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Chapter 4 - CH.04

Fudge looked down and jumped back as he caught sight of the huge pile of ash on the floor. He collided with Dumbledore who had moved closer to try and help smooth things over. It was quite clear that whatever power Trelawney had said Harry would have, he had tapped into and the last thing the ancient wizard wanted to happen was for Harry to reduce the Minister to a pile of ash in a fit of anger. That wouldn't get the boy his freedom.

Realising who he'd backed into, Fudge turned to face the Headmaster and demanded, "What's going on here, Dumbledore?"

"He's not the one you need to ask Minister. I am." Harry told him.

"Then why am I here?" Fudge looked at Potter, unable to read anything from the expression on his face. "Do you intend to kill me too?"

"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have had to bring you here to do it." Harry told him. "You are here to correct at least two of the mistakes you've made, during your tenure as Minister."

"What mistakes?" Fudge blustered, "I've made no mistakes."

"What about denying the return of Voldemort, until he got in your face." Harry reminded the man. "You gave him free reign for a year before you admitted he was back. How many deaths can be laid at your feet because of that delay? How many muggle-born and muggles died because of your inaction? You've made a lot of mistakes and now you have the chance to correct a few of them."

"Since you were the one who brought up Deatheaters, lets clear the air somewhat." Harry gestured and a tall slender Deatheater rose from the floor and hung a few inches off the floor as if held up by a moblicorpus spell. "You really should start choosing your friends, sycophants, and assistants more carefully, Minister. You trusted Lucius Malfoy, even though he is a confirmed Deatheater. You ignored the fact that I told you he'd rejoined Voldemort after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, simply because he gave you money. I think he's over there, near Snape." Harry gestured toward the group of Deatheaters, lying on the floor behind the Minister, before raising a finger as if to say 'that's one'.

"Next we come to Delores Umbridge, during my fifth year. A power mad woman who was under the delusion that she could do whatever she wanted and there would be no consequences, simply because she was doing your work, which was to keep me and everyone else silent about Voldemort's return. Not only did she terrorise and torture the student body of Hogwarts for an entire year, but she set two Dementors on me before school even started, in an attempt to get me expelled." Harry raised a second finger, continuing to count off the Minister's mistakes. "And last but by no means least, we come to your current assistant, who is not only a toadying sycophant, but moonlights as a Deatheater."

There were stunned gasps from the Weasleys, as they realised who he was referring to, then Arthur said, "My son wouldn't do that! We may be having our problems, but Percy would never join the Dark Lord!"

"You think not," Harry countered. "Your son on Voldemort's orders framed me so I would be sent to Azkaban. He counted on your hatred of me, Fudge, to grease the wheels of justice so that I wouldn't receive a fair trial. He's probably also the one who killed Neville, given that he was the only other person in the area at the time."

Harry gestured again, and the hooded robe and mask were stripped away, revealing an unconscious Percy Weasley. "Behold the arrogant 'I'm always right and you're wrong' Percy Weasley! Looks like Peter wasn't the only traitor to be sorted into Gryffindor, was he. Nor," he looked back at the remaining Weasleys, who were staring at their brother in shock, "is he the only Weasley to betray friends and family."

As Harry raised a third finger, Arthur sank to the floor in shock, staring at his son's lolling head. This is going to kill Molly.

Harry snapped his fingers. "Wakey, wakey."

The lolling head moved and the eyes opened. Percy upon feeling he was upright, but unable to feel anything solid under his feet, thrashed about for a moment, til he heard a raspy voice say, "Hello, Percy. Long time no see."

The voice sounded slightly familiar, "Potter."

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