Hogwarts was different the last term. For one thing, there was no more Defence Against the Dark Arts. The class had been canceled for the remainder of the year for everyone except fifth and seventh years. Apparently, Dumbledore himself would be teaching those years. Additionally, they had been told there would be no Defence exam. Which was good, because honestly, what would the exam even be on? Lockhart hadn't taught them anything of value. Except, perhaps, for a lesson on the naivete of the wizarding world.
Another thing that was different, was the fact that they would be choosing classes. From next year on, they had to take at least two electives. They would still have to do the basics, History, Transfiguration, Defence, Herbology, Potions, Astrology and Charms, but they had to take two additional classes. The classes offered were-interesting.
Harry had no real idea what he was going to choose, only that he wanted to take Magical Theory. Unfortunately, that didn't count as one of the two. Also, that class only met once a week. The only other thing that he was sure of was that he wouldn't be taking Muggle Studies. He had enough of Muggles to last a lifetime. Even a wizard's lifetime.
So he decided to ask Professor Snape.
"What you take, Harry depends on what you want to achieve," Snape said, peering down his nose at Harry.
"That's the thing, sir. I have no idea what I want to do. I don't know what job I would want to get, or anything. How am I meant to decide now?"
Snape heaved a great sigh.
"Harry, your choices for third year are not absolute. You can drop classes, possibly even pick up classes. Besides, you will receive career advice shortly before taking your OWL's, and can make your decisions for sixth year based on that"
"Oh" was really all Harry could say.
"What my question meant, is are you like many of your peers who simply wish to choose the subjects that will be easiest to get high marks in, or do you want more?"
Harry was silent, mulling over the question.
' Of course, I want more. I want everything I can get'
"It has not escaped my attention how many students picked Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Both notoriously easy classes, and both classes that are not exactly the hotbed of interest for everyone"
"I want to be the best"
"Excuse me?"
Harry spoke louder. "I want to be the best at magic. As good as I could be, at least. I want to know everything I can, that will help me do things with magic"
Something, some strange expression crossed Snape's face for an instant.
"Well then, I would advise taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. If, as I assume you will, you take the Magical Theory option, then sixth year you will find many more optional classes become available. Warding, for example, is only available to one who has studied Ancient Runes and Magical Theory. Arithmancy is one that goes nicely with Magical Theory as well. If you truly want the foundation of Magic, these classes are your best option. If you wish to craft your own spells or potions one day, these classes will help you in that"
"What about Divination?"
Snape's face was totally unreadable.
"Divination is perhaps the most imprecise of all the magical arts. More than that, it is not something that can be learned if you do not have the innate talent, which is rare. If you did have the talent, you would be aware of it by now, on some level at least"
"Oh. I guess that's a no for me"
"Indeed. As for Care of Magical Creatures, unless you are planning on going into a career which will be dealing with them on a regular basis, you will be able to understand enough from reading the theory to deal with the creatures if you do ever come face to face with them"
"Thank you, sir," Harry said, standing to leave, "I think I have a better idea now"
"Harry" Snape called, as Harry was about to leave his office. "We must meet sometime, to prepare for your trial. I will not have you being an embarrassment due to not knowing courtroom etiquette"
"Yes, sir"
As the days drew nearer to the trial, Harry found himself getting increasingly nervous. He would have to speak publicly about what had happened. What if he sounded stupid? What if they didn't believe him? More than addressing the Wizengamot, he was worried about appearing in the daily prophet. There had been a blurb in the paper about the upcoming trial, and how a reporter would be on the floor to record it for the masses. It was quite-intimidating.
Luckily, there were plenty of distractions to be had at Hogwarts.
For one, there were the Quidditch finals. After training and training for hours in all sorts of formations, the actual game was extremely anticlimactic. Draco managed to catch the Snitch before either team had even scored once! Harry hadn't even touched a Quaffle that game. Nevertheless, the celebration was amazing, albeit having to drag Theo out of the common room when he passed out on the floor.
And after that, Harry began studying for exams. It was still early, but what with the trial coming up he would have a pretty big interruption. It would probably take a few days afterward to get it out of his head and get back into the swing of things.
The day of the trial dawned bright and hot. Harry put his dress robes on with trembling fingers. He didn't have that big a part to play, but he would be the first witness called, and he knew he had to be as accurate as possible.
He made his way down to Professor Snape's office, where he found Snape waiting for him in front of his fireplace.
"You have traveled by Floo before, have you not?"
"Yes, sir"
"Good. You will go first. Ministry of Magic"
Harry took some of the powder Snape held to him and threw it into the fire.
"Ministry of Magic!" He said, stepping into the green flames.
' God, I really hate this. There must be a better way of travel. Even apparition is better than this'
Soon enough, the terrible squeezing and crushing sensation finished and Harry stepped out of a fireplace onto a wooden floor in a large room.
He looked around at the place. It was impressive. Rows and rows of fireplaces, with gold surrounding them.
Harry looked up, expecting the ceiling to be enchanted like Hogwarts'. It wasn't, but it was a nice blue color, with strange golden symbols moving around it.
The fireplace behind him hummed, and Snape popped out of it.
"Come, we don't have much time to get there"
He followed Snape down the room, towards a set of golden gates with a wizard at a desk next to them. He wanted to stop and look at the fountain, but Snape didn't even slow down.
"Severus Snape, accompanying Harry Potter, who is here as a witness for a trial," Snape said to the wizard, who's badge labeled him Eric.
"Wands please," he said, in a bored voice.
Snape and Harry handed their wands over, and Eric ran them through an oddly shaped device, which would have looked perfectly at home on Dumbledore's shelf. After whirring and shaking for a few minutes, it let out two small pieces of paper, which he examined closely before saying "12 inches, apple, and dragon heartstring"
"That is mine," Snape said, and Eric handed his wand back.
"11 inches, holly and phoenix feather"
"Mine," Harry said after Eric made no move to return his wand.
"I keep these," he said, waving the receipts. "Courtroom ten. You know the way?"
"Yes," Snape replied curtly.
The courtroom itself was a large square room. There were rows of benches that rose up, leaving a chair in the middle of the room below, as if in a canyon.
Lockhart was already in the chair, chains binding his arms to it. Harry and Snape slid into the room just before the trial began.
"Let us begin," said the severe-looking witch sitting directly ahead of Lockhart, "Is everyone ready?"
After she received whatever sign she had been waiting for, she began speaking.
"Trial of the 17th of May into offenses committed under the ruling for protection of memories, by Gilderoy Lockhart, former teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Interrogators: Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Rufus Scrimgeour, Chief Auror. Court Scribe: Bartleby Skunk"
She peered at Lockhart through her monocle. "You will be representing yourself?"
"Of course," He said, giving a wide smile. It looked a bit odd against his much paler than usual skin.
"Lovely" she muttered.
"The charges are as follows: Fifteen counts of Obliviation without a license;
One count of Total Obliviation;
Two counts of Obliviation of a minor;
Attempted Obliviation of a minor;
Fifteen counts of Impersonation;
And finally, fifteen counts of Fraud. How do you plead?"
Lockhart's face had slowly been losing all vestiges of a smile during the reading, and he managed to squeak out "Not Guilty"
Immediately, the assembled witches and wizards began muttering to one another. One witch, in particular, wearing jeweled spectacles and curly blonde hair, seemed to be writing furiously.
' She must be the reporter'
"You lying bag of dragon droppings!" Came a furious shout from a plump, red-headed witch.
"Mrs. Weasley, sit down and be silent or you will be removed," Madam Bones said, and Mrs. Weasley did so, blushing strongly.
"The prosecution calls its first witness. Harry James Potter, please stand"
Harry stood up, feeling the stares upon him. The reporter looked like Christmas had come early.
"Please state your name and age for the record"
"Harry James Potter, age twelve"
"And you are a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? In your second year?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Please state what occurred between the accused and yourself"
For a moment, Harry wondered what would happen if he just started giggling. He got control of himself quickly though and began to talk.
"Professor Dumbledore had announced that I would be receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class for helping the Aurors in their investigation at Hogwarts. The next day, Lo- the accused told me to stay after his class"
"He was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, correct?"
"Yes. I stayed behind while the other students left"
"What did he want from you?"
"He-he wanted to accuse me of stealing his fame"
There was a smattering of laughter from the benches.
"What did he say, exactly?"
"At first, he wasn't making sense. He asked me if I thought he wouldn't realize. When I said I had no idea what he was talking about, he said it straight up. He said I was trying to steal his fame"
"And what did you say?"
"I-I was just taken aback. I laughed"
"And how did he react to that?"
"He got very angry. He said something about how I knew he had the Order of Merlin Third Class, and that I wanted to one-up him so I opened the Chamber of Secrets so that I could help the Aurors close it and get the First Class. He said I did this all because I knew I would never be as famous as him, or as accomplished"
One of the members of the Wizengamot actually started laughing hysterically at that. They waited a few minutes for him to calm down before Madam Bones asked: "And what did you say to that?"
"Um. I got angry. I uh, shouted at him"
"Understandable. What did you actually say, if you don't mind?"
"I said I was already more famous than him. Every Witch and Wizard in Britain knows my name. I said he was the worst Defence teacher in years, and that I didn't believe he did any of the things he said he did"
"And how did he react to that?"
"He went white. I said I was right, and it was all lies. But then he started speaking"
In his chair, Lockhart shifted, looking like he wanted to say something. Harry just carried on.
"He said that the only lie was that he had done them. That it was a public service, and that people wouldn't be interested in hearing about a witch with a harelip, no matter how many werewolves she had fought. How he deserved the fame. I asked him if they were just fine with that, but he said they didn't know. And that I wouldn't remember it either. He pointed his wand at me and said he would try not to take too much, and something about Eastern China. Then he tried to Obliviate me"
"How did you escape that?"
"I managed to dodge the spell. He told me to stay still and tried again, but I got a Shield charm up in time"
"You managed a Shield Charm that withstood it?" She asked, sounding impressed.
"Yes"
"Go, on. After casting the Shield Charm, what did you do?"
' I am not going to look very good, am I?'
"I uh, conjured some snakes, and sent them at him"
Muttering broke out around the courtroom again, while Harry waited for the follow-up question. When there was none, he carried on.
"After he sent the one snake across the room, I disarmed him. I told the snakes to stop him from leaving, and ran out of the room"
"You told the snakes?" Madam Bones said, incredulously
"I'm a Parselmouth," he said, shrugging.
The muttering grew to a loud level, and Madam Bones shouted "Quiet! Mr. Potter, go on. You left the classroom, and then?"
"I was shouting for help. Professor McGonagall came running. I told her what happened, and she sent some type of message to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. She told Dumbledore to bring his Pensieve. When she came into the classroom, Lockhart was cowering in the corner"
Everyone laughed at that. Lockhart started saying something but stopped himself.
"He told her I had gone mad and attacked him. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape came. I told them the story, and Professor Dumbledore asked me to give him my memory of what happened. They watched it. Then they, uh, contacted the Ministry'
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. Do you have anything to add?"
"No"
"Very well. Does the defense wish to question the witness?"
"Yes!" Lockhart shouted.
"Go on"
"Mr. Potter, bearing in mind that you are legally obligated to tell the truth. Do you deny that you are jealous of my fame?" Lockhart asked, triumphantly.
Harry just looked at him, bewildered.
"Not in the least. I've never wanted to be famous. I'm famous because my parents were murdered. I would rather no one knew who I was"
"Liar!" Lockhart said, gloatingly.
"Mr. Lockhart! You will refrain from insulting the witness! Do you have any further questions?"
"None. But I wish to add that the boy is obviously lying"
Madam Bones just looked at him.
"Noted"
"The prosecution calls Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"
Dumbledore stood up, looking resplendent in his silvery robes.
"Chief Warlock Dumbledore" Madam Bones said, reverently, "What can you add to Mr. Potter's tale?"
"Very little. As he said, I came to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with the Hogwarts Pensieve as soon as Minerva summoned me. After examining Mr. Potter's memory, I decided the Ministry needed to be called in. Additionally, we decided to check if any of the students had suffered any form of memory loss, and to examine them for Memory Charms"
"What did you find?"
"We discovered that two first-year girls, roommates, had memories removed. This was confirmed by myself, the school nurse, and a senior member of the Obliviator Squad"
"What can you tell us about their memories?"
"We were unable to restore their memories. The charm used was particularly powerful. As such, it would be dangerous to attempt a Memory Restoration. However, we were able to verify that one of the students had many memories from throughout the year taken, while the other one was only missing under an hour's worth"
Harry looked over where Mrs. Weasley was clutching her husband and crying in impotent rage. A suspicion began to fill him about who this first-year girl was.
"Was there any evidence that the accused was the one who cast these spells?"
"None, other than his own admission of being particularly skilled at them, and his own willingness to cast them on a student, as was shown with Mr. Potter"
"Thank you, Chief Warlock. Does the defense have any questions for the witness?"
"How do you know that Pensieve memory was accurate?" Lockhart said, looking hopeful.
"It was independently examined by a senior member of the Obliviator Squad, and the Chief Unspeakable of the Cave of Memories"
Lockhart's face fell. "No further questions"
Dumbledore sat back down.
"The prosecution calls Auror Kingsley Shacklebot"
A heavy set, dark skinned wizard stood up.
"Auror Shacklebolt, you were placed in charge of this investigation, correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Along with Oscar Cordimon, of the Obliviator Squad" He said, in a rich, deep voice.
"What were your findings?"
"In every village or location where the accused had supposedly performed his heroics, we found evidence of Memory Charms. We were successful in performing a Memory Restoration on one Mary-Ann de Albinio, of the wizarding village of Wagga Wagga. She is the "witch with a harelip" the accused made mention of"
"What was the result of the Memory Restoration?"
"She remembered fighting off werewolves after a series of attacks in the village. Shortly after, before it became common knowledge, she was approached by the accused, who feigned being a reporter, and interviewed her. The last piece of memory she restored, was turning around to pour some tea, and hearing him cast the Memory Charm at her"
"She is not present?"
"No. She is currently in St. Mungo's, being treated for severe trauma. However, her memory is in the court Pensieve, and has been examined by Oscar and the Chief Unspeakable"
"What else did you discover during the investigation?"
"We were particularly interested in Eastern China, based on the accused's statements regarding it. We discovered, that a wizard in the village of Xiochi, had suddenly lost all his memories approximately four years ago. Based on International Portkey usage, the accused was in the area during that time"
"When you say lost all his memories…"
"He was in a vegetative state, remembering absolutely nothing. He could not walk, nor feed himself, and was no longer even toilet trained. The healers on his case described it as similar to a victim of the Dementor's kiss"
A sea of horrified faces looked at Lockhart, who kept his eyes focused on the floor.
"Do you have anything further to add?"
"No, Ma'am"
"Does the defense have any questions for the witness?"
"No"
"Very well. There are no further witnesses to be called. Does the defense wish to call a witness?"
"No"
"Does the defense wish to make a statement before the sentence is handed down?"
"Only that I was correct in my actions. It was all for the sake of the public who deserved to know these stories and deserved a face they could look up to. I was right to do everything, and you all know it. And I didn't do anything to those girls, I didn't even remove their memories. You all know I was correct, I deserve to be famous, and you all wish you could do what I did"
Looking totally taken aback, Madam Bones recovered her composure long enough to say.
"All in favor of a life sentence in Azkaban?"
And every hand belonging to a Wizengamot member was raised.
"Very well. Gilderoy Lockhart, you are hereby sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban Prison, and I must say, it is rare to see one who deserves it as well as you do"
"NO!" Lockhart was screaming as he was dragged out of the courtroom by two Aurors. His screams and threats followed them, as he was pulled away.
"This trial is adjourned".
Arriving back at Hogwarts, Snape only said one thing to Harry.
"I wouldn't read the paper if I were you. That reporter" He filled the word with acid, "Is not known to be a kind, truth-seeking woman".
Harry took his advice.
It was really just a shame that all of Lockhart's fans didn't.