Hermione's impassioned words had set fire to Harry's soul, her stalwart defence of him and fierce fighting spirit made him want to run up to the stand and join her. He couldn't, stuck on the bench, separated from the others. He wasn't allowed to talk or move from his position, magically shackled to Kingsley who acted as his guard as well as his supervisor.

Hermione had joined the others on the bench below where he'd been positioned. They communicated as best they could through looks alone, but it was hard for him to convey the turmoil inside him. He just witnessed his best friend, his girlfriend, speak like a lawyer and get her point across. He knew Hermione was not afraid of speaking her mind, but seeing it… watching her accuse the entire Ministry of negligence… made him want to hug and kiss her the moment he could.

The next witnesses weren't as exciting as Hermione's testimonies. Fred and George went up together and were clear about their experiences. Harry hadn't been aware that they both had detentions. The pair told the court that they didn't speak out because they feared their dad would lose his job if they did. Most of the other witnesses said much the same thing.

What surprised Harry the most was Daphne Greengrass.

He had barely said a word to her before in his life, yet there she was, testifying against Umbridge and her fellow Slytherins who had been in cahoots with her. Daphne told the court that Umbridge instructed those in Slytherin to watch Harry and trail him if possible, then report his movements to her. Then she stunned Harry completely when she looked directly at him and said clearly.

"My family and I believe what Harry Potter says. We believe that He Who Must Not Be Named is back."

After the last witness was called, there was a break. A fair few members of the Wizengamot left the courtroom. Meanwhile, Amelia Bones had descended from the stand to speak with Umbridge. Harry watched on curiously before remembering that now all the witnesses had testified, it was Umbridge's turn to be cross-examined. The reporters had been escorted out as the next stage would not be public.

"Do you need a comfort spell?" Kingsley asked him quietly at his side. Harry shook his head, flashing Kingsley a grateful look. While he knew he was permitted to speak while the court was in recess, he didn't want to risk doing anything that Fudge could use against him. Staying put and silent felt like a safe decision, even though he was aching to launch himself down the benches to where Hermione had her head bowed towards Lee who spoke in her ear while she nodded in agreement with whatever he was saying.

When Fudge returned, the last to reappear, he pointedly ignored the witness stands and the students glaring at him as he passed them. There was a slightly diminished air about him as if he'd only just realised that his reputation was sinking along with Umbridge, his fate chained to her own. From the low hissing sounds coming from the Wizengamot, a 'vote of no confidence' was seeming more and more likely. A hush soon fell once Amelia stood at her position in the centre of the stage, hammering her gavel against the block. Harry narrowed his eyes at Fudge, trying to get the man to break his resolve and glance over. He wanted to see a hint of remorse or guilt for what he subjected Hogwarts to in his crusade for total control. Instead, the man looked down at Umbridge, fixing an expression of disgust on his face as if he wasn't just as compliant.

"Court proceedings will now resume," Amelia announced clearly, her voice ringing out around the vast space. "Madame Umbridge, as a citizen of Wizarding Britain, you have the right to speak in your defence before the Wizengamot. Before I question you on the charges you face for the crimes that you have committed, you have the right to plead guilty or not guilty. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has charged you for the following: possession of a Dark magic artefact, use of the Dark Arts, child endangerment, and child abuse."

Silence settled over the court when Amelia paused, reaching for one of her many documents before her.

"I have before me the report that Auror Gawain Robards submitted upon his authorised search of Madame Umbridge's office at Hogwarts School. Amongst the testimonies he and his team collected from the students, he discovered evidence to support these testimonies – particularly the one which Mr Potter presented himself during his incarceration. I also have… the most disturbing article of evidence of them all to present before the Wizengamot which shall give a very clear picture of the sort of witch stands accused."

Her voice had turned cold and curt, many Harry's hairs stand on end. She reached for a wooden chest which had been delivered to her stand during the recess. Harry recognised it as the very one which she had with her during Umbridge's interview. The sound of the lock clicking echoed loudly before she opened it.

Amelia removed a very familiar black quill from the chest and held it up high. Even from the distance, Harry could see the sharp tip. His right hand flinched involuntarily, the memory of the pain flashing through him briefly.

"Madame Umbridge, for the crime of possessing a dark magic artefact, how do you plead?"

Umbridge drew in a sharp breath, her face turning in the direction of Fudge, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Guilty."

Harry jumped when she spoke, not expecting her voice to be as clear and steady. He felt sickened at the absence of any guilt in her flat, hateful stare.

"By extension, use of this artefact counts as the use of the Dark Arts. The curse to extract blood from a victim is regarded as Dark magic, the primary function of this quill. For the use of the Dark Arts, how do you plead?"

"Guilty," Umbridge said again, tipping her head back as a sick look of smugness settled over her face.

"And for your other two charges of child endangerment and child abuse?"

"Guilty."

Her voice lowered in volume and her gaze swung slowly to where the witnesses were watching. Hate returned in her flat eyes as she looked right at Harry, her nose twitching.

"Naughty children deserve to be punished. You should be rewarding me for teaching that boy a lesson he will never forget."

Fierce rage blazed through him as she had the sheer nerve to be proud of what she did. He could sense the sentiment spreading through the room like a wildfire as angered hisses set off around him and across from him.

"Thank you for bringing us to that subject, Madame Umbridge. You face multiple counts of misusing corporal punishment upon underaged students, but you are also suspected of the use of torture and attempted murder of Harry Potter."

Every pair of eyes were drawn to where Harry sat rigid on the bench. He could feel the blood draining from his face as he looked over to Amelia, finding her monocle aimed right at him.

Murder?

Confusion blasted his thoughts apart. He'd admit that the use of the blood quill could be argued as torture, being made to cut into his own hand, but when had she tried to kill him?

"Murder?" Fudge suddenly spluttered, apparently sharing in Harry's bewilderment.

"Indeed," Amelia loomed over to where Umbridge sat, simmering in her poisonous rage while confined in chains, "but we shall get onto that last as the most serious of offences as it is my belief that it is just the top of a mountain of corruption and conspiracy at the heart of the Ministry of Magic."

Harry settled back, dazed, still trying to figure out when exactly Umbridge tried to kill him. Did being made to write in his own blood count? He must have lost a lot of blood during those detentions after all. He caught Hermione looking back at him and she mouthed a word at him. He frowned, confused, as she then mouthed it again.

Dementors.

Igniting like a fuse, the revelation sparked in his befuddled head. He turned his shocked gaze over to Umbridge. The memory replayed in his mind, back when he had sat in a courtroom very similar.

"So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy! "

Umbridge had said those very words.

And then Fudge had said.

"There are no dementors outside Ministry control!"

"Oh my God," Harry muttered under his breath before clapping his hand over his mouth. Kingsley cleared his throat, covering up for him.

Across from him, however, his remark hadn't been noticed as Fudge was whispering furiously in Amelia's ear, his face having turned a violent shade of dark pink. She then turned, silencing him with a single look.

"You will sit down, Cornelius… because I have a charge written in my office along with records of dementors being authorised for your personal use. I collected these when visiting Azkaban when I went to escort Madame Umbridge from the prison myself. I have long since had my suspicions for how far you would go to remain in power, but this? You should be appalled at how far you have fallen, Minister. "

Fudge dropped down into his seat, making a small 'eep' like sound. He then finally looked up and right at Harry, his mouth agape with shock and horror. Then his eyes bugged, going round as he then snapped his gaze down to Umbridge.

"What have you done, Dolores!" He yelled out, his voice pitching up. "You… you bloody sent dementors to kiss the boy?"

Shocked gasps rippled through the Wizengamot.

Bang!

Amelia seized her gavel furiously and crashed it against the block, calling for order. Fudge actually shut up. Harry, shaking in his rage, had to grip his robes tightly to stop himself from rising. He could see Lee having put his arm over Hermione's shoulders, likely stopping her from doing the same.

"Another word, Cornelius, and you will be held in contempt. You no longer have a voice or vote in this tribunal as your involvement impacts the legitimacy of our verdict. Leave or be silent! "

Harry had witnessed someone inflate before – literally in Aunt Marge's case. Now he bore witness to someone deflating. At least, it was the best analogy he could come up with as Fudge's bluster drained out of him like air leaving a balloon. Amelia Bones towered over him as if she was as tall as Hagrid while he shrunk down in his seat, power leaking out of him as if he had a puncture. Just like that, a Minister had been toppled.

All because, in his pride, he wouldn't accept Amelia's offer to step down gracefully.

"As for the crime of torture," Amelia's voice resonated in the courtroom once more as she turned her cold glare down on the accused, "we heard from Mr Potter what he was original disciplined for. An outburst is hardly a warrant for torture, no matter what was said. Such disruptive behaviour would require discipline, of course, but usually punishments fit the offence. For the Wizengamot's benefit, I questioned four Hogwarts professors, each with long careers at the school, for how they would discipline such behaviour."

She cleared her throat, picking up a document from in front of her.

"Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, has taught at Hogwarts for over thirty years. She informed me that disruptive behaviour such as Mr Potter demonstrated in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class would have first been met with a warning, then points deducted, then if his behaviour escalated, she would make him leave the classroom and wait in the corridor until the end of class, at which she would give a detention once cooled off."

It did sound very much like what she would have done.

"Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout gave me similar responses, though Professor Sprout said she would also speak to Mr Potter privately to see if he needed to talk to someone. In her words, disruptive behaviour always has a reason and it would have been unlike Mr Potter to lose his temper unnecessarily."

"Lastly, I spoke with Severus Snape who has been the Potion Master at Hogwarts for fourteen years."

Harry winced.

"He also specified that a detention would suffice and said that he would make it unpleasant to teach him a lesson. I asked for clarification and he provided me with a rather comprehensive list of punishments, none of which use corporal punishment or pain as a motivator."

Oddly surprised, Harry looked over to where Hermione sat. It was a strangely reasonable response from a teacher who hated his guts. A horrible cold sensation then spread through him as he realised something very suddenly. It hadn't truly sunk in yet that Umbridge's treatment of him actually had been torture.

"I will reiterate for the Wizengamot precisely what punishment Mr Potter was given for being disruptive and insulting his teacher. I have before me evidence from a medical examination which Mr Potter agreed to while in Ministry custody. From between 4th and 9th of September, the total number of cursed lacerations inflicted upon Mr Potter was six hundred and sixty. Now the charm registered the injury as one single cut, but Mr Potter was told to write the line 'I must not tell lies'. The sentence has fourteen letters so… in reality we are looking at over nine thousand cuts."

Harry shuddered, ducking his head as he felt attention settle on him like a spotlight.

Nine thousand cuts.

"That is torture," Amelia announced, "all in favour, raise your hands."

At once, every member of the Wizengamot raised a hand, causing a shiver to go down Harry's spine. There it was, confirmed by the ruling body of Wizarding Britain. He'd been tortured.

"Based on the savagery and severity of punishment, I can only conclude that Madame Umbridge targeted Mr Potter with the sole intent of inflicting bodily harm upon his person. This was not an act of discipline, but an act of cruelty. Madame Umbridge, I will ask you this. Did you target Mr Potter with the intent to torture him into submission?"

Umbridge suddenly rocked herself forwards, causing the chains around her arms to clank. A wild, deranged look distorted her features as she looked desperately between Fudge and Amelia. She then twisted, trying to look at Harry, baring her teeth in a half-feral smile.

"He deserved it!"

"I will take that as a 'yes'," Amelia said coolly, "and were you responsible for authorising two dementors to track down Mr Potter and remove his soul, effectively killing him?"

"Something had to be done!" Umbridge shrilly cried out, twisting to look over beseechingly at the Wizengamot. "Everything we have built over the last decade. We had order and peace and this boy threatens all we have made."

"Harry Potter is the reason we have peace, you fat toad!" The shout came from across the room from the Wizengamot, an elderly witch with a very ornate hairstyle who had leapt up from her bench.

"Hear, hear!"

"You're a disgrace to magic!"

Amelia hammered the gavel down as the angered Wizengamot started to rouse. Harry's face flamed at their response.

"I see no reason in prolonging this any longer," Amelia Bones declared, "the verdict for the crimes of possessing a Dark Magic Artefact, using the Dark Arts on minors, Child Endangerment and Abuse, Torture and Attempted Murder. Those in favour of declaring Dolores Umbridge as Guilty of these crimes, raise your hands."

Harry sat forwards, stunned as things quickly progressed towards the verdict. His own Hearing had ended just as abruptly. He watched in shocked awe as every single member of the Wizengamot raised their hands. Umbridge let out a wordless scream, thrashing forwards. Gawain Robards stirred from where he stood guard, his wand flashing as he cast a silencing charm. Umbridge's mouth remained open in a silent scream. Amelia nodded gratefully at him as the Wizengamot members lowered their hands as they voted.

"Dolores Jane Umbridge, your wand shall be snapped forthwith. For the crimes which you have been found guilty of committing, you will be interred in Azkaban for a life sentence. No parole. The act of harming innocent children, our progeny and future, is unforgivable. The parents of the children you terrorised and the victims themselves deserve justice. We shall see it done."

Her gavel slammed down with complete finality.

With a name like 'The Department of Mysteries', Sirius had expectations for a creepy and sinister place. Mind-bending corridors that led into timeless loops, experimental magic that defied all laws of reality… he expected to have his mind blown to pieces with what he saw. As he followed a beardless Albus Dumbledore through a chamber of black marble and green tiled walls, he was rather disappointed.

When they breached the outer wall of the Ministry, their break-in met with no dramatic response. Instead, he just shuffled through rumble into what looked like a normal office. Nothing mysterious about it. Dumbledore didn't delay, ushering Sirius into the room before casting a few spells to check for any attacks. Their loud arrival hadn't raised any alarms. Dusting himself off, Sirius kept in step with the older man, clutching his wand close to his chest as he searched for attackers hiding in the wings. Eventually, they emerged in a circular chamber with many black doors.

As the chamber wall started to spin around them, Sirius realised that perhaps there was something mysterious about the place. It apparently wanted to make him throw up.

"Interesting. It appears that there are some magical defences in place to throw off trespassers," Dumbledore commented once the spinning walls stopped and they were left clueless about which door they had arrived through.

"I suppose it will be wishful thinking to expect that you know where we are going?" Sirius ventured to ask. Dumbledore let out a light chuckle as he removed the glamour on his face that gave him the guise of someone blind. His blue eyes cleared, sharp and wary.

"I'm afraid so, though I admire your optimism," he said brightly, striding purposefully towards one of the doors. "I believe we are going to have to rely on the age-old tactic of the process of elimination."

Shoulders slumping, Sirius followed as he mumbled "great" under his breath.

"Keep your wits about you, Sirius," Dumbledore warned once they entered an airy chamber, large like the courtrooms above them. He stopped short and Sirius nearly walked right into him. Frowning, he looked past Dumbledore to where the chamber sunk down into a pit with tiers going down like some sort of amphitheatre.

His hairs then stood on end as he stared at the centrepiece in the middle of the sunken floor. There was a round plinth with a crumbled archway in the centre. Hanging from it was a torn curtain, a sort of aged gossamer that rustled slightly in a faint breeze.

"Nothing is as it seems," Dumbledore said quietly, "and we will be wise to stay clear from things that appear innocent. I fear that the more harmless something looks, the more dangerous it will be. Come… this isn't what we are looking for."

"What are the chances we have Death Eaters posted here?" Sirius asked as he followed Dumbledore back into the circular chamber. The walls immediately began spinning. "Oh, great… we should have marked that door so we don't go back through it."

"Excellent thinking and as for chances of running into Death Eaters, I would say we should expect anything. I doubt Voldemort will have Nagini waiting for us as he did for poor Arthur, but it is not his way to leave what he covets unprotected."

When the chamber reset, Sirius made the move to choose a door. Seizing the handle of the nearest one, he wrenched it open. When he turned, he saw the hint of Dumbledore's trouser leg disappearing through another. He sighed.

"So much for sticking together."

Sirius emerged in a weird library of sorts. Sirius looked around, eyes wide as he saw how the ceiling wasn't a ceiling at all but a fathomless night's sky filled with stars.

"Well… definitely in the Department of Mysteries."

"This isn't it," Dumbledore said, appearing behind him. Sirius jumped, not having heard his approach. "Mark the door as you suggested. I know what we're looking for so we can make better time if we pick a door each."

"Right…" Sirius backtracked, using his wand to mark a cross on the black wood. "And what are we looking for exactly?"

"Time," Dumbledore said simply. Sirius shook his head, knowing that he shouldn't have asked.

"Why is there no one down here?" Sirius asked when the wall came to a rest once more. "There should be Unspeakables… some security, surely?"

"Yes, it is a little disturbing, I admit," Dumbledore said softly, bringing his fingers up to his hairless chin. Sirius still had a hard time dealing with a beard-less Albus Dumbledore. "Not for the reasons you think. I fear they may be a little too interested in the current trial going on upstairs. Harry has… always been a person of interest to the Department of Mysteries, being a mystery himself."

Sirius rounded on Dumbledore in an instant, anger flaring through him like a storm.

" What? "

"They observe, Sirius, that is all," Dumbledore said firmly, fixing him with a stare that did not twinkle. Feeling physically sick, Sirius rested a hand on his brow, heart thudding in his chest. The mere thought of Harry being tested on like a curiosity and nothing more… it made him want to blow up the place from the bottom up.

"If they so much as touch him, I'll-."

His growled threat ended as the wall stopped spinning. He drew in a deep breath, working to get his temper under control. Dumbledore then grasped his shoulder, standing at his full height, making Sirius look up at him. As he did, he felt the chill of Dumbledore's power emanating him, a cold fury of a power that was the only thing that Voldemort feared.

"I agree… with almost every violent thought in your mind right now, Sirius. I may have not shown it as I should have, but I care for Harry a great deal. Make no mistake. I would never have let an Unspeakable close to Harry and they knew this fact. As for right now, Harry is safe from them while in protective custody."

Sirius let out his breath, nodding, shooting up a glance at Dumbledore's face. Releasing him, Dumbledore picked an unmarked door. Glimpsing past him, Sirius saw shimmering light coming from within.

"Ah, this is what we are looking for," Dumbledore announced, striding through.

Following close behind, Sirius realised rather quickly why Dumbledore had given such an enigmatic answer earlier. The shimmering light came from a huge hourglass set as a centrepiece in the chamber. All around them, there were clocks, ticking discordantly out of time. Sirius stared, mouth agape, as he witnessed a hummingbird inside the huge hourglass flittering away, only to sink down to the bottom chamber where it became encased within an egg.

"Time," he murmured, awed. His eyes widened as he saw a workstation like something expected at a goldsmith's. Tiny hourglasses glittered on a shelf above a bench where golden mountings were being prepared.

Time turners.

He'd only seen one in the flesh and it had been the one that saved his soul.

At the sound of a door creaking open, Sirius looked over to see Dumbledore a few steps ahead, heading into the adjoining room. Leaving the hourglass, Sirius headed over and gasped as he entered a church-like room with a high ceiling. It resembled a library with towering shelves, only in place of books, there were small orbs. The silence in the room was thick and weighted, making him on edge at once. Sirius lurched forwards, grasping the back of Dumbledore's coat.

"We're being watched," Sirius said, sensing it. That uncanny awareness that it wasn't safe. Rather than dismissing his remark as paranoia, Dumbledore straightened and raised his wand.

"We must make haste," Dumbledore said in a hushed voice. "Row ninety seven is the one we are after."

They set off at a run, footsteps loudly echoing in the high-vaulted space. There were so many orbs, Sirius couldn't comprehend just how many. He glanced at the silvery numbers that marked the rows, keeping track until they both skidded to a halt at ninety seven. Dumbledore muttered something under his breath as he took the left side of the row, his wand lit as he searched the shelves.

Sirius spun on his heel, watching with his wand raised. He could feel the presence, the danger lurking.

"It's here, Sirius," Dumbledore called to him.

Rushing over, Sirius wasted on time as he joined the older man at the shelves. He looked up, finding the orb where Dumbledore's wand bathed it in a soft white light. The writing on the yellowing label was clear to read.

S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord and (?)
Harry Potter

Anger surged back to life as Sirius read the label. He glared at the object that had been a death sentence for his best friend and his family. He could feel his magic prickling at his fingertips, his need to destroy the infernal item driving his arm upwards. He'd destroy them all. All the orbs… all the prophecies that had the power to destroy lives like James and Lily's.

Fury powered his magic before his intent caught up. He didn't need an incantation. Blasting out of his wand, his bombardment hex exploded out. Dumbledore cast a shield over them to deflect the debris. Before them, wooden shelves and orbs alike were reduced to shards as Sirius let his magic loose. He didn't know he was yelling until he felt his throat shredding.

Destruction.

Before him, hundreds of voices murmured as wisps of broken prophecies rose from the wasteland of wood and glass. They rose up where they dissipated, lost forever. Sirius heaved in a breath, his face sweaty where he had unloaded raw magic. He hadn't just destroyed the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort, but all of them in front of him. He couldn't even make out the shards of glass that belonged to which.

"We most certainly have the Unspeakables attention now," Dumbledore said urgently as he snatched Sirius's elbow. "Transform, Sirius. You can run faster as a dog."

"But you?"

"We have done what we set out to do," Dumbledore then swallowed, eyes gleaming with a multitude of emotions. "Go. It is better for me to be caught than you. I'm an old man, Sirius, and it's about time I realise this. You were right… Harry is what matters."

Just as Sirius went to protest, light blitzed across from the other side of the room. It arched upwards, then settled down over where he and Dumbledore stood. Sirius recognised it… a revelio spell.

"Now, Sirius!" Dumbledore shouted. "Go!"

Dumbledore pushed Sirius away from him just as a purple jet rippled towards them. Sirius crashed down on the floor as Dumbledore effortlessly erected a shield and launched destructive spells in succession, blasting more shelves and orbs into smithereens in the process. Sirius caught sight of someone running, dressed in grey. Heart heavy despite his feelings towards Dumbledore, he pulled inwards for Padfoot.

Shifting into his canine form, Sirius bolted away from the fight. He just had to hope that he was doing the right thing. Once he re-entered the time chamber, a shrill alarm then rang out. With his dog hearing, it had him crashing against the wall from the onslaught. A red sizzling stunning charm burned on the ground next to him, narrowly missing. He wasted no time then, ambling back into the chamber with the spinning wall.

The way out! I need the way out!

Miraculously, his urgent thoughts brought him to the dull offices where they had originally arrived. He hasted inside, turning back into his human form so he could seal the doors. He hesitated at the precipice, debating charging back in and saving Dumbledore, but he stopped himself. His recklessness had cost Harry so much already, he couldn't afford the same to happen again. Hand itching when he clutched his wand, Sirius escaped.

Though he left devastation in his wake.