Chapter 074

"Instead, you are hereby and immediately fired from all your positions at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And that you be banned forevermore from holding a similar teaching position, or any other position that places you in a position of authority over children.

"You are free to leave. However, you may not even return to the school to visit or recover your personal effects. A house elf will be organised to return to you your personal effects from the school, once you have found a place to settle. Should you ever return to the grounds of the school, for any reason, you will be arrested for trespass; and we shall not be so lenient."

As Ogden banged his gavel to signal the end of the case, two aurors stepped forward and removed the chains that bound her. Then they had to pretty much drag her from the chamber. She was still quietly crying.

As she was led out, Harry could hear Hermione also quietly sobbing. She wasn't the only one in the chamber so moved.

After her decades of service to the school, McGonagall had become almost an integral part of the institution. For her to be dismissed so, was somewhat heartbreaking for many. Harry, though, was not so much.

"Well," sighed Harry. "That means the school is now down a Deputy Head, Heads of House for three of the four Houses and Professors for Transfiguration, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. If all goes as I do not expect tomorrow, then we'll also be down a Headmaster.

"I cannot see those positions being filled enough in the near future for us not to be allowed to leave the school for a time."

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―==(oIo)==―

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The next trial was of the Dursleys. Harry was surprised to see Marjorie Dursley also led in. When they were brought forward to the now three defendant's chairs with their golden chains, Vernon was clearly trying to yell and bluster; as was Marjorie, his sister. However, there was no sound. The Dursleys were under a silencing charm.

Vernon and Petunia were charged with ten counts of child abuse physical, ten counts of child abuse psychological, ten counts of child neglect, ten counts of abuse of a child of a Noble and Most Ancient House and ten counts of neglect of a child of a Noble and Most Ancient House. Marjorie Dursley was charged with five counts of child abuse physical, two counts of child abuse psychological, three counts of failing to control an animal under her care, two counts of unlawfully directing an animal to attack and five counts of abuse of a child of a Noble and Most Ancient House.

After the charges were read out, Harry gestured for Auror Hammer to lean in close and asked, "Why ten?"

"Because ten is the number determined to mean that there is more than that, but they simply choose to stop at ten as proving any more is, by that time, pointless; the sentence is the same," she replied.

"Ah!" he nodded. "Thank you."

She gently smiled at him, gave a nod and moved back to her position.

When it came to the point Ogden was calling for memories to be displayed in the pensieve, Harry again stood and asked for that part of the trial be a closed session. Ogden was quick to agree.

Turning to the aurors Ogden said, "Aurors; clear the chamber of non-essential personnel. As per Lord Potter's desire, this part of the trial will be a closed session."

Again, there was much grumbling and kvetching from the visitors. However, they left just as quickly this time as the last.

This time they were out of the chamber for a little over half an hour. When they returned Ogden, who was looking quite pale and a little shaky - he wasn't the only one who appeared so of those who'd remained - said, "I apologise to our witnesses and visitors. I did not expect the time you would be locked out would be as long as it was. However, we who sit in judgement had to take a five minute recess to... recollect ourselves so we could continue. We have only just returned."

Hermione gave a direct look to Harry that simply displayed one big unasked question. However, Harry just gave a small shake of his head and refused to say anything.

Ogden then looked with a stony countenance on the Dursleys and said, "I am about to have our aurors lift the silencing charms placed on you, so you may speak to me. This is to give you opportunity to refute, rebut or clarify any of the evidence that has been presented this day.

"However, if you attempt to use the opportunity to hurl abuse at anyone... then you will be immediately re-silenced and it will be determined that by your actions you have chosen not to refute, rebut or clarify."

Staring at all three he gave that a moment to be understood by all three before he indicated one of the now stony-faced aurors that stood behind the accuseds' chairs, "We will start with Marjorie Dursley. Remove her silencing charm, but be ready to reapply it should she be abusive."

When the auror gave a nod, swished his wand at 'Marge the Barge's' back Ogden said, "Marjorie Dursley you may begin."

"Who the Hell do you freaks think you are?" she barked. "As soon as..."

That was as far as she got before the auror, almost at the same time Ogden gestured to him, reapplied the silencing charm. Marge continued to try and yell and bluster, but did it in silence.

"Miss Marjorie Dursley," said Ogden. "By your language and tone you have been determined to have neither refuted, rebutted or clarified any of the evidence presented against you. Your case rests."

He then turned to Vernon and said, "As you witnessed what happened with your sister, we said how we would act and did precisely that. She attempted to abuse the opportunity presented her, to her loss. As with her, as with you.

"Remove his silencing charm, but be ready to reapply it if he becomes abusive."

Harry had expected him to become just as abusive as his sister as soon as the charm was removed. However, it appeared Vernon was not as stupid as Harry thought him to be. The few moments he had between Marge's attempt and his own had affected him.

When the silencing charm was removed he sat for a few moment before he said, though still angrily, "My wife, my sister nor I are fr... are wizards or witches. As such, we are not of your world. As such, how do you dare to presume to try us for our actions?"

"You had within your home an under-aged wizard," replied Ogden. "As such, your home, while muggle, was also considered a wizarding home. That means you come... or 'came' now... under our laws."

"The boy was forced on us!" snapped Vernon right back. "We were not willingly housing him. That fre... that mongrel... Fumbledork, or whatever the Hell his name is, forced us to take him.

"Time and time again we tried to get him out of our house. We demanded the old man remove him and he refused us. We even tried to dump the brat at a home for wayward children; but he was back that same afternoon. That's one of the times Fumbledork threatened us... THREATENED us!

"We told him, over and over again, we did not want the boy in our home; but, he ignored us every time. He even carried on as if it was our fault the boy had to stay with us!"

"Time and time again we even tried to get through to that pub that's supposed to be the gateway through to your shopping area; but couldn't! We tried to get in so that we could tell at least one of you what Fumbledork was doing, so that something could be done. We had no way to contact you to let you know. I think Fumbledork even made sure of that because, when Petunia's sister was a student at your school, she could see the pub and get in. And we were provided no other way to contact you.

"He just kept saying things like, 'You disappoint me, Dursley. The boy is your family. You need to learn to... forgive!'

"Forgive what?! My wife and I had plans to be a nice, respectable middle income, middle class family. It would be her and I and our two children. But he stole even that from us. Because he forced the boy on us he denied us the chance to have another child of our own!

"Your own police-folk... auras... told us it was because of those blood-thingies on our house that rendered my wife sterile. You and your... magic... made it so my wife could no longer have any children! Your freaky powers stole that from us!

"As for those memories you played in that projector-thingy, do you not know what we were doing? The only way for us to get Fumbledork to come and speak with us to try and get him to take the boy away, was for us to hurt the boy enough that he had to show up!

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