The Contract

Chapter 64

"Minister Fudge, I'd like to demand a ten-minute recess," Corvus stated, standing up, "If the prosecution will allow it." Merlin's balls, judging by Tom's reaction...something more was going on and clearly this hadn't been part of the plan. Which just wasn't like Tom not to have put everything into action. Had he forgotten or just not gotten around to her yet? If this was all just part of what scheme they were playing he was liable to lose his temper with them.

"Madam Bones?" The Minister turned to the witch in question.

"I have no problem with that," Amelia replied.

"This trial is now going for a short ten-minute recess," Minister Fudge's voice boomed throughout the entire courtroom. The spectators didn't mind, after all that bombshell had them all salivating for what would come next. Everyone knew Bellatrix Lestrange was insane. It was sure to be good watching material and they could just imagine the tales they'd go home with.

The wizengamot began to move, returning to the meeting room where coffee and biscuits were immediately served. Despite it only being a ten-minute recess, everyone grabbed a cuppa. They would drink what they could, even if it wouldn't be finished.

"Bellatrix Lestrange cannot testify," Corvus informed them all, as they watched him write in a notebook. They could have sworn it glowed blue for a second but they weren't paying much attention.

"And why not?" Dowager Longbottom insisted.

"She suffers from the Black madness," Corvus reluctantly revealed, "Her mind is a fractured, awful place to be. My Rodolphus had a terrible time trying to keep her madness at bay." Hating that he was revealing this, it was a blot on the Lestrange name, unfortunately, it wasn't a secret at all. Everyone knew, they just pretended for the sake of propriety.

"She's entitled to her own trial, and well, she's been called up we can't just not allow the prosecution to do what they feel the need to do. We are supposed to be impartial after all." Lord Greengrass, "There is nothing that can be said that would convince Amelia otherwise, you know how stubborn she is. She will want to see and hear every angle."

"Lady Lestrange's testimony won't clear things up, it will muddy the waters," Lord Avery cried out, "She's nowhere near competent to stand trial or be called as a witness."

"If she has been under the Imperius curse the same as the others...and you say she has this Black madness, it might have made her a lot worse." Lord Aurelius Adamos-Slytherin pointed out, making it seem as though he didn't know much about the family. "She may not have a single coherent thing to say."

"She cannot testify at my son's trial," Corvus said, triumphantly. "They are married, they have marital rights including the inability to testify against each other. Or bear witness even if it should work in my son's favour. Bellatrix is also my daughter-in-law and I have to safeguard her own future as well." Oh, Harry was good, thank Merlin he'd brought the journal along.

"What is this about not testifying?" Doge asked, frowning, "Sounds like Poppycock to me."

"Not at all," Corvus said, watching as Tom effortlessly slid out of the room without anyone noticing. "In common law, marital privilege is a term used in the law of evidence that applies to two sperate privileges. Marital communicational privileges and testimonial privileges."

Bill straightened at that, "They are allowed to break it if a law is broken by either party surely? Especially if it's against the other?" he needed to read more of that blasted book, the laws were tedious and boring and many. He'd been reading as much as he could between everything that was happening. Thankfully nobody seemed to be embarrassed or shocked that he spoke about the law this way. He needed to find out if his father could even press charges against Molly.