. So, taking his wand, he silently cast his Patronus, which took the form of a cougar, whispered a message into its ear, and sent it off.

Three minutes later, a knock was heard on the door "it's open."

Daphne walked in, holding a set of yellow files. She immediately froze after noticing Mr. Croaker's severe look but quickly composed herself. "I have completed the files you tasked me with and brought some that need your signatures."

"Thank you, Ms. Greengrass. You can leave the files on my desk," he watched as she put the paperwork in front of him. Groaning a bit as he had a feeling a headache was about to come with these documents. "Please have a seat. There is something we would like to discuss with you."

Daphne sat in one of the two chairs and looked calm.

Ulrich motioned for his boss to close the door which he did, and added anti-eavesdropping wards. "I bet you are wondering why we asked you here. Rest assured that you are not in trouble. We just need to confirm a couple things. First, I take it you heard about Lord Potter's trial?"

She was shocked to hear what he said but suspected they knew because they were Unspeakable. It also irked her a bit that Hadrian was being put on trial for trumped-up charges. "I have," she said in a respectful voice. "He is being charged with using a Patronus charm, performing an unknown spell, and failing to register his second animagus form."

"Indeed," Algernon briskly replied. "It's complete dragon's dung; however, the decision has been made and he has to appear before the Wizengamot. Let me be the first to say that this is a waste of time and abuse of power on Fudge's part."

"You didn't call me to talk about my performance or believe that Harry would do something without cause, do you?" Raising a delicate eyebrow at him while keeping her face neutral.

"No, I did not," Ulrich confirmed with a grin. "I want you to get a letter to Mr. Potter. Despite what Fudge wants the public to believe, we believe that there is something else at work." He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a letter-enclosed envelope.

Accepting the letter, she stashed it in the pocket of her robes. "All right, I'll get this to him after my shift is done." Checking her watch she found that she had three hours left."

"You're free to go home for the rest of the day," Algernon said. "Please remember that this is a delicate matter and must be handled with discretion."

Giving them a nod she undid the ward on the door and went to clock out. Once done, she transformed into a phoenix and iced herself out of the Ministry. Director Croaker and Lord Moon knew she was an animagus and had no issues with it.

"Do you wish to be present for tonight?" Ulrich asked.

"Yes," Algernon nodded. "We may not be able to get the trial amended, but we can certainly help Lord Potter with his case. If Fudge believes he can have me arrested or fired, he has another thing coming." Having been the Head of the Department of Mysteries for over thirty-five years, he obtained respect and loyalty from the other employees that work within the Ministry.

Arriving in the sitting room of Potter castle, she was greeted by Suzaku, who flew from his perch near the sofa Emily was on. Landing on her right shoulder, he nuzzled her cheek and trilled a pleasant melody.

"It's good to see you too," stroking the feathers of his underbelly. "Do any of you guys know where Harry is? I need to talk to him about something important."

"He's been in the Lord's study with Lord Black since he got back from his meeting at Gringotts," Miwa entered the room from the dining room.

Daphne gave her a curt nod and was about to go up the stairs but was stopped by Miwa "promise me you will look after him this year. I cannot shake this feeling, but this year might become a lot more difficult. He is my oldest friend and the closest thing I have to as a brother."

"I promise you," she said in a determined voice before heading upstairs.

Finding the Lord's study was not difficult as it was on the castle's south side. Approaching the door, she was about to knock when it was opened from the other side by Arcturus Black. "Ms. Greengrass," he grunted, "I trust you are well today?"

"Yes, sir. Is Harry available? I have something important for him." Whenever she was in the presence of Lord Black part of her would tense up. He might be in his advanced years, but he was still feared and revered by many.

"He's inside," was all he said before leaving. Only two days remained until the boy's trial, and he had been hard at work calling in many of the old Lords. A good portion of them were disgusted with the current members of the Wizengamot and out for blood.

As she walked in, he fell back onto the couch after cutting the feeds off. Leaning back in his seat, he let out a sigh of relief.

"The day is not even over, and you're already tired," she teased, sitting next to him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired is all," stretching his arms out and yawning. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you would still be at the Ministry."

"I got to leave early," she replied. "Lord Moon wanted me to give you this," she handed him the letter her boss had given her.

Silently wondering why Lord Moon would be contacting him, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Dear Lord Potter,

I know writing to you will seem kind of strange, so I'll keep this brief. As you know, the Minister is determined to see you punished for producing a Patronus charm and possessing a second animagus form. While this may seem odd coming from me; I would like to offer you some assistance in this matter.

If you have any evidence supporting why such actions were needed, then I invite you to Moon Manor at seven tonight. I give you my word that you will not be harmed in any form or way and that my only goal is to help you in this endeavor. I await your reply.

Sincerely, Lord Ulrich Steven Moon of the Ancient and Noble House of Moon

Harry was perplexed, as was Daphne "this is unexpected," a tone of skepticism was heard in his voice.

"Are you going to meet with him?" Daphne asked with curiosity.

"Probably," he was skeptical as he did not know what to make of his request. While they hardly interacted, he got along with Lilith, and she thought the world of her brother. Traditionally the House of Moon has always been neutral and stayed out of the previous war against Voldemort. They also had no ties nor any loyalty to either Dumbledore or Voldemort. Making up his mind, "it can't hurt to at least hear what he has to say."

Using his wand, he summoned a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink. Quickly writing down his reply, he applied the wax seal from his family rings and summoned one of the castle's elves to discreetly deliver it. As soon as the elf popped away, he turned to her. "Daphne. There's something important I have to tell you, and you're not going to like it."

Noting how serious his voice and the expression on his face, she knew it was something big. He spent the next forty-five minutes explaining the plans for the upcoming trial and what he intended to do. Arcturus, Severus, Sirius, Mrs. Schwarber, Emily, and Miwa had already been made aware. Except Sirius, Emily, and Miwa were less than happy about it, they accepted, nonetheless. "According to my dad, Voldemort never authorized me to be attacked by two Dementors and was positively angry when he found out."

Daphne's mind was racing a thousand miles trying to digest the information. "He doesn't know where he is?" Her voice was shaking a bit.

Shaking his head "old snake-face is out of the country. Other than calling the Death Eaters to him, no one knows where he is since he's constantly moving. It's almost—"

To her credit, she at least gave him the chance to explain his plan before grabbing a fistful of his robe and pulling him close until his eyes were on hers. Her normal blue became darker and started radiating power, thus letting him know that she was not happy. "You better come back alive because if you don't, I will soon follow and curse you for the rest of your afterlife."

Harry could see the fire burning in her eyes as they were laced with anger and fear. Mostly with fear.

"I promise to come back no matter what." No way in hell he would allow Voldemort's stooges to kill him.

"You better," she tried to maintain a brave face though it was slowly cracking.

Taking little initiative, he leaned closer and brought his lips to her. The kiss started off being slow and sensual; unlike their usual make-out sessions, this one was more loving and held a promise. After a couple minutes, he pulled away. "I promise to do whatever it takes to come back alive."

They stayed like that for the next couple of hours, simply enjoying each other's company. To them, the day seemed to have gone by fast and Harry had to leave for his meeting with Lord Moon.

Quickly dawning some robes with the family crest on his breast, he took a pinch of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace, and spoke the location of where he wanted to go. Within seconds he was transported away to Moon Manor in Ireland.

Ignoring the spinning, he stepped out of the floo to take in his surroundings. The living room manor was welcoming and resembled a little bit of Salazar's ancestral home. But, before taking another step, he was stopped by a house elf "who's you?"

He was about to respond, but someone beat him to the punch "it's okay, Elliot, he was asked to come." Looking to the right he saw Lilith standing near the staircase.

"Yes, mistress," the elf apparated out of the room with a pop leaving the two teens.

"It's good to see you, Harry," the two hugged for a moment, then separated. "Ulrich said you would be coming over tonight and asked me to escort you to the drawing room."

She led him to the staircase, and together they walked up "if it means anything, we think you are innocent of all the charges against you. This shouldn't even be legal. Anyone who knows you should know that you'd never do anything without good reasons."

"Thanks, Lilith, that means a lot," giving her a genuine smile. "So, how's your summer been?"

"Quiet for the most part. Other than preparing for my O. , I've been working part-time at the Trinity Library as a bookkeeper," she said with a smile. Working at the library might seem boring, but it was actually kind of relaxing, and there wasn't much of a fuss. A calm, quiet place where people can enjoy different themselves while listening to some music and purchase things at the little café while reading their books. The smile on her face vanished somewhat "however, you should know that Granger and Weasley have been coming in occasions. Granger looks like she's in heaven every time she's there. I even caught her muttering about wanting to enter the family library wherever they're staying."

Harry frowned as he knew what the girl Granger wanted. The narcissistic girl wanted to enter the library at Grimmauld but could not as she was not keyed into the wards. "Leave that to me. I will handle her. The damn girl really needs to get a reality check and learn that some things and places were off-limits. At least none of them are Prefects. That would have been a real headache for people."

Lilith giggled as he made a valid. Knowing the bushy-haired girl and the bottomless pit, they would have likely tried to assert their authority over everyone. Granger was likely to form a group loyal to Albus Dumbledore and push whatever her agenda would be down everyone's throats. Weasley would mostly try cursing people from Slytherin's house or anyone he perceived to have an association with a Death Eater or was a spawn from them. Mentally sighing, two other people came into mind: Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. How those two became Prefects was startling, to say the least, as Malfoy would once again try to assert his dominance over everyone in the common room, and Parkinson would just follow along with whatever he said. That useless slag was nothing more than a cum dumpster who would do anything to satisfy her boyfriend's sexual desires. She had spouted off how Draco would ask her to accompany him to the astronomy tower for their "private sessions." Disgusting, in her opinion, she had no desire to hear about the things he'd do to her.

Shaking her head, they arrived at the door "we're here." She knocked on the door and waited for a response. "Come in," her brother's voice was heard, and she opened the door. When the door was completely open, Harry saw Lord Moon standing against the wall next to the fireplace with a glass of Firewhiskey in his hands. Though what got his attention was that the Director of the Department of Mysteries was also present.

Harry gave him a respectful bow "Lord Moon, I like to thank you for inviting me this evening."

"Drop the formalities, Hadrian," Ulrich waved off his formal greeting. "I know we may not be friends, but I want to help you with your legal issues. If you let me."

"Uh, not that I'm not grateful, but…why would you want to help me?" Hadrian dropped the formalities somewhat but still kept a respectful voice.

"We will get to that in a minute," Ulrich took a seat next to Croaker, with Lilith following along and taking a seat on his left. He then gestured for Harry to sit on the opposite couch "before we continue, I need to know. Is he back? I mean, really back?"

Harry could hear the twinge of fear in his voice and understood why. Taking a breath, he replied, "yes! He's back and more dangerous than ever."

Ulrich gulped as it felt like someone hit him with a rogue bludger. "How is this possible? It was reported that you defeated him when you were only fifteen months old."

"Defeated and dead are not the same things," Croaker spoke for the first time tonight. While not widely known, he had studied some forms of the obscure branches of magic. He was also one of the few people who believed that Voldemort was never truly gone and had a theory "he created one of those abominations, didn't he?" Oh, how he wished he was wrong.

"If you're referring to what I think you are referring to, then yes. He created multiple Horcruxes," Harry confirmed.

Algernon became ghostly pale while the Moon siblings looked at them with confusion. Conjuring a bucket, he went to a corner in the wall, erected some privacy wards, and began puking the contents of his stomach. Five minutes later, he vanished the bucket and contents, removed the wards, and sat back down, though he kept his scarred visage.

"Would someone please tell me what a Horcrux is? And why is it so significant?" Ulrich spoke back up.

Algernon turned to him "a Horcrux was created by Herpo the foul and is the foulest piece of magic on the planet. It is also forbidden…" he explained what and why the Horcrux was forbidden and not supposed to be practiced as it was a crime against the laws of magic "…if one is to succeed then they will have an anchor to the mortal plane and unable to die. It is the vilest thing anyone can ever do as killing rips the soul apart which is a violation against magic."

"Wait a minute," Lilith's eyes showed great fear as she trembled in her seat. She looked at her friend "you said "Horcruxes" plural as in more than one."

"I did, and trust me, the less you know, the better. If Voldemort learns that you know of his trinkets, he will not only kill you in the most brutal and violent way, but he will torture you beyond belief." Harry warned. "That rotten bastard will go to any lengths to protect them."

"How many did he create? Who else knows about them? And why was I not informed of them?"

"Hold on a minute," Ulrich hopped to his feet. "Lilith, go to your room. We have some business to discuss," he ordered.

"Would you stop—" she tried to say.

"This is not a debate!" He snapped. "If what Harry says is true, then I don't want you to get caught in the middle, not until you know how to properly defend yourself."

Shooting him an annoyed glance, she left the room. Taking his wand out, Ulrich put up some wards. Ensuring that his work was done, he motioned for Harry to speak.

"Without going into details, I can say that he created seven, with six of them already destroyed. As to who else knows? That I cannot say, but it will be a few others. No one told you because only about two or three people practically knew. One happens to be Dumbledore."

"There's a shock," Ulrich said sarcastically. "Damn goat knows more about matters than he has any rights to. Well, I think it's time I told you what's been happening around the department after hours. Some people arrive at night after hours to patrol the door to the Hall of Prophecies."

Algernon's right eye twitched in anger "of course, Dumbledore's secret society. Though, I can't fathom why he would want to guard a bunch of prophecies as they are vague and sometimes self-fulfilling." He turned to Hadrian "doe this mean anything to you?"

"Sybil Trelawney. She entered a seer's trance and recited a prophecy about Voldemort and me. Dumbledore already knows the prophecy and is likely to sacrifice the members of his group to keep Voldemort from it. Little do they know that I know the contents and replaced the orb with a fake. For obvious reasons, I cannot tell what the prophecy says, but I will advise the two of you to be careful as Voldemort will not stop at anything to obtain it."

"I can discretely put in some recording crystals and make sure they're hidden," Ulrich suggested.

Algernon nodded in agreement "be discrete about it. As we have no idea how far this goes. Lord Potter, while I would like to believe you, I need to know. Should he actually show himself? Will you fight him?"

Narrowing his eyes as they burned with fire, "count on it. That murdering son of a bitch is mine."

The look on his face and tone of voice said it all. Algernon felt slightly relieved as the young man in front of him was dead serious. "All right, new topic now. Do you have any proof about your encounter with the two Dementors?"

"A crystal recording and I have their cloaks," pulling out the Dementors' cloaks from his watch and placing them on the table.

Frowning, he looked at Ulrich, who gave him a curt nod. "I have a way to verify if these cloaks did come from Dementors if you'd let me perform a test."

"Do it!" Harry said.

Algernon reached into his robes and pulled out a silver metal basin that looked strikingly familiar to that of a pensieve. The only exceptions were that it had a different set of rune and a mixture of white and green liquid. Algernon began chanting, and before long, the liquid erupted into a pale green fire. With a flick of his wand, he levitated the two cloaks from the table and into the fire. Soon the pale green flames changed to silver and formed the words: Dementors.

"I thought so," Algernon took out some parchment and recorded the evidence. After that, the cloaks were ejected from the flames. Then, with a wave of his wand, he applied the gemino curse to make the parchment multiply. "Here are the cloaks from the Dementors and the parchment detailing their authenticity. First thing tomorrow, I will have these documented."

"Thank you, now, back to my previous question," turning to Ulrich, "why would you bother helping me?"

Ulrich clasped his hands together "it's because you have done so much for my family. Namely, my sister." Then, holding a and up to keep him from talking, "what I mean is that even though you canceled the life debt Lilith owed you after those idiots attacked her. You still helped in improving her academics and skills in martial magic. And for that, I owe you a big thanks."

"I was only trying to help her become her best self," Harry replied.

"You've done more than that," he retorted. "Among my many concerns and responsibilities, seeing my sister thrive is one of my top priorities. Given the things that have happened after I graduated, it has become more apparent that she knows how to protect herself. As an older brother yourself, you must understand that I will do anything it takes to protect my sister."

Harry readily agreed with him as his main priority while at Hogwarts was ensuring that Emily was safe. With the amount of chaos and recent events, things will likely become hectic this coming year.

"This upcoming year for the DADA is a prime example of what I am talking about," he said with a mild form of annoyance. "You no doubt know about the book prescribed for the DADA class, correct?"

Harry nodded "know and don't like it." He had already read the book and found it to be a big waste of time as it had nothing to do with learning how to defend yourself.

"Indeed. And given the fact that Voldemort, his Death Eaters, Greyback, and the members from his pack are running about, I don't want to take any chances. That's why I want to formally ask you to increase Lilith's training. Do that, and I'll try to help you any way I can," Ulrich bargained.

"I will have to speak with your parents about the matter in more depth," Harry said. "While I would train her and the others, I need permission from their parents. I would also advise her to put up some wards around her door at school so no one can get in her room. Did you get the orbs I sent?"

"We did, and they're great for security," Ulrich commented as the protection orbs were more powerful and a better source of defense. "Is there any chance you can make some for her and Bianca? She just got a house and wanted to add some security around it."

"I will see what I can do—granted, it might take a while longer with this thing on me," he showed them the bracelet on his arm. "Also, speaking of Lady Morrow, how has she been? I briefly caught a glimpse of her at Gringotts."

"She's fine. Every now and then, the goblins have her working on difficult assignments. But being a curse breaker is what she always wanted to be," chuckling to himself. Last week he went to surprise her at her new home only to find he was completely drained when she returned. Being a senior and vice head of her department meant she was constantly doing paperwork, checking to see if the others were doing their jobs, etc. "Hey, we're also engaged. I proposed to her four days ago, and she said yes."

"Really? Congratulations to both of you," Harry smiled.

"Thank you, and back to the point. If you can help ensure Lilith's safety at Hogwarts, then I will be able to help you deal with Fudge and his entourage. Do we have a deal?"

"On principle, we have a deal, but first, let me get out of this current debacle. After that, we can discuss this matter in more depth."

Ulrich thought for a couple minutes before agreeing to the terms.

(0^0)

Two days have passed, with Harry placing calls and writing letters to the people assigned to be his proxy on the Wizengamot. Finally, it was time to reveal himself and show the people at the Wizengamot who he really was. Dressed in pristine robes with the crest from his four Houses, stopping the sword of Gryffindor to his belt he put concealment charms around the things he wanted to hide as it would be big shock to his enemies. Along with Arcturus, Sirius, and Andromeda, made their way to the Ministry of magic. Upon their arrival through the floo terminal, they saw that Mrs. Schwarber had indeed come through as she invited not only the Daily Prophet but some of the other reporters from other media coverages. That woman was sure thorough and took her job seriously. Moving through the line of reporters, he saw Griphook, Melchior, and Magorian standing by the fountain of magical brethren.

Making their way over, Arcturus could feel the waves of anger coming from them. "What seems to be the problem?"

"It would appear that the time for Lord Potter's trial has changed," Melchior answered, not at all happy. "His trial is in five minutes."

"What?" The man growled, "no one told us about any time changes." According to the law, if there are to be any changes to the date and times of a trial, then an owl is supposed to arrive 24 hours ahead of time. He turned to his grandson, "get Mrs. Schwarber here now and tell her that there has been a slight change of plans."

Sirius conjured a large shaggy dog and sent it away with a message to the women.

"The rest of you come with me," he ordered. One way or another, he was going to get some answers.

While they went to the elevator, Harry nudged his uncle and activated the communicator on his left hand, telling him he was in sync with one of their informants. He had a feeling that Fudge would try something desperate; he just didn't know what. The poor Minister had no idea who he was messing with nor what they had in stored for him.

(0^0)

Deep within the Ministry in Courtroom 10, things quickly became tense, with Cornelius and his supporters bringing in smoke. Reporters from the Daily Prophet were present, along with viewing crystals suspended in the air, broadcasting to everyone within the British Isles. The portly Minister turned to the right towards Lords Crabbe, Goyle, Carrow, Nott, and Parkinson. All of whom had looks of annoyance and disgust on their faces. Unable to contain his anger Lord Nott stood up.

"This is an insult. Where the hell is Potter, he should be here by now. This trial would start if he had been put in a holding cell like I suggested," he growled.

Amycus was the next to speak. "I agree, as this can be part of his plan; while we are here, he could have left the country by now. Therefore, we must send the Aurors to intercept before he can flee."

"A wise idea, Lord Amycus," Delores Umbridge said in a sugary voice. "Amelia, we have waited long enough to send the Aurors to apprehend him at once."

Amelia scowled at the toad-like woman, "that is not for Lord Carrow," sending the man a frosty glare, "nor you to decide, Delores. And you will remember who you are talking to while you're here. So less you find yourself in trouble for attempting to make an arrest without my consent or the ruling of the Wizengamot."

"Now, Amelia, I'm sure there is no need to punish Delores," the toad woman had a superior smile. "However, we—" he did not get to finish as the doors were blown off their hinges. "What is the meaning of this?"

Everyone turned to the entrance where they saw an angry Arcturus Black, followed by Sirius, Andromeda, Mrs. Schwarber, Griphook, Melchior, Magorian, and finally, the person who they'd been waiting for.

"Fudge," the look on Lord Black's face let everyone in attendance know he was pissed. "You useless motherfucking piece of shit! Give me one good reason why I should not curse you within an inch of your life," the venom dripping and magic radiating from him nearly made Cornelius shit himself.

Regaining himself somewhat, he spoke, "I am the Minister of Magic and will not be spoken to with such disrespect by the likes of you, Black. Aurors arrest him for threatening me."

Amelia quickly intervened when she saw two of her Aurors move towards him, "Aurors, stand down! If any of you try to arrest Lord Black or his companions, you will hand over your badges and find yourself in a holding cell."

The two Aurors went back to their positions near the entrance. They were more afraid of her than of him.

"Now, let us commence with the trial," she sat down, but not before sending a death glare at Cornelius.

"Director Bones, that does not change the fact that Mr. Potter has failed to adhere to the time of this disciplinary hearing." Cornelius tried. "Clearly, the boy sees himself above the law and should be sentenced to a well-deserved punishment."

"How about you dropped, Fudge," Harry took a step forward as his proxies went to their seats while Sirius and Andromeda went to the visitors' section. He saw Dumbledore sitting in his family's seat and did not appreciate that as the man would be in for a shock. "The trial you and that useless shitbag Weatherby endorsed was scheduled for today at nine a.m. Care to explain why I wasn't informed of the time change until about five minutes ago."

Percy was not happy with what Potter called him, "that is neither the Ministry's nor Minister's fault. An owl was sent early this morning explaining the change to your trial."

"Which my client nor I was informed of," Liselotte replied, frowning at the boy. "The law says that if there is any change to a trial, then an owl must be sent out twenty-four hours before the date. So, explain why I did not receive any letter until after Mr. Black sent me an alert telling me to come to the Ministry," her voice may have been somewhat respectful, but it held danger and quite a bit of force.

Several Department Heads and Lords were whispering as it felt odd to them, and she made a good point. Some were fidgeting in their seats.

"Again, that is not the Ministry's fault as an owl was sent to the both of you. When they arrived to you is irrelevant and holds no bearing for today's session." Fudge could feel the glares being sent his way and attempted to regain control of the situation. "Since the accused is now here, we can proceed. Mr. Potter, take your seat so we can get on with your punishment."

"Not so fast, Fudge," Harry would not be bullied by him. "You are not getting off that easily as it was the responsibility of your office to ensure I was informed on time regarding any changes to my trial. Don't try to cover it up, as it is the law you know and have violated. Then again that shouldn't surprise me as you collude and take bribes from known Death Eaters." Discretely looking at Malfoy and his group. While the blonde man narrowed his eyes, his friends growled in anger.

Fudge cast a not-so-subtle look of anger at his Senior Undersecretary, saying we would be talking later. He then turned his ire back at Harry. "Now see here boy, I have never colluded nor accepted bribes from Death Eaters," Cornelius was now red. "I am a pinnacle of this community. Obviously, you are deranged and something has addled your brain." Looked to his friends, who nodded.

"And how did you come by that logic?" Harry challenged.

"Your claim of You-Know-Who being back as it has been recorded that he died fourteen years ago," he triumphally said.

He allowed himself to smirk, "then please enlighten to everyone when I said he was back. Because I'm pretty sure I haven't given a public statement about anything regarding the fourth task. For that matter, I've been absent from Great Britain for more than a month, so how would I be able to say anything about Voldemort's return?"

Most of the occupants shuddered when he said You-Know-Who name. "Do not say his name, boy," Goyle growled.

"Or what? What are you going to do if I say it again?" He challenged. "Saying Voldemort's name is not against the law, and unlike you and your friends who like kissing his ass, I don't fear him."

"Sit down, fool," Lucius grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

"Come now Lord Malfoy why not let him make his own choices? I understand that your friend has little to no intelligence, but he is a grown man. Albeit a brainless gorilla who comes from a weak House and has fathered a disappointment. The same with his sidekick Crabbe." He pressed on when after seeing the looks of anger on their faces. "Don't get mad at me; it's your job to make sure they are prepared to become Lords and you two have failed miserably. Their class marks are weak, they can't think for themselves, are a pair of dumbasses, and only know how to bow and kiss the backside of others. Something they obviously got from the two of you since y'all have your heads puckered up Voldemort's and Malfoy's ass 24/7. It's such an embarrassment."

By now, a couple people were snickering while another handful was trying but failing to conceal their laughter. Crabbe and Goyle's faces were red with anger at the level of humiliation, Potter brought on them.

"You fucking piece of shit," Crabbe roared. "I should kill you now."

"Bring it, bitch I can use the exercise, though I doubt you'd be able to provide me with much as your out of shape. What have you been doing the past couple of years other than eating like the fat gorilla you are? Tell me, how does that ugly cum dumpster you call of wife satisfy herself because I'm sure it's not by you. I mean, come on, that ugly five-galleon whore had your child. Hell, she looks like something a hippogriff would cough up."

Those who were snickering or trying to contain their amusements burst out laughing. Crabbe's red face then turned purple, and he was close to jumping down and attacking Potter. If not for Lucius hitting him with a full-body binding spell he would have.

"All jokes aside," Harry regained control of himself. "My questions are thus: when did I declare that Voldemort was back? Why did the letter regarding the time of my trial come in late?" He looked at the governing body, specifically Fudge, Umbridge, and Weasley. "Come on, people, we don't have all day. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner the Minister can continue being the useless, cowardly shit he is and try to satisfy that filthy cunt he calls a wife."

"Agreed," Amelia said in a firm tone, though her lips threatened to form a smile. Fudge stared daggers at her, then continued.

"Once again, that is not the Ministry's fault as…"

"That is where you are wrong, as it is the responsibility of your office to make sure I get the notifications," Harry looked up at Ulrich, "Lord Moon, when did you receive a letter regarding this trial?"

Everyone looked at Ulrich, "a letter came in yesterday at eight a.m."

"Interesting, wouldn't you say? Let me ask if you or anyone you know has been convicted of a crime should they receive a letter of any changes 24 hours early?"

"Yes, it is one of the laws of our Wizengamot."

Harry shifted his gaze to Cyrus, who smiled back, "Lord Greengrass, same questions to you."

"Yes, that is one of the main laws. The responsibility falls to the Minister and the members of his office. I also received my letter around eight a.m. yesterday."

Harry asked a couple more people, and they all said the same thing. "Well, isn't that fucking convenient," his eyes bore into Fudge. He then looked at his lawyer, "did you hear that? These fine upstanding Lords and Ladies received their letters yesterday. Clearly, the office of the Minister of Magic was trying to discredit me before the trial even began. That's strike one."

"I am making a note of it now," Liselotte pulled out a piece of parchment and made a note. She loved working for this young man and was impressed by his plan.

"Now, we get to the next set of issues regarding the smear campaign porky and weasel launched. They came after Mr. Dumbledore," gesturing to the old man in his seat, "declared that Voldemort had returned. Let me state that I have not claimed nor given an interview about the fourth task or about him being back."

Cornelius was sweating as he didn't like where this was going. Luckily he was saved by one of his secretaries. "Please, Potter, everybody knows about your need for attention," Percy snorted, trying to look superior. "Besides, Dumbledore says you saw him, and it's clear that the two of you have been collaborating since day one."

"That is where you are wrong," Ulrich shot a hateful glare at him. "Anyone with a pair of eyes and a decent amount of commonsense will know they do not get along. Furthermore, I would like to see some evidence that supports your claim about them being allies and Mr. Potter saying anything about You-Know-Who."

A handful of others nodded in agreement as it was well-known that Potter and Dumbledore were anything but friendly with one another.

Percy's frown deepened but continued, "that is not the point, and we do not have time for any of his false stories."

"Are you sure about that Weasel?" Harry asked in a cold voice. "I would surely like to know what I have done for you and Fudge to defame my character."

"Potter, you have a habit of being involved in a lot of things that you are not supposed to," Percy glared at him. "You have also proven irresponsible and inconsiderate to those around you."

"Ha, you sure you're not talking about yourself," he mocked. "You talk about responsibility well. So let's talk about the events from 1992-93 as it was your job to protect your siblings."

"I have always protected my siblings, Potter," he defended.

"Really? Even your sister, Ginevra? Let's rewind the clocks back to your sixth year. As the oldest Weasley child, it was your job to look after and protect your four younger siblings, yet you failed to see the changes in your sister. When she began acting odd where were you? Did you counsel her? No, you sat back and did nothing. You didn't even look for her or appear worried when she was taken by a basilisk. Poor performance on your part. Were if that a grade you a Troll. Not only that, but you were also less than considerate towards Penelope Clearwater." That got a reaction from the redhead as he became angry at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "You were so set on completing your goals that you ignored her and dismissed her feelings. No wonder she dumped you! I even spoke to her a couple times and she told me about how a lousy boyfriend you were and that she wished to never have met you. That's another Troll. A relationship is supposed to be a two-way streak. It's not supposed to be all about you. Then we come to another mistake/failure of yours. Heck, even though I didn't believe you do this, Bill and I had a good conversation days ago about how you abandoned your parents and siblings to side with the Ministry. It seems that you have forgotten, but family is the most important thing in our world, and you all but abandoned them."

"I did not," he yelled. "I only…"

"You chose the Ministry over your family. That makes you a traitor!" He pointed to him. "It seems you care more about what the Ministry says than the family you were born to. Well, that sure says a lot about you because if one or all of them dies, we know you wouldn't care."

"Shut up! Shut up. You don't know anything," Percy's face was completely red.

"I know a lot more than you think I do, traitor. So don't get mad at me because you cannot handle the truth."

Several of the Wizengamot members shot disapproving glares at Percy who tried to ignore them by staring angrily at Harry who didn't care in the slightest. "I hope you're keeping count as that is the third Troll you have earned. You are a weak dog who needs to learn his place."

"Fuck you!" Percy roared.

"Sorry, Weasel, but I fly straight," he said with a lopsided grin.

Before Percy could offer any kind of retort Madam Marchbanks, let out a cannon fire from her wand. "That is enough! This pointless debate is meaningless." Then, shifting her gaze to the both of them. "Mr. Weasley, you are here as a secretary meaning your job is to take notes, not attack the defendant by disparaging his character like our the Minister." She then looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter, you will leave the details of Mr. Weasley's personal life and relationships out until it is necessary for them to be heard."

"By your command Chief Witch," he offered a respectful bow.

"Thank you, we can now continue with our session today," massaging her temples as she had a feeling that this was only the beginning of a long day. "Let it be known here and now that Mr. Potter will not be held accountable for the failure not arriving at the allotted time due to a mistake made by the Minister of Magic and his office," banging the gavel.

Arcturus shot death glares at Fudge and his friends Malfoy, the now revived Crabbe, Goyle, and the others from their group.

"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," said Fudge in a ringing voice, and Percy began taking notes at once, "into offenses committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, the International Statute of Secrecy, and failing to register a second animagus form by Harry James Potter," Fudge continued by introducing the people who would be providing over the trial until he got to his Junior Undersecretary and was cut off by Dumbledore.

"— Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," the aged wizard stood up from his seat and was about to walk down until he was interrupted by a frowning Liselotte.

"That is not necessary nor will it be required as I am Mr. Potter's lawyer and will represent him throughout the trial."

"Mrs. Schwarber, I must insist that you let me—"

"You are not a lawyer and have jurisdiction on this matter," silencing him in a firm tone.

"She is right, Mr. Dumbledore," Griselda said. "I have it on record that Mrs. Schwarber is indeed his lawyer."

"Very well," he sighed in defeat and sat back down.

"Then without further ado, let us commence with the minor issue of Mr. Potter having a second animagus form. I do not recall a law that states it's illegal to have more than one form."

"That is not the point," Fudge snapped. "He has failed to register the form with either the Ministry of Magic or the ICW. Therefore under law, he is in breach of failing to register a potentially dangerous form."

"Might I ask how you found out about my second form? And where in the law says I have to register the form when I've already done it for one?"

"I will not have you making a mockery in my Ministry Potter," Cornelius narrowed his eyes as Potter held an expressionless face.

Ulrich narrowed his own at the egocentric man, "you are mistaken as this is not your Ministry." The members of the Wizengamot looked at him with wide eyes. Fudge had to bite his tongue at the looks others were giving him. "Cornelius Oswald Fudge, you might be the Minister of Magic, but that is only for a limited time. A position that we," gesturing to the Lords and Ladies, "have allowed you to maintain."

Cameron was the next to speak, "in your term as Minister, you have added stupid laws that have proven to do more harm than good. Right now, I'm tempted to order an investigation into your affairs and call for a vote of confidence. Should I do that or not," giving him a look that said choose your words carefully.

Positively shaken, Fudge looked like he was about to piss himself. "No that is not necessary as I am only doing my job," they could hear the fear in his voice. "I just want to finish this trial as quickly as possible."

"We will see," Cameron didn't take his eyes off him.

Clearing her throat, Liselotte brought the attention back to her, "in the matter of having a second form. The law clearly states that a wizard or witch must register a form. " Only one, and my client has done that by submitting his form as a white tiger."

"Hem, hem," Umbridge cleared her throat and brought the attention to her. "That still does not excuse the fact of Potter failing to inform either the Ministry or the ICW."

"That is irrelevant," Amelia cut in. "The law stipulates that Mr. Potter had to register a meaning one of his forms, and he has; therefore, he hasn't broken any laws."

That got the members whispering as several of them couldn't help but agree with her. Not only that, but it was also rare for anyone to have more than one animagus form.

"Very well, we will vote now." Cornelius sounded irritated. "Those in favor of conviction…" He and twelve others raised their hands.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of the charge?" said Madam Marchbanks booming voice.

Soon everyone else raised their hands, which incensed Fudge even further as he reluctantly banged his gavel. "Mr. Potter, you are innocent of possessing another animagus form," grinding his teeth.

"Good. Now with that out the way, there is something that I would like to know," turning to Amelia. "Director Black, would you please enlighten me on how the Ministry became aware of my second form?"

"Objection, that is no longer relevant, and we have wasted enough time," Fudge incredulously said, though the twinge of fear could be heard.

"That is where you are wrong, Minister," an elderly man contradicted from the second to last row. Harry knew the man as he was one of the people Lord Black contacted. "You forced this young man to stand trial over something that should be considered a blessing. Why I believe the last person to possess an additional animagus form was Merlin himself, who so happened to be the advisor for Arthur Pendragon. The King of our sacred land, and yet here you are, spitting on his legacy by trying to convict someone actually capable. As to his question, I too would like to know how the Ministry became aware."

"I also agree, as this is a rare commodity," Frank gave Harry a curt nod and scowled at Fudge. "How did you know?"

"It was brought to our attention by some well-respected members of this body," he looked at Malfoy and his friends. All of them except for Lucius tensed up.

Arcturus grunted, "well, isn't that fucking convenient," clicking his tongue. "Seems often fitting they would tell you as you're under their payroll. Yet I can't help but wonder when they found out. Though it might have something to do with where they were on a particular night…say the day of the final task. Mind explaining where and how you lot obtained their your injuries?" He shifted his gaze from one to another as they cycled through different emotions, mainly anger and fear.

"Slanderous. Lord Black, you will not target these upstanding men with your deceitful words," he was incensed. "They have done more for this country…"

"Taking up the dark mark and pretending to be under the imperius curse," Arcturus spat. "And let me make this perfectly clear, so pay attention. If I find out that you have abused your position since becoming Minister, then it won't be this body you'll answer to. It'll be me!"

"Is that a threat?" Fudge attempted to sound tough, though it was miserably failing. The longer the man looked at him, the more he wanted to get as far away from him as humanly possible.

"Not a threat. A promise," his silver eyes burned into the man. "While I have everyone's attention, I'm going to get this out of the way." Reaching into the pocket of his robe, he pulled out a scroll, "this is a signed document from Gringotts stating that Draco Lucius Malfoy has been disowned from the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."

Everyone then became tense and looked at Lucius, who was slowly starting to lose his composure. Gripping his cane, he was about to speak but was cut off, "…that worthless spawn you helped bring into this world is a failure and will never be part of the Ancient Houses. I have extensively looked through his academics and seen how he acts, and they are nothing short of being a disgrace. So let it be known here and now that if he takes that ridiculous mark, he will suffer a most agonizing death."

No one dared to dispute his words, and Lucius was ghostly pale as he knew the man meant what he said. While aware that Draco's academics and behaviors were far from perfect, he never knew that Lord Black would go so far as to make a death threat against him. Plus, if it weren't bad enough, this was being broadcasted to everyone in Great Britain. There is no way the Dark Lord wouldn't be aware of what is transpiring. To top it off, the public humiliation of having a member of his family banished from an Ancient House was unthinkable as the reporters would be in a feeding frenzy. Legally he couldn't do anything to change his mind, and if anything happened to his family, then there would be hell to pay. This was going to be a nightmare later; he could already tell.

Clearing her throat, Griselda sought to restore order, "let us move on to the final piece of business today."

"Yes, yes," trying to scrap up as much courage as he could. "The charge is as followed is that he knowingly and deliberately cast an unknown spell and produced a Patronus Charm in a muggle-inhabited area, which constitutes an offense under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy." Let's see if the boy can get out of this situation.

Harry, of course, shared a knowing smirk with his uncles, Sirius, and a couple of others who were having a difficult time trying to conceal their smiles as the fun was about to begin.

Not liking his smirk, Fudge glared and proceeded. "You are Hadrian James Potter of Potter Castle at—Unknown," Fudge's eyes became golf ball size. "Where do you live?" Glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.

"That is not your concern as it is immaterial to this trial," he said. "The location of my family's ancestral home is unplottable, which is perfectly legal and not in breach of any laws. However, if you want to change that, you will need the consent of the entire Wizengamot, more notably the founding Houses."

"That—that is—" Fudge spluttered incoherently. "You will tell us where you live.."

"Or what? You going to make me. I'd love to see you try because I am prepared to die to keep my home away from a blithering overweight buffalo like you." Enjoying the shocked and angry expressions on the man's face, who was clearly insulted. "So, tell me, are you prepared to die in order to know where I live?"

Cornelius balked at the boy's challenge, asking, "do you believe yourself capable of defeating a fully-trained Ministry employee?"

"Is that a trick question? I defeated six high-ranking Aurors, eight elite-level duelists, and four Master-Class Duelists." Raising his left eyebrow, "kicking your sorry ass? Please. That would barely be considered a warm-up, given how fat and ugly you are. I can't understand why your wife hasn't killed herself yet…being married to you must be a punishment as you don't know how to please her."

"You fucking piece of shit," Fudge's face was red as several people began laughing.

"What's the matter, did I strike a nerve," Harry pressed. "I would carefully think about my next course of action if I were you," seeing as the man was close to jumping out of his seat, "if anything happens to me while I'm wearing this contraption, then you're over." Then, rolling up his sleeve to show that he was wearing a bracelet that caused the room's occupants to either pale or gasp.

Even Dumbledore was surprised as he didn't know what to make of the situation. Harry was in the middle of having his magical maturity.

"It's some sort of trick," Fudge argued. "There is no way that you can be going through your magical maturity." Delores looked positively sick as she was terrified beyond comprehension. "Someone rip that thing off his arm," he ordered.

None of the Aurors dared to move a muscle as they knew and feared the repercussions of doing such a thing.

"I would rethink that if I were you, Minister, as my client has had the bracelet on since the end of the fourth task of the Tri-Wizard tournament," she removed the required form from her briefcase and handed it to Griselda.

"It is authentic," she confirmed after skimming through it.

"That cannot be right," Percy bit back, with Fudge nodding in agreement. "It must be a fake."

Griselda scowled at him and passed it to Amelia, who validated the form's authenticity. She, too, was unhappy with him, "attempting to interfere with someone's magical maturity is a serious crime. Anyone who dares to interfere will either be sentenced to Azkaban or executed."

That caused both Cornelius and Percy to pale significantly.

Seeing a chance, Harry went in, "that will be another strike against you, Fudge. Attempting to interfere with my magical maturity is a capital violation of the ICW." This was going even better than he had hoped. "Also, let's add another as you failed to acknowledge me by my title."

"You have no title, Potter," Percy heatedly replied. "You are only a minor and heir to the House of Potter."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." Fudge looked jovial at his secretary. "He is correct as you are nothing more than an heir."

Harry then released a booming laugh that filled the entire Wizengamot. "You two really are the dumbest people I have ever met in my entire life, excluding the children of Crabbe and Goyle there," pointing to the individuals. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Hadrian James Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin!" He removed the charms that concealed the charms around his crests and the sword.

Upon his declaration, there was an uproar, with many lords and ladies shouting at the top of their lungs. Griselda tried to bang her gavel a few times to restore order but had to release a cannon blast from her wand to get everyone to quiet down. Dumbledore was shell-shocked as he had no knowledge of the boy being a Lord to multiple Houses. How blind has he been? This was bad, very bad. He silently prayed for this not to be true as Harry couldn't have so much power at his disposal.

"It's a lie," Nott shouted. "You cannot be a Lord! Let alone, Lord Slytherin! The last Lord Slytherin—"

"Is your precious master," Harry finished for him. "Too bad he's not here to do or say anything."

"I will not allow this," Fudge shouted. "You are neither fit nor can you claim those titles. I will not allow it."

"That's another strike," Harry was pleased with seeing the man so rattled. "You also don't have a say in the matter since I've been emancipated since I was thirteen and was able to claim the title of Lord Potter due to the events of my last year at Hogwarts. Give yourself credit as you made it possible."

"I did no such thing," Fudge angrily replied. "And you will not become a Lord or member of this body if I have anything to say about it."

"Hold it right, their Fudge," Cyrus, Cameron, Ulrich, Arcturus, and a handful of others shot up to their feet, with Arcturus leading the pack. "You have no place interfering in the accessions of the Ancient Houses. What my nephew says is the truth, as he was forced into a tournament only meant for adults. Magic reacted to this and deemed him worthy of being the Head for the House of Potters."

"He is the Minister of Magic and has a right to decide who should be ready to take their seats as a member of the Wizengamot." Percy fought back.

"That's another strike against him," Harry said. "According to law, no one, not even the Minister, has a right to interfere in someone's ascension to the status of a Lord. It's in the Wizengamot's Charter and a founding law of the Ancient and Noble Houses. So, come to think of it, the Minister of Magic has incurred five strikes today."

"Hem, hem, I fear that you have lost your ability to count Mr. Potter," Umbridge said, her sugary voice falling into one that bordered on anger. "Your pitiful attempts to make Cornelius look bad ends now."

"You're wrong on two accounts, as he made himself look bad for starters. The second abused his position to have me tried in front of the entire Wizengamot for defending my sister and me from a pair of Dementors. Normally these proceedings would fall to the Director of the Law Enforcement, but he overstepped himself and tried to get me convicted."

"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."

"That is very difficult to believe, Potter," Amycus sneered at him.

"I agree with Lord Carrow," said Fudge, still smirking. "Let me explain. He's been thinking it through and decided dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Of course, Muggles can't see dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient, highly convenient . . . so it's just your word and no witnesses. . . ."

"Would you stop being an asshole for one minute?"

"Enough, enough!" said Fudge, his face turning an ugly shade of puce. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I am afraid that we have no time for whatever cock bull story you might have come up with —"

"What's the hurry, Fudge? You want to go kiss your friend's ass again to get more money in your account," Harry said.

"You will not disrespect the Minister of Magic with your slanderous remarks, young man," Umbridge finally lost her sweet voice.

"I love for you to try and stop me, Umbitch. Besides he can't interrupt as he didn't allow me to present any evidence." Harry sneered at her. "Why are you so eager to end this trial? I'm pretty sure that you have no social life. But, then again, it shouldn't surprise me as you're nothing but a filthy cunt who couldn't get involved in a relationship."

"How dare you!" Delores's face was red with anger.

"Why are you so mad? Am I telling the truth? I guess it's pretty obvious as no man would ever want you…well unless he wanted an ugly cum dumpster or had no taste in women."

Everyone burst out laughing. Sirius was the loudest as he clutched his stomach.

"However, I digress as there is evidence," he motioned for Liselotte to show the crystal. After regaining control, she took out the crystal and showed everyone why he produced a Patronus charm in the first place.

Before Fudge could say anything, Algernon and Ulrich walked from their seats to the center of the room. "We also have evidence to share. Lord Potter brought their cloaks, and we confirmed that they belong to Dementors."

Harry showed the two cloaks, "these cloaks were taken from the Dementors that attacked Mr. Potter and his sister. We know. We checked."

"This cannot be," Fudge attempted to quiet the people.

"But it," Ulrich gave a steel glare. "This, however, begs the question of why Dementors were so far away from Azkaban?"

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

"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the dementors were there by coincidence," Ulrich said lightly.

The witch sitting to the right of Fudge with her face in shadow moved slightly, but everyone else was quite still and silent. "And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Fudge icily.

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

"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.

"Then, by your own admission, the Wizengamot will be investigating why they were so far from Azkaban." Harry simply said.

"It is not your place to tell the Minister what to do," Percy looked indignant.

"My sister and I were attacked by Dementors that are supposed to be under the control of the Ministry," his voice became cold as ice. "A Dementor can only attack under three categories:"

"They have the consent from the entire Wizengamot, and I'm pretty sure there was no session about authorizing an attack on my person." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Next would be if they have permission from the Director of the Magical Law Enforcement and knowing Madam Black. She would never do something like that," murmur ran through the chamber as it was true. "Then, finally, the order will have to come from the Office of the Minister of Magic, who has the consent of Madam Black herself. So, care to explain how two Dementors came out of know where with the intent of performing a kiss?"

"This is not relevant, nor is it a problem anymore," Fudge sharply replied. "An investigation will not be required."

"Fudge!" Harry roared, causing the man to literally piss himself. He knew the time was now. "If you do not order an investigation, then I will make you." He allowed his magic to flare despite the backlash coming from the bracelet. Soon his eyes began to glow, "by the ancient laws of Magical Britain, I, Lord Hadrian James Potter, hereby enact the oath of the Minister of Magic and charge Cornelius Oswald Fudge to honor the oath he swore when he took office."

Fudge and several others were gaping like fish as no one in history had ever charged a Minister to honor his oath. Meanwhile, Cornelius found himself incapable of forming any words as he was enveloped in a blinding white light showing that his oath had been activated. He now had no choice but to comply because if he did anything to get out of it, the consequences would be unpleasant for him.

"Fine," grunting as he felt like barricading himself in his office. "We will investigate why the Dementors were away from Azkaban."

"And I'm not done with you just yet," Harry continued. "Here is what's going to happen. First, you are going to let me go and stop your smear campaign against me. You will publicly apologize to my House and everyone for who's time you wasted today. Because if you don't, then the House of Potter will leave and take all of its resources; that means monetary values, infrastructures, trade goods from other foreign countries, everything. Also, have fun explaining why Britain will no longer be able to provide valuable resources to the other magical governments worldwide. So either charge me. Or let…me…go!"

Cornelius looked moments away from crying and passing out as the boy's ultimatum was serious and cost him his job. The Potters though near extinct, have provided resources to not only Britain and Ireland but to other magical governments that have greatly benefited from the resources the Potters have brought in. That's not including the thousands of people in Britain and Ireland. The political backlash from both overseas and here would be astronomical. What's worse is that it would be all his fault, effectively ending his career and forever damaging his reputation.

"Vote now," Fudge said in a small voice. "All those for clearing the accused of the charges against him," giving a pleading look to his friends.

It was unanimous as everyone raised their hands.

"Cleared of all charges," banging his gavel.

"You have until the ninth of September to get me some answers, or it's your ass," Harry gave a heart-stopping glare. "Now, I believe you have some apologizing to do and have to change your trousers."

"Yes, yes, um, my apologies to everyone for today's session, and Mr. Potter, I apologize for my slight against your House," Fudge looked like he ate something vile as he wanted to do anything but apologize. This was an absolute nightmare as he could no longer discredit Potter and would have to find a way to control the damage today. Hopefully, Lucius will have some answers. He always did.

Griselda then came in. "I think a twenty-minute recess is in order," she announced.

As they started to leave, Arcturus stopped a woman who looked quite shaken. "Where do you think you're going, Hopkirk? You and I have some business to discuss," his silver eyes burned with anger as the woman was absolutely terrified. "Follow me," he ordered as she looked for someone to help her.

(0^0)

Twenty minutes later, the members from the Wizengamot retook their seats. Cornelius had to take two calming draughts as he had been publicly humiliated in front of the entire Wizengamot.

"Is there anything else that needs to be discussed before we adjourn for the day?"

"Yes. I move for the ascension of Hadrian James Potter," Arcturus said, though he was still angry from his chat with Mafalda Hopkirk. Speaking of the woman, she was sobbing in her seat and good for good reason as Lord Black tore into her.

"He has proven on multiple accounts that he is ready to take his position as a member of this body."

Griselda looked around, "is the motion seconded?"

"I second the motion," Ulrich, Cameron, Cariana, and Cyrus said in unison.

"The motion has been—"

"Wait!" Percy barked, cutting her off. "As a member of the office of Minister of magic, I object to this."

Harry shook his head. This fool will never learn.

"Is this seconded?" She asked again, not deigning to look at the boy.

"I do," Cornelius said, though he wasn't feeling as nostalgic as he wanted.

"Very well, then," sighing as she felt things were about to get ugly. "Lord Potter, as per the law, do you wish to enter the challenge for the right of ascension?"

"I do!" He said in a firm voice, not backing down.

Giving him a nod, "the challenge has been made and accepted. However, due to its nature, the challengers must prove that Mr. Potter is unready in three categories: N.E.W.T results, achievements/contributions, and a duel."

"Who would like to start things off?"

Unable to restrain himself, Cornelius blurted, "we would." Percy nodded.

"The category is N.E.W.T results," she announced, receiving a folder from her secretary.

Standing up Cornelius cleared his throat to announce his results:

Nastily Exhausting Wizardry Test Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (EE)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful(D)

Troll(T)

Cornelius Oswald Fudge has Achieved:

Charms: EE (84)

Defense Against the Dark Arts: EE (80)

Transfiguration: EE (82)

Herbology: A (76)

Care of Magical Creatures: A (76)

Potions: A (74)

Congratulations Mr. Fudge, you have achieved six N.E.

Signed, Madam Marchbank, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority.

Next it was Percy's turn. He will prove his superiority over Potter.

Nastily Exhausting Wizardry Test Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (EE)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful(D)

Troll(T)

PercyIgnatius Weasley has Achieved:

Charms: O (94)

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O (90)

Transfiguration: O (92)

Herbology: EE (88)

Care of Magical Creatures: O (90)

Potions: O (92)

Ancient Runes: O (90)

Arithmancy: O (92)

History of Magic EE (86)

Astronomy EE (88)

Congratulations Mr. Weasley you have achieved ten N.E. .

Signed, Madam Marchbank, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority.

He had a superior look on his face as Harry was handed his grades though it quickly turned to shock as Potter read:

Nastily Exhausting Wizardry Test Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (EE)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful(D)

Troll(T)

Hadrian James Potter has Achieved:

Charms: O* (110)

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O* (110)

Transfiguration: O* (110)

Herbology: O* (110)

Potions: O* (110)

Dueling: O* (110)

Curse breaking and Warding: O* (110)

Arithmancy: O* (110)

Ancient Runes: O* (110)

Healing: O (96)

Care of Magical Creatures: O* (110)

Rituals: O* (110)

Alchemy: O* (110)

Magical Language: O (98)

Congratulations on your NEWT results Mr. Potter. In total you have obtained fourteen NEWTs and have gained twelve distinctions (*).

Signed, Yasmine Quinn, Head of the ICW Examination Department.

"Round one goes to Mr. Potter," Griselda declared.

Although he loathed bragging, Percy needed to learn some lessons in humility. "Tell me, Weasley, how does it feel to be outclassed in academics? Turns out you will never be as good as your brother Bill. He achieved eleven N.E. and never got anything below a 94. So what's your excuse?"

Percy hated being compared to Bill more than anything in the world. His goal was to beat his older brother in at least one subject, but fate had other ideas. "That is not important," the irritation in his voice was palpable.

"You sure? Because you not only abandon your family but got dumped by Ms. Clearwater, who is now working for a high-ranking firm in Macusa and is making 110,000 galleons a year. While you are making no more than 65,000 galleons. Bill works at Gringotts and makes 105,000 galleons. Really disappointing." He laughed much to his opponent's anger.

The next category started with Fudge announcing all the good he achieved and contributing to making Britain and Ireland a better place. Percy, however, only had three accomplishments earning a full-ride scholarship because of his grades, being handpicked by a high-ranking Ministry employee, and becoming the youngest secretary to the Minister of magic.

Harry merely smirked at them. "I won three International Dueling Tournaments, defeated a basilisk when I was twelve, managed to improve the Patronus Charm, became an animagus at the age of eleven, have a second form, and am currently being endorsed for the rank of Master Duelist at the Duelist Guild by three talented Masters. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, and Filius Flitwick. About to begin an apprenticeship under different professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and managed to clean up an international incident caused by our useless Minister of Magic."

He saw the angry look on Percy's face as he knew it was one of his goals to earn an apprenticeship under a professor at Hogwarts.

"Why was I not informed that you would be apprenticing under the teachers of Hogwarts? I am the Minister of Magic and should have been notified." Fudge barked.

"Because it is not your decision to make. It's mine and Madam Quinn's," Griselda shot a cold glare at him. "I tested the both of you and can positively say that neither of you would have qualified to become an apprentice." She looked directly at Percy, who cowered a bit under her gaze.

"You, Mr. Weasley, might have been one of the top students in your year, but you were not the best, which says a lot given that the school's curriculum has been lowered. In other words, you never had a chance."

Never before had Percy been so insulted. So humiliated. To be told flat out by the Head of the Wizard Examinations that he never had a chance was a huge blow to his pride. For as long as he could remember, he had always prided himself on being exceptional. But now, it felt as if his entire world was crashing down before him.

"Round two goes to Mr. Potter! The final challenge will be a duel, and anything can be used. The duel will end when either party is dead or unable to continue. Both parties will have ten minutes to prepare."

Harry went to the visitor section where Sirius and Andromeda were. He removed his robes, the sword attached to his belt, and gave it to Sirius. "Good luck, pup. Show 'em your stuff and why it was a mistake to cross your family."

Dumbledore finally stood up, "Madam Marchbanks, I must insist that we skip the duel. Har- I mean Mr. Potter," he amended himself, "has already proven his worth. Were he to face them, there's a good chance they will die."

"That will not be possible as they made the challenge and have to finish until it's completed." Not giving him a chance to speak, "however, this will end is out of mine and your control."

Turning her attention to the visitor section. "Mr. Potter, since you are the only one who hasn't gone first yet, who would you like to face?"

"Start things off with Mr. Weasley," he said in a simple voice. One way or another, Percy would learn a much-needed lesson in humility.

After confirming this with the family, he went to stand on one side of the chamber while his opponent went to the other side. Madam Marchbank officiated the duel, quickly confirming the two were ready. "Begin!"

Percy immediately got into a dueling stance while Harry merely stared back without any emotions. The lack of emotions and expression slightly irked Percy, who fired the stunning spell, which Harry effortlessly sidestepped. Trying again, this time with the blasting curse. Harry dodged it too. Not liking this, he upped his game by sending a chain of different spells.

Harry had wasted little energy as he dodged the spells with minimum effort. Weasley may have been a good student but had little dueling skills. Waving his wand, he fired a low-powered knockback jinx that made Percy skid back a little. The more Percy attacked with spells of a higher caliber, the more Harry continued toying and making him look ridiculous. His spells were average at best, as they hardly had any decent power. While Harry received no injuries, Percy, on the other hand, was getting cuts all over his body.

"Ha! You thought this may have been easy with me only fighting with a quarter of my magic, didn't you? Well, this is pretty boring as I am barely using fifteen percent of it."

"Shut up," Percy was clearly agitated and sent a bone-breaking curse to his left arm.

With ease, Harry batted it away. "Is this the best you can do because I'm bored," he taunted and added a yawn. Then, conjuring a stack of sharp leaves, muttered an incantation that made the leaves rise and cut across Percy's body. The fool desperately tried to make the leaves stop as he was getting cuts everywhere.

Harry added a few piercing, bone-shattering, cutting, and banishing spells to the mix, and within moments his opponent looked like he had seen better days. Percy could barely stand on his feet as he tried attacking again, but this time, Harry intercepted it with a banishing spell instead of batting it away.

"This is growing old. How about I teach you some of the advanced spells the hard way," conjuring twenty or so needles, he levitated them up and banished a few to his opponent, who could barely defend as the needles raced towards him.

Percy may have avoided some of the needles, but not the others, as they came even faster and pierced his skin, causing him to scream in pain. His blood began pouring out as the needles continued going deeper. Harry then unloaded a series of painful and debilitating spells that made the older boy start begging for mercy.

"After spitting on my family's honor, you're begging me for mercy? Well, you'll get none from me," gliding over. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Just kick your ass." Delivering a couple punches to his face and ribs. The little shit had no idea who he was messing with as Harry had mastered ninjutsu, Krav Maga, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Wushu, and Silat.

Keeping the pressure on Harry broke several of Percy's bones, all of his teeth, and listed out all of the fool's failures. "You abandoned your parents and siblings. I may not have liked some of them, but I respect your father and oldest brother." Then, levitating Percy in the air and performing some of the spells he used on Barty Crouch Jr. "You are a weak-willed traitor. Arthur Weasley may be a muggle lover. However, he always put the safety and well-being of his family above everything else. Despite his status as a blood traitor, he's a very loyal family man. Even when he didn't have much to give, he stood by you and ensured you were cared for. And how did you repay him? You left and abandoned your family for a corrupt government."

Narrowing his eyes, he released the spells and dropped him. Gliding over, he grabbed Percy by the neck he pulled him up, "while I could easily kill you right now. I won't. That would be too easy as you don't deserve it. The worst I can do is let you live knowing that you betrayed your loved ones."

Raising his wand, he entered the fool's mind and brought back some painful memories. But that was not enough. He gave him images of what could happen if Voldemort got a hold of his family. They would all die painful deaths.

Exiting his mind and with a wave of his wand, Harry turned him into a dog. It may have been a little excessive as he had already stripped him of his will to fight. Percy had been maimed.

Giving the Chief Witch a nod, she declared him the winner and had a team of healers take the boy away for medical attention. Then when it was Fudge's turn, he immediately sprang into action by bombarding Harry with an assortment of different spells, all dodged or parried with minimum effort. Not wanting to waste time, Harry delivered some quick and painful spells, followed by a couple more powerful ones. Unfortunately, Fudge would not be shown the exact mercy as his torment had only begun.

Within five minutes, Harry had the Minister of Magic on his knees, severely injured. Conjuring a pair of dummies, he added an animation charm and sent them to do their work. One grabbed Fudge by his legs and began slamming him against the ground and walls of the chamber. This continued for two minutes before the dummy threw him against the wall, where he crumpled to the ground. The other dummy went to pick him up before he could regain his bearings. Deciding to have a little fun, Harry sent some magic from his wand to the dummy and had it experience the same amount of humiliation Fred and George did two years ago when they were on the Quidditch pitch.

In addition to being humiliated in front of everyone, Cornelius had several broken bones, deep cuts, a bad headache, and some punctured organs. When the dummies finally relented, he thought that would have been the end of it but was mistaken as Potter punched him dead in the face multiple times, breaking his jaw and some teeth. By the time he finished, Fudge was broken and battered. However, Harry was far from done as he sent a cutting curse that took off Fudge's right ear.

Harry glared at the screaming man. "Since you decided to cross my family, then it should only be fitting that you experience one of our spells," using the black and purple flame, he effectively burned Cornelius as the man screamed in perpetual agony. When the flames were dispelled, it revealed a badly burned and severely damaged man.

And finally, Harry picked him up by his neck, conjured a pig, and added an engorgement charm. Before anyone could say anything, he shoved his opponent's head up the pig's butt. Causing pandemonium to break loose as everyone screamed in fear and indignantly at what he did. Fudge's screams of agony were slightly muffled, given that his head was up a pig's ass. He wasn't sure if anyone could hear him, he begged for help.

"The winner is Hadrian James Potter," declared Marchbanks.

"Lord Potter, was that really necessary? You could have just stunned them and ended the duels right there," Dumbledore chastised. "There was no need for you to go that far!"

"That's where you're wrong, and I'm just getting started," staring angrily at the old man.

A/N: Again sorry this chapter is long, but please stay with me. This was only part one and I have a couple more things in store for the later chapter. I feel no guilt for what happened to either Percy or Cornelius as they needed to be taken down a few pegs. Percy most of all as he needed to learn some humility.

I'll explain how the number grades appeared in the next chapter or so. Also, special thanks to you all who voted as I will take them into consideration and see what I can come up with.

Next Chapter: Part 2 of the Trial: Forcing their hands. Fight or Flight?