The stone chamber buzzed with unease as the last echoes of shattered restraints faded into silence. mbers of the Wizengamot looked between themselves in confusion and concern, so whispering to their neighbors, others sitting stiffly in their robes.
Cornelius Fudge cleared his throat, his expression one of barely restrained irritation. He rose to his feet, smoothing the front of his cloak.
"This hearing," he began, his voice firm but lacking the gravitas he clearly hoped for, "is being held under the authority of the Ministry of Magic, to investigate serious allegations of misuse of underage magic in a Muggle area… and, more disturbingly, the deaths that followed."
A ripple of murmurs coursed through the chamber at the ntion of the deaths. Alia Bones raised her hand. "Silence."
The voices died quickly, though the tension only deepened.
Fudge continued, eyes flicking toward Harry as if trying to read sothing from his face.
"Mr. Potter stands accused of violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and endangering Muggles by casting spells in a non-magical environnt. Furthermore, the Ministry was alerted to the use of advanced magic in Little Whinging, which coincided with a 'Dentor attack'—an attack that left three Muggles dead and several more affected by magical trauma."
He said, putting more emphasis on the words 'Dentor attack' like it didn't actually happen.
More gasps. Harry didn't react.
"We are here today to determine the validity of these claims," Fudge finished, voice growing self-righteous. "And whether Mr. Potter's continued enrollnt at Hogwarts and indeed, his freedom, is a matter of concern."
He sat.
Alia Bones looked down at Harry from her high seat.
"Mr. Potter," she said, her voice clear and professional, "you will now answer questions posed to you by this court. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry replied calmly.
She nodded. "State your full na for the record."
"Harry Jas Potter."
"Your place of residence?"
"4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
"Your age?"
"Fifteen."
"School and year?"
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fifth year."
There was a slight pause as she reviewed the notes before her.
"Mr. Potter, were you responsible for the magical presence detected at Little Whinging on the night of July twenty-seventh?"
"No," Harry said. "I was not."
"And during that ti, did you cast any magic at or near that location?"
"No."
The chamber rippled again with low murmurs.
"He lies" One man shouted, if he rembered correctly that would be Lord Nott if he was not mistaken. "Obviously the boys would deny any involvent"
He could hear the murmured agreent from others around.
"And how would you know if I'm lying Lord Nott" He said cooly, looking the man straight in the eyes and action that made the man subconcusly look away from his gaze as he seed to take a step back and shink into himself.
A second later he seed to find his courage again and reply. "You are the only wizard that live there Potter, that alone tells us who did it."
He said smugly, while others nodded like that solved the case.
Harry stared at the man. Was he really of the sa species as these fools, surely not if they could lack this much common sense.
"I see." He said, looking around before setting his gaze back at the man "I didn't know we wizards could only stay in one place, it's not like so one could have been passing by at the ti right? Not like a wizard could have decided to visit a friend, relative or anything? Yes, it seems movent really is not possible for wizard kind, my mistake for not knowing sothing like this."
He nodded his head as if he had solved the greatest riddle to ever exist.
That seed to embarrass the fools as most turned a unique shade of red.
Harry continued, "If you had bothered to check and properly investigate you would have know i wasn't in the country these past few weeks that alone should have proved that i was not responsible for these accusations. You're blaming because I happen to live there and because it's convenient."
A few heads turned at that.
Fudge scowled. "Convenient? You're the only wizard registered in the vicinity! Are you suggesting the Ministry would fabricate such a report?"
"I'm suggesting," Harry said coolly, "that the Ministry was too lazy or too eager to point fingers before asking the right questions."
There was a brief mont of stunned silence.
Madam Bones's eyes narrowed, but she didn't reprimand him. Instead, she turned toward a parchnt beside her.
"We have a statent from Arabella Figg a squid living in Little Whinging, Surrey confirming that Mr. Potter had indeed not been seen in the area for several weeks prior to the incident."
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood up from one of the lower tiers. "I was part of the Auror response team," he said. "We found no direct magical residue of Potters. The detection charm only noted that a 'foreign magical force' had been used in the area."
More murmurs.
Fudge frowned. "That doesn't prove he didn't—"
Alia cut in, "It also doesn't prove that he did. You have no definitive magical residue linked to Mr. Potter. The very fact that Mister Potter wasn't in the country alone is an alibi"
Moody grunted from the corner where he stood. " and the Kid's been under our eyes since we found him. If he'd been doing that kind of magic, we'd know."
"I should also remind this court," Harry added, "that Dentors are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry. So maybe the better question is how did they get into a Muggle neighborhood to begin with?"
That landed like a thunderclap.
Fudge's face flushed a furious red. "You dare imply—"
"I'm not implying anything," Harry interrupted. "I'm saying soone either lost control of them—."
"Hem hem" an annoying voice interrupted him. "The ministry has complete control over the dentor, are you implying sothing Mister Potter" Dolores Umbridge said clearly trying to bait him into saying sothing that invovled lord no nose.
He simply smiled.
"I see then they should be no need for a trial concerning the dentors then" Teeths widening into a vicious grin "If the ministry has complete control over them then it should be the ministry that should be held accountable over the deaths invovled".
A stunned hush fell over the court.
In the upper benches, a few mbers of the Wizengamot exchanged uneasy glances.
Madam Bones leaned forward again. "Is the Departnt of Magical Creatures prepared to speak on the movent of Dentors that night?"
An older witch in aquamarine robes stood, flustered. "We… we have no record of Dentors being authorized to leave Azkaban."
"And yet they did," Alia said sharply. "Which ans we either have a breach—or a conspiracy."
Harry could see it now. The cracks. The beginning of what Jacob once knew would co: a Ministry at war with itself. Was it stupid to weaken the ministry when Voldeshorts was trying to take over? probably. Did he care? Not one bit.
Fudge opened his mouth to respond, but found himself cut off again—this ti by a bespectacled older wizard with a thin goatee.
"This hearing," he said, rising to his feet, "was ant to determine whether Mr. Potter broke the law. So far, there is no evidence he did. In fact, the lack of evidence makes it seem unprofessional by the ministry and highly childish."
"I concur," another voice added.
"I vote for imdiate dismissal of all charges," a third chid in.
Fudge paled. It seems he had lost the montum he had at the beginning.
"Mr. Potter," Alia Bones said, after a long pause, "given the testimony and absence of conclusive evidence, this court finds no grounds to pursue disciplinary action. All charges are hereby dismissed."
The gavel struck once, sharp and echoing.
The trial was over.
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