Chapter 216
"Come in and be quiet for a few minutes, would you?" he quietly asked. "I'll just go wake Andi."
"Ted, there's no need," said Sirius.
"Yes, there is," he disagreed. "Besides, she has a 6.00am start today, anyway. She wants to get a couple hours in at the hospital before she has to go to the Ministry for the Meeting of the Wizengamot."
As Sirius led the Longbottoms in, Ted went to the master bedroom.
Less than ten minutes later, while the Longbottoms and Sirius were waiting quietly on the lounge and chairs, he was leading a dressing-gowned Andi into the lounge.
Andi took one look at them, while the three were rising
to greet their temporary hostess, and exclaimed, "Morgana's saggy tits!"
Frank laughed while Alice simply smirked back. She quietly said, "Good morning, Andromeda."
Sirius was grinning his head off.
Andi suddenly whipped her wand out and was casting as she came forward. However, none of the casts were offensive in nature. She was firing off detection charms like they were going out of fashion.
"Andi!" exclaimed Ted.
"Shoosh!" she snapped, during a pause in her casting.
Going first to Frank she walked around him while still casting. When she seemed satisfied she spun about and turned her wand on Alice. A long few seconds later, she stepped back and said, "Sweet Merlin! It is
you; it is you both!"
"Happy?" asked Frank, a little wryly.
"How?!" she barked in shock.
"Someone figured it out and set the snitch flying," replied Sirius, grinning. "Wanna guess who?"
Andi stood there, scowling, still quite shocked, but thought it through. Then her eyes widened and she looked in new shock at Sirius.
"Harry?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
He laughed, "Right in one!"
After Andi had calmed down again, she called their house elf to make tea for them all. Then it set about preparing breakfast.
While they were talking and waiting, Ted and Sirius
took turns telling both the Longbottoms and Andi what had been going on of late. Most of it was for Andi's benefit as Frank, with Alice's added commentary, told them about Harry's letters to them.
"It's clear to us why he said he was supposed to go into Slytherin," said Frank. "But, we can also tell he would have done brilliantly in any of the four houses.
"He has the cunning of a Slytherin, the smarts of a Ravenclaw, the loyalty of a Hufflepuff and the quaffles of a Gryffindor. He's the perfect Hogwarts student."
While Ted and Sirius snorted in amusement at his description of Harry's Gryffindor traits, Alice smacked him on the arm. "Be polite," she mock-scolded him.
Andi was still coming to terms with this latest revelation.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After breakfast and Andi left for work with pleading from all four of the others she not tell a soul about the Longbottoms just yet - she wouldn't - Ted and Sirius talked about a slight change they wanted to make to their plans.
"I think we should bring Madam Bones in on this," said Ted.
"And I agree," said Sirius.
Frank nodded and said, "Harry's last letter to us said he'd hinted to the point of obviousness that we'd been cured and we'd put in an appearance at the Wizengamot before lunch." He then chuckled and said, "He also said that first thing in the morning was before lunch, so he hadn't misled her."
That had even Ted chuckling as Sirius laughed.
'The question then becomes," said a grinning Alice, "When?"
Ted quickly checked the time on the wind-up kitchen clock and said, "She's normally in the office almost right on 8.00am. As today is a meeting of the Wizengamot, with a trial right before, I'm guessing she'll be in at about 7.00am."
"Which means she'll rise at about 6.00am," nodded Sirius. Checking the time, himself, he added, "In about... fifteen minutes."
"What time is Harry likely to get up?" asked Alice.
"He's an early riser," replied Sirius. "Him and his house elf have a sort of fake competition about who's going to be first down to the kitchen to cook breakfast... he's a brilliant cook, by the way... but, of course, the elf always beats him."
"He cooks, too?" asked a surprised Alice.
"He didn't write to you about that?" grinned Sirius. "He doesn't cook, Ali; he turns food into art!"
"He's very good, Alice," said Ted. "It's a privilege to be invited to dine when he's the chef."
"Is there anything this young man can't do?" asked Frank.
"Apparently, not if he sets his mind to it, no," replied a very proud and still grinning Sirius. Suddenly, he said, "Actually, thinking of the time, he's probably up."
Sirius suddenly whipped his mirror out of his pocket and said to it, "Prongslet!"
While the other three watched on, the mirror blurred for a few moments before it cleared with Harry's face appearing. Of course, for the Longbottoms, this was the first time they'd seen the young man. No one had thought to send in photographs with the Longbottoms
when they went into the chamber.
"Mornin'!" Harry drawled. He appeared quite awake.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
This morning, Harry had donned his invisibility cloak to try and sneak down to the kitchen. But, before he even managed to pass the end of the kitchen counter, Dobby called, "Good morning, Master Harry!" He had his back to Harry, at the time.
"Damn it!"
Dobby turned with a grin on his face; but, on turning around, couldn't see his master at all.
"Master Harry?" he asked, confused.
He knew his master was 'right there' but couldn't see
him or even sense him. He just knew.
Suddenly, with a swish of his cloak, his master appeared, scowling back.
"Powerful magics, Master Harry!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah," his master moped, turning around and walking back out.
He knew his master wasn't unhappy or angry with him - house elves knew these things - but it amused his master and was a little fun for him too, so Dobby wouldn't complain.
However, it would be a cold day in the Halls of the Dishonoured before his master ever caught him out.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Harry had only just returned upstairs with the intention of taking his morning shower, when his mirror buzzed.
'Of course," he muttered. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Picking it up he quietly said, "Padfoot." And the mirror cleared.
"Mornin'," he drawled, trying to act cool.
"Good morning, sleepy-head!" his godfather chirpily greeted him.
Harry gave a snort and said, "You know, Padfoot; this will probably be the only day you'll ever get up before me. So, yuck it up while you can."
Sirius laughed and asked, "Dobby beat you to the kitchen again?"
"Sawn-off little gremlin!" he mock-scowled.
As Sirius laughed Harry could also hear other laughter in the background.
"Alright, Padfoot," he said. "Enough of the niceties. Let me see them."
"What?" mock-exclaimed Sirius. "Your dear, sweet godfather not good enough for you any more?"
That was as far as he got before the mirror took a dizzying quick spin.
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Chapter 217
All Harry heard for a moment was Sirius exclaiming, "Hey!"
The mirror had clearly been snatched out of his hand.
Then he saw the two faces he expected to see, side- by-side. But the changes were startling. Both were grinning in happiness.
"Lord Potter," said Frank. "It's so very good to see the architect behind our recovery."
"Oh, pshaw!" he blushed. "I just figured it out. Sirius and Ted were the real architects. And it's Harry, to you two."
"Not for this," said Frank. His face suddenly turned serious, though his eyes were still twinkling in amusement. "Lord Potter, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom is in your debt. What is in our power to grant you, is yours."
Harry stared back for a moment in shock. Then he replied, "Lord Longbottom, the Noble and Most
Ancient House of Longbottom may consider its debt expunged if... it raises its Heir to be an outstanding young man and a credit to his House. As I have said, so must it be, so let it be written."
"So let it be written," said both Frank and Alice.
Frank immediately said, "We meant much more than that, Harry."
Harry shook his head and said, "There is to be no debt, Frank. I don't want you or your House beholden to me or the House of Potter in any regards. We need to be equals, with our own selves being so, for the Potter-Longbottom Alliance to be strong again."
"Very wise, Harry," said Alice.
Harry just shrugged.
Harry heard what sounded like Ted say something to the two before both looked back at him through the
mirror.
"There's been a change in plans for this morning's schedule," said Frank. "We're bringing Amelia Bones into the information loop. We want her to know what's going on before it happens."
"Thought you might," he replied. "That's why I gave her all those clues yesterday afternoon. It wouldn't be fair to her, after all she's done for me, to hit her with this... cold."
"And we agree," Frank replied. "We're just waiting for when we think she's going to be up before flooing her - well, Ted's flooing her."
Harry checked his bedside clock and thought a moment.
Muttering out loud, he said, "It's a Wizengamot day... the trial starts at 8.00am... she'll most likely want to be in the office about an hour early... so, I'd guess she'd
be rising about 6.00am and fixing to floo to her office at about six-thirty, quarter-to?"
Frank gave a snort of amusement and said, "Pretty much spot on. Do you want to be here for this?"
Shaking his head, he replied, "No. It's fine. I don't want to give my auror-shadows any indication you're up and awake. Have Sirius mirror-call me when I can meet you at the Ministry."
There were more voices off to the side at the other end and Frank said, "Ted will be coming by to pick you up at seven-fifteen. We'll arrange a rendezvous with him before then."
"Sounds like a plan!" he declared. "I'll see you then."
More murmuring, then Frank said, "Alice and I are very much looking forward to it. Mirror off."
Harry quietly gave a huff of amusement before he
lobbed the mirror onto his bed and quickly stripped to take his shower.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Breakfast started off tense for Wendell and Monica, who both knew what sort of day it was going to be for the two teens. However, when they saw that Harry was quite stress-free and even a little excited about what the day would bring they, too, relaxed.
"Just remember, Harry, the basis of the Fog of War," said Wendell. "You do not know what your enemy is up to. You only have a guess, irrespective of how accurate it may be. And no plan survives first contact with the enemy."
"Wow, Wendell," he said. "I'm not going to war!" Then he thought a moment and said, "Actually, I see your point. It is a conflict. First, me defending Sirius
against the Ministry; and second, me somewhat going toe-to-toe with the Longbottom regent."
"Exactly," said Wendell. "Two battles, with both battlefronts being the same - the field of law.
"I'd have loved to have had the time to come and watch this Wizengamot of yours in judicial session and then also see it in legislative session for the comparison."
"It's not that much different than muggle magistracies, Wendell," he said. "But, instead of a panel, there's a single magistrate referred to as Chief Adjudicator. Any member of the Wizengamot can also ask a question and expect it to be answered, so long as they're not declared out of order by the Chief Adjudicator.
"At the end of the trial phase and the beginning of the sentencing phase, the Chief Adjudicator then, usually under direction from the members, sets up the vote and what exactly will be voted upon by the
Wizengamot in the passing of judgement."
"So you and Ted have explained," smiled Wendell. "I'd still like a chance, some day, to see it in action."
"Once this day is done, I'll see what I can do," said Harry. "I'll even make sure you get plenty of notice, so you can adjust your schedule.
"I'm pretty sure the next scheduled meeting of the Wizengamot is in February. But, we won't know if there'll be a judicial sitting before or after that, though; until closer to the day."
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
About ten minutes after the Grangers left, Ted turned up.
Harry was going through his carded notes for the trial
when the man walked in, led by one of the aurors. "Good morning, Lord Potter," he greeted him. "Morning, Ted," replied Harry.
"All set?" he asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," smiled Harry. He then called, "Hermione!"
"There's no need to shout, Harry," she said, walking in a minute later. "There's excellent acoustics on the stairs."
"Is that how you do it?" he asked, staring at what Hermione was wearing. "I thought you'd put up a monitoring charm, or something, on the front path!"
"She looks hot!' he thought. 'I am such a lucky man.' She blinked at him for a minute and then let out a
chuckle. "That's actually a clever idea. But, no. I tend to leave my door open so I can listen for anything happening down in the entrance foyer. Can you set one up for me later?"
"Yeah, if you want," he replied. "Wow, Hermione; you look great!"
Hermione looked down at her attire and gave a slow twirl on the spot. "Henrietta picked it up for me. I like the colours and I'm told it shows... well, it makes me look good." Then gave a little blush.
'Oh, no. I almost told Harry it makes my breasts and hips look fuller,' she thought. 'Better be more careful, in future.'
"A-and...," she stuttered. "I knew you'd look good in that black with green trim. I thought you'd have worn your green shirt underneath, but the white actually looks better."
"You two ready?" Ted cut in.
"Yep," replied Harry, while Hermione replied, "Yes." "Where are the aurors?" asked Ted.
"Right here," said the senior auror of the contingent for the morning, walking in from back near the stairs leading down to the lower ground floor.
"Right!" said Ted. "Then, let us be off."
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
After a portkey deposited them in the portkey arrival point in the Ministry public atrium, the aurors made a sort of triangle around them - one in front and leading, the other two behind and a little out to each side - and led them up to the DMLE offices.
From there, they were led straight through to Madam Bones's office. All three of their 'contingent' aurors peeled away before Ted and the two teens entered the office.
As soon as he stepped within, being the last through, Harry saw Sirius, Frank and Alice were all already inside. Thankfully, the office was plenty big enough to hold them all quite comfortably. Bones was sitting behind her desk, facing them all.
"Welcome, Lord Potter... Mister Tonks... Miss Granger," she greeted them.
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Chapter 218
"Hello, Amelia," said Ted. Turning a little to Hermione,
he introduced the Longbottoms to her.
"Hello, Lord and Lady Longbottom," she softly said, dipping a little into a wizarding curtsey
"Enough of that... Hermione," said Alice. "I may call you Hermione, yes?"
"Yes..." she replied, hesitating.
"Alice," said Alice, walking towards her and bringing, by half-dragging, Frank with her. "And the big lug next to me is Frank. You and Harry have earned the right."
Hermione blushed and said, "Ummm... That was Harry―"
"Nonsense," said Alice, wrapping the girl in a hug. "We ladies know very well the men would be lost if we weren't there to show them the way."
Frank gave a slight snort of amusement as he stepped
in to hug her himself. "It's Frank," he firmly said.
"She right," said Harry. "I was being straight with you when I said I know I wouldn't have stood a chance during the first three years of Hogwarts if you weren't there with and for me."
Again, Hermione blushed at the praise.
"Well," laughed Alice, stepping forward to hug him. "At least you know that much. It's a good start."
Once everyone settled down again, sitting before Bones's desk in a somewhat haphazard curved line. Bones looked around and shook her head. She quietly said, "This is somewhat surreal."
Sirius snickered back.
"Oh," she suddenly said. "That reminds me..." She turned to look at the two teens and almost formally said, "On behalf of the Ministry of Magic and on behalf
of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones, I offer my congratulations... you two... on your betrothal. I'm sorry I hadn't remembered to voice that before now."
Harry grinned and said, "Thank you. And your mind's been on other matters, of late."
Hermione blushed and quietly replied a moment later, "Thank you."
Bones gave a nod back and said, "Well, Lord Potter; I believe the muggle phrase is... 'You've pulled another cat out of your hat'?"
"Rabbit," said Hermione. "But, the context is right."
"Rabbit, then," she nodded back. "I wonder what's next in your repertoire."
Harry just smiled back. He actually didn't really know. "Alright," said Ted. "We don't have much time. How
are we going to do this?"
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Albus Dumbledore rose and had breakfast with the rest of the school before retiring to his office. Once inside he warded the office apartment set to a high degree before going to his apartment and changing.
He changed into one of his remaining finest set of robes, this one was in fuchsia with orange trim, and readied himself for a day at the Ministry.
The wards he had caused to be erected would state for the castle's wards - and, therefore, for Marchbanks - that he was in his apartment, apparently taking a nap for a couple hours; before then showing him in his office, sitting at his desk and working.
Once set, he fortified himself for his soon-to-be
meeting with young Harry in the Wizengamot chambers before the trial could even start, took a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace. It was quite obvious young Harry would be there for the trial of his godfather.
"Ministry of Magic," he firmly said, before stepping in.
Barely a moment later he found himself stepping out... right into the Headmistress's office.
"Hello, Albus," she said to the now very shocked man. "You didn't think I would figure out what you were planning to do? Tsk tsk tsk!"
"Errr..." he stuttered, flummoxed he'd been so easily foiled. He'd forgotten the internal floo system could be redirected by the Headmaster or -mistress. Obviously, though, Marchbanks hadn't.
"Griselda," he calmly replied.
"Headmistress Marchbanks!" she snapped. "Alllll- beee."
Dumbledore scowled and quietly snapped, "Quite."
"Now," she said, sitting up a little straighter and pulling a file from her desk drawer before placing it in her desk. "That'll be yet another very naughty thing you tried I'm adding to your developing list of black marks against you.
"You have been told repeatedly you weren't to leave the castle during school hours without prior permission from me. And, yet, here we are again.
"You can consider yourself in 'detention', Professor Dumbledore. Go back to your office apartment, take down those silly wards you put up to make me think you were still there and stay there until I call for you. A house elf will be taking you lunch. Expect to be released some time before dinner.
"Use the time, wisely. I'll soon be asking staff for accelerated teaching programmes for each of their classes to make up for the time the students have been away.
"You are dismissed."
Dumbledore spun on his foot and stalked from the room without a word. This time, like the previous time, he closed the door himself.
Just before he left, though, Marchbanks tagged him with a tracker from behind. If Dumbledore found it, so be it. She didn't really care. But, it would lead him to a wrong conclusion, she was sure.
Once she was sure Dumbledore was gone, she cancelled the redirection on his floo and then had it deactivated completely.
With a nod to herself for a job well done, she gathered what she needed for the rapidly approaching
Wizengamot meeting, activated her own floo and stepped through.
Because she knew none of the other professors would aid him, the only way out for the old man now was walking out through the front gate.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Just before the start of the hour of 8.00am - an hour earlier than normal due to the following general meeting - everyone involved in what was soon to happen from Harry's 'side' were in place.
The Longbottoms were sitting under DMLE-approved glamours next to Hermione and closest to the stairs leading down onto the floor. Harry, Ted and Sirius were on the main floor already and ready to go. Bones had gone into the back area to be with the other Members. And Andi had turned up, not seen the
Longbottoms because the glamours were already in place, gave Ted a quick kiss on the cheek and ducked back to join the Members. She looked almost giddy with excitement, for which Ted had to quietly, but firmly, tell her to quickly get under control.
As the clock struck two minutes to the hour, the members all filed in and took their Seats. Augusta Longbottom had the Chief Adjudicator's seat.
As soon as the clock struck the hour, the old dragon banged her gavel once and said, "Yesterday, I had cause to be placed upon the agenda for today, the forced questioning of the young Lord Potter, regarding the whereabouts of my missing son and his wife. We will be starting with that first."
Bones immediately snapped out, "Point of Order, Chief Adjudicator. That matter was immediately stripped from the agenda within minutes of it appearing there, as it is not a matter for this body to discuss."
Snapping to stare at Bones as soon as she'd said, 'Point of order', Longbottom snapped back, "Overruled! We will be questioning―"
"Point of Order, Regent Longbottom!" yelled Bones. "This body is currently sitting in judicial review on a single matter! Now is not the time―
"It bloody well is if I decide it is!" Longbottom yelled back. "I am the Chief Adjudicator and if I decide it will be, then it bloody well will be!"
Bones quickly stood to her feet and said, "I, Amelia Susan Bones, Regent of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Acting Madam Minister of Magic, hereby call for a vote of no confidence in the Longbottom regent in her role as Chief Adjudicator for this trial. She has already demonstrated a direct bias against the wizard speaking as counsel for the Defendant of the case. As such, I call for the
immediate vote!"
Longbottom surged to her feet and whirled to face Bones, her wand already in her hand and spitting sparks from the tip. "You... you―"
"Say it, and you'll be arrested on the spot!" snapped Bones.
The aurors were already moving to intercede.
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Chapter 219
Longbottom was quivering in rage, staring back at Bones.
She then screamed, "He has my son! My son! I want
him back!"
"As you seem to have lost control of your senses," said Bones. "I will call the vote. All those in favour of the motion... vote now."
Slowly wands started to rise. It took a long few seconds, but more than a clear half voted in the affirmative.
When it looked like no more wands would be raised, Bones snapped, "All those against the motion, vote now."
Far less than a quarter raised their wands.
Bones then snapped, "As the vote has fallen against you, Regent Longbottom, you are hereby stripped of the Chief Adjudicator's position of this matter. Lord Ogden, as you did just recently, would you do us the honour?"
Ogden stood and firmly stated, "I will."
As he started to move down to the Chief Adjudicator/Warlock seat, Longbottom stood there, unmoving, quivering in rage.
As Ogden moved to stand near her, he said, "Regent Longbottom, you stand relieved."
She gave an almost quiet cry of her rage and stormed off to sit in the Longbottom Seat. Unlike her normal behaviour, she almost dropped into it with a crash of her slight frame. Then sat there staring with hate at Harry.
He couldn't have cared less. Her claws would be stripped from her well before lunch.
'Make yourself comfortable, bitch,' he thought. 'The next hour or two will be the last time you ever sit in that Seat, if I have anything to do with it.'
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
With Ogden now installed as Chief Adjudicator, the trial commenced.
Bones was prosecuting as normal for a high profile case involving one of the Noble Houses and Harry was letting Ted deal with the finer points of law and objecting where necessary, as planned. He was after all a law-wizard, while Harry was not.
Sirius was even happily admitting to everything, even going so far as to talking about what enchantments he had placed on the motorcycle after he legally bought it, brand new, from a reputable Harley Davidson retailer just south of London.
"It's a 1981 Harley Davidson FXB 80 Low Rider Limited Sturgis Edition," Sirius almost excitedly said. "Sweeeet ride, it is! Had only six tenths of a mile on
the odometer; and that was put on there during factory testing.
"Muggle avoidance, impact avoidance, muggle Notice- Me-Not in flight mode and even a temporary jet boost for those times you need to get out of an area with all due haste!
When Bones, confused, said, "Then, I do not understand. If you have admitted to breaching the law, why not just pay the fine and be done with it?"
Ted, not Sirius, responded, "That will be shown as part of the Defence's arguments, Madam Bones."
Completely confused with what she was hearing, as were all the Members, Bones soon rested her case stating, "Though he has pleaded not guilty, the defendant has admitted guilt in his own responses. Personally, I'm at a loss. The Ministry rests."
Ogden shook his head and said, "Mister Tonks and...
Lord Potter. The Defence may begin its arguments."
Harry walked forward a few steps and laid his hand on Sirius's shoulder, where he sat in the accused's chair - the chains lazily draped over him.
"Thank you, Chief Adjudicator," said Harry. "I will begin by offering fair warning. You and the rest of the Wizengamot are about to be publicly embarrassed. You will be embarrassed because I, with the assistance of Mister Edward Tonks, am going to prove to you that this Statute, the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Statute, under which my... client... has been charged is so ridiculously stupid as to beggar belief."
That earned him quite a few grumbles of annoyance.
"Through four examples, I will also be proving, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the following are complicit in outrageously breaching that Statute themselves.
"They are: the legally defined body known as the Ministry of Magic, the legally defined body known as the Board of Directors of Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the legally defined body known as the Board of Governors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, et al.
"Furthermore, I shall be proving that in two of the examples I will be presenting, the legally defined body known as the Ministry of Magic, while operating under the direction of the Wizengamot of the day, engaged in flat-out grand larceny of not one, but two, significant muggle artefacts as defined in the Statute, before themselves breaching the Statute even further by wilfully and permanently enchanting said muggle artefacts."
Harry had to stop because the noises of outrage coming from the Members was starting to drown him out. With a smirk on his lips, he looked pointedly at Ogden and negligently gestured to the members. That snapped the somewhat elderly man out of his shock
Sirius was laughing himself almost silly in his seat.
While he stood there as Ogden began to repeatedly bang his gavel, Harry was looking at the reactions of the Members. Specifically he was looking for those who had little to no reaction.
There was Longbottom, of course, who just sat there staring holes in him; but also Madam Bones, who was pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes scrunched closed as if in pain; Andi Tonks, of course, who had a 'fair idea' what he would do; and, he noticed, Madam Griselda Marchbanks, who was smirking back at him with a twinkle in her eyes.
He impudently grinned back at her, which had the old woman beginning to appear to chuckle. She was even tapping the cane she was holding upright between her legs, lightly upon the floor.
Once the noise settled with some of the Members
glaring at Harry and some now confused and angry that they were, Harry said, "Chief Adjudicator Ogden, I must protest, most strongly, at the vociferous interference in my defence of Lord Black. The behaviour of a clear majority of Members, within seconds of me commencing my arguments, is most unseemly!"
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Chapter 220
When the Members immediately got their goats up again, this time Ogden was very quick to bang his gavel before the noise got out of hand.
A soon as the noise quietened down, this time Bones jumped in before Harry could say anything.
"Chief Adjudicator Ogden, if I may?" she loudly asked.
Turning to her he asked, "Madam Bones?"
"May I have a few minutes to speak with... counsel for the defence while the Members use this time to settle themselves down?" she asked.
Ogden turned to look at Harry, who immediately turned to Ted and shrugged. Smirking, Ted gave a very gentle nod back.
Harry spun back to look at Ogden and said, "Sure! Why not? How about Madam Prosecutor and we two converse for... fifteen minutes? Perhaps the Members would like to take a break."
"You have ten," sighed Ogden. "We recess for ten minutes!" he called and banged his gavel before rising.
As Madam Bones came down to talk, Harry threw up a
privacy field, which Ted enhanced with his own that made them appear murky to anyone outside the field.
Madam Bones walked through it only seconds later. "What, in Merlin's name, are you up to?" she sighed.
Harry grinned at Ted and asked, "Shall we show her what evidence we're going to present?"
Ted chuckled and said, "We may as well. The trial has already started, so there's not much she can do to stop it if we don't want it stopped."
Harry began to lay out his documented evidence in four piles. One each for Saint Mungo's, the Hogwarts Express, the Knight Bus and the K6 red telephone kiosk, commonly called a phone box, outside the Ministry of Magic and acting as the public entrance.
As he did, Madam Bones walked around to see what he'd laid out.
"The first one is the evidence relating to Saint Mungo's, specifically the building in which it resides," he began. "As you can see from the records, both muggle and Ministry, the building is of muggle construction and was bought from a muggle company called Purge and Dowse, Limited. The building was purchased by the Board of Directors, muggles were Obliviated, and the inside enchanted. That makes it an enchanted muggle artefact, as defined by the Statute.
"The second one is of the Engine for the train known today as the Hogwarts Express. It was built by the muggle company known as London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) founded on 1 January, 1923. It is a Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 commonly known as a 'Black Five'. Between 1934 and 1951, 842 were built.
"In 1941, locomotive No. 5425 was severely damaged in a Luftwaffe air raid. That train was then stolen - that's larceny, Madam Bones - by the Ministry of Magic from the place where it was damaged. One hundred
and sixty-seven Memory Charms and the largest ever mass Concealment Charm performed in Britain, all co- ordinated by the Ministry, were employed in the theft. It was then moved to a wizarding site, repaired and enchanted.
"A statement from a Wizengamot meeting of the time and found in Ministry records was, 'Due to its Muggle origin, many pure-blood parents disapprove of the train, but can do little about it as the Ministry has forbidden any other method of travelling to Hogwarts.'
"That makes the Ministry of Magic complicit in the larceny of a muggle artefact from its rightful muggle owners. And complicit in forcing all witches and wizards going to Hogwarts to break the Statute by making them ride the train.
"I also have here a list of all those who were involved. You'll notice some of those names are of Members currently sitting in the Wizengamot, right now. That means they are all guilty of the crime of Conspiracy to
Commit Grand Larceny, Burglary, a breach of the same Statute for which Lord Black now sits for judgement, plus much more.
"And I've made no inference about the actual carriages, yet. Each of those is also a muggle artefact, which has been enchanted.
"The third one is the stolen muggle artefact known in wizarding Britain as the 'Knight Bus'. It was constructed by the Associated Equipment Company, who simply used the acronym AEC until they folded in 1979. AEC was a muggle British vehicle manufacturer which built buses, motor-coaches and lorries.
"The Knight Bus is actually an enchanted AEC Regent III RT and is a variant of the mass-produced AEC Regent III. It was a double-decker bus until it was stolen sometime in the late 1930s from its rightful owner, the Glasgow Corporation. And was originally intended to be an exhibit at the 1939 Commercial Motor Show. However, muggle police records show it
never made it there and it's listed as motor vehicle theft.
"The current Knight Bus is actually a replacement for one established in 1865 by then Minister for Magic, Dugald McPhail. He hit upon the idea of imitating the Muggles' relatively new 'bus service'. Very soon afterwards the Knight Bus of its day hit the streets.
"Some wizards of the time - mainly pureblood fanatics - announced their intention of boycotting what they dubbed 'this Muggle-esque outrage' in the letters page of the Daily Prophet. Old records of the Daily Prophet of the time report on this."
Tapping another page, he continued, "This... is a list of the people involved in the first... acquiring... of the Knight Bus, the first one; and I think I can build a pretty good case against one Earnest Prang for illegally acquiring the second and enchanting it. That's the one now being operated by him.
"The fourth example is the red telephone kiosk - or, box - that is the supposed public entrance of this very building. It is of muggle construction by the British muggle Government entity known today as British Telecom. The kiosk is known by the model number 'K6'. The crown that decorates the lintel above the door shows it be a depiction of Saint Edward's Crown, which means it was... acquired... after 1955, which is when that particular crown was first used.
"The telephone inside of it, yet another enchanted muggle artefact, is an Automatic Electric payphone model 233G built by The Gray Telephone and Pay Station Company of Hartford, Connecticut, under contract with Western Electric. Both are muggle companies in the USA. Western Electric provided such phones in the United Kingdom only to British Telecom; and British Telecom have not sold a single one of them on. That means it, too, is stolen. It, too, occurred sometime after 1955.
"I have here a list of the folks within the Ministry who
were involved in that, including the Obliviators, the Directors of Departments who signed off on it, including your own, the then Minister and a few others. Again, some of those folks currently sit on those Seats before us."
Stepping back, he looked directly to her. "Now, Madam Bones, here's your problem: Under the Statute, for which Lord Black has been charged and you've just argued should be fined, you've now seen how over four hundred and fifty-two wizards and witches, almost all of them working for the Ministry of Magic or Saint Mungo's at the time, or sitting as Members of the Wizengamot at the time, have both outrageously ignored the Statute, for whatever reason, and most of them also complicit in the act of larceny. Why'd they do it? Because, they didn't consider themselves bound by it?
"If the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot, let alone all the rest of the people I'll force you to go out and arrest and charge with the same and a similar crime
you're prosecuting Lord Black for, don't think the Statute is worth them having to obey, why the Hell do you think anyone else should?
"As you now know and could easily be provided proof of, the Statute requires those artefacts all be stripped of their enchantments and, in the case of the stolen ones, returned to the rightful muggle owners.
"Translating that, it means, One: You would be required to toss everyone out of Saint Mungo's; they'll just have to find somewhere else to be sick, dying, treated, whatever. Two: Go and get the Hogwarts Express from wherever it is stored when not in use and strip it of all enchantments before taking it somewhere muggle and dumping it. The students will have to find some other way to get to Hogwarts when school starts back up - Oh, wait, they can't! The Ministry ordered that no one can travel to Hogwarts without doing so via the Hogwarts Express. No Hogwarts Express means no one can go to Hogwarts. Oops. I guess the school will need to be shut down
until the Ministerial degree is rescinded. Three: Go drag Earnie Prang's sorry arse off the Knight Bus, strip it of its enchantments - including that ridiculous third deck - and return it to the muggles. And, Four: go close down the public entrance to the Ministry, strip the red telephone box and the telephone inside it of its enchantments and give it back to its rightful owners, British Telecom.
"Now, while you're cogitating that, think of this: How many muggle artefacts... as they are defined in the Statute... are used every day by witches and wizards who create portkeys?