Consumables

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As I pondered how exactly to get to the Ministry, I decided not to flush myself down the toilet like the others did, but to use a more decent phone box. Seriously, what can wizards who willingly stand with their feet in the toilet every day achieve?

The letter I received from Amelia yesterday was rather vague, with almost no specifics. She briefly enquired about my condition and urged me to visit her this afternoon, to settle a number of matters. Realising that it was unlikely that anyone would dare to attack me at the Ministry, I took Fleur with me, and we were now descending underground to the indignant cries of my fiancée, who didn't understand why British wizards couldn't make a proper entrance.

As soon as I was in the atrium, the mages there, noticing me, froze, looking at me and my companion in surprise. I reached for my wand warily, not knowing what to expect from them, but one of them started clapping, and soon the others joined in, giving me a standing ovation.

- Bravo, bravo, Mr Potter, welcome back!

- Thank you, Harry!

- I always believed in you, Harry!

Shouts of encouragement came from all directions. As more and more Ministry staff began to flock into the atrium, I knew I had to leave as quickly as possible. Waving to the crowd, I gripped Fleur's hand tighter and led her towards the entrance, noting the flashes of the reporters' cameras as they made their way through the pandemonium towards us.

I was about to show my wand to the guard, but he just waved his hand, letting me through without any formalities. It was only when I ducked into the lift, which was thankfully empty, that I was able to exhale relaxedly.

- I'm afraid I can't get used to this. I wish they'd keep shying away from me.

- Come on, Harry," Fleur was feeling much more confident. She seemed to like the fact that everyone could see her holding my hand, showing that I wasn't free. - You've gained influence, and that's never unnecessary.

Once we got down to the correct floor, we approached the Minister's office, around which sat several people, amongst whom I recognised Percy Weasley. He wisely pretended that we didn't know each other, but the others were clearly agitated at the sight of me. Taking a seat in the corridor, I decided to wait my turn, but the receptionist informed me that Madame Bones had asked me to see her as soon as I arrived.

When I entered the office, I saw Amelia sitting at the head of a massive dark desk, piled high with papers. Her eyes were red and her features were slack, a clear sign that she was in urgent need of rest. I felt uncomfortable.

- Tell him that the situation is now under control, that he can call anytime, and that I'll be sure to contact him later when I've cleared up a bit of the backlog.

She was talking to a portrait of a man who looked like a frog. Apparently, this is the portrait that can contact the Prime Minister in Downing Street. Noticing me, Amelia smiled and stood up, coming closer.

- 'Hello Harry,' she gave me a hug like an old friend, before scrutinising me carefully, 'I'm glad you were able to respond so quickly to the invitation. You look well, looks like you were able to heal your shoulder.

- Hello, Amelia," I smiled, for it was really good to see her. - I'm sorry, but I don't want to lie by saying the same thing. You don't look well, did you manage to get any sleep, or since the other night, have you continued to stay up? I'm sorry to put all this on your shoulders. And by the way, this is my fiancée, Fleur Delacour. Fleur, this is Amelia Bones, the person who will lead Magical Britain to success.

They smiled at each other and shook, hands, after which Amelia pointed to our chairs and sat down at the table, not the least bit offended by my words.

- Nice to meet you, Fleur. If I can call you that. Harry told me about you when I was trying to get to know my niece better. - She laughed, and her features smoothed out.

- It's a pleasure. Of course you can call me that, Madame Bones. But Harry hasn't told me anything about it," she looked at me unhappily, but soon laughed, too, at the look on my face that said everything I thought about such discussions in the Minister's office.

- Please just call me Amelia when we're alone. This shawking is making my eye twitch. - Waiting until Fleur nodded, she looked at me. - As for your question, Harry, I slept, though not as long as I would have liked. There's a lot to do, you're well aware of that yourself. I'm trying to get the major issues sorted out as soon as possible, before everyone realises how much the country has changed, but I'm still not getting there. News travels faster.

- How's that going? I read that Fudge was arrested, which is very good news.

- Yeah, that wasn't a problem. Once we realised that, despite the obvious evidence, he was still denying the Dark Lord's resurrection, there was no doubt about his guilt. And then Parkinson revealed how he'd bribed the Minister to hide the truth. Anyway, like you said, I got the chair quickly.

- What about Dumbledore? - Frankly, I was worried that I hadn't heard from the old man in two days. Knowing him, he must be up to something, especially when he found out I wasn't dead again.

- And that, Harry, is the very reason I called you here. As you realise, I wouldn't have invited you just to brag about your successes, which are, moreover, extremely few. As soon as the Wizengamot meeting that suspended Fudge and appointed me was over, Albus started telling me amazing stories about how you weren't who you said you were. He was so convincing that I might even have believed him, had it not been for the memories you had given me the day before. I read the contents and I was horrified. I just couldn't believe that Dumbledore had done all that to a child.

She looked at me and realised that I didn't want to discuss any of this. Fleur, who was aware of the main complaints but had little idea of my life with the Dursleys, comfortingly squeezed my hand.

- Now you understand the reason for my words," I said to Bones, recalling our conversation at her house.

- Yes, I can understand you now. And today, in just half an hour, I want to bring him to justice.

- Already? So soon? - I was really surprised. - Thank you very much, Amelia, but I could have waited, cos you've got a lot on your plate besides my personal vendetta.

- Firstly, it's the least I can do for you, Harry, as a thank you for saving the whole country in general and me in particular. And secondly, not only do you need it, but I need it too. Dumbledore knew that Riddle had risen from the dead, but did nothing to prevent it. Plus, he's still a big threat because of his influence. And I want to deal with it once and for all. I'm sorry, but your memories will be the main reason for the trial.

- I understand that. You're right, this needs to be over as soon as possible, and then we can both breathe easy. But I have a hard time believing he'd just agree to be a defendant.

- He doesn't know yet. - Amelia smiled. - He's the chairman of the Wizengamot, and I'm his deputy. Snape's hearing starts in half an hour, and there's a lot of questions about it. After that, I'll press charges against the Headmaster of Hogwarts, since I have the right to do so now, so that he doesn't have time to prepare his defence and get the right people involved.

- Clever," I laughed, anticipating the look on Dumbledore's face at that moment. - I hope I can help. Is he facing Azkaban?

- Absolutely. For trespassing, at the very least. It'll be a short sentence, but enough to keep him away for a while. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Flamel. He's not a British citizen, and you'll have to deal with him in France, where every other mage honours him almost more than his own minister. Am I right, Fleur?

- Unfortunately, you are. - She looked at me sadly. - Even my father is a great admirer of Flamel's talent for alchemy and potions.

- Well, I'll deal with that later. - I stretched out, wondering what my chances were against Flamel in an open conflict. - By the way, if Dumbledore does get sent to Azkaban, don't forget to protect his cell from the phoenix's apparition. And don't forget, he's also very good at wandless magic.

- Don't worry, Harry, we'll take all that into account. After all, he's seen bigger prisoners in Azkaban's time. You, on the other hand, be prepared for him to try and talk to you. In addition to slandering you, he's been inquiring about your whereabouts for the past two days. Fortunately, I don't know him. From your memories, I understand how he found you in France and I'm sure he was going to do something similar soon, but he's been too busy for now. The advantages of playing against Dumbledore is that he doesn't trust anyone with his secrets, doing a lot of things alone and wasting time doing it.

- There's something strange going on in Azkaban in general. - I put thoughts of Dumbledore aside and recalled my impressions of the first few hours after waking up. - Where I was, people were being experimented on. And the head of that wing is obsessed with me-I saw a lot of newspaper clippings about me in his office.

- Yeah, I've heard about the experiments. I'll get to it soon. - I realised that if Amelia said that, she'd really try to get to the bottom of it. - Unfortunately, we can't ask your admirer whose office you visited. When it turned out you were no longer in your cell, Fudge kept it quiet but sacked the man. I tried to help him and took him in, but he died in my yard... Well, good intentions don't always lead to good results.

She wanted to say something else, but then Patronus appeared in the office, informing us that the meeting was about to begin.

Inviting us to follow her, Amelia walked towards the courtroom, telling us exactly what to expect as she went. I remembered how my trial had gone, but this time it was planned a little differently. Amelia had decided to give every person arrested a chance to clear their name, earning them a few more points in the eyes of the British mages. Now even those who were absolutely guilty could ask to be interrogated using truth serum or Legilimensia, but few dared to do so for fear of exposing more of their own crimes.

Using the lift again, we reached the same floor I'd been on when I'd visited the Mystery Department the other day. When the doors opened, however, I was confronted with a very different environment. Magic of some sort. As we walked down the corridor, we entered the same hall that I had fond memories of. Amelia went to her seat to the right of the chairman, who wasn't there yet, and Fleur and I, trying to attract as little attention as possible, went up the steps and took a seat at the edge of the arena. And while I almost managed to make myself inconspicuous, Fleur, unfortunately, has no such function. I don't really regret it, though. I love the way she shines in any setting. After restricting ourselves to a few glazed looks, we prepared to watch the coming action.

I was nervous, not knowing where this was going to lead. I was much more used to waving my wand than deciding things with words, but my life depended on the decision that would be made here. I realised that while Snape's hearing was going on, I needed to keep a low profile so that Dumbledore wouldn't notice me before I did. But would I be able to keep from loudly accusing the Potions Master who had bullied me all four years of my studies? Amelia was counting on my help. Even if she didn't say it out loud, I felt that she had another reason to put Dumbledore away - even with all her current merits, the old man could take over from her, and then the country would be no better off than it had been under Fudge. Dumbledore's ideas of goodness and justice have become so distorted that people will suffer, but they'll be sure that it's anyone's fault but the new Minister's.

I tried to position myself so that Fleur could not be seen from the rostrum, and watched the action unfolding below. There was a lot to see: the entire central podium was filled with wizards in burgundy robes, among whom I recognised not only Amelia but, to my particular surprise, Sirius, who seemed to have regained his family seat, and Percy, too. Perhaps I should inquire about my own place among the judges of the Wizengamot, but I didn't feel like doing that just yet.

There were a few empty seats, and it was obvious that those were the seats where the Eaters who'd been killed or captured in the recent skirmish were supposed to be sitting. According to Amelia, she and I had managed to get rid of almost every known member of the inner circle.

Comparing the data with the information she'd received from Parkinson, she'd been able to figure out that only the two Carrows were still at large, who'd been left out of the operation because they'd been rendered useless. All the others, including Yaxley, Crabb, Goyle and the others, might otherwise now be sitting among the judges, making the decisions they wanted, but had suffered in the recent incident. Moreover, it was Yaxley who had been the unlucky one I had accidentally killed by dropping his head on the steps.

On the sides of the grandstand, all the seats were taken. More than ten rows of chairs going up on each side allowed room for nearly two hundred wizards who wanted to be present for the most high-profile proceedings. A dozen reporters, led by Skitter, took a separate seat in a corner, feathers and witchcraft cameras ready to make sure nothing was overlooked. Everything was ready.

The hall door opened and Albus Dumbledore walked to his seat at the head of the podium in complete silence. The Headmaster didn't look well - he was glum, and all the stoicism he had recently boasted was gone from his gait. He wore a silver robe that reflected the light of the magical lamps, which gave him a certain importance, but many noticed how he hid his left arm under the robe, not wanting to show the injury to everyone present. As Dumbledore took his seat, he looked at Bones with a displeased look, clearly unwilling to prosecute his own ward, but was forced to get on with his duties, loudly announcing the start of the hearing.

I didn't bother to listen to the entire court being introduced and waited until Snape was ushered into the room, seated in a chair in the centre of the empty space. His arms and legs were immediately shackled, but I could see that the Dean of Slytherin felt quite comfortable turning his head round and round. He was confident that Dumbledore would be able to protect him. The sly bastard really believed that no matter who won the war, he would remain in good standing. And I warned him that a third party could win.

- Do you wish to have a Truth Serum or Legilimension applied to you? - Dumbledore asked, when all the preliminary introductions were over.

- No." Snape curled his lips into a semblance of a smile, believing that only Dumbledore could surpass him in mental magic. - I wish you to represent the defence.

The people in the room murmured unhappily, and I watched the faces of those present carefully. Apparently, defendants don't often behave so brazenly. But Snape knew that Albus would come to his aid and help him sort out this misunderstanding sooner rather than later.

- I'm afraid that, as Chief Justice, I cannot grant your request," Dumbledore said in a neutral voice, not looking at the professor. 

I almost laughed out loud as I watched Snape's expression change. The man who kept an impenetrable mask in every situation was currently realising that he had just been written off. Thrown on the scrapheap, figuratively speaking. He realised that Dumbledore wasn't going to help him, that all his hopes were in vain, and that he was about to end up in Azkaban. By an effort of will, he managed to pull himself together.

- I'll take the truth serum, then. I have a story to tell. - The audience became animated, eager for more hidden information.

- You've already declined that offer. I suggest we move on to the accusations being made. - Dumbledore easily detected Snape's unsophisticated plan to drag him down with him, and easily deflected the threat using his power. Despite the curiosity of the mages, no one interrupted or resented, realising that the head of the Wizengamot had the authority to decide such matters personally.

It was simple and elegant, and I was once again convinced that Dumbledore, in any condition, could outplay anyone with time to prepare. He must have decided in advance that he didn't need Snape anymore. And really, what was the point of having a spy if there was nowhere else to spy? And if anyone questions why the Headmaster has been protecting this professor for the past fifteen years, the answer is so simple that even I know it: "I wanted to give Severus a second chance so he could start a new life. Unfortunately, he decided to return to his previous crimes despite my best efforts."

Shaking my head, I felt a sort of pity for the man. One master wiped his feet on him, and the other threw him away without even giving him a chance to answer anything. One of Britain's most powerful mages was now sitting in the centre of the hall, chained to a chair, shouting about how Dumbledore was forcing him to spy for the Dark Lord, but no one was listening. When Amelia announced that Snape had been the cause of the Potters' deaths, the meeting could safely be considered over. It took a while for the rumble of indignation to die down. I didn't stand aside and shouted a few insults, too, without fear of being seen. And Black rose from his seat, about to throw himself at the traitor. Albus looked at Bones in surprise, not understanding how she knew such information, but she pretended not to notice.

As a result, Snape had been accused of aiding and abetting the Dark Lord, based on witness testimony and the mark on his arm. After Riddle's death, the mark was almost invisible, but the outline of a skull could still be seen. The Dean had no record of involvement in any actions or crimes, so he was sentenced to five years of Azkaban at the intermediate level. Amelia was tempted to use the serum and find out more about the professor's activities in order to increase the sentence, but Dumbledore prevented her from doing so, assuring her that everything was quite obvious as it was.

Well, five years wasn't so terrible for all that Snape had done. You could say he got off easy. I wished I could add assaulting me to his list of charges, but I was still sitting quietly, waiting for a chance to speak up. As soon as the Aurors led Snape out of the hall, I knew the opportunity was coming.

- Gentlemen, please remain seated. - Bones's loud voice echoed through the hall, taking the wizards who were about to leave by surprise. - We have another hearing today.

- You are confused, my dear Amelia," Dumbledore smiled as if he hadn't just sent his servant to the Dementors. - I was only scheduled to preside over Severus's case today.

- That's right, Dumbledore, the next case will be presided over by your first deputy, which is me. - She took a seat in the centre of the podium, ignoring the old man's surprise, then announced: - 'the hearing begins in the case of bullying an orphan, regularly exposing several hundred Hogwarts students to mortal danger, and the illegal use of mental magic. The accused is Albus Dumbledore.

Those present exhaled in shock, unable to believe what they were hearing, and the Headmaster himself kept his gaze fixed on Amelia. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but Bones didn't flinch, pointing him to a chair in the centre of the room before continuing:

- Mr Potter, please take your seat on the prosecution side. I rose to my feet and walked in the direction indicated, feeling a sepulchral silence surrounding me. My gaze was directed solely at the Headmaster, to whom I was mentally conveying how much I wished for his suffering. Well, this is going to be interesting.