November 1994
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Next day after the announcement of Narcissa as new potions professor and head of the Slytherin house, this was the buzz in the wizarding world.
Newspapers, which should have had news about resumption of Dumbledore's trial had their front pages plastered with the image of Harry and Narcissa standing on the podium of the Hogwarts Great Hall.
Raising the temperature further was the vague acceptance from Narcissa's mouth about her divorce from Lucius.
Harry's enmity with Lucius was no secret and what had happened in the previous hearing was a further testament to this. And now Narcissa divorcing Lucius and then walking straight to Harry's side raised many eyebrows.
The Daily Prophet had written a scathing attack on Narcissa even to the extent of calling her a 'gold digger'. The Malfoys turning poor after their debt settlement with the Black family and her divorce the very next moment led to widespread acceptance of this view.
Narcissa's composure never changed as she read the newspaper and enjoyed her breakfast in the Great Hall. Only a subtle smile on her face was the only visible reaction she had given.
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November 1994
Ministry of Magic
Harry along with Minerva arrived in the atrium of the ministry. Tearing apart the vulture like crowd, they finally arrived in the Wizengamot hall.
Minerva walked to her seat. From this hearing onwards, she was going to have an additional vote as her status had changed from vice headmistress to headmistress of Hogwarts. The seat and the vote for the vice headmaster remained unoccupied.
Harry took his seat on his throne like chair and gave a nod to Andromeda who was standing in the well.
As was Harry's usual habit, he checked on the members sitting on the hall. He found Amelia Bones who gave him a smile. Cynus Greengrass was also sitting among the members.
Lucius Malfoy was also present with his stern face. Even so, Harry noted few abstentions. The Crabbe and Goyle Lords were absent and so was Tiberius Nott.
Few minutes were remaining for the beginning of the trial.
Dumbledore entered the hall just before the gates of the Wizengamot closed.
"It seems, I made it in time," chuckled Dumbledore.
"Let us begin," said Madam Marchbanks sitting on the chair of chief warlock. "Mrs. Tonks, you can continue your arguments from where you had stopped in the previous hearing."
Andromeda walked in the centre of the well, "Thank you, Madam Marchbanks."
She gazed all around the hall, "Before I move forward in my arguments, I would want a quick jog to memories about the previous hearing and few facts which we had established in the last hearing."
"First is definitely the clear admission from Dumbledore that he intentionally misled the investigation and also allowed for one of the major evidences in form of any magical residue left on the Goblet go to waste."
She continued, "Second is revelation about Dumbledore misusing his authority as chief warlock to seal the will of James and Lily Potter in an inappropriate manner and forcibly taking up the position of the magical guardian of Harry Potter."
"Third is his continuous negligence for 11 years, starting from sending Hagrid to a dangerous place.... to never visiting Harry Potter and checking on him," added Andromeda further.
"I must stress the fact that as its implication, when Harry entered the Wizarding world, he had no idea about anything. He had no understanding of what a wizard or witch is? What magic is?"
The members of the council listened in with rapt attention with expressionless face. All what was being said by Andromeda had already been established in the previous hearing. She was just summarising things.
Andromeda smiled, an evil smile, "Now, before we proceed..."
She faced Dumbledore, "Tell me, Albus Dumbledore, who is responsible for introducing the muggle born and muggle raised to the world of magic?"
Dumbledore was calm, "The vice headmistress, in this case Minerva McGonagall."
"And who introduced, Harry Potter?" Asked back Andromeda.
"Hagrid," replied Dumbledore with amusement. Before she could say anything, Dumbledore continued, "And before you ask... as a headmaster I have enough discretion in my hands. It would neither be viable not humanly possible to explain every little decision, I undertook in my official capacity."
"Sometimes such condition does arise when we have to take decisions based on discretions," added Dumbledore.
Andromeda still remained calm but her first attack to paint further 'negligence' from Dumbledore had failed.
She nodded, "Let us then move to the Hogwarts batch of 1991-92."
"Esteemed members of the council," echoed Andromeda's voice. "You may not have been aware but that year, Hogwarts was home for one of the most valuable artifacts in the world."
Everyone's expression turned into that of an intrigue and curiosity.
"Hidden by defences by so powerful, that it required three," Andromeda drew everyone to their edge of the seat. "… three wizards and witches and of first year to breach these protections to reach the philosopher's stone."
The entire audience gasped in shock, while Madam Marchbanks asked sternly, "Mrs. Tonks, do you understand what are you saying?"
"Only one person has the philosopher stone…" trailed Madam Marchbanks, her sentence incomplete but meaning complete.
Andromeda was calm, "Why don't we ask, Albus Dumbledore, what was the philosophers stone doing in Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore though calm but was still slightly annoyed. Typically, at any other place, he would have fed the logic that, Nicolas Flamel had asked for protection of the stone. But he could not use that reason here.
Firstly, there was a good chance that Nicolas himself will read the news and secondly, he knew, that Andromeda would mock him that why would Nicolas Flamel who had kept the stone for centuries would require his sudden protection.
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