Harry Potter and the Emerald Trance - Preview

Harry entered the chamber. It was large and circular, like an arena. Every seat was filled by a wizard in plum-colored formal robes, each of which had a silver W on the left-hand side of the chest. At the center of the chamber was a table, and behind the table sat Minister Fudge. There were two witches on either side of Fudge, and Harry recognized neither of them. One of those witches, however, Harry was sure he would never forget; she was wearing the most atrocious pink robes, and had the oiliest smile that Harry had ever seen. At the end of Fudge's table sat Percy Weasley. He looked almost completely recovered from his imprisonment by Barty Crouch, Junior the previous year.

"The juvenile will come forward," Fudge said. Harry stepped forward. "Harry Potter, you are charged with underage use of magic, second offense, to wit, that Harry Potter did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on August the second at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offense under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy. How do you plead to your charge?"

"Not guilty," Harry said.

Harry heard a door open at the back of the courtroom. He kept his attention on Fudge, and did not glance back.

"We will proceed directly to trial," Fudge said. "Have you hired a barrister to act on your behalf?"

"I will represent myself," Harry said.

"Be seated," Fudge said.

Harry turned and stepped toward the chair at the center of the courtroom. As he did, he glanced to the back of the courtroom. Dumbledore and Snape were seated at the back of the room, the only spectators for Harry's trial.

As Harry sat, Fudge spoke again. "The court will call and examine its witnesses. First witness: Harry Potter. The Juvenile will come forward and be examined by the court."

Harry frowned and stood. "I invoke my right to silence at this time. I reserve the right to make a later statement, and subject myself to the court's inquiries at that time."

Fudge frowned. "The court calls Mafalda Hopkirk."

Mafalda Hopkirk worked in the Underage Magic Office. It was she who had sent Harry his warning for underage magic during Harry's second year, and who had sent Harry his notices of the hearing today. She was a small witch, with wire-rimmed spectacles and flyaway gray hair.

When Hopkirk was seated on the witness stand, Fudge had her give a brief explanation of the tracing charm, and the manner in which the Underage Magic Office tracked violations. "Every time there is a violation," she said, "an enchanted quill will write the location of the violation, the nature of the spell, and the date and time of the violation. This is then cross-checked with Underage Magic Tracing records, to determine who committed the violation."

"Did you receive a notice regarding the juvenile in this case?"

"Yes."

"Please describe that notice."

"The notice stated that a patronus charm was cast in Little Whinging, Surrey, on August second at nine twenty-three in the evening. I cross-checked the Underage Tracing records, and determined that the only wizard in the area was one Harry Potter, the juvenile in this case."

"Nothing further will be required of you," Fudge said. Hopkirk stepped down and left the courtroom. Fudge opened his arms expansively. "The crown rests its case. Mr. Potter, you may proceed with your defense."

Harry stood and pulled a small pad of parchment from his pocket. He was nervous, but also excited. Fudge had made a mistake, and Harry was ready for it. "Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot," Harry said, reading from his parchment, "I respectfully move this august body to dismiss the charges before me. The crown has not proven every element of its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Specifically, the crown has not introduced evidence of any previous offense of underage magic. All testimony in this case has related to the date of August 2, 1995. Because no evidence has been put offered to show that this incident was a second offense, the crown will be unable to prove its case, and acquittal is necessary." Harry struggled to keep himself from smiling; two years earlier, Lucius Malfoy had contacted Fudge and ensured that Harry's first charge of underage magic was lost in the shuffle of paperwork at the Ministry. Fudge couldn't present any evidence of a first conviction, because he had destroyed the evidence himself.

When Harry finished speaking, a murmur went through the Wizengamot and Fudge's jaw dropped open. It was clear that nobody had expected Harry to have such a firm grasp of the law, nor had they expected Fudge to have made such a fundamental mistake. Harry got the distinct feeling that some of the members of the Wizengamot were pleased to see Fudge on the verge of complete failure.

A/N: As promised, a preview of things to come in Harry Potter and the Emerald Trance. Chapter One was posted today; check my profile for a shortcut!