Albus Potter and the Prophesied Year

Ch 27 Various Lose Ends

Thursday morning Harry sat in a meeting in Kinglsey's office with Kingsley and Hermione, Arthur, and a couple of other DMLE officers.

"Putting a substance in water to encourage couples to mate does not seem to be much of a crime," Hermione told the group. "Pregnancy isn't considered an injury, or even, in the old laws, ever a bad thing, unless it is caused by forcible rape. What Bowman did was so beyond what any had anticipated, but I cannot find a law that applies.

"There are laws that apply to love potions, but they anticipate someone trying to make a specific person fall in love. And we are not sure if it was just a love potion or something else, because something else had to happen. It is messy."

Harry had tried to find out just what had happened that October, but it seemed that none of the people quite knew. The only person who could tell the whole story was Jezebel, and she was dead.

"What about Felicia?" Harry wondered.

"The problem we have is proving what she did, and also how much of it was done because she had to," Hermione noted.

"We have plenty of stories, but not much in the way of solid evidence," Harry agreed.

"Have you told them that?"

"We have not told them anything," Arthur replied, "but we are going to have to release them today."

"Felicia seems to need a place to stay," Harry suggested. "What if we agree to release both of them to each other's custody, as long as they stay in Bowman's house at Hogwarts. Allow them to go to Hogsmeade, but only under supervision."

"If they would agree to that, it would be fine," Kingsley thought.

"I am going to suggest to Minerva that she put George Hogg in charge of the water, and just leave the sewage to Bowman," Harry proposed.

Everybody thought that was a good idea, and that Harry should be the one to confront Bowman and Felicia.

Harry traveled to Hogwarts to make sure that the plan was acceptable to Minerva, and saw George Hogg briefly as well. Later that morning, Harry had Bowman and Felicia brought to a room in the ministry, with guards. He entered, and had everybody sit down.

"We have been contemplating what to charge each of you with," Harry started. "Bowman, you must have some idea what kind of damage you did. If we held a big trial I think there would be a number of parents who would want to kill you, as well as wizards forced into marriage and witches forced to bear an unwanted child. What do you have to say for yourself."

"It did get a little out of hand," Bowman admitted.

"Felicia Rocha, do you want me to have you transported to all the jurisdictions where someone may want to charge you with something?"

"I didn't exactly do all of it freely," Felicia countered. "No one who worked for Jezebel was exactly free to leave, or to do what they wanted. Why, who wants me?"

Harry rattled off, "Oh, the Aurors in North and South America, and several in Europe. You have been active for years. People you have worked with or who were afraid of Jezebel have started to talk as well."

Harry sat there looking at documents, as the two became increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, Harry told the pair, "Look, we are dealing with over two hundred people right now, hundreds of open criminal cases because of this mess you are part of. At least Bowman didn't try to kill anyone, and no one is quite ready to charge Felicia with a capital crime, at least not yet.

"Bowman, Minerva has agreed to take you back under the same conditions. You are free in your area of the Hogwarts grounds but are not to approach the school or most of the grounds. You are free within limits to go to Hogsmeade. The one change is that you are forbidden to go to Hogwarts to tend the water system. George Hogg is taking over that.