Hermione was outraged that their justice system seemed so barbaric. However, as she thought about it, it became clear that because there were so many different magical ways to alter things, that it was almost impossible to have any real semblance of legal proceedings. Trials were useless unless there were dozens of eyewitnesses. 'Poor, Sirius.' She thought to herself when she realized why he had been sent to Azkaban without a trial, the Wizengamot felt it didn't need to bother because there were so many witnesses.
Remus was angry; he knew that Dumbledore or Fudge could have ordered a trial to confirm some of the facts. The murder of the muggles was probably a lost cause without Peter, but it could have come out that Sirius wasn't the Potter's Secret Keeper. The members of the Wizengamot didn't feel the need to explore what they considered a non-issue and Dumbledore didn't seem to expend any effort to capture Peter either. Remus' resolve to capture Wormtail alive solidified.
Harry was silently fuming again. Frustrated, he thought, 'Well, Sirius can never come in to face trial. A trial would see him sent back to Azkaban for the murders that Wormtail committed that fateful day.'
Sirius Black was sitting on the floor, trying very hard not to bite the two posturing politicians in front of him. He had never realized how thoroughly that the rat had framed him, until now. He would remain a fugitive for the rest of his long life. Resigned, he lay his head down on Harry's feet, and concentrated on what was being discussed.
Something that Harry had said was tickling his thoughts, turning to him, Dumbledore said in his kind voice, "Mr. Potter, where were taken when you were Portkeyed away?"
Harry paused a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. He didn't want to give away too much so he 'Fudged' the truth slightly to suit his needs as he spoke, "I hit my head and was knocked out when I arrived. When I woke up, Voldemort was standing in front of me and he was torturing someone in a white mask and a black robe. Pettigrew was kneeling on the ground about ten feet from me along with a half a dozen or so other figures in black robes and white masks."
Still trying to earn points with Harry, Dumbledore said, "You see, Cornelius, Mr. Potter says he saw Pettigrew and Voldemort at the same time this evening."
"Rubbish. Who knows what spells were used on this boy by Black? The Dark Lord is dead, Dumbledore. You don't just come back to life after being dead for thirteen years!" spittle was flying from the corners of Fudge's mouth as he spoke.
The research that Remus had been doing about Harry's connection flooded to the front of his thoughts from Fudge's declaration. He paled considerably when he realized what that scar on Harry's head really was, a Horcrux.
Dumbledore saw Remus stiffen out of the corner of his eye. 'Did he know something about Horcruxes?' he thought in concern. Trying to distract Remus and remain in control of the fast changing situation, he said in his kindest tone, "Harry, were you injured other than hitting your head?"
Pensively, Harry thought, 'He's looking for something, almost as if he knows what Voldemort did to regain a body.' Deciding to throw some of Dumbledore's own tactics back at him, Harry answered with a question of his own, "Do you have an idea how Voldemort got a body back?"
Fudge realized that they were ignoring him in favor of talking about a dead Dark Lord. Irritated, he snapped, "Enough of this foolishness. Mr. Potter obviously doesn't know where he was taken, or by whom, so we can close this discussion and get on with the award ceremony to close the tournament." Rising from his chair, Fudge said, "I expect all of you down in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes for the award ceremony."
As he walked down to the Great Hall, Fudge was trying to come up with an acceptable story to cover the loss of the Triwizard Cup. He never noticed the young woman standing in the shadows watching him as he strode hurriedly past, lost in thought.
The room was silent for a few minutes after the Minister left for the Great Hall. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, trying to sort out what had just been discussed.
After a few minutes, Dumbledore finally spoke, his tone was gravely serious, "What really happened this evening, Harry?"
Not willing to play games right now, Harry coolly replied, "You seem to have some thoughts on the matter, sir. Why don't you tell me how Voldemort got a new body?"
Harry just sat there, gazing around the room, thinking. He wasn't going to answer any questions without getting his own answered first.
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