"What the hell do the two of you think you're doing here? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just stun the pair of you and leave you here in this cell. Do you really think you can break Harry out of Azkaban? If you get caught, do you think Harry will have a chance at his trial? I can see the headlines now-Friends of Innocent Boy-Who-Lived Caught Trying to Break Him Out of Azkaban. I'm sure your old friend Rita would have a field day with this, Hermione! I thought you had better sense than this. Of all the foolish, shortsighted ideas I've seen I never…"hissed Remus as he stepped into the cell and glared angrily at the two of them.
"Professor. It's not what you think," whispered Hermione. "We just came to gather some evidence that might help Harry."
"Don't you think the Aurors have already done that? And even if you do find something, it's not like you would be able to present it at the trial. They'll simply claim you manufactured it. All you've done is risk Harry's life!"
"If I thought this might make matters any worse, I wouldn't have done it!" hissed Hermione. "You are doing what you need to do to keep Harry safe here in Azkaban. I'm sure Dumbledore is doing what he can through the Ministry. But I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and not do anything to help if there is the slightest thing I can do that might help Harry. I'm going to do it. He would do the same for me if I had been chucked into this hellhole! And if you think the Ministry under Fudge is going to be fair to Harry, you're a fool. You weren't there at the trial. You didn't see Fudge. He wants to destroy Harry."
"Hermione, now listen…" protested Remus, raising his hands slightly in defense.
"No, you listen. Harry was set up, he was framed. I can't prove it yet, but I know that's what happened. And the Ministry is somehow involved-I'm sure Fudge is involved. If Harry is going to get out of Azkaban, we're going to have to do it."
"Hermione, you'll never be able to break him out of here. There are too many guards, too many protections on this prison. Even if you did, Harry and everyone who helped him escape would become fugitives, you'd never…"
"So we'd be better off letting him rot in Azkaban? Don't you dare tell me what is possible and what is impossible. Sirius found a way out didn't he? We didn't come here tonight to break him out-we're going to try all of our other options first. But I guarantee you Harry is not going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban-not while I'm alive. Now you can either help us get out of here or you can keep lecturing us until another guard passes by and catches us."
Remus sighed and ran a hand through his thick, graying hair. "Now I've got to catch up with the other group before they get suspicious. I told them I had dropped a pouch back here somewhere. But I need to get down to Harry's cell and replace Snape and Arthur on guard duty. If you two have got what you came for, head back up to the trapdoor. I'll tell Arthur to hold the door open long enough for you two to slip out. I don't know how on earth you got in here in the first place, but be careful getting back out."
"Uhh, Professor, how did you know we were here?"
"I could smell you Fred. I'm a werewolf, remember? Now be very careful, both of you. We'll finish discussing this later." Remus turned and moved deeper into the dungeon as Hermione and Fred headed back the way they had come earlier.
Ten minutes later, they were crouching on the ceiling above the assembled guards waiting for Snape and Arthur to arrive. Another ten minutes and they heard the snarling comments of their Potions instructor.
"What sorts of idiots do they have running the Ministry now? Do they really think Potter is the new Dark Lord? And Fudge, what an incompetent fool. Anyone with a brain half the size of a flobberworm would realize this is all some sort of set up. Obviously, there were a few Dark Wizards who didn't heed their master's call when he was defeated and they're trying to exact revenge on Potter for his defeat."
Arthur and Snape soon came into view. Snape's tone became even surlier when he saw the guards at the bottom of the stairs. "And you bunch of imbeciles-out of our way! Spineless, bureaucratic, boot-licking toadies mindlessly following the orders of your supposed superiors."
"Now Severus," began Arthur, trying to calm down Snape.
Snape's eyes flashed and the guards stepped back, but they shot hateful looks at Snape as he passed.
"Snape, they're just doing their job. They're not the ones responsible for Harry's incarceration. It does no good to take out your frustration on them."
"Oh, stuff it Weasley. I'm tired of discussing this with you. With any luck, I'll have a different partner tomorrow."
Hermione and Fred stifled laughs as Arthur rolled his eyes and began climbing the ladder behind Snape.
"Let's go," urged Hermione. Arthur stopped at the top of the ladder, looking around the church for a few moments.
"Oh, come on Weasley. Let's get out of this miserable hole. You can do your sightseeing later with somebody else." By then, Hermione had climbed out and was headed for the bell tower.
"And keep your hands off of me, Weasley. I'm not your mate, so don't go around patting me on the back," snarled Snape.
A few minutes later, both Hermione and Fred were flying over the back wall of the prison towards the hidden Firebolt.
"To cancel the effects of the sticking charms on the boots and gloves, rub the top of your shoes with the back of your hands, and then rub the backs of your hands together."
Hermione did as instructed, and then watched as Fred picked up Harry's broom. "You coming?"
"No, I'll just fly thank you. I'll meet you on the shore." Fred beat her to the shore easily, and waited by the tree for her to arrive. A moment later they Apparated back to the Weasley's shop. Fred went into the back and came back with a large box with a cone on one edge. He nodded and they Apparated back to the Burrow.
"Where have the two of you been?! I've been going out of my mind! Why have you been under threat of immediate arrest and in mortal danger for the past two hours! And nobody has seen you at Hogwart's Hermione. What have the two of you been up to?"
Hermione scanned the room quickly. Arthur and Snape had returned. Snape and Dumbledore had stopped conversing to look at them. Charlie had been talking with Arthur but looked at them with a grin on his face. Samuel was lounging on a couch, while McGonagall was coming back into the room with a cup of tea. Ron, Ginny, and George who had still been upstairs, came halfway down the stairs when they heard Molly's voice. Everyone had frozen in place at Molly's outburst to look at Hermione and Fred.
Hermione sighed and then answered. "We've been to Azkaban."
Pandemonium exploded in the room as everyone started talking at once. Hermione stood quietly, letting the dull roar wash over her. Fred, no stranger to lectures, stood still and managed to keep a grin off of his face.
"If you'll just let me explain…Excuse me…Listen…Please, just listen to me…" "QUIET!" Hermione stared around at the shocked faces of the adults around her. "Thank you. If you don't mind, we've already had one lecture from Remus, so I think we can skip through this part of the discussion. If you will just give Fred and me a moment, we'll explain why we went to Azkaban."
Fred set the box with the cone on a small table. He then pulled out the smaller box he had removed from Malfoy's cell and twisted the sphere off of the end gently. He then placed the small globe into the large end of the cone. He whipped out his wand and whispered softly. The cone glowed softly and then a large silver sphere appeared in the middle of the room. As everyone looked more closely at it, the shape of a thin man in dark robes pacing back and forth and muttering incoherently became clearly visible.
"Lucious Malfoy," hissed Arthur angrily.
"Simply amazing," murmured Dumbledore. "A magical recording device Mr. Weasley? You and your twin have really outdone yourselves this time. Very impressive."
"You mentioned there was a way to speed this up, Fred? If this is the beginning, this was probably from months ago, when Harry first put it in his cell. Is there a way we can watch it more quickly, without missing anything? We don't really have time to watch three or four months of that idiot talking to himself in his cell."
"Yeah, let me try this." He waved his wand again and uttered another incantation. The figure in the glowing sphere sped up. The audience watched entranced for several minutes until Lucious curled up on his bed, apparently to sleep for the night. Half an hour later, Snape stood and stretched.
"Fascinating as this is, Miss Granger, I fail to see why this justified the risk of entering Azkaban…"
"Well, it might not be as gratifying as cursing the guards in Azkaban, but I think it might prove more helpful," retorted Hermione.
With an angry glance, Snape muttered, "Arrogant Gryffindors, always think…" and then stopped as his black robe changed colours to a brilliant red and gold. A large lion's head appeared as a hat on top of his head which began roaring loudly. Furious, Snape drew his wand and it seemed to change form into a large triangular pennant with a golden G emblazoned on a scarlet field. His mouth opened but no sound came out as his scowl deepened. Then with a loud pop, he simply disappeared. The room then shook with suppressed laughter. Five minutes later, McGonagall and the others were still holding their sides and wiping the tears from their eyes while the twins were swapping high fives with Ron.
Still gasping for breath, McGonagall struggled to speak. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a wizard picture of that."
The twins looked at each other and grinned mischievously while Dumbledore smiled. "That would make a rather marvelous Christmas gift, would it not Minerva? Better than socks I believe."
"Don't worry, Professor. That was just one of the early prototypes," consoled Fred.
"We've got a few other models we're developing, specifically with Snape and the Slytherins in mind."
"I do believe I have gone temporarily deaf, Minerva. Did you hear anything?"
She shook her head and replied, "Why no, Albus, I don't believe I did."
Hermione had regained her composure by then and was glad the tense mood had lightened considerably. She then returned her full attention to the sphere and the rapidly moving figure within it.
--
It was now nearly five in the morning and Hermione's eyelids felt scratchy and raw. Fred had explained to her the various commands for running the viewer before he went to bed. Only Molly, Dumbledore, and Hermione herself remained awake watching. Everyone else had gone to bed out of exhaustion or because they needed to take a shift guarding Harry at Azkaban.
Then, for the first time in hours, there was a second figure beside Lucious Malfoy. Hermione sprang from the couch with her wand and halted the picture. She then played it over from the beginning and tapped the box lightly with her wand. The three watched closely for several minutes.
"Ahh, Cornelius. You valued too greatly the glory of your office. Only a desperate fool would ally himself with Lucius Malfoy."
They watched the scene several more times and then resumed watching it quickly. Molly left for a few minutes and then returned with warm cocoa as Dumbledore and Hermione watched the monotonous scenes repeat themselves over and over. Ten minutes later, Hermione slowed it down again so that they could watch a pair of visitors enter Malfoy's cell to speak with him again. Several minutes later, the three sat horrified as the frozen images hovered above them. Cornelius Fudge and a guard from Azkaban stood looking down at the body of Lucius Malfoy.
Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "You and George have succeeded beyond our wildest expectations, Hermione. We now know what happened and can act accordingly."
"But the court will never accept this evidence will they? Especially if uh-Fudge is running the show…" asked Molly nervously.
"No. Even if the Minister was not involved, I do not think the court would accept this evidence. No, if we are to save Harry, we will have to do it ourselves. But for now, we must all get some rest. Things will be much clearer this afternoon. Molly, we will meet with the other members of the Order here at two o'clock this afternoon, if that is acceptable with you."
"Of course, Albus. Anytime is fine. I'll let everyone know."
Hermione stood angrily, "I think we should be able to attend as well. You can't keep…"
Molly turned to her. "Now Hermione, you need to…"
"Actually, I agree with Miss Granger, Molly. This is not an official meeting of the Order. Besides, I believe Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, and your own children have more than proven their worth. They have accomplished things few witches or wizards would even dream to attempt. And I, for one, would certainly welcome any suggestions they may have." His eyes sparkled merrily as he gazed at Hermione.
Blushing, Hermione whispered, "Thank you, sir."
Molly sighed heavily. "I suppose you're right, Albus. It's just that…"
"I understand Molly. It is very difficult to watch your children grow up. I see that happen every year and it is very difficult for me to let go sometimes. But we must, Molly." He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and whispered very quietly. "Please make sure Hermione gets some rest. She needs it more than the rest of us."
Molly nodded and Dumbledore left with a loud pop. She turned and saw Hermione staring again at the final scene hanging suspended in midair.
"Come dear, we need to get some rest if we're going to be of any use at the meeting later today."
"I'm sorry, Molly, but I just can't sleep right now. I have too much to think about and to start planning right now. Harry needs me and I can't let him down."
"You've done more than enough for today, dear. I've got something in the kitchen that can help you sleep. You'll be able to help Harry better if you've gotten some rest first."
"Do you really think we'll be able to help him. I-I thought he was in a bad spot before, but now…I don't see how we're going to get him out of this mess this time. I…I…"
As Hermione's head bowed and her shoulders started shaking, Molly gave her the kind of comforting hug that only a mother can give.
"It's going to be okay, Hermione, I promise. We've got some of the best minds in the wizarding world working out a way to save Harry. Don't you worry, we'll come up with something." She then gently led Hermione into the kitchen after she turned off the viewer box, gave her a mild sleeping potion, and then helped her upstairs to bed. Molly sat with her, talking to her and comforting her until she finally fell asleep.
--
Arthur scowled as he read the headlines of the Daily Prophet. "Boy-Who-Lived Finally Gone Mad! Goes Berserk at Azkaban and Murders Helpless Guards and Inmates! Will Stand Trial Next Week." Below the glaring headlines were several photos of Harry looking wild and unfocused as he was held in the strong grip of several Aurors from the Ministry. A photo of a sad Minister Fudge, gravely shaking his head sat atop a lengthy interview in which he discussed his long held reservations about Harry Potter's sanity and his deep sadness at the terrible turn his life has taken. Snarling, he crumpled up the paper and threw it towards the fire.
"Dad! I wanted to read the comics!" exclaimed Fred, walking in the door to the kitchen.
"And I needed to read my horoscope," complained George, following closely on his twin's heels.
"Rubbish! It's full of rubbish! I don't know why we keep subscribing to that paper!"
"Well, maybe this paper is a little more balanced," smirked Ginny, as she tossed another paper down in front of her father as she went to get a couple of bowls and spoons.
"The Quibbler? Well I suppose if I want to learn about some odd…What is this?" He then read aloud the headline for everyone's benefit. "Harry Potter Unjustly and Illegally Persecuted by Obsessed Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge and Overzealous Ministry." He then read the opening paragraphs from the front page story.
"Harry Potter was lured yesterday into the Ministry of Magic under false pretenses and arrested and charged with multiple murders that apparently occurred two days ago at Azkaban Prison. Mr. Potter had been invited to simply provide additional information about the tragic death of one of his classmates from Hogwarts, Katie Bell, for a small group of Aurors and Ministry officials.
Instead he and another classmate, Hermione Granger, who had also been attacked by the same person who murdered Miss Bell, were interrogated ruthlessly by Silus Grimaldi on behalf of the Ministry in front of the entire assembled Wizengamot. Normally the Wizengamot is only convened for a trial, and any questioning in an informational proceeding is handled by an Auror from the Ministry, not a private lawyer whose most recent case involved the defense of convicted Death Eater Lucious Malfoy. Apparently Minister Fudge specifically approved of all these illegal irregularities, citing special conditions and his own authority as Minister of Magic.
Far from a simple informational hearing, it quickly dissolved into a series of threats and insinuations aimed at both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. At the end of this illegal Inquisition, Harry Potter was accused of the multiple murders that occurred at Azkaban Prison, specifically the murder of Lucious Malfoy and the twenty-three other Death Eaters who had been incarcerated there, as well as a dozen guards who had tried to stop the attack. One guard survived, who claimed he saw Harry Potter as the sole attacker. While Hermione Granger provided evidence that would give Mr. Potter an alibi for the time at which the attack occurred, because she is not yet seventeen, Minister Fudge ruled that her testimony would be inadmissible at the trial next week.
Making his defense even more difficult, Minister Fudge ordered Harry Potter to be stunned with several Stupefy charms following his indictment of Mr. Potter, and furthermore instructed that Mr. Potter be kept sedated twenty four hours a day until the time of his trial next week. Needless to say, it will be quite impossible for Mr. Potter to consult with legal counsel or prepare in any way for his defense. Minister Fudge explained that these extreme measures were necessary, given the possibility that Harry Potter, the only wizard powerful enough to defeat Lord Voldemort, might try to escape.
For a full and exclusive transcript of the complete hearing, including the testimony of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, as well as the questions asked and comments from the Wizengamot, please continue reading below."
By the side of the article on the front page was a large picture of a tired Harry leaning heavily upon Arthur for support leaving the courtroom, surrounded by several angry looking guards.
Arthur scanned the next dozen pages quickly and then whistled softly. "I don't know which member of the Wizengamot leaked this, supposedly these are closed hearings, but if Fudge ever finds out, he'll have their head. If even half of these statements are true, it makes him and the Ministry look very, very bad." He then raised his head and smiled very widely. "I think this day just got very good all of a sudden. Who wrote this? Walgine I. Raiveys. Well, I would certainly like to meet this Mr. Raiveys. Hmm. I've never heard of him before, but he's done a marvelous job of reporting here. This should counter some of the other rubbish that's bound to come out and make people think."
Molly finally woke up around noon, to the teasing of her children. She made a quick lunch of sandwiches and while the rest of the family was eating, went upstairs to wake up Hermione. Half an hour later Hermione joined the rest of the family for lunch. She sat next to Ginny and they took turns looking through the Quibbler article.
Ten minutes before two, members from the Order began showing up. The twins and Ron looked around with growing dissatisfaction while Hermione simply grinned but kept silent.
When Dumbledore arrived, he stepped into the kitchen and invited everyone into the living room.
"I suppose it's upstairs for the lot of us," grumbled Ron, expressing the sentiments of his brothers as well.
"Only if you do not wish to join us," replied Dumbledore with a sparkle in his eyes.
"What?!"
"You mean"
"we can attend"
"as members of the Order?" finished George.
"Not as official members, no. But then this is an unofficial meeting and you are all welcome to join us in our discussion."
Raising her eyes slowly, Ginny asked, "Me too?"
"You have made valuable contributions as well, Miss Weasley. Of course you are invited." Ginny couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw him grin momentarily as he saw the paper on the table. "Ahh, the Quibbler. They have the most interesting stories in that paper. And I found the issue from today to be particularly informative. It never ceases to amaze me how the truth eventually comes out, despite attempts to keep things secret and hidden. I imagine the Ministry must be scrambling today, trying to figure out how this transcript got out despite the oaths of secrecy the members of the Wizengamot take."
"I've been wondering about that myself, Albus. How did it get out-I mean, even you would have been bound by your wizard's oath so who…" Arthur's eyes flashed to Hermione as she slowly stood and avoided his eyes. She excused herself and went into the living room, followed closely by Ginny. Arthur smiled and then looked at Dumbledore. "Shall we go then?"
"After you Arthur."
Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and the Weasley twins were the youngest in the room. Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagall, Samuel, and Remus were there, as well as Arthur, Molly and Bill.
"Looks like Charlie got stuck with Snape today," snickered Fred.
"Poor Snape," joked George. "He's going to learn an awful lot about dragons today I imagine."
"He'll probably want Dad back as a partner," chuckled Fred.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Miss Granger and Mr. Fred Weasley, taking an extraordinary risk which I hope will not be repeated, have managed to uncover some critical information which may help Harry. We will look at what they have discovered and then discuss how we can use this to help clear Harry of the false charges which have been brought against him.
Hermione activated the viewer again, and for the next fifteen minutes, everyone watched silently, trying to make sense of the images in front of them. After it was over, Hermione sat back as discussion erupted around her. Many of the comments were aimed at Dumbledore, who replied thoughtfully to several of them. Lupin was pacing rapidly, deep in thought, while Samuel discussed increasingly wild schemes with Ron and the twins. The remaining professors and the Weasley parents were having a heated debate, punctuated by Hagrid's calls to thump the whole lot of `em. Ginny drifted from group to group, listening quietly. Meanwhile, Hermione continued to think by herself, largely ignoring the rest of the loud group.
"I don't think there's much we can do," she finally announced. The chatter halted, and many heads turned to look at Hermione incredulously. "First of all, this evidence would be completely inadmissible in any court of law. Second, we know that the Ministry and Fudge are going to continue doing everything in their power to prevent Harry from mounting any kind of effective defense. The whole informational session was simply a trap for Harry. Now that they've got him, they're never going to let him go. They'll make sure of that."
"So what are you saying? That we just give up? We know what happened now. We know Harry didn't do it. We've got the proof right there in front of us, Hermione!" exploded Ron.
"Of course I don't want to give up. But there's not much we can do about it, is there? No, Harry's going to have to get himself out of this one."
"And just how is he supposed to do that? He doesn't even know about any of this. And besides, they're keeping him so drugged up he probably can't even think straight."
"Right. That's why I've got to go back to Azkaban for a little visit with him."
A chorus of protests broke out at her statement. "Miss Granger, I believe you have done more than enough already. It would simply too dangerous for you to return Azkaban again."
"Who else has a chance of pulling Harry out of his drugged up state? Last time I checked, I was the only one with telepathic powers in the room."
"Miss Granger, I may be able to reach Mr. Potter, with a little help from an old acquaintance of mine." Dumbledore looked directly at Hermione and her eyes widened slightly as she realized who he was talking about.
"Perhaps, but I still think the best chance would be for me to go."
"I do not believe that would be the best course to follow. It would be too risky to attempt again. You and Fred managed to do it once, but there is no need to risk it again. Do you understand?"
Her eyes glinting dangerously, Hermione nodded and replied coldly, "Yes, sir. I understand."
"Good. I will continue working on the other possible means for his release that I have been pursuing. I will make sure that I take a turn in the guard rotation the day before the trial so that I can visit with Harry and share the recent discovery we have made. Hopefully, the two of us can then come up with a way of confronting the Minister that will prove Harry's innocence. I wish there were other tasks that we could preoccupy ourselves with over the next week, but I agree with Miss Granger. I am afraid there is little more that we can do for him at the present moment, beyond ensuring his safety in Azkaban." Looking around the room, Dumbledore got up and then flooed back to Hogwarts, followed by the other Professors.
Hermione sat back down, grinding her teeth in frustration.
"Saldar, do you really think you can help Dumbledore reach Harry?"
"Yes Mistress Granger, I believe so."
"You believe so? You don't know for sure?"
"Well, none canst know for sure about such things."
"That's what I thought. And the last time you tried something like this, it was actually Harry, not you, that actually found me, right?"
"Yes, Mistress Granger. Thou knowest that he found thee."
"As one of the current bearers of the Sword of Gryffindor, if I asked you to keep a secret, you would, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. Why, have I done something wrong? Have I somehow offended thee?"
"No, no. I was just checking. And if I asked you to keep a secret from Dumbledore, you would respect that, right?"
"As one of the current wielders of the sword, my only duty lies in thy service. But what secret dost thou mean? Thou hast said nothing of…no Mistress Granger! Do not do it! I beg of thee! Master Dumbledore said…"
"I know what he said. But Harry has to know what happened. So not a word of this to Dumbledore. Understand?"
"Of course mistress. I understand and obey."
"Good." She looked around and realized that she was the only one left in the living room. Everyone else had wandered out.
"Fred!" she called out sweetly. "Bring George back in here. I'd like to talk to the two of you please."
--
During the week before Harry's trial, there was a virtual newspaper war over differing opinions of Harry Potter. The Daily Prophet continued to portray Harry Potter as a power tripping wizard unrestrained by the rule of law and now mentally unstable due to his horrific life. The Quibbler, on the other hand, led by its new and extremely popular reporter Walgine I. Raiveys, launched increasingly powerful and persuasive attacks on the Ministry. Sales for both papers set new records, and both sold out multiple editions every day.
Debate among witches and wizards in places like Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were becomingly increasingly fierce as well, and several times had resulted in fistfights and wizard duels breaking out. The atmosphere at the Burrow was increasingly tense as well as Harry's trial date approached. Professors and members of the Order frequently stopped by, but as the week wore on, many of the Weasley siblings spent much of their time outdoors on broomsticks. Hermione spent much of her time with either Ginny or the twins, but after the third heated argument with Ron, one in which several spells were exchanged, they did their best to completely avoid each other. In fact, Ron spent very little time at the Burrow that week, and nobody seemed to know for sure where he was going. Both Molly and Arthur had tried to sit down and talk with him several times, with little visible result.
---
The only break in the monotony of the week came when a very young, nervous looking wizard knocked on the front door of the Burrow two days before the hearing looking for Hermione.
"I am Phillip Barnabus, and I have been asked by the Ministry to serve as the defense counsel for Mr. Potter," he explained as he introduced himself.
Hermione escorted him into the living room and they sat down to talk.
"I thought that Dumbledore had arranged for Mr. Quimbly to handle Harry's defense."
"Yes, well, the Minister rejected his offer on account that Mr. Potter himself has to ask Mr. Quimbly to serve as his legal counsel, now that he is an adult wizard."
"I don't mean to be rude, but you seem awfully young to be on such an important case."
"I completely agree, Miss Granger," he replied, looking around uneasily at the rest of the Weasley clan who were watching him quietly. "To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure why they asked me to do it. I'm not really trained in court trials or criminal defense. I mean…not to say that Mr. Potter is a criminal or anything," he hastily corrected seeing the dark glares from the Weasleys surrounding him. "My specialty is in registering and defending spell and potion patents."
"Oh, I think I see," muttered Hermione. "Well, I'd be glad to help in any way I can, but I didn't think that my testimony would be allowed in court."
"Well, technically, it will not. I'm still trying to find a way around that."
"Right. Well let me tell you what happened, and then you can ask me any questions if you have any after I'm done." Five minutes later, Hermione had finished and Mr. Barnabus had left, thanking Hermione for her time.
"That's Harry's counsel, huh?" remarked Fred.
"Doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does he?" retorted George.
"Yeah, I think we can officially write off any hope Harry might have had getting off through the legal system," added Hermione in a bitter voice.
---
The day before Harry's trial finally arrived and Samuel and Dumbledore stopped at the Burrow before they headed to Azkaban to watch over Harry.
"Where is Miss Granger? I need to speak with her for a moment," stated Dumbledore, looking around the living room.
"She wasn't feeling well this morning, Professor. But she said she needed to give you this," answered Ginny as she handed Dumbledore a small envelope with something inside. He opened it briefly and saw what appeared to be a torn belt loop.
"Ahh, very well. Thank you Miss Weasley. I hope Miss Granger is feeling better by tomorrow."
"Really?" asked Molly. "I could have sworn I saw her downstairs earlier this morning."
"No mum. That was probably me. I couldn't sleep very well earlier and got up to walk around for a bit."
"Oh," replied Molly, but looked oddly at Ginny.
Dumbledore put the envelope in his pocket and turned to Samuel. "Ready, Samuel? We should go, it would not do for us to be late."
Samuel nodded and then winked at the twins before he reached out to grasp the skeleton key Dumbledore was holding which served as a portkey to Azkaban island.
Five minutes after they left, a disheveled and distraught Samuel appeared in the fireplace of the Burrow. "Where's Dumbledore?"
Molly ran in from the kitchen and shouted in horror. "They just left a few minutes ago, but you were just with him. But how…" She then whipped out her wand and aimed it right at his chest. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Ginny, Ron, the twins, and Arthur had either come down the stairs or entered the living room from the kitchen by then and Arthur and Ron snatched out their wands out as well.
Raising his hands in protest Samuel tried to explain, "Wait, wait. It's me. I've still got the bruises from the Birthday Quidditch match to prove it if you want. But if I've already left…"
"Then who is with Dumbledore impersonating you?" exclaimed Arthur.
"We've got to warn Dumbledore!" shrieked Molly.
"Everyone wait!" Looking at his twin, Fred gulped and continued. "There's no need to be alarmed. Hermione went with Dumbledore."
"She what?!" exploded both Arthur and Molly.
"And just how did she do that, may I ask?" insisted Molly, glaring dangerously at the twins.
"Polyjuice potion?" suggested Fred as his mother stalked towards the two.
"That's impossible! It takes over a month to create. How could she have possibly…"
"Well, we didn't say she made it herself, Mum," answered George.
"You two wouldn't happen to know how she acquired it, would you?"
"Uhh, do you really want to know that mum?"
"Or is that one of those rhetorical questions?"
Molly had just about reached the twins when Ginny snapped. "Oh, Mum! It's not their fault. It was Hermione's idea to begin with."
"What?! Ginny! My baby! You knew?! How could you let Hermione go off and do something like…"
"Listen, mum. I hate to be the one that has to break this to you, but you adults don't always know what's best. Not even Dumbledore. If Fred and Hermione hadn't gone to Azkaban, we would have never known what really happened there. And Harry wouldn't have a chance tomorrow. Now maybe Dumbledore can help Harry. But if he can't, then Hermione will be there to try and help as well.
Look, we're sick and tired of getting treated like children all the time. Even though seventeen is the official age of adulthood, there were fifteen and sixteen year old students from Hogwarts who fought as bravely as wizards and witches twice their age. Fred and George, as well as Bill and Charlie fought at the final battle against Voldemort and his army. Ron fought a dragon and has the scar to prove it. He also stood by Hermione to help Harry bring down Voldemort-and all three of them were only sixteen. Hermione is probably the only one who can remember all of the dangers Harry has faced and overcome since he was eleven. And I have survived being possessed by Voldemort twice. We are not little children anymore.
We were finally invited in to participate with the adults of the Order and then our ideas were largely ignored. Look, I know we're not perfect or infallible. Rushing off to rescue Sirius probably wasn't the best idea. But we did the best we could with the information we had. And it was adults at the Ministry and at Hogwarts who put us in that situation to begin with. And the DA was a huge success. I know it saved a lot of lives when the war came to Hogwarts. And I know it enabled a lot of students to survive the final battle against Voldemort. When are we going to get the respect that we deserve?"
Molly simply looked stunned as she listened to her youngest daughter.
"Now Samuel has to stay here. If he goes to Azkaban now, it will mess up everything. Don't worry, Mum, Hermione has enough Polyjuice potion to make it through the entire shift with Dumbledore."
With tears running down her eyes as she looked at her children, Molly saw them in a new light and it was very difficult for to believe it. She felt overjoyed at seeing the young adults in front of her, but there was a part of her that felt very sad as well, a part that wanted them to stay young and at home under her care forever. She hugged Ginny fiercely, whispering, "I love you." As the twins and Ron came closer, she opened her arms to all of them. "I love all of you and I'm so proud of all that you've done. Of course, I'm still upset with you, but I still love you anyways."
"And that is exactly why I don't have any children. They never listen, they're constantly getting into trouble, they've got no respect for their elders, and they tend to get mouthy, especially the girls," muttered Samuel dryly as he left the Weasley family hugging in the living room and stepped into the kitchen.
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