CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE INQUISITION
I'm glad to see that everyone's made it back safely, and it seems that you've all brought guests." Dumbledore said with a twinkling smile.
"Yeah, thanks for the portkey, Albus." Moody said gruffly as he tied all their captives together. "Was a right pain with that rat over there."
"Ah, the elusive Mr. Pettigrew." Dumbledore said as he walked to the group of incapacitated Death Eaters. "I had a feeling that we'd be seeing each other eye-to-eye again, Peter." Albus said with a slight smile. "There's quite a bit you have to answer for. But before we do that. MUTAGELO!" A green, silvery substance slid from the tip of Dumbledore's wand and to the ground like a snake. The coherent energy slithered across the floor and entered Peter Pettigrew's body through the bottom of his foot. He shuddered slightly and after a moment slumped his shoulders.
"W-what d-d-did you d-do to me?" He asked with a whimper.
"I have simply rendered you incapable of transforming into your animal form, Peter. It should be a bit easier to keep track of you without you slipping off through a hole in the street." The aged wizard smiled at his retort. He turned to let Moody continue his work and crossed to his two young charges.
"Harry, after you sent word to Remus about your dream, Aurors were dispatched to return the Weasleys to the Ministry where they'd be safe. It turned out that you were right. There was a Death Eater attack on the Minister's family, namely an assassination attempt on the Minster himself."
Harry and Hermione swapped identical looks of shock and concern.
"Professor, what happened?" Harry asked quickly.
"Alas, there were some losses in the fight. We lost Elphias, Dedalus, and ..." He paused for a moment to collect himself. "... And Percival Weasley." Dumbledore said with sadness, the twinkle in his eyes was gone and his voice was monotone. "Minister Weasley survived the attack because Percy intercepted a killing curse that was sent his way." He continued after collecting himself. "Arthur did, however, sustain a broken leg and arm and he was brought here to St. Mungo's."
Hermione gasped and Harry put his arm around her for support. Tears were flowing down both their faces.
"A-any news on the rest of the family?" Harry asked with a dry mouth. Be ok, Ron, be ok, please be ok!
"The rest of the Weasley family is fine. They are all with Arthur as we speak." Dumbledore said with a slight smile. "I'm sure they'll want to see the two of you as soon as you're able."
The couple looked visibly relieved but the news of Percy's death hit them hard.
I can't believe Percy's dead. Harry thought with shock.
"When can we see them, Professor?" Hermione asked after a moment in Harry's arms.
"You can see them now." He said with a comforting smile. "But not for long, we need to talk. There have been events set in motion that are going to bring this war to a crescendo sooner than we had anticipated."
Harry nodded. "Let's see Ron and his family then." His tone seemed to make it a command but the softness in his voice indicated that it was a request. "We'll tell you everything we can afterwards." He took Hermione's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Dumbledore looked at Harry with what could only be described as fatherly pride. "Follow me then, and we'll see you reunited with your family." He said softly and set off down the hall to the lifts.
The three waited patiently for the top security car to reach their floor, piled in and were soon drifting up and to the right in a lazy corkscrew towards the top security ward of St. Mungo's.
A Ministry guard was standing watch and approached them as they stepped from the small compartment.
"Dumbledore." He nodded curtly. "Are these the two visitors you mentioned?" He looked at Hermione then to Harry. When his eyes fell upon Harry's scar he gaped in surprise. "H-Harry Potter?"
Harry blushed profusely. "Yes." He said as he subconsciously brushed his bangs over his scar.
"They are here to see the Minister." Albus said after a moment. "These two are to be considered family members and allowed access to and from the ward as that station permits."
"Password, please." The guard said after he recovered from the shock of meeting The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Iron plug." The headmaster said with a slight smile.
"Very well, off you go then." The guard said as he stepped aside to allow the guests entrance to the hall behind him.
The three companions walked for several minutes, turning left, then right, then left again. After what seemed a few minutes, they heard the voices of quite a few familiar people. They turned right and opened the next door. A small sea of red hair turned and bobbed to see who had intruded on their reunion.
"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley cried. She rushed to him and caught him in a motherly bear-hug of an embrace. She was sobbing uncontrollably but he could clearly hear her saying thank you over and over again.
He returned the embrace gratefully and whispered softly "It's ok, Mrs. Weasley, no thanks are necessary."
She shook her head and beamed at her husband's savior. "Harry, if it wasn't for you warning Remus, Arthur, all of us, wouldn't be here." She broke down again and it was Harry's turn to catch her in a comforting embrace.
"I'm sorry to hear about Percy." Harry choked out. "I wish there was something I could have ..."
"There's nothing you could have done, Harry." Mr. Weasley said stoically. "Percy and I may have had our differences, but he was still my son, I, we, all loved him very much and that isn't going to change." He turned to the wall in an attempt to hide his own tears.
Ginny, Ron, and the others, all hugged Harry and Hermione in the largest group hug that Harry ever experienced outside of the Quidditch team. Each muttered their thanks through their sobs and sadness. Harry, though he loved this family as his own, still blushed at the attention and even though he attempted many times to tell them that it was nothing, was shot down before he could finish.
"Harry, Hermione, it's time to go." Dumbledore said softly from the door after a few moments of the reunion. Harry nodded sadly and took Hermione's hand, guiding her to the exit. They walked slowly behind their headmaster and were soon in the lift to the main floor.
"How's everyone doing?" Tonks asked tentatively when they arrived in the waiting area. Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley were guarding the captives and Remus was nowhere to be seen.
Harry cleared his throat. "They ..." He stopped to keep from losing control and Hermione rubbed his back soothingly. "They're ok." He said after a moment. "It's hit them hard, though." Harry couldn't hold back the tears and he turned away from everyone. Hermione caught him in a tight hug and he cried silently in her arms. She cooed softly between her own sobs and they brought themselves under control after a few minutes of silence.
Harry turned around and glared at the six surviving Death Eaters that were still bound together on the floor of the waiting room. "So." He said coldly. "What do we do with the trash?"
Albus looked over their captives. "It's time for debriefing and an interrogation. But that won't be done here." He pulled out a long bit of frayed rope and wound it around the left hand of each of the prisoners. There was still a long stretch of rope left and he motioned for everyone present to take a hold.
"Where are my parents and sister, Professor?" Hermione asked as she looked around the waiting area.
"They have been moved to a secure location for the time being. This last attack has proved that they are on Voldemort's hit list." Dumbledore explained quietly. "You'll see them soon enough."
Hermione nodded her understanding.
"Is Remus coming?" Harry asked quietly after a moment.
"He's already at the site with a few others." Dumbledore said stoically. "There's going to be a panel to determine the fate of these people and my best guess is that it won't deal with Azkaban anymore." He shuddered slightly at the thought.
Harry nodded and put his other arm around Hermione as the countdown to transport began. He was soon flying through the ever familiar swirl of color and wind and Hermione was in his arms instead of bouncing against him. He braced himself for the impact that would come and for the first time retained his footing upon arrival.
He immediately recognized the room they were in as the same that he'd seen in the memories of Albus Dumbledore and as the same room he himself had attended a hearing to expel him from Hogwarts.
There were several people whom Harry had never seen before sitting above the chamber and along with the new arrivals on the ground floor were Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher, and the newly revived Longbottoms. All looked grim as each pulled a Death Eater to a chair. Moody and Tonks forced the remaining two into free chairs and the one who had been subjected to his own killing curse was left slumped against the back wall.
"Let this hearing now commence." A low, rumbling voice announced from above. The spectators were shrouded in darkness and Harry didn't recognize the voice that was just speaking.
"Your Honor." Dumbledore began. "We have before you six of the seven Death Eaters who have conspired against a family of prominent muggles, their muggle-born daughter, and Harry Potter. They will speak their plans themselves as the Veritaserum is applied as per the council's decision."
He motioned for Harry and Hermione to join the Aurors on the ground floor where there were two empty seats side by side.
"Witnesses to the act, please stand and identify yourselves." The low, rumbling voice announced.
Tonks stood nervously. "Nymphadora Tonks." She sat quickly in her seat with a slight blush.
"Alastor Moody." He announced gruffly.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt."
"Remus Luipn."
Harry stood nervously as well. "H-Harry Potter." He said shakily and took his seat again.
Hermione was the last to stand. "Hermione Granger." She said almost too quietly and retook her seat.
"Let it be known that these six individuals were present during an attack in the United States near a location that Voldemort has been known to hide when not in our native England." Dumbledore announced.
"Let the witnesses now recount their version of events." The low, rumbling voice said once more.
Dumbledore nodded to Harry. "Harry Potter, please recount the events you witnessed."
Harry explained what he had seen in his dream, which caused him enough concern to contact his old professor and family friend. He went into as much detail as he could about the fight while leaving out his animagus status. When he got to the part about the killing curse, there were gasps heard from everyone present in the bleachers above the pit.
"You turned back the killing curse?" The leader of the inquisition asked. "There is no known counter-curse to that unforgivable!"
Harry nodded. "I thought so too." He admitted quietly. "I don't know why I hadn't thought of it earlier but it became clear after the research Hermione and I conducted on how the killing curse worked."
"WHAT?!" The man asked incredulously. "You're still in Hogwarts and you've been researching the unforgivables?!"
"I knew about their research, Your Honor." Dumbledore quickly interjected. "The curse was not performed, just research into how the curse actually worked. I'm sure that you'll all agree that Mr. Potter was more than understandably curious about its effects."
A quiet murmur drifted from the shadowed figures and after a moment it died down.
"Very well. Since the curse was not performed, you may continue, Harry Potter." The man said.
Harry cleared his throat and explained the theory he and Hermione had developed about the killing curse, emotions, and the practice of astral projection. He then went on to describe the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum where they learned how to project themselves astrally for a short period of time.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but I had been paying close attention to Professor Durkell when he called students back to their bodies after the time limit ended." He continued. "When Hermione's father was the target of the killing curse, I just remembered that charm and targeted the caster. The next thing we knew, the green light had turned back and struck him." Harry pointed to the slumped figure in the corner. "I admit I wasn't sure it would work, but I had to give it a try."
"The charm you used was beyond N.E.W.T. level, Mr. Potter." The man said after the excited murmurs from his colleges died down. "How were you able to use it without the specific training it requires?"
Harry shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He admitted truthfully. "I remembered the incantation and I didn't even realize that I knew the wand motion. I tried it and it worked." He looked to Dumbledore for support but his mentor just gave him a wink and a slight smile.
"Please continue with the remaining events." The man said once more.
Harry nodded and retold the remaining events dealing with Wormtail and then the trip to the hospital. "That's all I can tell you from when I left the country to now." He finished.
"Please retake your seat, Mr. Potter."
Harry didn't know what etiquette he should use so he slightly inclined his head and then sat back down as he was instructed.
Each of Harry's companions stood and told nearly identical stories from that of his, the only real difference being from their point of view and events that Harry wasn't privy to until now.
"When I warned Harry to get away from the area, I quickly notified Mr. Percival Weasley who was the only one available at the time that knew where the Minister would be." Remus told the panel. "I then notified the Ministry Aurors of the imminent attacks both in Romania and the United States. I joined Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley shortly afterwards and apparated to Mr. Potter's location. The rest is as Harry explained." He bowed slightly and retook his seat.
Dumbledore took the floor. "Shortly after I was notified of the events taking place in both places, I had our potions master collect enough Veritaserum in case the Aurors were able to apprehend one of Voldemort's followers." He began then turned towards the entrance to the room and crossed to the door. He spoke with someone for a moment and then returned with a tray of vials. "We have here the potions necessary for the questioning of our prisoners, Your Honor."
A charm was cast from somewhere above and a silver stream of light struck each of the vials in turn.
"It has been confirmed that these vials do indeed contain Veritaserum." The judge said after a few hushed whispers. "Please begin the interrogations."
Dumbledore turned to the first Death Eater and poured three drops into his slack mouth. He pointed his wand at the man and said "ENNERVATE."
Peter Pettigrew's eyes fluttered open, his face was slack and his gaze unfocused.
"Can you hear me, Peter?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Yes." Wormtail muttered.