Chapter 137: Listen
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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.
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2 July 1993, Ministry of Magic, London
Umbridge started the hearing, "This hearing is to investigate Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's claim that Arcturus Black is an unsuitable guardian to one Harry James Potter, which he reported in his role as the Headmaster in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as is his right, according to the rulings of 1814 allowing the highest authority of any educational institution in magical Britain can report cases of possible unfit guardians in matters concerning minor students, due to the rise of Obscurials in muggleborns after the international statute of secrecy. The judges present in the hearing are Rufus Scrimgeour, representing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Selene Avery, representing the Department of Magical Children Welfare, and Dolores Umbridge, representing the minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge. In this hearing, we will determine if Albus Dumbledore's accusations are true, and make a judgement, after the accuser and the defender present their cases."
After that introduction, Harry could barely understand what was going on. It might as well be gibberish. Sure, he knew the broad strokes of the laws in this country, but from what little he could tell, the legislation of magical Britain was a mess of contradictions, that was probably designed specifically to allow people to get their way as long as they greased enough palms.
So, instead of trying to follow the absurd laws that Umbridge was spouting about, Harry decided to focus on Dumbledore, instead. He was familiar enough with the man's character as a headmaster. He projected the image of a kindly old man who projected wisdom with a hint of condescension while dismissing anything he found unpleasant. In Hogwarts, he was the highest authority, the king of the castle, and he didn't need to convince anyone of anything. He didn't need proof; he didn't need validation.
But in this hearing, things were different. The headmaster's presence was just as loud as ever, his song was as deafening, as inflexible as ever. But there was this small hint of uncertainty and tiredness. Yeah, he was probably tired because of the Azkaban mess, and the serial killer going around killing wizards and witches. He was also confident that this meeting would go in his favour. This didn't bode well.
Finally, Umbridge stopped talking and pointed towards Dumbledore, "Now, with these facts out of the way, the accuser can begin to present his case."
The defeater of Grindelwald nodded, slowly got up and walked addressing the Judges, "Good morning. As many of you know, my name is Albus Dumbledore, and I have been the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for almost half a century now. I have seen many students walk the halls of my school, some had the luxury of coming from very distinguished families, and some were orphans, residing in muggle orphanages. I have seen academically talented students and some who were not so. I have seen children who became Potion masters, Quidditch stars, or even Dueling Champions. I always try my best not to involve myself in the guardianship of my students, if they do not complain to me or to one of the professors about it. Because, if my students are satisfied with their lot in life, who am I to change that? However, there comes a time when certain students send warning bells at me. Specifically, when I was informed that Arcturus Black had gained guardianship over Harry Potter. I knew that for the good of Magical Britain, I had to stop that from happening. I had to oppose this appointment, even if I lost because even if there was a chance of stopping this, I had to take it."
"And what is the reason that you oppose this guardianship so much," Selene Avery asked with a curious tone.
"I have seen a student like Harry Potter before. He was a Slytherin, just like him, and quickly became the unofficial leader of his yearmates, which slowly grew into controlling his entire house. He was one of the most talented students who have ever roamed the halls of Hogwarts, only rivalled by a few outliers. Outliers like Harry Potter, who might even exceed him in talent. That boy could cast magic by the time he graduated that most masters of magic could barely even understand. He travelled the world for a while, increasing his knowledge, and learning some of the darkest magic in the world, before coming back home. You probably have guessed who this was. People still fear his name, even after his defeat. I am, of course, talking about Lord Voldemort."
The entire hall stiffened and a few gasped in shock. Scrimgeour looked interested for the first time since stepping foot in the room. Selene Avery's eyes were wide in horror, and even Umbridge was gaping at Dumbledore's statement.
Holy shit, Dumbledore just publicly compared Harry to the fucking Dark Lord. This was bad. This was really bad. His approach was to dehumanize Harry, to make him seem less than a child and more like a time bomb for everyone in the room. Shit and this was definitely going to get out. The man had painted a target on Harry's back, and he knew it.
Fuck.
Well, if the man was going to play dirty, then Harry had no compunctions about returning the favour.
Of course, the asshole had a small, satisfied smile on his face when he continued, "I know that this is hard to believe. Most people with children in Hogwarts probably know that Harry Potter is a brilliant young man who is very good at magic. But I can tell you, without a doubt, that those stories barely provide anything more than the tip of the iceberg of his prowess. I am talking about a boy, who with only two years of magical training, can cast spells that NEWT students struggle with. I am talking about a student who is so good at duelling, that Professor Flitwick, a former duelling champion, confessed to me that he was uncomfortable at the idea of him being in the under-thirteen tournaments since it wouldn't be fair for the other competitors, and that young Harry wouldn't learn anything from the experience. I am talking about a boy who has created spells, and modified potions on the fly, without failing even a single time. Make no mistake, Harry Potter is a child, but he is a child who could grow into a man that would push magical Britain to new heights, or would bring another war to his shores, just as Lord Voldemort is, in a foolish quest of gaining more power. I was satisfied with letting matters be, just left the boy to learn on his own, experience the magical world on his own, and make his own decision. But the truth is, what would his experiences be, what would his conclusion morph into if Arcturus Black starts to influence him?"
The Black Patriarch looked impassive at the Chief Warlock's implied accusations, but his eyes showed that he was furious. The audience started to whisper worriedly. The headmaster's words seemed to easily persuade them of his opinion.
Seeing that he gained the reaction he wished for, Dumbledore continued, "Remember Bellatrix Lestrange, Regulus Black, members of the Black family have committed atrocities on Lord Voldemort's orders. They tortured, they killed, they ruined families. Clinically speaking, this was not normal behaviour, their madness was obvious for everyone to see. These are the grandchildren of Arcturus Black, his legacy. This type of behaviour does not come out of nowhere. People are seldom born mad; it is their upbringing that causes madness. And I have to wonder what the Black family did to their children for them to grow so unhinged. Sirius Black, a dear friend of mine before his untimely demise, that his mother was so cruel that she used the Cruciatus Curse on him many times growing up, whenever he misbehaved. I don't know if that was true, or not, but the results speak for themselves. Arcturus Black will probably say that it is his right to have guardianship over young Harry, and it is. I will not dispute that. Legally, he is supposed to be the boy's guardian. He will probably have signed statements from every other possible guardian, saying that he should be Harry Potter's guardian. But this is not about legality, but about right and wrong. An old friend once told me that sometimes, you have to choose between doing what is easy, and what is right. I have taken those words to heart many times and now, I have to ask all of you, is it right to risk someone with so much potential falling to madness like many members of the Black family did? Should we risk someone with so much potential for both creation and destruction just because the law says we should? Should we endanger our world, our children's generation, perhaps even the one after them, by giving Arcturus Black guardianship over Harry Potter?"
Everyone in the audience was shaking their heads and saying 'no'. Dear lord, Dumbledore knew how to play a crowd. He knew that he was in the wrong when it came to the law, so he made the entire hearing irrational. He made the law sound trivial, and the worst part was that it was working.
"And now I'm asking myself, why now? Why did Arcturus Black reach out now of all times? He had over a decade to come to take guardianship over young Harry. All it would have taken was a trip to the ministry and everything would have been sorted. The only reason I can see was the fact that he saw the potential Harry possessed, the potential for a new Dark Lord at worst, and a weapon for the Black Family at best. And with that, I have to ask, would James and Lily Potter be happy with their child being nothing more than a weapon of ruthless man? Would his godfather, Sirius Black, who hated his blood family with a passion, be happy with his godson's life in the hand of his grandfather whom he loathed? The answer is no. The boy was perfectly happy in the muggle world, being a ward of the ministry and under the guardianship of his muggle relative. He excelled in his studies, he surpassed all other students, who were raised in the wizarding world, without any issues. He passed the medical test that Madam Pomfrey administered in private the moment students stepped into the castle, so he wasn't mistreated in the muggle world. I don't know for sure what Arcturus Black's plans are for young Harry but I see no point in risking the future when we know for a fact that the boy was doing well as a ward to the ministry. Alas, the decision is not in my hands, but in yours, judges. I trust that you see the same danger that I do. I trust that you will do the right thing, not just for your sake, but for the sakes of the children of magical Britain, maybe even beyond that."
That was… That was insane. Harry forgot that Dumbledore was a battle commander, because this speech, even if it was against Harry's wishes, was very good. He sounded so reasonable, especially since his words had enough truth in them to sound reasonable.
The truth was that from the outside, it certainly looked possible. Arcturus Black had a reputation as a ruthless and cunning man, and that was exactly what a man like that would do for more power.
The headmaster turned and sat down, and Umbridge spoke up, "Now, that the accuser was done, it's time for the defendant to present their case."
Arcturus Black snorted, "You know, the moment a legal hearing stops being about the law, it starts having no meaning. So, I don't see a point defending myself when all of you have already made your decision. No, if I want someone to defend me and be impartial, my words won't be enough. I want the kid to defend me."
"This is very unorthodox," Umbridge commented.
"And what is orthodox about ignoring the law?"
Scrimgeour interrupted his response, "I'm curious about what the boy has to say about this. Potter, are you alright with speaking on behalf of the defendant?"
Harry was shocked, and nodded stiffly, "I am."
As he got up and walked nervously towards the jury, he turned and looked at Arcturus, who gave him a wink. He stifled the urge to snort. Well, if Dumbledore wanted to fight dirty, and make everyone fear his potential, then who was he to not repay the favour?
Even if he lost, he was going to tear Dumbledore a new one.
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AN:
Before any of you say that Dumbledore was too heavy-handed with this, he sort of has to. The man has literally no legal way to remove Arcturus' guardianship and is trying to make people fear Harry enough to ignore the law entirely just for their peace of mind. He needs to make a convincing argument for his case so that Umbridge would vote his way. He doesn't want to kill Harry, he wants to gain control over him since he's still a potential asset.
Of course, he doesn't have the time to look for a lawful way to present his case since he's probably tired because of the countless meetings after the Azkaban fiasco. He'll also be under a lot of pressure internationally.
The next chapter will be Harry shooting back at him, so that should be interesting....
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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.