Already Gone

Chapter 3

A few moments later, they arrived. "There you are, Harry, in you go. Good luck." Harry enters the chambers.

One side if the courtroom is an elevated zigarat-shaped series of seats carved from black stones. The whole room is dark, save a light shines through from the ceiling down on the center of the room, where a dingle wooden chair sits, covered in chains. "You're late."

"Er, sorry." Harry shifted feeling nervous.

"No matter, the accused will take his seat." Harry did so, and glared nervously at the chains on."Very well, we are ready to begin."

"Witness for the Defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Harry turned in his seat. Dumbledore stood by the door of the courtroom, looking up to the Minister.

"Ah, you, got our message that the time had changed, did you?" The unpleasant look would have made Olivia laugh, Harry thought to himself.

"Must have missed it. Dumbledore paused and looked at Harry. However, due to a fortunate mistake, I arrived at the Ministry three hours early." Dumbledore conjured up a squashy, chintz armchair next to Harry's and sat down with a mild squeak. He steepled his fingers and looked up at the Minister with an expression of polite interests. 

"Well. The, ah, charges."He consults his notes. "The charges against the accused shall be read into the record; That the accused did with deliberation and fore-knowledge of the illegality of his actions, produce a patronus  charm in full sight a Muggle." Fudge looked down to Harry. "You are Harry James Potter?"

"Yes."

"And you conjured a patronus on the night of the 11th of August?"

"Yes, but-"

"Within full sight of Muggle?"

"Yes, but-"

----

"Olivia!" Olivia groaned and got out of her bed.

"What!" She yelled back but didn't get a response. She let out a cry as she walked down all the stairs. "Yes?" She asked Mrs. Weasley, who had called her. 

"What do you want for lunch?" 

"Not hungry." With that she went back into her room and shut the door.

----

"You produced a Patronus? A fully- formed Patronus, with a clearly- defined shape?" A woman asked Harry.

"Yes."

"That is most remarkable, Mr. Potter." There were a lot of nods.

"It doesn't matter how impassive it was!"

"But I did it because of the Dementors!" Harry yelled back at Fudge.

"What do you mean?" The same woman asked Harry.

"My cousin and I new attacked by Dementors. That's why I had to use the Patronus, to drive them away."

"Ah, yes, yes, another cock-and-bull story." Fudge muttered.

"It's the truth!" Harry yelled.

"Of course it is." Fudge said sarcastically.

"Dementors on Little Whinging?" 

"Oh, come now, Susan. He's clearly lying." Fudge said as he pointed at Harry.

"Actually, we have a witness to the presence of the Dementors in question."

"We haven't got time to-" Dumbledore cut him off.

"I may be wrong, but I do believe that it says somewhere in the Wizagommot Charter of Rights that the Accused has the right to present witnesses to prove his or her case? In fact, I do believe I wrote that particular bit myself."