To Ride the Carousel Again

Chapter 24

I need to configure a standard blanket disclaimer for those times (like this)
when I cannot think of something funny and/or witty.

The rights to recognizable characters and settings belong to
J. K. Rowling.

Harry and the Wizengamot.
They think they know what's going on,
but really, they do not

/*

As I said before, this chapter would be a while getting posted. However, it is a standard chapter and a half long. They take longer to create.

Still cannot get my email to accept follows, favorites or review notifications. Very frustrating.
So, thank you to all who have done the above, but are unknown to me as of now.
Reviews I can answer. Got to a campground today where I will have decent wifi for a whole blessed month.

/*

Approx. 6,800+ words.

/*

"Lord Potter, please forgive my assistant's somewhat quirky sense of humor. She's been a bit odd since Grindelwald's War," Mrs. Tonks said with a fast-flickered smirk. "At the same time, as your Solicitor, I would have appreciated some advance warning that you were going to first contact the head of the DMLE, and then manage to exacerbate her existing frustration with your actions."

Harry considered her request for a few moments, then smirked. "Nope. If you know the reputation of my father and godfather, consider this my first prank. Besides, this way you will have no ethics conflicts, Solicitor Tonks."

/*

Harry stood off to the side of the lower entrance to the Wizengamot chamber with Solicitor Tonks. He noticed she was standing in a position to partially screen him from entering members. He watched as the Lords of Wizarding Britannia entered wearing their plum-coloured robes and somehow familiar-looking hats.

The shape of the room was like a deep bowl. Tiers of small seating areas rose from about four feet above the floor for seven rows as he counted them. Each little boxed area had two seats and a small writing desk. He counted eighty-three boxes. One of them was larger than the rest.

"Must be for the Order of Merlin holders if Susan and Neville are right."

Looking across, he could see two circular areas of the floor where the stone did not match. He idly wondered what they were for.

He recognized a few persons. There was Lucius Malfoy quietly talking with person after person. Regent Longbottom, Harry couldn't remember her name, walked in with a no-nonsense attitude, and sat down in the box area with the Longbottom crest.

The last person he had met from before was Cedric's dad, Amos Diggory, who Harry swore would not have to bury his son after the Tri-Wiz if it was even held this time.

He felt a small nudge from Mrs. Tonks and then followed her gaze to a tall, handsome blond man with cold blue eyes. He had asked her to point out Lord Greengrass to him. The man looked formidable.

Trying to calm his nerves, Harry looked around at the chamber. According to the elevator this was the lowest level of the Ministry. Mrs. Tonks had told him it also doubled as the main courtroom for the Ministry.

He hid a smirk. "With some luck, maybe I'll see this place as a courtroom today."

He watched as Professor, (Whups, that should be Chief Warlock,) Dumbledore ascended to his elevated pulpit and looked around. Harry avoided his eyes hoping for invisibility.

His whacking a small mallet on a hanging bell, had the members moving to their seats. Harry saw some were alone, some had an advisor accompanying them, and quite a few were dressed in the partial plum-coloured accessories robes of a proxy voter.

"Thank you, Neville, and Susan for your lesson on what to expect in this chamber. Without it I'd be even more overwhelmed," thought Harry.

As the Court Scribe droned through the record of the last meeting, Harry stood, trying to look dignified and noble while what he wanted to do was shift from foot to foot as his nerves were ratcheting upwards. The glances, stares, and outright glares directed his way were getting to him.

When the last of the previous meeting was agreed upon, Chief Warlock Dumbledore banged his mallet on his desk and requested any new business.

At that point, Regent Longbottom stood and without preamble asked Dumbledore if he was getting so old he was forgetting the Wizengamot order of business?

"Are you not misremembering something that is to be done today? Many of us here are curious as to how young Harry Potter has become Lord Potter and he is here to be recognized as such."

She paused for a moment, glaring at the old wizard. "We did require his presence here today, and I see he has complied."

Dumbledore gave one of his patented sorrowful sighs.

"Augusta, young Mister Potter has not been trained in his duties and . . . ."

"And whose fault is that?" Harry snapped, cutting the old wizard off. "Maybe if I had met you, or even seen you, for the ten years I spent living with muggles, I would have a clue as to my heritage."

Harry ran on without pause over the many startled gasps of the assembled. "Maybe if you had allowed me to be with the designated guardian my parents chose, I would have been in training to learn all that is associated with being Lord Potter."

Harry gathered all his Gryffindor courage in his hands and started his practiced "Lordship" walk towards where Mrs. Tonks had told him those addressing the Wizengamot usually stood.

"Now, Harry m'boy, you have to stop this nonse . . ."

Harry overrode Dumbledore's supposed soothing keep-the-little-child-from-throwing-a-tantrum voice. "Albus, m'man, you need to stop interfering in the traditional methods used in the Rites of Succession by a Most Ancient and Most Noble House."

And before the old man could speak, and the indignation of some member's mutters could gather momentum, Harry kept right on speaking, raising his voice. "Regent Longbottom, if a person interferes with the Protocols of Accession of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House, what is the legal term for that action?"

The old witch stood tall and her voice was practically a venomous hiss. "Conspiracy to commit Line Theft is one of the offenses that person could be charged with." Her eyes cut over to Dumbledore.

"Lord Castleward, a word from you on this subject, if you please," Harry raised his voice to be heard over the rapidly rising hubbub in the chamber.

Harry looked up to his right at an older man who slowly stood as if the world was weighed down upon his shoulders. Harry had chosen him as he had no known ties to House Potter.

"Milord Castlwa . . ."

"Harry Potter! You will be silent!" shouted Dumbledore as he literally hammered on his podium.

The gasps of shock and surprise that ran around the room from the spectator seating, to the reporter's section, and even from the Wizengamot members themselves could be heard through the thwacking of his mallet on his podium top.

Suddenly, Harry felt that his ring was telling him to raise his left hand. He did so and a bright, red light flashed. The light was powerful enough to have people give cries of dismay as they frantically raised their hands in front of their eyes to block it out.

After a few seconds, the light slowly disappeared. Harry could feel satisfied smugness radiating from the ring. Almost a sense of 'that will show them'.

There was that damn voice again. "Harry, using cheap theatrical tricks to fake accep . . ."

"Chief Warlock," came a cold, biting voice of command from the Wizengamot boxes. "You will be silent! In less than five minutes you have broken long-standing traditions of this chamber, you have committed acts with possible line theft implications, and we are hearing apparent neglect of your responsibilities as the guardian for an Heir to a Most Ancient and Most Noble House to whom we owe more to than we can repay."

Harry jerked his head up and was surprised to see that it was Lord Castleward who was verbally hammering Dumbledore. A quick look back, and Harry could see the Chief Warlock shrinking back a bit.

Harry watched as the Lord looked at Regent Longbottom who nodded slightly. He then looked at a woman in proxy robes who after looking at Director Bones, nodded also. Harry watched as the now predator-eyed, ramrod-straight Lord received acknowledgements from four other members.

Lord Castleward now looked Harry straight in the eye. Harry had caught on as to what was silently happening in the now deathly quiet chamber. At least he hoped he had, and gave a firm nod to the suddenly regal Lord.

As Lord Castleward's attention shifted to the Chief warlock, a susurration of quiet gasps and smothered exclamations erupted as he spoke.

"Chief Warlock, you will either perform your ceremonial duty to seat the new Lord Potter, or I will call for your removal as being unfit to hold your office."

Dumbledore just sat for a minute, his 'I'm s-o-o-o disappointed in you' expression on his face, but a look of anger in his eyes. The two competing expressions made his face look quite odd; Harry concluded.

But behind the façade, Albus was having a screaming fit, throwing and breaking things in his mind in anger and frustration. He had connived, plotted, and planned for over fourteen years to set the Potters on the path he had mapped out to leave him as the sorcerer who would be revered as being greater than Merlin.

And now, because the goblins had somehow gotten their claws onto Potter, all his work was becoming unraveled. He had watched as Lord Castleward had received the agreement of the other six Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses to vote to oust him out of his office if he kept attempting to foil the seating of the new Lord Potter.

He could not survive a vote where all seven MA & MN Houses, and their twenty-eight votes, were aligned against him.

"Well, Chief Warlock?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes briefly, then gestured for Harry to step closer.

"Raise your wand. Do you, Harry James Potter promise to uphold the rules of the Wizengamot and the laws of Magical Britannia as your forefathers have before you?"

"I will," said Harry in a strong, clear voice.

"Take your seat, . . . Lord Potter," came the bitten off instruction.

Fortunately, Harry had a clue where his seating box was courtesy of Madam Tonks while they were talking in his office.

The older man occupying his chair was watching with great trepidation as Harry approached. The young lord knew who he was and why he was sitting as proxy for the Potter seat. He grinned internally as the old man finally realized that the proper seat holder was standing in front of him and suddenly made to scramble out of the seat and box.

Harry internally shook his head. Didn't the man know this would happen today?

Harry stopped the man's movement by placing his hand upon his arm, and gestured him to sit in the advisor's seat next to him. The now frightened-looking man plopped back into the seat with alacrity. Without further ado, Harry took his seat, reached into his robes, and pulled out a fountain pen that he laid on the sheets of parchment placed on the small desk for note taking.

He then turned to the man who was supposed to be his proxy voter. "You're here, you're getting paid to be the Potter proxy for the day, you might as well earn it."

Harry heard a snort of someone suppressing laughter from in back of him.

Dumbledore seemed to have gotten the members back under control as he asked for anyone who wanted to call for a vote on any of the new laws proposed at the Yule Wizengamot meeting.

Several members stood and called for such a vote. Then others rose and boringly speechified for or against the measure. Harry carefully watched the voting. Anything Lord Malfoy was for; he instructed his proxy against. If Regent Longbottom, Lord Castleward and the Bones proxy voted for a measure, Harry had his proxy vote in favor.

He figured it was all he could do. He had no idea what the votes actual result on the wizarding world would be. He needed time and help. Especially help in finding a proxy who he could trust. He was not allowed to vote his seat in person until he turned seventeen, five long years from now.

The lunch break had everyone gathered in the Potter Family office where the Ministry elves provided sandwiches and soup with various beverages. Madam Tonks explained that most members ate in the Wizengamot dining room but she believed he would be bothered by so many people wanting to feel out his allegiances he would not have time to eat.

His three 'advisors' talked a bit about Dumbledore's actions. This trip was the first time they had seen with their own eyes how their Headmaster actually treated Harry and they were still in a bit of shock.

Solicitor Tonks was not shocked, but she was further dismayed.

Harry then told the group that he was going to speak to the Wizengamot at the end of the session. He asked Hermione to be able to quote rules back at Dumbledore if he attempted to block Harry from speaking.

He then looked at Heiress Bones. "Susan, I will try to keep from making it look as though I'm using you to get close to your aunt. Although, let's try to come up with some method of signaling to me what type of person who questions me is. You know, type of house, political affiliation, etcetera,"

Hermione got Harry's attention. At his questioning look, she started. "I read a book once," and then she glared at the escaping snorts that the other three young ones tried mightily to suppress.

Harry managed to look her right in the eye as he said, "And what did this book suggest?"

"Hand signals. We just have to keep them simple and subtle. You can do subtle, right?" she said with a straight face and nary an eye roll twitch.

Apparently from their snorts, face palms and eye rolls, the other three could not.

/*

After lunch, new business to be brought before the Wizengamot. Harry took some notes, skimmed any copies of proposals sent to the box by the Chief Scribe, and checked often to see if his advisors/friends looked as bored as he felt.

It finally appeared that the Wizengamot session was winding down. Harry stood and in a loud clear voice addressed Dumbledore.

"Chief Warlock, I Lord Potter, want to address the Wizengamot. I have with me information that the members need to see."

He turned to Madame Bones and gave her a meaningful look. With an almost wary look, she slightly nodded her head.

The Chief Warlock went into his default mode. "Now, Harry, I don't think that we want to listen to you when our work here is done for the day and we want to go home."

"And I, Lord of the most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter will remind our illustrious Chief Warlock that when a Lord of such a house demands to speak to a session of the Wizengamot, he gets to speak to the Wizengamot."

Harry raised his eyes and his voice, "Heir Longbottom, is what I have just stated to the Chief Warlock true?"

Neville stood in the "Special Observers" gallery and spoke clearly. "It is true, Lord Potter."

"Advisor Granger, can you tell me under what part of the Rules and Orders of the Wizengamot do my statements fall?"

Hermione stood up next to Neville. "My Lord, your request falls under Rule forty-six, part A. It also is reiterated in Observances of the Wizengamot twenty-two and sixty-one."

"Thank you, Advisor Granger."

Harry turned back to the Chief Warlock podium. "Well?"

Harry would have sworn he could hear Fumbledork's teeth grinding together.

Not waiting for an answer, Harry turned around and gathered every bit of dignity around himself he could muster.

"I recently came into possession of two very important and interesting items. The first was my mother's journal in which one of the last entries she wrote was about the person my parents had picked to be their secret keeper while trying to hide from Voldemort."

That last word sent startled cries of terror around the chamber. Harry rolled his eyes.

The word Voldemort galvanized Dumbledore. "Mr. Potter, you must not speak of these things!" he demanded.

Harry did a theatrical and blatant face-palm. "Mr. Dumbledore, you have no say what-so-ever as to what a Lord of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House speaks about in front of this assembly! None!"

"Now, will you quit interrupting me so I can get on with this and we can all go home?" Harry finished with an arm sweeping inclusion of the tiers of Lords, who were starting to become visibly unhappy with the Chief Warlock.

"As I said, my mother wrote in her journal that the secret keeper for their cottage in Godric's Hollow was someone named Peter Pettigrew, . . ."

This time the interruption came in shouts of denial and general cries of disbelief from the assembled Lords, the spectators, and even the reporters.

" . . . and if they had died of un-natural causes, I was to find and kill him because it meant he had given the information about where they were to Voldemort."

More cries of horror.

"After four years I should be used to magical adults wigging out when his name was spoken."

"Then one night, about three weeks ago, I was having trouble sleeping in the Gryffindor dorm when I saw a rat unlock his cage and crawl out of it. I couldn't believe my eyes when the rat suddenly did the Professor McGonagall-changing-from-a-cat thing and changed into a, well, rather disreputable-looking man."

Now Harry was getting scoffing from all parts of the chamber.

Some older, mean-looking wizard raised his voice. "C'mon, boy. Wizard up. You're not supposed to bring childish nightmares to a Wizengamot meet," he said dismissively.

Harry glared at the wizard. "Might I inquire just who you are?"

"Lord Bastonalle, milord," he replied in a condescending tone of voice.

Harry took a quick glance at the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and saw Hermione signal with her forefinger on each hand extended up. Neville and Susan both had their thumbs pointed down.

Harry decided to go all in. "Ah, yes. Current Lord of a distinguished Ancient and Noble House and a member of the Dark Alliance. Also, you are a Lord who used the Imperious defense when the Dark Traitors mark was found on your left arm."

The gasps that ran around the chamber were loud this time. Bringing up such unfortunate circumstances was Just Not Done in the polite upper strata of society.

Lord Bastonelle's face went red and his visage turned ugly.

"However, we all want to go home so, let's not start talking about someone who failed at killing a fifteen-month-old baby once upon a time."

Harry turned towards the entrance door where he had waited earlier. "Director Bones, could you help me please?"

The stern looking woman strode up to Harry. "Lord Potter?"

"I assume you know the Animagus Reversal Spell, Director? Silly question, but I have to know."

"I do, Lord Potter," she stated in a very neutral voice.

Harry slowly dipped his hand into a robe pocket carefully not making any sudden moves. He had noticed a couple of the red-robed aurors moving to make sure he was covered if he tried anything against their boss. He slowly pulled his transfigured silver and acromantula silk bag out and unzipped it.

He had everyone's attention. The chamber was silent except for the click/flash of news cameras.

Again, avoiding sudden moves he pulled a limp rat out of the bag and placed it on the speaker's podium.

"If you would, Director."

As soon as he asked, he slid sideways to cover her back. He had been watching out of the corner of his eye and as soon as Lucius Malfoy had seen the rat, he stood and his hand reached up his opposite robe sleeve.

Harry waved his wand arm just enough to distract Malfoy's attention, and showed him his already drawn, though half-hidden wand.

Harry was wearing a crooked smirk, and his glaring eyes promised Lucius would not leave the chamber unscathed.

Several things then happened at once. That auror, Hammer was it?, seemed to have caught the Harry-Lucius byplay and stepped over to stand near Harry, watching the tiers like a hungry hawk searching a grassy field.

The occupants of the chamber should have been all gasped out, but they rose to new heights of surprise as in a few seconds the rat morphed into the shabby-clothed, rat-faced man Harry knew as . . .

"Great Merlin! That's Peter Pettigrew," someone yelled. "I thought he was dead!"

"Not hardly," muttered Harry. (1)

Now the chamber devolved into chaos with what seemed like every person trying to out-shout the ones near him.

The still limp man started to roll off the sloped podium but was caught in a levitation spell by Bones.

"Remember, Director, he can crawl through your cell bars as a rat. You'll need anti-animagus wards. And look for some potion vials. I saw him dose one of my roommates."

"Go teach your grandmother to suck eggs, Lord Potter" she replied. And immediately blanched as she realized who she had just insulted.

Harry's mood plummeted instantly. "I'd give anything to be able to, Director."

He shook himself and exhaled through puffed-out cheeks. "See you Wednesday for the two trials?"

"Yes. And my apologies for my comment, Lord Potter."

He waved it away as he turned and headed for Solicitor Tonks.

The last voice he heard was someone petulantly complaining, "But we never found out how he became Lord Potter."

OoooooVvvvvVoooooO

While Solicitor Tonks guarded Harry like a she-wolf guarding her pups from the ravening hordes that suddenly wanted to talk to him or demand he answer questions, Mrs. Woolspin collected his friends from the visitor gallery.

As soon as they were together, she got the attention of a nearby auror and as they left the chamber, two aurors blocked anyone from following them. A quick walk to the Potter office and with the door closed, blessed silence fell on the group.

Tea was immediately ordered, delivered, and served around as they all took stock of what had happened.

Hermione broke the silence first. "That was Scabbers, wasn't it. You took him Saturday night. That's why Ron went nuts yesterday."

Harry nodded slowly. Neville looked astonished.

Then both Hermione and Neville shivered and looked rather ill. The realization they had both spent a lot of time near the man disguised as a rat was becoming real and solid.

Susan looked mainly confused.

Hermione looked at Harry crossly. "Why didn't you wait until last night? We could have been here at the Ministry when Mount Mo-Ron blew up, and I could have avoided having to dodge and then cast spells in the common room.

Harry could see she was becoming both distressed and angry as the thought that Harry had used her sprang to the forefront of her mind.

"I knew even if he did something as stupid as cast at you, remember Wingardium Leviosa last year? And after all the practice we had with Lupin, he wouldn't hit you. And finally, Luna and I had you covered. We just didn't wave our wands around."

"Besides, tell me you didn't feel some satisfaction at the perfectly legal small payback you gave him for all the crap he's dumped on you over the last year?"

Susan finally found her voice. "Hermione, what happened? Did that rat man try something the other night?"

That question led to a telling of both the capture of Pettigrew and the short spell fight in the Gryffindor common room.

The story was told with a lot more humor than anyone had felt at the time, but the telling by the three Gryffindors lightened their mood immensely.

It actually took until after the story was told that suddenly Susan exclaimed, "If this Pettigrew is still alive, why did Sirius Black get sent to Azkaban for killing him?"

Harry suddenly shifting had all eyes snap to him. He could see everyone except Solicitor Tonks looked confused.

Harry almost blurted out that Sirius had never had a trial, never been properly questioned, and had been sent to Azkaban illegally. However, this Harry was not supposed to know those facts.

"I don't know why. I do know that as my Godfather by Sworn Oath, he could not have harmed me in any way. Magic would have killed him and he is still alive."

"Pettigrew's alive, and should be dead. Sirius Black is alive and should be dead. Magic can sure be confusing at times."

/*

Harry and his advisors had stayed away past dinner and grabbed a snack courtesy of Susan who knew how to get through the door into the Hogwarts kitchen. Apparently, having your "secret" House entrance right near the kitchen doorway had its perks.

Hermione was astonished by the number of house elves and their eagerness to serve them. Harry was just thankful that her exposure to Ypres and Peama had desensitized her to house elves working.

They stayed there continuing re-hash the day until close to curfew, which Harry encouraged as he could see Hermione had questions she would not ask with the others around.

The three Gryffindors quickly found Parvati, Lavender, and Sophie to get copies of the day's class notes. It did take ten minutes of answering Lavender's gossip leading questions about the Wizengamot meeting before she would release her set of history and charms notes.

Harry took the time, with help from the other two, to write a letter to Professor McGonagall explaining he needed to attend a trial at the Wizengamot on Wednesday and he needed Heir Longbottom to accompany him.

Neville spent the time writing to his Gran for another permission letter to leave the castle. The letter needed major revision after the Longbottom family owl brought a strongly worded missive from his Regent Longbottom as to the reasons why he had blatantly stood with Lord Potter and had not acknowledged his grandmother, at the days meet.

Harry's exhausted brain had no trouble falling asleep that night.

/*

Next morning, after sending Hedwig off to his manor with a letter for Lupin, Harry headed down to the Great Hall. The breakfast started out normal. Harry did his best to avoid looking at Mumblydore and Snape. He and the usual breakfast group of second and first-year students took seats near the end furthest from the head table.

Normalcy or not, Harry was on tenterhooks as he could see the seething red-headed volcano down near the middle of the Gryffindor table looked ready to erupt. His brothers had sat on him in the common room last night to keep him from causing trouble. And two of them were still performing guardian duty this morning.

Ginny would look occasionally down the table, and then shake her head in resignation.

He hoped the brothers did not get distracted by what the Daily Prophet headline was sure to be. He had quietly tried to get their attention in the common room last night but had failed, and this was the first he had seen them today.

Suddenly, he saw the fifth redhead of the family enter the hall. He hurried over to Percy and started whispering almost frantically in his ear.

Percy first looked annoyed, then unhappy, and then paled in shock. Harry did his best to pass on that he was not angry or even upset at the Weasleys. How could they have known?

After retreating to his seat, his appetite was still poor as the morning mail deluge began. Harry received three letters. One from the Wizengamot requesting his presence at a criminal trial tomorrow morning at half-nine antemeridian.

The second was from Solicitor Tonks that she had found a proxy to sit his Wizengamot seat and cast his Potter vote. She wanted him to be in her office by eight-thirty tomorrow so they could see if the person was acceptable to Harry and get the parchment work signed before the trial.

Third was a letter from Lord Greengrass requesting a meeting at the Potter Wizengamot office after the trial.

The Great Hall erupted when students saw the Prophet's screaming headline about the finding of the supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew by the new Lord Potter and that for some reason Pettigrew was going to have a trial tomorrow.

Having hashed over the Pettigrew reveal last night, and led by Susan, the Prophet's probable reaction, the three had no problems being calm about the whole thing.

Harry watched as like some cheap telly drama, the Hufflepuff table realized that the Bones heiress had been there in person and suddenly several girls migrated over to surround her and her friend Hanna Abbott.

Harry's lips quirked as he figured she could take care of herself, and if the questioners got too pushy, she had told him her aunt had taught her some painful hexes that very few second years should know.

Neville passed his copy of the Daily Prophet over to Hermione. (Who at great mental cost had not read the paper over his shoulder.) He then leaned over and very quietly said to Harry, "I don't believe it. No one leaked the Sirius Black trial to the Prophet."

Harry just gave him a crooked grin back.

Along with classes, part of the day was spent writing (With Neville's and Hermione's help,) a polite letter of thanks to Lord Castleward for his support at the Wizengamot. And another letter to his current proxy sitter stating his services were no longer required by House Potter.

The rest of the day was spent not hexing the people who thought they had a right to question Harry anytime and anywhere.

/*

The meeting with Assistant Headmistress McGonagall, to tell her Heir Longbottom was to accompany him had been done with a minimum of fuss. She even offered to escort the two of them to the door. Somehow, McGonagall had found out what the headmaster had tried to do.

And did not approve.

Therefore, at eight o'clock the next morning, the two boys walked out the door with no interference. Not even a sighting of good ol' Album Snugglesnore. (For which Harry was grateful.) He had not slept well and his nerves were bad. Mrs. Tonks was waiting at the gate and after a brisk walk into Hogsmeade, and a dizzying, bad landing floo trip, Harry was in Solicitor Tonks office.

There Harry was introduced to Bridwell Wiltson. He was a well-dressed young man of middle height, stocky build, with brown hair and brown eyes.

He explained himself as "the third son of Alcides Wiltson, Lord of the Ancient House of Wiltson." His oldest brother was being groomed to take over the House Wizengamot seat, but he wanted, and his father agreed, that the experience of being a proxy sitter would be useful in the future.

Especially, as he confided, his father was looking for a House that had only a female Heiress that would need a husband to take her name so as to continue her family's name.

Harry had no idea what that was about and made a mental note to ask Hermione. **

Harry liked the young man and he obviously had Solicitor Tonks' trust. After twenty minutes or so, Harry signified that Mr. Wiltson was acceptable, oaths were exchanged and the proxy enabling documents were signed and sent off. Next, Harry, Neville, and Madam Tonks floo'd from her office to the Ministry, while Bridwell had to go to a robe shop and get Wizengamot plum-coloured accents added to his robe to show his proxy voter status.

Harry was grateful for Mrs. Tonks' company, but curious why she came with them. When he asked, she told him she was the Defense Advocate, if needed, for her cousin Sirius Black if he had his trial today.

She left the two boys at the chamber entrance. Harry went to the Potter box and Neville went to sit in the advisor's seat in the Longbottom box as his grandmother had demanded.

As Lord Potter, his box was almost immediately swamped with people who were looking for support for something or who wanted to take the measure of the youngest lord in the Wizengamot in centuries.

Harry tried to answer as non-committal and bland as possible.

Five minutes later Bridwell took his seat and asked Harry how he should vote. After giving the young man a confused look, he said, "I'll tell you after the trial."

Dumbledore appeared and as he tried to get everyone seated, Harry looked around at the floor of the chamber. It now had a chair with chains attached sitting slightly left of the center of the oval facing the floor entrance. Two matching wood desks and chairs faced the chains-equipped chair.

After the Chief Warlock managed to ask, then cajole, and finally demand everyone be seated. Department Head Bones stood and told the assembly that today's trial was for Peter Pettigrew, Order of Merlin, Third Class. The susurration that ran through the assembled magicals had Harry rolling his eyes. Between the very public reveal two days ago, the Wizengamot summons, and the Daily Prophet's headlines, every person in Britannia should have known why the Wizengamot was assembled for today.

Harry smirked as he realized they would be only half right.

At that point in the proceedings, The Rat was ushered onto the chamber floor. He was wearing the typical black and white striped prisoner's robe. His wrists had chained together manacles and his ankle manacles were connected with a short chain also.

He was unkempt and cowering in the brightly lit chamber his squinty, watery eyes refusing to meet anyone else's as he was roughly seated in the chair and the chains magically wrapped themselves tightly around him.

Harry thought he had never looked more Rattus Norvegicus. (2)

Harry mostly tuned out the trial. He had already heard the answers to the questions two years ago. He had heard the self-serving excuses two years ago. The only time he looked anywhere except the middle distance was when Madame Bones dramatically ripped off the robe's left sleeve to show the faded, yet animated, Skull and Snake tattoo that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named "branded all his cattle with."

That comment brought gasps of surprise or abhorrence from many and growls of hostility from his left where the Dark Faction Houses mostly sat.

Harry could not resist catching Lucius Malfoy's eye and smirking. After all the Blond Arsehole had tried to give the diary to Ginny last month, and in Harry's other time he had succeeded in having Ginny set Slytherin's creature on the school. And had gotten the Minister to throw Hagrid into Azkaban with no proof of anything. Merely that, "the Ministry has to be seen that they are doing something."

The Ministry-appointed Advocate tried to throw doubt on The Rat's Veratiserum induced self-incriminating testimony.

Madame Bones skillfully trumped all the points he tried to make.

Harry found it interesting that the Wizengamot first voted on The Rat's guilt. Susan had taught him that there were eighty-two Lords of Houses and four Order of Merlin medal holders who could vote. but, due to the same bias that gave Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter four votes, there were one hundred forty-five votes.

Harry smirked as he instructed Bridwell to vote guilty. His half-blood vote was worth four pure-blood Noble House of Malfoy votes. Somehow magic read the wand tips colour of the voters and created a tally for the Clerk.

After the Clerk of the Court tallied the votes, Dumbledore announced by a vote of ninety-three to fifty, the defendant had been found guilty. Three OoM members with one vote each did not vote today.

Next, the vote would be held on Pettigrew's punishment. This time it would be different. Now a red tip was a vote for The Rat to be sent through something called the Veil, a yellow light would sentence him to be kissed by a dementor, (Harry shivered) and a green light was life imprisonment in Azkaban prison.

Harry was surprised to see the Dark faction light up as a solid red block. He had no idea what the Veil was, but he would not vote for the Dementor's kiss.

Puzzled, he turned and asked Bridwell if he knew why the Dark Faction had voted to kill off one of their own.

The answer, "They probably want to make sure he cannot spill any more secrets about the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who than he already has. And rumour is that they blame him for the loss of You-Know-Who. We now know it was he who led He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to your house and there somehow you killed him."

"Yeah, I wish, "gloomed Harry just a bit too loud. Bridwell controlled his reaction to what he had heard to a small twitch.

"By a vote of sixty-five votes for execution by the Veil, to forty-six for being Kissed by a Ministry dementor, to thirty-five votes for life imprisonment in Azkaban. Peter Alan Pettigrew, you are here-by sentenced to be taken to the Veil Room in two hours and be cast into the Veil. May the Gods have mercy upon what little soul you have."

At this point, Pettigrew started thrashing against the tightly wrapped chains. An auror calmly walked up and stunned him. The chains unwrapped from the unconscious body and the prisoner was levitated out of the chamber.

As soon as Pettigrew was out of the chamber, Dumbledore raised his mallet and said, "I hereby declare this judicial session of the Wizengamot to . . . '

"Chief Warlock!" Madame Bones voice boomed through the room. "I can see the special parchment sitting on your desk! You cannot claim ignorance that that there is to be a second trial today!"

"But I do not want to sit a second trial today. I will schedule it for a different time. Perhaps in a few weeks," stated Dumbledore waving his hand dismissively.

"Chief Warlock, as Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement, we either hold the trial today, or I will release the man currently in custody."

Dumbledore gave the woman a most put-upon look. "Madame Bones, you cannot willy-nilly release someone charged with a heinous crime just because you feel like it."

"Chief Warlock, you know the law as well as I do. He has been in custody for over a month. He either gets a trial or according to the law, he is to be released as we apparently have no evidence of his supposed crime."

"But I don't want to give him a trial," Dumbledore almost whined.

"Want has nothing to do with it. The law says you have to. Order it."

The Chief Warlock slowly raised his hand and signaled affirmative.

"Aurors, bring in the accused."

Guarded by three aurors, a tall man with newly cropped black hair, a trimmed beard, wearing a clean but ill-fitting robe entered. He looked about three days from starvation with his sunken eyes and hollow cheeks."

Harry watched him with hunger in his eyes.

He was taken to the same chain chair Pettigrew had just left. As he sat, the chains loosely fell around him and the chair.

At that point, Madame Bones strode up to him and said, "I have already talked with you about the criminal charges against you. How do you plead, Sirius Orion Black?"

He managed to say the words just before the courtroom exploded with sound.

"Why, innocent of course."

A/N:

Did someone sneak a "Kick Me" sign on Albus' back when I wasn't looking?

Yeah, the trial is minimalist. Trying to write what others have done better, I finally scrapped a thousand words or so, and skipped the whining of The Rat from the chair.

** Harry still thinks of Hermione first when Neville would be a better choice to answer his question.

One: Electronic cookies if you know the movie these lines were a running part of.

Two: Common brown or Norwegian rat. Class, Mammalia. Order, Rodentia. Genus, Rattus.

Thank you for all the notes informing me Auror Connie Hammer is an Old Crow character.

Since I used her without permission, her mention in this chapter will be her swan song in this story.