Harry tried to be quiet as he slowly descended the stairs, dragging his blanket and sheet behind him; it was very late, judging by how quiet the house was. He desperately wanted to hide what he had done before someone found out. Molly and Arthur had told him the previous night about the upcoming court case. Though they both had tried to assure him that everything would be okay and that his Aunt and Uncle would not be able to hurt him anymore, Harry still found the idea of confronting Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon terrifying.
The news had brought fresh nightmares for Harry, and tonight had been the worst one yet and had resulted in Harry waking to find he had unfortunately peed himself and his bed; thankfully, Ron was still asleep in the bed across from him, allowing Harry to quietly take his blanket and sheets off the bed and make his way down the stairs to find some way to clean them before it was discovered what he had done, he could only imagine how mad Molly would be if she discovered his accident.
"I just need some soap, and I can clean it before anyone wakes up," Harry said softly as he made his way to the kitchen; after carefully looking beneath the sink and not finding what he needed, Harry made his way to a nearby closet and slowly opened it, before jumping back quickly as a mop fell to the floor with a loud 'Crack.'
Harry stood frozen in place for a moment at the loud sound, desperately hoping that no one had heard the noise; after a few moments of silence, Harry let out a breath of relief when a soft voice called out,
"Who's there?"
Harry spun on the spot in fear and saw that Molly was coming down the stairs with her wand held over her head, the tip emitting a soft light; for a moment, Harry considered trying to grab the blanket and sheet before realizing that he would never be able to get to it in time. So he stayed frozen to the spot as Molly reached the bottom of the stairs and saw him, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Harry? What are you doing down here, sweetie? You should be sleeping…."
"I…. I was just…." Harry stuttered, trying to come up with a valid excuse that wouldn't make Molly mad at him for wetting the bed; as Molly approached, she immediately saw the wet stain across Harry's pajamas, and her expression softened. A moment later, she flicked her wand, and the living room was flooded with light as she stowed her wand in her nightgown; seeing Harry's worried expression, Molly gently lowered herself down onto one knee before giving the boy a quick hug and staring at him in understanding,
"Did you have another nightmare, Harry? Is that what caused the accident?"
Harry nodded his head slowly as he began to sniffle before lowering his eyes to the floor,
"I'm sorry, Molly," Harry said piteously, "I was trying to clean it up before anyone noticed, honest!"
"Harry, there is nothing to be ashamed of," Molly replied softly as she placed her hand under his chin and forced him to look at her, "These things happen,"
"You're not mad at me?" Harry asked softly, "But I peed the bed; I'm too old to be peeing the bed!"
Molly laughed at that, making Harry look at her in bemusement for a moment before she spoke,
"Harry, there's no age limit for accidents, sweetie," Molly said gently, "Why, Bill was still wetting the bed when he was your age,"
"Really?" Harry asked in surprise, "But Bill's so cool!"
"He may be now, but he wasn't always," Molly said with a smile, "Everyone makes mistakes, sweetie, and everyone can have an accident; it's nothing to be ashamed of, understand?"
Harry slowly nodded as he rubbed his runny nose.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up, and you can tell me about your nightmare, okay?" Molly said softly as she stood up and withdrew her wand and made a quick wave with it; a moment later, Harry discovered to his surprise and enjoyment, that his pajama bottoms were now dry, and he giggled happily, making Molly smile warmly as she flicked her wand at his blanket and sheet,
instantly the fabric rose into the air, and the stains disappeared; a moment later, they began to fold themselves before falling neatly onto the couch.
"Now, tell me what happened," Molly said softly as she sat down at the table and patted the seat next to her for Harry to join her; after a moment's hesitation, Harry pulled his chair out and slowly climbed into it while Molly watched with a warm smile.
"I had another nightmare about Uncle Vernon…." Harry said slowly, "He was hurting me again,"
"Harry, as long as there is a breath in my body, I will never let that man hurt you again," Molly replied, gently placing her hand atop Harry's.
"Do I really have to go?" Harry asked, not bothering to specify as he knew Molly would understand what he was talking about,
"I would give anything to be able to tell you no, Harry," Molly said sadly, "But I promised I would never lie to you, and I won't start now,"
"I'm scared…." Harry said so softly that Molly almost missed it,
"I know you are, sweetie," Molly said sadly, "But Arthur and I will be there with you, and you'll have Teddy there as well,"
Harry smiled slightly at that, and Molly continued in a warm voice,
"After tomorrow, I promise that you'll never have to see your aunt and uncle ever again,"
Harry felt tears beginning to form in his eyes, and Molly quickly pulled him into a hug,
"Now, let's get you back to bed; you'll need all your rest for tomorrow," Molly said as she helped Harry out of his chair.
A few moments later, as Molly was tucking Harry back into bed, he suddenly lunged forward and embraced her in a tight hug, which momentarily took her by surprise before she quickly returned it.
After tucking Harry in and placing Teddy next to him, Molly began to softly hum a lullaby as she gently rubbed her hand over his head; a few moments later, his eyes began to close, and Molly smiled at him,
"Goodnight, sweetie," Molly said warmly as he gently took off Harry's glasses and placed them on the table next to him.
"Goodnight, Mummy," Harry mumbled drowsily, Molly's eyes widened in surprise at the words, and for a moment, she sat and stared at Harry before she leaned down and kissed Harry gently on the forehead before rising and walking to the door, casting one last look on the two boys who were sleeping, Molly smiled happily and left, closing the door softly behind her.
XXXX
Nothing was said at breakfast the following day as the family sat silently and ate their food. Every once in a while, Molly would glance at Harry and try to offer a reassuring smile, but the look of tension and fear on his face made it a struggle for her.
Harry was dressed in a simple black suit that Molly had purchased for him earlier in the week, while the rest of the children were wearing similar suits, albeit of different colors,
"Finish your breakfast, children," Molly said quickly, "We will need to leave soon for the Ministry."
"Will we be taking the car, mum?" Ron asked as he finished his plate,
"No, we will be flooing there," Molly answered, waving her wand and causing the plates to rise into the air and fly to the sink, where they began washing themselves.
"Now, I want everyone on their best behavior, is that clear?" Molly said sternly as she began attacking Harry's hair with a comb, "No pranks, no games, and no mucking about, is that understood?"
She stared pointedly at the twins at the last until they nodded sheepishly that they understood, and Molly narrowed her eyes in suspicion,
"I mean it, you two," Molly said sternly, "Harry will need his family with him today and especially his big brothers for what he has to face, so I need you both to do your part, understand?"
A determined look came across Fred and George's faces, and they both nodded before each stepped behind Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder,
"We understand, mum," George and Fred said as one.
Harry felt tears come to his eyes at the words, which was made worse when Ron and Ginny smiled and nodded at him that they would be there for him as well,
"Thank you…." Harry said softly,
"Of course, ickle Harrykins," Fred said with a smile,
"That's what family is for," George added, making Harry giggle happily.
Arthur smiled at the interaction before pulling a watch from his pocket and looking at it,
"It's about time we were off; everyone ready?" He asked as he finished the last of his coffee; after one last check, Molly led everyone to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder before taking Harry's hand in her own,
"Ready, Harry?" Molly asked, smiling down at him, Harry nodded slowly, and the two entered the fireplace, disappearing a moment later as Molly threw the powder to the ground and shouted,
"Ministry of Magic!"
Suddenly, green fire erupted all around him. Harry shut his eyes tight as the familiar spinning sensation took hold of him. Then, the spinning stopped a moment later, and Harry felt Molly pull him gently.
Slowly opening his eyes, Harry's mouth dropped in amazement at what his eyes beheld before him; they had stepped out of a large fireplace into an enormous atrium; around him, hundreds of witches and wizards were quickly making their way to their various destinations, but the thing that caught Harry's attention was a large fountain that was surrounded by five golden statues of multiple creatures and from whom water was spouting into the pool below.
"This is so cool…." Harry said softly, but apparently not softly enough, for Molly turned to look down at him with a warm smile,
"I had the same reaction the first time I came here," she said with a grin,
a moment later, Arthur joined them, holding Ron and Ginny's hands, quickly followed a moment after that by Fred and George.
"Follow me, everybody," Arthur called out as he began to move through the crowd, the rest of the family close behind; as they made their way through, Harry's head swung back and forth as he tried to look at everything going on around him, trying desperately to not miss anything.
They entered a lift a moment later, and Harry was pressed against Molly as the group squeezed inside suddenly, the lift jerked hard, and Harry's stomach felt as though it had fallen through the floor as the lift began to rapidly drop until at last it stopped with another jerk and the doors opened slowly to Dumbledore and a witch with a squared jaw, closely cropped hair and a monocle in her left eye.
"Ah, Arthur, Molly, right on time," Dumbledore said warmly before turning to Harry, "Good morning Harry; how are you doing today?"
"I'm well, thank you, sir," Harry answered nervously as he took in Dumbledore and his guest; both were wearing plum colored robes with a large silver 'W' emblazoned on them,
"It's always a delight to warmly encounter children with manners," Dumbledore said. His eyes twinkled before he flashed Harry a quick wink, making the boy giggle softly.
"Allow me to introduce my associate," Dumbledore added as he motioned toward the witch, "This is Amelia Bones, head of the department of magical law enforcement; she will be acting as a prosecutor for today's trial."
Harry mumbled a polite hello, which was echoed by the rest of the family; Amelia nodded quickly before turning her attention back to Harry,
"You look just like James," she said in a sad voice, "Except for your eyes, of course,"
"You knew my daddy?" Harry asked,
"Oh yes, I knew him well," Amelia said with a sad smile, "I considered him a friend; I felt his passing dearly. I'm glad I was able to expedite your adoption; I owed James that at least,"
"I wanted to personally thank you for that," Molly said quickly, "Harry deserved a family that loves him, and thanks to you, he now has one."
Amelia nodded quickly at Molly's words before turning to a man who had suddenly appeared behind her carrying what looked like a large stone bowl; after a quickly whispered conversation with the man, Amelia turned back to Harry and bent down to his level,
"I intend to see to it that your aunt and uncle are punished to the furthest extent that the law allows, Harry, but I need your help. Do you see the man standing behind me?"
Harry nodded slowly as he leaned over slightly to look at the man, who smiled at the boy,
"Well, he's carrying something called a Pensieve," Amelia continued, "Do you know what that is?"
Harry quickly shook his head as he stared at the thing that the man was carrying,
"It's an extraordinary magical item that will allow us to see your memories, thereby allowing us to witness what your aunt and uncle did to you; it will greatly aid in proving culpability. And even better will make it so that you will not have to testify."
Harry's eyes widened in awe at the words, and he was rendered speechless, giving Arthur the chance to speak up in his place,
"I thought Pensieves were not allowed in criminal trials due to the possibility of memory manipulation,"
"Ordinarily, that would be the case," Dumbledore replied quickly, "But due to Harry's age and who he is, Minister Fudge has suspended that rule in this instance."
"Who I am?" Harry asked in a confused voice, "What does he mean, Molly?"
Molly looked at Arthur and Dumbledore for a moment before Dumbledore subtly shook his head, and Molly turned back to the boy,
"We'll talk about that another time, okay, Harry?"
Harry looked at her for a moment before slowly nodding his head and mumbling, "Okay,"
"Now, getting back to our earlier conversation," Amelia said quickly, "If you will allow me to, Harry, I will extract your memories. They will be entered as evidence, which I think will greatly swing the verdict in your favor."
Harry gripped Molly's hand tight at the word 'extract,' and he began to shake in fear for a moment before he managed to squeak out,
"Will it hurt?"
"Not at all, dear," Amelia said softly, "It will only take a moment, and I promise you won't feel a thing."
Harry nodded slowly, and Amelia motioned for the man behind her to approach; when he had done so, Amelia pulled her wand out of her robe, not noticing the way Harry flinched, and gently pressed it to Harry's temple; a moment later she drew a long silvery strand from his head and dropped it into the bowl that the man was holding, she repeated the process several times until it looked as though the man was holding a bowl of silver before finally she put her wand away and rose to her feet.
"Now, I suggest you all head inside; the trial will begin momentarily," Amelia said warmly before turning on her heel and heading down the hall to the courtroom, the man carrying the Pensieve following closely behind her.
Dumbledore gently patted Harry on the shoulder and issued a warm smile that seemed to immediately make Harry feel better about what was about to occur,
"Courage, Harry," Dumbledore, "It will all be over soon, I promise."
Harry nodded and tightened his grip on Molly's hand as the group followed Dumbledore into the courtroom.
XXXX
Harry sat between Molly and Arthur, desperately trying to avoid looking at his aunt and uncle; when they had entered, Vernon and Petunia Dursley had both stared daggers at Harry; they were seated next to a balding man with glasses who was wearing a dark black suit with a blood red tie. Dudley was sitting in the gallery next to Vernon's sister, Marge. Harry shuddered slightly as he remembered how the woman had enjoyed torturing him almost as much as his uncle had.
Sitting high above the court were at least fifty wizards and witches, all wearing the same plum-colored robes that Harry had seen Dumbledore and Amelia wearing before; Harry had been about to ask what everyone was waiting for when Dumbledore rose and proclaimed in a loud voice,
"This court is hereby called to order! Today we are here to oversee the trial of Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley; the defendants are hereby charged with the abuse of a magical child, namely Harry James Potter; Ameilia Bones has been chosen as prosecutor for this case, and Mr. Drexel stands as defense litigator for the defendants! Madame Bones, you may begin when ready."
Dumbledore retook his seat as Ameilia rose to speak; before she could; However, Mr. Drexel rose and called out in a deep voice,
"Point of order, your honors!"
"Proceed, sir," Dumbledore replied after a moment of surprise,
"My clients hired me to represent them in this matter as they were unable to find a magical litigator to take their case,"
"With good reason!" Amelia retorted angrily, casting a sneer at the pair,
"Their guilt has yet to be proven, ma'am," Mr. Drexel said coolly, "And until such time as it is, they are entitled to qualified and experienced representation; the point of this matter is that my clients are being charged with abuse of a magical child and yet are not members of the magical community themselves; therefore they do not fall under your laws and as such cannot be charged!"
A cruel grin spread across Vernon's face as his litigator retook his seat, and the members of the Wizengamot began to whisper amongst themselves,
"Objection, your honors!" Amelia cried angrily, "When Mr. Potter was left with the defendants, Chief Warlock Dumbledore left them a note explaining why Harry was left with them in the first place; he ensured that they were made aware that Mr. Potter was a member of the magical community, and that they were responsible for his upkeep. The defendants were even given financial compensation for taking care of Mr. Potter in the form of three hundred Galleons per month or eighteen hundred pounds per month in muggle money; by taking this money, they agreed to be a part of the magical community for so long as they were responsible for Mr. Potter's care!"
Mr. Drexel scowled at the words before turning to Vernon and Petunia and engaging in a furious whispered argument; before Mr. Drexel could counter Amelia's logic; however, Dumbledore stood and said in a loud voice,
"Madam Bones is correct, it would seem; while not a part of the magical community, the Dursleys were tasked with raising Mr. Potter, who is a member of our community and therefore protected under our laws. As such, the trial will continue as planned, Madam Bones, whenever you're ready, my dear."
The Dursleys seemed to grow pale at the news as Amelia stood and began her opening statement about how horribly Harry had been treated; how he had been starved, beaten, and forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs; throughout the speech, Vernon grew more and more purple until at last he jumped to his feet and snarled,
"We never wanted the little bastard in the first place! He was forced on us and only brought unnaturalness to our home!"
Harry trembled slightly at the words, and Molly wrapped her arm around him as he tried not to cry,
"If you cannot control your client, sir, I will be forced to do so for you!" Dumbledore thundered as Mr. Drexel forced Vernon to sit down and whispered something into his ear, making Vernon scowl angrily.
Amelia nodded gratefully at Dumbledore before continuing her speech about how the evidence provided would show the defendant's culpability and how the only punishment for such cruelty was a long stay in Azkaban; Petunia turned white at the words and seemed as though she might faint, as Ameilia took her seat and Dumbledore motioned for Mr. Drexel to begin his opening statement.
Mr. Drexel, to his credit, did paint a good defense for the Dursleys; he told how they had been forced to raise a boy that they never wanted and even threatened with magical retribution should they attempt to leave Harry at an orphanage or something similar, he tried to paint them as just simple muggles who had done the best they could with the boy, but the looks he received from the court at the end of his statement showed that he had convinced no one.
"Your honors, I would like to present my first piece of evidence," Amelia said in an angry voice,
"Proceed," Dumbledore said simply,
Amelia nodded and pulled a roll of parchment from a stack next to her,
"This, your honors, is a list of injuries sustained by Mr. Potter at the hands of his relatives; it was taken by Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the chief medical witch of Hogwarts, when Mr. Potter arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the parchment rose into the air before suddenly multiplying into fifty copies, each landing in front of the members of the court; the courtroom was silent for several moments as the wizards and witches read the report, a few turned pale at what they read, and more than one witch had tears in her eyes as they turned to look at Harry who fixed his gaze on the floor, wishing at that moment he was anywhere else.
Even Mr. Drexel looked pale upon reading his copy. He turned to look at his clients with a horrified expression before swallowing tightly and placing the report on the table; unable to finish it, Vernon looked murderous at the members of the Wizengamot, while Petunia was growing paler as each member looked down at her with barely concealed outrage and contempt.
After several moments of silence, the last witch nodded that she was done reading, and Dumbledore looked at Mr. Drexel expectantly,
"Your honors," Mr. Drexel began, "I have my own children, as I'm sure most of you do. As we all know, children sometimes play rather rough and sometimes do themselves an injury while playing; while these injuries are most deplorable, there is no evidence that my clients are responsible for them. Many of these injuries appear to be that of broken bones. Yet, there are no reports of any hospital visits regarding the boy while in the care of my clients. Therefore, it must be assumed that he received them elsewhere!"
"That's your defense!?" Amelia asked in a loud voice, "That is by far the stupidest thing I have ever heard in all my years as a prosecutor!"
"It may appear stupid to you, madam," Mr. Drexel replied with a sneer, "But that doesn't change the fact that there is no evidence that these injuries came from my client aside from the word of a medical witch; while the injuries are quite awful, how do we know that they came from my clients and not from the boy being foolish and then blaming it on his aunt and uncle?"
Molly turned red with rage at the words, made worse by the fact that Harry looked as though he was fighting very hard not to start crying; before she could say anything, however, Amelia rose again and replied in a voice of cold rage,
"You think he did those things to himself? Do you think that a six-year-old boy could possibly injure himself so severely like that and then blame his family for it? How dare you, sir!"
"I am simply stating the facts as I see them, madam," Mr. Drexel replied stiffly.
For a moment, it looked as though Amelia was fighting back her rage, before finally, she swallowed and turned to the members seated above her,
"Very well, then, if that's how you wish to play, then I shall accommodate you, sir," she said in a cold voice, "Your honors, I would like to present my next piece of evidence, Mr. Potter's memories of the injuries in question."
"Objection, your honors!" Mr. Drexel retorted loudly, "You cannot honestly expect the boy to give an accurate testimony in this case when the truth might be that he is simply lying!"
"Ah, but that is the best part, sir," Amelia said coldly, "The boy will not be testifying. Rather his memories will,"
"I'm afraid that I don't understand," Mr. Drexel said, looking between Amelia and the members seated above him.
"You see, Mr. Drexel," Dumbledore replied cheerfully, "In our world, we have a Pensieve that allows one to remove memories from their head and display them for all to see, much like would one view what you muggles call a television."
Vernon turned white as a sheet and opened his mouth to say something but found he no longer had the ability to speak; Petunia looked, if possible, even paler and, like her husband, seemed to be rendered mute.
Mr. Drexel's mouth hung open at the words. He slowly sat back down, unable to think of an objection to this new information. Dumbledore smiled at the litigator for a moment before turning back to Amelia and nodding,
"Proceed, my dear."
Amelia nodded grimly before dipping her wand into the Pensieve and pulling out a long silver strand; she threw it into the air a moment later. The strand stretched out into a long shimmering screen visible to all, and the memory began.
XXXX
The courtroom was dead silent when the last memory finally ended and returned to the Pensieve. Even Mr. Drexel had grown pale at what he had seen, and he was used to defending the worst of clients.
Vernon had been placed under a silence spell after several outbursts, despite his attorney's repeated attempts to stop him. Now, Vernon sat in angry silence, glaring at Dumbledore.
In the gallery, the Weasley's were all sitting with their mouths hanging open at what they had witnessed; for almost an hour, they had sat silently and watched one memory after another as Harry was horribly abused repeatedly, Arthur had tried to take the children out of the hall after the first memory, but they had all refused, choosing instead to stay with their brother, Harry had been forced to stay. He was quietly sobbing into Molly's shoulder as she held him and rocked him back and forth. She looked at the Dursleys with murder in her eyes, which was copied by almost every member of the Wizengamot.
"Your….your honors," Amelia began, trying to find her voice after what she had just witnessed, "After what we have all witnessed, I feel that there is little, if any, doubt in the defendants' culpability in regards to the charges, I now ask that you vote in favor of punishment. You have witnessed what the poor boy has gone through with your own eyes, and there must be justice for it!"
Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet, anger etched in every corner of his wrinkled face, and when he spoke, it was in a voice as cold as ice,
"Mr. Drexel, do you have anything more you wish to say regarding your client's defense?"
Mr. Drexel slowly licked his lips as he stared up at Dumbledore before looking at his clients; Vernon was purple with rage, while Petunia had slumped into her chair in despair at what she thought would happen to her.
Slowly Mr. Drexel rose to his feet and cleared his throat before replying in a soft voice,
"Your honors, I….I once again state that while my clients are truly the most awful I have ever had the discourtesy of defending," Vernon glared daggers at his litigator as Mr. Drexel continued, "They are not a part of the magical community and therefore cannot be held accountable to your laws, the charges should therefore be dismissed and my clients released."
Mr. Drexel then retook his seat as the courtroom exploded with noise as almost every member of the Wizengamot began hurling insults at the Dursleys and their litigator, who had fixed his gaze on the table in front of him.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore roared, bringing the noise to an end instantly as every head turned towards him,
"As much as I am loathed to admit it, Mr. Drexel is correct in his assessment that Mr. and Mrs. Dursley are not subject to our laws as they are not members of the magical world."
"Dumbledore, you cannot be serious!" A man with long silver blonde hair retorted angrily, "Whether they are muggles or not, Potter deserves justice for what they did to him!"
"Indeed he does, Lucius," Dumbledore said quickly, "He shall have it. However, due to their status as muggles, as you have stated, they cannot be sent to Azkaban prison as they so justly deserve."
Vernon's face lit up with glee as he heard the news, and Petunia seemed to regain some of her color at the news that she would not be going to Azkaban; Molly, however, looked at Dumbledore in shock and rage, which seemed to be shared by the rest of the court.
"We will now vote on a verdict; I, of course, will not vote as per this court's previous decision. All those in favor of guilt?"
Every wand rose as one, and Vernon purpled with rage before he began to silent shout at the assembled members of the court;
after a careful count, Dumbledore nodded and rose to his feet,
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, you have been found guilty by this court of abuse of a magical child; this crime usually carries a sentence of Azkaban, the length of which varies depending upon the severity of the abuse. However, as previously stated, you both are not a part of our world and so cannot be sent to Azkaban."
Vernon sneered at this, and Petunia attempted a smile before Dumbledore continued,
"However, the fact remains that you horribly abused a child for no other reason than your own prejudice. If you think you will escape punishment for it, I'm afraid you both are terribly mistaken," Dumbledore's voice had gone icy cold by the end. Both Dursleys paled slightly as Dumbledore turned towards the other members around him.
"My fellow members of the Wizengamot, while I cannot vote on sentencing, I can offer my own recommendation on the matter, and it is this, I propose that we impose a fine on these two,"
"A fine?!" A witch snarled, "After what they did to the poor boy?!"
"A hefty fine, my dear," Dumbledore replied, "One which will ensure that the defendants will most likely spend the rest of their lives attempting to pay it."
Murmurs of approval followed this, and both Dursleys eyes widened in horror at the words,
"All in favor of sentencing?" Dumbledore asked with a smile as he stared down at the Dursleys again, every wand raised in approval, and Dumbledore nodded before speaking again,
"Very well, then. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, this court hereby sentences you to a fine of two million pounds in muggle money, to be taken from your future assets until the full amount has been paid; the amount will, of course, go to Harry Potter as recompense for the cruelty which you have enacted on him, this court is hereby adjourned."
Petunia turned white at the words and fainted instantly; Vernon barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground and began to scream silently at Dumbledore, his face growing redder as he tried to make his voice heard. A moment later, two Aurors approached the Dursleys and began to escort them from the courtroom; Vernon cast one last venomous glare at Harry before he and Petunia were gone, followed closely by Marge and Dudley and finally, Mr. Drexel, who looked as though he had aged ten years since arriving and looked at Harry for a moment with an expression of sorrow before he too left the courtroom.
"A fine, that's all they get after all they've done? A fine?!" Molly growled angrily,
"It is a rather large fine, Molly dear," Arthur said, though his voice too showed he was angry at the verdict, "And as Dumbledore stated, they will most likely spend the rest of their lives trying to pay it."
"It's not enough!" Molly snarled, "Not nearly enough!"
Harry looked up at Molly sadly, tears running down his cheeks as he asked in a small voice,
"Molly, can we go home now?"
Molly silently wept at the expression on Harry's face before she offered a warm smile and gently rubbed Harry's tears away,
"Of course, darling," she said softly, "Let's go home."
Quickly, the group rose before anyone could approach them to offer comments or regret and swiftly made their way out of the courtroom towards the nearest fireplace and home.
XXXX
Molly silently watched from the doorway as Harry, and the other children played a game of tag; it had been two weeks since the trial. Still, Molly fumed at what she deemed a cruel injustice. Dumbledore had come by a few days after the trial to strengthen the wards around the burrow. Molly had refused to speak with him, despite his attempts to explain his decision.
She had been thinking about her decision for the past few days, torn between fear of being arrested for what she planned and the desire to see justice done to those who had hurt her son; Molly's commitment waned and strengthened interminably until, at last, she decided that she would go through with her plan, tomorrow once the children were asleep.
From what Harry had told her, Molly knew that the Dursleys loved normality and order, so she would take that from them. Then, she would consider their debt to Harry paid; only then would she consider justice done.
XXXX
The street was quiet when Molly Weasley apparated in front of the Dursley's home carrying a large brown burlap bag that was moving as though something were alive inside of it; silently, she approached the house before turning the sack upside down and emptying its contents, which consisted of a dozen gnomes, onto the Dursley's lawn.
Instantly, the gnomes sped away into the Dursley's bushes as Molly approached the house and pulled her wand from her robe,
"Alohomora," she whispered softly before stepping inside the dark house; casting a quick glance around, Molly saw at once the cupboard under the stairs and her gaze hardened at it for a moment before she composed herself and began her work.
An hour later, Molly exited the home with a smug smile of satisfaction on her face; never again would the Dursleys find normalcy so long as they lived at Privet Drive, she had seen to that. While ordinarily, she would feel guilt and shame for what she had done, she felt only satisfaction.
She had placed several curses on the Dursley home; ranging from making it so that no matter how much Petunia Dursley scrubbed, she would always find a spot of dirt in her pristine kitchen to making it so that a constant bad smell would appear in all of their bathrooms, to making it so that the Dursley's hedges would constantly grow into the most untamable of shapes, as well as a dozen other minor curses that would ensure that so long as the Dursleys lived in that house, they would never again have the normal magic-free life that they craved so much.
Adding in the gnome infestation that she had given them, Molly was sure that the Dursleys would either be driven mad or flee somewhere far away. After that, Harry would never have to worry about seeing them ever again.
As Molly walked silently down the street, she began to hum happily to herself as she thought of what the Dursleys would awaken to in a few hours and how her son had finally received the justice that he so surely deserved,
"Now I know where Fred and George get their love of pranks from," she thought with a smile before turning on the spot and apparating away.
XXXX