Amelia Merlin

Part Twenty One: The Trial

You know when you see a cat squeeze through spaces that are way to small for their bodies, but by some strange miracle they manage to do it? Now have you ever tried to imagine what that feels like? I want you to try now, because then you may be able to understand what it is Amelia went through when she apparated.

It was like getting squeezed out of a very small tube while also being shoved back into it. She was being pushed at from all sides and she honestly didn't enjoy it one bit.

It happened in an instant and when it was over, Amelia found herself standing in a crowded hallway. She swallowed the puke that had risen to her mouth and took in her surroundings. With wide eyes and an open mouth, she observed.

The Ministry of Magic was spectacular. There were paper airplanes zooming around every where and the ceilings were high. The windows showed a sunny day although Amelia specifically remembered it raining. How this place existed she didn't know. By looking at a nearby lift, she saw there were ten levels. It would take a great deal of magic to keep this thing hidden. Weird. Then Amelia remembered what her father had told her about the ministry, it was all underground.

Then why were their windows?

She felt very confused but Dumbledore led her to the nearby lift and they got in.

"Level nine," he said pleasantly, and the man closest to it pressed the button.

"Sir?" Amelia wanted to know if she could ask questions.

"Yes?" Dumbledore's eyes had that familiar twinkle.

"Why are we taking a lift if we can just apparate in here? Also why are there windows if we are underground? If they wanted to cheer people up why not  put artwork up instead of weather? And why are there ten levels but you can't get a lift to level ten? And why are the paper airplanes here? Why do they need a lift if they can fly?"  The other wizards standing in the lift started to chuckle.

"This is why we need more children around," an elderly lady beamed at her. "Things make so much sense to us adults but when you get a child in here they sort it all out for us don't they?" She chuckled lightly and Amelia felt rather intelligent.

"To answer your questions dear," Dumbledore started, "we can apparate into the atrium but not anywhere else. I don't know the answer to any of your other questions but when we get back to Hogwarts, I suggest you write a serious letter to Cornelius Fudge asking him those very things. I might write one myself come to think of it," he smiled at her and they stepped out of the lift.

"Why can't we take the lift to level ten?"

"We need to take a set of stairs over here," he motioned to the left and Amelia had to skip to keep up with his long strides.

"Yes but why? The secrets are on level nine not level ten. I think they just want to show off how mysterious they are," she shrugged and heard Dumbledore laugh. She enjoyed making the old man smile, his face was meant to do that. And as a very powerful wizard, people probably took him seriously all the time which sounded exhausting. They reached the staircase and made their way down. There were no windows on level nine, just blue candles, it was dimly lit and there were black tiles covering each surface. They seemed to be trying very hard to let everyone know just how mysterious they were.

Amelia and the headmaster made their way down to level ten, there were now rough stone walls and torches in brackets. They found themselves at a set of heavy wooden doors. Amelia suddenly got very very nervous. She stood at the door waiting for Dumbledore to open it, but he didn't.

So Amelia took a deep breath and the door creaked open. The courtroom was designed to be intimidating, just as the department of mysteries was to be, well, mysterious.

There was a chair in the centre of the amphitheatre type room. And the court could all see who was on trial. Amelia looked to the opposite side of the room from the court to see the witness area. Her family was sitting there along with Molly an Arthur Weasley. Her nerves calmed when she saw them, now she had support and everything would he fine.

Amelia didn't know why she thought she had to do this alone and she now realized what a stupid thought that was.

"Hi Mrs Weasley! Hi Mr Weasley," she whispered as she took a seat beside Jeremy.

"Amelia you look wonderful!" Molly beamed at her and she was about to continue when Fudge called the court to order. Amelia's ears seemed to stop working at this point. Her father had just been brought from the place he was being kept.

He looked terrible. His face was so white it was green, and he was thing, much too thin. His hair was long and greasy, and he hadn't shaved in over seven months. Amelia's mouth went dry and she felt her heart race again.

She was so unaware of her surroundings that it took a kick from Jeremy to realize she had to go testify now.

"Amelia Merlin, you have been brought before the court to testify against your father, do you acknowledge this statement?" Cornelius Fudge boomed down at her.

"Yes sir," she ran her fingers through her hat and fidgeted in her seat. The questions that followed were surprisingly easy to answer. And when it was done she didn't feel nervous at all. Until she saw the look on her fathers face. He wasn't angry or vicious, he just looked very very sad. And Amelia had to scold herself for feeling bad for him.

Everyone else testified then he got onto the witness stand. They chained him to the wooden chair so he could barely move.

"Mr. Merlin, do you admit to the following accusations, of torture, abuse, and child abuse?" Those all soundly exactly the same but what did Amelia  know right?

"I do," his voice was like gravel. "But whether or not they were wrong is what I am here to convince you of,"

"Oh? Please continue," why was Fudge indulging him? Amelia felt heat rising to her head, and she clenched her fists. How could anyone justify torture?

"I had to prepare them for what would happen! We are Merlin's and that means people will always want us dead. If they could withstand the crutiatus curse, they could do anything," the court looked for a moment as though they were considering this, "I love my family more than anything which is why I had to make the hard choices and I don't regret anything I did. Ultimately it will save them,"

The wood that made up the chair he was sitting on started to splinter. Fudge looked fearfully around, was he trying to escape? But it became clear soon that the chair did not want him getting away. The splinters wrapped around his arms and legs, pinning him where he sat. A few of them actually pinned him, like stakes in a tent. He cried out as the wood penetrated him and the wizengamot was in uproar. This was not supposed to happen.

"Somebody stop this!" Fudge roared and everyone was yelling, trying to find the perpetrator. Guards were trying to free him from the chair and take him away but it was no use.

Nobody noticed the eleven year old girl who was so scared her father might be set free she had to take matters into her own hands. The child with shaking hands and tears in her eyes.

Nobody except Albus Dumbledore.