Chương 119: CH 119
Come," stated Matthias walking out the doors, clearly still quite angry.
Harry quietly said, "Now you see why I suggested you arrive early, last time. I expected this sort of thing to happen."
After walking to the Three Broomsticks, the four Floo'ed directly to the atrium in the Ministry.
Leading his three charges, Matthias led them directly to the security checkpoint - where their wands were 'weighed' as usual - before they were taken directly to the Wizengamot chambers.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few visitors sitting in the visitors' gallery, even though they were about fifteen minutes early.
As soon as they walked in, Stewart Ackerman came down and said to Harry, "Mister Potter; it's good to see you again. As per your request, I'll be providing you legal counsel during your testimony."
While they were talking, Matthias pulled one of the stationed aurors aside and said a few quick words to him, before he turned to look at Harry. "Harry, Stewart... Auror Robards, here, is going to take you into a side room where you'll wait until called, alright?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Harry, automatically. "May I ask why?"
"You're being called as a witness," replied Matthias.
"I'm aware of that, Sir," said Harry. "However, this is not a criminal trial; only an enquiry."
"Yes, I'm aware," replied Ackerman. "However, it is an enquiry that may well lead to a criminal trial... or more than one. As such, you need to be sequestered until called."
With a sigh of frustration, "Understood."
Harry said, "Follow me," replied Robards. "I stay with you until you're released after your testimony."
"Oh, very well," muttered Harry.
The auror then led Harry and Stewart across the floor and out a small door at the other end of the visitors' gallery. He crossed a narrow hallway and straight through another door into a small room.
Inside, there were a couple of small lounges and magazines stacked on occasional tables. A water cooler stood alone between two chairs. It was pretty much the same room, same chairs, and same magazines as the Weasley trial in Courtroom Two.
With a sub vocal sigh, Harry went and sat on one of the chairs with a table stacked with magazines on his left. Then started going through them, looking for something interesting to read. Auror Robards stood just outside.
Ackerman said, "Harry, I need you to listen to me for a few moments, alright?"
Harry put the magazine he'd just picked up back on its pile and nodded back.
For the next half hour Ackerman led Harry through a lot of the questions he could be asked, and ways to answer them. He also stepped Harry through an idea he had to win Sirius his freedom - if they had a chance to use it. And they discussed other ideas while waiting.
It was half an hour later when Harry was finally called upon to testify. Regaining his feet, he gave himself a once over to ensure everything was neat and tidy while Ackerman did the same, and followed the auror back across the hall and through the door.
Robards then indicated a witness box for Harry to climb into.
Ackerman stood right in front of it and a little to the side, just as he did for the Weasley trial.
Looking around, Harry first checked to make sure Hermione and Daphne were safe. Matthias sat between them and both looked a little anxious for him.
Turning back to the assembled, he first spotted Dumbledore wearing a garish purple robe with stars upon it, and not in his usual Chief Warlock seat. Sitting not far away was Minister Fudge, and almost too close behind him, slightly to his right, was 'The Pink Toad', also known as Madam Umbridge.
Harry did not recognise the wizard who sat in the nominal Chief Warlock's seat, front and centre.
The man cleared his throat a little and asked Harry a set of questions, directly.
"You are Mister Harry James Potter?"
"Yes."
"And Mister Stewart Ackerman, acting as counsel on retainer for Mister Harry James Potter, Sir," cut in Ackerman.
The wizard in the Chair nodded back and continued with his questioning. "You reside at Number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?"
"I am incarcerated there for more than two months each year, yes. Otherwise I reside at Hogwarts."
There was quite a few murmurs from those watching, both from the assembled and from the gallery.
"Your guardians are Vernon and Petunia Dursley?"
"No, Sir."
"Pardon, Mister Potter?"
"I said, no," Harry stated. "The Dursleys have never recognised themselves as my guardians, nor do I recognise them as such. There is no record... as far as I am aware... of them ever accepting to be my guardians, and the term guardian implies they are my protectors.
"The Dursleys are anything but. They are my tormentors. They own the house in which I am enslaved. They cannot stand my presence and only tolerate me being anywhere near them because, I believe, of a letter stuck in my baby blanket wrappings when I was dumped on their doorstep in the middle of the night. I was dumped on their doorstep, without so much as a ringing of the doorbell, by Albus Dumbledore's own hands."
That generated quite a bit of noise in chatter from both the assembled and the visitors. Quite a bit of anger and ire was directed at Dumbledore, who sat there wincing and looking as if he'd been sucking on a lemon. Ackerman momentarily looked up at Harry with a wide grin on his face. After he banged his gavel a couple times, the clearly shocked wizard in the main chair said, "I... see." Rallying himself, he asked, "Then, pray tell, who is your rightful guardian?"
'Rightful?' thought Harry with a mental grin. "Sirius Orion Black," he flatly stated.
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