Chapter 23 - The Hearing
At long last, the court hearing was finally here. Harry woke up that morning feeling a little anxious but he felt confident that things would work out. Anthony had assured him with his reference letters and the public tide turning against Ginny that things would work in their favor.
Harry wore a conservative looking business suit with dark robes over it. He and Anthony walked into the courtroom and he saw that Ginny was already there, in deep discussion with her lawyer. She was also dressed conservatively and with little make-up. Ginny usually wore a lot of make-up when she wasn't doing household chores, so Harry assumed it was to make her look pious to the judge.
Harry looked around at the courtroom, thankful that there were no journalists or gawkers. The courts decided given the high profile nature of the case, that the press would turn the proceedings into a circus and closed it to the press and the public.
When all parties were settled, the bailiff announced, "We are here today for the divorce and preliminary custody hearing of Potter vs. Potter. Representing Ms. Weasley Potter is Ms. Gloria Redall and representing Mr. Harry Potter is Mr. Anthony Goldstein. Overseeing the proceedings is Judge Susanna Woodall."
The judge, a 40ish woman with straight shoulder length blond hair entered the courtroom and sat down on her bench. She looked like a no-nonsense straight shooter. Harry was reminded of a younger, prettier Professor McGonagall.
She banged her gavel and announced that court was in session. She then turned to Ginny's side first. "Ms. Redall, please state your case for the court."
"My client, Ms. Ginevra Weasley Potter, is filing for divorce from Mr. Harry Potter on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and is seeking half of Mr. Potter's assets as well as child support, if she is awarded custody. My client seeks sole custody of her three children, James Sirius, Albus Severus and Lily Dora on the grounds that Mr. Potter is an unfit father."
The judge then turned to Harry's side. "And Mr.Goldstein, please state your case for the court."
"My client, Mr. Harry James Potter, is filing for divorce from Ms. Ginevra Weasley Potter on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. My client will grant her half of his assets, including their current residence at 9 Windward Circle, Ottery St. Catchpool. He is requesting joint legal custody with primary physical custody of his three children."
The bailiff then collected the divorce petitions from each side and handed them to the judge.
"Are both parties in agreement over the terms of divorce?" The judge asked.
"Yes, your honor." Anthony replied as Gloria followed suit.
"If both are in agreement, the petitions will be filed and approved within six months." She paused. "Let's proceed with the next part of the case, the custody of the children."
She turned to Ginny's side. "Ms. Redall, your client is filing for sole custody on the grounds that Mr. Potter is an unfit father. Do you have witnesses that can substantiate this claim?"
"No, your honor." Gloria said. "But I'm sure you have read in the papers how Mr. Potter heartlessly cheated on his wife with his next door neighbor's wife, who happened to be his best friend from childhood."
"Ms. Redall - I am not entering into evidence an interview that your client gave to a newspaper. Allegations of adultery are not enough reason to deny Mr. Potter visitation with his children or to call him an unfit father. You need solid witnesses, not an interview with a scorned wife."
Anthony turned to Harry and raised his eyebrows. He liked this judge.
"But, if I may." Gloria interceded. "Mr. Potter's loose morals cannot be good for his children. He willingly cheated on his wife with his best friend's wife, whom he has carried a torch for years. My client was bamboozled into this marriage just to give Mr. Potter children."
"Do you have any evidence of this adultery?" The judge asked.
"My client suspected it for years."
"But did she witness anything? A passionate kiss? Or perhaps a tryst?"
Ginny shook her head despairingly at Gloria.
"No, your honor."
"Then unless you can provide me with solid evidence, we will have to move on."
She turned to Anthony. "Mr. Goldstein, your client is petitioning for joint legal custody and primary physical custody. Please expound on your reasons for this."
Anthony stood up. "My client does not wish to rob his wife the chance to be a parent to her children. He would like her to be involved in all the major decisions including education, financial, etc. He would, however, prefer that the children reside with him - he feels he can provide a stabile and warm environment for them, more so than Ms. Weasley Potter."
"Can you provide evidence that your client could provide such an environment?" Judge Woodall asked.
"Yes, your honor. I have here several letters of reference for my client about his character and abilities as a father."
Anthony approached the bench and handed the judge a file filled with character reference letters for Harry.
Judge Woodall took a few minutes to look through the letters and found one that she wanted to read aloud. She was quite surprised to see who the author was.
Dear Judge,
I have known Harry Potter since we were eleven years old and he has been my best friend since then. Although I have to admit that our friendship is going through a transition due to the break-ups of our marriages, it doesn't detract from the fact that Harry is a good man, a good friend and great father.
The Wizarding world knows Harry as a hero, and for a long time I was jealous of his fame and fortune. Harry seemed to get whatever he wanted, whether it was Quidditch captain or girls following him around. However, the more I got to know him as we grew up - I realized that what he wanted most was something that I had taken for granted for years - a large and loving family.
I am the youngest of six brothers and always felt like I couldn't measure up to their success. I was always competing for attention from my parents and my older brothers. My younger sister, Ginny, being the only girl in the family, never had that problem.
What I realized that even though I sometimes hated having such a large family, that Harry would've traded places with me in an instant to grow up with both parents and a house full of siblings. I'm sure you are aware that Harry lost his parents as a baby and was raised by his Muggle aunt and uncle, who treated him like a servant and a freak because of his magic.
When Harry married my sister and had his three children, James, Albus and Lily, he finally got what he always wanted - a family of his own. It was great to see Harry's joy in being a father. When James was born, I remember how happy he was - I had never seen him so excited and his excitement only grew when he had Al and Lily.
Living next door to Harry for nearly fifteen years, I have seen him with his kids. He and I used to work together at the Ministry, and even when he had a lot of work to do, he always made sure to make it home for dinner so he could be with his family.
Harry always put his kids first and loves spending time with them, whether reading them a bedtime story or teaching them to fly on a broomstick. I also entrusted him to take care of my kids when Hermione and I went away. My kids, Rose and Hugo, always told me how much fun they had when they spent time with their Uncle Harry.
Harry has also been godfather to Teddy Lupin, the son of one of his father's best friends, since he was eighteen. Harry was always there for Teddy, especially in his early years. Teddy lost his parents as a baby, so Harry made sure that he was there to spend time with him while he was being raised by his grandparents. I think one of the reasons Harry is so good with kids is that he had a lot of practice with his godson!
If you asked Harry what his greatest accomplishment in his life so far, he wouldn't say saving the Wizarding world from Voldemort, but raising his kids. That's how he identifies himself, as a father first. It would be a shame to rob him of the chance to continue to raise them. His kids are his pride and joy and Harry would be lost without them.
But most importantly, his kids would be lost without him. He has provided them with unconditional love and guidance and has been a role model to his sons. All of them look up to him and love him and it would be bad for them to not be able to spend as much time as they can.
You may be asking yourself, why would I write a letter to support a man who has broken my sister's heart? Why would I risk the wrath of my own sister? Because I strongly believe that Harry needs his kids and they need him too.
Sincerely,
Ronald Billius Weasley
When Judge Woodall finished reading Ron's letter to the court, Ginny's face was as red as her hair. Her lawyer was looking at Ginny accusatorially, how could she not know that her own brother would do something so traitorous?
Gloria stood up. "May I approach the bench?"
Judge Woodall nodded. "Yes, but I invite Mr. Goldstein as well."
Anthony nodded at Harry and stood up.
When they reached the bench, Gloria asked. "How did this letter come to be?"
Anthony cleared his throat. "I suggested to my client that he ask Mr. Weasley for a character reference. Two weeks later, this letter was delivered to my office."
"So you were not witness to the meeting between your client and Mr. Weasley?" Gloria asked.
Anthony shook his head. "No, I don't usually chaperone my clients when they ask for character references. What are you implying, Ms. Redall?"
"How do you know that Mr. Potter didn't pay off Mr. Weasley?" Gloria asked accusatorially. "We both know he's a very rich wizard."
"That's a strong accusation to make, Ms. Redall." Judge Woodall warned. "Do you have any proof of this?"
"No, I don't." Gloria admitted. "But if there was anything underhanded going on, I will find out."
"Ms. Redall, you will do no such thing. The court can subpoena Mr. Weasley to appear in court to testify to the circumstances under which this letter was written."
Anthony smiled. "I'm sure Mr. Weasley will testify that he wrote the letter because he wanted to help his best friend, nothing more."
"We'll see about that." Gloria said, tossing her dark hair as she walked back to her seat.
"The courts will subpoena Mr. Ronald Weasley to appear in a subsequent hearing, to be scheduled as soon as possible." Judge Woodall announced. "This court is adjourned."
She banged her gavel, stood up and left the courtroom.
Meanwhile Ginny was shooting daggers at Harry. She got up and approached him.
"How dare you drag Ron into this mess, Harry! I didn't think you would stoop so low to turn my own brother against me!"
"I did no such thing, Ginny." Harry said with a dignified air. "Ron didn't need me to twist his arm to write that letter and he will testify as such."
"We'll see about that!" Ginny glared at him as she and Gloria turned and stomped out the courtroom.
Harry turned to Anthony looking worried. "What do you think she'll do?"
"She can't really do anything. Even if she threatens him, Ron has to tell the truth in the court. It's an unbreakable vow."
Harry sighed. "I didn't want Ron to have to come testify for me. I felt badly just asking him for the letter."
"But what a letter he wrote for you, Harry!" Anthony said. "Even though you two aren't bosom buddies right now, it's obvious that he has a lot of admiration and affection for you, especially in your role as a father. He couldn't have written a better endorsement of you."
"Should I go see him again?" Harry asked.
Anthony shook his head. "I would advise against it. If Ginny's side somehow found out, they will accuse you of witness tampering. And Ron is our star witness."
"So, all I can do is hope that Ron will come through for me again?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Anthony nodded. "But don't worry, I believe he will."
TBC
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