Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Harry Potter and the Ashes of Hope ❯ Chapter 2: The Plea ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I do not own Harry Potter and please read Chapter 1 for the rest of disclaimer.

Chapter 2

The Plea

It had been two months since the biggest traitor to the light side, Harry Potter, had been imprisoned in the dreaded Prison of Azkaban. All of Harry's former friends now believed him to be a vicious follower of the feared Dark Lord, even those like Hermione Granger who were inclined with all of their hearts to disbelieve that the innocent boy they once knew could commit any such atrocities.

However, even to Ronald Weasely and Hermione, the evidence was undeniable. Harry had been seen casting the Dark Mark into the sky. He had been seen attacking the Leaky Cauldron. He had been seen casting numerous Unforgivable curses.

Polyjuice and disillusionment spells could easily replicate Harry's identity upon another felon, Harry's friends would argue. It must have been a Death Eater in disguise slandering the name of the boy-who-lived. Nevertheless, the person apprehended after those horrible events did not change face with the numerous counter spells cast upon him. That same boy was locked up in one of the many holding cells in the Ministry of Magic. Meanwhile, Harry Potter was absent from the Dursleyhousehold.

The Harry Potter look-alike was then tried with the truth potion before a small, well-selected jury. The entire Wizengamot, except for Albus Dumbledore who was barred from attending the trial due to evident favoring of the subject, witnessed the boy's confession to all of the crimes, betrayal to the Wizarding world, and support of Voldemort. The boy revealed his name to indeed be Harry Potter. Under Veritaserum, the boy could not have lied. Harry Potter was indeed guilty.

But was he? Remus Lupin, the last surviving truehearted Marauder, could not help questioning the results of the trial as he sat in Dumbledore's office. Before the frail werewolf sat the old and downhearted Albus Dumbledore himself, both men were now mirroring one another more then ever in age....

“He's innocent Albus, I swear it!” Remus weakly protested. Albus just shook his head gravely.

“Remus, as much as I would love to agree with you, even I cannot refute the evidence. There were witnesses. He testified under the truth potion. He is a follower of Voldemort.”

“But Albus! Harry would never do any of those things! He would not have killed the Patil twins. He wouldn't have killed Tom either, especially when Tom had let him stay there in the past! Harry isn't evil!”

“I didn't think so either.” replied Dumbledore quietly.

Frustrated, Remus continued his defense. “It's not in his character to kill! He was upset even at the prospect of killing Voldemort! He's not a murderer… and he would certainly never join the Dark Lord, especially after he killed his parents and landed him with the Dursleys! He hated the Dursleys!”

“I fear that his betrayal may have been entirely my fault, Remus.” Dumbledore confessed hopelessly. “I fear that it may have been his presence with his Aunt's family that had nurtured the hatred within him… a hatred he had managed to hide until this point.” The old man said dejectedly.

“Something broke his restraint on those negative inclinations recently… maybe something that surfaced in my office a few months ago.” Dumbledore looked sadly at the array of broken silver instruments towards which he was too partial to remove from his office. “…maybe it was even the death or Sirius that triggered it…”

“NO!” Remus exclaimed. The man looked possessed at that very moment, as if Dumbledore himself had struck him. “No! He would never betray Sirius like that! Harry's stronger than that! Do NOT insult the memory of Sirius! Don't you see what's happening! You just linked Harry to Sirius… and Sirius had been sent to Azkaban wrongly and now Harry too! They were … are both innocent!”

Dumbledore looked at the man before him with a look of pity. “You can see now, can't you, why I cannot let you visit him? You are unstable Remus… terribly so. I fear it will upset you permanently if you were to see Harry in the cells. It may even set you over the edge like Harry had been.”

With several heavy breaths and his eyes firmly shut, Remus regained his composure. “Please. Please, Albus. I have nothing else to live for… I need Harry. I need.” He took a deep breath and shut his eyes once more. “I need tosee him. Even if you are right ... I need to see him one last time… for closure. Please!”

“Remus! I cannot allow it! You must understand… even if you were to visit him, if I understand correctly from my reports, he would not respond. He's … unresponsive. He's not the same boy we once knew. It would tear your heart, Remus.”

Remus continued desperately, “No. I must see him. He'll listen… he'll… even if he doesn't. No. I must see him. It hurts me more… to know… he knows… thinks I don't care! He'll think I don't care if I don't visit him! Like I avoided Sirius when he was imprisoned… I don't see why he remained my friend all that time… I left him there to rot! Not again! Not again! Put me at ease, Albus… that is my last request. Let me see the boy! One visit! One hour! Please! I beg of you!” When Dumbledore looked ready to deny the request again, Remus resorted to blackmail. “If I cannot see Harry, what motivation will I have to serve the Order? I could live no longer, never mind assist the Order!”

Dumbledore relinquished a resigned sigh before looking up to meet the troubled man's amber eyes once more. “So be it...”

He shut his dulled blue eyes tightly and massaged the bridge of his crooked nose with his thin, crooked fingers before continuing. “If this is what will put you at ease, although I tend to disagree. But alas, what choice do I have? We need your services Remus… but I want you to be content. I'll put my word in for a visit… escorted, of course…”

“No. Alone. I need to see him privately.”

Dumbledore looked unconvinced, but agreed nevertheless. “…alone. I'll put my word in for a visit, but I make no promises. If it puts your heart at ease to believe he knows you care for him still… then why should I prevent it? I've warned you though, Remus… I've warned you.”

“Thank you.”