CH 57

There were louder mumblings and even a few angry exclamations from the tiers. Madam Marchbanks needed to bang her gavel a few times to bring order back to the proceedings.

"While you bear significant resemblance to James Potter, and you have the same colour eyes as Lily Potter, you lack the famous scar," she replied. "Unless you have it hidden under a glamour?"

"There is no longer a scar," replied Harry. "However, there are three among you who can verify my identity; as well as this..." and held up his right hand bearing the ring of House Potter. "Plus, my aunt and uncle can verify I am who I claim to be."

"And who are the three among us who can verify you?" she asked. "Madam Amelia Bones, Regent Bones; Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom, Regent Longbottom; and Lord Cygnus Greengrass," he replied.

Looking to Madam Bones she asked, "Amelia?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks, he is who he claims to be."

Looking to Gran she asked, "Gus?"

"Yes, Griselda, he is Harry Potter."

"Cygnus?"

"Yes, Madam Marchbanks. That's Harry Potter my daughter has been crying upon during these proceedings."

Nodding, Madam Marchbanks turned back to Harry and said, "Then, please come down to the floor, Mister Potter, and speak." Giving Daphne's shoulder a gentle squeeze, Harry descended the stairs and walked out to stand in the middle of the floor. His aunt and uncle watched him come. His uncle, with malice; his aunt, with hope.

As he walked down, Harry thought carefully about what he wanted to say. Reaching the centre of the floor he stopped for a few moments with his head down a little.

He then looked up and, in a gentle cadence, said, "Honoured members of the Wizengamot, I have come before you to speak in defence of my aunt and uncle. They are the last of my mother's family. As you heard my aunt say, they did not seek to become my guardians. I was unwillingly thrust upon them by an old man who could not grasp the concept that family would not want me; would not love me. However, they still took me in.

"Vernon and Petunia Dursley are afraid. They are afraid of magicals because they see them as different. They are afraid of magicals because they have no defence against them. They are afraid because they do not understand them. They do not understand us. And, what you fear, you can easily hate.

"You see, when you fear something for long enough, you come to hate it. You come to hate it, because you don't like to be afraid. It makes you feel weak. The witch burnings and persecutions are proof of that.

"Yes, it sounds illogical to hate something because you fear it. However, that is human nature. It becomes even easier to hate when what you fear is another person. Specifically, another person's gift. Witches and wizards have power muggles like my aunt and uncle do not. It frightens them. So, they hate witches and wizards for being the source of their fear.

"In me, they saw something they feared. Here I was, first an infant and then a small child. And they were afraid of me. How would you feel if you were afraid of a small child?

"Petunia, growing up as the sister of a muggleborn, understands about accidental magic. She understands, through no fault of the child's own, that accidental magic can easily harm others. So, when I began to display signs of accidental magic, it created within her much fear.

"They had taken me in, albeit probably because of blood wards set in place by Albus Dumbledore; so, they couldn't just send me away again. As I had to remain in their home they somehow developed the idea that they could beat the magic out of me. They erroneously deduced that if they made me weak, then my magic would be weak. If my magic was weak, then any accidental magic I displayed would also be weak.

"We know that was a foolish supposition. We know that when a magical child is in peril, it will have stronger outbursts of accidental magic. They, however, not being experts on magic, did not know that. And so the beatings increased.

"Uncle Vernon sees that which does not meet the parameters of what he considers normal, to be 'freakish'. As he does not consider witches and wizards to fit his views of what is normal, he sees them as 'freaks'. He does not consider magic to be normal, so he sees it as 'freakishness'.

"When I displayed signs of accidental magic, he saw it as me showing signs of becoming a freak. He wanted me to be normal, so he decided to beat the freakishness out of me. To make me, again, normal. Plus, every time I displayed signs of accidental magic, it confirmed for him that there were people out there, witches and wizards, of whom he was afraid. And he did not like that."

With a gesture of his hand he indicated his aunt and uncle, "What you see here are two people who are very much afraid. Two people who, right now, are absolutely terrified. Two people driven by fear.

"What I ask is that you have compassion for them for their fear. I ask they not be executed by being sent through the veil or handed over to creatures they cannot even see, dementors, to be kissed. I also ask they not be sent to Azkaban, because, as muggles, they lack the constitution to last more than a few days in that place. It would be yet another form of execution for them; just a drawn out one.

"What I ask is they be handed over to their own police force, the Metropolitan Police Service, together with substantive and irrefutable proof of their crimes; and dealt with in the ways of the muggles."

Turning to his aunt and uncle he said, "Vernon and Petunia Dursley, you scared little fools; I am Harry James Potter, Heir Apparent to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. I'm also one of the richest people in Britain. Had you shown me a modicum of decency, I would have shared my vast fortune with you. You would not have had to worry about anything. Everything would have been taken care of for you. Instead, you allowed your fear of magicals and magic to rule your lives and ruin them. "Think about that, if you're lucky, while you live out the end of your days in prison. Good bye."

Turning back to face Madam Marchbanks, he said, "Thank you, Ma'am, for allowing me to speak before you. Thank you for considering my words."

With a small bow he turned about and walked back into the visitors' gallery. He walked in silence.

As he was sitting down again, Madam Marchbanks gave herself a bit of a shake and said, "We will now vote only for guilty or not guilty. We will then take a short recess while we discuss punishment. All those for guilty?"

All wands were raised.

"Though, it seems pointless," she said. "All those for not guilty?" No wands were raised.

Turning to look at the Dursleys she said, "We, the Wizengamot, having sat in judgement of you today, find you guilty of all charges."

She banged her gavel once and said, "We break to discuss punishment."

The members then filed out through the doors in which they entered. The Dursleys remained chained in place. Harry sat there stoically while Daphne hugged his arm.

As soon as the members left, two of those sitting in the visitors' gallery rushed over with parchment and quills almost barking questions at them. Daphne ignored them, but Harry looked at them both with fury and coldly said, "Unless you want to have to be taken to Saint

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