Author's Note: Hello, all! The feedback and support I got last chapter are absolutely insane, and I can't thank you all enough. I love that so many people like the story enough to show that support; it really means a lot to me.
Thanks to everyone who gave me tips to continue posting, or sent well wishes, I love you all. To the person who offered to mail me a new laptop, thank you but I'll stick with the one I have for now lol. But the fact you offered still means a lot to me and I love you for it.
On to other comments, Harry will learn Runes and take the class for it, transferring over after winter break. Thanatos, who holds a Runes Mastery, will teach him until then, and Harry will probably get some help from Hermione here and there.
His training is indeed exhausting, which is why it's only once a week and only for 3.5 hours at that. Harry's strong, as is Luna, but they're both still kids with no real experience, so they're going to be playing in the little leagues, so to speak, for a while.
Harry is pretty intuitive, and just by following superior instructions, he managed to become one of the top in his Potions class in a few weeks.
I would say Hermione holds the edge for memorization and in classes like Transfiguration or Charms, but Harry's adaptiveness and intuition are off the charts. He 100% holds the edge in combat, DADA, and so on.
Harry will eventually be able to reach Dumbledore's level, but not soon. Dumbledore is an absolute monster of magical power and skill in this story, and even though Harry's talented, it'll take a while.
Remember, to reach Dumbledore, Harry would have to surpass almost every other magic user alive, including Tom, since Dumbledore is stronger than Voldemort.
I will say, that by the end of his third year, Harry will 100% be able to beat most Aurors, and even groups of Aurors, which would make him a serious threat to any Death Eater bar the best, but he still won't be touching Dumbledore or Tom, at least not by himself.
His friends might join him eventually, particularly Hermione and Ron, maybe Ginny and Neville as well, but that remains to be seen. I do want Neville to be strong too, though.
Well, I think that's it for now. I do apologize for the long AN, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Harry sighed as he exited the Ministry lift in his Trial Robes with Thanatos on his left.
He felt oddly heavy, still nervous, but it was minuscule compared to the weight he felt on his shoulders.
Harry assumed he should be happy; it was Snape's trial, and according to the information Thanatos had given him, it was essentially an open-and-shut case.
But Harry didn't feel happy about it; he would much rather not see Snape in any capacity ever again, and part of him knew that it was because Snape would almost certainly try to shift the blame onto Harry in some way, just as he always did.
Thanatos put a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder, and Harry looked up at him.
"It'll be ok, Harry," Thanatos told him, his mask covering the lower half of his face. "You don't have to speak if you don't want to. No one will force you to, or at least, I won't."
Harry sighed. "Thanks, Thanatos. It's just…"
"Not feeling up for it today, huh?" Thanatos asked, arching an eyebrow.
Harry gave a shrug and nod. "I guess. I feel weird… Like, I'd rather never have to see Snape again…"
He blinked as he realized the emotion he was feeling. Disappointment.
His brows furrowed. Disappointment? In Snape, of all people? He would understand if it had been someone like Dumbledore on trial, Harry had once held great respect for the man, but Snape?
He voiced these thoughts to Thanatos, who looked at him with an unreadable expression.
'That's solid evidence for what Aahna mentioned,' Thanatos murmured internally, his face not betraying his thoughts. 'For Harry to be disappointed would be weird, but if another soul was in his body, one that held Snape in high regard…'
Aahna had told him about Luna seeing odd dark magic around Harry's scar, and Thanatos had quickly investigated, finding several things that concerned him.
The magic felt like a soul to his senses, but that was impossible, or at least he thought. Two magical souls couldn't coexist in one body, it'd either tear one of the souls apart or kill the body. Bodies were only meant to carry one.
The more Thanatos investigated, the more his readings made Harry's body seem less like one container with two souls but rather a container with a full soul and a soul fragment.
Considering that Harry had gotten the scar the night Voldemort 'died,' then it wasn't hard for Thanatos to paint a picture that made his stomach turn.
'If Harry is a Horcrux of Tom, then it has to be removed fast,' Thanatos thought as they walked towards the courtroom. 'Horcruxes are known for corrupting the magic of a container and those around said container. There's no telling what would happen with a human Horcrux.'
As they neared the courtroom, Thanatos put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Remember, you don't have to speak if you don't want to," He stated. "We can do all the talking if you wish. If you're uncomfortable at any point, go to the top of the seats, they lead to a separate room that you can enter. Got it?"
Harry nodded numbly, and Thanatos gave his shoulder a light squeeze before they entered.
Even though they'd entered several minutes early, Dumbledore was already there, along with Amelia, several Aurors, Sirius, and surprisingly, Lucius Malfoy.
Harry took his seat, returning the greeting Dumbledore gave him with a respectful nod, being sure not to look the man in the eyes.
Dumbledore wasn't likely to try anything against him here, not with so many people around, but Harry had been strictly instructed not to take any chances. Magic users were the most dangerous when they could plan or when underestimated.
The rest of the Wizengemot filed into the courtroom in short order, and in less than five minutes, the room was packed.
Amelia stood up to the podium as Snape was brought in, chained by his ankles and wrists, and led by two stone-faced Aurors.
Snape was sat in the chair roughly, his long, greasy hair somehow even greasier and disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and bulging.
In total, Snape looked more like a prisoner than Sirius ever did, even at his worst.
Amelia banged her gravel, and the murmurs of the courtroom went silent.
"So begins the trial of Severus Tobias Snape," Amelia declared. "Snape, do you have someone to speak for you, or shall you speak for yourself?"
"I shall speak for him," Dumbledore declared as Snape made to answer.
The murmurs of the courtroom shot up again as Dumbledore stood, vacating his Chief Warlock seat.
"Very well," Amelia nodded. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore shall speak on behalf of Severus Snape."
Augusta Longbottom was sworn in his stead, her face seemingly made of stone as she stared down at Snape, having heard of the man from Frank, Alice, James, and later, Neville.
"Severus Snape, you are tried today for the assault of former Auror Thanatos Marime," Amelia began, her voice made of steel. "Done so with a Blasting Curse to the back. How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Dumbledore said calmly.
Snape's eyes bugged out in anger, his face alight with bulging veins.
"Not guilty!" Snape snapped.
Dumbledore turned and gave Snape a slightly cold glare, causing the man to cower back in fear.
"Guilty," Dumbledore turned back to Amelia, his eyes twinkling.
Amelia merely quirked an eyebrow at the exchange and nodded.
"Very well. Now, as it is well-known, the Blasting Curse is an immensely dangerous spell, with a high probability of lethality," Amelia announced redundantly. "Knowing this, do you also plead guilty to the attempted murder of Thanatos Marime?"
Dumbledore's jaw tightened slightly but showed no visible reaction outside of that.
He took a deep, suffering breath. "Yes, he does."
Snape looked about ready to throttle Dumbledore, trying against the chains on the chair to no avail.
"The bastard deserved it!" He snapped, shocking the courtroom slightly.
"Severus!" Dumbledore barked, turning his head sharply to look at him.
Thanatos smirked under his mask, leaning back slightly in his chair.
While he couldn't work on Snape's case due to a conflict of interest, Aahna wasn't bound by such restrictions.
She had looked through his mind with Legilimancy and broke down his shields, as was the standard, but had also planted a trigger in his mind, one that would only get worse as time went on.
It reacted to Dumbledore's presence, making Snape increasingly unstable and more likely to blurt things out that he would normally reserve. Every word Dumbledore spoke made it worse, making it harder to defend him as the trial continued.
"May I ask why you believe so?" Amelia asked, her voice gaining a note of frostiness.
Severus stopped and shut his mouth, the trigger not having developed that far yet.
Dumbledore put on his best smile, his eyes twinkling madly.
"My apologies, Madam Bones. Severus seems to be quite disturbed at the moment," He said in his grandfather-esque tone. "I would assume being interrogated for so long would do that to one."
Amelia's eyebrow raised. "Snape was interrogated for the standard amount of time, by a fully licensed and experienced Unspeakable, and he showed no visible mental disturbances when brought in."
"But that brings me to my next question," Amelia continued, stopping Dumbledore's attempt to reply. "Why did Severus Snape attack Thanatos? Witness testimonies from Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Flitwick all confirm that Thanatos had not attempted to attack Snape, and the fact that the spell was distinctly cast at his back discredits any idea of self-defense anyway."
Dumbledore's smile grew somewhat knowing, seeing a way to turn this in his favor.
"Well, Madam Bones, did those witness testimonies mention the fact that Thanatos had previously attacked me and that Severus was among those who initially entered, and likely acted in defense of me?" Dumbledore asked, hands behind his back.
Amelia surprisingly nodded. "They did, however, they also made mention of the fact that neither you nor Thanatos were injured, and that merely your office was damaged. They also stated that you, and I quote, 'Simply had a small misunderstanding, is all,' with Thanatos."
Dumbledore frowned mentally but had no visible reaction.
"Why, yes, we had. Thanatos and myself were simply discussing some things and came to a small disagreement," Dumbledore explained calmly. "However, it should be noted that Thanatos had already destroyed most of my office and had continued to threaten me, even with the other teachers present."
The courtroom mumbled at that, some eyeing Thanatos distrustingly.
"Well, if we're adding context," Thanatos stood, his voice filling the room. "Then I would also like to add that you, Dumbledore, were the one who attacked me first, and it was only with the protection of a magical amulet I had that I did not become incapacitated or worse thanks to your spell."
The murmurs grew, particularly from the Dark Faction, interested to see if this could be used against Dumbledore in the future.
"Enough!" Augusta called in a sharp voice. "I fail to see how this is prevalent in the case of Severus' assault on you, Thanatos."
Thanatos smiled. "Ah, but that's the thing, Madam Longbottom. The reason Snape attacked me was because of this discussion."
Dumbledore's eyes widened, realizing what Thanatos was playing at.
"That is not important!" He snapped, using as much force as he could. "What is important is the attack itself!"
Almost everyone in the courtroom, even Amelia and Augusta, cowed under the sheer power Dumbledore had used in his words; after all, he was still the strongest magic user alive.
Thanatos, however, merely raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the attack and your subsequent magical defense of Snape as I, righteously I might add, defended myself?"
"Or the fact that the attack was a result of your failures, Albus, and that Snape attacked me because I knew he killed the Potters?" Thanatos asked immediately after, trying to keep Dumbledore from shutting his argument down.
Gasps arose in the courtroom, and Dumbledore's Occlumency locked down, his mind immediately rallying how he could get out of this safely.
Thanatos clenched his jaw underneath his mask. This was a risky game, he had to gain momentum in order to sway the vote against not only Snape, but Dumbledore, but Dumbledore could just as easily gain momentum against him as well.
"What do you mean 'killed the Potters,' Marime?" Augusta asked, her voice frigid.
"I'm afraid that Thanatos is mistaken, Madam Longbottom," Dumbledore said quickly. "Severus has done no such–"
"Of course I did!" Snape roared, struggling against his restraints like a rabid dog on a leash.
The courtroom went dead silent as Snape yelled over Dumbledore, his face red and bulging with veins.
"I KILLED HER!" Snape cried, his eyes becoming teary. "I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT HER, AND YOU FAILED!"
"Told who to protect whom, Snape?" Amelia asked, her voice still carrying through the room.
Dumbledore's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not sure how this–"
"I told HIM!" Snape bellowed, glaring at Dumbledore. "I TOLD HIM TO PROTECT LILY, AND HE DIDN'T! HE LEFT HER TO DIE! TO DIE! ALL BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID PROPHECY WITH THE POTTER BRAT!"
"Prophecy?" Augusta asked, speaking for the shocked courtroom.
Thanatos cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that's rather private, Madam Longbottom. It pertains to individuals who I'd prefer to leave out of this discussion."
Dumbledore glanced at him, his gaze calculating. It benefitted both of them that the prophecy remained as unknown as possible, especially with so many of Voldemort's former followers gathered in the courtroom.
"This prophecy… It was the reason you were attacked, Detective Marime?" Arthur Weasley, whose family was minor in influence but still granted a seat, asked.
Thanatos nodded minutely. He hadn't spoken to the Weasley Patriarch since the man had ordered Thanatos to stop filling Harry's head with 'dangerous ideas in the name of investigation,' as Arthur had put it.
"I will not reveal their contents at the moment. As you all know, prophecies are private and delicate matters," Thanatos stated, getting nods from the courtroom. "But I will say that yes, discussing the prophecy and its significance is the reason I was attacked."
Dumbledore looked slightly relieved. "The prophecy is rather sensitive information, Madam Longbottom, so I ask as well that the matter is pressed no further."
Augusta stared at him with narrowed, calculating eyes, but eventually nodded.
"Very well, the issue shall not be pressed further, as long as my last question is answered," Augusta stated, and both Dumbledore and Thanatos tensed.
"What was it about the prophecy that made Snape violent?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. "Snape mentioned it had to do with the Potters, particularly Lily Potter nee Evans. Was she involved somehow in this prophecy?"
Dumbledore nodded. "She was. Minutely so and indirectly at that, but she was."
Augusta seemed satisfied at that, nodding as she moved on.
"The updated charges for Severus Tobias Snape are as follows," Augusta declared, reading the paper Amelia had handed her. "Magical assault against an Auror and attempted murder of an Auror, guilty. Accessory to the murders of the Potters, how do you plead?"
"Guilty," Snape declared.
"Not guilty," Dumbledore stated immediately after.
Augusta raised an eyebrow. "He has stated directly that he is responsible, at least indirectly, for the deaths of the Potters, particularly Lily Potter nee Evans. Why do you declare no guilt?"
"Because Snape wasn't the only accessory to their murder," Thanatos declared, staring Dumbledore down. "Rather, it was him, Peter Pettigrew, and Albus Dumbledore."
The courtroom nearly rioted at that, several members yelling for Thanatos' head to be put on a pike for daring to speak against Dumbledore, while others called him insane, a Dark Lord, a Death Eater, and so on.
"Enough!" Amelia called, slamming her gravel several times to calm down the people.
"He's insane!" Arthur yelled, his face as red as his hair. "First, filling Harry's head with the notion that Black was innocent, and now this?!"
"And I was right, wasn't I?" Thanatos asked coldly, raising an eyebrow. "Sirius Black was proven innocent with irrefutable evidence. What makes you believe I do not have evidence for my claim here?"
Dumbledore's face paled and he masterfully hid the slight shake of his hand with his robe. If Thanatos was going to be this bold, there was no doubt that he had evidence with him; he had to play it risky, even if it meant sacrificing some things.
"Pray then, what evidence do you have, Marime?" Augusta asked, her voice as cold as was humanly possible.
Thanatos cleared his throat. "The first, and easiest claim is that of the Fidelius Charm, placed over the Potter residence with Peter Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper."
"I will refute that!" Dumbledore said sharply. "I was not the one who cast that charm!"
"Then who was?" Thanatos asked. "In the year 1981, when the Potters went into hiding, only two known Charms Masters were residing in the UK. Those being Filius Flitwick and yourself, yet Flitwick was confirmed to be at Hogwarts around the time the Potters went into hiding, but you, Albus, weren't."
"Besides that, the Fidelius Charm is a highly powerful warding charm. So strong, in fact, that even I, one of the strongest Aurors to walk in the Ministry, would be close to exhaustion after casting it," Thanatos continued.
That may have been true back when he was younger, but now, Thanatos would have no issue casting it, though it might cause a bit of sweat.
"All of this is to say, that Albus Dumbledore cast the charm over the Potter residence, which means he also would have to know who the Secret Keeper was since he'd have to key the residence to them."
"And that ties in nicely with my next point," Thanatos continued, gaining momentum. "That Albus Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock, decided to imprison Sirius Black for betraying the Potters, yet he knew that Sirius had done no such thing."
"The Potters switched Secret Keepers," Dumbledore called angrily. "It was originally Sirius Black, yet they changed it to Pettigrew without my knowledge!"
"Incorrect!" Thanatos snapped. "The Fidelius Charm is unmodifiable, as it ties into the Keeper's very soul. The only way to change Secret Keepers is to disable the Fidelius and cast it anew."
Dumbledore's jaw clenched; he'd clearly underestimated how much Thanatos had planned this, but if he played his cards right, then he could still salvage this.
"Regardless of your beliefs, Marime, the matter remains that this is not relevant to Severus' case," Dumbledore said coldly.
"Oh but it does," Thanatos smiled under his mask. "Because Snape attacked me not just because of the prophecy, but because I mentioned how you had used it to kill the Potters. So this is very relevant."
Thanatos smirked internally. The statement was mostly a lie, and they both knew it, but Dumbledore couldn't refute that without revealing that the prophecy pertained to Harry, and more importantly, his part in Harry's abuse.
"So you're saying," Augusta cut in. "That Severus Snape attacked you because he and Dumbledore were accomplices in the Potter's deaths, along with the unjust incarceration of Sirius Black, and he didn't wish for this knowledge to be uncovered?"
Thanatos nodded. "That is correct, Madam Longbottom. Albus Dumbledore is as much criminal as the man he defends, if not even more so!"
The courtroom nearly revolted again, and several members stood from the chairs, fully intending to hurt Thanatos for the statement.
One or two of Dumbledore's more devout supporters actually leaped down to try and grab him, though they were swiftly restrained by the Aurors on standby.
"SILENCE!" Amelia roared, her voice magically amplified with a Sonorus.
The courtroom filled with groans of pain as the sound hit their ears, but it worked well enough, as most of the Wizengemot sat back down. Though, there was quite a lot of murmuring still.
"As acting Chief Witch, this session will also commence the trial of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Augusta declared. "This will be held in conjunction with the trial of Severus Snape, as the two are accused of the same crimes."
She turned to Dumbledore. "Albus Dumbledore, to the charges of being an accessory of murder, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice, how do you plead?"
A muscle jumped in Dumbledore's jaw. If he pleaded guilty, then it'd eradicate most of his support base, but if he pleaded not guilty, he'd be hard-pressed to defend himself when Thanatos surely had more evidence up his sleeve.
"Not guilty," He declared, steeling himself.
The whispers shot up at that, but a steely glare from Amelia silenced them immediately.
"To all charges?" Amelia asked again, slightly surprised.
Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Yes, I do. I did not know my actions would spiral into those crimes. My intent was to defend the Potters and see justice done to their killer. If I had known, I would not have done such things."
"Objection!" Thanatos called sharply. "Albus Dumbledore not only was an accessory to their murder but also willingly covered up all evidence of his crimes by disabling a team of Unspeakables and wiping their memories, among which was my wife."
Dumbledore paled at that. Surely he wouldn't bring that up? But he had no evidence, right? Albus had destroyed the memory chain Aahna wore, and he triple-checked his memory block when he placed it.
The courtroom was too stunned to riot this time, most of them feeling various emotions warring with each other as they watched.
Thanatos pulled the necklace out of his coat pocket, raising it high for all to see.
"This is the memory from my wife, the night of October 31st, 1981," Thanatos declared. "And it clearly shows Dumbledore attacking my wife."
"I object!" Dumbledore declared, seeing a potential opening. "It is common knowledge that memories are inadmissible in a court of law due to their potential tampering! This is a setup!"
Thanatos smiled under his mask. "Three things: One, as an Unspeakable, any evidence my wife provides for a trial is irrefutable; two, that applies solely to Pensieve memories, and this is a storage device akin to a muggle hard drive, and thus is unable to be edited; three, even memories from a Pensieve can be used in conjunction with something else as supporting evidence."
With that, Thanatos pulled out a small disk, which held the security camera footage the Ghosts had gotten for Aahna several months ago.
"This," Thanatos declared. "Is security camera footage from Halloween night, 1981, showing the Potter's residence in Godric's Hollow. The cameras were there as Godric's Hollow is a muggle-wizard village, and so has access to muggle technology."
Thanatos pulled his wand out and tapped the disk, which began projecting the camera footage of Halloween night.
The courtroom sat in shock, though whether that was because of the evidence or because most of the court were purebloods who'd never interacted with muggle technology before was unknown.
The footage showed the Potter's house appearing suddenly as the wards crumbled, a large crumbling hole in its roof beside the nursery.
Sirius appeared a few minutes later on his motorcycle, hopping off it even before it fully landed and taking off in a dead sprint towards the house.
Several minutes passed with nothing happening, until Sirius stumbled out of the house, holding a bundle in his arms, and if one looked closely, tear tracks were visible on his face.
Murmurs rose as Hagrid showed up, arguing silently with Sirius as the camera hadn't picked up sound.
Sirius seemed unrelenting, but eventually handed the bundle to Hagrid, along with the keys to his motorcycle before taking off, his wand out.
Hagrid left after a few moments, awkwardly shifting the bundle in his overlarge hands.
Nothing happened for several minutes, until a group of six Unspeakables popped in, their wands out.
Two rushed into the home, checking on the bodies, while the other four, including a younger Aahna, stayed outside.
Aahna and another Unspeakable, gangly-looking kid with overlarge ears, headed to the back of the house, and two stayed in front.
The courtroom watched as the Unspeakables examined the house, with the two who had gone in coming out after a few minutes, looking deeply disturbed.
A somewhat younger-looking Dumbledore popped in after, and the Unspeakables turned, greeting him cheerfully.
Dumbledore ignored the greeting, whipping his wand in an arc and dropping two Unspeakables.
The last two had managed to raise a shield and began to duel Dumbledore, casting vigorously.
Dumbledore batted the spells away and flicked his wand, blasting one of them head over heels down the street.
The last Unspeakable's shield shattered under another spell and dropped boneless to the ground.
Dumbledore waved his wand, casting an Obliviate over the four, something that both Amelia and Thanatos pointed out, recognizing the magic.
Dumbledore conjured four pieces of paper and tapped them, before dropping them onto the downed Unspeakables.
The four Unspeakables disappeared as the Portkey touched them, and Dumbledore calmly headed to the back of the house, his wand in hand.
The feed ended there, and Thanatos put the disk back in his pocket, face grim.
"That is the first evidence, and this is the second," He stated, gripping the necklace tightly.
A projection appeared mid-air, showing the back of the Potter home through Aahna's eyes.
"It was dark magic, really dark," The younger Aahna was saying. "Shattered the Fidelius and destabilized the wards. They'll probably collapse fully in under five minutes."
Aahna waved her wand in an intricate pattern, mumbling under her breath.
"I wonder where they took the baby," Her companion said. "Harry Potter, was it? They couldn't have gotten him too, right?"
Aahna shook her head. "Sirius probably has him. He's closer than we were. I'll check up on him after this, and see how he's doing… Remus too… Poor guy probably needs it."
"Yeah… All this is bloody insa–"
The other Unspeakable dropped mid-sentence as a spell hit him in the back.
Aahna turned, whipping her wand down and barely deflecting a spell from Dumbledore.
"Albus?!" Aahna asked, doing a double take. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, my dear," Dumbledore sighed as he fired another spell. "It's for the greater good."
Aahna dodged, conjuring massive chains she sent Dumbledore's way.
She followed it with a powerful Lumos, briefly blinding the man.
Dumbledore Vanished the chains and sent a flurry of Stunners back.
Aahna flicked her wand, and a golden shield appeared, blocking the Stunners with a deafening gong-like sound.
She moved her wand in an intricate pattern before jabbing sharply.
Dumbledore leaped back from the blinding white flames, which quickly formed into a phoenix and dived at him.
He conjured a massive water dragon, sending it careening into the phoenix before Apparating.
Dumbledore appeared silently beside Aahna, a flurry of spells already flying before he'd even touched the ground.
Aahna shouted in surprise, shifting into her dove form and barely weaving through the spells.
Dumbledore cast a wide-area Stunner, forcing Aahna to transform back and block.
Dumbledore jabbed his wand sharply, and a violet light shot from his wand.
A blood-curdling scream filled the courtroom as Aahna dropped, white foam seeping from her now-flat stomach.
All the mothers in the room felt their eyes widen in horror, knowing exactly what Dumbledore had just done.
It was an old-timey abortion spell, which violently shredded the child inside the womb, before dissolving the corpse and pushing it out as white foam from the stomach.
It was incredibly painful and had killed more than one mother in the process, so, had fallen out of use several decades ago. However, most mothers were still made aware of it, as some particularly cruel pureblood families had no issue using it on daughters if they had gotten pregnant by the 'wrong kind.'
"You… You MONSTER!" Aahna panted, staring up at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stared at her impassively, wand between her eyes. "Call me what you wish, my dear, but I am simply trying to do what is best for everyone. I hope you will understand one day. Obliviate!"
The memory ended there, the projection receding back into the necklace as Thanatos put it in his pocket.
Almost all of the courtroom was staring at Dumbledore in horror, and those that weren't were crying for Aahna, James, or Lily, sometimes all three.
"As you can see," Thanatos declared, barely refraining his anger. "Dumbledore and Snape are cut from the same cloth and have done horrible things. I ask the court today to judge these two men, who have done so much wrong to our world."
Augusta, pale, shaking, and deeply angry, cleared her throat. "Albus Dumbledore, there are now more charges against you. 2 counts of accessory to murder, 6 counts of obstructing Ministry personnel, 7 counts of attacking Ministry personnel, 2 counts of obstruction of justice, 2 counts of battery, 1 count of murder of an innocent, and 6 counts of illegal memory modification. How do you plead?"
It was more of a formality at this point since the evidence was all there, but she had to ask for the records.
Dumbledore took a deep breath, wondering if the risk was worth it.
"Guilty," He said, knowing that if he pleaded not guilty and Thanatos had more evidence, it'd just dig his grave further.
Amelia nodded. "So be it, Albus Dumbledore, you have been found guilty of 26 crimes. For accessory to murder, life in Azkaban per charge. For obstructing Ministry personnel, 5 years in Azkaban per charge. For attacking Ministry personnel, 30 years in Azkaban per charge. For obstruction of justice, 15 years in Azkaban per charge. For battery, 25 years in Azkaban per charge. For murder of an innocent, life in Azkaban. For illegal memory modification, life in Azkaban per charge."
She took a deep breath. "For your crimes, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, you shall serve 9 life sentences in Azkaban plus an extra 320 years–" She banged her gravel. "–So mote it be!"
Dumbledore smiled internally despite this. He knew he could escape Azkaban even without a wand, and once done, he could rebuild his power base somewhere else.
"Wait!" Thanatos called. "Not Azkaban."
The court turned to him, and Augusta raised an eyebrow.
"Why not, Detective Marime?" She asked, though her tone was much warmer than it was with Dumbledore.
Thanatos took a deep breath. "If Sirius Black, after years and years, could escape Azkaban and stay on the run for several months, what, then, could impede the strongest wizard alive from escaping even sooner?"
Of course, that completely ignored Sirius' Animagus form, but Thanatos had no doubt Dumbledore could escape Azkaban.
Augusta frowned thoughtfully; just a few weeks ago, she'd have dismissed his concern, but the recent events had shown that Thanatos wasn't someone to speak lightly.
"What do you suggest?" She asked.
"The Dementor's Kiss," Thanatos replied firmly. "It's impossible to think that any prison could hold him if it couldn't hold a strong Auror who had been weakened for over a decade. But if he escapes, who knows what he can do?!"
He put more emphasis on his voice, trying to appeal to their emotions.
"Imagine, this man killed my child and permanently damaged my wife, not even the best Healers could do anything for her!" He cried, his arms raised. "And that was when he had things to lose! Imagine what he can do to us, to our children, if he escaped with nothing to lose!"
Dumbledore paled at that; he was incredibly strong, yes, but even he couldn't resist the Dementor's Kiss.
"No!" He roared, raising his wand. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Several spells blasted from his wand and free hand as Dumbledore channeled all the power he held.
Thanatos reacted first, laying down his strongest shield and thankfully stopping Amelia and Augusta from getting hit.
The Aurors snapped into motion, sending volleys of spells at his back.
Dumbledore whipped around with a roar, ripping the spells from the air with his free hand.
He released the spells back at them, sending them flying into the opposite wall.
Thanatos jumped down, spells flying from his wand as he fell.
Dumbledore dropped and rolled under the spells, releasing a whip of fire from his wand.
Thanatos slashed the whip in half, sending several air bullets at Dumbledore, who blocked it.
Amelia sent out an alarm, calling every damn Auror and Unspeakable in the UK with the most urgency possible.
Dumbledore created several snakes he sent at Thanatos, who turned them into smoke.
Thanatos launched several volleys through the smoke and flicked his wrist, grabbing the smoke.
As Dumbledore blocked or deflected the volleys, Thanatos poured his magic into the smoke, turning it an eye-watering black.
The smoke rushed forward, encasing Dumbledore and restricting his vision.
Dumbledore gasped as the smoke began to absorb his magic from his body, strengthening itself while weakening him.
Thanatos gathered his magic, slamming down the strongest anti-Apparation and anti-Portkey wards he could, on top of the Ministry's standard wards for courtrooms.
He slammed down a third ward, one whose purpose was unknown even to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore managed to banish the smoke with a powerful disintegration charm, vaporizing it instantly.
Hundreds of spells flew from Dumbledore's wand and free hand, one after another like a machine gun firing.
Thanatos slashed his wand in an arc, creating a magical wind that redirected half the spells towards the floor.
The ground, even reinforced with charms as it was, exploded under the onslaught, throwing up blinding dust clouds and rubble.
Powerful transfiguration ripped through the rubble, turning them into various animals that launched themselves at Thanatos.
Thanatos gathered magic in his free hand and struck out, grabbing ahold of the very air.
More screams rose as the air began vibrating, turning the animals into mush from the power.
"Trahunt Magicae*," Thanatos roared, raising his wand.
Dumbledore's eyes widened as the third ward Thanatos had placed activated, sucking magic out of everything. The air, the conjurations, the remnants of spells, Dumbledore himself, everything.
A ball of raw magical power stood on the tip of Thanatos' wand, glowing so blindingly that it made the Sun look like a nightlight.
"Perdere Magicae!*" Thanatos bellowed, jabbing his wand forward.
The magic roared like an untamed dragon, blasting towards Dumbledore with almighty fury.
Dumbledore's eyes widened, and using every ounce of agility he had, he dodged wildly, using spells to enhance his speed.
The magical beam followed him like a heat-seeking missile, forcing Dumbledore to jump around wildly to avoid the spell.
He knew enough Latin to know the spell would certainly be deadly, and against unknown spells, no experienced magic user would use shields as they were far too risky.
Thanatos dropped somewhat, his breath slow and shallow. That spell had taken up most of his reserves, and despite his experience, that was devastating for any magic user.
Dumbledore wielded raw magic, grabbing ahold of Thanatos' spell and stopping it in its tracks with a grunt of effort.
"How unfortunate, Thanatos," Dumbledore scowled. "That you forced me to do this."
Harry stood from where he'd taken cover, gripping his wand tightly. He didn't know many spells, but he did have one thing, the desire to help.
"Reducto!" Harry roared, sending his strongest spell at Dumbledore.
The spell flew with a bang, but Dumbledore dodged, letting it hit the magical beam he was still holding back.
The magics collided violently, exploding with enough force to severely burn Dumbledore's hand.
Dumbledore gasped in pain, his concentration breaking somewhat from the shock.
Thanatos' spell roared, still active despite the collision, and rushed forward, overpowering Dumbledore's grip and consuming the magic.
Dumbledore's eyes widened as the beam rushed towards his chest, only inches away from him.
A deafening crack resounded as Dumbledore forced himself through the anti-Apparation wards, punching a small hole through them right before the beam hit him.
He reappeared on the other side of the courtroom, missing his left leg as he did.
The beam curved back, rushing at him again.
Dumbledore managed to stop the spell a second time, summoning his dismembered leg and reattaching it with a wave of his wand.
The burn healed quickly, but Dumbledore looked far more stressed now, sweat dripping down his forehead as he held back the strengthened spell.
Thanatos' spell consumed magic, any type of magic, and added it to itself, becoming a powerful beam that only stopped when Thanatos wished it. It was like a more deadly, but more controllable, version of Fiendfyre.
Harry's eyes widened as he watched, managing to connect the dots somewhat. If the spell reacted to magic, then a more magical object would cause a bigger reaction, right?
He looked down at his ring and gritted his teeth. He didn't want to destroy something so valuable, but he had to help.
Harry took off his ring and tossed it towards the magical beam, feeling the all-so-familiar wall of Occlumency he'd grown accustomed to disappear.
"Stupify!" He cried, hitting the ring and sending it careening into the beam.
Dumbledore's eyes widened, as did Thanatos', as the ring hit the beam.
Thanatos rushed to Harry as the ring exploded, filling the room with violent magic.
The blast shook the courtroom, dropping the ceiling onto them and ripping through the wards like tissue paper.
Sound disappeared under the roar of the explosion, and Harry went blind from its flash.
It happened all too quickly, and by the time the Aurors arrived, wands in hand, it was over.
The courtroom was in shambles, its ceiling almost completely gone, and the chairs utterly destroyed.
Several court members lay dead, either from Dumbledore's initial onslaught, or the magical blast, and several more were heavily injured, missing limbs, pierced by shrapnel, magically burned, and so on.
Snape sat dead in his chair, liquified organs being all that remained of the Potions Master.
Dumbledore was collapsed by the wall, missing his entire left arm, his right leg shattered to bits, his front covered in burns, and blood pouring down his face. His magic was over 80% gone, either exhausted by his spells or literally ripped out of him by Thanatos' spell.
Thanatos himself was heavily injured too, with broken bones all across his body, a gaping wound bleeding from his back, and severely magically exhausted.
"What… happened here?" Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt asked in slight horror.
"Dumbledore!" Auror cadet Nymphadora Tonks yelled before rushing over.
Dumbledore looked up weakly, his damaged right hand still clutching the Elder Wand tightly.
He blasted her back with what little magic he still had and Apparated away, leaving several stunned Aurors.
Amelia stood shakily, holding her left shoulder tightly, blood dripping down the side of her face.
"Aurors… Albus Dumbledore is a convicted criminal," She panted, trying to push her magic to heal her.
"What?!" Kingsley asked. "How?"
"It's… It's a long sto– HARRY!" Amelia yelled as she noticed the boy on the ground.
She rushed over, ignoring her own injuries as she did.
Harry was splayed on the ground, pieces of glass stuck in his eyes from his glasses and black ooze dripping from his lightning bolt scar.
A wretched scream tore through the air as his scar seemingly exploded, sending more of the ooze into the air.
Amelia fell to her knees beside him, desperately checking for a pulse.
"GET EVERY FUCKING HEALER IN HERE NOW!" Amelia roared with all her might as she tried to heal Harry to no avail.
Harry Potter was dead.
.
Author's Note: And that's the chapter! Snape's dead, Dumbledore's on the run, and so much more!
It was honestly exhausting to write the trial, because it's like trying to write a game of 5D chess with checkers pieces. I wanted to show Dumbledore's sheer ability to manipulate people, but I don't think I did it too well, it feels too reactionary to me.
I also originally wanted Harry to speak up in this trial as well, but the chapter kind of got away from me.
Funnily enough, I was actually debating on giving Dumbledore a bit of a redemption thing, where he dies culling Voldemort's forces in order for everyone else to live, kind of the opposite of what he usually does.
I might still do it, though it'd definitely be more gruesome on Dumbledore's end, but I've decided that, with the exception of people like Remus and Harry, who are naturally forgiving, Dumbledore won't be forgiven by anyone, and even then, it'll still take a lot for either Remus or Harry to even consider it.
*Trahunt Magicae – Absorbs all magic from surroundings, if the area is not warded, it'll absorb all of the magic within several miles, including those from people and ley lines.
*Perdere Magicae – A spell that destroys all magic it touches, including magical objects, spells, people, and wards. If it hits a wizard/witch, then it'll cause them to implode depending on the strength of the victim, ignores shields.
Dumbledore managed to block it because he used his magic to grab space itself, essentially like using a mitt to grab a hot pan. However, just like you can still feel the heat of the pan despite the mitt, the spell can eat through the containment with enough time or if his concentration lapses.
Anyway, that's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next one!