Daylight || Harry Potter

Chapter Six

A week later, when Harry and I returned from the trial at the Ministry of Magic (where he'd been tried and I'd testified for him), everyone was celebrating Harry's acquittal.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes. "There was no case against you, none at all..."

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

"Well, yeah, because you had a trial to begin with," I said.

Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went "He got off, he got off, he got off —"

"That's enough, settle down!" shouted Mr. Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry —"

"What?" said Sirius sharply.

"He got off, he got off, he got off —"

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner —"

"He got off, he got off, he got off —"

"That's enough — Fred — George — Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley, as Mr. Weasley left the kitchen. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast..."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I happily sat down to lunch. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less... Kreacher-esque as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.

" 'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. "Well, he and Ash, anyway."

"Oh, that's right, Ash!" Hermione exclaimed. "How did your testimony go?"

"I don't think anyone was expecting me to be so... eloquent," I admitted. "Or to request that I give my testimony under Veritaserum. But it was fun to wipe the smug grins from their faces."

"Did they ask about the bow?"

"They asked about the bow, my Early Trace Removal Certificate... all that stuff that we prepared for. I'm telling you, none of them thought I would be this prepared. I wish I'd had a camera so I could show you how surprised they were."

"Especially Fudge," Harry added.

"Oh, definitely Fudge." I grinned. "He was so angry... I didn't even know that someone's face could turn that red."

Harry suddenly hissed in pain and clamped a hand over his forehead.

"What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.

"Is it your scar again?" I asked.

"Yeah, scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing... It happens all the time now..."

None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George, and Ginny were still singing. Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know."