Nodding, Harry looked at Hermione and saw she was in agreement. Turning back to Daphne, he said, "Let's do that, then. However, I also want to talk to Sirius first, though. But, I think I'm pretty sure in stating I think he'd even come with us if we were actually going to go."
"It's a plan," nodded Hermione.
She then reached out and pulled another sheet of parchment towards herself and asked, "Does anyone know to whom I'd have to address a letter to the Headmaster of Salem?" "To the Headmaster 'slash' Headmist... No. To the Principal, Salem Witches Academy, Salem Massachusetts," muttered Daphne.
"Of course," sighed Hermione, as if she was a little angry with herself. "They call them Principals, over there, don't they?"
Daphne just nodded.
"Don't get worked up about it, Hermione," Harry chided the girl. "You're not expected to know everything. Or, even remember everything you know as if with a snap of your fingers."
Again, the three dressed in their finest to attend the hearing before the Wizengamot. This time, it was Deece who came and collected them. Thankfully, however, Dumbledore did not try and stop them from leaving.
They entered the atrium via Floo, passed through the checkpoint, and headed directly to the same courtroom as before. Courtroom Ten; the largest available.
Harry caught the attention of one of the aurors on the main floor and asked, "Do I need to go into the antechamber, this time? Or, do I get to stay in here?"
"In here, Mister Potter," said the auror, who Harry recognised from before but didn't know. "Just take a seat at the table, over there." The auror pointed him to leftmost of a pair of tables sitting side-by-side with a four foot gap between them.
Harry went and sat at one of the chairs just as Stewart Ackerman walked in and headed across. He took the other seat of the two at the table and asked, "Alright there, Harry?"
"Alright, Stewart," he sighed.
"It appears your Headmaster is again up to his old tricks, eh?" the solicitor asked.
"Yeah," sighed Harry again.
As they were quietly conversing, Dumbledore walked in and took seat at the other table, as if he had not a care in the world. He did not even acknowledge Harry's or Stewart's attendance.
They were sitting for less than a minute when Percy Weasley, who was again sitting in the Court Scribe's seat, rose and intoned, "Hear ye! All those with business before the Wizengamot this day, please rise." Everyone stood as the Wizengamot filed in and took seat. At least, this time, they weren't all looking at him with distaste - or worse. The Pink Toad was not in attendance.
The one who took the centre chair, Harry recognised him as Tiberius Ogden, sat first and banged his gavel the once. "Be seated," he ordered.
After everyone sat, he turned to Percy and demanded, "What business brings us to assemble this day, Scribe?"
"You have, before you, a request - filed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore - to have the emancipation of Harry James Potter overturned," Percy dutifully replied.
"I see," nodded Ogden. Turning to the centre of the floor he asked, "Mister Dumbledore, you wish to proceed?" "I do, Acting Chief Warlock," Dumbledore. "And it's Chief Dumbledore, Acting Chief Warlock."
replied Warlock
"Not while you're sitting in that chair, it's not," disagreed Ogden, with a very slight smirk. "You claimed magical guardianship over Mister Potter as Mister Dumbledore; not Chief Warlock Dumbledore. If you had, I daresay you'd no longer be Chief Warlock, anyway."
Dumbledore just gave a short nod in reply, as if in acknowledgement.
Turning to look at Harry, Ogden asked, "Mister Potter, you wish to contest?"
As Ogden was speaking, Stewart laid his hand on Harry's near arm as if to hold him in his seat. Once the question was asked, he stood and replied, "Stewart Ackerman, solicitor and legal representative for Mister Harry James Potter. Mister Potter contests the claim."
"Very well," said Ogden with a nod, as if there was any doubt.
Turning back to Dumbledore, he instructed, "Mister Dumbledore, as the Applicant, it behoves you to prove your claim. The floor is yours."
What followed for the next twenty to thirty minutes was Dumbledore listing all the reasons he could think of for why Harry shouldn't be allowed to keep his emancipation. He made claims Harry was too young, too lacking of knowledge of the wizarding world, the Potter fortune was too large for such a young man to properly manage without oversight, he had no training in managing such a large fortune, and he was still a student and therefore did not have the time to rectify all those matters.
Then he switched to how he had dutifully taken care of the Potter fortune for the day Harry would then be able to properly deal with it, he kept Harry safe from remnants of the Death Eaters in the days after Riddle's disappearance, Harry's recalcitrant recent behaviour in school, and how Sirius had yet to put in an appearance and rightfully take Harry's guardianship - and that meant the guardianship should be returned to him.
During Dumbledore's testimony Ackerman was writing away and was simultaneously doing his best to keep Harry calm. Harry, for his part, was also writing short notes to add to the prodigious notes Stewart was taking, and passing them over. Once Dumbledore finished, his posture stood as if to say there could be no doubt Harry's emancipation should be overturned and guardianship returned to him, before he finally resumed his seat.
Once Dumbledore sat, Ogden turned to Stewart and asked, "Mister Ackerman; your response?"
Not rushing, Stewart rose to his feet almost negligently holding his notes within his grasp. He then started slow and kept the pace and cadence of his words calm and composed as he responded to each and every claim Dumbledore made. On two occasions he even agreed with Dumbledore's reasoning. But, that pointed out how unreasonable Dumbledore was being in other areas.
He then went into how Dumbledore, himself, agreed with Harry having to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. And mentioned that, by doing so, Dumbledore recognised Harry to be of-age. He then covered how two department Heads from the Ministry agreed, as did the other two Heads of School.
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