The Wizengamot Must Be Better than Muggle Television
The devil (Albus Dumbledore) moves fast, but Amelia Bones moves faster.
Madam Bones had presumably taken to the Wizengamot's call for trials for Azkaban's imprisoned with a determination that even Dumbledore's manipulations within the Ministry could not match, and soon enough a trial date was set for near the end of August.
The entire Black family (including Bellatrix's parents, Hadrian's Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella, and Bellatrix and Rodolphus' son Corvus, who was about to begin his third year of Hogwarts) would be in attendance, joined by Lord and Lady Lestrange.
Theo would also be there, sticking with the Blacks and Malfoys as his grandfather sat with the Wizengamot. He huddled in the corridor outside with Hadrian, Draco and Corvus- who was regaling the three younger boys with tales of Hogwarts.
The trial was Sirius' first proper public appearance since his release from Azkaban, and Hadrian could hear whispers from the light families that clearly weren't meant to be discreet.
"I still reckon the Veritaserum must've been faulty-"
"Shouldn't be the guardian of the Potter boy, even if he was innocent-"
"He looks... well. Must be dark magic-"
Sirius wasn't remotely bothered, merely rolling his eyes as he spoke to Narcissa, Lucius and Regulus. Hadrian copied his lead, pretending he couldn't hear the whispers until the doors to courtroom ten finally opened.
•••
As everyone settled in the courtroom, taking their seats as Madam Bones did, the prisoners were lead in and the trial began. The prisoners were all to be trialled together, under Veritaserum. Dumbledore already did not look happy, and Hadrian pointed this out to Theo beside him, who proceeded to watch the man like a hawk. Hadrian was almost curious about Theo’s resolute hatred of the man, not even he despised him that much (yet), but Sirius had mentioned that Theo’s parents were killed in an Order attack, so that was probably why.
"Please administer the potion to Ms Lestrange," Madam Bones said.
Bellatrix opened her mouth, with only a mild look of disdain towards the Auror. Her eyes glazed over.
"Please state your full name."
"Bellatrix Auriga Lestrange."
"And your date of birth?"
"8th of June 1951."
"The potion is in effect. Ms Lestrange, did you have any role in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom on the 1st of November 1981?"
"No."
Immediate chaos. Hadrian recognised the loudest voice as belonging to Dowager Lady Longbottom, who was on her feet in the Wizengamot box screeching 'She LIES!' Madam Bones allowed the chaos for a moment, as she too seemed to gather her bearings at that grand revelation.
Soon she banged her gavel on the table, "Order in the courtroom! Dowager Lady Longbottom, I can assure you this Veritaserum is not faulty, please cease your screeching- this is a courtroom not a zoo."
Sirius snorted at that, and Hadrian was sure Regulus had elbowed him for it.
"Ms Lestrange, what were you doing on the night in question?"
"I spent that night at home celebrating my son's birthday."
"And who was present?"
"My husband, Rodolphus, and his brother, Rabastan."
Madam Bones stopped any chatter before it even began, with a sharp glare directed at all sections of the courtroom.
"Were they present for the entire night?"
"Yes."
"Did you in anyway search for your Lord?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I had my son to worry about. I did not want to be separated from him. I knew we would be questioned by the Ministry soon for my involvement with the Dark Lord, and wanted to be with my family first."
"Do you know why you were accused?"
"The Aurors escorting us to Azkaban said that Dumbledore found traces of our magical signatures at the scene."
Hadrian was sure the sniffle he heard in their row came from Corvus, but he wouldn't outwardly acknowledge it- much more concerned about the Dumbledore revelation.
"Very well. Administer the antidote to Madam Lestrange and administer a dose of Veritaserum to Heir Rodolphus Lestrange," Madam Bones said.
Rodolphus' and Rabastan's questioning upheld the events Bellatrix mentioned, and next it was Barty's turn.
"Please state your full name."
"Bartemius William Crouch Junior."
"And your date of birth?"
"4th of April 1962."
"The potion is in effect. Mr Crouch, did you have any involvement in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom on the 1st of November 1981?"
"No."
"And what were you doing on the night in question?"
"I was with Evan Rosier."
"Doing what?"
"We had dinner together and then sat and talked about what to do now that our Lord had fallen."
"And what did you plan?"
"I was going to pursue a Runes mastery, Evan was going to prove that he was not dead to our society and then pursue an apprenticeship with a Ward Master or Cursebreaker.”
"Have you any explanation for why your father imprisoned you without trial? Or why he accused you of this crime?"
"Dumbledore told him we did it- that he detected our magical signatures at the scene. I am sure that imprisonment without trial was my father's revenge against me becoming a Death Eater and making him look bad as the Head of the DMLE."
Hadrian scowled. Of course it was Dumbledore. Beside him, Sirius had an iron grip on Regulus' wrist to prevent him from slipping his wand from its holster and cursing Dumbledore where he sat. Hadrian thought Dumbledore had it coming, honestly. He had put Regulus' brother, boyfriend, cousin and friends into Azkaban. He wouldn't be surprised if he put Evan Rosier, his best friend, there too.
Madam Bones once more calmed the crowd, calling for the administration of the antidote.
•••
"The potion is in effect. Lord Rosier, the Wizarding world believed you were dead, not imprisoned. How did this occur?"
"I was seriously injured in a raid in 1980. I was placed into a magical coma to heal for several months, before I fled to France to finish healing. I had seen that I was believed to be dead, and I did not believe it was wise to inform the world otherwise at the time."
"The charges sheet for your incarceration is blank, Lord Rosier, how did you end up in Azkaban and for what crime?"
"I returned to Britain the moment Barty floo-called me to inform me that the Dark Lord had fallen. When the Aurors came to arrest Barty in the dead of night the next day, I was with him. I wasn't told of the crime I was accused of- I was just hauled straight to Azkaban."
"Did no one tell you anything?"
"I begged a guard to tell me a few days later, and he told me that Death Eaters were being rounded up. He said Dumbledore had compiled a list of those who needed immediate arrest, and my name was on it."
"Merlin's sodding beard," Regulus hissed, “I’ll have that man’s head, mark my words.”
•••
"The potion is in effect. Lord Dolohov, were you responsible for the murders of Heirs Fabian and Gideon Prewett in September 1980?"
"No."
"Are you aware of who was?"
"No."
"Are you aware of why You-Know-Who ordered their deaths?"
"The Dark Lord did not order their deaths."
"How did you end up accused?"
"Dumbledore's list of Death Eaters."
•••
"The potion is in effect. Heir Mulciber, were you responsible for the death of Heiress Dorcas Meadowes in March of 1981?"
"No."
"Do you know who was, or why their deaths were ordered?"
"No, their deaths were not ordered by the Dark Lord."
"You were accused also of using the Imperius curse on muggles. Did you?"
"No."
"Why were you accused?"
"Dumbledore's list said so."
•••
"The potion is in effect. Heir Travers, were you responsible for the murder of Marlene McKinnon in March 1981?"
"No."
"Were you involved in the murders of the rest of the McKinnon family later that month?"
"No."
"Did You-Know-Who order any of these deaths?"
"No."
"How were you accused?"
"Dumbledore's list."
"Administer the antidote to Heir Travers, please," Madam Bones said, waiting until it was done before speaking again, "Upon hearing the testimonies of the Azkaban prisoners, I hereby declare them all innocent. My sincerest apologies to you all for the miscarriage of justice committed against you. Your chains will be released now, and you are free to make your way to the rooms at the back of the chamber to see your families. You will be called in an hour, when the Wizengamot finishes their consideration.”
•••
"Who is the Spokesperson for the Wizengamot today?" Madam Bones asked, after the Wizengamot had taken time to convene.
"I am," Lord Avery said.
"Please read out the compensation that the Wizengamot has agreed on."
"By majority vote, the Wizengamot rules that each of the former inmates are granted 200,000 galleons each by the ministry, and 50,000 galleons each from Albus Dumbledore- as his word is a recurring theme in why each individual was wrongly imprisoned."
"The compensation is agreeable. Does the Wizengamot have any additional measures?"
"Only further encouragement to investigate Albus Dumbledore, with the strong recommendation of Veritaserum by majority vote.”
"Agreed."
•••
Albus was absolutely furious. Black's trial and freedom was bad enough, but to have eight more Death Eaters freed was unfathomable. He had now been implicated by nine criminals as the reason why they had been imprisoned without trial. Nine. Why did no one understand? He shouldn't be getting flayed by the press, it was all for the greater good! Those blood-purist Death Eaters are a danger to British society, they should be rotting in Azkaban at the very least! But now they were free, and not only was Albus being forced to pay hundreds of thousands in compensation- but he was going to be put on trial himself. With Amelia Bones overseeing! Albus didn't have any informants within Bones' most trusted, how was he supposed to prepare? He knew that after the Death Eater trials, he had lost the public's trust and favour- he wouldn't be able to call in any Ministry favours yet.
He would simply need to be as charismatic as possible when his eventual trial came, and block and delay it as much as possible. As he was Headmaster of Hogwarts, he knew his trial wouldn't come during term time. He should have until summer, at least. Plenty of time to prepare to block it.
•••
Hadrian, Draco and Theo knew all the best hiding places to eavesdrop in Malfoy Manor, and they were more than willing to share them with Corvus. It was two days after the trials, and everyone was congregated in Malfoy manor- the Blacks, the Lestranges, Barty Crouch Jr, Evan Rosier and even Hadrian's other godfather, Severus Prince-Snape. The latter was the Potions teacher at Hogwarts, and had taken over tutoring Hadrian and his friends this summer. He was a sarcastic and somewhat stern man, but Hadrian understood the need to be when instructing them in potions. He liked him, and understood why his mother had named him as one of his godparents.
The adults were having some sort of important talk, and the children had been sent outside the family drawing room to play. Naturally, they didn't want to miss out on anything.
"What the hell do we do now?" Hadrian heard Sirius sigh.
"There's been no whispers of our Lord anywhere, I have ears paying attention in all kinds of circles around the world, but we all know better than to assume he's gone."
"Are you sure?" Evan said, "I know I wasn't around for the end of the war, but did the Dark Lord inform you of failsafes?"
"Have you heard of Horcruxes, Evan?" Severus asked.
"Briefly, I saw them mentioned in a book in the family library the summer after fifth year and mother almost had my head for reading it," he replied.
"Our Lord made them, more than one," Lucius explained, "They will keep his soul alive even after his body has died. The fact he made multiple, however, likely contributes to why he was so... unstable towards the end of the war."
"Merlin," Sirius groaned, "If he reabsorbed the soul pieces, do you think it would help?"
"Yes," Regulus replied, "The issue is whether or not our Lord would be willing to reabsorb them."
"Even with his instability before his fall, he had clear moments of clarity," Barty mused, thoughtfully, "If someone were to explain in one of these moments, surely he would listen."
Sirius snorted, "You can do that then when he returns Barty. Enjoy the crucio."
"You sure you don't want to try yourself?" Barty fired back.
"Salazar, no. I'll already have to explain why I joined the Order of the Phoenix when he returns. I'm sure that will go delightfully."
"Why did you join, cousin? You told us you did when we were in Azkaban, but never explained why," Bellatrix asked.
"I was absolutely riddled with compulsions about hating the Dark and my family and friends, so when James and Remus joined the Order, I followed. Despite having the Mark. It wasn't my own free will at all. Dumbledore must've had his suspicions about me because I never did any of his dirty work for him- he used me for information on the Aurors and had me instruct all new members in duelling. Wasn't allowed to carry out any missions, but I know all the safehouses from the last war. I'm going to explain it all to our Lord when he returns and give any information I think may be useful."
"You think the old man will start up the Order?" Rabastan asked, with clear distaste.
"Definitely. I'd be shocked if it hasn't been active in the background all these years, keeping tabs on any Death Eater who wasn't in prison."
"That would explain all the bloody raids on manors. The Aurors always told us they received anonymous tip offs,” Lucius sighed, “I can’t believe I never considered that as a possibility.”
"What? What do they raid for?" Rodolphus asked, panicked.
"Dark artefacts, illegal books, suspicious activity. All the known Dark families are raided without warning every couple of years- we were raided three times last year," Regulus explained.
"I suggest you all take inventory of every illegal thing you have in your home now you're out of Azkaban and start warding them. I recommend blood wards and glamours from your family grimoirs if you don’t want to throw everything into Gringotts. The Aurors will not leave a stone unturned,” Lucius warned.
"We had fucking Moody heading the team twice last year," Regulus said, disgusted, "The bastard and his magical eye. He wanted us to dig up the wardstones around the property because they were anchored with blood magic and blood runes, despite the fact the wards predate the law. Amelia Bones near threw a fit."
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"The raid wasn't sanctioned by her- in fact, none of them were," he explained, "Father marched into the DMLE, absolutely livid, after the wardstone debacle ready to have Amelia's head on a platter only to discover she had literally no idea what he was talking about. I was with him, because Moody had demanded I report to the DMLE because I reeked of dark magic."
"Can I have the pensieve memory of this?" Sirius asked, at the same time Barty asked "What happened then?”
"Yes, Sirius. It was glorious," Regulus said, his tone a lot happier, "Amelia called Moody into the room and verbally annihilated him- asking if he had gone incompetent from old age and spell damage because how in the hell could he attempt to destroy family wards and arrest an Unspeakable in a completely unsanctioned raid. Moody said he had received a tip off that we were apparently trying to resurrect the Dark Lord with human sacrifice in the cellars, and Amelia had to turn around and look at the wall for a solid few minutes so she wouldn't curse him into next week."
Hadrian recognised Sirius’ familiar howl of laughter, joined by Barty, Evan, Rabastan Bellatrix.
"Hold on- as amazing as that is, Regulus, you're an Unspeakable?" Rodolphus asked.
"Yes, I joined a year after the war ended- once the DMLE were finally done detaining me every other sodding week for interrogations. I've been there ever since."
"I'm joining Reggie in the Unspeakables when I get back to full health, my application has already been accepted," Sirius said proudly, "Amelia had called me in for a meeting in the Ministry to ask me to rejoin the Aurors, but Scrimgeour almost threw a fit in the middle of her office- saying he couldn't have a known marked Death Eater in the force. I was going to decline anyway, but I was tempted to accept Amelia's offer just to make his life hell. I did offer my services in training if they became needed, however."
"Merlin," Bellatrix cackled, "Can you imagine Auror training taken by you and Moody?"
"The old bastard would be trying to hex me senseless the entire time," Sirius said, laughing, "How's Moody in peace time anyway? Other than the sodding raids."
"Still an absolute nightmare," Lucius sighed, "Anytime I pass him in Diagon he points his wand at me and tells me he's always watching and that he doesn't believe the Imperius defence for a second. I firmly believe that no one has informed him that the war is in fact over- I imagine he still tries to use the Unforgivables in missions."
”The fact that you got away with that defence is astounding, Lucius,” Rodolphus said, “If they had been following any sort of protocol after the war, you would have been checked for traces and undergone trial by Veritaserum.”
“Well, at least one of us managed to benefit from the Ministry’s incompetence,” Evan added.
"Oh!" Rabastan exclaimed, "I forgot! We all went to Gringotts yesterday- we all had broken compulsions. Every single one of us. They were all about blood supremacy and violence."
There was a lot of cursing after that statement.
"I have also attended Gringotts," Severus said, clearly nervously, "I had to undergo a cleanse."
"What?" Sirius exclaimed.
"When I was held in Azkaban before my trial, I was in one of the lower security floors that the Dementors don't touch, so my compulsions were not broken. There was the usual blood supremacy and violence ones, but also ones to distrust friends and acquaintances and to trust Dumbledore and only him. More worryingly- there were compulsions placed on me to despise Hadrian, but those ones were either already broken or had failed to take effect, thank Merlin. Dumbledore had been placing them every year to strengthen them, so I spent all of last night sitting with the Prince family grimoir covering my Lordship ring in anti-compulsion spells."
"So we have enough to build a case?" Narcissa asked.
"I think we should take the test results to Amelia Bones immediately before Dumbledore's trial once the dates are confirmed. That way, there'll be no time for someone to leak that we know to him," Sirius said.
"I cannot present my test results as evidence unless we are virtually positive that Dumbledore will fall from his stronghold of power. His testimony is the only thing that kept me out of Azkaban, and if I go against him whilst he is still powerful, he could recant the testimony and I would likely be imprisoned," Severus said, bitterly.
"That will absolutely not be happening, Sev," Regulus cut in, "We'll fake your death and send you to France before you're thrown in Azkaban."
Hadrian heard Severus laugh at that, even if it still seemed slightly bitter.
"What about the issue of our Lord? We will all continue to serve him when he returns, yes?" Bellatrix asked. She had been oddly quiet for this whole meeting, and Hadrian presumed it was because Azkaban had hit her the worst of them all.
There was a chorus of agreements in the room, with one voice missing.
"Yes, but I really need to research the prophecy about the Potters. I'm going to formally request access when I join the Unspeakables. A prophecy can be faked via the Imperius, but only a true prophecy from a seer will be recorded in the Hall of Prophecies. I do not believe that dafty Trelawney is a seer for even a moment, I think this it was one of Dumbledore's schemes,” Sirius said, nervously.
"And if it was not a true prophecy, then what?" Bellatrix asked.
"Then I will be providing the Head Unspeakable and Amelia Bones with a pensieve memory of Dumbledore telling James, Lily and I that a prophecy had been spoken to him and demanding an investigation."
"I'm bound by my vows to the Department of Mysteries, obviously, but I can tell you that there is a procedure for false prophecies, and the recipients will be notified about fakes," Refulus said, clearly in thought, "I'll explain the procedure to you Siri, after you've taken your vows."
"You think Dumbledore faked the prophecy that had Lily and James killed?" Severus said, incredulous.
"He spoke often in Order meetings about how he had this grand plan for the Dark Lord's defeat, but he never told anyone a thing. As the war got closer and closer to the end, and people in the Order started getting fucking wiped out, Dumbledore reassured everyone that all was going according to plan. I've had eight years in Azkaban to think about this shit, and nothing adds up properly. The prophecy, the deaths of all those Order members, everything. I’m beginning to think Dumbledore killed them, if I'm honest."
"Why?" Barty said, alarmed.
"The Order members who died were all people that had voiced dissent in meetings. I have half a mind to send Amelia Bones a tip off. The Prewett twins practiced the old ways in secret, we discussed Yule after a meeting once and Dumbledore walked in mid-conversation. Next thing you know, they're killed a few weeks later. Caradoc Dearborn refused to allow Dumbledore to attack Lucius and Narcissa because Narcissa was pregnant, and he went missing weeks later- never to be found. Edgar Bones refused to attack families without concrete proof of them being Death Eaters, then his family were wiped out- bar his newborn daughter. Benjy Fenwick mentioned being friends with Avery's brother, and then pieces of him were sent to the DMLE. Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon told Dumbledore they'd leave the order if they got word it was putting their friends and families at risk, and then they were murdered. Frank and Alice Longbottom were always vocal if they disagreed and were the only thing stopping Charlus Potter from being placed with the Weasleys, who never questioned Dumbledore, and then they were tortured to insanity. If anything happened to Lily and James, I was to become Hadrian's guardian, and Dumbledore had me filled with compulsions to leave Hadrian with him and go after Pettigrew and then he had me thrown into Azkaban. I'm just saying, it's really suspicious. The only Order members to be killed, tortured or imprisoned are the ones who spoke against Albus in meetings."
There was complete silence coming from the drawing room, and the four boys hidden in the alcove merely stared at each other with wide eyes.
"What in the hell do we do with this information, Sirius?" Lucius asked, clearly bewildered.
"Absolutely nothing for the mean time. I hope that Amelia's investigation finds discrepancies, enough to question Dumbledore. All I recommend we do is ensure that all the children are adept at Occlumency, and that their Heir rings protect them from compulsions. I know for a fact that Dumbledore already has Charlus in their clutches, and there is nothing I can do about it, at least for the mean time- the boy has been taught to hate the dark too much for me to even say a word to him. I will be damned if I let Dumbledore near Hadrian."
Well, Hadrian thought. He'd be sure to avoid the old man.