Chapter 58: I Fought the Law
Harry leaned on Hermione, his hands shaking and his breath coming in gasps. He rubbed his arm to alleviate the burning pain. At the sound of footsteps, he picked his head up to see Dumbledore hustling sprinting up with McGonagall, Flitwick and Amelia Bones with Fudge and Umbridge bringing up the rear at a sedate pace.
"Wow," Sirius marveled as the Patroni faded away. "A fully-corporeal Patronus at 13. You know, James and I did some incredible shit during our time but nothing as impressive as that. Not only that but you found a way to kill a Dementor."
"Sirius Black!" Minister Fudge said as he marched from the courtyard, down toward the group.
"There he is," the pink toad pointed her gnarled finger at Sirius. "Well what are you waiting for Auror Tonks? Arrest him."
"Yeah let me just slap some cuffs on him," Tonks replied, sarcastically, shrugging her useless arms. Amelia, to her credit, barely restrained rolling her eyes and stepped forward.
"Auror Tonks? Report," the head of the DMLE asked.
"Ma'am," Tonks stood straighter. "My tracking charm alerted me that Harry Potter had left the castle. Per your orders, I kept to my protective detail and followed him."
Tonks looked at Harry apologetically but Harry was too tired and too alive to care.
"Tonight, I followed them through a passage under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack where I saw them talking to Sirius Black. They seemed to think Black was innocent so I watched under my cloak. Black told them the story of how Peter Pettigrew was the secret-keeper, in great detail I will admit."
"Preposterous," Fudge blustered.
"He said he, Pettigrew and James Potter learned to become animagi in their time at Hogwarts with Pettigrew taking the form of a rat. It was then that a rat they had stunned and bound tried to escape. I stunned the rat at which point they revealed him to be the long-deceased Peter Pettigrew- Black saw him in his rat form in the Daily Prophet you showed him last summer, minister. That's what prompted him to break out."
"Where is Pettigrew?" Amelia asked.
"He escaped when Fenrir Greyback broke down the door," Tonks said. "He said he was there to grab Harry on the orders of Lucius Malfoy."
"Hogwash," Fudge scoffed. "Lucius Malfoy is an upstanding citizen."
"Like a pureblood of his stature would lower sully himself to work with beasts," Umbridge scoffed as she crossed her arms.
"You're sure he said Lucius Malfoy?" Madam Bones asked as if she couldn't hear the other two.
"Yes ma'am," Tonks said "He seemed pretty confident we would all be dead so he wasn't all that big on secrets or lies."
"I can provide the memory to corroborate," Harry remembered Dumbledore offering that option to Lucius Malfoy in the Buckbeak investigation. "If that would help."
"As would I," Hermione said too.
"Once this is over, we will collect your memories as a part of our investigation," Amelia said. "So what happened next?"
"I covered the escape, with the help of Potter of Black, Potter and Granger back through the trap door," Tonks said. "Once we got through the other side, we found more werewolves on the other side, at least six that I could count. We fled deeper into the forest and Potter signaled for help."
"Sorry we were delayed," McGonagall said. "I was grabbing Amelia but we were delayed by… other parties."
McGonagall's eyes flashed toward the minister and his toad.
"So you fled to the forest," Amelia continued.
"With the help of Black, Potter and Granger, we were able to drive off the werewolves. Six are dead, including Fenrir. After that, we were descended upon by the Dementors."
"We saw that," Fudge said. "Who conjured the Patroni?"
"Oh that was most definitely Potter and Granger," Flitwick said, happily. "I have seen their forms before in our sessions."
"As if mere 13-year-old old students could do that," Umbridge scoffed.
"I can assure you that is very much a fact," Dumbledore added, serenely. "I have seen them myself."
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall turned to her ward. "I see you rubbing your arm. Is your spot bothering you again?"
"Yes," Harry grunted.
"Let me see," Sirius piped up for the first time. Slowly, Harry pulled back his sleeve where the darkened skin in the shape of a hand remained. Sirius gasped and put his hand over his mouth. "That's the mark of a Dementor."
Sirius turned back to the others.
"The Dementors do this to keep track of an individual," Sirius said. "They've done it to many of the Death Eaters in the Maximum Security Ward; the ones who kept trying to escape. Bellatrix insisted on having them place it on her breast, crazy bitch that she is.
"Anyway, they only do this when they want to track a particular individual, should they ever escape," Sirius said. "Why would they want to track you, Harry?"
Harry shook his head in confusion.
"This is the third time the Dementors have come for you, Mr. Potter. Dementors do not target an individual without someone telling them to. Only four people can delegate tasks to the Dementors outside of Azkaban," Amelia said.
"Chief Warlock, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement," Dumbledore said before rounding on the other two. As he walked closer to the two backpedaled. "The Minister of Magic and his Undersecretary."
"Delores," Fudge turned toward Umbridge with an aghast expression. He knew he had to do something to save his career, even if it meant sacrificing her to do it. "Tell me you didn't do this."
"The whelp needed to be removed," Umbridge said haughtily "I couldn't let the Half-Blood swine progeny of Lily Evans continue to degrade our ways, to destroy who we are. Lucius Malfoy needed answers and I needed to wipe him and his mudblood off the map."
No one ever said Umbridge was smart but making her admission in front of the Minister, Chief Warlock and the Head of the DMLE just might be the worst decision in the history of worst decisions.
"That was a mistake, Delores," Dumbledore said.
"Too bad none of you will be around to bear witness to it," Delores said wickedly, pulling a golden rod from the sleeve of her robe. The moon darkened as a horde of Dementors crossed the threshold onto the grounds. Umbridge walked toward the Dementors, too far for anyone to get to her. "Took them a while to get here.
"Remind me to thank Fenrir for the distraction when you see him. Terrible beasts, werewolves but they served their purpose. It's too bad the Dementors got overeager in their pursuit of Sirius Black that they took the souls of everyone around. There's too many to stop, even for you Dumbledore."
Umbridge laughed sadistically as the Dementors passed her on their way to their prey.
"Expecto Patronum," Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Amelia and Flitwick cast. Six Patroni flew out to meet the Dementors. The center pushed back but there were simply too many to hold back. Harry felt fatigue setting in from all their casting moments earlier and he knew that Hermione was too. The flanks were closing in, slowly but surely. Harry knew it was only a matter of time until they surrounded them. He put as much power into the spell as possible but it wasn't helping. Harry heard his mum's screams start to build in his ears. He took his eyes off the Dementors and looked at Hermione, hoping the last thing he saw was her.
"Expecto Patronum," Harry heard a collective shout from behind him. He looked overhead as Goyle's Orca flew overhead, pushing toward the wraiths, with Daphne's Octopus floating underneath and Tracey's polar bear running alongside. More Patroni joined them and formed up with the six originals to repulse the horde. Harry could see the birds of prey of the Chaser Trio, Susan's cheetah, Cedric's badger, and Luna's unusual Patronus mixed in with the mass of Patroni. Harry looked over his shoulder to see the D.A. amassed in the courtyard, all with wands drawn. Umbridge's eyes widened as the Dementors fell back toward the boundary.
"Impossible!" Umbridge's shock setting into horror, knowing just how screwed she now was. To their credit, Fudge and Amelia Bones looked equally impressed.
"I suppose I should thank you, Delores," Dumbledore smiled, though his eyes still burned with righteous anger. "I probably could have pushed back that horde eventually, though who knows how many lives would have been lost in the process. Yet if it weren't for your decision of sending the Dementors onto my school grounds, the students would not have committed themselves to learn the Patronus Charm. Well taught, by the way, Harry."
Dumbledore winked at Harry, knowing it would twist the knife further.
"Just glad you hired Professor Lupin," Harry smiled at the horrified look on Umbridge's face. "He was the one who taught all of us to do it."
"Delores Jane Umbridge," Amelia stepped forward. "You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Harry Potter, conspiracy to murder Harry Potter, as well as the attempted murder of everyone present. You have the right to remain silent. You know all the rest, right?"
"What am I going to do?" Fudge sat in the courtyard fumbling with his hat. "What do we do about Black?"
"You're up for election next year, right?" Harry's voice roused him from his misery. "That's what you're concerned about right?"
Fudge didn't need to answer, his pale complexion answered Harry's question for him. Beyond him, Harry noticed Daphne standing behind Fudge with a smirk on her face. She nodded for Harry to continue.
"Sirius Black never got a trial the first time," Harry said. "The last remaining son of one of the oldest pureblood families sent to Azkaban without a trial? That wasn't you. That was before your time; you had no knowledge.
"I don't know if Sirius is innocent or guilty. I think he is but who knows for certain?" Harry gestured toward the man. "But I'm sure Madam Bones would be able to get to the bottom of this. All you would be doing is allowing justice to be served; justice that has been denied for over a decade.
"The pureblood faction will love it, as will the light faction will love the justice above all angle," Harry said. "If he's guilty, he's guilty and you've lost nothing. If he is innocent, then you have righted a wrong from a dark time we all would rather forget."
Hermione beamed with pride at Harry's use of logic while Sirius was dumbfounded.
"Well when you put it like that," Fudge said. "Next Wizengamot session, we will hold the trial that has since been denied to you, Sirius Black. At that time, Madam Bones can make her case and Sirius will have his trial. I'm assuming you can wrangle a barrister Mr. Black?"
"I'm sure I can come up with one," Sirius winked at Tonks.
"Well that's that," Fudge said. "What do we do with him in the time being?"
"If you'll allow, I'll take care of him," Tonks said.
"My father will be his barrister and my mother is a healer and his cousin," Tonks said. "If he runs again, the entire DMLE will be coming down on his head. If he stays with us, he'll be mentally and physically ready to stand trial."
"Works for me," Amelia said. "As long as I have a way to contact him at all times, I remand him into the custody of Auror Tonks and her family, with the Chief Warlocks's approval of course.."
"Certainly," Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like the stars above.
"Fine, fine," Fudge waved his hand, just wanting to be far away from this situation. He slid his hand around the brim of his hat before putting it on once more. "Next month, Black. Be there or else."
Fudge walked off toward the gates of the castle.
"If you'll pardon me," Amelia hauled Umbridge around, beaming a victorious smile. "I have to take out the trash and send a detachment of aurors to arrest Lucius Malfoy.. Good day, Mr. Potter."
Harry relaxed as it seemed like everything was finally calming down. That was until a missile nearly bowled him over.
"I. Am. So. Proud of you!" The bushy head of his girlfriend punctuated each word with a kiss, making Harry's face turn crimson. "The way you maneuvered Fudge was so Slytherin."
She dropped her voice lower.
"It's actually pretty sexy," she said in a husky tone.
"Merlin, Harry," Sirius slapped him on the shoulder. "You sure you're a Gryffindor?"
"Well the hat did want to put me in Slytherin," Harry said, making Sirius pale at the thought.
"Like you'd have survived Slytherin," Daphne said as the assembled students finally gave in to their curiosity and started approaching. "As your ally and especially as your friend- well done.
"Thanks for the save," Harry smiled as Greg and Vinny walked up. "How'd you know to come?"
"After that light show you put on?" Vinny smiled back. "I think you got the attention of everyone down in London. Couldn't let you hog all the glory. We were in Geneva when we saw the light through the windows. Thought the Dementors were attacking again and someone would need help."
"Well as fun as this is," Dumbledore cut across. "We need to get you and Tonks up to Madam Pomfrey before she hexes me into the bed next to you. Sirius, if you wouldn't mind staying the night in the Wing as well. I'm sure Poppy will want to look at you as well."
"Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked sheepishly.
"Yes you should probably accompany the others," Dumbledore chuckled congenially.
"Well done Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," Flitwick said with his hands clasped behind his back. "You remembered your training and stood tall against a werewolf pack. You continue to impress."
"Thank you, professor," Harry and Hermione bowed at his praise. At that moment, all the fatigue hit Harry and he nearly collapsed. Were it not for Hermione being there to catch him, he would have.
"Let's get you to Poppy," Dumbledore strode forward, parting the students of the D.A. to allow the unusual group to pass through.
(A/N: I chuckled when Time Keeper's "Betrothed" story used the same title to deal with the same character right after I finished writing the first draft of this chapter. It really is only fitting "I fought the law and the law won.")