Chapter 20:

Old Words, New Leaf

As Minerva moved toward the chair in which she would give her testimony, Fudge sputtered and spewed.

"This is highly irregular," he said. "I am the Minister for Magic!"

"It is quite irregular, Cornelius Fudge, but so has your tenure been. As for being Minister, that is what we are trying to determine. Dementors at Hogwarts? Really?" Chief Witch Marchbanks reprimanded, and he sat down. Delores Umbridge tried to stand up, but Cornelius pulled her back down. He knew her well enough to realise anything she'd say would put him in greater jeopardy.

In a case such as this, Amelia Bones stepped forward to act as inquisitor on behalf of the Ministry. Fudge had not been smart enough to ask for a recess to find someone to represent him. She wasn't going to mention it, and Amelia could see in Griselda's eyes that she thought their Minister was acting rather imbecilic.

"Good morning," Amelia said with a smile as she greeted the now seated Minerva. "For the official record, can you please state your name and your profession?"

"Minerva McGonagall, Temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am also the Transfiguration professor."

"How long have you been at Hogwarts?"

"I began teaching in nineteen-seventeen and have been employed first as a Transfiguration professor for the younger years, then the Head Transfiguration teacher after. I became the Deputy Headmistress when our former Headmaster was elevated from his role as Deputy. I am considered the Temporary Headmistress only because I requested a year to discern if I am the right person for this job at this time," the older woman said. She looked past the Head of the DMLE to two of her favourite students, father, and son. She would do all within her power to make Hogwarts a safer place for Harry.

"Please tell me about your experience with the Dementors being deployed to Hogwarts last fall." Amelia stepped away from Minerva, allowing all in the room to see her and let her story sink in.

"Hogwarts is cool and draughty in the summer, being as it was built over a thousand years ago. We teachers do what we can in the classrooms and Great Hall, but the hallways are universally chilly. The dorms are kept warm with fires and braziers. When the dementors first showed up, the was a profound drop in the temperatures around the castle, and it sunk deep within the skin and felt as if your bones were freezing.

"Madame Pomfrey spent much of her days performing Cheering Charms on students who were simply too sad to take care of themselves. When the creatures came too close to students, they required calming draughts or repeated applications of Emotional Healing Charms by our matron. The worst though was what happened to Harry Potter."

"Can you tell me about that incident?" Amelia asked and Professor McGonagall nodded.

"The weather around Hogwarts became more rainy than usual, with heavy downpours and wicked winds because of the dementors. I had petitioned the former Headmaster to cancel the Quidditch Match for that day as I felt it wasn't safe for the children to be flying, but we'd already turned the Quidditch schedule for the year upside down due to an injury to a member of one of the teams.

"Harry is a brilliant flyer, but the conditions were horrendous. The dementors came onto the grounds and flew above the pitch. Due to his contact with them, Harry Potter fell from a great height and was only stopped by the former headmaster and several others of us slowing his descent. He was badly injured and had to spend the night in the infirmary. His broom was destroyed as well."

"Is there anything you'd like to add to your testimony at this time?" Amelia asked as Minerva wiped a tear away.

"Those creatures are vile, and while I understand their usage on Azkaban, they should never leave that island and be around good people," the acting headmistress said, her ire up and her brogue stronger. "That you ordered them to be around children is disgraceful and ridiculous. You're not fit to govern an arboretum."

"Thank you, Headmistress McGonagall," Amelia said, and Minerva excused herself. "I can continue to call witnesses, but they are all going to say the same thing. Dementors at Hogwarts was a horrible idea."

"Perhaps our esteemed Minister would like to speak for himself?" Delores Umbridge suggested, and Fudge fought the urge to hex her. Why in the world would he wanted to get up on the stand and be forced to tell the truth?

"Oh, I hardly think that's necessary," Fudge said in a placating tone.

"I think it's a marvellous idea," Madame Marchbanks said. "Perhaps both of you would like to tell us about the decision to send Dementors to Hogwarts, as I see that you were the Ministry officials who signed the documents," she said lifting them from her desk. "I, and I'm sure the rest of my learned colleagues, would like to know why you put a potentially lethal creature at Hogwarts."

"Cornelius Fudge, I call you to the stand," Amelia said, and Fudge rose very slowly.

"I object to the treatment Minister Fudge is receiving," Delores interjected.

"You have no standing to object," Amelia pointed out. "You are neither a member of this body nor recognized as a person of exceptional knowledge of dementors throughout the ministry. You are an undersecretary, and not even from the correct department."

"Someone needs to look out for the needs of the Ministry!" she barked back.

"The Ministry looks after itself quite well," Madame Marchbanks said. "We are concerned with the innocent children of Wizarding Britain. Madame Bones?"

"Sit down before I have you removed," Amelia said with a fire in her eyes. The pink toad sat and stewed. "Cornelius Fudge, what was your motivation in placing the dangerous and potentially lethal dementors at Hogwarts in September of last year?" Amelia's tone had become clipped, and Sirius could see she'd become annoyed. He sent her a calming wave, hoping it helped. He was certain her Occlumency shields were up, so his gentle Legilimency might not have any effect.

"We had a dangerous criminal on the loose. I had to protect the children," Fudge hastily answered.

"Were any less drastic measures considered? Aurors or Hit Wizards on patrol? Added Wards? The castle has many additional protections which are not in place on a daily basis, like an entire unit of enchanted stone knights and many more suits of armour which can be animated to fight like those who wore them last? These could have patrolled the grounds for our dangerous criminal."

"Well, yes, we could have used some of the other protections on the school. I could not have sent Aurors and Hit Wizards."

"Why is that?" Amelia asked a question she already knew the answer to.

"Because you told me we can barely cover normal shifts for patrolling," he blustered.

"We can't," she agreed. "Our budget has been cut so many times that I can't even field a class of new Aurors this year. This is the second year this has happened." There were gasps around the room. Aurors and Hit Wizards are the first line of defence for the Wizarding world.

"Is this true? There have not been new classes of Aurors?" Augusta Longbottom stood and asked.

"We're at peace and there were other departments –"

"What is more important than protecting our citizens?" Augusta demanded and Sirius had to use all the skills he learned as a child about schooling his features so that the smirk, what he felt on the inside was not seen on the outside.

"The Quidditch World Cup is coming to Great Britain, and we've had to move funds to support the Department of Games –"

"You're telling me you cut the DMLE budget for Games?" Chief Warlock Marchbanks yelled. "Get me a copy of the budget immediately. We are dismissed for fifteen minutes!"

During the break several aides were sent out to find the current budget, although the Ministers Undersecretary, who had the falsified copy in her desk, was forced to sit in her seat while the Chief's assistant and the recording secretary went to find the real copies in the records department. They were soon back, and copies were quickly made and distributed to members of the Wizengamot.

"This is deplorable!" Sirius said after reading it. "While I am as a big of a Quidditch fan as anyone, gutting not only the DMLE but the Education and Children's Welfare offices hardly seems the way to fund something as trivial as a Quidditch game!"

"Lord Black brings up an excellent point, Minister Fudge. How do you justify garrotting the budgets of such important departments for a Quidditch Match?" Amelia asked. This was going better than their little convention had hoped.

"Well, the economics of the match are good for business and well…it seemed smart at the beginning," he said defeatedly.

"We can't pull out of hosting the Quidditch World Cup at this point," Madame Marchbanks said, "but we will be redistributing the budget. Also, the Board of Governors at Hogwarts has cancelled that other event you were planning."

"Oh, thank Morgana," Minerva McGonagall nearly yelled out in relief while Pomona Sprout exclaimed a hearty, "Yes!"

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Harry asked Sirius.

"I do, and be thankful that it's cancelled," he replied. "It was one of those things that you would have undoubtedly been mixed up in." Harry gave his father a perplexed look, but then figured they could talk at home.

In the end, Fudge was relieved of his duties and given a modest compensation package. Delores Umbridge, however, was found to be in possession of several blood quills, silver tipped knives (generally used for torturing those with lycanthropy) and other items banned after the war as being solely for torture. Blood quills were only allowed usage at Gringotts, as it was sovereign goblin territory, anywhere else, they were taboo. Madame Umbridge (who heard many a whispered 'Umbitch' as she was taken from the room by the Aurors. Each item carried a five-year sentence to Azkaban. As it was, she was at thirty years, and they were still rifling through her office and its many hidden drawers and hidey holes.

"Nominations for the new Minister for Magic will be taken in two weeks at our next meeting. This session of the Wizengamot is hereby terminated."

Sirius pulled Harry close to him as they prepared to leave. Kingsley was behind them, Susan between Sirius and the tall Auror. Madame Longbottom was being helped out by Remus, who had her hand secure in the crook of his arm. Neville was between Remus and Harry. The group moved as one, which was impressive as far as Harry was concerned. However, when they stepped out of the lift on the main floor, Harry began to panic. The room was full of on-lookers and press, people even clinging to the statues in the fountain. There were so many of them, and Harry was tightly pressed between people he knew he could trust, but he didn't like small spaces.

"Sirius," Harry said loudly. People were yelling questions at him, at Sirius, at Madame Longbottom but no one had an answer except for Kingsley's booming "no comment"!

"Hold on, Harry, we're nearly to the Floo," he said. They'd go to the Longbottom's place before then Flooing home. The plan was to have a celebratory luncheon, but now Sirius was second guessing the plan. He'd never expected a crowd like this.

Sirius maneuverer so that he could put his arm around his son, and with Remus sliding to Harry's other side, the boy was protected from the crowd. Sirius saw Malfoy glaring at him but didn't care. He missed Molly Weasley looking like a living howler on the other side of the cavernous room. Lucius, however, did not.

Sirius grabbed the Floo powder he kept in his waistcoat pocket and tossed it in, holding tight to Harry. The pair fell out of the fireplace and onto the parquet floor. Harry was shaking and crying and was ever so grateful to be able to hold onto his father while the panic dissipated.