Chapter 56
Chapter 55
“What the ever-loving bloody hell just happened?!” Death watched his Master utter with a perplexed look on his face while he munched on a handful of popcorn. The skeletal figure looked to his older sister to see her smirking. “By mother’s britches, what did you do?!”
“Just moved things along,” Fate stated impassively. “I just couldn’t stand to have that old coot laying low for so long.” She grumbled. “He’s been manipulating people and their fates for far too long. I normally overlooked his manipulations as they were minor blips in the grand scheme of things, but his recent actions would have resulted in a rift in space and time itself. You, my dear brother, would have become his unwilling puppet had he succeeded.”
“I… what?! Wait! How?!” Death sputtered.
“If your Master had proceded to defeat Riddle, then Dumbledore would have been laying in wait, having been tipped off by his second spy within the Deatheaters,” Fate growled.
“Second spy?!”
“Did you think Severus Snape was his only spy?” She shot back. “Snape was his best, I will admit to that, but there is a saying. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. Snape likely suspected that for a long time, especially after Dumbledore still kept getting accurate intelligence after he was discovered.”
“When the battle was over and done and your Master suffered from both physical and mental exhaustion was when Dumbledore would pounce. He still had those slave shackles, remember.” She chided. “If your Master becomes a slave, you become a slave.”
“I… that’s…”
“No need to thank me, little bro,” Fate stated with a smirk while flicking her brother’s forehead. “Be grateful Mother left me in charge. This reality wasn’t even supposed to come to this conclusion.”
“You know it, I know it.” Fate’s voice turned serious. “This reality was destined for fire and brimstone. No one accounted for Death himself to intervene, breaking the rules of reality and dropping one of his Masters into this world.”
“That’s not,” Death started to argue but stopped at seeing his elder sister’s ‘don’t-give-me-that-BS-face’.
“I wished to avoid these realities, but I can’t,” Death confessed. “Whenever my Master calls, whichever Master it is, I will answer. The fact that this Harry Potter died young in this reality is a blessing. What he would have become,” The skeletal figure shuddered and grimaced. “Raised as a lamb to the slaughter was putting it mildly. The young Master would have found his godfather sexually assaulting his professor. He would blame himself for being unable to save Snape, spiral into depression, and his Headmaster would get his hooks into him, having him collect the Hallows. Harry’s one rebellion resulted in Snape, still shackled to Sirius Black, dying in front of his eyes, turning him nearly catatonic.” Death uttered, his voice laced with both pure venom and resignation. Both he and his elder sister knew what was to become of that reality’s Harry. Of Death, like it had in so many other realities.
“I just,” Death muttered. “It is rare that my Master ever falls for his true soulmate,” he confessed. “You know it, I know it. It’s Mother’s sick twisted game at times! One cannot be the Master of Death and be happy simultaneously! No matter which reality, Harry Potter will always be the Master of Death!” the Grim Reaper shouted in frustration. If there are some realities where I can give him happiness, then I will do so with all my might.”
Fate nodded as she knew of the burden the title carried all too well and how it affected her brother. For this realm she was pulling the strings though, so she motioned Death to look into the viewing pool again. “I think a happy ending can be arranged.”
Back in the room, chaos still reigned. This meeting room was not the courtroom where trials normally were held, but Harry knew what ‘iudicium celer’ meant. The Headmaster must have been really confident that he could come out of this unscathed if he requested what no sane man would normally do. The term basically boiled down to the request for a speedy trial. Normally, the accused’s barrister would have but a week or less to prepare before such a trial was to start, as a full Wizengamot meeting had to be called for such an event.
However, considering that Dumbledore had requested this right before the actual Wizengamot meeting had started, and every Lord was already present in the building, magic bound the Wizengamot to hold his trial as fast as possible.
“The old coot is barmy,” Harry muttered.
“He is likely banking on the fact that the Ministry isn’t ready yet to present their evidence,” Severus stated. “Auror reports might not have been finalized yet or are tied up in bureaucratic red tape. Any witnesses would have to be contacted hastily to testify, and the prosecuting barrister would have no time to prep his witnesses either. It’s a double-edged sword.”
“Fuck, don’t tell me he’s going to walk,” Harry growled as he glared at the former Headmaster.
“No, no, he’s not,” Severus stated decisively. “Mordecai shared with me something very interesting,”
“What are you planning?!”
“I promised to deliver you the Headmaster on a silver platter, did I not?” Severus stated. Harry nodded and was still glaring at Albus, whose chains had been secured to the middle of the room’s floor. Dumbledore looked up, possibly feeling those furious eyes upon him. He and Harry locked eyes, and his widened momentarily, as if shocked to see Harry seated amongst the Lords and Ladies.
“Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Your petition for ‘iudicium celer’ has been honored, and you stand trial here before your peers on the following charges.” Madam Bones announced.
“Embezzlement of Hogwarts funds.”
“Fraudulent misrepresentation of contracts,”
“False imprisonment of Sirius Black the Third.”
“Dark magic usage on Sirius Black the Third.”
“Attempted line theft of the Gaunt and Slytherin lines.”
Several Lords gasped at this. Line theft was a serious matter for Purebloods and to hear that a Founder’s line was involved, that just made it all the more serious.
“Facilitating and endorsing child abuse of the Gaunt and Potter Heirs,”
More gasps of shock.
“Attempted murder of the Potter Heir.”
“44 counts of illegal potion dossage of Ministry personnel and two counts of illegal potion dossage of minors.”
Conspiricy to commit treason,”
“How do you plead?” Madam Bones asked as she stared down at Dumbledore.
“Not guilty,” The former Headmaster responded. “I am sure that this is all a misunderstanding.”
“The court asks for the use of Veritaserum. What say you?” Madam Bones then asked.
The ‘Ayes’ and ‘Nays’ uttered in the room were being tallied, and Harry grimaced as he realized that the ‘Nays’ were winning. Now he knew another reason why Dumbledore had wanted such a speedy trial. He had banked on the supporters he still had within the Wizengamot, quite a lot as reflected in the ‘Nays’. ‘Sheeple, the lot of them,’ Harry thought as he too, saw Madam Bones and Lucius frown. They hadn’t expected this much support for Dumbledore still, especially after announcing the multitude of charges.
“The Nays have it,” Madam Bones announced unhappily. “The trial shall proceed without Veritaserum,”
“I VETO THAT DECISION!” Severus stood up and announced decisively, shocking the whole room.
“You cannot veto this decision,” Madam Bones stated.
“I can, under the Pendragon clause of the Treaty of Abernethy of 1072 signed by the Magical artistocracy on both sides. The same Treaty that the Ministry of Magic has agreed to uphold when it was founded in 1707.” Severus stated. “These laws were never changed, and as the Prince family is a direct descendant of the Pendragon Kings, the veto right or, more accurately, Le Roy le veult, stands.”
“And just to prove a point,” Severus stated as he whipped out his wand. “I, Severus Tobias Snape, vow on my magic that all that I have claimed here has been the truth, so mote it be.” With that, Severus cast a Lumos, showing that his magic indeed hadn’t been taken away and that Magic had deemed his claim authentic.
“As Magic has validated Lord Prince’s claim, the vote has been vetoed due to Royal Assent. Aurors, please administer the Veritaserum to the accused.” Madam Bones ordered.
Dumbledore struggled as the Auror to the left of him produced a vial of clear liquid. However, that struggle soon faded once his mouth had been pried open and three drops were administered. Th former Headmaster’s eyes turned glassy. Madam Bones proceded to ask the control questions however, the room was stunned upon the reply to the first question.
“State your name for the record.” Madam Bones had asked.
“Gellert Grindelwald.” The admission left everyone speechless before chaos broke out once again.