Mark_Ward
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Chapter 59: Trials Pt. 2
🕑 Added 2020-11-04 22:56:33 +0000 UTC"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I remove you from your post as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot as you are no longer deemed fit to hold that position. Is there anything you have to say on the matter?"
"No," he answered as he shook his long beard, "I am saddened but if this is what the body wishes then I must comply."
Harry couldn't help shake the feeling that this was an acceptable loss for the old man, he still had his Headmaster position which was the one he clearly loved the most, and his Supreme Mugwump post as head of the International Confederation of Wizards. But he doubted he would hold on to the latter much longer when news of this spreads.
Nevertheless, this was a win for him, not the one he was exactly looking for, but still a win. With him out of the Chief Warlock position, he would be hampered from affecting Magical British laws and polities.
This would give him the ability to set rules and regulations that he wanted.
"Who will be the next Chief Warlock?" someone asked.
Standing up from amongst the stand was Lord Nott, "I believe in these times of need, I should take up the post and lead us all to a glorious future."
"Pa," Lord Greengrass snorted, "You, lead us. Ha! Into a ditch more like it."
Going red in the face, for a moment he wondered if the man would draw out his wand and demand a duel for his honor right here right now or some other nonsense.
"I believe I should lead us, it's clear that this body needs a more womanly touch," Lady Mort declared putting herself in the race.
"I agree with you on that front," Lady Bones proclaimed, "but we do not need some harlot to lead us that changes her mind on every whim. I think it would be best if we have someone with wisdom, experience, and a great reputation- Madam Longbottom."
"Daughter, you ask too much of me an old lady," the sharp-witted woman answered, pretending that she did not want the post.
"Please, Madam, in these troubled times we could use your wisdom!"
"Madam Longbottom!" someone shouted with a cheer.
"My vote is with the Madam," some else exclaimed.
"Only someone with her wisdom can lead us!"
Suddenly getting up was Lord Malfoy which had all the noise begin to quiet down, peering at him closely this was it. Would he supported the person he wanted as Chief Warlock or prop himself up.
"There is only person in this chamber that has the best interest of all us Great Houses of Magical Britain, who has been an exemplary image of high nobility and decorum, who has a multitude from over the years she reined over her house- Madam Longbottom.
That's is why my vote is with her!"
Breaking out into discussions at the move the man made, Tobias Nott looked furious that his own ally didn't even support him and to add injury to the wound he put his vote behind the enemy. Lady Mort however didn't look like she cared with only a knowing smile on her face as she sat down.
"I too support Madam Longbottom and give my support to her as the next Chief Warlock of this body," Lord Greengrass pronounced out loud.
Sighing as if she couldn't do anymore, the old lady announced as she had on a perfect sorrowful look on her face. "Since you all have forced my hand, then I have no choice but to toss my name into the race.
"Good," Fudge nodded his head, "you would make a wonderful Chief Warlock, Madam." Then as if remembering he wasn't supposed to have any opinions since he was a neutral party in all this, he asked out loud, "who else would like to toss their name for the post? Anyone, please speak up now or else hold her tongue."
A few more people from the much smaller party did the usual courtesy of pretending that they were of any significance as they cast themselves in.
Once all the hubbub, the Minister ran the small election and soon the results were in with Madam Longbottom winning by a landslide beating her opponents thoroughly.
"I have the honor of introducing the new Chief Warlock, Madam Augusta Longbottom," Fudge announced with all the boisterous pompousness and civility he could. There was a polite round of applause that went all around, as some gave her congratulations and others loud cries.
"If I may present to you the...." the man begin until he realized that he did not have the tools of the office to give out. Awkwardly turning to face the old man who reminded silent throughout the whole procession, "Ahh... I know there is a three day wait time before you are required to give back the tools of the office, but if you could please...."
The rest didn't need to be said, and the old man just shrugged even at the total respect he had been shown and handed out a shimmering sash and magnificent scepter.
"Thank you," the little man nodded his head as he accepted the objects. then turning back to the old lady, "Once again, If I may present to you the Sash of office and the Scepter of Chief Warlock."
"Thank you," the old woman said as she took the objects, then without wasting anymore time she announced. "Now if we can continue with these processes, bring out Bartemius Crouch SR."
From the main fireplace, a man who didn't look so good stepped out of the fireplace with magic chains binding him and Auror to every side of him. From amongst them, he spotted Tonks who was doing her duty and smiled to himself, he would need to keep his end of the bargain and visit her.
Seating him in the same chair that Ms. Figgs sat in, he turned to face the court at large. Now instead of Fudge leading the proceedings, Madam Longbottom took on the role as was her duty.
"Bartemius Crouch, Lord of House Crouch is it true that you knowing what your son has done," she spat out, "taken him under your protecting?"
"Yes," he answered with a sigh as the man seem to give in to his fate. That got a lot of gasps from amongst the crowd since even with the word of his house-elf admitting everything they were still doubtful.
"Would you like to tell us, how you got your son out of Azkaban? This is a great security risk with now two of them escaping within the same time period!" Amelia Bones asked even though she already knew where one of the escapees was, right in this courtroom besides him.
"I got him out years ago at the insistent of my wife, it was her dying wish and I couldn't deny it. But still I knew I couldn't let him run wild like you did," he said as he gave everyone a pointed stare, "so I kept him under an Imperius curse to get him to behave good."
Looking at the man, Harry knew those rumors about him were all true with him being as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. It would have been much better for him to live life out at Azkaban.
Everyone else seem to find his act as distasteful and horrifying as he did with some looking sick and others disgusted.
"Do you know where he is presently so that we can bring him in?" Madam Longbottom clearly wanting to bring him back to where he belonged.
"No," he said with a shake of his head, "but...."
"But what?" Fudge asked narrow eyed, it was obvious the man was more worried about himself fearing the Death Eater might come after him and his office.
"If I had known my son best, he would have run back to his Dark Lord, but as we all know he is long dead."
"It seems that you have nothing else to offer," Madam Longbottom, "for aiding and abetting a fugitive and giving him refuge for years, and using the Imperius Curse. I, Chief Warlock of this body sentence you to a life sentence at Azkaban!
Take him away," she waved her hands to the Aurors. No one dared to argue against her sentence since it was prerogative as Chief Warlock. Thank magic, it wasn't Dumbledore ruling this place or he would have forgiven the man in the name of the Light side.
Seeing the man being taken away, Harry knew this was his chance, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart he put on a cool expression on his face. This was it, his first step into the political world.
Getting up from his bench seat, Sirius looked at him in confusion, the plan they discussed was for him to remain in the shadows and affect things from there. But there was no way that was possible, if he wanted to get his godfather's freedom, he needed to act boldly, and act immediately.
"My lord and Ladies," he proclaimed out loud, getting everyone's attention on him. Some looked doubtful for one as young as him to speak up or even be here, others were just waiting for him to make a fool of himself, and some were curious to hear what he had to say.
"In light of these accusations and charges that Lord, or should I say old Lord Crouch faces," he stated, which got some chuckles out of a few, happy to see a power hungry lord fall alongside his house into ruin and extinction.
"shouldn't we as leaders and spokesmen for our people and great nation look into his previous cases that he had rulings on?"
"Now that is an unusual request young Lord Potter," Fudge spoke up, try to project the image of a wise man advise a younger and less experienced colleague.
"I know," Harry said with a nod, "and I hate to waste the valuable time of such esteemed Lords and Ladies, but it's it our duty to show the due diligence that these cases deserve. Who knows what other misdemeanors Bary sr carried out in his time residing over much that happened in this noble body," he doubted that the man did anything more, but since he was taking the first carriage to Azkaban there was no way for him to deny it.
"All I am asking is that we take a second look at the work he has done. Nothing more, nothing less."
"What exactly is your goal?" Lady Mort asked, "we will just be rehashing the same hearings."
"They are many fold," he answered respectfully, "one so that we can show the public we are doing our job and also to reassess these cases and see if they got the correct punishment."
"By reassessing to meet out the correct punishment does that mean you want these inmates to receive further punishment?" Lord Greengrass asked with a shrewd look on his face.
"Yes," he answered honestly, "if that is the case I wholeheartedly support the measure."
Although he said the one part, he also meant the opposite as well. For example, his godfather who was wrongfully imprisoned and prosecuted. Anyways he did wish for Voldermorts supporters to be gone especially his most vicious and fanatical that were in Azkaban.
"The only punishment more severe than a stay in Azkaban is death by Dementor's kiss!" Lord Nott shouted as he had a finger pointed at him.
"My boy, if I hadn't known any better than I would be calling you bloodthirsty," Dumbledore finally spoke up, looking at him as if he was sorely disappointed. Harry couldn't careless what the old fool thought of him, but having him speak up against him would turn some Light supporters against his plan.
Coming to his rescue was Madam Longbottom who mused out loud, "If I recall correctly, you aren't Chief Warlock anymore, correct?"
Giving the equally senior woman a confused glance the old man nodded his head.
"Now then if my memories serve me well enough, you don't even have a vote here correct? You did give your position as head of house Dumbledore to your brother to pursue a career in teaching?"
"Yes," he slowly answered finally seeing the angle she was playing from.
"So tell me Albus do you even belong here?" she answered in an innocent sweet grandmotherly tone that got a few chuckles out of the gathering of Lords and Ladies.
"Do you even have a voice to speak up then?!" she asked this time more sharply.
"No," he glumly answered as the old woman effectively shut him up.
"Then get up and leave," she said, not pulling her punches at all.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked like she was talking to an idiot as the man sat frozen in his seat. Finally he seem to wake up, and actually realize what was happening. Nodding his head stiffly, he got up and walked out of the chamber with the catcalls and jeers of countless lords and Ladies behind him. Nobility could be the most savage lot you can ever be amongst. They take great enjoyment in stepping on a downed enemy or even friend.
Harry wondered if now the loss of his post in the Wizengamot was an acceptable loss for him.
"Now getting back to the matter at hand," the old woman spoke up. "I am in agreement with Lord Potter's statement, we should do our duty and check for any corruption left behind by Barty Sr. and a second look at these past war criminals will not be too bad."
"UNACCEPTABLE," Lord Nott shouted as he couldn't contain his fury anymore. "This... this is unprecedented and should be unsanctioned!"
"My lord," Harry commented with a grin, "why do you argue so firmly for these criminals? If I hadn't known any better I would have imagined you were in coalition."
"Do we need a second investigation into you, Lord Nott," Lady Mort asked with a sweet smile which was unexpected for her to be on his side. But the Dark Side were all the same, each one of them would love to bring down the other just to see them suffer.
"I have proven to be an innocent man," he argued trying to defend himself and his reputation he worked so hard to recover.
"So what is the problem, my lord?" Harry inquired with a friendly smile. "Are you against the motion or are you for it?" he asked, living him no choice but to state his intentions.
"I for one am for it," Lucius spoke up which had the livid Lord Nott's attention on him. "It is time that we move on from You-Know-Who's reign of terror on this country. He is dead and now all that remains is his follows who every day are a reminded of those darker days.
If we do not take action right now, who knows when another one of them would escape or bride his way out. Then what will we have, fanatical wizards, trying to reenact their Dark Lord's days.
No, we must make sure we and our children and their children have a secure future. That means we get done with these unpleasantness today, right here, right now."
"Well spoken, my lord, I couldn't have said it any better," Harry commemorated the man, he would have been kissing his feet already if he could have been. The fool didn't even know he was bringing his Dark lord's wrath upon himself and he was giving the rightful Lord of House Back which he was contending to claim his estates and belonging, the trial he deserved and could clear his name.
Deep down inside, he felt a bit sad for the man, but then he remembered how ruthless he was in trying to remove Dumbledore out of his headmaster position by letting loose a dark artifact.
He learned a valuable lesson from him which was thankful for till this day, you got to more ruthless and conniving than your enemies to get what you want.
"Then I believe it's time to call for a vote," Madam Longbottom spoke up.
Looking around, Harry could see this would be difficult to pass, there were a lot of people who were holding out from the Light, Dark, and Grey for many different reasons. But he didn't care, nobody might know it yet, but he controlled a large block of the voting right.
The Wizengamot operated on voting power, you wanted something to get passed or done, you need the votes. And this place was made up of different houses with different amounts of voting powers. Knights had 1 vote, Barons had 3 votes, Viscounts had 5 votes, Counts had 10 votes, Earls had 15 votes, Marquis had 20 votes, Dukes had 30 votes, Arch-Duke had 40 votes, Royals had 50 votes.
Harry when everything was added up from the 15 each of Potter and Black which he was now the true heir to was 30. Peverell granted him 20. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin each granted him 30 each with a total of 90.
So all in all he had 140 votes which was basically 4.67% out of the 3,000 votes. Now that was nearly 5 whole percent and it would have been more if he had his vassals besides him, but he was yet to contact them so that was a no go.
But still, he controlled a lot of power here, a whole lot of it. Something no one ever had before with him having six Great Houses to his name.
The vote results were in, it was close, but it passed.
Turning to look at his godfather who had a disbelieving look on his face, he smiled at the man and voiced, "I guess we need to prepare for your trail!"
Comments
THX!!!
GodoftheSeas21
Love this story and great chapter!
Thanks for the chapter on a good story
yep and take his spot as lord black
KristofferXxXxX
Sirius can finally get his much-needed trial :3
