Harry took a deep breath, glancing around at many of the same faces that had tried to condemn him for casting a Patronus at the beginning of this school year.

Sirius and Lupin had coached him on sitting up straight and speaking clearly and confidently, and they had let him practice his answers by asking him questions that might be asked during the trial. But even with all of the practice, and even though Harry had faced the Wizengamot a few months ago for very different reasons, there was no preparing for those narrowed eyes on him. It occurred to Harry that many of them had already made up their minds about him, thanks to the Daily Prophet.

Umbridge sat in a chair along the side, a short distance away from Lee Jordan. Lupin sat on the opposite side of the room—Dumbledore had pulled some strings to allow him to be there as an emotional support for Harry, and Harry was thankful for that.

Umbridge had already been questioned about the accusations made against her. Lupin had warned Harry many times to remain silent through her testimony, no matter what she said. Harry had never been so tempted to speak out when Umbridge denied Harry's claims and called him a liar. What kept him from doing so wasn't any fear of ruining the trial, but instead the fear of the disappointed look Lupin would give him if he disobeyed the advice.

Now, though, it was his turn to speak, and part of him wished he could disappear. That he could be anywhere but here. He glanced over at Lupin, who gave him an encouraging smile and a nod.

Fudge cleared his throat. "You accuse Dolores Umbridge of forcing you to use a blood quill during detentions at Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Despite the fact that use of such implements are strictly forbidden in a school setting."

"Yes, sir."

"You are claiming that Dolores Umbridge knowingly broke the law and tortured students. A ministry official. Do you realize how serious this accusation is?"

A sarcastic comment was on the tip of Harry's tongue. He probably would have voiced it, despite the damage it could have done, but he stopped himself. Not because of the many sets of accusing eyes, but because he could feel Lupin's gentler stare. "Yes, sir, I am aware."

Fudge frowned. "You're also aware that it is a crime to tell a lie before the Wizengamot."

Harry's voice caught in his throat. "Lee Jordan had to use the blood quill, too. He's here, you can ask him about it."

"And we will. But right now, we would like to hear from you." He lowered his head, and his eyes pierced Harry's. "Is it true that you spoke out of turn in Dolores Umbridge's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, about a certain Dark Lord having miraculously risen from the dead?"

Harry swallowed hard against the sudden dryness in his throat.

"Spreading vicious rumors, seeding fear among Hogwarts students, seeking attention . . . it seems our Mr. Potter is up to his old tricks."

Harry's pulse pounded in his ears. Now wasn't the time or the place to try to convince them that Voldemort was alive. Lupin had drilled that into him enough. But he couldn't quite keep the edge out of his voice as he asked, "Am I on trial, sir?"

Stolen novel; please report.

Fudge's brow furrowed. "You are not, but your track record as a fear mongering liar cannot be ignored when you bring such wild accusations before the Wizengamot."

"I don't know what you want me to do, sir. Do you want to do a spell to uncover enchantments? Do you want me to take veritaserum?"

It was silent for a moment. Harry worried they might actually take him up on his offer, despite the fact that he was pretty sure it was illegal to use veritaserum on a minor. He had no lies to tell about Umbridge or Voldemort, but there was no telling what else they might ask him while he was unable to refrain from answering, and he certainly had secrets to keep.

Finally, Fudge said, "Th-that won't be necessary."

Harry took a deep breath. "I know I've been accused of lying in the past. But you know what?" Harry held up his hand, showing the back of it to the crowd. "I think I've learned my lesson."

Light gasps echoed through the room.

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Minutes later, Harry was walking out of the Ministry building, Lupin beside him.

Lupin put an arm around Harry, squeezing his shoulder. "I know that was difficult. I'm very proud of you, my boy," he said softly.

Harry's throat choked up. So this was the upside of having someone whose approval he cared about so much. Yes, it hurt terribly when Lupin said he was disappointed, but when he said he was proud, Harry was on top of the world.

They returned to Grimmauld place. Sirius called out to them as soon as they were in the door. "How'd it go?"

"Very well," Lupin said. "Harry spoke well, and he showed them the scar on the back of his hand. I believe it came as a bit of a shock."

Sirius tousled Harry's hair. "Atta boy. Fudge won't be able to back down from that. Well done."

Harry felt himself overwhelmed with familial longing, desperately wishing he could go live with Sirius this summer rather than with the Dursleys.

"What do you think, Harry?" Sirius said. "Straight back to Hogwarts, or shall we celebrate with ice cream first?"

Harry breathed in to accept the offer to celebrate, but he looked up Lupin first to make sure he approved. At Lupin's nod, Harry grinned.

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Umbridge was taken to Azkaban the day after the trial. Remus could tell from the look on Fudge's face in the papers that he wasn't happy about having had to admit he was wrong, but he was really and truly cornered. The wizarding world might have had a poor opinion of Harry for the time being, but that didn't mean they wanted to see his hand sliced open, and it didn't make them sympathize with a child abuser. Lee Jordan's testimony was icing on the cake.

For the remainder of the school year, Harry wrote often, to Remus and Sirius individually, but more often to the both of them in a single letter. He seemed to be doing much better, since most of Harry's difficulties that school year had been caused by Umbridge, either directly or indirectly. He was back on the Quidditch team, and he wrote about his grueling practices and soaring victories. He also seemed to be doing much better in his classes, and when Remus checked in with Minerva to make sure he was back to normal, she informed him that Harry's grades had improved considerably as well. Remus felt like he couldn't have been prouder if Harry were his own son.

It was too late in the school year to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Based on Harry's letters, it sounded like the remainder of the Hogwarts staff had taken up the role, substituting for each grade's classes for individual days or weeks at a time. Albus brought in guest speakers as well—Remus was asked to teach for a couple of weeks, and he was happy to do so between full moons. Albus even asked Harry to give a talk to the younger students—Remus was allowed to help him prepare his lesson, which meant Harry came to visit Grimmauld Place for one more in-person meeting that school year.

Having multiple teachers was an interesting classroom model. It wouldn't have worked well for many subjects, but when it came to something like defense, the types of threats students might face were of such a wide variety that it almost made more sense to have experts in the various areas teach about their personal proficiencies. It also avoided the apparent curse that had been placed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. No one had been hired to fill the position, so no one was cursed to lose the job.

Remus was sure Albus would hire someone new for the next school year despite the curse, but if Remus had been in his place, he might have chosen to permanently change the way Defense was taught to young wizards. After all, when it came to Hogwarts, one never could know what was coming next.