Crouch raised his hand, and a door at the side of the courtroom swung open. Crouch raised his hand, and a door at the side of the courtroom swung open. A tall and gaunt man entered, his pale eyes seeming to see straight through everything in front of him, and he carried a small crystal ball in his hands with a smooth and unblemished surface.
"Mr. Croaker from the Department of Mysteries," Crouch announced. "He will be assisting us with the memory extraction."
Croaker approached the centre of the courtroom with measured, powerful strides. "This is a new invention," he said as his voice remained low but carried clearly through the silence. "It was developed in China. It functions similarly to a Pensieve, but with one key difference because it can be viewed by multiple audiences simultaneously."
What? A new invention? How are they inventing new stuff? I do not remember this being part of canon.
He spoke a single foreign syllable, and the crystal ball began to grow. It swelled and expanded until it hovered in the centre of the room, massive and luminous and large enough for every person in the courtroom to see into its depths.
Lord Malfoy rose immediately with his face contorted in protest. "This is absurd because a foreign invention has been brought into our court without proper vetting."
"It is ICW-certified," Crouch cut him off as his voice remained cold as ice. "Almost all ICW countries have adopted this method of memory presentation. If you have concerns, Lord Malfoy, you may take them up with the International Confederation of Wizards." He paused before his eyes fixed on Malfoy's face. "Now, if there are no further objections, we will proceed."
Malfoy sank back into his seat with his jaw tight and his eyes flickering toward the other lords seated around him. Gilderoy watched the silent communication pass between them, the subtle nods and exchanged glances, and he felt a cold knot form in his stomach.
Croaker approached him with his wand already raised. "Think deeply about the memory," he instructed. "Focus on the attack and every detail and every moment. Do not try to suppress anything because the memory will show what it shows."
Gilderoy closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to Hogsmeade. He remembered the sudden screams while the masked wizards raised their wands and cast spells that were meant to maim and kill. He felt the familiar surge of anger and determination that had driven him during the fight, and the instinct to protect had overridden everything else.
Croaker's wand touched his temple, and a strange, shivery sensation coursed through him like cold fingers brushing against the inside of his skull. He felt something tugging at his consciousness, pulling insistently, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a silvery strand emerging from his temple.
The man guided the strand toward the floating crystal ball, and the moment it touched the surface, the ball began to glow. The courtroom fell silent as the memory expanded and filled the crystal sphere with images and sounds.
The attack unfolded before them.
Everyone watched as Gilderoy fought with his wand becoming a blur of motion while his spells remained precise and powerful. They saw the masked wizards with their faces hidden and their voices distorted. They saw the students falling as their bodies crumpled under the force of dark curses. They saw Gilderoy and a girl fighting side by side with their movements synchronized. They saw a blond boy and girl shielding the wounded with their faces set with grim determination.
The courtroom was transfixed as some of the lords leaned forward in their seats with their eyes wide with shock. Others watched with grim satisfaction as the attackers were driven back and their retreat was marked by the sharp cracks of Disapparition.
Then, in the chaos of the retreat, something happened because one of the masked wizards turned sharply and his sleeve caught on the edge of his own robes. For just a moment, his forearm was visible.
The Dark Mark.
The memory froze on that image, the black skull and the serpent emerging from its mouth against the stark contrast of pale skin.
Gasps echoed through the courtroom as some of the lords rose to their feet with their faces pale with shock. Others shouted accusations as their voices overlapped in a wave of outrage.
Crouch's eyes had grown wild as a fierce and predatory gleam appeared in them that made him look almost dangerous. "You see?" he said while his voice carried across the room. "This is what we are dealing with because the attackers were Death Eaters and they attacked our children and our future."
He turned to face the assembled lords while his voice rose with righteous anger. "I propose that we authorize the use of lethal force against Death Eaters so that Aurors and law-abiding witches and wizards can defend themselves with deadly magic if necessary."
The courtroom erupted into chaos as some lords rose to support him with their voices shouting in agreement while others protested loudly with their faces red with anger. Lord Malfoy was on his feet as his eyes scanned the courtroom and met the eyes of Lord Nott, Lord Lestrange, and the others seated around him.
Gilderoy watched the silent communication pass between them as he noted the subtle nods, the exchanged glances, and the almost imperceptible shake of a head.
"A vote!" Crouch shouted as he slammed his gavel against the podium. "All in favour of authorizing lethal force against Death Eaters, raise your hands!"
The response was immediate and overwhelming because dozens of hands rose into the air, including Lord Potter, Lord Black, Lord Bones, and many others whose faces Gilderoy did not recognize. But they were not enough because he watched as Lord Malfoy's hand remained firmly at his side, and as he glanced around the courtroom, he saw the same pattern repeated among the other lords seated around him.
"All opposed, raise your hands!"
This time, the response was even more overwhelming because Lord Malfoy raised his hand high with his face set in a mask of cold superiority. Lord Nott followed immediately, then Lord Lestrange, and then a cascade of others whose names Gilderoy did not know and whose faces he had never seen before.
The vote was close, too close. But when Crouch counted the hands, his expression flickered and his jaw tightened.
"The motion is denied," he said as his voice remained flat.
The courtroom fell silent as no one moved and no one spoke.
Crouch announced, "The Wizengamot is adjourned."
Gilderoy looked up to the second level and waved his fiancées goodbye. Since it was already night and he was tired, he had to return to Hogwarts, eat, and sleep. He rose to his feet and was halfway to the door when Crouch caught his arm.
"Mr. Lockhart," he said as his voice remained low enough that only Gilderoy could hear. "A word, if you please."
Gilderoy turned to face him with his expression carefully neutral. "Yes?"
Crouch hesitated, and Gilderoy saw something flicker in his eyes, a hint of uncertainty or perhaps calculation. "I would like your help and your endorsement because you have proven yourself a capable duellist, and your testimony today..." He paused before his eyes scanned the courtroom behind Gilderoy. "Your testimony carried weight, more weight than you might realize."
Gilderoy was quiet for a moment as he let the silence stretch between them.
"You want my help?" he said, his voice sounding more tired and disappointed. "Then you need to act first."
Crouch's eyes narrowed. "Act on what?"
Gilderoy stepped closer. "The Aurors who arrested me arrived conveniently just as the attackers disapparated. They claimed they had a tip that someone was casting dark magic and carrying a Dark artifact. They searched me and found exactly what they were looking for."
"They ignored Amelia's protests and they ignored other students' protests who had seen me duel those Death Eaters. Yet they arrested me immediately and brought me here without any proper investigation. And now I wonder how they knew to come, who tipped them off, and why they were so certain that I was guilty."
Crouch's face reddened as his jaw clenched with visible tension. He said nothing, but Gilderoy could see the calculations running behind his eyes while the gears turned as he processed the implications.
"I deliberately did not include that part of the memory in the crystal ball," Gilderoy continued as his voice dropped even lower. "Because I could see that the Wizengamot is compromised. Some of your own Aurors were involved in this, Mr. Crouch, and they are not the only ones."
Crouch stared at him for a long moment with his face immobile. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away while his footsteps echoed against the stone floor.
But the gleam in his eye had not dimmed because if anything, it had grown stronger.
Gilderoy watched him go and knew that he had just made a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy.
Dumbledore appeared at his side with his usual composed expression. "The Ministry can be a complicated place," he said as his voice carried a hint of dry amusement. "I find that it often helps to have allies in unexpected places."
Gilderoy turned to face him. "You mean Crouch?"
"I mean everyone," Dumbledore said as his eyes glinted. "You have made quite an impression today, Mr. Lockhart. Lord Potter speaks highly of you. Lord Black has offered his support. And Crouch..." He paused before his expression shifted slightly. "Crouch is a man who does not forget those who help him."
"Is that a good thing?"
"It can be." Dumbledore laid a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, his grip felt firm and reassuring. "But we can discuss that later. For now, I believe we should return to Hogwarts because we are just in time for dinner."
Gilderoy laughed. "Dinner. After everything that has happened, I am going to dinner."
"Life continues, even when it seems impossible." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Now, shall we?"
Gilderoy glanced back at the courtroom one last time as he saw the empty chairs, the silent benches, and the floating crystal ball that was slowly shrinking back to its original size. Then he turned away and walked beside Dumbledore toward the Atrium.
They stepped into the Atrium, and he breathed in the cool air while he felt the weight of the past hours slowly begin to lift from his shoulders. The Atrium led them to the Muggle street above, and Gilderoy took Dumbledore's offered arm. They Disapparated, and the world dissolved around him as he was pulled through the narrow tube before he was deposited back in the corner of the Great Hall.
___
📖 Advanced Chapters on Patreon- Patreon readers are getting the equivalent of 19+ advanced WebNovel-length chapters!
https://patreon.com/A_Peverel