The Trial (Part I) - 9:00AM
"Please state your name before the Court."
"Roldulphus Lestrange." The voice was dull and monotone, indicative of the Veritaserum at play. The usually tall and proud man was reduced to a hunch to fit within the Witness Stand's cage, hands and feet firmly manacled to the cage's chains. A haggard prisoner's uniform covered his body, edges frayed and stained. His normally wavy brown locks hung in oily strings, lightly obscuring his glazed hazel eyes.
"Do you know why you are here today?"
"Yes."
"Do you share responsibility for the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom by use of the Cruciatus Curse?"
"Yes, I do." A wave of shock went through the crowd at the answer; some members bore disgusted expressions, some hissed in anger, some paled, some clutched their chests in appalled dismay, and some bore no reaction. Tom took note of them all, even as Dumbledore banged his gavel to regain order. Once the chamber became silent, Dumbledore renewed his line of questioning.
"Please iterate to the court exactly when and how the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom took place. Leave nothing out."
"It was two days after All Hallows Eve, and we discovered that our Lord had disappeared. Rumors of him being vanquished by the Boy-Who-Lived were running rampant, the Child of Prophecy who was responsible for our Lord's disappearance. Mr. January approached me, Miss Demeanor, and Mr. Bellator with a plan to invade Longbottom Manor and question the Longbottoms about the whereabouts of the Dark Lord. He believed their baby son was responsible for the Dark Lord's disappearance. Using a wardbreaker Mr. January provided, we breached Longbottom Manor and entered. We found Frank and Alice armed in the dining room. We exchanged multiple spells with them; Alice was able to disarm Mr. Bellator and nearly overpowered me, but Miss Demeanor was able to overcome her and Frank. We took their wands and began questioning them about the Dark Lord's whereabouts, starting with the Cruciatus Curse, Cutting Curse, Burning Curse, Electrocution Hex, and the Boils Hex, but they insisted they knew nothing. We did that for a while but we weren't getting answers, so we decided to separate the two and question them independently. Miss Demeanor and Mr. January picked Frank, Rabastan and I chose Alice. We took her into the adjoining kitchen and cast the Amplifying Charm, so Frank could hear what we were doing to her to motivate him to tell us what we wanted to know."
It was at this point that Rodolphus launched into exactly what he and Rabastan had done to Alice while Frank had begged and screamed for his wife, in between bouts of the Cruciatus and various other torturous spells until the couple had been rendered catatonic and unresponsive. The details were horrifyingly macabre, made all the more disturbing by Rodolphus' unchanging monotone. Tom could feel the bile rising in the back of his throat at the lurid account, thankful his Occlumency kept him outwardly calm in spite of his growing disgust. 'Sick evil bastard!' whispered Libra, her voice strained in angry revulsion. Her sentiments were mirrored by most in attendance, save a very select few.
"YOU WRETCHED SONOFABITCH! I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" The infuriated roar of Augustus Longbottom thundered through the Chamber, breaking Rodolphus' testimony and startling all in attendance. The imposing woman was on her feet, face purpled in rage and wand in a death grip, its tip glowing an ominous orange. Sirius jumped up and practically leapt over a few spots to physically restrain Augusta from following through with her threat. She struggled in his vice-like grip to free herself, screaming obscenities while Dumbledore banged his gavel repeatedly. The assembled members of the Wizengamot (and those in the Viewing Gallery) looked on with varying degrees of expressions; some with sympathy, others with pity, some completely unmoved, and quite a few with alarm at the usually dignified woman's explosive rage. Tom (along with Lily, Libra, and Severus) all felt the woman should be granted her rightful revenge against the odious Death Eater. She struggled for a few more moments before Sirius leaned in and whispered forcefully in her ear. Whatever he said worked, because she slowly stopped her struggle looking at Sirius with a fierce expression. A few beats passed and she sharply nodded, and Sirius gently guided her back into her seat. He nodded at Dumbledore who nodded back, before he walked back to the Black seat.
"Madam Longbottom, I understand your reaction at the… gruesomeness of the proceedings. But I will remind you that we are in a courtroom, and such outbursts are as disruptive as they are prohibited. Should it happen again, I will have no choice but to have you removed from this chamber." Augusta nodded her assent to Dumbledore's statement, barely swallowing back her rage. She called for a Ministry Elf to bring her a Calming Drought, which she swallowed in a single gulp. Her expression cooled significantly as her body relaxed, though her eyes still burned.
"Thank you Madam." Dumbledore turned to address Rodolphus.
"And to confirm Mr. Lestrange: what are the true identities of Miss Demeanor, Mr. Bellator, and Mr. January?"
"Miss Demeanor is Bellatrix Lestrange, Mr. Bellator is my brother Rabastan, and Mr. January is Barty Crouch Jr."
"And what was your code name?"
"Mr. Praestes."
"How were you apprehended?"
"Rabastan felt the wards we'd put up fall, and before we knew the Aurors were set upon us. We dueled for minutes, and all four of us managed to kill at least five of them before we were disarmed and body-bound.
"Can you confirm which Aurors subdued and arrested yourself, Bellatrix, Rabastan, and Barty Jr."
"I saw Scrimgeour, Moody, Shacklebolt, Varens, and about six others I didn't recognize in Auror uniforms."
"Can you confirm what was done with your wands after you were disarmed?"
"Scrimgeour cast Priori Incantatem on all of them, and saw what spells we cast."
"And was the Cruciatus Curse a spell you and the others had performed with your individual wands?"
"Yes."
"That is all the questions I have. Members of the Wizengamot, please bear in mind the admittance of the prisoner's casting of the Cruciatus Curse, and his further confirmation of its detection with the use of the Priori Incantatem Spell. Bailiff, please administer the antidote to the Veritaserum and reapply the standard prisoner charms." Tom internally scowled at Dumbledore, unsatisfied with the ending line of questioning. There were quite a few more questions Tom would have asked Rodolphus, most notably about the Death Eater organizational structure. But unfortunately, he wasn't Chief Warlock. He felt the krait on his cuff grow warm, and he (discreetly) accepted the call.
Lily: "Are those all the questions Dumbledore seriously has? A high-ranking death eater who's part of Bellatrix Lestrange's cell, and he stops the questioning there?" Lily's tone was incredulous though her face remained impassive.
Tom: "My sentiments exactly. I am once again flummoxed by his persisting restraint in this particular context. We are losing critical information that could be utilized in neutralizing whatever remains of the Dark Lord's forces." Tom felt the cobra grow warm and he accepted, establishing a three-way psychic link.
Severus: "This line of questioning ended in the most unsatisfactory manner."
Tom/Lily: "Aye" / "Uh-huh"
Lily: "I still say he should have let Augusta have a go at the fucking degenerate. What he and his disgusting brother did to Alice is… is… evil." Both Tom and Severus felt a wave of Lily's righteous anger sweep through them, both in full agreement with her.
Severus: "These are the few moments where I deeply regret some Pureblood customs falling out of fashion. In times of olde she would have been well within her rights to duel him to the death. And a deservedly gory death it would be." His tone was venomous, running through a mental list of spells (a few his own creations) that would cause Rodolphus a long and thoroughly painful death..
Tom: "Indeed, if only life were fair. As such, it is not. Just as well, Scrimgeour is about to give his testimony." Tom terminated the link and steepled his hands, eyes keenly watching. Scrimgeour, his visage as leontine as ever, methodically gave his account of the night's events. When the Longbottom Manor wards fell, Frank and Alice had the foresight to immediately send their Patronuses (a sparrow and a rhinoceros) to the Auror Offices within the DMLE, alerting anyone present of a Death Eater attack. It was pure luck that Scrimgeour (the current Chief Auror), Sr. Aurors Alastor Moody, Jerome Varens, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were on duty. They immediately galvanized reinforcements and Portkeyed straight to Longbottom Manor. To their dismay, they discovered they were unable to enter the manor; it seemed the ward breaker that Rodolphus had described simultaneously created its own powerful anti-trespassing, anti-portkey, and anti-apparition wards in lieu of the ones it broke, rendering whatever location it was tied to inaccessible. Jerome - highly skilled in warding and defensive magic - painstakingly began removing the wards, instructing the others on how to assist.
After almost an hour, they had the wards down and entered the manor, where they caught the Death Eaters by surprise. A fearsome duel occurred and while the aurors lost almost half of their ten-member team, they were victorious in capturing and apprehending the Death Eaters. Scrimgeour then cast Priori Incantatem on all four wands, confirming repeated use of the Cruciatus. Frank and Alice were Portkeyed to St. Mungo's, in a hopeful effort to heal the couple of their grievous injuries. At this point Scrimgeour paused to take a drink of water, taking a few deep breaths. He then tonelessly launched into the Attending Healers' Report on Frank and Alice's injuries, a morbid list that turned several faces green in shock and revulsion. Frank had suffered severe hemorrhaging, four fractured ribs, severe vocal cord damage, a broken leg and arm, and second-degree burns all over his body. Augusta gave a quiet choked cry while trying (and failing) to wipe away her tears. Scrimgeour gave her an uncharacteristically soft look of sympathy, before clearing his throat to give the rundown of Alice's injuries. Severe hemorrhaging, seven fractured ribs, a ruptured spleen, both arms and right leg broken, extensive bruising, a crushed esophagus and larynx (from repeated strangulation), and severe damage to her cervical and sphincter tissues. Augusta gave another choked cry, while Scrimgeour stared so intently at Rodolphus that if looks truly could kill, the prisoner would have been a bloody splat against the wall. For his part, Rodolphus simply sneered hatefully. Scrimgeour concluded that both Frank and Alice were currently in the Janus Thickey Ward of St. Mungo's, for (medically confirmed) long-term damage due to repeated exposure to the Cruciatus Curse.
"Thank you Chief Auror. You may be seated. Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, please bear in mind both the eyewitness testimony of the Chief Auror who helped facilitate the prisoner's arrest, and the Healers' Report cataloging Frank and Alice's injuries, confirming repeated exposure to the Cruciatus. Bailiff, please have the on-duty Aurors escort the prisoner back to his waiting cell. Please have them bring in the next prisoner." Rodolphus was removed from the cage and forcibly dragged from the Witness Stand, his silenced form screaming all manner of obscenities. A conjured black bag - spelled to knock the prisoner unconscious indefinitely - was placed over his head, rendering him limp.
A few moments later, his brother Rabastan was dragged in, fully chained and limp with a bag over his head. The Aurors all but flung him in the cage, manacling his limbs before the bag was removed and a Rennervate cast on his person. Dark eyes slowly blinked open as he took in Wizengamot, seemingly cataloging every face. Once finished he gave a truly disturbed smile, severely chapped lips stretched tightly over oddly gleaming teeth. He looked even more filthy than his brother; his auburn beard already thick and matted, oily brown locks clung to his neck, and the small sections of skin were covered in visible dirt. Veritaserum was administered, and once the tell-tale signs of it working took place, the questioning began.
Rabastan's testimony was near identical to his brothers; Barty Jr. (as Mr. January) had approached Bellatrix, his brother, and himself to break into Longbottom Manor to question Frank and Alice about their knowledge of the Dark Lord's whereabouts. They used a wardbreaker to successfully breach the home's security, where they briefly fought and subdued the Longbottoms. As Rabastan droned on about the torture of the Longbottoms, Tom took stock of Daimon Avery's flinch at the mention of 'wardbreaker', a brief look of unfathomable regret briefly flashing across his face. 'Very interesting.' Tom thought quietly. He knew the Avery family were well-known masters of wardmaking (and breaking), with Montrell Avery credited with creating the first modern security wards that protected the Ministry of Magic itself. Tom had long since suspected that the Averys supplied Death Eaters the wardbreakers that were used to breach the powerful wards on the centuries-old family manors. Daimon's suggestive reaction seemed to confirm Tom's theory, and he resolved to speak with the shifty man about it later.
After Rabastan's sickening testimony, he was administered the Veritaserum antidote while Rufus was again called to deliver his testimony. The Death Eater in question sulked in the cage, his fathomless eyes promising bloody vengeance. Rufus rose to the occasion, staring with equally wrathful intent at the prisoner. Finally losing the staring contest, Rabastan instead glared at his feet while Rufus (again) read off the Longbottoms' injuries. Once complete, Dumbledore thanked Chief Auror, then immediately asked for Rabastan to be removed from the Witness Stand. He was dragged off without much of a fight, his head lolling to-and-fro underneath the prisoner's mask.
"Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, again, please bear in mind both the eyewitness testimony of the Chief Auror who helped facilitate the prisoner's arrest, and the Healers' Report cataloging Frank and Alice's injuries, confirming repeated exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. After the morning's rather grueling pace of events, I call for this session to briefly adjourn for a light thirty-minute repast before we continue with the remaining two prisoners. My Lords and Ladies, you may adjourn to the Lords' Lounge during this time, while Ministry-employed members may reconvene in the Employees' Parlor. Members of the Viewing Gallery may adjourn to the Visitor's Reception Lounge for light refreshments. I will remind all parties that while a Wizengamot Session is actively convening, no party from either of the aforementioned groups may actively fraternize with other group members." He leveled a keen look at the gathered members of the press in the Viewing Gallery, most notably in a lightly blushing Rita Skeeter's direction. "We are adjourned." Dumbledore banged his gavel and immediately made his way to the Employees' Parlor as several Ministry members trailed behind him. Several members of the Viewing Gallery made their way to the Reception Lounge, while the various Lords & Ladies of the Wizengamot swiftly entered the Lord's Lounge.
Lord's Lounge - 11:20AM
The tension was particularly thick, so much so it was practically suffocating. Few were in the mood for food, instead settling for tea, coffee, or flavored water. Several members milled around, making stilted attempts at conversation with the other while taking in everyone's general reactions. Lucius (for once) was grateful for Francis Crabbe's dull company, allowing his mind to be distracted from the Lestranges' horrifying testimonies as the corpulent man droned on about Honeydukes' newly imported Sugar Quills from wizarding Martinique. Lucius' sentiments were shared by Daniel as he conversed with Gregory Goyle Sr., the latter of whom prattled on unendingly about his wife's prized topiary garden. Lucius and Daniel were not the only one who was deeply disturbed by the recent hours' events, the depraved actions of the Death Eaters shaking many to their cores. While almost all were familiar with the reporting of slain victims of the Wizarding War (courtesy of the Daily Prophet), a select few knew of the true depths of torture inflicted on the families before they were killed. The most perturbed (such as a gray-faced Lady Brown) preferred to stare into their tea cups, as if willing to be swallowed whole by the tepid liquid. Like before, Sirius and Augusta sat together, with Sirius almost protectively shielding Augusta from prying eyes. Augusta was stone-faced, unable to do anything else but stare into nothing.
From their vantage points, Severus and Libra dutifully observed, taking careful stock of everyone's reactions and paying close attention to those they knew were aligned with (or were) Death Eaters. Tiberius Nott looked notably uncomfortable while chatting with a pale-faced Antonius Warrington, both of whom looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. Corban Yaxley chatted amiably with Cassilda whom (despite all subtlety), kept shooting careful looks at Tom and Daimon Avery. The two wizards appeared to be engaged in a very amiable conversation. A discretely cast modified Muffliato by Tom had rendered their conversation unlistenable and their lips unreadable, allowing them to carry on without interruption. Severus and Libra noted that Daimon looked uncommonly relaxed, chatting with Tom like they were old friends. Shooting each other knowing looks, Severus and Libra continued to sip their tea.
The minutes passed on, and soon enough, a Ministry usher alerted them to start reentering the courtroom to continue the day's proceedings.
At the Same Time - Employees' Parlor
Lily steadfastly ignored James as he tried (and failed) to make subtle eye contact. After the recent proceedings, she was in no mood to try and make polite conversation with her ex-husband. She idly chatted with Ludo Bagman - his voracious enthusiasm for Quidditch unmoved in spite of the seriousness of the day's events - while discreetly observing the room, taking mental note of the varied reactions.
Albus quietly sat with the members of the DMLE (save Barty Crouch Sr., who sat in a corner glaring at his watercress sandwich), making idle conversation about current events at Hogwarts, no doubt trying to ease the tension that permeated every inch of the cramped parlor room. It seemed Rubeus Hagrid (Gryffindor, Class of 1947) was finally getting around to finishing his Mastery for Care of Magical Creatures, and would take on the role as Assistant Professor for Grubbly-Plank, who would eventually retire and have Hagrid teach the class full-time. Lily internally smiled, happy for the gentle half-giant's good fortune. Hagrid was one of Tom's mentees, and both were surprisingly very protective of each other. Tom had sponsored Hagrid on his travels outside of England to learn more about the myriad of creatures he adored so much. Tom was currently sponsoring his Apprenticeship with Grubbly-Plank, eagerly awaiting his friend's graduation.
While Ludo prattled on (again) about Gwenog Jones' 'fantastic Beater's form', Lily noticed something rather curious. Dempster Wiggleswade - current Head of the Office for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes, and Hexes - was engaged in a heated exchange with Isolde Fenwick (née Avery), assistant to the Head of the Magic Administrative Services Office. Dempster's mouth was pinched in anger while he (seemingly) scolded Isolde, who glared imperiously as she hissed her responses. Paying close attention to the movement of their lips, Lily caught mentions of 'wardbreaking', 'your family', and 'known involvement', before Isolde, with a face reddened in anger, suddenly huffed off. Dempster glared mutinously at her back, before striding to the dessert table.
'Very interesting…' thought Lily internally. She was very aware of the Avery family's notoriety with warding magic. Tom had long since theorized that the current Lord Avery was a Death Eater who actively supplied wardbreakers to Death Eaters on their raids, especially when they attacked a Noble or Ancient and Noble family. The only proof Tom had were a few painstakingly gathered notes indicating similar structural identicalities between the wardbreaker signatures registered at the McKinnon, Burke, and Shafiq manors post Death Eater attacks, but nothing concretely tying them all to the Averys. That a DMLE Department head seemed to share the same sentiments - enough to seemingly confront an Avery in public no less - was definitely a worthwhile development. She would let Tom and Severus know expeditiously.
Lily distractedly nodded along to Ludo for some more minutes, before a Ministry usher signaled to Dumbledore that the scheduled adjournment was complete. As such, all assembled members began to reenter the courtroom to continue the day's proceedings.
At the Same Time - Visitors' Reception Lounge
Andromeda Tonks (née Black) idly sipped her tea, preferring to keep to herself. With the exception of a few clients that frequented the Tonks Clinic (for their accident prone children), no one approached her. Her own sister Narcissa, upon seeing her, had looked right through her as if she didn't exist. Her lackey and living shadow Violetta Edgecombe sniffed disdainfully at her, before the two flounced off. Winifred Greengrass (née Abbott) had offered her a polite smile and dainty nod of the head which Andromeda had returned. However, Winifred made no overtures for conversation, instead choosing to chat with Grizel Hurtz, the Daily Prophet's de facto 'Agony Aunt'. Andromeda was mildly grateful, as she was not really in the mood for conversation.
Her expulsion from the Black Family was well known in Wizarding England, making her persona non grata amongst the entire Pureblood social scene. Some Halfbloods (aligned with their Pureblood families) ignored her in kind, and most muggleborns didn't care. She had eloped with muggleborn Ted Tonks in her Seventh Year, unexpectedly falling in love with the kind-hearted and protective Hufflepuff. He'd been the key to saving her from the crushing wave of depression that had driven her to almost committing suicide, the expectations of her family and pending nuptials to Rabastan Lestrange almost driving her to the brink of no return. Ted had saved her life (in spite of her constantly pushing him away), and she'd betrayed the Black family's pureblooded ideals and followed her heart, a decision she would never regret. Together with Ted, they established The Tonks Clinic within Hogsmeade, almost two years after their nuptials. They'd welcomed a daughter - Nymphadora - a lively and loving child who possessed the Black family's famed Metamorph abilities. The now eight-year old girl enjoyed changing her form to match their House Elf Iris's, much to the elf's amusement.
Sighing at the pleasant memories, Andromeda caught a strange sight. Hugo Avery (younger brother of Daimon Lord Avery) was engaged in conversation with Helbert Spleen, a retired St. Mungo's Healer who currently served as an advice columnist for the Daily Prophet, answering health-related questions. Helbert occasionally collaborated with Andromeda for community seminars at the Tonks' Clinic for newly expectant mothers, providing answers for the anxious mothers (and some fathers) to be. Hugo was the academic of his family, acquiring an unprecedented three Masteries in Ancient Runes, Charms, and Transfiguration upon his graduation from Beauxbatons. He currently worked for the Avery family's private company, though he occasionally consulted for the Department of Magical Artifacts. Andromeda noted that the usually poised and collected Hugo looked distinctly discomforted while Spleen carried on, fidgeting like a child.
'Curious, I wonder what they're talking about.' With that thought Andromeda sidled closer to the pair, pretending to look over the sandwich offerings while listening in to their conversation.
"Absolutely terrible what happened to the Longbottoms, my word! Such heinous injuries!" Spleen said, his kind eyes radiating deep sadness.
"Y-Yes, a truly terrible misfortune. A good thing for us all that they've been apprehended." Hugo's reedy voice didn't sound particularly convincing to Andromeda's ears, though Spleen didn't notice.
"Indeed you are right, for the sake of our society it is better for them to be incarcerated." Spleen sighed, taking a delicate bite of his éclair before speaking: "It is strange how they were able to invade Longbottom Manor, don't you think? I mean, a centuries old manor like that should have been impregnable! But they were able to break through, with- what was it- oh yes, a wardbreaker! Those things are exceptionally rare, I didn't even realize they were still being made mind you!" At that statement Hugo paled significantly, mumbling an excuse about 'needing the facilities' before scrambling off. Spleen blinked in brief surprise, before shrugging and nibbling on his éclair as he shuffled off to speak with Emma Squiggle, Junior Writer for the Daily Prophet.
Making careful mental notes of her observations, Andromeda resolved to tell a certain someone of the new development. Some minutes passed on while she delicately sipped more tea, before a Ministry usher entered the room, alerting them that the adjournment had officially ended and that it was time to return to the courtroom.
AN 1: WOW! That was quite a lot, very difficult and intense chapter. I'd originally intended to break this up into two chapters, but it flowed better as one chapter. I will say that I do not believe Death Eaters as depraved as the Lestrange brothers would just rely on the Cruciatus Curse to harm a (woman) victim. They are war criminals in every sense of the word.
AN 2: It seems the Avery Family has been playing a critical role in the DE activities, and may (or may not) be paying for it very soon. More to follow in the coming chapters.
AN 3: Casting is as follows: Sebastián Zurita as Rodolphus Lestrange, (long-haired) Stuart Townsend as Rabastan Lestrange, Geoff Bell as Ludo Bagman, Emily Watson as Violetta Edgecombe, Robert Carlyle as Hugo Avery, Carey Mulligan as Isolde Fenwick, Rachel Weisz as Andromeda Black, and Ian Holde as Dempster Wiggleswade
Next up - Bellatrix Lestrange & Barty Crouch Jr.!