Harry Potter And The Betrayal

Everyone stared in astonishment as Fudge's eyes rolled up in his head and he fainted with only a squeak of sound like a mouse that had been accidentally stepped on.

The ones closest to Fudge and the High Councillors heard Dantes say aloud, "Drama Queen", before he gestured with his wand, causing a bucket to appear and dump a large amount of icy cold water on the Minister.

Fudge sputtered awake and then jumped as a harsh voice ordered. "Get back in your seat Fudge. We don't have time for your theatrics. I for one would like to conclude this matter today… if that is possible."

Fudge reluctantly returned to the chair he had fallen out of.

"Madame Bones, you may continue," Dantes told her.

"Since the Court has concluded that Umbridge was in no way qualified to teach children, let alone teach a class as important as Defence Against the Dark Arts, what made you think she was qualified to, Fudge?" Madame Bones had given up trying to get Fudge off. He'd already been found guilty on too many charges. She was just trying to mitigate the circumstances now.

Fudge's mouth opened and closed several times before saying, "Well she was certainly as qualified as some of Dumbledore's choices over the past seven years. And I knew she would teach the Ministry approved curriculum, not go off on the tangents Dumbledore allowed. I mean he hired a werewolf to teach at the school."

"If you are referring to Lockhart," Kieran spoke up, "then I agree with you she was certainly as qualified to teach as Gilderoy Lockhart. However Remus Lupin, whether he had teaching credentials or not, was far more qualified to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. We had a look at the curriculum that you had approved to be taught. Do you realize that she was teaching first year material to fifth and seventh year students with no practical spellwork? How were they supposed to pass their OWLs and NEWTs?"

"But they did pass and with the highest scores ever recorded." Fudge pointed out, puffing himself up slightly, while forgetting to mention that it was all due to Potter's illegal club.

"And I believe that those high scores were due solely to the defence study group that Lord Potter and his year mates put together." Kieran reminded him. "It was not due to anything Umbridge may or may not have done. Why don't you just admit Fudge that you placed your toadie in Hogwarts to try and control the school? I mean it is fairly obvious to us, given that within a few months of her arrival there you appointed her High Inquisitor another job she was not qualified to have as that should be an appointment from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, not the Minister's office. Yet another example of you abusing powers you had no right to."

"The steps I took were for the greater good of the Wizarding world." Fudge declared pompously. "We couldn't afford the instability that people like Dumbledore, Potter and those who believed them could create."

A loud burst of laughter came from where Harry Potter was seated. Dantes pointed his wand in the young Lord's direction. "Lord Potter, you were warned."

Harry held up his hands in surrender and his body continued to shake with laughter. "I'm sorry my lord, but it just slipped out. It was so funny to hear Fudge actually use the same stupid excuse Dumbledore does when he meddles with my life. Not to mention the expression on Dumbledore's face when he heard Fudge use it. I will put up a silencing ward around me so that I won't disturb the proceedings any further."

There was a brief conference between the High Councillors then Dantes said, "That is acceptable. We do not want to hear another sound from you until the hearing is over, or you will be bound and gagged in that chair."

The silencing ward went up around the High Council table again and when it came down, Dantes announced. "Fudge we find you guilty of illegally placing a person not qualified to teach in a school where she was then able to harm many in pursuit of your concept of the Greater Good. It is quite clear that your idea of the Greater Good was not the right thing for the wizarding world or its inhabitants." Dantes looked at Dumbledore and added, "Neither was yours Dumbledore in the case of Lord Potter. I will remind you both of what the road to hell is paved with… good intentions. When you decide you know better than someone else how their life should be lived, you are on the road to becoming the next Dark Lord."

"Now we have reached the last charge; interfering with the process of a trial for Lord Harry Potter by denying the accused all means necessary to prove his guilt or innocence." Pervior told the assembled witnesses. "As Madame Bones was involved in that trial as a member of the Wizengamot, Lord Kieran who is not a member of the Wizengamot will be conducting the interrogation. I will not even though I was not one who sat in judgement on Potter's trial owing to my wife's illness."

"Fudge, why was there no defender for Potter?" Kieran asked what should have been a simple question. "It is the law that the accused must have a defender."

"No one wanted to be associated with defending him." Fudge answered meekly.

"Then there should have been no trial until a defender was found." Kieran countered.

"The public was demanding a trial and there were threatened riots in the streets if the potential Dark Lord was not dealt with." Fudge tried to defend his position.

"So you deliberately violated the law to calm the public?" Kieran wanted clarification of his reasoning.

"Yes!"

Perrivor bowed his head. "Have we fallen so far that the fear of the people is more important than the law of the land? That law was written to protect the people. I wonder if they or you would've been so quick to rush to judgement if it was if it was you or possibly one of them."

Fudge could think of nothing to say in response.

"Very well, you caved to the pressure others put on you instead of doing the right thing." Kieran decided to move on after several more minutes of silence. "Now given that you denied him the right to a defender, why did you also deny him the use of Veritaserum, which would have proven his guilt or innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt?"

"I had been told by a very reliable source that he was immune to it." Fudge repeated what he had been told by Percy Weasley who claimed he had overheard his brother and Potter talking about it. He know realised he had been played for a fool. "It was Percy Weasley. I trusted him and told others on the Wizengamot so we decided not to waste it since it would do no good."

"Fudge, I may not be a Potions Master like Snape over there, but even I know it takes time, a lot of magical power and repeated exposure to it to allow one to build up a resistance to Veritaserum. Potter while he may be powerful now wasn't then and there was no way he could've had repeated exposure to it, not unless they are dosing the students at Hogwarts with it every day." Longrim observed. "With every word you utter, you are proving over and over again, why you should not be let out without a keeper."

"All right you chose to believe Percy Weasley, instead of confirming the information with the Ministry Potions Mistress, so why didn't you use Veritaserum on the witnesses like Percy? After all I doubt he would've been able to resist it. He was your main witness to the events of Neville Longbottom's death and he should've been questioned under Veritaserum at the very least."

"Because both Dumbledore and I believed he was telling the truth." Fudge finally answered. It was the only safety net he had and he took it. The fact that Dumbledore believed Percy enough to snap Potter's wand before they even left the school grounds had been all the assurance Fudge had needed that Percy could be trusted.

"So you again decided to ignore the law that all witnesses should be questioned under Veritaserum in cases involving murder." Longrim commented. "I don't think we need to hear any more. He was convinced of Potter's guilt before the trial ever began and was determined to do everything possible to make sure he got a conviction."

The silencing ward went back up and stayed up for a very long time. When it finally came down, Dantes looked oddly triumphant. "Fudge, your sentence has been determined, but whether or not it will be carried out will depend on whether or not the muggle government wants exercise its right to punish you for the breach of the Compact or let us administer the punishment."

Perrivor took over at this point. "If the muggle government chooses not to punish you then here is the wizarding world's judgement. You are removed as minister effective immediately, though you will continue to work at the Ministry."

Fudge perked up at this imagining some advisory position where he could move back into the centre of power. Perrivor's next words dashed that dream to smithereens. "From now until you are too old to work, you will be a janitor third class and you will be unable to rise out of that position. Each day when you arrive at work, magic suppression bracelets will be placed on you so that you have no more power than a squib and have to clean things the way a squib would. If nothing else maybe you will learn to think and consider before you do things from now on. You will also be bound with a loyalty oath that what you see, hear, touch, taste, and even smell in the Ministry will not be spoke of to anyone living or dead inside or outside the Ministry."

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