The following morning, the Wizarding World woke up to a dreadful rumor.
Harry Potter, the boy who had been missing since the Triwizard tournament, the boy who was the number one suspect in the death of Cedric Diggory, was now accused of another crime.
The murder of his own Muggle family.
The rumor sent shockwaves throughout the community. The first one to publicly talk about this was the Daily Prophet. The Boy Who Lived, the symbol of hope for many, had apparently fallen into darkness. Like always, the Daily Prophet was quick to come up with sensational titles.
"Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, Turned Murderer: Dark Turn for the Chosen One?"
"Tragedy Strikes in Little Whinging: Potter Family Massacre Shocks the Nation"
"After you-know-who, is this the birth of another Dark Lord?"
As the news spread, the wizarding community was divided. Some clung to the belief that there must be more to the story, that Harry couldn't have committed such a foul act. Others, fueled by fear and mistrust, were quick to condemn him.
Everything fell apart when the Ministry confirmed the news to be true and that Harry Potter was arrested and in the custody of the Ministry.
Ministry officials, including Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, held emergency meetings to discuss the unprecedented situation. Obliviators were dispatched to the crime scene at 4 Privet Drive, and they used Memory Charms to erase the recollection of magical phenomena by the muggles that lived nearby. From all the noise that happened at the Dursleys' home, many neighbors were quick to notice that something was not right, and many of them saw magic that night.
Now, with the confirmation that Harry has indeed killed people, wizards began confirming that the Ministry was previously right and that Harry Potter must have indeed killed Cedric Diggory.
The news of Harry Potter's descent into darkness hit the Weasley family particularly hard.
In the Burrow, everyone was in shock.
When the Weasley children woke up, they found their mother at the dining table. In her hand was the Daily Prophet, her face drained of color.
When they got news of the situation, none of them could believe it.
But Molly, out of all, could not deny the information. After all, her husband, Arthur Weasley, was called back to work. With the arrest of Harry Potter, all the employees of the Ministry of Magic were busy.
Another group that was severely affected was the Order of Phoenix.
Upon learning of the crisis, most of the members had gathered at the headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place.
Among them, Sirius Black was the most affected. He was grappling with a torrent of emotions upon hearing the news. The headlines in the Daily Prophet struck him like a physical blow, and he couldn't fathom the idea that Harry, whom he considered a son, could commit such a horrific act.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and for the first time since his escape, he allowed himself to express the raw pain that had been building within him. The idea that Harry might have willingly taken innocent lives was too much for Sirius to bear.
"He can't... he wouldn't..." Sirius muttered to himself.
He was convinced that there had to be some dark magic at play, that someone had manipulated Harry into committing such a crime. The thought of Harry willingly turning to the dark side was inconceivable to Sirius.
His mind raced through memories of the time he spent with Harry and the bond they shared. Sirius was determined to believe in Harry's innocence, refusing to accept the idea that the boy he considered a son could be capable of murder.
"Voldemort must have used Imperius on him or something," Sirius finally reached a conclusion. "Yes, that's it."
Just then, the door opened, and Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room.
The Order of the Phoenix gathered in the dimly lit room and turned their attention to the tall, distinguished figure as he entered the house.
He was their main source of information. The insider at the Ministry of Magic.
Finally breaking the silence, Kingsley addressed Dumbledore and the others. "Albus, the Ministry has announced an open trial for the case of Harry Potter."
He glanced around the room, meeting the eyes of each member individually.
"The trial for Harry Potter is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8. The Ministry intends to conduct a thorough inquiry into the charges against him."
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Amelia Bones had spent the entire night of the incident and till the afternoon of the next day at work.
At last, she was able to leave for home and rest for the next day's trial of Harry Potter. Based on the primary investigation she did and with the testimonies of the two Aurors that had fought Harry Potter, Amelia got the idea why Harry had killed the two Muggles.
The two Aurors narrated to her how Harry Potter questioned them about protecting Muggles, but failed to protect him when he was abused by his Muggle family.
She has always tried to be harsh against criminals, but also just. One way of doing things, she put herself in the shoes of the criminal.
Many of them were just pure evil. But upon guessing the situation about Harry Potter, she could not bring herself to feel sorry for the boy.
Finally, she reached home. Her mind was still busy with the case, but she decided to leave everything behind for now and take some needed rest.
With a flick of her wand, Amelia's coat gracefully detached from her shoulders and floated to a nearby hook. Her briefcase, containing the details of the case and the upcoming trial, found its place on the sturdy wooden table.
Needing a moment to collect herself, Amelia decided to freshen up. She entered to wash away the fatigue. She turned on the tap, allowing the cool water to cascade over her hands. Leaning over the sink, she splashed her face.
Amelia took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to fill her lungs and clear her thoughts.
As she exited the bathroom, Amelia Bones called out, "Susan, I'm home!" expecting to hear the familiar sound of her niece's footsteps hurrying down the stairs. However, the usual response was absent, and the house seemed unusually quiet.
*****Author's note****
I understand that the past few chapters have been mostly about Harry Potter, while the book is supposed to be about Voldemort. The thing is, I took inspiration from the way to write by following the original, where it tries to explore other characters. In this case, Harry plays an important role in Voldemort's plan.
This Harry plot is coming to a conclusion soon, and the story will move on to Voldemort's other plan. Hope you can bear with it a little longer.
Thanks for your support and constant feedback.