A Place of Contemplation
by Jardyn39
Chapter 5: An Imperious Minister
"The show trials. Members of the Order of the Phoenix were put on trial."
Harry was stunned. It was a moment before he was able to react at all. All the air in his lungs appeared to have gone.
"No," Harry breathed, suddenly feeling the need to steady himself against the table. "Why on earth didn't you tell me before? How could you let me stay away when everyone else was facing being put on trial?" he demanded, his voice becoming louder.
"There is nothing you could have done," said Snape calmly.
"THAT'S HARDLY THE POINT!" Harry raged, jumping to his feet. "I should have been there with her-," he caught himself, "with everyone!"
"You must understand. It was for your own protection. While you remained missing, the Ministry appeared to take no interest in finding you. The fact of your absence of magic was well documented and must have been a significant factor in their considerations.
"Even so, I have been travelling the country for a year to avoid detection. The only regular contact I've had with anyone apart from you is Molly. We had to be sure I wouldn't lead them to you."
"I thought you said they weren't look for me?" said Harry, sitting down again.
"No, but they would have been glad to arrest you had you come to their attention. To be honest, I think someone knew the course of treatments you were taking would take this long. You were of no threat before now."
"Why weren't you in contact with Professor McGonagall as well?"
"We all agreed conduct our affairs entirely independently. That way if one of us failed or was betrayed, the others would be safe to continue. She is, I suspect, conducting a separate initiative against the Ministry."
"Tell me about these show trials. What was everyone charged with?"
Snape's expression hardened.
"Of those that were put on trial," he continued sombrely, "only three of us were acquitted. Minerva McGonagall, Molly Weasley and myself. We were the first to be tried."
"What happened to the others?"
Snape shifted uncomfortably.
"Most received life or long sentences in Azkaban."
"What?" said Harry incredulously. "What ever could have warranted a life sentence?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt was accused of killing five Aurors before he was captured. They certainly died, but it wasn't entirely clear that Shacklebolt used lethal force to defend himself. Personally, I think it unlikely. They were his colleagues, after all.
"Anyway, at the time he was buying valuable time for the rest of us. Almost all of the Order's records were destroyed or vanished in the time he gave us. He was the only one actually executed by the Wizengamot."
"Hang on," said Harry shakily. "Mrs Weasley's clock. The hands moved before we Apparated away. Did they escape from Azkaban?"
"No. Not everyone in the Order was put on trial."
"Who?" Harry asked coldly.
"It may not be as simple as that. They didn't give evidence against the Order, quite the opposite, actually."
"Go on."
"Well, it appears to revolve around the Weasleys. Arthur and Bill disappeared while on separate missions for the Order. That was only a couple of weeks after you went. They have never been found, but the assumption is that they are dead."
Harry closed his eyes.
"Charlie and both twins got sentences that were significantly reduced after their trials. All three are out of Azkaban now, but are keeping a low profile. I believe Molly has maintained contact with them. Ginny Weasley is still in Azkaban."
"Ron," whispered Harry.
"Ron," echoed Snape.
"Ronald Weasley is certainly at the centre of the new Ministry power base. His brother Percy introduced him to the new Minister's team before he was appointed. Percy himself has left the Ministry."
"What?"
"Yes. The rumour is that he resisted some of Ron's more extreme reforms. I think Molly pleaded for Percy's life, as she did for the others. He still does favours for the Ministry, though. I suspect it was he that was on his way back to the Burrow. Part of the bargain he struck to be released."
"What reforms?"
"Oh, just the usual. Anti everything that isn't pure blood."
"No, Ron was always dead against that kind of thing."
"Perhaps he was. Unfortunately, the Minister personally gave him a job to do. Molly thinks that in the beginning, Ron felt he needed money and power to realise his ambitions. He was just seduced by them, and is now terrified of losing everything.
"Molly hasn't actually seen him for a while now, although he still invites her to the Ministry receptions. She goes to them all in the hope of seeing him. Rather bizarrely, Ron apparently still insists upon regular family gatherings every weekend, although he never attends."
"Luna?" Harry asked weakly.
"She was murdered at the Ministry about six months ago. They could find no witnesses prepared to give a statement. I don't know what really happened, but she should have been in Azkaban at the time."
"Hermione?" asked Harry in a voice barely more than a whisper.
Snape remained silent, and apparently unable to look Harry in the eye.
Harry knew from long experience he had no chance of using his Legilimency skills to read Snape. He would tell him when he was ready, not before.
"It seems I need to have a word with this Stein," said Harry quietly.
"He hasn't been seen in public for some time. I've wondered for a while if he wasn't under an Imperious curse."
"But who is left to do that? How many Death Eaters got away?"
"None that I'm aware of. Indeed, the new administration at the Ministry set about hunting them down even before they began their campaign against the Order. They had remarkable success almost at once. I was sure they had inside knowledge. Anyway, there were few public protests when they were all summarily executed."
"Didn't that surprise you though?" asked Harry. "I mean that they were all executed."
"Yes, it did at the time. I had the impression that the Ministry was almost punishing them for their incompetence. Had they performed better, the Dark Lord might have prevailed, of course. Mind you, at the time I myself was in hiding, for fear that the Ministry would forget my changing sides."
Harry thought. Snape was right. If Voldemort had survived, the first thing he would have done is kill all the Death Eaters. They had deserted him in the end, after all.
He chided himself. Voldemort was dead. He knew he was dead. His scar hadn't hurt at all for a year now, after all. Hardly even an itch.
In spite of himself, Harry absently rubbed his forehead, dropping his arm when he caught Snape's eye.
Snape, Harry realised, was thinking exactly the same thing. Maybe he did find another way to come back.
Harry sighed deeply and said wearily, "How did they even know who was in the Order?"
Snape looked down, waiting for Harry to answer his own question.
"Who was the Order's new secret keeper?"
"Well, there wasn't one. The Order ceased operations and disbanded almost immediately after you defeated the Dark Lord, so there was no need. We rather assumed, that with Dumbledore having passed on, the Order of the Phoenix as such would never again be called upon."
Anger flared up momentarily inside Harry, but it subsided almost at once.
"Actually, that's what Dumbledore wanted," said Harry. "He said the Order would be replaced by another that would be born out of the ashes of the old one. I don't think this is quite what he meant though. Why on earth didn't anyone think to take better precautions?"
"Unfortunately, Dumbledore's chosen Deputy was unavailable at the time to lend his expert advice," said Snape coldly.
"I'm sorry," said Harry, and he meant it.
"We will begin your training tomorrow," said Snape, after a long silence between them. "Try to get some sleep."
*
Harry had dragged his trunk all the way from his dormitory, through the castle and out into the night time grounds.
For some reason, his dream always started from his departing from the dormitory. He had no idea why, but he felt the same feeling of dread whenever he passed through the entrance hall.
That was when he was in the greatest danger of being caught. Harry tried to be as quiet as possible, although the cheering inside the Great Hall made it most unlikely that he would be heard. Fortunately the doors were closed.
Harry had attended his graduation ceremony earlier that afternoon, having just been discharged from the hospital.
He had told only Professor McGonagall of his intentions before he left. She said she would tell no one except Professor Snape and Molly Weasley. Mrs Weasley had made some hurried arrangements for him to get a job in the Muggle community.
McGonagall also told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was wrong to turn his back on his friends and supporters. Harry felt at the time that, with all his abilities gone, it was about time he got used to a non-magical way of life. The sooner he did that, the better.
She had pushed him on why he wanted to cut his ties with his friends as well, though.
Harry hadn't answered her. Perhaps he should have confided in her, but he couldn't. His feelings were just too raw, particularly then.
Harry had almost got to the entrance to the school grounds when he heard rapid footsteps coming towards him from the castle along the gravel drive.
"Harry!"
He stopped and turned as Hermione ran towards him, her cloak billowing out behind her.
"Harry," she gasped when she ran to a stop in front of him.
"Hi," he replied meekly.
"Where are you going? I looked everywhere for you!"
"I'm just going, Hermione. It will be for the best."
"What? No! Not now. Not like this."
"I don't belong here."
"Harry, I know those headlines must have been hurtful, but that's no reason to go."
Harry snorted, remembering the Prophet's lurid announcement of his squib status. Voldemort's actual defeat had been second page news.
"Why, then?" she asked more gently.
"I messed up, Hermione," he said honestly. "It's killing me inside."
"No, you didn't. You won, Harry. You lived!"
"It isn't that. Well, not entirely. It's the way I lived."
"I don't understand, Harry."
Harry looked at her anguished features and seriously considered if he should tell her.
"I don't want to cause you any more pain, Hermione. I've done enough of that. You'll be better off without me."
"How can you say that," she said tearfully, trying to grab his arm.
Harry moved away.
"You're not even going to tell me why? Is there no one you can tell? What about R-"
Harry turned away at once and began walking, dragging his trunk along.
"You told Ron, didn't you?"
Harry didn't look back as a sobbing Hermione collapsed onto the ground. Tears were streaming down his face.
Yes, he had told Ron.
That had been a mistake.
He continued on, feeling utterly heartless. He tried not to listen to her persistent calls.
Harry woke just before dawn to find that he had been crying in his sleep again.
*
Harry crept outside and made his way back up to the top of the cliffs. He wanted to be there when the sea birds began to wake.
Apart from the fact that he wanted something to take his mind off his dreams, Harry had found previously, that the birds somehow made more sense when not all of them were squawking and crying out.
Harry stood and listened as the birds began to wake.
Gradually words came to him on the fresh morning wind.
"Traitor! He should have stood with them!"
"He is guilty!"
"No, he feels the guilt!"
"He betrayed his feelings! He betrayed her!"
"He didn't tell her!"
"But the magic was gone!"
"She released the power! She did it! She did it!"
Harry screwed his eyes shut, put both hands over his ears and shouted at the top of his voice.
"ENOUGH!"
The seabirds scattered into the air in alarm, their squawks now entirely unintelligible.
Harry fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face. He had no idea where the cliff edge was.
"I know," he sobbed. "I know!"
*
Harry sat miserably picking over the remains of his fruit breakfast when Snape cleared his throat softly.
"The first day of our trial was a complete farce. The prosecuting council didn't even know what we were being tried for. The senior Wizengamot judge threatened them that all the charges would be dismissed if they didn't come back the next day properly prepared.
"Unfortunately for the three of us, they did come back better prepared.
"Our own council wasn't prepared for the legal argument put forward. About halfway through that second morning, Miss Granger rushed into the court and started handing notes of things for our council to argue.
"The Wizengamot threw her out at once, of course, but we set her up outside with a table and desk and we had runners keeping her updated on the arguments in court and she sent in notes with counter arguments on them.
"The Minister was absolutely livid when the Wizengamot didn't even bother to vote on our acquittal. It was an extraordinary scene. The entire court appeared to be littered entirely with Miss Granger's small notes."
Harry smiled, imagining the scene.
"About a week later, the second round of trials began. We all attended again, almost expectant of the fun we would have watching the proceedings.
"It was quickly apparent that it wasn't going to be quite the same, though."
"How so?" asked Harry.
"Miss Granger didn't turn up that time, but her notes did. Unfortunately, from then onwards, her advice was being given for the benefit of the prosecutors."