章 49: C049 - Emancipation Hearing

[POV change to 3rd person for the duration of the hearing; i.e. this chapter]

Dressed in formal but not too flashy dress robes, Talion made his way to the designated meeting room where the status of his early emancipation was to be decided. The dark-blue robes gently and fashionably framed his now muscular body, and together with the faint scar going over his nose and his wind-swept, dark hair, the young Ravenclaw looked more like a valiant hero than a boy about to enter his second year of Hogwarts asking to be considered an adult.

"Mister Macnair?" A middle-aged man with an unbuttoned brown leather shoulder-bag with a bunch of roles of parchment peeking out inquired as Talion got closer to his destination.

"That's right, and you might be...?"

The man looked Talion up and down for a short moment as he inwardly nodded in appreciation of what he saw before he held out his hand.

"Edward Tonks, of 'Grundig, Smith & Tonks'. A magical lawyer and your advocate, if you would allow me. And please, just call me Ted. Did Filius not warn you ahead of time that I would be with you for the emancipation hearing?"

Talion's eyes flashed for a short moment as he - unknown to Ted - judged the counselor's true allegiance.

With a neutral expression, Talion returned the handshake and offered, "Talion. If you insist on Ted, do call me Talion."

"Gladly. So, Talion. You seem surprised at my presence?"

"Indeed. I had a long meeting with one of my yearmates and her father Lord MacDougal two days ago to go over my options over a rather exhausting dinner. I also poured over the few books I found at Flourish&Blotts on the matter right after the professor filed the emancipation papers for me and he did tell me I would be getting a magical law tutor, but he did indeed not tell me of your presence here today," Talion explained in a measured tone of voice. Ted was convinced he wasn't talking to a mere 15 year old as he regarded the boy who was half a head taller than him.

"Oh? How do you take your chances if, as you say, you came prepared?"

"That depends on whoever is sitting inside there with Madam Hopkirk, who informed me of the hearing. Emancipation is allowed for six different reasons, as far as I am aware. Ranging from lordships as the last of a noble bloodline with a permanent Wizengamot seat all the way to parents inside Azkaban for usage of mind-altering spells and potions. I am advocating for it to better protect myself from continued attacks after the trace is lifted. I have been attacked and thusly held accountable by aurors thrice in under a year. With the precedents I found, granting me this motion should be a given. But like I said, it wholly depends on whoever judges this case," Talion explained as he took a look at the door behind Ted. To the lawyer, it looked like the boy could see through the door as a small frown made its way to his handsome face.

"I see. You prepared well," Ted praised with a small nod. "I had the same plan in mind, but I must admit I am only aware of two attacks. Do you mind elaborating?"

"Yes. It started with the use of the Cruciatus curse on me in Hogwarts, where my belongings were destroyed. The aurors found none of the culprits. Then there was an attack on me in the Sleepy Owl Inn after the school year ended. Four attackers, who to my knowledge are free men once more, came to attack me before someone in the auror department tried to potion me in the holding cell. Then there were three cursed artifacts sent to me for my birthday last week. As I understand, the investigation is still ongoing," Talion explained, and Ted couldn't help but notice that the boy started almost sounding... bored in the middle of it? Something changed when Talion looked at the door behind the lawyer.

With a resigned sigh under his breath, Talion looked back at Ted as the boy's frown eased before he added, "That is of course not counting that some people allegedly burned down my ancestral home in Glasgow, even if the minister himself ruled it an accident, and that I was the target of many... as the headmaster put it... mischievous boys. Thankfully, Professor Flitwick put it differently and taught me to stand up to my, as he and I call them, bullies. They were not very successful by the time my training showed results."

Ted nodded before he looked at the door for a short moment and asked, "Anything else on your mind?"

"Nothing that would prepare either of us for what is about to come," Talion explained stoically as he walked past Ted. As he put a hand on the door to the hearing room, the Ravenclaw boy looked at his lawyer and said, "I originally held your daughter partly responsible for the first attack. But I hold no ill will towards either of you, because frankly, she was just being a careless idiot who didn't know to what lengths those animals would go to to put me in my place for being my mother's unrepentant son. I thought you would want to know that before you hear my prepared arguments inside or I answer a question in a way that would surprise you."

Talion entered the room as Ted Tonks stood outside with a blank stare to where the boy stood before. Firming his mind to give Nymphadora a thorough interrogation about just what the hell Talion meant with that later, Ted's face settled into his usual professional mask and he got into the room with his client. Whether or not his daughter was indeed involved in the attack or if that was just what Talion believed to be true, Ted would make sure that whatever outcome Talion desired here today would become a reality.

When the lawyer closed the door behind him, he saw Talion already sat a lone desk with three raised desks in front of him. Three faces were gazing down at the boy, and only one of them held a friendly smile.

"Ah, youth sure has its own wonders. Just a year ago, you were but a wiry lad with so much to learn. Now look at you. One of the youngest dueling champions this country ever had on the international circuits, and, oh my, look at your imposing frame," the witch to the left gushed with a proud smirk.

"Thank you for the kind words, Madam Hopkirk," Talion offered as he gave the woman a polite smile.

'Good. He knows how to play this game,' Ted inwardly praised as he saw Talion easily disarm the only person in the room who already looked to be on the boy's side in addition to him.

"I always knew you were made for greater things. Didn't I say so when I finished teaching Magical Etiquette at Hogwarts this year, Kingsley?" Hopkirk proudly declared as she looked at the black auror in the fancy blue robes with golden star motifs sitting in the middle of the three desks. He looked at Talion in deep interest, yet at the same time sported an almost playful, dismissive smile.

Kingsley Shacklebolt gave Hopkirk a short nod as he leisurely tapped his wand's grip on the table he sat at. Something was clearly on the man's mind, but he said nothing as Ted made his way to his client and eventually sat down next to Talion.

Once he did, Shacklebolt looked at Hopkirk and inquired, "Mafalda, if you could start the quill, please?"

"Of course, my dear," Hopkirk eagerly confirmed and got a dict-a-quill ready one a long roll of parchment.

"We find ourselves here today on Friday, the 4th of August 1995 at 1pm in hearing room 13C to determine whether or not the minor Talion Macnair, born 31st of July 1980, is fit to be seen as an adult in this emancipation referendum. With us are Madam Mafalda Hopkirk of the Improper Use of Magic Office as both a character witness and the required authority for the trace, Charles Farley of the Department of Magical Games and Sports as a character witness and expert for Talion Macnair's accomplishments, and Kingsley Shacklebolt of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as the head of this hearing. Talion Macnair is present with counselor Edward Tonks. Do you confirm these observations?"

Shacklebolt looked at each person in the room until he heard an 'aye' in confirmation that the quill noted down before he once more addressed Talion, "Before we begin the hearing, do you have any objections to the three of us judging the lawfullness of your petition?"

Talion stood up and bowed his head lightly forward as he stated, "I have no objection, but I feel that it is my obligation to inform you that Mister Charles Farley and I are distantly related through his esteemed wife Bella Farley, who is the younger sister of my late maternal grandmother."

Talion once more sat down as he ignored the unreadable look Charles Farley gave the young Ravenclaw as Shacklebolt kept tapping the butt of his wand on the table in a measured tempo.

In all honesty, Talion already felt like going home. He wasn't sure what games were being played here, but both Auror Shacklebolt and his 'Uncle' Farley were orange in his magical ability. Shacklebolt was part of the Order of the Phoenix and apparently played for Team Dumbledore in this hearing. Whatever he was here to do, Talion knew it was either under the order of the headmaster or would be reported in full to the meddling bastard.

Charles Farley had always had reservations about Talion because of the bad position the association with his wife's grand-nephew put him in at work and his social circle. Charles had heard about the recent attack at the last school day in Hogsmeade and was sure that whatever caused the attack and whatever would happen as a result of its failure, his career was as good as over unless he saved it. Not even the fact that this nephew literally won a tournament against magicals three years his senior and was thus declared a prodigy in the man's department eased Charles' worries.

Especially after he heard of the alleged involvement of his own daughter that he wasn't entirely sure was known by his 'betters', since Charles only overheard it in his own home where his wife and child were talking about the attack.

It came as no surprise to the ministry worker that someone had asked him before the hearing to silently note down all the important and unimportant information of the hearing he learned in its entirety and drop a scroll with every detail at an abandoned desk on his way back to his office. He had thought about not doing it because of what it would mean to his wife if something happened to Talion because of his actions, but Charles didn't care much because of what it could mean for him and his family if he didn't do as he was told.

"Your reservations are noted and appreciated. But since you have no objection to his presence, Sir Farley may stay since you two are not related by blood," Shacklebolt judged and Talion gave his lawyer Ted Tonks a silent look to see if such a ruling was indeed lawful in the magical world.

With a small nod, Tonks answered the implied question positively, and Talion felt like hitting his head on the table at the ridiculousness of the magical world. Of course, the Hogwarts student didn't word the matter of Charles' presence as an objection! Doing so was a lose-lose in any case if he wanted to stay on friendly terms with Bella Farley, who had been nothing but nice to him despite her husband's silent disapproval. She even sent him a self-made birthday cake since the woman wasn't able to meet with him after their lunch date didn't happen.

But instead, Talion endured as the hearing proceeded. Ted opened for his client by naming the continued attacks on Talion as the reason for the early emancipation just like Talion himself had argued before entering the room, and all three 'judges' silently listened. Well, Madam Hopkirk repeatedly gasped and murmured 'poor boy' under her breath like it was the first time she heard those stories in full but otherwise kept quiet.

"So you seek to have the trace lifted early so that you may defend yourself with fewer repercussions? One could argue that having the trace still active would alert the aurors to possible peril faster if you have to defend yourself amidst muggles," Shacklebolt inquired as he ignored Tonks for a moment and asked Talion directly.

"Though it is a centerpiece of the argument by virtue of the precedents my lawyer provided, the trace is secondary. Through emancipation, I plan to be allowed to live on my own terms with nobody able to object or arrange my residence against my express will. I was attacked by four wizards the first night I was outside of Hogwarts. Imagine how many muggles would have been implicated if I had been at the orphanage in London as opposed to a magical village. My plan isn't to fight as many attackers as possible without fearing the trace. It is to not have to fight again at all," Talion argued in an even voice as he mostly regarded Madam Hopkirk in the hopes she would be outraged and sympathetic.

"Truly, only a dueling champion such as yourself could have fought off four grown and experienced hit wizards with such apparent ease!" Hopkirk, who apparently didn't fully grasp the atmosphere in the room or Talion's argument, praised profusely before she looked at Shacklebolt and asked in an offended tone, "Say, why haven't I heard anything about their sentencing in the news?"

Shacklebolt had the decency to blush which was a little hard to see because of his complexion and the terrible lighting in the room. And despite the auror not being part of the arrests or investigation, he answered ruefully, "The ruling on this case was that there had been a very unfortunate series of misunderstandings. As I heard it, these four hit wizards in question were alledgedly under the employ of the ICW and on the hunt for a Romanian dark wizard with a substantial bounty on his head. They had simply been following a wrong lead."

It took all of Talion's willpower not to roll his eyes. He would have left the topic at that since he was certain that everybody with anything to say about it had been successfully bribed, but apparently, Ted was under orders from Flitwick to embarrass the DMLE a little for how this case was handled.

"Whatever happened to the animagus among them? Has it been determined that he had been indeed an illegal animagus, as was stated by Mister Macnair during his unlawful interrogation? The young man claims to have browsed the official registry during the school year with no known bobcat animagi registered with the ministry since the spell is one of his interests. I have thus confirmed it, as well. There are indeed no bobcat animagi listed in the official records."

Hopkirk earnestly nodded. She, too, had thought of and wondered about this little piece of information! Shacklebolt shook his head lightly and explained, "It turned out that the man is not a British citizen. He had his form registered in his home country."

"And that home country is...?" Ted inquired with a barely hidden shit-eating grin.

"Immaterial to this hearing," Farley cut in after saying more than 'aye' for the first time in this room. "We are here to determine whether or not we want to recognize that Talion Macnair has the capacity to act as an adult, not whether or not his attackers were judged properly."

Ted looked at the man suspiciously while taking in Talion's indifferent reaction to his uncle's outburst in his attacker's favor before Ted once more turned to a wryly smiling Shacklebolt. The lawyer slowly began to understand Talion's resigned frown earlier as he asked, "And what of the potion in Mister Macnair's food during his illegal detention that same night?"

"Talion came to the ministry willingly, and he spent the night in one of the safest places in the British Isles. I would hardly call that illegal detention," Shacklebolt protested before he added, "And our investigation shows that an overly tired auror pulling a doubleshift mixed up his own food with the boy's. The auror in question had planned to use the potion identified as a harmless 'Replenishing Rest Draught' to fall into a deep sleep once his shift ended."

Ted wasn't done with his argument and where it would lead, so he ignored Charles Farley's earlier outburst and began to list what went wrong with the DMLE's handling of this case.

"So to summarise. One of your aurors, Auror Perkins, led his colleague on a wild niffler chase across Hogsmeade so that they arrived at the crime scene minutes too late after a warning by the Macnair house elf. Then, it turns out four foreign hitwizards attacked a Hogwarts first year, thinking he is a Romanian dark wizard in hiding. And instead of informing the boy of his rights, you treat him as a criminal and he would have been potioned against his will 'by accident' if he hadn't noticed the potion before eating a bite - all the while nobody contacted his magical guardian or his head of house, who you at the DMLE were made aware of would be taking the boy overseas the following day," Ted narrated as it took a full flex of his Occlumency to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"I have inquired with Albus Dumbledore because I was wondering about this matter as well. He confirms that he was notified as was appropriate immediately upon Talion Macnair getting taken to the ministry," Shacklebolt explained with a pleased smile.

Ted grinned a little as he turned to Talion and asked, "Has Headmaster Dumbledore or anybody representing his will ever contacted you until Filius Flitwick picked you up the following morning for your trip to Italy?"

"No."

Shacklebolt's smile grew smaller.

"Has Filius Flitwick discussed or otherwise implied that he acted on your guardian's orders when he picked you up and later informed you of your rights?"

"No."

"Has Headmaster Dumbledore or anybody representing his will contacted you since your return from Italy together with Professor Flitwick to make sure that the attack, as coincidental and apparently harmless as it was, had no lasting effects on you?"

"No."

Shacklebolt now stopped smiling altogether as Hopkirk looked deeply offended.

"Has Headmaster Dumbledore or anybody representing his will contacted you to inform you of your rights in this attack or made sure that these four hit wizards, who, of course, made an honest mistake, were held accountable for attacking you in error?"

"Not to my knowledge," Talion explained with an unchanged, almost indifferent expression. He knew where Ted was going with this, and he appreciated it. But he doubted anything Ted and he were saying in this forum would change the outcome. It might change whatever reasoning would be provided for the decision these three would reach, but it wouldn't change it.

He knew he'd get his indepence unless Shacklebolt planned to Obliviate everyone or didn't fear the backlash in the media once Ted went public with this case. But Talion figured out pretty early that this hearing wasn't about his emancipation at all. Shacklebolt wanted something else. Farley had an agenda, too, though he couldn't pinpoint it.

Ted, still in his element, pointed to Talion and argued while addressing the three judges, "It is, of course, not my intention to undermine Headmaster Dumbledore or imply any negligence on his part. I am sure with his many titles and obligations, not everything can be dealt with to a degree that is satisfying not only his own but also the standards of his many charges. Since Mister Macnair dealt with the aftermath of the latest attack all on his own and since he has shown to be not only a capable young wizard but also a respectful and responsible man who acted with a measured hand as he defended himself, I urge you three to approve of this petition and emancipate Mister Macnair early. Show him that we as adults put our trust in him to defend himself and his fellow wizards and witches so that he may trust us."

Shacklebolt softly coughed into his hand before Hopkirk, who had been fervently nodding along, could say anything in agreement and chimed in, "Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Living on your own and being responsible for your own life is not as easy as it seems even if you are an accomplished dueling prodigy that can fight off four wizards. Take accomodations as an example. If not at the orphanage, where would you sleep?"

Ted immediately frowned. In none of the emancipation hearings he had been a part of was this information ever needed or even asked. They were magicals, not muggles. At worst, they would walk into the woods and sleep in a tree after casting a few spells. Plus, it was known that Talion had an house elf! And even then without all of these considerations, this was about granting someone early adulthood. Yes, they needed to make sure Talion's character passed a certain level of responsibility and fitness... but if he truly starved on the streets, he would starve on the streets. Or, well, get thrown into Azkaban for stealing with magic while getting seen by muggles waving a wand and having the aurors and obliviators called.

The question should be 'do you have a roof over your head outside of Hogwarts?' and then there should be a yes or no answer...

Talion closed his eyes for a moment, thinking that of course Dumbledore wouldn't just let him live on his own. With a freeing breath out, Talion looked at Shacklebolt with an entirely faked smile and said, "My house elf has prepared a small cottage for me on the grounds of my sadly burned down ancestral home in Glasgow. I am paying for my food, the upkeep and reservations, as well as my tuition and school supplies by the virtue of sound investments where I more than tripled the funds in my family's vaults since entering the magical world."

"Ah yes, Fred and George Weasley and their little side business. I am good friends with their father, and Arthur had nothing but praise for you when I talked with the man yesterday. These games the twins sell are based on your design?" Shacklebolt inquired with a small smile.

Talion's fake, polite smile never faltered, but Ted's frown deepened. A barely 15 year old just admitted that he tripled his family's fortunes with only a year in the magical world as an orphan instead of squandering it completely. Anybody else would have been granted their emancipation on the spot, and the hearing would be over in seconds if such a thing ever even managed to come up.

"Not quite. My first visit to Diagon Alley left me puzzled as to what leisure activities there were in the magical world. I had a few games prepared to make friends at my new school and heard about the resourcefulness of the Weasley twins. I sought them out, and the rest is as you know," Talion explained openly since the man had talked to Arthur Weasley. Since the twins were loudmouths, there was nothing to hide on this matter. It didn't even make sense to Talion that Shacklebolt brought it up now that he knew Shacklebolt was now just gathering information on him for Dumbledore.

"Quite lucky, but all of it is deserved. I have a few small nephews who kept pestering me to contact Arthur for early release versions of the new games his boys would publish for the last year. They have taken the magical world by storm," Shacklebolt praised genially. The man's practiced smile never faltered as he asked, "And your relations to Spudmore? How did you know to invest in the Firebolt?"

Talion's fist under the table clenched so hard the skin turned white, but his smile never even twitched. Ted, on the other hand, stopped frowning. He had now fully accepted that this was no regular case. Something deeper was going on where all of his usually justified objections would only lead to undesirable results. The lawyer also noted that all three judges were absolutely eager to learn all these intrusive things. But Talion had shown himself to be smart enough when to call it quits on his own, so Ted kept quiet and played the game together with the young Ravenclaw.

It made sense for Hopkirk to be as interested and invested as she was. She was known to be a gossip. It made absolutely no sense for Farley, though. He was the boy's uncle. He either should have known already, or he should have easier ways to find out.

But Shacklebolt's interest made Ted honestly a little uneasy. He would talk to his daughter and get a meeting with Amelia Bones later to feel out what her stance on the whole matter is, no matter how this hearing would end.

"Spudmore was a lucky find. I have an interest in warding and enchanting as a close second since I am still a little ignorant about their differences. I talked with the older Ravenclaw's about who to ask about those topics to learn more, especially in the way of future jobs, and one of the seventh years remembered a certain graduate. That graduate had a grandfather who had a shop in Diagon Alley that he boasted about quite a lot. The Ravenclaw upper year provided me with a name. Once I came into contact with Spudmore and learned that he researched brooms, I wanted to learn more. Since I was recognised for my talent on a broom at around the same time, I decided to take a chance and invest in Spudmore. Either his broom would be mediocre, and I'd likely lose a little, or it would be amazing, and I'd do what I did: triple my money," Talion explained.

"He could have wasted your money and left you penniless," Shacklebolt pointed out in a gently chiding tone of voice.

"You have never heard him or seen Spudmore writing about brooms then, sir. I chose to trust the absolute obsession he showed for brooms and was rewarded."

Talion slowly relaxed his fist before he drew blood with his nails digging into his palm. It was a risk lying about where he lived and was going to live in the future earlier when he was asked since the boy had no plans to ever tell a soul about the shack in Goldsborough. With an elf and magic, it wasn't hard to stage a living environment that would confirm his presence in Glasgow.

These people wanted to know more about him and report it to whoever they worked for. So he would give them half-truths that Talion had carefully prepared all year that would hold up even in literal court.

-----

"Come in," Amelia Bones ordered after hearing a knock.

She sorted a few parchments to make her desk look a little less cluttered and saw her newest, most-promising auror in training sport a bright blush as she ushered in a man who Amelia knew to be the young auror's father. The man looked flustered and a little angry, which was unusual for the composed man Amelia knew.

"Mister Tonks," Amelia greeted as she stood up and shook the man's hand.

"Madam Bones," Ted Tonks said with a neutral mask on his face after he schooled his emotions before he turned to his daughter. "This will be all, Nym. We'll talk again later with your mother when she comes home from caring for her cousin after your shift. You better think of a better argument until then."

Amelia frowned. He was both an acquaintance and the girl's father. But it was her who ordered the aurors in this department, not anybody else. Still, she gave Auror Tonks a small nod to allow the trainee to leave since the Gryffindor alumni had the decency to check with her.

"What can I do for you, Ted?" Amelia asked with a sour frown once the door was closed.

"I thought you might want to know that Talion Macnair was granted his emancipation. I understand the two of you have a... relationship?"

Amelia gained a deep frown as she reached down to her desk, opened a secret compartment and took out a bottle of very expensive muggle whiskey - a birthday present from Talion that she received when the two still talked on good terms.

Sliding over a glass to Ted once she poured herself and him a glass, Amelia downed hers and topped her glass off again.

"How is he?" She asked after the second glass as she poured herself a third, but this time on the rocks so that she could slowly nurse the drink.

Ted frowned deeply. This was going much, much differently than he had thought. By Flitwick's account, she all but left the boy to rot in a cell for a night and stopped caring about anything related to Talion.

"Fed up, I'd assume. Your subordinate leading the hearing had some very... interesting questions. How many emancipation hearings have you sat in thus far, Amelia?"

"Somewhere less than ten and above... four? I remember four quite well," Amelia answered as she took another sip.

"How often were those young magicals asked where they would live and how they made their money to pay for their living arrangements following a potential emancipation?"

Amelia held the glass against her head and pondered. Eventually, she looked up at Ted and said, "Not once, I think. A house once came up that a Rosier boy inherited from his squib uncle, that's it, I think. Getting a loan from the goblins might force you to work for them after education, but nobody fresh out of school or still inside would starve to death..."

"All three of them pried heavily into Talion's life. I think Hopkirk's agenda was mere gossip because she is a rather simple witch, but both Shacklebolt and Farley were up to something. Talion's life clearly is in constant danger when after all that's happened to him two people like that are allowed to lead such a hearing. I hope you do something before either ministry faction or whatever does something that cannot be taken back," Ted almost spat in absolute displeasure when he saw Amelia just blankly stare ahead.

"I'm building a case. Until I can go ahead with it, I cannot do anything against the status quo," Amelia lamented in a tired voice. "Talion has stepped into something much bigger than himself... and he isn't even a pawn in it. Just a little thorn. A thorn that has proven to be poisonous... I cannot show myself favoring the boy unless I want to see the whole house of cards toppling down around us, around him..."

"You might not, but even though he technically is no longer a boy, he is still just one 15 year old. If you do care for him, I'd suggest doing more for him before he does it himself or before it is too late. In my long life as a lawyer, I haven't seen a case like this since the war. Either Talion dies unceremoniously in the next attack on him which shouldn't be far off, he gets thrown into Azkaban for life for a crime he didn't commit, or the raven shows his claws and fights back with an intensity that could split our society. He is charismatic enough, and he has tremendous composure and talent."

"I know," Amelia nodded in agreement as she nursed her drink with a complicated expression.

Ted stood up. It was clear he said what needed to be said. As he reached the door, he looked back once more to address Amelia one last time.

"Don't take too long with that case or fill him in so he knows he isn't alone. I don't want him to be labeled a dark lord because our society made him one."