GUYS! We've reached 700K views!! OMG what a milestone! Thank you everyone so much! SO since you all have been so patient with me as I navigate life as a young twenties adult these past few months, HERE IS ANOTHER UPDATE!! I worked really hard yesterday to write this for you as a thank you! SO enjoy this chapter and I HOPE to have chapters coming out every 1-2ish weeks! I'm definitely getting my motivation back to write and I'm thoroughly enjoying it again! Vote, comment, follow! Private message me too if you want! I would love to chat and get to know you all!
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C H A P T E R 108
"Remus and I can't sit down at the benches with you both but we'll be up in the stands," Sirius explained the next morning as he set down a plate of toast and scrambled eggs in front of Harry and Samantha. Remus then gave them each a glass of orange juice.
"I'll try and ask if I can sneak away from work for the trial to come support you both. I'll see if I can play the very important family member card," Tonks added with a laugh.
"Well you can tell your boss that you're like a sister to me so hopefully that'll do," Samantha answered as she stuffed a piece of toast with peanut butter into her mouth and said goodbye to Tonks who set off for work.
Harry looked around and smiled. This was his family and this right now was the happiest he's ever been, even amidst this current chaos.
They finished breakfast around fifteen minutes later and it was time for them to head to the Ministry for the trial. Sirius had a nice blue collared shirt for Harry to wear which he paired with blue jeans. Tonks gave Samantha a knee length floral dress to borrow which she paired with white flats and a coat as it was still a bit chilly outside.
They stepped out onto the street and towards the nearby alleyway so no one would see them Apparate. The air was crip but the sun was starting to emerge from the clouds so even though it felt cold, the sunshine counteracted that.
"Oooh, this can be the first time I Apparate outside of Hogwarts!" Samantha said happily.
"Do you really want to try this now?" Remus asked in a slightly wary tone.
"I passed the class and have done it loads of times around the castle," Samantha answered. "I believe I can do it." She felt very confident in her ability. She actually found it rather fun to Apparate. It was nothing like side-long Apparation which they found out was much different and harder for wizards. A wizard had to focus on both of them and was harder to maneuver between places which explained the sick and nauseating feeling. One person was much more clean and quick.
Sirius nodded. "And I think you can too. I would be honored to be here for this momentous moment, Samantha."
Samantha smirked and shook her head at yet again a ridiculous comment from Sirius. "thank you, Sirius. It is much appreciated."
"Ok, then let's go. Harry, you can go with Sirius," Remus said.
"Take my arm," Sirius said.
Harry obliged and within seconds, they were whisked away from Grimmauld Place.
The familiar feeling of Apparation overtook Samantha and it felt freeing to travel from place to place. The cool air surrounded her and it felt nice on her cheeks. Within seconds, they landed in yet another alleyway which was close to phone booth in London.
The four piled in and Remus took the phone. He spoke with the operator and mentioned Barty Crouch Jr, Ministry Trial. Four buttons came out and the booth then started to lower below the ground. As much as they probably could've just Apparated right into the Ministry, there was something about the phone booth way that Samantha loved. It felt so exciting and always made travelling to the Ministry an adventure.
"Is this your first time at the Ministry, Harry?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, Remus what did you say on the phone?"
"Well usually visitors or underage wizards travel this way, as well as Floo. So it's known to pick up the phone, type out the numbers to spell MAGIC and then you speak with an operator on why you're there and where you're going. Then you'll get these buttons which will alert the visitor section what you're doing. We'll have to go to the front desk to have our wands examined and a brief security check. It's all protocol and very simple," Remus explained as the phone booth sunk lower and lower into the ground.
They reached the entrance to the Ministry and walked out into the busy walkway of wizards Apparating in and out and coming to and from the Floo Network fireplaces.
"Is it always like this?" Harry said as they weaved in and out towards the visitor desk.
Remus and Samantha looked at Sirius who had the most experience coming to the Ministry since he resumed his Auror job.
"Depends. I mostly just Apparate right into my office so I never notice. Sometimes if there's a big meeting or event, you'll see everyone arriving on time but other times not since people have their own schedules. I guess you just caught the Ministry on a busy day."
They reached the desk and Remus explained why they were there. They each placed their wands to be checked while the guard waved her wand and examined them. "You four are good to go," she said in a neutral tone.
They reached the elevators and Samantha grinned. "Maybe afterwards we can show Harry what these elevators really do," Samantha said to Remus and Sirius.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked as they lowered down to the courtrooms. "Don't they just go up and down?"
Samantha shook her head. "Nope. They do much more than that."
They reached the courtrooms and walked over to courtroom ten. Remus checked his watch and said out loud that they had fifteen minutes before the trial was to start.
"Ready?" Sirius asked once they reached the door.
Samantha swallowed and took a breath. Sirius reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "You'll be fine. The toughest part has been over since you both figured this out. All you have to do is re-explain it which you've done many times already."
Samantha smiled at Sirius and then brought Harry into a quick side hug. "We got this."
Sirius opened the door for them and the familiarity of courtroom ten rushed back into Samantha's mind. Most of the Wizengamot members were there and taking their seats. There were a few seats in the center and a nearby bench.
"Look up and to the right if you need us," Remus said as him and Sirius brought them into a hug. "I know we're being extra protective but I just want you both to know that we're here for you and that we support you."
Samantha smiled. "We both are very grateful for what you've done for us. I'm sure Harry agrees."
Harry agreed. "Yes, very much. In such a short span of time, I've regained my family and there's no one else I would want here supporting us."
Sirius and Remus then went to sit up in the stands while Harry and Samantha sat on the nearby bench. Harry took this time to look around the courtroom and take everything in. While Samantha was explain where everyone sat and how things would run, Tonks came in, gave them a thumbs up, and went to go sit by Remus and Sirius.
"I actually would really love to work here in the Wizengamot," Samantha spoke. "I think when I was here for Sirius' trial last year showed me how much my personality would fit here."
"Well curiosity and interrogation are very important for this job and you've got them both," Harry said with a smile.
Samantha glanced at him and smirked.
"Would that be your first option?" Harry asked. He knew Samantha was in a prime spot of thinking what she wanted to do after leaving Hogwarts.
"Maybe. I've also thought about becoming a Hit Witch or part of the Magical Law ENforcement Patrol. I've realized that I like taking part of the action but not much the pre-investigative work. Yes, piecing together things i quite satisfying, hence why we're here, but I also love to just dive into situations and adapt on hand. Does that make sense?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah for sure. I think you'd be great for any of them. If you win this tournament, I think that's all you would need to show for them."
Samantha laughed. "Very true. I could just skip taking my NEWTS next year and send them a letter with only my name and the phrase: Triwizard Champion."
They continued talking as more and more members filed in and took their seats. DUmbledore walked in, said hi to a few people and took a seat near the main stands. Harry then paused upon seeing Fudge walk in with Barty Crouch Sr who still looked a little pale but not as pale as when they last saw him.
"I can only imagine what he's thinking right about now," Harry commented as the two of them took their seats. Amelia Bones and Percy joined too. Apparently Percy was the new court scribe.
"That he's probably going to have to send his son to Azkaban for the second time," Samantha replied.
"Was Crouch at Sirius' trial?" Harry asked.
Samantha shook her head. "No, that was the time where they were getting a lot ready for the World Cup so he was bogged down with work. Plus I think Fudge wanted to handle it on his own. Sirius told me that sometimes trials are hard with both the Minister and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement. They both are very important and have the strongest opinions but if they differ, I can only imagine how hard it could be to make a decision."
With five minutes remaining, the last few members filed in and everyone started to take their seats after doing some mingling. The security guards then approached another door and an elevator approached. Three more security guards joined them and were prepared for the doors to open. Everyone paused to watch as the doors opened and was stood Barty Crouch Jr tied up in magical ropes and surrounded by four more security guards. One of them moved her wand and Crouch Jr started to levitate towards the middle of the courtroom to where the chairs were. He was slowly lowered and positioned to sit down, facing everyone.
Samantha looked up at Crouch Sr whose lips were pressed into a line so thin his lips could have disappeared. His eyes stared at his son and his face remained expressionless. Fudge was slowly glancing between the two as the guards properly tied Crouch Jr to the chair and untied the rope from his mouth. The guards then proceeded to their positions surrounding the bottom level of the courtrooms.
"Right," Fudge announced which caught everyone's attention. "Let's get to it then, shall we? We are here on the morning of February 27th discussing the newly apprehended Bartemius Crouch Junior, who faked his own death to escape Azkaban to impersonate Auror Alastor Moody to rig the Triwizard Tournament.
"Interrogators will be me, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Bartemius Crouch Senior, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Court Scribe is Percy Ignatius Weasley.
"Here for witness and testimony if needed are Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Samantha Lily Potter, and Harry James Potter. We are here to uncover why and when Crouch Jr escaped Azkaban and then let him explain his ultimate intentions for rigging the Triwizard Tournament. It was originally documented that Crouch Jr had died in Azkaban in 1982. Now let's get started. Guards, if you will bring in the Veritaserum and place three drops on his tongue."
The guards obliged and successfully opened up his mouth and placed the truth serum on his tongue. Samantha noticed that Crouch Jr was not struggling at all and just sat there, almost motionless. His eyes were trained on one person and one person only...his father.
Then Samantha thought of something. Crouch Sr completely helped his son escape and damaged the memory of Bertha Jorkins. She was there when the story was explained to Fudge and even when it was explained when Crouch Sr arrived in Dumbledore's office and was not under the Imperius Curse anymore. Surely he had to receive some type of consequence for practically starting this. Would Crouch Sr then explain his side of the story? So many questions came into her mind as to how this trial was going to proceed.
Fudge then began the initial questioning. "Are you Bartemius Crouch Junior?"
"Yes."
"Son to Bartemius Crouch Senior and Gwendolyn Crouch?"
Crouch Jr swallowed and then smirked. "Yes, the very same father and mother who helped me escape Azkaban."
Whispers immediately broke out among the jury members as well as confused expressions. Crouch Sr paid no mind to his son's reveal and continued to look down at the list of questions they had put together. Amelia Bones turned and stared wide eyed at Fudge who swallowed uncomfortably. He did not think Crouch Jr would reveal that detail this early in the investigation.
"Do you think Crouch Sr and Fudge already spoke about that?" Samantha whispered to Harry.
"That had to. There's no way a revelation like that would not cause for consequence," Harry replied.
"I bet he weaseled his way into justifying his actions," Samantha said. "There's no way the jury is going to let him come off that scotch free."
"Cornelius--" Amelia Bones started.
"Order, order!" Fudge cried, banging the mallet. "Yes, we will get to that point in the story soon and discuss."
Fudge then reiterated why Crouch Jr got sent to Azkaban in the first place, sentenced by his own father Crouch Sr. "Now that we are all caught up to speed, I am going to ask you to explain how you escaped Azkaban. Please keep your comments and reactions to a minimum until he is finished with his story."
And so Crouch Jr told his story word for word like he did in Dumbledore's office. He mentioned switching roles with his mother and his father and Winky nursing him back to health and hiding him for the last few years. Crouch Sr still remained deadpan as everyone in the stands looked at him with confused and shocked expressions.
Fudge paused him right as he finished the part when Bertha Jorkins found him and right before the World Cup fiasco.
Amelia Bones decided to insert herself and ask a pointed question. "Cornelius, what are we going to make of what Bartemius Sr has done? He helped a fugitive escape Azkaban, covered it up, and done a horrible act on poor Bertha Jorkins!"
"Yes, Amelia, this is what I have been thinking about since it was revealed to me a few days ago."
"I firmly believe he should be revoked of his position and should spend time in Azkaban," Amelia spat. That broke out numerous cheers and agreements.
"Now now, Amelia, that seems a little drastic--"
"DRASTIC?" she cried. "Because of what he did, he brought a criminal back into our world. Back into freedom!! His carelessness could've caused and Harry and Samantha TO DIE! Does that mean anything to you?!" There were more cheers and then jars at Crouch Sr who still sat there, not saying a word and not looking at anyone.
Samantha looked at him and watched him sit in the middle of Fudge and Bones. She wondered if Crouch Sr was regretting his decision to save his son. She wondered if the reason why he wasn't fighting back or even speaking up was because that he knows what he did was wrong and now has to pay the price. That he knows that his decision went far too out of hand and could've had an even worse outcome.
"Everyone calm down now!!" Fudge shouted tapping the mallet again, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Let's deal with our current situation with Crouch Jr then we will handle the outcome of Crouch Sr. Please continue."
Crouch J then dove into what happened at the Quidditch World Cup and then afterwards when Voldemort and his servant came and found him. He mentioned that another follower of Voldemort came with him but failed to name drop Lucius' name like he did before. It was as if, retelling this story allowed for him to change very few details. As much as Veritaserum was the strongest truth serum, it still allowed for some human error. Crouch Jr was still a strong wizard and every second passing by, he could use his strength and what Voldemort taught him to try and change small yet important details. If he was going to take the downfall, he was not going to take down another follower with him. Samantha debated speaking up about Lucius Malfoy being involved but then she fought against it. It would be his word against hers, and if he wasn't mentioning it while under the truth serum, then there was no way they would believe her against his word.
"Now my father was the one being controlled and I was off to Hogwarts to fully begin my mission," Crouch Jr continued after he spoke about what he did to impersonate Moody. He spoke about gaining the trust of Harry and then having difficulty with Samantha.
"I knew she was suspicious of me. I knew she had her doubts and did not trust me the way Harry was starting to. I knew she would be the biggest obstacle when we started this. Harry would be easy because of his age and naivety. When Samantha saw me as Moody sneaking Polyjuice Potion ingredients one night, I had to act. My first instinct was a memory charm but because of my surprise, it was not strong enough and within two weeks, she regained that memory and was more suspicious of me than ever," he explained as Remus and Sirius stared at Samantha with a shocked expression. They had no idea he performed a memory charm on her when she found him. She is lucky that is was not anything worse, like what happened to Lockhart.
"I told my Master and his servant that it was becoming harder. They made small measures to try and help me stay hidden but to no avail as you can see. I was caught just short of my end goal. The third task acts the winner to tough the cup which would transport one to back to the story and therefore become the winner. I was in the perfect position to turn the cup into a Portkey and transport both Potters to my Master himself...where he would return!! TO FULL STRENGTH!!"
Whispers and jars broke out again amongst the crowd as Crouch Jr spoke. His voice got louder and louder and once he mentioned "I would've gone down as a hero!" he started to struggle against the restraints. The guards instantly came forward and subdued him as his insanity started to leak out.
"ENOUGH!!"Fudge had to end all of this pandemonium. "I hereby bypass life in Azkaban and declare the Dementor's Kiss! All in favor?!" Fudge proclaimed.
"AYE!!" shouted everyone in the room, instantly. Crouch Sr finally looked up at his son and whispered, aye.
"Take him away and back to Azkaban for the Kiss to be performed tomorrow!"
The guards started to reapply the restraints as the members in the crowd cheered and broke into their own conversations. As Crouch Jr was being levitated away he angled his head towards Samantha. "Why don't you ask your lovely boyfriend about the measures my Master took?!" And with that, he was taken into the elevator.
Samantha, Harry, and Dumbledore heard him as they were on that level of the courtroom but it was muffled to the other ears due to the chatter. Samantha's heart stopped for a moment and looked at Crouch Jr with surprise and confusion.
Boyfriend?
Marcus?
Did he have something to do with this?
She glanced at Harry who had the same expression as her. Samantha knew exactly what she was going to do as soon as she got back to Hogwarts.
"Silence!!" Fudge cried. "Now since things got out of hand, I don't believe we need any witness or testimony. Does everyone agree?"
There were nods and a chorus of yesses. Samantha let out a sigh of relief. As much as her place in this was vital and important, she really did not want to go up and answer a bunch of questions when this was all confirmed and everything fell into place. It wasn't like Sirius' trial where they needed her verbal and in person support and take on what happened.
Fudge continued. "Bartemius, if you would take a seat down at ground level please?"
Crouch Sr stood up and walked from the stands and down the stairs to the empty seat in the middle. As he passed, several members booed and expressed their disdain for what he did, and the fact that it's been hidden all of these years.
"Now we heard the story from Crouch Jr," Fudge started once he got everyone's attention again. "Barty, your son--"
"He is no son of mine," Crouch Sr quipped.
Fudge paused, looked up briefly for a moment, and then returned to the paper he was holding. "Right then, well Crouch Jr explained that you helped him escape Azkaban because it was your wife's dying wish, was that your only motive?"
Crouch Sr nodded. "Yes. I loved her more than anything and it took no hesitation when she asked me."
"Even after knowing the awful things he did to put him in there?" Amelia Bones cut in, her tone sharp and lacking the remorse Fudge's tone had. "After performing the Cruciatus curse on Frank and Alice Longbottom which drove them to insanity?!?"
"Amelia, I think that's enough--"
"Cornelius, don't tell me that is enough! We are to be fair and impartial and your friendship with--"
"That has nothing to do with it--"
"He deserves time in Azkaban!! Aiding and abetting a criminal is just as bad!"
They continued to go back and forth and the other Wizengamot members joined in and started to argue about what was punishment Crouch Sr should be getting. The remaining guards started to slowly walk around and maintain alert in case something escalated.
"SILENCE!" Everyone stopped immediately as Dumbledore stood up and spoke into the tip of his wand. "Everyone settle down, please!" He walked to the center of the courtroom and where Crouch Sr was sitting. "We all are on the same page that Bartemius here deserved some kind of consequence for his actions. Do you both agree?" he asked, gesturing towards Fudge and Bones.
They bit their lip and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Albus," Amelia stated.
"Now to what severity...who all agrees he should be removed from his post as Department head?" Dumbledore asked the group.
Everyone raised their hands instantly.
"Ok, we all agree on that, as do I. Now time in Azkaban might be a bit of a stretch--"
"Albus, do I need to repeat--"
"Yes, I am aware of what Bartemius has done, Amelia. I also want to point out that Bartemius has brought us years of hard work and no signs of wanting his son to get out of hand. Do we all agree on that? Mrs. Bones?"
Amelia sighed. " I suppose, but I will not stand with just him losing his job."
Dumbledore slowly nodded. "Then how about we compromise with one year in Azkaban? I think that should suffice as enough time for the actions Bartemius has shown. What do we think of that? Cornelius?"
Fudge thought for a moment and was slightly annoyed that Dumbledore had to swoop in and save the day. "I think that is fair. Amelia, do you agree?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then it's settled," Dumbledore said before returning to his seat.
"All in favor? Of removing Crouch Sr from his position and sentencing him to one year in Azkaban starting immediately?"
"AYE," the members said and held up their hands.
Fudge banged the mallet and Percy continued to take notes. The whole time he was scribbling down on the pad of paper he was holding. "There we have it. Bartemius, you have the rest of the day to put your affairs in order and your year sentence will begin tomorrow. Weasley, you be interim head for the time being since you spent the last months working with Bartemius. We will work on finding a department head soon after everything has settled. I will look over the Daily Prophet Article this afternoon before it is to be posted in tomorrow's paper. Court adjourned."
Percy looked up at Fudge in shock. "W-what? Are you sure, Minister?"
"It should only be for a week or, maybe a month. Any questions, ask me or Amelia. Amelia, send out a post tomorrow for the open position," Fudge commented as he packed up his papers.
Christmas came early for Percy who was now grinning ear to ear and kept on scribbling on his pad of paper which he then handed to Fudge.
Samantha and Harry both smiled at Percy's new temporary promotion and could not wait to tell Fred and George. They stood up and watched the guards escort Crouch Sr out who did not utter another word. Dumbledore then approached the two. "My fireplace will be open tomorrow afternoon for you two to return. I'll let Sirius know when to send you back."
"Thank you, Professor," Samantha said as he bid them goodbye.
They started to file out and Remus, Sirius, and Tonks met them at the exit. Tonks bid them goodbye to return to work and would see them later at dinner.
"Let's head home," Remus said as they walked out.
"What a trial, definitely the best one I've ever seen," Sirius commented once they were safely back in Grimmauld place and Remus went out to get some lunch for them as it was almost 2 o'clock and they haven't eaten yet.
"You're telling me," Samantha added. "Way more dramatic than yours."
Sirius glared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Hey, I have a question now that I have you here without Remus."
"What's up?" she asked as the three of them sat down at the table.
"I might just be thick, but I've been noticing some...flirtations among our werewolf friend and my dear cousin and I wanted to know from you if there was any substance to it," Sirius explained.
Samantha raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did Remus say something?"
Sirius shrugged. "Not that I know of. I was just wondering but from the sound of it, it does look like there's something deeper going on."
"I would bring up your suspicions to your dear pal, Remus. As a loyal woman, I cannot bring up anything Tonks has mentioned or said."
"Fair enough."
"But, lets just say....hypothetically there was something going on or that something could go on, what would you think?" Samantha asked, trying to stay as natural as possible but waa failing miserably...and Sirius knew it.
"I'd love it. My best friend would be happy and in love and especially with my super awesome cousin. What's not to like?"
Samantha smiled and then nudged Sirius. "Now we just have to find you someone."
Sirius scoffed. "Yeah right. That ship has sailed. Plus no woman would want to crack on with an older man who spent half his life in Azkaban."
Samantha rolled her eyes while Harry watched on in amusement...and hoped his love life was not going to be brought up. "For a crime you didn't commit. I'm sure there are so many women, especially working at the Ministry, eyeing the dashingly handsome hardcore Sirius Black."
"Well a woman right now is not my priority...my friends and family are--most importantly you two. It is my duty as Godfather and best friend to your parents to now do whatever I can to keep you both safe and provided for."
AWW DONT WE LOVE CUTE FAMILY MOMENTS!!
And what a dramatic trial, am I right?
Next time: Samantha confronts Marcus!! Oh geez!!
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Until next time!
<3 Samantha