A Deeper Connection: A New Beginning

Trust

When the Dark Lord finally threw the greenish Floo powder in the blazing flames of the familiar fireplace of Spinner's End, the words 'Lestrange Manor' on his lips, it was much later than he had originally anticipated.

Following the proclamation of the verdict, Courtroom Ten had unsurprisingly erupted into chaos, chaos that was only broken by the absolute tears of joy of Corvus Lestrange who had dropped most of his usually immaculate Pureblood masks as he stormed towards his sons. Most members of the Wizengamot froze, although only briefly at that, as the Lestranges were reunited in a heart-warming embrace.

Under normal circumstances, Tom would have preferred to stay longer but they had a plan to follow as Severus led them towards the exit of Courtroom Ten which by now had turned into a frenzy of flashy cameras as the armada of reporters present tried to get the best shot of the freshly reunited family. Meanwhile, plenty of Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot appeared to be moved by the family reunion given the openly affectionate expression some were sporting.

Still, there were exceptions.

The toad-like witch Dolores Umbridge looked like somebody had turned her pink clothes into a colour similar to mud or vomit while a few outspoken anti-Dark fanatics and Dumbledore-lovers like Elphias Doge appeared to be sharing the sentiment, trying to contest the validity of the verdict.

As his eyes moved over the rowdy crowd, his eyes briefly stopped on a figure which appeared to behave in a rather peculiar way. Unlike everyone around him, Bartemius Crouch Senior had not moved an inch since the proclamation of the verdict. Seeming shell-shocked, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation was simply staring at his hands, his eyes open wide and his jaw slightly unhinged. Maybe, just maybe, it had finally dawned on the failure of a father how badly he had treated his son before ultimately signing his death warrant by sending him to Azkaban. No one should ever be forced to be under the exposure of Dementors for lengthy periods of time but especially not a merry individual such as Barty. Hopefully, Bartemius Crouch Senior had finally realised the gravity of the mistreatment of his son.

Before he could think more about the elder Crouch, Severus urged him to move. They had almost reached the exit of Courtroom Ten when a tall figure stepped into their way, "Severus, my boy, we need to talk."

Leaving no room for protest despite the Potions Master's best attempt to evade the inevitable, Dumbledore led them to his private office. Once the magical voice had announced that they had arrived on ' Level One, Minister for Magic and Support Staff ', Dumbledore gestured to them to exit the nauseating lift and follow him towards the private offices of the more high-ranking members of the Wizengamot. While his Equal and the Potions Master were invited to follow the Headmaster inside the moderately-sized office with the golden nameplate ' Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards ', Thomas Prince was told to wait in a nearby half-open visitors' room which looked like it had been designed with small children in mind.

Over the course of the next hour, fragments of the conversation between Dumbledore, Severus, and Harry were conveyed over the strengthened link. Apparently, the Headmaster was less than pleased with the way Harry had treated his recovering godfather but could not do much because of Severus' presence. Eventually, the over-curious Lord of the Light started to question the two on Thomas' bad influence . Unsurprisingly without success.

Eventually Harry was told to leave while Dumbledore had some 'important issues' to discuss with Severus. After another hour, the Potions Master finally left the office, gesturing his two wards to follow him towards the lifts. When the door of the first arriving lift opened, Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the box of death much to their surprise, gracing the godfather of his son with a slight nod before heading deeper inside the highest level of the British Ministry of Magic.