Chapter 14

The nobles had barely settled back into their seats when the herald's voice rang out: "The next dispute is against... Cornelius Fudge."

Gasps rippled through the chamber, and a few nobles exchanged uneasy glances, while others leaned forward eagerly.

The doors opened, and Cornelius Fudge was escorted in. His face flushed with indignation, and at his side, Dolores Umbridge swept in, in all her pink glory.

"This is outrageous!" Umbridge stated angrily. "Cornelius is a respected statesman! You cannot drag him into this farce of a court!"

Harry's gaze was cold. "You, as his fiancée, are not allowed to object on his behalf due to bias. He stands accused of obstructing progress, of denying patents that would have improved the lives of werewolves, purely out of prejudice. He used his position to suppress innovation and perpetuate suffering."

Umbridge's face twisted, her voice rising. "Werewolves are dangerous! They cannot be trusted with such indulgences! To give them potions that ease their condition is to encourage them!"

Harry's hand slammed against the armrest of his throne, "Enough. This court does not tolerate bigotry disguised as policy. Fudge's actions were not only cruel but reckless. By denying aid, he endangered the public as much as the afflicted." The nobles murmured, some nodding in agreement at this.

"Cornelius Fudge, you are charged with obstruction of progress, abuse of office, and deliberate prejudice against a vulnerable population. You will answer for these charges before this court." Harry stated.

Fudge's face went from flushed to a sickly, mottled grey. He adjusted his pinstriped bowler hat with trembling fingers before stammering, "Now, see here, Sire!" Fudge stammered and realized his mistake in the sentence. "A... A... Apologies, your Majesty. My tongue got away from me there," he stated while trying to smooth over his outburst. "That is a gross mischaracterization on part of the charges against me. I was merely... exercising caution! The Ministry has a duty to the safety of the law-abiding public. Rushing through experimental potions for, well, for beings of such volatile nature? It could have led to disaster! I was protecting the status quo!"

"You were protecting your donors, Cornelius," Harry countered, his voice a low, yet dangerous one. "Donors who find it profitable to keep certain groups marginalized. Do not even try to hide it. My investigators were thorough."

Umbridge couldn't help herself. "Hem, hem. Your Majesty, surely you see that we cannot allow the blood of pure wizards to be diluted or threatened by the whims of half-breeds and creatures? Cornelius was simply ensuring that the right kind of people stayed in control. It's for the Greater Good of our society."

The chamber went deathly silent. Even the more conservative nobles looked uncomfortable with her blatant lack of respect.

"The 'right' kind of people, Dolores?" Harry leaned his chin on his hand, a predatory glint in his eyes. "That's a bold stance for someone with your... interesting pedigree."

Umbridge froze. "I beg your pardon?"

Harry's voice cut through the silence, "Your grandfather was an incubus. Something your family tried very hard to hide as shameful. I told you my investigators were thorough." Umbridge's face went blotchy pink, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"More interesting, though, is that you have politically supported every law, bill, and decree that classified incubi and succubi as creatures, non‑human, stripped of rights. Tell me, Dolores, your own family, your sister who is half succubus, your nieces and nephews... You would see them reduced to cattle?"

The chamber erupted in whispers at that revelation. Lords and ladies obles exchanging shocked glances. Even the more conservative among them looked unsettled.

Umbridge sputtered, but her voice was shrill. "That is irrelevant! They are... they are not proper wizards! They are tainted!"

Harry's eyes returned to Fudge, who was sweating profusely. "Cornelius Fudge, you allowed prejudice to dictate your decisions. You obstructed progress, endangered lives, and perpetuated suffering. And you, Dolores, have revealed yourself as a hypocrite willing to sacrifice your own family for ambition. This court will not tolerate such corruption."

"For your crime, you will have a choice. Either you will serve three years at a creature advocacy firm, working directly to undo the harm you caused, or you will complete three years of community service at a youth facility for teens dealing with creature inheritances. You will face those you sought to marginalize, and you will learn the value of compassion." Harry stated firmly.

Umbridge shrieked, "You cannot! He is a statesman, a leader! You would reduce him to serving mongrels and half‑breeds?"

"Dolores, for fucks sake, will you shut up!" Harry uttered while his eyes narrowed, and his hand slammed on the armrest once more. "This is not a negotiation. This is justice. He will serve, and he will learn. And if he refuses, he will face imprisonment in the Goblin mines."

The heavy doors slammed shut behind Cornelius Fudge as he was dragged from the chamber, his protests echoing faintly before silence reclaimed the hall. Dolores Umbridge sputtered, but chased after Cornelius.

Then the herald stepped forward once more to call the next case. "The trial of Lily and James Potter is called forth."

The atmosphere in the room shifted then. The petty indignities of Fudge were sidelined as the King's own blood had been put on trial.

The doors groaned open, and James and Lily Potter were led in. They were not in chains, Harry had not yet been so cruel, but he did fasten a magic dampening armband around both of them. James still walked with his head high and his jaw set in a mask of defiant pride, while Lily looked smaller than Harry had ever seen her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her gaze was fixed solely on her son.

They did not kneel.

"Lord and Lady Potter," the herald announced, "You stand accused of High Treason: specifically, the attempted subversion of the Royal Prerogative and the unlawful detention of the Sovereign during his minority, under the guise of 'parental discipline.'"

"Detention?" James's voice boomed, echoing off the high ceilings. "We kept you safe, Harry!"

Harry gestured to the scroll held by the herald. "Under the logic of the Treason Act 1351, any attempt to control, imprison, or 'cage' the monarch, even by his own kin, is High Treason. By denying me my magic, my education, and my autonomy, you sought to dismantle the Crown itself."

Harry stood up from his obsidian throne. "When I was sorted into Slytherin, you didn't congratulate me. You dragged me out by my hair. You petrified my professor. You stole my education because it didn't fit your 'vision' of a Potter heir."

"You homeschooled me with only subjects you approved of, with tutors you approved of. I was denied my wand and access to magic and told only to study theory. I was denied physical activities like sports, broom riding, and horse riding. You even deemed walking outside to be too harsh for feeble me. You even took away my ability to procreate, well, after I was no longer a minor."

James's face reddened as the court gasped in shock at the last statement. "You were a child! A child who didn't know the dangers of the world! We were protecting you from the very vultures that surround you now!"

"I was a prisoner," Harry countered, stepping down from the dais and staring straight at his parents. "And as for the vultures? At least they look me in the eye when they try to take what is mine. You did it while tucking me into bed."

"The Crown argues that this was never about protection. It was about control. Your mental instability, a pathological paranoia that led to the unlawful detention of His Majesty while a child. Such delusions of control make you a threat to the state's stability. This is no longer a family dispute; it is a matter of State Security." Severus spoke, looking James straight in the eye as he said this.

"I bring forth an Act of Attainder," Harry stated. "There will be no standard defense. We ask the lords and ladies of this court to vote now on the guilt of those who would cage their King."

The vote was but a formality; every noble there knew it. They were already deemed guilty by their King and given what they all heard caused the nobles' hands to rise in a silent, unanimous wave.

"The vote is cast," Harry declared, his gaze hardening. "By this Act, I hereby decree a Judicial Banishment. James and Lily Potter, you are stripped of your titles. Your blood is declared corrupt, and your names are erased from High Society."

Lily let out a broken sob, finally collapsing to her knees, but Harry didn't flinch.

"The Potter-Peverell estates are hereby forfeit to the Crown in their entirety," Harry continued. "You will be exiled to the outskirts, to that manor on the moors you have been inhabiting. You will live there under permanent house arrest; my magic will ensure you never set foot outside those walls again. You wanted me isolated? Now you shall have all the isolation you can bear. A proxy will be assigned to take over the government of your previous lands until a new suitable Lord can be found."

"Harry, please!" Lily wailed, reaching out with trembling fingers.

"Family doesn't cage its own," Harry replied, stepping back onto the dais. He didn't look at them as the guards moved in to escort them out. "Take them away. I have other matters to attend to."

As the doors closed on his parents' protests, Harry felt a cold hand slide into his. He looked over to see Severus watching him.

"This meeting is adjourned!" Harry announced as Severus stood up to leave with him.