Renouncing Magic's Child

The door of the office opened ... chests rising and falling gently.

"Pretending more like," Albus said with a small smile.

Cornelius Fudge was standing ... "How are you?"

"And to think only a few weeks later he was calling you deranged," George said between gritted teeth.

"Fine," Harry lied ... "It was you who found him, was it not?"

Harry glared at the book. He didn't like Fudge one bit.

"Yes," ... she'd have a job hiding, wouldn't she?"

"Good boy," Sirius murmured quietly. If you overheard someone it was always better to acknowledge it. Well, most of the time. There were certainly some exceptions to the rule.

Dumbledore smiled ... perhaps if you just go back to your class -"

"He's there to see the headmaster!" Minerva complained. "What right does the minister have to send him back to class?"

"I wanted to talk to you ... "Hello, Fawkes," he said.

Albus smiled. Harry shared a special connection with his familiar.

Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, ... It had stopped hurting now.

"That's good," the parents in the chamber said almost as one.

He felt much calmer ... pulled open the cabinet door.

Albus frowned. That was odd. Why weren't any of the portraits telling Harry to stop snooping? Unless they thought the child should know something - something that was hidden inside his pensieve. It wouldn't be the first time they'd allowed a student to run amok in his office. It was usually when he'd done something to annoy them though.

A shallow stone basin ... Harry couldn't make up his mind.

Sirius sighed. "You know you really shouldn't..."

"I know," Harry groaned. "But I had no idea what it was."

"Curiosity killed the kneezle, Potter," Severus said, his eyebrow raised.

He wanted to touch it ... a very stupid thing to do.

"At least you know that much," Theo said, rolling his eyes.

Oliver Wood laughed. "It won't stop him for long though."

He therefore pulled his wand ... prodded them.

Ollivander actually laughed. "How is touching it with your wand any better?"

The surface of the silvery stuff ... it looked like glass.

"What is it?" a young Dean Thomas asked.

"Memories," Seamus replied.

"Huh?" Dean blinked. "But memories aren't..."

He looked down into it ... its occupants were usually tied to it.

"A court room?" Tonks asked.

Where was this place? ... trying to see...

"Bad idea," Severus said, shaking his head.

The tip of his nose touched ... the substance inside the basin -

The muggle raised in the chamber all looked at the book in utter amazement. What had just happened?

But his head did not hit ... right next to Albus Dumbledore.

"Well, it is my memory after all," Albus said with a chuckle.

"Professor!" ... where are we?"

"At least you apologised," Sirius laughed. "Although, you'll have to do that again when the headmaster finds you stuck in his memories."

But Dumbledore didn't move ... something of the sort had happened again...

"Very well reasoned, Mr Potter," Minerva said with a wide smile. She loved how quick the young man was. He really was very inquisitive. Just like his parents. Although, he was a thousand times more polite than James and well, far less fierce than Lily. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen Harry truly angry before coming to this place.

Harry raised his right hand ... What were all these wizards waiting for?

"Nothing pleasant, that's for sure," Moody huffed.

Harry looked around more carefully ... Harry's insides went cold.

Albus sighed. "Yes, but they shouldn't be able to affect you, at least not directly. They are naught but a memory."

The dementors ... saw that it was Karkaroff.

Everyone sat forward at that. Was this one of the famous death eater trials?

Unlike Dumbledore, Karkaroff looked ... you have important information for us."

Barty growled. He loathed Karkaroff. He was the reason he ended up in Azkaban.

Karkaroff straightened himself ... eager to assist in any way I can..."

"Trying to buy his way out of Azkaban," Rookwood grumbled.

"It worked too," Doholov complained.

There was a murmur ... narrowed in intense dislike.

Moody smirked. "Never liked him."

"Crouch is going to let him out," ... throw him straight back to the dementors."

The death eaters in the chamber found themselves in agreement with the auror. They thought Karkaroff should have been kept in Azkaban. Information for a reduced sentence perhaps, but not letting the man go free. It was lunacy.

Dumbledore made a small noise ... ally itself with such creatures."

"And I still stand by that," Albus said. "It's inhumane and quite frankly the dementors are not to be trusted."

"But for filth like this ... He alone knew exactly who we all were -"

"And for good reason," Crouch said loudly. "Treacherous git."

"Which was a wise move ... some names for us?" said Mr. Crouch.

No one spoke. They had heard so many rumours of these trials over the year but rarely were they ever witnessed.

"I - I do," ... "There was Antonin Dolohov," he said.

"That won't help him," Antonin said. "I'm pretty sure they'd already caught me when they released him." They'd heard the rumours of his betrayal in the prison.

"I - I saw him torture countless ... the Dark Lord."

Antonin grimaced. "That's true enough. I did more than enough to land myself in Azkaban."

"Do you regret it?" Harry asked searchingly.

"Do I regret becoming a death eater? Torturing muggles? or fighting for what I believed to be right?" Antonin asked. "That's a complicated question. I certainly regret what I did. Being a death eater wasn't what I expected it to be. I just... I don't regret trying to defend the dark. I was terrified that my entire way of life was being eradicated. It doesn't excuse what I did. But I honestly feared that people like me, people with dark cores, were being marginalised. And well, the Dark Lord's promises were more than tempting. I didn't care for the violence. I didn't want to torture anyone or kill anyone either. But I was more than willing to do what I, at least then, believed was necessary to protect the dark."

"And helped him do it," ... I am delighted to hear it!"

"Liar," Rookwood laughed. He could easily imagine just how terrified Karkaroff was that his information might prove useless.

But he didn't look it ... killed in the struggle."

That got a wince from the death eaters. "He always was a bit foolish," Rookwood said. "He would have done anything to avoid Azkaban, even perform suicide by auror."

"Took a bit of me with him, though," ... "There was Travers - he helped murder the McKinnons!

Sirius growled loudly at that. His precious Marlene.

Mulciber ... countless people to do horrific things!

"Still does," Dolohov shivered.

Rookwood, ... inside the Ministry itself!"

"I wondered when he'd mention me," Rookwood sighed. "I wasn't a spy. I'd have been pretty useless at that since I spent most of my time in the DoM - and couldn't share its secrets. No. He kept me around to help him in his pursuit of knowledge. He was always looking up some arcane branch of magic, most thought was long forgotten."

Harry could tell ... to collect information -"

"Well, I might have done that on the side," Rookwood said with a sniff. "It wasn't my main role though."

"But Travers and Mulciber we have," ... "Wait, I have more!"

Rookwood rolled his eyes. The man was pathetic.

Harry could see him sweating ... Albus Dumbledore."

Several people gasped in horror - mostly the youngest of the children, who all stared at their future potions professor in fear.

"I promise you that I renounced the dark lord before his fall," Severus said. "I'll swear on my magic, if it puts you all at ease."

Harry turned to him and told him that wasn't necessary. If everyone could sit in a chamber with the dark bleeding lord himself, they could sit in a chamber with an ex-death eater.

"No!" shouted Karkaroff, ... no more a Death Eater than I am."

Minerva looked like she wanted to argue that point but she was hesitant. It had been Potter that told her Snape was a death eater, that he had killed Albus. Why was he now trusting him? Unless he knew something she did not. She would withhold judgment until she knew more.

Harry turned to look at Mad-Eye ... behind Dumbledore's back.

"I was skeptical," Moody said. "For several months. But he helped me with my investigations for several years after this and well, you get to know a person when you work together - no matter how distantly."

"Very well, Karkaroff," ... all else was swirling darkness...

Sirius wondered if that was all Harry had seen in the pensieve. That hadn't been overly informative however.

And then, the dungeon returned ... some sort of sporting event.

That got a bewildered look from several of the adults.

Harry noticed a witch halfway up the rows ... a younger Rita Skeeter.

Young Rita smiled, waving a hand at them all. She had just been starting her career back then.

Harry looked around ... a different trial.

"The trials went on for months," Moody said. "It was difficult for all of us."

The door ... Bagman walked into the room.

Several people let out a surprised, "WHAT?"

This was not, however, a Ludo Bagman ... managed a small smile.

"Was he arrested for being a death eater?" George asked suddenly. He could hardly believe it.

"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here ... before we pronounce judgment?"

"He always was a bit of an idiot," Augusta huffed. "Far too easily led."

Harry couldn't believe his ears ... I know I've been a bit of an idiot -"

"Well, at least he knows it," Amelia said, rolling her eyes.

One or two wizards and witches ... Bludgers had permanently affected his brain..."

The adults struggled to not laugh.

"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught ... imprisonment in Azkaban lasting no less than -"

"And he'd have deserved it too," Moody growled. "That information caused deaths."

But there was an angry outcry ... even their fists, at Mr. Crouch.

"Idiots, the lot of them," Amelia grumbled. This was a criminal trial, not a popularity contest.

"But I've told you, I had no idea!" ... the rest of my life, can I?"

"Collecting information for our side?" Moody laughed. "As if we'd trust any information out of his mouth."

There were titters ... those in favor of imprisonment..."

"A jury?" Hermione complained. "How is that fair? He's a public figure. They're never going to show neutrality."

Harry looked toward the right-hand ... against Turkey last Saturday," the witch said breathlessly.

"Like I said, IDIOTS the lot of them," Amelia said, rolling her eyes.

Mr. Crouch looked furious ... a sad day indeed for the Ministry..."

"Well, that explains why Crouch never liked Bagman," young Harry said quietly.

And the dungeon dissolved again ... her mouth with trembling hands.

Crouch seemed to curl into himself and Moody wrapped a tight arm around the younger man. He exchanged a look with Amelia who was sitting on his other side. This was going to be unpleasant for more than one person in the chamber.

"Er," Harry started. "I think you guys... Neville, I... You probably won't like the rest of this chapter. You or your gran." His eyes darted to Barty and he grimaced. He wouldn't like it either, most likely.

Augusta caught on first and seemed to straighten up. Quite impressive, seeing as she was already seated perfectly upright. "We will be just fine, Prince Myrrddin but we appreciate the warning."

Her and her younger self surprised everyone when they pulled their grandsons into their sides, cuddling them close. Young Harry looked bewildered at having his new friend desert him but shrugged it off when his cousin came and joined him with his friend Theodore Nott. Harry hadn't really spoken to the other boy yet but he seemed friendly enough. A little quiet. Kind of like him in that way.

Harry looked up ... twitching in his temple.

"He was furious," Barty laughed. "He could literally see his political career going up in smoke."

"Bring them in," ... flanking a group of four people.

"Group trials really shouldn't have been allowed," Harry said quietly. "They should have been tried independently."

Harry saw the people ... it were a throne;

Augusta looked like she'd happily rip the book to pieces, that or perhaps rip Bellatrix Lestrange apart with her bare hands.

and a boy in his late teens ... whimpering into her handkerchief.

"How old were you?" Ron asked suddenly, looking to Barty.

"Nineteen," Barty said gruffly.

Ron looked between Barty and Draco, comparing the two. If the war had gone on longer, this could be Draco's trial. There was only a year between them in age. It didn't seem right. Ron frowned. He'd been calling Malfoy a baby death eater for years but... honestly, he was a kid. A kid caught up in a war with very few options presented to him.

Crouch stood up ... pure hatred in his face.

Augusta hadn't noticed that at the time. She'd wanted the verdict she got. But... there was something fundamentally wrong about the idea of any father looking at his own son like that.

"You have been brought here ... "Father... please..."

No one spoke. No one even knew what they would say if they were to try and speak. They all felt like, much like the rest of these books, they really shouldn't be witnessing this. Young Neville had tears in his eyes as he shied away into his grandmother's side.

"- that we have rarely heard ... exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named -"

"Isn't it sort of ridiculous that they didn't even use his name in criminal trials?" Hermione asked Ron quietly.

Ron shrugged. Why would anyone want to use that name?

"Father, I didn't!" ... don't send me back to the dementors -"

The death eaters and Tom all looked towards Barty. Tom was horrified. He had led this poor child to spend his entire adult like imprisoned. Barty was shaking now, remembering the trial in perfect clarity, so much so that he wouldn't have been surprised if he were to learn that there was a dementor in the chamber. And then he felt a gentle wave of magic, pure loving magic, and his burden seemed to lift slightly. It was still there but dimmed by the magic that seemed to fill him. Forgiving and gentle and kind, much like his mother. He heard a quiet voice in his ear, "Hush, child, I promise, the pain will end."

Mother Magic's words were not heard by the others in the chamber but Barty found great solace in them.

"You are further accused," ... I now ask the jury -"

"I'm surprised he was allowed to stand in judgement over his own son," Mr Granger said sharply. "This is barbaric."

"Not to mention highly unprofessional," Mrs Granger agreed.

"In our world this would lead to a mistrial and they'd potentially go free," Mr Granger said. "He cannot possibly show neutrality or stand in judgement unbiased, therefore he should not be in that position."

"Mother!" screamed the boy below ... I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"

"They never let me explain," Crouch said. "He never let me defend myself. I didn't know what they were doing in the house. I standing guard. I didn't do it."

"I now ask the jury," ... deserve a life sentence in Azkaban!"

"This is pure theater," Mr Granger huffed. "You don't lead the jury like that."

In unison, the witches and wizards ... Don't send me there, don't let him!"

Still most of the chamber were unable to speak. The children were awkwardly trying to look anywhere but at the people affected most by the chapter.

The dementors were gliding back ... We alone tried to find him!"

Tom grimaced. That woman was mental. And to think she was one of his supporters.

But the boy was trying ... boy continued to struggle.

Barty was sobbing now.

"I'm your son!" ... "I have no son!"

"That bastard," Sirius muttered. "He should have met my mother. They'd have been fast friends."

The wispy witch beside him ... not to have noticed.

"His wife fainted and he didn't even notice," Mrs Weasley gasped in horror.

"Take them away!" ... No! No! Father, please!"

Utter silence met those words. No one knew quite what to say.