The courtroom was cold.
Harry sat rigidly, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. He could feel the stares the Wizengamot, the Aurors, the reporters. Even the Order members who had come to support him.
But none of them mattered.
Not compared to her.
Bellatrix Lestrange stood in the center of the courtroom, her wrists bound in enchanted chains. She was thinner than before, her wild black hair tangled, her face paler. But her eyes those dark, frenzied eyes were the same.
She was watching him.
Harry refused to look away.
A heavy voice rang through the chamber.
"Bellatrix Lestrange, you stand accused of numerous crimes against the wizarding world, including the torture of Harry Potter."
The words echoed in the vast room. Harry's stomach clenched, his breath catching in his throat.
It was real.
Everything she had done to him the pain, the fear, the helplessness was about to be laid bare before the world.
And he would have to relive it.
He swallowed hard as Kingsley Shacklebolt, standing as Chief Warlock, continued speaking.
"You are also charged with acts of war against the Order of the Phoenix, the torture and murder of Muggle-borns, and conspiracy under Voldemort's reign."
The room was deathly silent.
Bellatrix, for the first time in her life, did not speak.
Harry had expected her to be smirking, maybe laughing, twisting her chains in mockery.
But she wasn't.
She was studying him, her lips slightly parted, as if she were seeing him for the first time.
A shiver crawled up his spine.
"Testimonies will now be given," Kingsley said. "Harry Potter, you may begin."
The world tilted.
Harry's chest tightened, and for a moment, he felt trapped again trapped in Malfoy Manor, trapped beneath her wand, trapped beneath the weight of her laughing voice as she tore him apart.
Snape's voice cut through the fog.
"Breathe, Potter."
Harry inhaled sharply, his fingers digging into his robes.
Slowly, he stood.
His legs felt unsteady, but he forced himself forward, standing in the center of the room where everyone could see him.
Where she could see him.
Bellatrix's lips curled, just slightly. "Well, well," she purred. "Come to see me off, have you, little boy?"
Harry's blood boiled.
He gritted his teeth, raising his chin. "No," he said evenly. "I've come to make sure you never walk free again."
A few murmurs rippled through the court.
Bellatrix chuckled, tilting her head. "My, my, you've grown so bold. Didn't sound quite so confident when you were screaming at my feet, now did you?"
Harry's stomach twisted but he didn't flinch.
"I still remember the way you begged." Her voice was mocking, sickly sweet. "Oh, how you pleaded, how you"
"Enough," Kingsley said sharply. "Lestrange, be silent."
Bellatrix snorted but said nothing else.
Harry forced himself to breathe.
He would not let her get to him.
Not this time.
He lifted his gaze, forcing himself to meet the eyes of the Wizengamot.
And he spoke.
"I was captured by Bellatrix Lestrange and her allies," he said, his voice steadier than he expected. "She tortured me for information. She wanted to know where the Order was hiding."
A few gasps. Whispers. But Harry ignored them.
"She used the Cruciatus Curse again and again. She didn't stop. Not until I passed out."
Bellatrix grinned, as if proud.
Harry ignored her.
"When I woke up, she kept going. She tried to break me. She wanted to know where the Order was, and she thought pain would make me talk."
Silence.
Harry's fingers trembled, but he kept going.
"I never told her anything," he said.
He met Bellatrix's gaze.
"You lost."
Something flashed in her eyes. A flicker of something ugly, almost uncertain.
Harry turned away from her, facing the court. "She's dangerous. She's done worse than this to others. You all know it."
He swallowed.
"She doesn't deserve freedom."
Kingsley nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. You may sit."
Harry let out a shaky breath as he stepped back. He felt Snape's eyes on him, but the man said nothing.
Other testimonies followed Hermione, Ron, even Neville, who spoke of what Bellatrix had done to his parents.
And then
It was Bellatrix's turn.
She stood in the center of the court, her chains rattling as she lifted her chin high.
"I did what I had to do," she said calmly, her voice smooth and even. "I did what was asked of me. You can call it a crime if you like, but I would do it again."
The room stirred.
Kingsley frowned. "You feel no remorse?"
"Remorse?" Bellatrix let out a bark of laughter. "For what? For fighting for what I believed in? For trying to finish what the Dark Lord started?"
Harry's stomach churned.
She was completely unrepentant.
The jury murmured amongst themselves.
Finally, Kingsley's voice rang out, heavy and final.
"The Wizengamot has reached a decision."
The room held its breath.
"Bellatrix Lestrange, for your crimes against wizarding kind, you are hereby sentenced to Azkaban for life."
A burst of sound erupted in the chamber cheers, gasps, some whispers of relief.
Harry exhaled, his shoulders sagging.
It was over.
Bellatrix threw back her head and laughed.
"I'll be back," she sang, grinning madly. "One day, Potter, I'll"
A sharp spell from an Auror silenced her. The chains tightened, and within moments, she was dragged away.
Harry watched until she disappeared.
And then, finally, he allowed himself to breathe.
The nightmare was over.
For good.