Debts (2)

Title: Debts
Author: Genna Gray
Fandom/Genre: Harry Potter
Relationship[s]: Gen, Pre-slash [Maybe]
Content Rating: MA [Just in-case]
Warnings: Swearing, Flashbacks, Violence
Disclaimer: I will not or plan to make any money off of this, this was written in fun for fun and nothing more.
Summary: Since the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament Harry has had a lot of time on his hands – between being banished back to the Dursley’s, no contact with his friends of Godfather, and pretty much ignored – Harry stumbles across a key piece of information that could change his entire world.
And piss of most of the Wizarding world.
AN: This was for Rough Trade, June 2014, Boot Camp
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      “Thank you Mister Potter,” Bones said gently after Harry was finished speaking about the events’ only a few months prior in the graveyard and how exactly Harry ended up there in the first place – namely Crouch Jr. pretending to be Moody. “I understand that this must be hard for you to speak of, considering, but I thank you for speaking today before the Court on such a difficult subject.”
     “Yes, ma’am.” Harry nodded and licked his lips’ – he really wanted to have a sip of water but Harry didn’t dare ask for it. “After that I haven’t seen either one of them until this trial.”
     “I see,” There was rustling in the large Court-room as the various witches and wizards shifted. “As much as I have questions I seek to be answered about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named this is not the time nor the place for that – as such I thank you for your time and to please step down Mister Potter.”
     And the Court-room exploded into shouting and shrieks about what Harry said about the last time Harry saw Pettigrew – when he helped raised Voldemort from the dead. Bones looked annoyed by that and tried to reign in the court but it didn’t work and, if anything, it got louder and the shouting became just pure noise.
For a brief moment Harry did feel sorry but not enough to stop – Shelton didn’t have an opinion one way or another but he had advised Harry that if he wanted the truth from that night to be known that Harry needed to be in court and under either the strongest of Truth-spell’s or dosed with Veritaserum.
     Since Harry doubted he would be back in court for any reason after freeing Sirius and sentencing                  Pettigrew Harry decided to let slip about Voldemort being back – in the interest’s of the court so that they knew what type of a Wizard Pettigrew was, helping raise a Dark Lord from the dead.
     The look on Dumbledore’s face when Harry began speaking of the Tri-Wizard Tournament was priceless – the old Wizard knew where exactly Harry’s testamony was going and it wasn’t going as where Dumbledore wanted.
     Anything that pissed Dumbledore off was good in Harry’s books, as petty as it seemed, but Harry couldn’t do much currently against Dumbledore – not as a Scion and Heir Apperent – but what little Harry could do Harry was going to do and enjoy every moment of it. That stealing old bastard would get what was coming to him once Harry was officially a Lord of an Ancient and Noble House – Sirius, once he was free and finally got the medical attention he needed, would probably join in.
     What little Ragnarok had on Dumbledore, at least in regards to Harry, only made Harry privately think that this wasn’t the first time the old Wizard had done this – to hide orphans away or give them away and then steal from them after placing himself as “guardian”. In Harry’s case alone it was too smooth, to neat, to not have been done before – at least as practice for Harry.
     Ragnarok, angry and wrathful, could do no more than flag all accounts that Dumbledore’s name was attached to and observe the old Wizard more closely than a nesting dragonness with her first clutch – which is to say, very close.
     Harry was perfectly willing to wage war on two sides if it meant that the enemy’s of his House were punished or dead by the time he was of Age so Harry could live his life fully and without worry from that point forward until he was old or whenever he died.
     Frankly both Voldemort and Dumbledore wouldn’t be that hard to beat – they both had different weakness’s that Harry knew and knew how to hit hard. Dumbledore’s image of a leader, Leader of the Light, was his biggest weakness and strength – freeing Sirius meant it would take a hit because, in the interview Harry already set up after the court-trial, Harry had full plans to do the woe-is-me angle in regards to Sirius.
     Because if Dumbledore was willing to bend all the rules to see Death Eater’s given a trial but did nothing when one of his key fighter’s were accused and stood by as Sirius’s rights as a basic Wizard were denied to him?
     That would get tongues talking and the doubts to start, the rumors alone that would fly made Harry’s little Slytherin heart beat fast – it wouldn’t take much after that, a few statements here or there a few weeks after that initial interview, before Dumbledore would be investigated himself.
     [Harry had high hopes that Dumbledore wouldn't even be Headmaster by the time Christmas break was over - Harry would have prefered sooner but Shelton said to not get his hopes up and for Harry to plan for the worst case senario.]
     Voldemort wouldn’t be a problem by the time summer rolled around next year if Harry had anything to do it – Shelton was sure that if Sirius could get his freedom from this court-case and Pettigrew sentenced to Azkaban, and if Harry could knock out some of Voldemort’s key player’s through the court-system, then Shelton was sure that the remaining Death Eater’s would either jump ship and flee to other countries or turn themselves in for a lesser punishment.
     Because Oath-Breakers were the worst sort and Magic Herself had a way of punishing them even worse ways the Wizarding world could ever think of – Harry was hoping once that little rumor circled through Voldemort’s ranks that they would start to break down so Voldemort would be left with as little aid as he could get as possible from his servent’s.
     Voldemort would still be a problem of course, Shelton had warned – as had Ragnarok when Harry told them of what he planned – but Harry wasn’t stupid, Voldemort would always be a problem until the day he died – again – and stayed dead this time with no take-back’s and re-do’s like Pettigrew gave Voldemort a few months ago.
      Which Harry had plans for but as long as his Death Eater’s were being put back into prison, properly this time, Harry could bide his time and train until he could face Voldemort when he was older and better equipped this time to deal with Voldemort.
       Harry wasn’t stupid – he had always known since First Year it would always come down to him or Voldemort in the end.
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     “I will have order in this court!” Bones shouted after she cast a Silencio onto the jam-packed court-room and the silence was deafening. “Order! The first witch or wizard to break this spell and speak when I have not speak to you will be cast into the Auror holding cells for two months! Do I make myself clear?”
     No-one spoke up – either as a result from the spell or the result of the rather impressive threat.
     “Good,” Bones nodded and flicked her wand. “Now, it’s gone past lunch as is and I for one am calling for a recess at this time and to resume in two hours – aye or nay?”
     Harry was rather surprised to see that most of the Wizengamont voted for the break – he would have thought they wanted to hurry Sirius’s trial up so…Harry wasn’t sure where he stood now but he hoped it was good. Bones nodded and stood up, the Wizengamont followed suit and followed Bones out of the private chambers through their entrances in the back of the boxes.
     “This is a good thing,” Shelton told Harry quietly as they waited for the public stands to empty, they also watched as both Sirius and Pettigrew were taken back into custody – Harry was grateful to see that Moody was in-charge of Sirius. [As much as it unnerved Harry to have been taught for possibly a year by a Death Eater, Moody was the best of the best for a reason.] “It gives me more time to prepare for what Pettigrew’s attorney will say or try to turn back onto Lord Black – I think we have a chance here.”
      “Good,” Harry nodded. “Is there anyone they will call to the stand?”
     “Some of the Weasley’s maybe – possibly you again but I don’t think so.” Shelton smiled at Harry.              “You’ve already proven truthful under some of the strongest Truth-spells available that the MInistry uses – they wouldn’t dare, not if they want to win.”
     “And if they did?”
     “Ask for Veritaserum – the strongest truth-potion out there and there is no way around it – it would make them back off.”
     “Are you sure?” Harry asked doubtfully – he really did doubt that a simple potion would make much of a difference.
     “Yes,” Shelton told Harry. “Because if they force the issue and use Veritaserum on you then you have the right to ask that both Lord Black and Pettigrew to also be given it as well.”
     “Oh.” Harry bit his lip as Shelton stood and herded him out of the court-room. “Can’t you request it or something? It would solved all of our problems.”
     “With you, no. With Lord Black…” Shelton hummed. “Maybe, I will think that over during the recess and if Lord Black is called to the stand to give testimony than I will request Veritaserum be used.”
     “Bones would do it.” Harry said as he thought about the older woman. “I think she’s on our side.”
     “She was friends with Sirius back in school,” Remus said quietly and nodded at Shelton. “Leon.”
     “Remus,” Shelton nodded back before stepping away. “I leave Harry in your care until the recess is over – there’s some things I need to go over for the remaining part of the trial. Just make sure he’s back here on time before the recess is over.”
     “We won’t be leaving the Ministry,” Remus reassured Shelton as Harry tucked himself into the werewolf’s side. “We’re only going up to the cafe-level were the food-stalls are stationed before coming right back down.”
     Shelton nodded and disappeared into the crowd as Remus led Harry down a side corridor to an elevator.      The ride was bumpy and jarring and Harry doubted he would ever get used to it – frankly Harry didn’t want to ever set foot back inside of the Ministry again.
      [It was for both personal reasons and a little bit of professional - Ragnarok had said that, although they couldn't prove anything, that it was more than likely the Ministry had looked the other way when Dumbledore didn't even force the issue about Sirius's trial. They, Shelton and Ragnarok, couldn't actually prove or verify that Dumbledore pushed to not have a trial but the connections could be made.
     Not to mention how useless the MInistry actually was - Harry had years worth of law and estate books and tax regulation update's to go over and so far Harry had found that the Ministry was an actually useless government that was run by pureblood's as their own private club. One of the reasons, Shelton had said when Harry raised his concerns, was why most of the Death Eater's walked free - unless it was a public trial, which the Ministry was required by law to do with a select number of cases each term, the Ministry held private ones and on "extraordinary" new evidence the Death Eater walked free.
     And promptly donated quite the bit of gold to the Ministry - an obvious fee paid for services rendered.]
     “She was in Hufflepuff, our year.” Remus told Harry once they got off and picked a stall to wait in line at. “She was Sirius’s partner in Runes – never tolerated his games and pranks, always caught him at it and made him pay for it.”
     “I didn’t know Sirius took Runes.”
     “Runes and Arithmancy – Sirius couldn’t stand Divination and hated most animals so Creatures were out, and we spent so much time in the muggle-world each summer that Muggle Studies never appealed.” Remus said with a soft smile. “I shared Runes with him and Lily, I would have taken Creatures but…”
     “They could sense it, couldn’t they? Your wolf?” Harry asked discretely and Remus nodded briefly.              “Yes, and I have always been interested in the theory’s behind Divination…”
     “What about Mum? And Dad?”
     “Let’s see – James took Creatures of course, along with Muggle-Studies, he said it would be an easy course and that was James, always looking for an easier way of things.” Remus hummed under his breath. “Lily…Lily was always an over archiver – took as many courses she could get away with and did the rest as independent studies.”
     “Like Hermione?” Harry asked curiously and Remus laughed softly. “No, not exactly. Lily took both Runes and Arithmancy – but took the rest on her own time outside of school. Which, considering she was both Prefect and Head Girl during her school years – as well as running several clubs – was quite a feat.”
     “I didn’t know that…” Harry frowned slightly as their turn was called. After ordering fish and chips, Harry was hungry but didn’t want anything too heavy, Remus and Harry took a seat off to the side of the large food-court and tucked in. “Not many people talk to me about Mum – only Dad.”
     “Well,” Remus looked uncomfortable as he fiddled with his tea. “Not many of Lily’s friends survived the First War – she was very close to Artemus Heartsong and Alice Diggory as well as Colleen Daivs and Edith Abbot.”
      “Luna and Neville’s Mum’s.” Harry said as he recognized the some of the names. “I think there’s an Abbot in Hufflepuff and a David is Slytherin.”
      “Yes, Tracey Davis is Colleen’s daughter and Hannah is Edie’s daughter.” Remus sighed. “Artemus and Edie died – a potion accident oddly enough shortly after the War ended. Colleen died during birth, Tracey’s youngest brother I think, and Alice…”
     “Neville’s told me.” Harry said softly as he picked at his meal. “Did you know Mum very well?”
     “Not so much,” Remus smiled wryly. “I was all wrapped up in your Dad and Sirius, I rarely interacted with Lily until after she married James but that was when the war picked up so we kind of…”
     “Lost contact.” Harry continued softly.
     Both men let the subject drop and turned their attention back to their meals. Before long Remus was herding Harry back down to the court-room and the milled outside of it; Remus spent the time messing around with his pockets while Harry stared at the wall and mentally prepared himself for the second half of the trial – Shelton had said it all went well with Harry’s testimony he would put Sirius up the stand, from there the case would pretty much be over and Sirius would be a free man.
     Whether or not Pettigrew would get the kiss or life in Azkaban was something different.
     [Harry personally wanted Pettigrew, that traitorous rat, to get the Kiss - it might be a bit cold or blood-thirsty but Harry had studied a lot when it came time to prep for Sirius's trial and knew that Pettigrew would probably get life in Azkaban but would be right back out on the street when Voldemort freed him - through legal activities via Malfoy's Dad.
     Shelton had said he would push for the Kiss but for Harry to not get his hopes up.]
     “There you are,” Shelton said once the two hours were nearly up and guided Harry back into the court-room. “As soon as Bones and the rest of the Wizengamont comes back I’m going to push to get Lord Black up on the stand – it should nip this straight in the bud.”
     “What about Pettigrew?”
     Shelton hesitated and sighed. “Honestly Harry? I don’t think that’s going to happen, not unless the court or Bones pushes for it – I know his Barrister won’t put him on the stand, Finnegan knows full well that I or Bones would shove Veritaserum down his throat and then the trial would be over.”
     “So Pettigrew won’t be able to testify about what happened in the graveyard?” Harry asked and Shelton shook his head. Harry sighed, frustrated and pissed off, but understood. “Thanks.”
     Shelton and Harry had agreed that the goal was to get Sirius free and Pettigrew either Kissed or put into Azkaban – getting testimony outside of Harry’s about Voldemort’s return would be a bonus and a long-shot at best. Shelton had believed Harry, point-blank, when Harry told him what happened, and agreed that the knowledge that Voldemort returned needed to be widely known and collaborated by at least one if not three Death Eaters.
     And Pettigrew would be a good place to start – if they could get him up on the stand.
     “Order!” Bones banged her gavel and glared out at the stands, both of the Wizangamont and at the public’s, before clearing her throat. “We are back from are recess and, after speaking with my colleague’s have decided that it would suit the Court’s interest if we were to get a first hand account of that tragic night-”
Harry held his breath and clenched his hands tightly under the table. Maybe…
     “-the Court will call Lord Sirius Orion Black to the stand!”