"": Regular speech "I vow revenge"

{Italics}: Thoughts I'll pound some sense into him

"{Underlined}": Mental Projection speech(telepathy) "Hello, and what have we here?"

{underlined}: Protected thoughts rather than projected I'm glad they can't hear me

At first it was dark… then came the light, slowly hearing returned and then touch. Harry could feel the hands of the gaurds that were holding him up. He could feel them dragging him across the floor. What was happening however didn't sink in however until harry felt the chains unwrapping themselves and binding him to the chair. Looking up harry could faintly see the smirking faces of Minister fudge as well as the leering face of senior undersecretary umbridge. Luckily one of Harry's guard was at least a little sympathetic and slipped his glasses onto his face. Looking around Fudge stood calling attention to himself

"We gather today to hear the accusations against one, Harry James Potter. Mr. Potter the crimes against you stand as follows. One account Manslaughter against one Cedric digerdy, one account aggravated assault against one Draco Malfoy, breaking and entering into the ministry of magic, unauthorized access into a ministry restricted location, unauthorized access and destruction of a prophecy sphere, rebellion against a ministry appointed headmistress, and Three accounts of unforgivable curses, one Imparius against a Mr. Vincent krum causing him to use Caractus on Mrs. Fluer Delcor, And the use of the caractus against one party unknown. How do you plead?"

Harry winced. Up in the stands Dumbledore stood up.

"Minister, I would like to defend the..."

"Sit down Albus, you can't defend him for the same reason that you were suspended from your position on the Wizengamut for the trial, you've been deemed to close to the defendant."

"May I ask why he hasn't legal council then?"

Fudge looked up sharply and a tad smugly.

"Because this is merely an inquest, not a full trial. Of course if he were to admit to a wrongdoing of sufficient severity we would be forced to move to a full trial. Now please, sit. I would hate to have you found in contempt of the court."

Harry sighed and replied with just a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"I told you already minister, Cidric was murdered at the end of the Tri-wizard tournament by Peter Pettigrew. In relation to the other charges, I never cast the spell on Krum, that was Bartimus Crouch Jr. under polyjuice to look like Alastar Moody, You know, the man you had kissed before he could testify."

Fudge slammed down his gavel

"stick to the topic at hand."

Harry scowled at him but complied.

"I have no recollection of raising a wand against Draco except in self defence, but I don't deny entereing the department of mysteries. I was trying to save my godfather and I stumbled upon the hall of prophesy's by accident."

The moment the words left his mouth Harry cringed and hoped that fudge would miss his slip up, Unfortunately the buzzing in the room told him that even if Fudge had, there were several others who had not.

"Your godfather Mr. Potter?"

Dammit

"Yes minister"

"Do you mean the infamous Mr. Sirius Black? Convicted Murderer and supporter of He-who-must-not-be-named?"

Damn Damn DAMN!

"Yes minister."

Fudges voice suddenly took on a smooth oily tone that Harry instantly associated with Lucius Malfoy.

"And why precisely would you be attempting to save the man who betrayed your parents Mr Potter?"

"Because he didn't minister, Peter Pettigrew did."

Fudge gave him an indulgent smile that immediately set Harry's teeth on edge.

"So you say. We can come back to that at the official trial. While evidence collected through the use of the echo spell bares out the majority of your testimony there is one echo I was most interested in. You do know that use of the echo spell do you not Mr Potter?"

"If you mean the 'Priori Incantatum' spell then yes I do."

"In that case I believe that you have one accusation that you have not replied to yet. Why precisely does your wand bare an echo of the Cracatus curse Mr. Potter?"

Harry briefly considered Lying, but rejected the Idea a short moment later.

"I used it to try and subdue Belletrix Lestrange before Voldimort arrived."

"Indeed. Do you know why the unforgivable's are labled what they are Mr. Potter?"

"No minister, I don't believe I do."

"They are labeled unforgivable for the simple fact that you must have such a raw passionate desire to inflict harm on a fellow human being that it becomes a single burning rage. A flame which consumes all other passions. Tell me, How effective was your curse?"

Harry closed his eyes and drew a deep breath before looking the minster straight in the eye and replying.

"It was enough to knock her off her feet, but she told me immediately afterword that righteous anger wasn't enough to power it properly. I haven't attempted to use it since."

Fudge looked skeptical

"I see. Do you have a witness to this by any chance? Someone who can prove or disprove your story?"

Harry shook his head

"No minister. Only myself, Belletrix, and Voldimort witnessed it."

As Harry said this there was a general murmuring from the assembled people. With a cold unearthly glee in his eye fudge stood up, but before he could speak another voice rose from behind him. Harry smiled in relief as Remus Lupin, flanked by Charley Weasley, and Mad eye Moody stood up.

"Why don't we simply administer vertiserum?"

Harry had expected to see rage build in the ministers eye, but was shocked when instead he saw triumph.

"The boy is to young. His system cannot handle the full dose and anything less can be broken by a powerful enough mind. As I have been informed that as Mr. potter is Highly resistant to the Imperius curse he qualifies."

"Minister? If I might question the captive?"

Fudge turned to stare as Dumbledore addressed him, he only smiled slightly however as he replied

"Albus, I've warned you once already that you are considered too close to the accused. You are found to be in contempt of court and fined 50 galleons, the court suspends your payment however if you manage to leave without attempting to interfere with this inquest again."

There was an odd look in Dumbledore's eyes, and his whole body tensed. For a moment Harry wondered if he was about to see a repeat of the scene in the headmasters tower when Umbridge was installed as headmistress, the moment passed however and Albus sank stiffly into his seat.

"Does anyone else wish to speak in accusation or defense of the accused?"

There were a number of wizards who shuffled in place, and one or two who even began to rise before changing their minds. It was then that Harry noticed Umbridge stand and hold out a piece of paper.

"Yes minister, I believe that I have another charge to be brought against our young miscreant."

The utter lack of surprise on Fudges face told Harry that this 'additional charge' was a planned move on the ministers side.

"The court recognizes madam Umbridge."

"It has come to my attention that the boy is in violation of the magical talents and abilities act of 1844."

Fudge looked smug as he replied

"would you care to clarify madam?"

"Yes minister, Harry Potter is an unregistered Parselmouth."

Harry was surprised at the dark muttering that broke out following the announcement.

That's common knowledge isn't it? Everyone's known about that since my second year...

"Harry Potter, you stand accused of contravening the accord of 1844, how do you plead?"

Harry frowned.

"Mr. Fudge, the fact that I'm a parselmouth has been..."

Fudge cut him off however

"A simple 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty' will suffice."

Harry's frown deepened

"Guilty, But I was never told that I had to register my..."

"That will be quite enough Mr. Potter. The fact that you openly admit to not registering such a Dark ability speaks for it's self, and it certainly puts your other testimony's in different light."

"This court will re-convene in two weeks for the trial and sentencing, until then you will be kept in a ministry holding cell. Court is adjourned."

Despite Harry's protests his guards returned, and after petrifying him they released him from the chair and floated him out of the room

Sighing Harry stared up at the ceiling, it had been a week and a half since the 'inquest', and he had been appointed a lawyer as his family's agent had died in the intervening time between his parent's death and his current incarceration. The man assigned had been fairly grim faced and had gotten the details he needed and left. It was therefore a bit of a shock when an auror stopped in front of his door, and the bars rose into the ceiling.

" You have a visitor Mr. Potter."

Harry quickly swung his legs down and stood up as Albus walked into the room.

"Headmaster!"

Albus sighed as he settled down into the makeshift chair provided by the guard.

"Hello Harry, I'm sorry that it's come to this, but any pull I have in the Wizengamut has been quite agilely blocked. Whatever comes of your trial you will have to pull off yourself. I've done what I can, but someone with better contacts than Fudge has been working hard behind the scenes. The best I've been able to do is give you a chance to tell your side of the story, and I'm afraid that it may not be enough."

Dumbledore sighed, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. Replacing the spectacles he held Harry's attention in strong stare.

"Tell me, Why did you use the Cracatus?"

Harry fidgeted, the headmasters stare was rather disturbing.

"She kept blocking my other spells, I was just so angry, I wanted her to Hurt like I was hurting... She had just killed Sirius by knocking him through the veil..."

Harry's eyes no longer focused on the room around him, his gaze looking at something beyond the room as he remembered

"Crouch had told us that it was completely unblock-able, he had incanted it in front of us as a demonstration you see, to show us it's affects."

Harry's voice trialed off, and Dumbledore allowed him to remember the string of events that had lead to his use of the unforgivable. After a moment, Harry shook his head sharply and returned his focus to the present and continued somewhat bitterly

"It's not like it was all that useful anyway, It hardly even slowed her down. And then of course Voldimort showed up and tried his possession bit on me after you dueled him."

Harry was still somewhat lost in thought, and so he missed the slight look of suprise that passed across the Albus's face.

"Professor, why didn't the possession work? What drove him away?"

Instead of answering Dumbledore stood and turned back to the door, tapping on it he waited for the guard to let him out, and just before he crossed the threshold he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Only you can answer that Harry."

and with that he was gone, leaving a bewildered Harry potter wondering and slightly depressed at his swift departure.

At the end of the hall 'Dumbledore' took and immediate right and walked over to a Statue of a blindfolded women holding a sheathed sword in one hand and an open bag of galleons in the other. Without pausing he cast a tickling jinks on the statue and then twisted the suddenly free handle of the sword and then strode purposefully past the door that opened behind the statue and into the lift hidden behind it. Stretching out his hand he pressed a ring inset with a single onyx stone into a small nearly un-noticeable depression in the wall and Intoned 'Department of Mysteries'. There was a brief flash of light, and then the lift started it's decent into the deeper levels of the Minestry. 'Dumbledore' sighed, pulled a flask out of his coat pocket, and murmered

"The things I do for that boy."

before downing the foul tasting potion in one long pull. By the time the lift reached the correct floor the polyjuice potion had worn off completely. Dressed in a robe reminiscent of Dumbledore's (though shrunk to fit properly) a Much younger man stepped out of the lift and over to a nearby unmanned desk. Rifling quickly through the drawers he pulled out a block of amber. Setting it in the exact center of the desk he pressed his ring into it and intoned.

"Agent fifth class Percivel Weasley requesting admittance."

There was a slight waver in the air as Percy looked down the apparently unending hallway directly next to the lift. Quickly he replaced the block of amber in a different drawer than the one he had found it it and strode forward into the haze Vanishing before he had gone three paces.