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Alteration (Corruption 3)	By : Beren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 5641 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Alteration (Corruption 3) - Chapter 4/5

Alteration (Corruption
3) - Chapter 4/5

Harry walked in to the dungeon room at the Ministry to find that the benches were
full and it appeared that anyone who was anyone had decided to be present. Harry
suspected Dumbledore's hand in the matter since at least this way Fudge could
not sweep the whole thing under the carpet. The only section of society missing,
other than the children, was the press, and Harry knew exactly where they were
since he had had to dodge them on the way in. There were several gasps and some
low whispering the moment those in attendance caught sight of him. Remus, Molly,
Arthur, Hermione, Ron and Neville all gave him encouraging smiles as he walked
to the chair before the adjudicating council. One was Fudge; one was Amelia Bones
and the third he did not recognise.
Sitting down carefully
he waited for what he was absolutely positive would happen, and true to form
the chains on the chair leapt into life; Fudge had obviously ordered him bound.
There was a murmuring of unrest at the action, but Harry was not about to let
it occur anyway. His magic flared into life at the threat and the chains never
reached him, becoming seemingly stuck in some invisible substance as they waved
almost gently in the air.

"I believe perhaps
a mistake has been made," Dumbledore said politely; "Harry is not
a prisoner, why have the bindings been made active?"

"I ordered it,"
Fudge said angrily, seemingly believing that the headmaster was responsible
for the halt of the chains. "This hearing is to ascertain how dangerous
Harry Potter is to those around him, he must be bound to maintain court security.
Release your hold on the chains, Dumbledore."

"Professor Dumbledore
is doing nothing to them," Harry said in a menacing, but completely calm
tone, "I am. Deactivate them now, or I promise you they will never work
again."

It was probably not the
best way to start the hearing, but he was in no mood to pretend. The whole situation
was folly; Fudge had taken him out of the only place he felt secure and Harry
wanted to make sure the man understood his idiocy. The Minister was now looking
at him with something akin to horror, but Madame Bones came to the court's rescue,
pointing her wand at the chair and speaking one word. The chains fell back to
their original position.

"I protest,"
Fudge said immediately.

"Minister," Amelia
Bones said calmly, "the chains are clearly pointless. Mr Potter is here
of his own volition, he is not a prisoner and hence binding him to the chair
is technically illegal."

That shut up the annoying
little man and Harry sat on his desire to snarl at the Minister. Ripping the
man's throat out would be such a delightful pleasure, but even if Fudge was
an incompetent moron, Harry doubted that action would win him any friends. Focussing
everything he had on his Occulmency skills he held on to his darker side.

"I would suggest you
call the hearing to order, Minister," the man Harry did not know said calmly.

"Enquiry hearing of
the sixth of December," Fudge said through clenched teeth, "in the
matter of the magical status of Harry James Potter. Interrogators: Cornelius
Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department
of Magical Law Enforcement; Francis Maxwell Agito, Head of the Department for
Control of Dark Creatures. Acting for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian
Dumbledore."

Harry looked into the eyes
of the afore name head of Control of Dark Creatures and the man looked back
without flinching; he was impressed, from what he understood, these days that
was a hard thing to do. With so many people around it was impossible to isolate
what any single wizard or witch was feeling without revealing more of himself
than he wanted to, so Harry had to be content with the truth his eyes beheld,
rather than the truth his extra senses could give him.

"Mr Potter,"
Fudge launched in immediately, "are you, or are you not a Dark creature."

"I believe, Cornelius,"
Dumbledore countered pleasantly, "that this is the question which we have
come here to discuss. That Harry has gained certain abilities from several species
of Dark Creature is not in question, however, what he has become as a result
of Voldemort's," a murmur went round the room at the Dark Lord's name,
"meddling is yet to be decided."

"Quite," Agito
said evenly, "perhaps, Minister, we should move on. The facts of the case
should be entered into the record."

Whether the wizard was
on his side or not, Harry rather admired Agito's technique. The instincts clawing
just beneath the surface had labelled everyone on the bench an adversary, but
the logical part of Harry was not so sure.

"In a case of such
grave importance I call for the use of Veritaserum," Fudge said bluntly.

Harry went cold and was
unable to completely hide the snarl that threatened; his lip curled and his
fingers went white on the arms of his chair.

"If it pleases the
Wizengamot," Snape's voice carried over the stunned court room, "I
believe that to be unwise."

"The Wizengamot recognises
Severus Snape, Potions Master and Professor at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft
and Wizardry," Amelia Bones said smoothly before the Minister could object.

"Thank you, Madame
Bones," Snape said in his usual cold tone, standing up where he was still
to one side. "Mr Potter's physiology is not understood and he has shown
adverse reactions to some common potions ingredients. To administer Veritaserum
would endanger Mr Potter and the Wizengamot."

"I do not see ..."
Fudge began to bluster back.

"To place any wizard
in an altered state is dangerous," Snape continued smoothly as if the Minister
had not spoken, "due to unconscious magic; to place Mr Potter in an altered
state could be tantamount to suicide."

That brought the whole
room to complete silence.

"The Wizengamot relinquishes
its requirement for Veritaserum," Agito said firmly, without bothering
to look at either of his fellow bench members.

The expression on Fudge's
face was furious, but the Minister had been out manoeuvred.

"Mr Potter,"
Fudge launched straight in again before either of the others had a chance, "on
Saturday the twenty seventh of November you went from Hogsmeade village to Malfoy
Manor in the company of four Death Eaters, is this not correct?"

"Was taken,"
Harry said firmly, "by force."

He was no longer the scared
fifteen year old he had been last time he had set foot in this room and he was
not about to take Fudge's contemptible bullying. The Minister's attempts to
skew the court record were, quite frankly, annoying rather than worrying.

"Would you care to
tell the court, in your own words," Madame Bones put in before Fudge could
react, "what happened that afternoon."

Having to sit quite firmly
on his desire to tell Fudge exactly what he thought of him, Harry nodded.

"Ron and I were in
Honeydukes," he began as evenly as he could, focusing on the woman who
had asked the question rather than the vexing Minister.

"This would be Ronald
Bilius Weasley, son of Arthur and Molly Weasley?" Agito clarified calmly.

"Yes, Sir," Harry
replied, though he really didn't feel like being particularly polite. "It
was when we walked out of the shop that it happened; there was a large explosion,
at least I think it was large, but I was right next to it and it hit me full
on so I could be wrong. I hit my head when I fell back and I vaguely remember
a couple of people grabbing me, but nothing else. The next thing I knew I was
being dragged in front of Voldemort. He jeered at me for a while, gloated, the
usual thing, and then he had one of his Death Eaters force a potion down my
throat. That's the last thing I remember except for vague feelings and pain,
until I woke up in Draco Malfoy's bedroom."

He stopped, unwilling to
just plough on unless he was pushed. It seemed that for now Fudge was more interested
in the events he had described rather than anything else, if the malicious glint
in the man's eye could be believed.

"So you claim you
were not a willing participant in the Dark Magic performed on your person,"
the Minister said evenly.

Harry knew what was coming,
but there was little he could do to avoid it; he just hoped he could hold on
to his temper better than he had when Caveo had accused him of the same thing.

"I offer into evidence
the report of the specialist Auror unit who examined, revealed and catalogued
the spells performed to render Mr Potter into his current state," Fudge
said, barely hiding his glee.

"So noted," Madame
Bones said formally.

"Mr Potter, are you
familiar with the Crevitemero ceremony?" the Minister asked and Harry just
about managed to keep his features from showing his anger at the wizard.

It was a stupid question;
they both knew Harry had no idea what Fudge was on about.

"No," he answered
shortly.

"It is a Dark Magic
ceremony to take power from one wizard and place it in another," the Minister
continued eagerly, "it requires the wizard receiving the power to be a
willing participant. A variation of this ceremony was performed on you."

A muttering filled the
room and Madame Bones struck a large round stone on the desk to quiet every
one down.

"Could you be a little
clearer in your definition of 'willing participant', please, Cornelius?"
Dumbledore's calm tones begged no argument, even though he sounded as if he
had just asked the Minister to pass the butter.

"The participant is
required to chant the ceremonial spells with those performing the power transfer,"
Fudge said victoriously, "and hence Harry Potter must have been complicit
in his own transformation."

When Dumbledore did not
immediately deny this Harry looked round at his mentor, to see what the headmaster
was up to.

"Come now, Cornelius,"
Dumbledore said pleasantly as if speaking to a child, "Harry had already
revealed that he was drugged. A drugged mind cannot protect itself. When I arrived
at Malfoy Manor on the morning of the twenty ninth of November I took the liberty
of having Harry checked for traces of Imperio. The results I believe were positive
and are also a matter or record."

Fudge appeared dumbfounded;
the Minister had obviously not read that far in the report.

"I would put it to
the assembled council that Harry was not complicit in his own transformation,
but was drugged to prevent his resistance of the Imperius curse, and was subsequently
forced to take part in the Crevitemero ceremony," the headmaster said calmly.

Both Madame Bones and Agito
nodded in agreement, Fudge had no choice but to come in to line. Smug satisfaction
was not something Harry often felt, but he experienced it now on Dumbledore's
behalf. It couldn't last though, and he knew it.

"What happened after
you woke up, Mr Potter?" Madame Bones asked kindly, but professionally.

He went cold again and
the hostile feelings rose to just below the surface as every one became the
enemy once more.

"I met Draco Malfoy
for the first time since the train home after the sixth year," he said,
picking his words very carefully and holding on to his feelings with an iron
will.

"And?" Agito
prompted evenly.

"He told me what had
happened, what I was becoming," Harry said shortly.

"So at this point
you were still human?" Amelia Bones looked sorry to have to ask the question,
but her tone was firm never the less.

"Yes, Ma'am,"
Harry replied, trying to distance himself from the memory, "I could feel
the power inside, but it hadn't changed me yet. I think the patterns were some
sort of holding spell and only when they started to fade could the magic alter
me. Once that started I passed out."

This time the murmuring
sounded vaguely sympathetic.

"And when you woke
up the second time," Agito asked plainly, "what occurred, Mr Potter."

"I did part of what Voldemort expected of me," Harry said, unable
to keep the self-loathing out of his voice, "I had sex with Draco Malfoy,
whether he really wanted to or not, and then I bit him."

"Are you saying you
raped, Draco Malfoy?" Fudge leapt at the chance to confirm what Harry could
not bring himself to outright admit without the anger he had shown Caveo.

"If it pleases the
Wizengamot," Snape's voice carried over the room a second time, "I
believe this answers that question."

Harry turned his head to
look at the Potions master in surprise; he had not expected anyone to come to
his rescue on this point. He had not given Draco a choice, even if his lover
had not resisted.

"What is it?"
Madame Bones asked calmly.

"A written account
of the incident in question by Draco Malfoy," Snape said evenly.

"Hearsay," Fudge
said instantly, "if the witness cannot appear the evidence cannot be accepted."

"The document has
the Malfoy family seal," Snape replied and the Minister's face fell again.

Harry didn't understand.

"There are only two
individuals who may use the Malfoy family seal," Agito pointed out to the
other two members of the bench, "Narcissa Malfoy who is unlikely to produce
a document defending a wizard who attacked her son, and Draco Malfoy. Hence
I do not see why the account should not be read into evidence."

"He could have been
coerced," Fudge insisted.

"Mr Malfoy also requested
that I present this if necessary," Snape replied and held out a small globe,
"it is a memory ball of him creating the document."

Madame Bones nodded to
a prim looking woman to her left who stood up and walked over to Snape to retrieve
the two objects. When the witch handed the parchment and the globe to the bench
the Head of Magical Law Enforcement peered into the memory ball before passing
it to Agito and then opened the letter. Harry just stared as she read, wondering
what Draco would have said in the letter. The document and the memory ball worked
their way through all three Interrogators and then back to Madame Bones.

"I believe the only
section required for evidence it the last paragraph," she said firmly,
and the look she sent Fudge dared the man to disagree.

Her companions both nodded.

"I, Draco Malfoy,"
Madame Bones read firmly, "was complicit in all actions upon my person
taken by Harry Potter on the night of the twenty eight of November. I expected
to die at his hand, as was Voldemort's desire; that I am not dead is a tribute
to Harry Potter's character."

Total silence reigned around
the room and Harry dared not look at anyone as conflicting emotions raged within
him. His memories were too clear, and they excited the darker part of his nature,
but what he had done still abhorred the human part. Whatever Draco claimed,
it had not been a mutual choice.

"Perhaps you would
care to tell us what occurred after this point," Madame Bones said eventually.

It took Harry a few more
long seconds before he could lift his eyes from where he was staring at the
floor and meet the witch's gaze. They would pull every detail from him, he knew
it, and he steeled himself against his own reactions.

"Mr Potter?"
Madame Bones coaxed kindly.

"I left him unconscious
on the bed and left the room," he said slowly and watched as Fudge leapt
at the opportunity to interrogate him.

"How exactly did you
do that, Mr Potter?" the Minister asked shortly.

The man was determined
to reveal everything dark about Harry to the court and Harry glared at him without
being able to stop himself.

"I changed into a
wolf and jumped through the door," he said plainly, stating things directly
being the only way he could deal with the emotions the memories recalled.

The murmuring around the
court increased again, but quietened down before Madame Bones was required to
call for order.

"And what did you
do once outside?" Agito, asked evenly.

Harry's eyes flicked to
Fudge, he knew that the man would have read the report and there was no point
in trying to hide the truth. Circumventing the issue of who he had and had not
killed was going to be impossible.

"I killed the Death
Eater on guard," he admitted, trying to keep any emotion from his voice.

"How and why?"
Fudge demanded instantly.

"Now, Cornelius,"
Dumbledore put in immediately, "the how is a matter of record, I do not
believe it would serve any purpose to bring in such details at this time."

"I concur," Madame
Bones agreed before the Minister could protest, "but the why is pertinent
to this enquiry."

"He drew his wand
on me," Harry said, knowing that Fudge would make an issue out of the matter
if he hesitated and let the Minister have a way in; "he was a danger to
me, so I killed him."

"Did it not occur
to you to disarm the wizard?" Agito asked reasonably.

This line of questioning
seemed to appease Fudge somewhat since someone else was asking difficult questions,
but Harry's glare still focused on the Minister.

"No," he replied
honestly, "nothing occurred to me except removing the threat."

"And if you were threatened
now, what would be the result?" the Head of Control of Dark Creatures asked
calmly.

"I don't know,"
Harry replied, unable to answer the question, "it would depend on the threat."

He really didn't know how
to explain it, it seemed rather obvious to him.

"I believe what Harry
is trying to say," Dumbledore entered in to the conversation slowly, "is
that his response is equivalent to the nature of the threat. Death Eaters have
been trying to kill Harry for years; he had no reason to suspect less of them
in this instance."

"So you considered
everyone in that house a deadly threat?" Agito asked, obviously trying
to clarify the point in his mind.

"Yes," Harry
said immediately and then paused, "well all the Death Eaters. They were
the enemy; they'd been torturing me for two days, what was I supposed to think?"

The anger at being second
guessed and put on display twisted in the pit of his stomach, but he held himself
very still to prevent a reaction.

"Quite," Agito
said, seemingly satisfied. "Why did you clarify 'Death Eaters'? Surely
all those at the Manor were in Voldemort's employ?"

"No," Harry replied,
his mind skipping back, "I met Narcissa Malfoy at the bottom of the stairs,
she was only worried that her son had been sacrificed to," he paused, waiting
for the memory to crystallise, "'this madness' is what she called it. I
told her to take Draco and leave, and then I went to the secret rooms under
the kitchen."

His memory was already
flicking forward to Voldemort and he was ready to go on, but Madam Bones interrupted
him.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter,"
she said professionally, "but you're saying you met Narcissa Malfoy and
let her go?"

Harry nodded.

"Did you mention this
when you made your statement?" she asked evenly.

Harry nodded again; when
Tonks had taken his statement, after Remus' first visit he had told her everything.

"Why is it not in
the official record?" Madam Bones asked pointedly, looking at both of her
fellows. "If someone has been tampering with official statements I will
have them thrown in Azkaban."

Fudge did not appear in
the least guilty, but then Harry suspected the man had had a lot of practice.
A quiet rumble of a growl made it past his clenched teeth and he looked away
to calm himself down.

"There must have been
a clerical error," the Minster said as if he was perfectly innocent. "I
will have the matter looked in to as soon as this hearing is over."

"Why did you let Narcissa
Malfoy leave, Mr Potter?" Agito seemed to consider the matter closed and
was moving on.

Harry let his mind trawl
over the memory, trying to understand his reasoning. At the time he had not
really been thinking, just doing.

"She was almost as
desperate as I was," he said eventually, "and she wasn't a threat.
She was like Draco, a prisoner of circumstance. I didn't need to harm her and
she could help get Draco away."

All three members of the
bench were looking at him when he glanced back at them this time; even Fudge
seemed to be considering what he had said.

"I am sorry to dwell
on the matter, Mr Potter," Madam Bones said kindly, "but would you
mind explaining why the freedom of Draco Malfoy was important to you? Surely
once he had provided what you needed he was no longer relevant to you?"

"He was innocent,"
Harry said, not understanding quite what she was getting at. "I didn't
know what would happen when I confronted Voldemort, I didn't want anyone innocent
being hurt."

The witch sat back in her
chair a small smile playing at her mouth and he realised suddenly that he had
said exactly what she was hoping to hear. In that moment he knew that in this
Madam Bones was on his side.

"So, Harry,"
Dumbledore said pleasantly, "am I correct in saying that even as a werewolf
you maintained enough of your original personality to wish others out of harm's
way?"

Harry glanced at his mentor
now and he found himself in awe of the war of words being played around him;
it was almost as if the whole thing was scripted. Not quite sure of his voice
at that moment, he nodded.

"Thank you, Harry,"
the headmaster said with a smile, "please go on."

Turning back he found Fudge
glaring at him once more, but the other two members of the bench seemed to have
relaxed slightly.

"Um," he said,
trying to gather his thoughts again, for now his confusion quelling the anger
which had been building, "I went to the underground rooms; Voldemort was
waiting for me. He seemed to think that now I had so much Dark Magic in me I
was his to command. I don't really understand it, he seemed to think he had
created a Dark slave, it never seemed to have occurred to him that I might still
want to kill him."

He paused for a moment,
using his Occlumency training to distance himself from the memory.

"I played along for
a while," he began again, concentrating on long, calming breaths, "until
I was close enough to strike. Then I ripped out his heart."

No matter what steps he
had tried to take, his proclamation of victory came out with a relish he could
not hide. It was almost as if he could smell Voldemort's blood on his hands
and more than just the dark creatures inside him revelled in the recollection.

"You expect us to
believe that You Know Who just allowed you to walk up to him and kill him?"
Fudge asked derisively. "Are you sure it was not more that you were now
a trusted ally and killed everyone present to prevent them telling the world?"

That pushed the wrong button
in Harry's head and he stood up with a snarl, fangs descending and supernatural
defences coming to the fore.

"Voldemort has been
trying to kill me since I was eleven," he said in a very low voice, resonating
the power he could no longer hide; "he did kill my family and as good as
killed my godfather. I would never, ever have pledged my allegiance to that
monster. No Dark Mark, see," he finished coldly, holding up his arm and
ripping back the sleeve of his shirt.

There had been some rustling
and he could see the Aurors of the court with their hands on their wands and
several plain clothed officers doing the same in the assembly. In a second his
gaze flicked around the entire room cataloguing every possible threat in an
instinctive move, then with a last glare at Fudge, he sat down again.

"Minister, do you
have any evidence to support you hypothesis?" Agito asked calmly, as if
nothing had just happened.

Fudge appeared suddenly
slightly awkward.

"No," the Minister said evenly, "I just thought it best to record
Mr Potter's reaction first hand."

Agito wrote something on
the parchment he had been making notes on all though the hearing and then looked
up once more at Harry.

"What occurred once
Voldemort," the official pronounced the name slowly and calmly, "was
dead?"

Harry tried to banish the
bloody images of rending Fudge limb from limb from his mind, but his imagination
was feeding off the memories he did have of the slaughter he had committed after
killing Tom Riddle. It was a few moments before he could make his fangs ascend
back into his jaw and bring himself to answer.

"I went after Bellatrix
Lestrange next," he said quietly;" she killed my godfather. I don't
remember how I killed her; it's all quite hazy after that. All I know is that
I chased them all down; his whole inner council and I killed them. I don't really
remember anything clearly until Draco Malfoy came back for me, I think I wanted
to be dead."

"And it was Draco
Malfoy who alerted Headmaster Dumbledore and the Ministry," Madam Bones
interposed smoothly, "is that correct, Mr Potter?"

A nod was about all Harry
could manage. The self-hatred he had felt after the killing had faded, but it
still hurt and it was difficult not to allow it to take over again. He did not
think the court would appreciate a banshee wail.

"Thank you, Mr Potter,"
Agito said calmly, "do you require a few minutes to compose yourself before
we proceed?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry lifted his eyes and shook his head slowly. He was
not sure how long he could keep this up, and a break was unlikely to help. What
he really wanted was to leave the room and never have to come back.

"I believe the next
incident of interest to the court occurred the morning of the thirtieth,"
the Head of Control of Dark Creatures said in response.

"An incident in which
three Aurors were injured seriously enough to require treatment at St Mungo's,"
Fudge put in his two pence worth quickly, "one was petrified."

The murmuring grew again.

"Thank you, Minister,"
Agito said calmly, "I am sure we will come to that."

Fudge appeared rather affronted
at that, but something stopped the pompous wizard from reacting.

"Mr Potter,"
Agito continued, "would you please explain what precipitated this incident."

"I had to stop them
taking Draco to the Ministry," Harry said plainly.

"Why?" the simple
question came back.

"I..." the words
caught in Harry's throat as he hit the barrier in his mind, "he...Draco
was going to die."

Was all he could say and
he looked to Dumbledore for assistance.

"If I may be permitted
to explain," the headmaster said smoothly, "we were able to ascertain
that Harry had a premonition of Mr Malfoy's death. This ability comes from the
banshee power forced into him, and hence he cannot speak of it. The Auror in
charge was informed of the situation and he chose to ignore the warning."

"Draco Malfoy bears
the Dark Mark," Fudge blustered quickly, "it was of tantamount importance
that he be taken to a secure location. The Auror in charge was following procedure."

"And endangering the
life of his prisoner, Cornelius," Dumbledore said smoothly, "a banshee
has never been wrong."

Even the Minister of magic
could not really argue with that one.

"So you reacted when
the Auror team attempted to remove Mr Malfoy to the Ministry, is that correct?"
Agito continued his questioning and headed off any confrontation between Dumbledore
and Fudge.

"Yes," Harry
replied very firmly, glad to have his voice back.

"Please tell us in
your own words, what happened," the wizard requested in a professional
manner.

It was not an easy thing
to explain since he had mostly been working on instinct at the time, but he
tried to make sense of what had occurred.

"I just knew they
were taking him," Harry said, grasping for words as he went, "the
banshee knew. It was the worse feeling I had ever felt, like I would explode
if I didn't react and the wail just happened. I couldn't stop it. I didn't mean
to hurt the Aurors on guard, but I couldn't control it. Everything in me needed
to save Draco and I jumped out of the window. They were trying to put him in
a car when I dragged him away from them; they couldn't have him, he's mine."

A reassuring hand on his
shoulder brought him back from the memory and he looked up at Dumbledore as
he gathered his thoughts.

"Why did you petrify
Auror Blythe?" Agito did not give him much of a respite.

"He cast a Patronus
when I tried to use the Dementor to keep them away," Harry said, automatically
telling the truth without even considering it, "I just reacted. I had to
protect Draco."

"Harry," Dumbledore
said calmly, from beside him, "the Aurors were firing spells at you, were
they not; spells which can be deadly to the creatures which now make up part
of your nature. Is this not true?"

Harry frowned.

"I don't know,"
he said honestly, "I supposed so; I would have done if I was them."

"Madam Bones,"
his mentor continued, turning back to the bench, "what is standard procedure
when faced with a dangerous dark creature?"

"In the case of a
Dark Creature which can be lethal," Madam Bones explained calmly, "and
does not stand down, standard orders are to kill it."

"So when faced with
a werewolf, a Dementor and a basilisk," Dumbledore said in a very reasonable
tone, "it is safe to assume they would not have been trying to merely subdue
Harry?"

"That is correct,"
the Head of Magical Law Enforcement replied.

"You have no proof..."
Fudge tried to put in.

"My Aurors are highly
trained," Madam Bones said firmly, "if they react incorrectly in a
situation they could die or worse. As is also standard procedure Auror Blythe's
and Auror Patterson's wands were inventoried and the spells used entered into
their reports. Mr Potter was in mortal peril."

Dumbledore smiled at the
witch with a short nod.

"Harry," the
headmaster turned his attention back to the bemused young man, "when the
Aurors were trying to kill you, why did you not kill them?"

Harry just sat there, blinking
at his mentor blankly. He had never thought of it like that, and the question
stunned him for a moment.

"I," he said,
trying to answer it and having to pause. "They weren't my enemy,"
he said eventually, finding it quite a revelation himself.

"But they were trying
to kill you, Harry," Dumbledore insisted gently, "doesn't that make
them your enemy?"

"Not like that,"
Harry said without thinking, "Aurors fight on the side of the Light; they
were only doing their jobs, but I had to protect Draco."

He remembered the desires
that had flooded through him, the need to hunt and kill, but he also recalled
controlling them and it was not until now that he truly understood why. He could
have killed them easily, he had proved that with Voldemort and his Death Eaters,
and he knew he would have had there been no other choice, but he also realised
that he had not wanted to destroy them. The fight with the Death Eaters had
been so different and now he knew why. He looked into Dumbledore's sparkling
blue eyes a little in awe of what the headmaster seemed to have known all the
time and what he had only just come to accept.

"Thank you, Mr Potter,"
Agito took over again with his seemingly habitual efficiency. "Is there
anything else we wish to ask Mr Potter at this stage, Interrogators, or do you
wish to call your first witness, Minister?"

The look Fudge sent Harry
was anything but happy.

"The Wizengamot calls
Professor Algernon Priest to be a witness for the Ministry," the Minister
said eventually, obviously exasperated with Dumbledore and annoyed with the
way things were going.

A short wizard with glasses
and a closely cropped white beard stood on the left of the bench.

"This tribunal recognises
Professor Algernon Priest," this time it was Agito who spoke the formal
words.

"Good morning, Algernon,"
Dumbledore greeted pleasantly, although from the expression on the other wizard's
face Harry did not think there was any love lost between the two, "for
the benefit of those not lucky enough to be of your acquaintance would you mind
explaining what you do?"

"I am the chief potions
master for the Department for Control of Magical creatures." If Harry had
been in wolf form his hackles would have stood straight up at that moment; he
didn't like Priest at all.

"I do believe he's
your witness, Cornelius," Dumbledore turned back to the bench and smiled
politely at the Minister.

It was a toss up as to
whether Fudge asked his questions or blew a blood vessel if the bright red cheeks
with little white spots were anything to go by. That at least gave Harry some
satisfaction, which handed him some ammunition to help keep his dark side under
wraps.

"Professor Priest,"
the Minister said eventually, "would you please tell this assembly all
the dark creatures you have identified that now make up Mr Potter."

"Do not forget that
Harry is human as well, Cornelius," Dumbledore said pleasantly; "if
he wasn't I do not believe we would be sitting here today."

Fudge just glared and then
looked at Priest as if the headmaster had not spoken. The man in question produced
a list from his pocket and began to read.

"I turned him down
for the post of Potions master at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said quietly in
Harry's ear, which he appreciated no end as he tried to ignore most of what
he already knew. "He has never forgiven me for choosing Severus over him,
but Severus always was and always will be a superior potions master to Algernon."

Even trying not to listen,
Harry couldn't help himself and when Priest finally finished he knew that the
Ministry knew less than Snape. Of course they had not had access to more blood
samples, but Priest had missed the Ethologi for a start, and a couple of others
Snape had come up with over the last two days.

"Thank you, Professor,"
Fudge said in an oily tone as Priest finished.

Now the Minister seemed
very pleased with himself.

"How can we possibly
be asked to believe that Harry Potter is safe to remain at large with that many
dark creatures within him?" Fudge said pointedly.

Dumbledore simply walked
towards the bench and smiled, producing two parchments from within his robes.

"I believe Algernon
missed a few," the headmaster said cheerfully, "and I have also included
a list of which powers Harry has been shown to manifest from which creatures,
and a list of his donors for any hungers which have come to light as well. Professor
Snape has had more ready access to Harry so his research is more complete."

Fudge looked stunned and
now it was Priest's turn to blow a blood vessel. For his part, Harry was not
surprised; he had agreed to full disclosure. He did not want to be locked up
for the rest of his life, but neither did he wish to be a danger to others and
he had agreed that honesty was the only way to ensure this. Agito opened both
documents, read them and passed them to Madam Bones.

"My compliments to
Professor Snape," the Inquisitor said honestly, "some of these are
very hard to trace."

Harry did not bother looking
at Snape, he had too many other things to think about, like the pounding headache
behind his eyes.

"Exactly what hungers
are you referring to?" Fudge demanded, regaining his composure.

That was one question Harry
could not bring himself to answer and he looked to Dumbledore for help. It was
one thing knowing that you were reliant on certain things; it was another entirely
to speak of it in front of so many people.

"Is it really necessary
to discus this matter at the current time?" the headmaster asked pleasantly.
"The facts have been documented and entered into evidence."

"I believe it important,"
the Minister said pompously and Harry found himself staring at the floor in
embarrassment and anger.

"Minister," Agito
said calmly, "I believe it would be proper to move on."

Fudge looked about ready
to explode and Dumbledore took the moment of the Minister's impotent fury to
take over the floor.

"I put it to this
Inquisition that Harry Potter has had the opportunity and incentive to kill
on several occasions," the headmaster began as silence reigned over the
room, "and yet he only killed those who were trying to kill him. As accounted
before this assembly he has shown time after time that although he is changed,
he is still human at his most basic level. We do not claim that Harry is in
complete control, nor ask that he should be allowed to return to his previous
position as yet, but he had been afflicted for only a week and already his abilities
have improved. To lock away a young man, who has saved us all, for crimes he
has not yet committed, and will never commit, is neither fair nor just. I submit
that..."

"But there is crime
that cannot be overlooked," Fudge was on his feet and he did not look happy
about something, but the Minister appeared determined, "one hunger that
Harry Potter has fed which must be answered for; one hunger which cannot be
tolerated."

At that moment Harry knew
Fudge was playing his last card and he knew that it had to be an ace. Every
instinct in his body screamed at him to fly at the wizard and destroy his enemy,
and he felt his fingers actually dig in to the surface of the chair as he held
on desperately for more than his own life.

"To what are you referring,
Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked in a reasonable tone, but as the headmaster
touched Harry's shoulder in support, he could feel the tension running through
his mentor.

"Bring him in,"
Fudge said shortly without looking at the door towards the back of the court.

The other two members of
the bench appeared as in the dark as Dumbledore and when Harry saw who was led
through the second entrance, he almost stopped breathing. There stood Wormtail
and nothing could have stopped Harry as he surged to his feet, a snarl on his
lips.

"Harry!" it was
only Dumbledore's commanding tone that stopped him from tearing the traitor
to pieces.

He managed to come to a
halt a few feet from Wormtail, fangs bared and claws ready to strike; reason
was only a very tiny voice in his brain and it was Dumbledore's will holding
him in place not his own. He could feel the headmaster demanding of him control,
and only that unwavering resolution held the monster inside at bay.

"We were led to believe
that Peter Pettigrew had escaped," Dumbledore said evenly.

"He was found wandering
the grounds of Malfoy Manor and brought to the Ministry," Fudge said firmly.
"A wizard may kill in self defence, but what he may not do is devour a
man's soul."

That shattered Harry's
rage as he finally looked at the wizard in front of him. Wormtail looked at
the world with cold, empty eyes and suddenly a crystal clear memory jumped into
Harry's mind:

He was covered in blood
and he was revelling in the kill, but his revenge was not complete; there was
one more left to go. The slaughter had been efficient and bare minutes had passed
since he had killed the Dark Lord, and now only one remained, and he had Wormtail's
scent as he ran up the stairs. As he ran through the house and in to the open
air, nothing could have kept him from his prey and he hunted the traitor with
glee.

Wormtail was running along
the drive heading for the front gate when he finally caught him and the wizard
gibbered in terror as Harry loomed over him.

"You'll pay for everything
you have done," he said with a deep growl in his voice, "you will
know true suffering."

Wormtail had not even had
the power to speak as Harry took him by both arms and pulled him closer. There
was only one fate good enough for Peter Pettigrew; one revenge, and he let the
coldness of the Dementor take over his body. As he leaned forward and opened
his mouth, Wormtail was helpless and it took less than a minute as he dragged
the wretched wizard's soul from his body. When all that remained was a husk,
he pushed the shell away and turned back to the house; his job was done.

Snapping back to the present
Harry could do little more than stare at the empty eyes of the man who had betrayed
his family and his godfather. The coldness in his bones and the chill of the
air around him let him know that the Dementor was in control, but he could not
put it away. Looking into the shell standing before him he realised that his
revenge meant nothing to anyone but him; Wormtail was as good as dead and all
his actions would do was bring him down for a crime he had not remembered committing.
In that moment he wanted to take back those few seconds, he wanted Pettigrew
to know the torment Sirius had felt and the pain he knew every time he was reminded
of his parents.

He was virtually unaware
of the rest of the room, all he could see and hear was Wormtail, and he found
himself moving towards his victim. Someone seemed to be trying to stop him,
but it was irrelevant and he more glided than walked up to Pettigrew. Reaching
out he took those empty features in both hands, pushing Wormtail's mouth open
with his thumbs on the wizard's lower jaw. Caught in his own power and desire
he leant forward, and with his lips only millimetres from Pettigrew's, he pushed
instead of pulled and something he had not known he was holding deep inside
of him moved up and out of his throat. It hurt as he let the captive soul go
and he lurched back the moment it was gone, breathing hard and collapsing to
the floor in pain, but it was a strangely liberating experience.

His vision was swimming
and his ears were ringing, and yet part of him felt as if a huge weight had
been lifted. He heard Pettigrew whimpering in terror and another part of him
revelled in it, and he lurched to his feet, the Dementor gone for now, but hot
anger replacing the cold creature.

"I told you Pettigrew
was alive," he snarled at Fudge, "you said I lied and you tried everything
not to bring him in here today because you knew it would show everyone the truth.
He betrayed my parents; he framed Sirius Black for his murder; he restored Voldemort
to full life. I may have dark creatures inside me, but you, Cornelius Fudge,
are the monster. You have hated me since the day I told you Voldemort was back,
simply because you were afraid. I saved my cousin from Dementors and you tried
to have my wand broken; you put Umbridge in charge of Hogwarts and allowed her
to try and ruin any chance the pupils had of learning to defend themselves,
and you allowed her to victimise me for lying when I was telling the truth.
You took away every adult who could help me because you feared the truth, and
so Voldemort had another chance at the Department of Mysteries. You even tried
to have me expelled last year when you knew the truth, when you had seen it
with your own eyes. You're not fit to be a Minister, you pathetic, frightened,
little man."

He all but screamed the
last part and only a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing anything
further. He didn't care about the court anymore, it didn't matter, and all he
wanted to do was go home. Turning he met Remus' eyes and the werewolf nodded
at him in understanding and agreement.

"Well done, Harry,"
Remus whispered quietly and opened his arms.

In need of support and
comfort more than he could express, Harry fell into the embrace, unheeding of
whatever else was going on. Strong arms surrounded him and for a while all strength
flowed out of him, Remus' comforting hold being the only thing keeping him on
his feet.

"I request an adjournment,"
Dumbledore calm voice rose above the chatter in the room.

"Request denied,"
it was Agito who replied and Harry felt as if the world was falling away beneath
him, "case dismissed. Harry Potter is released into the charge of Albus
Dumbledore until such time as they both agree he is ready to once more take
his place in the Wizarding world."

Without hesitation Madam
Bones smashed her stone onto the desk in agreement and suddenly it was all over.
What had happened to Fudge's vote, or Pettigrew for that matter was lost on
Harry as he found himself being led towards the doors.

It was only as the outer
doors opened that he remembered why they had originally come in the side entrance
to the chambers. It felt like a thousand flash bulbs went off at once. The chattering
of the reporters went eerily silent when they finally saw him for the first
time and Harry really couldn't take it. There was a simple choice; let his darker
nature have free reign and sort out his metabolism or take the simply human
way out. It really wasn't a matter of options at all and, grabbing weakly at
Remus, he fainted.

End of Chapter 4
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Alteration (Corruption 3)