The result of Dumbledore's trial showed there was still far too many people on the Wizengamot that, according to Harry, thought the sun shone out of Dumbledore's arse.
While he was found guilty of some of the minor infractions, and the one major infraction of continually attempting to Obliviate Harry - that could not be argued away by anyone - Dumbledore escaped a prison term.
Instead, he at least lost his position of Britain's representative on the ICW, which meant he lost the Supreme Mugwump position with it, and lost the Chief Warlock position to go along with that, too.
Harry thought that meant he'd still be on the Wizengamot; but, surprisingly, he was not. It seems, as only a head of a Minor House, he only occupied the Seat of Potter as regent, which he had then passed on to Doge as proxy when he became Chief Warlock, and no longer held any other Wizengamot-eligible authorities.
Further, he received a fine for the attempted illegal obliviations. He received no gaol time for it because, as Harry showed in his memories, they did not 'stick'. Which meant they were only 'attempted' obliviations and not 'actual' obliviations. He was still fined a hefty financial penalty, though.
Harry's memories of the obliviations Dumbledore sent Poppy Pomfrey's way those times at the Dursleys had to be discounted because of two significant points, both of which Dumbledore - not so funnily enough - pointed out. First, the magical 'signature' of the obliviations was not, supposedly, Dumbledore's. And, second, the old man 'could have' been someone either under Polyjuice Potion or glamour. It was also he who 'noticed' that the wand the Dumbledore in memories was using was not the wand that 'everyone knew' was his own - it visually lacked the berry ridges down it's length.
Harry gave a sigh and said, as an aside to Hermione, "At least Bones will now know what the secret wand Dumbledore's been using looks like."
She silently nodded back.
When it came to his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts, Ogden was rather scathing of the man about that, too. Apparently, only the School Board could sack a sitting headmaster and, added to that, Dumbledore also held tenure as a professor. For the past twenty plus years he had been the only 'Professor', besides Binns, who still held a tenure-ship as all the rest had either retired or died in the interim. And Binns's was defunct due to his legal status as a ghost.
Harry found himself quite disgusted with the entire Wizengamot and thought them either corrupt, ignorant of their own laws or - as he'd been thinking all along about nearly all witches and wizards - daft morons; or, closer still, a combination of all three.
Many in the galleries were quite incensed about the 'light' penalty Dumbledore was given and were shouting abuse and obscenities at the Members. Quite a few seemed satisfied with the outcome, but most seemed to sigh in defeat and quietly left.
Then, even before the chains were removed from Dumbledore, the aurors ushered the two teens out via the auror's exit. Neville remained as he'd be talking with his Gran
They were quickly whisked away from the Ministry building and out into the muggle world.
_β_
β==(oIo)==β
Λ
At the completion of the trial, as arranged, Harry and Hermione were escorted by aurors out and to the Granger Residence.
It was getting a little late in the day and Hermione was worried her parents would be worried. However, when they got there, Hermione had to let them in with a key she had in a 'fob' pocket of her purse she was carrying with her.
As soon as she opened the door, she was pulled back and away from it as two aurors went in first.
One of the other two, a female auror who had grabbed her and pulled her aside, said, "Let us search the place first, Miss Granger. Constant vigilance and all that."
Meanwhile, the fourth auror stood with his back to the door, but far enough away that the two teens and the female auror were between he and the door.
A few minutes later, one of the aurors who first went in came back to the door and quietly said, "It's clear, except for a sleeping half-kneazle in a bedroom on the top floor."
"Crookshanks," said Hermione. "He's mine; but, where's Hedwig?"
"On her way, no doubt," shrugged Harry. "She should be here soon. She might already be out hunting."
Hermione immediately led Harry and the aurors through to the downstairs area and the servants' quarters - which Harry was surprised to see had its own small combined kitchenette lounge, two bedrooms with shared ensuite and external entrance that opened on the side of the house to a small set of stairs leading up to the side yard.
"This will be like heaven compared to some of the bodyguard jobs we've had to endure," muttered one of the two female aurors looking about in surprise.
"I take it you're all experienced with muggle homes?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, Miss Granger," replied the senior auror, a male. "All aurors, as part of their training, have to spend about a month living non-stop in the muggle world. We stayed in a... motel?"
"Motel, yes," nodded Hermione. "It's like a hotel, only with better access for vehicles. And the motel units often have their own kitchenettes, like we have here in the servants' quarters."
"Yes," muttered the auror.
Next up, Hermione took Harry by the hand and led him upstairs. She explained which room should be his, but there was none of his effects in it, before heading up to the top floor.
She immediately showed him her room, then took him across the landing to see the other two 'non-ensuited' guest rooms - there was a 'communal' bathroom leading off the landing at the back side of the house. In one, they found Harry's effects.
"Ummm..." muttered the girl. She seemed undecided.
"You suggested your parents might want me to use the guest room on the next floor down, right?" he asked. "The same one with the master bedroom?"
With a sigh of relief, she replied, "Yes, Harry. I think it would be for the best so Daddy doesn't worry you'll try to sneak into my room at night to... 'have your wicked way with me'." Then blushed.
"Trust me, Hermione," he said. "If I ever snuck into your room... and I'd never do that, by the way... there would be nothing 'wicked' about it."
One of the female aurors laughed and said, "Oh, to be a teenager again."
That had both teens blushing. The auror just laughed again.
To break through his embarrassment, Harry led the small party back down to the second floor.
When he walked into the guest room there, he called Dobby.
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