Chapter Text
A set of fingernails were digging into Claudia’s bicep as her stomach got turned over and over by the portkey for what felt like eternity. When she felt like she could take it no longer, she landed heavily on a stone floor. For a second, she thought they went back in Azkaban. It was the same, rough stone. But the air was different. It was no longer moist and salty but dry and heavy. They must have arrived at the Ministry.
Claudia limped as she was led through narrow corridors. Did she hurt her ankle in the fall? Every stone, every door they passed was illuminated by dark red torches. It made the guard look like an executioner. She pushed the thought away and he led her up a set of steep steps.
“Stop,” the guard barked near the top of the steps and yanked her back. Claudia gasped for breath. She must have taken more steps today than she did since- She had no idea how long she had been in Azkaban. Weeks? Months? Years? And her lungs felt it. They were burning from the inside and Claudia began to cough.
The twisty steps began to rise. Something metal began to creak. Claudia’s cough finally subsided, and she looked up to see the source of the noise but-
She was blinded.
Covering her eyes, she took a peek. Bright light poured through the gap that opened above her head. She had to close her eyes again. It was making her head explode.
The light pushing against her closed eye lids got brighter and brighter. Then, the steps stopped turning. A chatter of thousand voices was ringing through her head. Wondering whether they were real, Claudia blinked a few times and forced her eyes open.
Where on Earth was she? Ah… The Wizengamot chamber.
Silence fell over the room.
Claudia felt naked. She saw countless criminals stand where she now stood. Pathetic creatures, the lot of them. The brightness made her head hurt. She shut her eyes to try to imagine being somewhere else, but her mind was not strong enough. She was stuck in this vision the Dementors had prepared for her. Someone nudged her and she fell backwards straight into a hard chair.
“Can you confirm your name?” A solitary voice echoed through the room.
She tried to open her eyes again to see who was speaking but even this meek attempt made her dizzy. She could feel dozens of eyes on her. This was just another vision. It had to be. She pressed her palms against her forehead. The bell could not have been far away. If only she could make it to the bell.
The murmur of the voices rose again. Like the ocean. Wave after wave.
“Claude,” someone whispered, and she finally managed to open her eyes a little. It took her a long time to recognise she was staring into the face of Ted Tonks. So, it was a vision… Back in the loop of trying to end it all. That was the only reason why he would be here. “Can you talk?” Ted asked.
“It’s too-“ she tried to clear her throat. It was tight. “Too bright…”
Ted passed her a glass of water. “Drink this. I’ll be right back.” He walked away and Claudia forced herself to look around.
Ted was standing by where the Chief Warlock and the Minister, the two people presiding over the Wizengamot proceedings, usually sat. Claudia caught Fudge’s eye. He was pale and torn his eyes off her the moment she looked at him.
Coward, Claudia thought, and took another sip of water. Her eyes have now adjusted to the relative brightness of the grand room. She looked up. Every member of the Wizengamot was staring at her. There were frowns, scrunched up noses, a couple of tears.
She wrapped her arms around her torso, as if she was protecting her naked body from being seen. That was when she spotted her hands – they were raw, dirty and covered in boils. Like a corpse dug up. She looked further down. The rags she was wearing were stained, torn at the knees.
But she had nowhere to run or hide. She was here- ripe for ridicule. Her hands began to shake. At least there were no tears. She would hate to give them further ammunition, further proof of her weakness.
Ted was back. “The Minister agreed to postpone the trial till tomorrow,” he whispered. “You need-“
Claudia’s stomach contracted. She gripped his wrist- “I can’t-“ her throat tightened again. She did not even get the chance to say she did not want to go back there. That she could not go back there.
“You will stay in the holding cells here to give you a chance to recover a little. Law enforcement patrol will take you there.”
Was this real? Was she actually out of Azkaban? She still did not believe it as the patrol officers led her out of the chamber and through the corridors of the Ministry. She knew the way, and they were definitely heading to the holding cells. Maybe it was real, she thought as the heavy metal door of the holding cells shut behind her.
Claudia leaned against the door and slid down. She curled up on the floor and closed her eyes. She could not move. She could not open them. She could not even-
“Wash!”
Claudia jerked awake.
“Wash!” A guard yelled through the closed door.
She looked around. Definitely a holding cell. How long has she slept for? There was no way of knowing but her brain felt a little less fuzzy. Her eyes travelled across the room. There was a bed and – her eyes widened and she stood up and walked closer to make sure – a large bucket of soapy water and a sponge. Claudia sunk the tips of her fingers into the water. It was warm. This was definitely not Azkaban.
Claudia stood up again and walked away from the bucket. Her skin was filthy, she could not even bring herself to touch her hair, her robes stunk. But what was the point of washing if she had to get back into her prison robes again?
When she got to the bed, she had to blink to make sure she was not seeing things. On the bed, folded, were the clothes she had been arrested in. She looked back at the bucket.
She stood looking at it for a long time, unable to make the decision, before she kneeled in front of it, took the top of her robes between her finger and slid it down. Then, she picked up the sponge and squeezed the warm water over her shoulder. Warmth… She had not felt warmth in a very long time.
The top of her robes came off. She could not look as she washed her shoulders, her chest, her arms. Then, the sponge travelled up and down her left forearm. Over and over.
Claudia peeled her eyes open. The tattoo was still there, under all the grime, and it was intact. Sirius was alive. She pressed it against her bare chest. It was warm. Not only he was alive, he had not been captured. An odd memory entered her mind. A memory of Sirius’ patronus. It was talking- she would swear it was real. Everything seemed real in that place. But how could it have been? Patronuses sure did not talk.
The warm water on her skin cooled down. Claudia shivered and reached for her clean shirt.
Her shirt now on, she washed her bottom half. She could look now but could barely see the skin on her legs- There were in bruises, scabs, thick hair. The muscles that she used to have had all but gone. Nausea overcame her and she shut her eyes again. No wonder the Wizengamot people could not even look at her disgusting form.
But she persevered and did not stop washing until the water in the bucket was nearly gone… It hurt to dry her skin but she bit her lip and got on with it. There were smears of blood when she finished. Some of the boils on her legs have ruptured. Claudia gagged, dropped to her knees and leaned over the bucket. The water she drank during the trial forced its way back up.
Claudia wiped her mouth and dragged herself to finish dressing. Every movement was becoming harder. Her joints ached. What was left of her muscles ached. Everything ached. She had to sit down on the bed to pull on her trousers. They were so loose that she had to fold the waistband over a couple times for them not to fall off.
Once the trousers were safely on, Claudia collapsed down on the bed.
It was dry. She forgot how it felt to lie in a dry bed…
Claudia wrapped herself in the blanket. She had a blanket!
Her eyes closed, she tried to go back to sleep but it evaded her. Azkaban kept creeping back into her mind. She tried not to think about the place, but the smells, the noise… They were all coming for her. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop thinking. It was futile. “I can’t go back there,” she muttered. She would not make it through one bell.
The cell door flung open, and Claudia jumped to her feet. Her head spun, the world had disappeared for a moment, and she nearly tumbled to the ground.
“Dinner.”
Claudia kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds until the dizziness went away. Then, she looked at the bowl the guard brought in. “The goo?” she asked wearily. “Really?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to eat real food after that long on the goo.” He reached into his pocket. “There is also sleeping draught.”
Now, that was more tempting than the goo. Claudia waited for the cell door to close again and then opened the potion vial. She was about to pour it into her mouth but then stopped. What would Moody say? She sniffed it first. And she was right to, it smelled odd.
Claudia bit her lip. What were they trying to give her? Poison? She sniffed it again. Did not smell like poison. Was this some serum to help loosen her tongue? Something to make her drop her defences?
Slowly, she walked to the bucket of now cold and filthy water mixed with vomit, and poured the serum in there. “Nice try,” she muttered and went to lie down again. The goo, she could not even look at, let alone eat.
Time passed. Claudia had no idea whether it was passing quickly or slowly. There was no clock, no natural light… No bells that would help her count the passing hours.
There was nothing to help anchor her mind. The walls were smooth and white. Yes, she could count the tiles on the floor but that was far too easy. Fifteen on the shorter side of the cell. Seventeen on the longer. 255. Far too easy.
But eventually, her brain drifted off and carried her across the ocean and through the wall of the Azkaban fortress.
Before she truly realised she was back in her cell, a dementor’s disgusting hands were on her throat again. She could feel its rough blisters on her skin, squeezing tighter and tighter. She tried to push it off, but the grip only tightened further. If she just let it- All of it would be over. She would never have to hear the bells again, she would never feel pain again, she would never see-
“Sirius,” she uttered. An urge risen through her body. And urge to fight. “No!” she screamed and the Dementor vanished. The walls were white. The air was dry. She was not there. It was just a dream. She was safe from them… At least till tomorrow.
Claudia threw up again and then curled up on the bed and pressed her forearm against her chest. The tattoo was warm, almost pulsating. She fought it, she fought thinking about him. She did not want to give the Dementors any more ammunition.
But then. She exhaled and allowed some of the tension to leave her body. The Dementors were not here. They could not get him. At least for one night, her memories of Sirius were safe…
She remembered when she first saw him after his time in Azkaban. When she flung her arms around him without a second of hesitation. And then, in Edinburgh. Her heart filled up and so did her eyes. Talking to him after all these years, like it was only a week before that their ways parted. Talking to Sirius, being with him, it had always been the easiest thing in the world. Even when they fought, even when they were broken up, there was no one who understood her like he did.
She managed to fight off the memories of their fights and drifted off, clutching onto her forearm for dear life. The Dementors stayed away this time.
The door of the cell opened and woke Claudia up from her dreamless sleep.
“Wrists,” the guard said and bound Claudia’s hands together even before she could properly get off her bed. Then he nudged to standing and her out of the cell. Without much explanation, she was led through the Ministry again and pushed into a small room where Ted was already waiting for her.
“I have a tea for you,” he said and attempted a smile. “And some oatmeal.”
“No coffee?” Claudia mumbled.
“Once, I gave coffee to someone who just got out of Azkaban,” Ted said and passed Claudia the mug. “Never again. There were bouncing off the walls for hours.”
Claudia sniffed it - it was just tea – and tentatively took a sip.
“I am not going to poison you,” Ted replied.
“They might,” she gestured over her shoulder towards the door of the now locked room. “They offered me some sleeping draught last night, but it smelled a bit odd. But I could just be paranoid-“
“Did you drink it?”
“No.”
“Good. Drink this.”
“What is it?”
“Something to help you stay sharp. Give you energy.”
Tentatively, Claudia brought the vial to her lips.
When she finished, Ted gave her a smiled. “We’re all set for the trial.”
“And if it doesn’t go my way-“ she began to ask.
“I don’t want you to be thinking about that. I need you to focus, they will no doubt want to question you.”
Claudia swallowed dry. Her brain was barely strong enough hold this conversation.
“Have some oatmeal,” Ted said, “you will need the strength.”
Claudia forced down a couple of spoons of oatmeal, before another guard asked them to come through the door to the main Wizengamot chamber.
Claudia froze on the threshold. She never appreciated how big the chamber looked from the accused’s point of view. Ted placed his hand in the middle of her back and pushed her in. “We’ve got this.”
But Claudia was not really listening. Her eyes landed on the Minister’s chair. But Fudge was nowhere to be seen. Umbridge was presiding.
Ted noticed it too. He leaned towards one of the men in the Wizengamot robes as they walked past the benches. “Umbridge?” he mumbled.
“Perception of bias…” the man uttered. “Since the Chief Warlock and the Minister both have a close personal relationship with-” he gestured towards Claudia.
Ted nodded in response and then went to sit down in one of the seats in the front row, leaving Claudia to continue towards the centre of the room alone.
Claudia barely sat down in the large wooden chair when Umbridge rose to her feet. “I am opening the proceedings of 20 June 1994,” she cleared her throat to quieten down the last few members of the Wizengamot who were chatting. She bore her eyes into Claudia. “Can you confirm your name?”
“Claudia Lavinia Avery,” Claudia replied in a voice that seemed alien to her.
“Date of birth?”
“Tenth of May, 1960.”
Umbridge passed a piece of paper to her underlink. “I call on the prosecution to begin their case,” she said.
An unusually tall wizard in plain black robes began circling Claudia’s chair. He had sleek grey hair and uncanny resemblance to Claudia’s father. Claudia just hoped that he was not one of Umbridge’s cousins. “Treason,” he began in a deep voice. “That is the charge brought against Claudia Avery today-“ he waved towards the chair that suddenly became very uncomfortable. It was one thing knowing that this was a possibility, quite another to hear those words come from the prosecutor’s mouth. Treason meant life in Azkaban.
Ted rose to his feet.
“Mr Tonks,” Umbridge said with a forced smile. “If you are rising to tell us that you object to the fact that the final charges were not available to you before the start of the trial, you can sit right back down. We know your long-standing view on the issue, and it is not relevant to today’s proceedings.”
Ted sat back down, looking unphased. Claudia was not sure whether that calmed her down or worried her.
The prosecutor resumed. “The first piece of evidence I want to bring to the Wizengamot’s attention is this.” The prosecutor waved a black book in his hand. “A diary was anonymously delivered to the lead auror on this case. A diary of none other than a convicted Death Eater, Barty Crouch Junior.”
Claudia scanned the room for Crouch. She could not see him. Shame, it would have been nice if at least one other person was as uncomfortable as she was.
“The relevant passages are included in the bundle that each and every one of you received earlier,” the prosecutor continued. “Firstly, the diary states that Claudia Avery and her lover, Sirius Black, were both committed Death Eaters. This was all the while the accused was employed by the Auror Office and had access to privileged information about not only the Ministry’s security, but also – by virtue of being stationed in the Minister’s private office – intimate details of the Minister’s activities and schedule.”
Claudia looked up at the familiar faces of the Wizengamot again. Not one of them was looking at her. Not Agrippa. Not Ludo. Not Dumbledore. Not even Fudge, who was cowering behind Umbridge’s shoulder. Everything else in the room was seemingly more interesting- the papers, the prosecutor, even Ted. Fudge was looking at his hands.
“If you look at the top of the third page,” the prosecutor drew Claudia’s eyes away from the Minister and onto him. “It clearly states here that Miss Avery was the auror that deliberately let Death Eater Mulciber escape. And then, when the Auror Office got closer to catching him, volunteered to lead the mission to capture him. But before she brought him in, she wiped his memory so that he could incriminate her.”
“My team has conducted a thorough assessment of all Auror Office operations involving Death Eater Mulciber between 1978 and 1980. The official record corroborates the detail presented in this diary. More on page five of-“
Claudia tuned him out and glared at Ted. Why was he not disputing any of this? Why was he just sitting there?
Ted caught her eye and walked slowly across the floor. “I cannot ask any questions of him. We need to keep our powder dry until it’s our turn,” he whispered.
“What is this diary?” she whispered back. “It’s clearly a fabrication!”
“I told you about this the last time I came to see you.”
“I don’t remember anything about that visit.”
“I suspected that.”
“What did I say?”
“You said Mulciber was just a tool. Discarded when he outlived his usefulness.”
“Sounds about right.”
Instead of responding, Ted pointed towards the prosecutor, who was glaring at them. As was Umbridge. “You will refrain from talking,” she reprimanded them.
“As I was saying,” the prosecutor continued. “The evidence states that Miss Avery was the one who set up the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom.” The prosecutor placed the book on the table. Claudia gripped the wooden chair between her fingers. How could anyone thing that she would? Out of nowhere, everything in the room became blurry and muffled, images of Alice’s torture flooded her mind. She bit her lip and pushed them away.
She forced herself to look at the prosecutor again. “Now, I have established that Miss Avery is a committed Death Eater, I do want to go on to explain how that translates to the charge of treason. Miss Avery worked to get herself in position of trust. A member of the Board. One of the Ministers closest advisors. A member of this great court! And on top of all this, she used Ministry research for personal benefit.”
He picked up something from his table again. “Which brings us to the matter of the soul jewel, which she stole during a Ministry investigation to contact her old conspirator and lover, Sirius Black.” He raised his hand to show the Wizengamot the fake jewel. “This was found in her office.”
“Planted in my office,” Claudia growled, unable to keep quiet any longer.
“The accused will restrain herself,” Umbridge hissed.
“I will call my first witness-“ the prosecutor said, denying Claudia the opportunity to growl back at Umbridge. Ted’s hand on her shoulder reminded her that it was probably not a wise idea anyway- “Miss Édith Dubois.”
Fuck, Claudia thought to herself as Édith was nudged into another seat right at the front. Fuck, fuck, fuck…
The prosecutor shoved the jewel in front of Édith’s face.
“As the Head of the Love Room at the Department of Mysteries, I presume you recognise this?”
“I have no way of knowing if this is the real soul jewel.” Édith’s voice shook. “It would only work for someone in a soulmate bond. And the only person in a soulmate bond that I know is Cl-,” she paused before correcting herself, “-is Miss Avery.”
“How did you come to know such personal detail about the accused?”
“We were close.”
“You were lovers.”
Édith gave Claudia a panicked look and nodded.
“Say it out loud,” the prosecutor hissed.
“Yes.”
“And did you leave Miss Avery unsupervised when you were leading the search for the soul jewel at the Trelawney property?”
“Yes. But-“
“No more questions.”
“But-“
“You are dismissed.”
Claudia’s body tensed up when the next witness got called. Granville looked huge in the space vacated by Édith. Claudia could not even look at him, let alone listen to the nonsense he was spouting. Just seeing his face wanted to make her jump out of the chair and rip his eyes out. Ted’s grip on her shoulder tightened. It only made her realise how much she was shaking. “Ignore him. Keep your strength for questioning.”
She blocked Granville’s voice and looked around the Wizengamot again. Agrippa was the only member who was now looking at her. He had aged. His expression did not change when Claudia made eye contact, he simply looked away. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Tried to get away from there.
Ted squeezed Claudia’s shoulder again. “I think he’s going to call you now. You ready?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You can decline the request to be questioned. But the Wizengamot will derive the worst possible conclusion from that.”
“Well, then I am ready,” Claudia whispered.
She expected the prosecutor to walk up to her but instead, he took a few steps towards Umbridge. “I seek permission from the Wizengamot to subject the accused to questioning under veritaserum.”
An angry murmur travelled around the room. Veritaserum was not used during Wizengamot proceedings, Claudia remembered that clearly from her induction to the chamber. It was unreliable.
“The Department of Mysteries developed a new veritaserum that is significantly more reliable. It has been piloted by several teams in the Auror Office.”
To the surprise of precisely no-one, Umbridge agreed with the prosecutor’s request.
Ted was on his feet instantly, but Umbridge ordered him to sit down.
Claudia clutched the chair. She must not panic. Occlumency was the only chance she had. And if she panicked, her powers would fade. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Ted’s potion was doing wonders for her mind. She could feel in control of her thoughts for the first time in a very long time. If anyone could do this…
Before she managed to completely clear her mind, however, someone grabbed her head, and a court attendant poured a few drops of the veritaserum down her throat.
She cursed them all for participating in the charade while she coughed her lungs out.
“Where is Sirius Black?” The prosecutor did not beat around the bush.
Claudia rubbed her sore throat. Could be at Hogwarts, she thought, could be in Hogsmeade, could be eating candy at Honeydukes. “I do not know where Sirius Black is,” she replied in a quiet, steady voice. Right now…
“When was the last time you have seen him?”
The veritaserum was tugging on Claudia’s defences. “He left me a few weeks before he was arrested, I told the investigators all of this at the time.” She said, desperately thinking of thing to say that would answer the question and be true enough for her to be able to resist the effects of the veritaserum. “He was leaving the last time I saw him, saying he needed to protect his godson.”
“But he killed his godson’s parents instead…” The prosecutor said with a smirk.
“My theory has always been that it was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters. Sirius found out what happened and went to avenge them. It did not go as planned.”
“You believe he is innocent?”
“Yes, always have.” A murmur travelled across the room. What a scandalous revelation. She knew what they were all thinking. The veritaserum must be working! It was, she could not have stopped the truth coming out in her answer to the last questions, even if she wanted to. But she did not care. Sirius deserved this put be on the record.
“Did you steal the soul jewel to contact Sirius Black?”
I stole the soul jewel to see if it worked. She nearly blurted that out. Kudos to Marcin. If Claudia was struggling, she could only imagine what his improved veritaserum could do to someone else... Then, it struck her. She did not steal it. It was an inheritance! She was part-Trelawney. It was her birthright! “No,” she replied. “I did not steal the soul jewel.”
“So how did you come to being in possession of it?”
I took it from the bookshelf in the Trelawney house, she was desperate to say that. No, think! Clear your mind of this urge to blurt out the truth and think!
“Miss Avery. Answer the question!” The prosecutor pressed her.
“I was not the one who placed it in my office,” she replied. “I was working late one evening and came across a cleaner who stood at the exact same spot that the Aurors later found the jewel.”
“Are you suggesting it was planted?”
“Yes.” Claudia could feel the fog of veritaserum dissolving in her mind. Were the effects passing?
The prosecutor scrambled through his papers. Then dismissed Claudia and called Marcin to the stand.
“You reported that the veritaserum was almost completely reliable,” the prosecutor said to Marcin. “What could make it fail?”
“The most likely cause of the veritaserum failing would be Occlumency.”
“You are the Head of the Department of Mysteries’ Mind Room. Is it your professional opinion that Miss Avery is capable of Occlumency at a level that would allow her to resist even this formulation of veritaserum?”
Marcin fleetingly looked at Claudia. “Yes.”
“Then, I move the testimony is dismissed.”
Ted tried objecting again but was swiftly overruled. Claudia was beginning to wonder what point there was in having him represent her.
The prosecutor began his closing arguments, but Claudia could not focus. The veritaserum took it out of her. All the sounds merged into one, like leaves rustling on a windy day.
Ted brought Claudia a glass of water. “We get a short break before it’s my turn to speak. Have a drink.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you see why I complain about Wizengamot?” Ted asked, ignoring the fact he knew for a fact she just lied under the effects of the veritaserum. “If you said something incriminating, the veritaserum evidence would have stood. But you didn’t, so-“
Claudia took a couple sips of water. “It’s worse than I thought, being on the other side.”
He patted her on the shoulder. “I need a few minutes to prepare. Have some more water.”
Claudia watched Ted prepare for his speech. She tried to stay calm, but it was harder with every ink spill she watched him make on the Wizengamot’s pristine floors. If someone asked her right now, she did not rate her chances very highly… Her body began to shake, and Claudia wrapped her arms around herself so no one would see.
But when Ted stood up, he was a changed man. He stood tall as he straightened his robes and began to speak. Claudia’s chest unclenched.
“The whole prosecution rests on the existence of a diary whose origin cannot be authenticated and the fact that the soul jewel was find in Miss Avery’s office. Let me take these in turn-“ He commanded the room. “The prosecution did not present a shred of evidence that the diary is real. We do not know who send it. We do not know who wrote it.”
The prosecutor rose to his feet. “You have no proof that it is not real.”
“It is not on me to prove that it is not real. It is on you to prove that it is!” That quick retore earned Ted a couple of chuckles from the sympathetic ears in the chamber.
“Move on Mr Tonks,” Umbridge instructed him.
“In that case, I would like to invite the Head of the Ministry of Magic’s maintenance team to join us,” Ted said.
Claudia could barely listen. She was not sure if it was the veritasetum, or whether Ted’s potion was wearing off. But the upshot of the witness’ testimony was that the Department of Mysteries’ offices never got cleaned without supervision from an Unspeakable. And that the cleaners never wore khaki overalls like those that Claudia described to Ted (when she described them, she was not exactly sure).
“Whoever it was in Miss Avery’s office that evening-” the Head of the Ministry’s maintenance team closed the questioning “-was not one of my team.”
The prosecutor was offered the opportunity to ask questions but did not take it up. He did, however, lodged a complaint that Claudia was an unreliable witness and unless the sighting of the man in khaki overalls could be corroborated, the Wizengamot would need to discount it.
“As it happens,” Ted smiled and resumed again. “We can corroborate it. I would like to call Mr Oscar Fernsby to the stand.”
Claudia swallowed dry. Oscar, the man who knew everything… Even if he told them just half of the things Claudia did in her life, the charges against her would double. How stupid was she to tell him the truth about what she did to her father!
“Mr Fernsby, you are a Head of Division in the Auror Office, correct?”
“Yes,” Oscar replied. He was not looking at Claudia either.
“Tell us what you uncovered about the alleged cleaner that Miss Avery reported seeing in her office.”
“It would not have been possible to track the man, given Miss Avery could not give an exact description. However, another Unspeakable could. And the evidence led me to Mr Francis Featherboon, who just happens to be a colleague of Granville Lace’s from auror training.” A few of the Wizengamot members straightened their back. Oscar had their attention now. “Mr Featherboon gave me a signed and certified confession that he was asked to plant that stone in Miss Avery’s office by a junior member of the Auror Office. He’s in the holding cells. You can call him to ask him yourself.”
He passed a piece of parchment to Ted, who began to read it with such intensity that it made Claudia think he had never heard of this confession before.
And neither did the prosecutor. “This is highly irregular,” he jumped to his feet. “Auror Fernsby did not notify anyone of this so-called evidence. He’s an employee of the Ministry, yet he kept this to himself. Why would he do that if everything was above board?”
“You are asking me why I did not notify the Auror Office of my findings that the Auror Office planted evidence to frame a senior Ministry official?” he scoffed.
“Less sarcasm, Fernsby.” Umbridge said with a forced smile. “I, as the chair of the Wizengamot, do agree with the prosecution that this is highly irregular. I move to dismiss your testimony-“
A dozen or so hand shot up across the chamber. Despite Umbridge’s best efforts to ignore her, Amelia Bones stood up and began to speak without invitation. “I object. I want your ruling, Madame Chair, to be put to a vote.” There was a lot of nodding. “Auror Fernsby has been with the Auror Office for nearly twenty years and while his methods can be unconventional at times, I have no doubts over his integrity.”
Umbridge’s face was full of fury, but she conceded to Amelia Bones’ request and the Wizengamot narrowly voted for Oscar’s testimony stands.
“This is good right?” Claudia whispered at Ted, who was circling her chair.
“It’s not over. The prosecutor gets to cross-examine him. And just because it’s part of the trial does not mean he cannot try to discredit it.” He sighed. “And yes, we do not get to ask their witnesses questions, but they get to question ours.”
“Since Miss Dubois’ testimony gave us an indication of Miss Avery’s morals,” the prosecutor said with a smirk, “I am just going to ask you upfront. Have you ever had intimate relations with Miss Avery?”
Just tell the truth, Claudia thought. Just tell the truth and be calm about it. Oscar looked at her with a quizzical look. Did she just accidentally use telepathy? She forgot she knew how to do that.
“We have never been in a romantic relationship,” Oscar replied as calmly as anyone could in those circumstances. “We have on two occasions had sex. But-“ he raised his voice to ensure the prosecutor did not interrupt him. “That has nothing to do with why I am here. I’m here because an ex-Auror is on the stand and deserves that someone conducts a proper investigation. Deserves more than a show trial.”
A silence fell over the chamber. Claudia could not believe Oscar had said this. If she was going back to Azkaban, he was coming with her… You idiot, she thought. Why would you do that? He returned that thought with a smirk that he knew only she would notice.
“These allegations have no place in this chamber. You will be suspended-“
Hands shot up into the air, more this time. Umbridge was looking around, as if she was searching for someone, anyone she could rely on to support her case. When she found no one, she turned back to Ted and asked him to continue. Oscar’s suspension was left hanging in the balance.
“There we have it. Not assertation, not baseless allegations. The first real evidence of the day, and it proves – conclusively – that the soul jewel was planted in Miss Avery’s office in an attempt to incriminate her. And I put to you that if the stone jewel was planted, then so was the diary. And without these, the prosecution has no case.”
The prosecutor just watched Ted, seemingly resigned to his fate. Claudia did not dare to draw any conclusions from that. Ted’s potion was certainly wearing off. She could feel her brain getting sluggish and her eye lids heavier.
“Miss Avery-” Ted continued- “has been persecuted by the members of this Ministry and only the Wizengamot has the power to put a stop to this. Otherwise, you will forever be responsible for sending a young, innocent woman to perish in Azkaban.”
Amelia Bones put her hand up again. “I think we’ve all had enough. I move to dismiss the case immediately.”
“Those in favour,” Umbridge said through gritted teeth.
Claudia watched a sea of hands rise. Even Umbridge raised her hand in the end. Duplicitous bitch, Claudia thought.
“Case dismissed.” Umbridge said and immediately began to pack her papers away. Was this it? Was this really over? It could not have been-
Ted reached for Claudia’s arm. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered. Claudia stood up, still struggling to process it. She thought she was in for the long haul. But the case collapsed so quicky it caught her by surprise. Surely, this was too easy?
Without really knowing how, she found herself outside of the chamber and finally looked up at Ted. He was smiling ear to ear.
“Is this really it?” she mumbled.
“This is it.”
“Thank you for saving my life again.”
“And I’d do it the third time…” he said and nudged her to turn around. Oscar too was smiling.
“You should not be seen with me,” Claudia whispered, fighting tears.
“I’m taking you to St Mungo’s,” he said and pulled her into a hug. “I know you would not listen to anyone else.”
“I’m fine-“ The hug was uncomfortable, painful even. It was odd to have someone touch her. Even if that someone was Oscar.
“Don’t make me carry you there,” he smirked and let go. “Fireplace, now.”
Claudia did not want to go. Everything was starting to fall into place. She must have been gone for months. Did Umbridge say it was June? She had been gone for months! Where was Sirius? What state was he in?
“Oscar, I can’t go to St Mungo’s,” she whispered just as they got to the fireplace. “I have to go home.”
Oscar pushed her into the fire and grabbed some Flo powder in his hand. “He’s safe. And I will send him an owl as soon as you quit arguing with me.” He threw the powder on the floor. “St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.”
They landed in St Mungo’s foyer.
“What?” Claudia hissed when she regained her balance with the aid of Oscar’s arm.
“He wanted to turn himself in to get you released,” he whispered in Claudia’s ear. “He’s lucky he’s reached out to me. Otherwise, you two would have been sharing a lovely cell-“
Claudia’s stomach turned. “Too soon.” Nausea came over her again. This time, Oscar had to catch her.
“Will you please get yourself admitted?” he nudged her closer to the reception desk. “I know you think you feel fine now, but I’ve seen this before. It’s going to hit you like a ton of bricks the moment the buzz of the trial wears off.”
“Alright.” Claudia was beginning to think he was right. Her arm was shaking, and she could not stop it. Could not even grip it with the other one. She had no grip left.
As they were about to part ways, Claudia reached for his arm but thought better of it. The thought of another hug made her body recoil. “Thank you,” she mumbled. “I know that couldn’t have been easy to get up on the stand and-“
“It was easier than seeing you yesterday.”
She barely remembered. But the pictures of her prison robes and legs flooded her mind. She had not even seen her face in the mirror yet, and dreaded to see what Azkaban did to her features. She pulled down her sleeves, trying to hide at least some of her wrecked skin. ”You could’ve lost everything…”
“Not more than you-“
“I don’t deserve this…”
“There are a very few certainties in my life, Claudia. You might be an idiot, but you are not a Death Eater. And you certainly do not deserve to rot in Azkaban as one.” He pushed her to the reception desk. “Now, please do all of us a favour and focus on getting better. We need you back.”