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Harry Potter and the Curse of Atlantis by R K Thompson
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Harry Potter and the Curse of Atlantis

R K Thompson

Ch 15 Trial by Fire

Harry strode into the courtroom, his glance passing quickly over the assembled Wizengamot. Striding towards the chair, Harry stopped short when Grimaldi spoke.

"Ah, so good of you to deign to join us, Mr. Potter. No doubt you have more important things to do than attend a simple hearing requested by the Ministry of Magic and that's why you've been keeping all of us here waiting," announced Grimaldi in a condescending tone.

"As a matter of fact, I have been here since five this morning. The last time I came for a routine hearing at the request of the Ministry, they rescheduled the room and the time at the last minute. And this is the second routine hearing I have been invited to that has required the full presence of the Wizengamot. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?" asked Harry, looking directly at Minister Fudge.

"Mr. Potter, you are here to provide information and answer questions, not pose them on your own," commanded Grimaldi.

Matching Grimaldi's penetrating gaze calmly, Harry retorted, "And since when does a routine hearing require the use of a special inquisitor?"

"Mr. Potter, there is no reason to get testy. You have been invited here merely to answer a few questions…" sputtered Fudge.

"Didn't think you could handle the questioning yourself this go around, Fudge? There's nobody here but me but this time-Professor Dumbledore is a member of the Wizengamot again, he can't defend me. Surely you could cross examine a slow witted, delusional boy such as myself? Then again, perhaps not. But don't tell me that you couldn't find at least one of the Aurors in your pocket who could string together two complete, coherent sentences. You had to bring in the Malfoy family lawyer? I mean, seriously Fudge, this was the best you could scrape up? I don't really need to remind you that the last dirtbag he defended is now in Azkaban, do I?"

The courtroom exploded in reaction to Harry's comments. Fudge leaped out of his seat, his face purple with rage. Grimaldi stepped forward menacingly towards Harry and hissed, "You have no idea who you are messing with boy."

In a smooth, quiet voice, Harry replied, "I know exactly what I am dealing with, you…"

"Harry! Calm down!"

"Order! Order!" shouted Madame Bones. "Mr. Potter, please take your seat. Mr. Grimaldi, you may begin with your questions."

Harry waved his hand and Grimaldi's eyes widened in shock momentarily as the chair transformed itself into a long, comfortable bench. Harry brushed by the fuming lawyer to sit lazily on part of the bench amidst several oohs and aahs from the assembled Wizengamot.

Madam Bones spoke sharply, "There is to be no more use of magic in my courtroom, Mr. Potter."

Hiding a smile, Dumbledore spoke, "If you are quite comfortable now Mr. Potter, perhaps we may begin."

"Why don't you have a seat, Hermione. I think we're going to be here awhile," commented Harry.

"You're such a gentleman," she replied wryly. "By the way, you might have considered a less abrasive opening statement. Although I think Fudge and Grimaldi had that coming, I'm not sure everybody liked it as much as I did."

Grimaldi began. "I see you are somewhat familiar with my work and some of my clients…"

"Yeah, what happened there Grimaldi? Did you lose your touch or what? You got Malfoy off the first time by pleading his innocence because he was under the influence of the Imperious curse. That trick didn't fool anyone a second time? Or was it because there were actual witnesses this time who saw his actions at the Ministry that night? Or perhaps the price…"

"Harry! Don't…"

"of justice has gone up over the past sixteen years, what with inflation and all."

"finish that sentence."

"How many thousands of galleons did Malfoy have to spend last time to grease enough palms-oh, beg pardon, I believe the phrase was give to charity-to buy his freedom? Malfoy couldn't afford it this time around?"

If Harry could have seen Hermione, he would have observed her slumping forward in her chair, holding her head in her hands. Dumbledore looked down and let out a long sigh as pandemonium erupted among the assembled wizards and witches. It took Madame Bones nearly five minutes to restore order again.

"Mr. Potter, I will not sit here and allow you to impugn the dignity of this court and the justice it provides to the wizarding world."

"Don't you dare speak to me about the justice of the wizarding world!" hissed Harry dangerously, rising from his seat. "Off the top of my head I can name eight miscarriages of justice by this court! Malfoy, Avery, Macnair, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott were all acquitted when they should have been locked up in Azkaban. They all returned to their master when he called them back to his side. Of course, all of them except Malfoy perished with Voldemort-so I guess the good news is that you can't repeat that particular mistake again. And you wrongly imprisoned Sirius Black for thirteen years-you threw him into Azkaban without even granting him a trial! The real murderer, Peter Pettigrew, ran free until he, too died with his master in the final battle. And you, Fudge, you threw Hagrid, a teacher at Hogwarts, in Azkaban, just so that the Ministry could say it was doing something about the attacks on students at Hogwarts four years ago. Who knows how many other cases have been botched by your so-called system of justice." Harry glanced angrily at the members of the Wizengamot who could still manage to look him in the eye, most were avoiding his gaze completely. "So don't you dare sit there and lecture me about the justice of the wizarding world!"

With a furious glint in his eye, Minister Fudge stood to his full height, which was still far from impressive and glowered at Harry, "I will not stand for any more insolence from a self-important little publicity hound like yourself. Yes, we owe you a great debt for ridding the world of Voldemort, but you forget yourself young man. You are meddling in issues which you have no right to judge. If you don't halt these unwarranted attacks on the Ministry and its courts immediately I'll…"

"ban me from Quidditch again? Prohibit me from speaking? How dare you lecture me, you ignorant, arrogant, pompous, self-serving little b-"

"Harry!"

Harry took two steps closer to the Minister and continued. "After Dumbledore and I had warned you and the rest of the wizarding world that Voldemort had returned, most of you ignored us or wrote us off as either insane or fame-hungry. I don't even know where to begin on how idiotic that reaction by the Ministry was. Then one of the deputies of your administration took it upon herself to send two Dementors after me to keep me from rocking the boat any further. This same deputy was then installed as an instructor of Defense against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, the most important subject then being taught, especially given the fact that Voldemort had returned. She purposely avoided teaching anything of use and in fact, made extensive use of blood quills as a means of punishment. Funny, I thought they had been banned for over three centuries, but clearly I was mistaken. She also tried to administer Veritaserum without official permission-unless of course, I missed that particular decree-you see, there were so many and it was easy to miss one or two. Come to think of it, she probably did have permission from the Ministry to administer Veritaserum to the students, you and your toadies at the Ministry seemed to give her pretty free rein to do whatever she wanted." Harry's gaze was boring directly into the Minister of Magic.

"However, I doubt that even you would have been stupid enough to give her written permission to use an Unforgivable curse on a student. No, she talked herself into attempting to use a Cruciatus curse on a student pretty much on her own, so I don't really hold the Ministry responsible for that one."

Gasps of astonishment were heard throughout the hall as Harry finished.

"Mr. Potter, the official you are referring to, Dolores Umbridge, is still being treated at St. Mungo's. Even if there were any admissible evidence, we could not try her until she was released."

"Evidence?!?! There were half a dozen of us who saw her talk herself into using the Cruciatus curse on a student! If …"

"By admissible evidence Mr. Potter, I mean testimony from an adult wizard, not underage students who obviously have a grudge against her."

Harry chuckled. "Ohh, that's rich. By your standards then if a Slytherin student murdered a Gryffindor student in front of fifty other students from fifth year, there wouldn't be any charges brought unless one of the teachers actually witnessed the murder? Yeah, that sounds like a bloody brilliant system of justice to me."

"Mr. Pot…"

"And I haven't even described the various decrees issued by the Ministry itself which curtailed nearly every individual right and freedom a student possesses. Our mail was read, we were prohibited from meeting in groups or clubs, we were prohibited from reading outside news sources, we…"

"Mr. Potter, you misunderstand. Those steps were taken to protect the students…" explained Fudge.

"Then why were they immediately removed after Voldemort himself appeared in the Ministry of Magic? If they were good before, why were they deemed no longer helpful afterwards?" Staring steadily at the audience, Harry finished. "How many of you here supported those decrees, or did nothing to oppose them? Did you think it was no big deal because it was just done to a bunch of students-a bunch of underage wizards and witches? What would have been the public reaction had you tried to enforce similar decrees on the Wizarding world as a whole? Would you have even had the guts to try it?"

As the uneasy murmuring grew sharply louder in volume in response to Harry's attacks, Grimaldi's oily voice rose about the tumult. "Once again, Mr. Potter, you are meddling in things beyond your comprehension. We are not here to explain the actions of the Ministry, we are here to better understand the death of a student at Hogwarts."

Harry ground his teeth in frustration as he realized how Grimaldi had smoothly changed the topic and regained the upper hand.

"Calm down, Harry. You made some good points-I think you might have even persuaded a few more to our side. At the very least, you planted some doubts. But I'm afraid you also upset quite a few as well. Be careful."

"Now that you've vented some of your adolescent moodiness, Mr. Potter, perhaps we could return to the subject at hand."

Harry glared at Grimaldi and ground his teeth audibly.

"Now are we to understand that you did not know that Katie Bell was under attack?"

"No, I did not. I got worried that they were both gone so long, so I got Fred and George Weasley to help me look for them. We split up to look for them in Hogsmeade. I did not realize Katie was being attacked until I found her and Hermione and the attacker outside of Hogsmeade, by the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"And what did you do when you arrived Mr. Potter?"

"I saw that Hermione was laying on the ground. I noticed two other figures wrestling. I quickly checked to see if she was alive, and then I moved towards the two figures who…"

"So you wasted precious moments that could have been used to help save Katie Bell? In retrospect, perhaps not the best choice, Mr. Potter."

"I needed to know if she was alive. And as soon as I arrived, there was another figure emerging from the Forbidden Forest, Samuel Hunt. The attacker was now outnumbered three to one. My hesitation did not cause her death, if that's what you are trying to insinuate Grimaldi."

"I think we are better able to judge that than you, Mr. Potter," assured Grimaldi in a superior tone.

"You think so, do you? When was the last time you were in combat, Grimaldi? And I'm not talking about quibbling with your pathetic clients over your fees. As a matter of fact, I don't recognize that many faces in the crowd from…"

"HARRY, NO! Don't risk…"

"the final battle against Voldemort." Harry looked around as he spoke, making eye contact and nodding slightly at the surviving veterans of that fearsome battle.

"antagonizing more members of the Wizengamot."

Harry ignored Hermione's plea and continued. "I assume the rest of you had…"

Harry's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out of it. His eyes flashed dangerously and they flicked momentarily to his left, towards Hermione. Only Dumbledore seemed to notice, and he quickly hid a smile, grateful for Hermione's intervention. "Calm him down if you can, Hermione. He can't risk offending any more members of the Wizengamot. If you…"

"And just what do you think I'm trying to do here, Dumbledore? Honestly! Now butt out-I need to talk to Harry for a minute."

Dumbledore covered his mouth and coughed, to help to cover the awkward silence as the assembled wizards and witches waited for Harry to continue.

"Harry, don't finish that thought. I know you're upset, but it's not fair to accuse them like that."

"But…"

"But nothing. Yes, some of them are cowards, but many of them were not in the Ministry at the time or did not know what was going on. It's not fair of you to judge them and it won't help you right now. Don't lose control-just focus on making it through this hearing."

"Fine, but don't be casting any more silence spells on me." Harry brushed his throat and took a few deep breaths. "And thank you, Mione. I needed a minute to calm down."

"Yes, Mr. Potter? Please continue. I'm sure the rest of us are very interested in hearing the rest of your opinion on their contributions to the defeat of Voldemort."

Harry paused and then spoke, "Uhh…I only meant to say that while I only recognized some of the people here from the battle, I am sure everyone else here was playing an important part and I appreciate their efforts as well."

With a sneering smirk, Grimaldi continued skeptically. "I see. I'm sure the members of the Ministry and the Wizengamot appreciate your sincere approval."

"Err, that didn't sound very convincing, did it Mione?"

"Not really Harry."

"May I suggest we return to the purpose of this hearing, Mr. Grimaldi?" asked Dumbledore smoothly, earning a look of appreciation from Harry.

Realizing he needed to move on, Grimaldi returned his gaze to Harry. "Very well. Please tell the court again how Miss Bell met her end."

"Well, Samuel Hunt and I were on either side of Katie and Aardus."

"Oh, no Harry! You shouldn't have used his name. Now they're going to ask about…"

"Aardus? Who is this Aardus, Mr. Potter?"

"Uhh, that's the name of the vampire who attacked Katie."

"And you were on a first name basis with this monster Mr. Potter?" Grimaldi chuckled evilly. "Even you should realize that doesn't sound too good."

"Hermione and I had run across him while we were vacationing in Athens."

"So that's where you were hiding from the Wizarding world, eh? And just how did you sneak out of England-I'm sure you were aware you would be missed by many in the wizarding community."

"Err, I used a fake name and passport to fly to Greece on a jet with the Grangers. We traveled like Muggles," he explained, looking at numerous expressions of confusion in the audience. "But my being in Greece had nothing to do with Katie's death, so I don't see why…"

"Oh, I assure you Mr. Potter, it is all relevant. It is simply more evidence of your lack of respect and utter disregard for authority and the rule of law."

"What?" exclaimed Harry.

"Now please explain how it is that you and Miss Granger happened to run across a vampire in Athens."

Still puzzled, Harry continued. "We were walking back from dinner one night and were attacked by five muggers. When we fought back, one fled, and we left the other four unconscious. Then we continued on our way home, when I caught Aardus following us."

"And what spells did you use to defend yourself against this vampire?"

"I didn't cast any spells with my wand. I…"

"You would have the court believe that you single handedly captured a vampire? By yourself, without using a wand?"

"Yes. I could demonstrate on you if you would like further proof," Harry rose from his seat and stepped forward with an eager look on his face.

Backing away quickly, Grimaldi's eyes widened in fear and then narrowed quickly in fury as he regained control.

Ignoring the chuckles erupting behind her, Madam Bones hid her own smile and spoke, "Mr. Potter, please retake your seat. Mr. Grimaldi, I trust these questions have some relevance to the subject at hand."

"They do. They do. All will be made crystal clear very shortly. May I ask why you did not kill the vampire when you first met him?"

"I did not realize he was a vampire at the time. I caught him following us and he explained that he had been sent to protect us."

"Really, Mr. Potter. Now the vampires are concerned about your safety?" snorted Grimaldi.

"Like I said, I did not realize he was a vampire. Not all of Voldemort's allies were defeated in the final battle. And I've had strange people guarding me in the past-usually from the Order of the Phoenix. Though the protection I received from the Ministry was usually the most dangerous." Fudge glared angrily as Harry looked at him, but said nothing as others whispered behind him in the crowd.

"Harry! There is no need to keep baiting them like this. It's not going to help you…"

"Relax, Mione. It's all part of the plan."

"Plan?! What plan?! If you have a plan, then I'd appreciate it if you would share it with me! Because all I see right now are lots of clever cheap shots at the Ministry that is not really going to put many of them in the kind of mood to go easy on you. You need to stop…"

"Stop thinking like a Ravenclaw, Mione. We're Gryffindors! We don't need an elaborate plan. We adapt, we innovate, we make it up as we go along! That's the plan!"

Once again, Hermione dropped her head into her hands and massaged her temples. "Damn Gryffindors! Courage was nice, but sometimes way overrated," she thought irritably. "especially when it takes the place of coherent, logical thought. Many of my friends in Gryffindor could learn something from the other houses, whether it be thinking before you acted from the Ravenclaws, or at least attempting to use some subtlety when they did act like the Slytherins, or realizing there are other ways to change traditions and institutions than by directly opposing them, like the Hufflepuffs."

"A very admirable idea, Miss Granger. Perhaps we should encourage some sort of interhouse visits during the coming school year," suggested Dumbledore.

"What are doing eavesdropping on me? I thought I told you to butt out so that I could concentrate? You and Saldar stay out of this. Someone here has to stay focused and keep Harry from digging himself into deeper trouble." replied Hermione peevishly.

"Well, you were thinking rather loudly, Miss Granger," but Dumbledore quickly realized she wasn't listening to him.

"So when you recognized this vampire, did that cause you to hesitate, Mr. Potter?"

"No. Both Samuel and I kept moving closer, looking for an opening. We both launched our spells and…"

"And your spell struck Miss Bell, knocking her away from the vampire."

"Yes."

"And neither of you were quick enough to get to her before the vampire killed her. And then he managed to escape before either of you could finish him off, correct?"

"Yes."

"You managed to finish off Voldemort, but hit an innocent victim with a spell which contributed to her death and then failed to apprehend the murderer. A bit off our game that day, were we Mr. Potter? Or did you just run out of luck?"

There was an uproar from the crowd and Grimaldi realized too late that perhaps he had gone too far.

Madam Bones was calling for order again.

A quiet voice cut through the clamor. "I've never claimed to be a hero or infallible. I'm not. I just do the best I can. Heaven knows lots of people have died because of me, even those closest to me. And despite everything I do, I can't save everyone. I wish I could but…but I can't." Harry sat slumped in his seat for a moment as the crowd watched and waited in near silence.

"You'll always be my hero, Harry."

"Thanks, Mione."

"Now, if there are no further questions Mr. Grimaldi,"

"I have just a few more, Madame Bones."

"Very well, continue then. But they had better be relevant. You have just about reached the limit of the court's patience."

Grimaldi returned to a side table and picked up a huge pile of papers. He raised them above his head and addressed the Wizengamot. "These papers contain a series of complaints, warnings, and punishments given to Harry Potter while a student at Hogwarts. Even the most cursory of readings indicate a young man with a deep dislike and hostility towards authority and a blatant disregard for the rules and regulations which protect our society."

Dumbledore stood up and protested, "Those records, like any student's records, are sealed. They are not to be used as evidence against a student. As Mr. Grimaldi has pointed out, any infractions Mr. Potter may have made at Hogwarts have been dealt with in the appropriate manner, as indicated in those papers. This is a serious breach of a student's privacy and…"

With only the faintest hint of satisfaction in his voice, Fudge spoke up. "Normally I would agree with you, Albus. But there are some special circumstances which dictated the need for these papers to be released. Please continue Mr. Grimaldi."

With a feral grin on his face, Grimaldi proceeded. "Let me summarize some of the complaints noted in Mr. Potter's file. Breaking curfew, prohibited visits to the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade, and other areas of Hogsmeade, fighting with other students, theft of school supplies, the formation of illegal clubs, the possession and use of dangerous magical items, constantly challenging the authority of instructors, ahh the list goes on and on, but I believe I've mentioned the major infractions. What have you to say Mr. Potter?"

"I cannot deny any of those charges, though…"

"Once again, a simple yes or no will suffice, Mr. Potter."

"Yes." Murmured whispers spread throughout the room.

Dumbledore chuckled and Grimaldi spun on him. "Do you find this amusing?"

"Well, I have had some experience working with young wizards and witches as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and I have to say that Mr. Potter's record of behavior is not that much different from most other students, though it may be slightly thicker. I daresay similar records could be produced for anyone in this chamber, including myself." Laughter spread throughout the room.

Grimaldi spun and glared at Harry again. "No doubt. But I am also interested in your behavior last year, Mr. Potter. I think many of us are curious as to how you became such a powerful wizard in such a short span of time. Please, tell the court about the training you undertook to defeat such a powerful dark wizard."

"I had lots of help. I took extra classes with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Remus Lupin and a couple of Aurors."

"And how did you manage to fit in all of this extra study with all of your normal coursework?"

"I worked really hard and slept less. And the professors I worked with were very good. Much better than that witch Umbridge that the Minstry sent to Hogwarts two years ago." There were a few chuckles after that.

"You didn't use any magical means to aid in your training?"

"What are you implying?" "Do they know about the Time Turner? Are they trying to implicate Dumbledore somehow and drag him into this mess?" "If you want to accuse me of something Grimaldi, just say it. Quit playing games."

"Just answer the question."

"Of course I did, you idiot. I couldn't just read about theory, could I? I practiced all sorts of spells with my wand, I read as many spellbooks as I could get my hands on. How did you think I trained if I didn't use magic? I'm a wizard, aren't I? Did you think I just woke up one morning with all sorts of powers at my command? No! I trained and I trained hard, just like any other wizard." The chamber echoed with laughter.

"Excellent, Harry. You're keeping him off balance. Keep it up."

Looking somewhat ruffled, Grimaldi continued. "These spellbooks you mentioned. Reports from the final battle indicate you used a number of spells that were not only very powerful, but also restricted. They shouldn't have been available for your study, even at Hogwarts. How did you gain your knowledge of these prohibited spells?"

Harry leaned closer and in a loud whisper asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

Flustered momentarily, Grimaldi replied. "Of course."

Smiling widely, Harry replied, "Good. So can I." As laughter erupted again, Harry continued. "You see, if it got out that there were additional copies of some of those very rare and expensive spellbooks that the Ministry and others have hidden away in their private collections, their value might drop considerably. We wouldn't want to upset the economy or bankrupt some of our wealthiest wizarding families would we?"

Grimaldi looked fit to be tied as he tried to maintain his composure. Suddenly his eyes glittered as he hissed his next question. "Tell us Mr. Potter, were you this amusing when you murdered that houseful of Death Eaters?" The chuckles ended quickly in uneasy silence as the blood drained from Harry's face.

"What did you say?!?!"

"I simply asked if you were this amusing as you took the lives of all those people at the Black mansion."

The air seemed drier for a moment and the temperature dropped noticeably. Dumbledore's eyes expressed concern but before he could move Hermione spoke softly to Harry.

"Harry! He's just trying to rattle you. Don't let him get to you. And don't lose control of your magic!"

Harry rose and stood, his back straight with his hands clenched at his sides. In the silence his knuckles cracking sounded like distant lightening strikes. His face unreadable under a stony mask, Harry stared hard at Grimaldi until the lawyer looked away, unable to maintain Harry's furious gaze.

"I'm perfectly fine, Mione." Harry took a few deep breaths and slowly unclenched his fists. "Those Death Eaters got what they deserved. They came to kill me and all of the friends who were with me enjoying the Christmas holiday. I gave them the opportunity to surrender peacefully, and they refused. When they attacked me, they sealed their own doom."

"And who made you judge and executioner, Mr. Potter? Were they all equally guilty? What about those the Death Eaters had under the Imperious curse? Did they deserve to die, too, Mr. Potter?"

"Every Death Eater that entered that house did so under their own free will."

"And how do you know that, Mr. Potter? Can you read minds now, too?"

"No, I can't. But to force someone to do something under the Imperious curse, the caster cannot cast any other spells effectively-it requires too much mental energy to stay in control. It wouldn't make sense for them to bring people under the Imperious curse if they would have to constantly be directing them-they would be unable to defend themselves if there was a battle."

"And you presume to be an expert on the Unforgiveable curses, Mr. Potter? Oh but of course, I had almost forgotten. You have cast one of the Unforgiveables, haven't you? You cast a Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix Lestrange at the Ministry of Magic, didn't you?"

"After she killed my godfather!"

"Yes, yes, I know. Convicted felon and all that."

"He was innocent!"

Dumbledore interrupted. "The Ministry of Magic has already investigated the event in question, and Harry was completely cleared. There is no need to bring it up again."

"Calm down Harry! You're letting him get to you!"

"Really?! I hadn't noticed!" snapped Harry, but he paused and drew several deep breaths.

"Have you cast the Imperious curse as well, Mr. Potter?"

"No, but I've had it cast on me." There was a collective gasp throughout the room. "And if Voldemort can't cast another spell while using the Imperious curse, I doubt any of his Death Eaters can." Discussions erupted among the seated witches and wizards at this new information.

Madame Bones stood and asked, "I fail to see the relevance of any of these questions, beyond simply goading the witness. If that is all, then I declare this hearing…"

"One final question, Madame Bones, and then I am through," explained Grimaldi.

"Fine, but this is the final question for Mr. Potter. I believe we have sufficient information to reach a decision."

"Thank you," he replied insincerely his eyes sparkling with glee. "Mr. Potter, where were you yesterday morning between the hours of six and eight in the morning?"

"I was with Hermione in the forest near the Burrow, running and exercising."

"Were their any witnesses besides yourself and Miss Granger?"

"No."

"I was afraid of this," began Fudge in a seemingly sad voice. "It is as I have long feared. I had warned Albus time and time again about coddling the boy, letting him get away with breaking the rules, nurturing his independence."

Dumbledore looked puzzled and asked, "What are you talking about Cornelius?"

"I fear that we have failed young Mr. Potter. We have allowed him to become that which he so recently defeated."

Absolute pandemonium erupted. It took Madame Bones ten minutes to restore some semblance of order to the courtroom. "You need to be more specific, Minister. What are you talking about? Mr. Potter looks perfectly fine to me."

"Isn't it obvious? The constant pressure, the stress, the expectations we put on him to defeat You-Know-Who. Harry has suffered too much at the hands of his muggle relatives, and too much under the hand of the Dark Lord. It has all been too much for the poor young man's mind. We should have protected him better. I can only blame myself for what has happened."

Harry, gaping in astonishment, spoke up. "What are you talking about Fudge? I haven't done anything."

"My dear poor boy. Yesterday morning there was an attack at Azkaban. All of the Death Eaters being held prisoner there were murdered. All of the guards were killed as well. Except for one. Somehow he managed to survive and was able to tell us who the perpetrator was."

Harry gulped and sat down with a heavy feeling in his stomach.

"He said the person who attacked Azkaban and killed all those people, both the prisoners and the guards, was Harry Potter," finished Fudge as chaos broke out once again within the chamber.


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