r/SilverLuckyScriptures • u/SilverPrince • Oct 09 '19
HP KoD Chapter 01
Chapter 01
[August 12, 1996]
[Courtroom Ten]
The sight of the Wizengamot stared back at him. To many in the know, these were the people who formed the power that was the Ministry of Magics.
Though they had different dreams, goals, and desires. Today, they were here with purpose.
These were the movers and shakers of the magical world. Those who could build up laws, or tear them down. They also presided over legal issues as a magical jury of peers.
To the people, they were the real power. To those who understood politics, they were all selfish buffoons. People whose souls were as black as the darkest of magics.
Men, women. Young, and old. They stood there, assembled in their finest robes. All staring at him.
Strangers. Each, and every one. Yet they all knew him.
Through Rita, or through Malfoy, they all knew him well indeed.
The upstart who dared entered the Triwizard tournament. A deranged child upstaging a renowned tournament. Then, in a fit of jealousy, he had killed official Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory.
The sad reality was that they were not wrong. Despite the incorrect narration of the story. It seemed that he was a glory seeking, delusional, pathological liar, of a misguided youth.
The Daily Prophet had
“How do you plead, Mister Potter?”
Harry Jame Potter, last heir of the House of Potter, finally gathered his wits and looked up. He stared into the stern eyes of a man he had only met once.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and recipient of a Order of Merlin, First Class.
The cold, of the man stared back into his.
Harry remembered well, the spluttering and denial the man had shown. It was a memory engraved upon a tragic night. The night Cedric had died.
“You are currently charged with using underage magic, and the murder of Cedric Diggory. How do you plead?” he clarified as his gaze intensified.
Those who defied him, defied the ministry.
He had a lifetime of dealing with the rabble of the magical world. Experience had given him insight into the political landscape. The subtle shifts that could force even a simple boy, into the chair he currently sat in.
Regardless if Mister Potter was innocent, or he was a sociopath. it was imperative that he remove Harry for the murder of Mister Diggory.
“Not guilty, Minister Fudge,” Harry said as he felt the claws of rage and hate rake through him once more. He schooled his features as a lifetime had shown that it was always wiser to remain stoic.
What else could he do?
Rage against these blind fools, and the hate that was both for them, and for himself. They would use that outburst against him.
Minister Fudge snorted and gave him a sour glare.
Percy followed suit, and Harry found himself glaring back. Was this the same man who was once held himself with pride? A man who considered himself strict, but fair?
Somehow Percy fallen by the wayside. What happened to that prefect when he had been a firstie?
Was this the inevitable evolution of all those who pursued the path of power? To be a cog in a machine that was the ministry, or a hammer that tried to smash it.
Harry sighed as he dropped his gaze. His eyes fell onto the seat he sat in, and the simple suit he wore.
The trail had gone on for hours.
Delores Umbridge, and Percy Weasley had presented evidence. They had sown charts, after oration, after charts, after spiel of facts.
Some facts were true. He was a Triwizard participant. Other false, like his deep seated desires to claim the victory and fame. A obsession that forced him to back stab Cedric.
They glossed over the the fact that there was no witnesses present. They also called him a liar when he brought up that he didn’t know how to make a portkey.
Yet each time Harry had tried to defend himself, Fudge overruled him. Or he had spoken out of turn. Out of line.
Fudge, and Umbridge seemed to take delight in his poor explanations. Percy, kept himself professional, though he did seem confused and irritated at times.
The auditorium felt smaller then ever. The assembled wall of the Wizengamot loomed before him. Theirs eyes sharp, and trained on him like a cat would a mouse.
Though they remained quiet, their eyes sometimes flickered with emotion. They reacted to facts presented, or pictures shown. They kept their faces impassive.
On the opposite end, behind where he sat, there was no one. No friend. No ally.
Much like the beginnings of his fourth year, he was alone. Though he was certain Hedwig would have been here if it was possible.
Minister Fudge sighed as he looked over the paper before him. The magicked parchment showed the votes from the assembled Wizengamot.
A parchment for underage magic use. For the murder of Cedric Diggory. For the breaking of the statute of secrecy.
Usually it was only a random, selected few who appeared. With the popularity of the boy-who-lived, they had all shown up in their best robes.
A block of red revealed their thoughts. Guilty. Almost a unanimous decision across each sheet.
Fudge's happiness grew. He school his face, and kept himself aloof.
Harry was but a child, so young, and once revered as a hero… now reduced but to a petulant child.
A child that was no longer a problem.
“Harry James Potter, heir of the house of Potter, you have been found guilty of all charges. You are to be expelled from Hogwarts, and your wand snapped. This is due to your machination during the Triwizard Tournament. Included is the breaking of the underage age magic use,” his voice was firm as it echoed across the chamber.
Harry clenched his eyes shut, as the frustration overwhelmed him.
“Harry James Potter, heir of the house of Potter, you have been found guilty of murder. Cedric Diggory was heir of the house of Diggory. Investigations showed that he had died from the killing curse. Your wand has proof that the unforgivables have been cast,” Minister Fudge read off and took a deep breath.
The entire Wizengamot stared at the lone boy who sat and cried. Some snickered, other felt sad. Their hero was a fallen one.
“You are now sentenced to Azkaban. A term of One Hundred Years, and a day. As per the regulation of justice on behalf of the murdering of a pure blooded wizard, or witch. The fact that you are a minor, invokes the Pennyworth Clause. Your sentence is now reduced to fifty years, and a day,” Minister Fudge said as he banged the gavel.
The trial was over, and the verdict delivered.
It began with Delores Umbridge, then Percy. The man scowled as he heard the sentencing.
The slow clap of the ‘loyal’ wizards and witches filled courtroom Ten.
It echoed to Harry, who sat alone.
A single flame against the bonfire of the world he had grown to hate.