"The moon is the reflection of your heart and moonlight is the twinkle of your love."
There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery. The moon...
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Dumbledore's abrupt departure took Harry completely by surprise. He remained sitting where he was in the chained chair, struggling with his feelings of shock and relief. The Wizengamot were all getting to their feet, talking, gathering up their papers and packing them away. Harry stood up. Nobody seemed to be paying him the slightest bit of attention, except the toadlike witch on Fudge's right, who was now gazing down at him instead of at Dumbledore. Ignoring her, he tried to catch Fudge's eye, or Madam Bones's, wanting to ask whether he was free to go, but Fudge seemed quite determined not to notice Harry, and Madam Bones was busy with her briefcase, so he took a lew tentative steps towards the exit and, when nobody called him back, broke into a very fast walk.
He took the last lew steps at a run, wrenched open the door and almost collided with Damon, who was standing right outside, looking extremely worried.
''Dumbledore didn't say--''
''Cleared,'' Harry said, pulling the door closed behind him, ''of all charges!''
Beaming, Damon seized Harry by the shoulders and pulled him in a fatherly hug that Harry returned with a smile.
''Harry, that's wonderful! Well, of course, they couldn't have found you guilty. I knew it--''
But Damon broke off, because the courtroom door had has opened again. The Wizengamot were filing out.
''Merlin's beard!'' exclaimed Mr. Weasley wonderingly, pulling Harry aside to let them all pass. ''You were tried by the full court?''
''I think so,'' said Harry quietly.
One or two of the wizards nodded to Harry as they passed and all, including Madam Bones, said, ''Morning, Damon,'' to Damon. Cornelius Fudge and the toadlike witch were almost the last to leave the dungeon. Fudge gave Damon a stiff nod that Damon returned gladly and acted as Harry was part of the wall, but again, the witch gave Damon a sickly sweet smile and looked almost appraisingly at Harry as she passed. Last of all to pass was Percy. He completely ignored his uncle and Harry; he marched past clutching a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air. Damon let out sigh as he looked at the back of Percy.
''I'm going to take you straight back so you can tell the others the good news, especially Elara. She would be delighted'' he smiled at Harry who grinned thinking the same thing. ''I have already told Arthur about the toilet, he already left for it. I'll drop you off on the way to Dad, as we have something to discuss. Come on....''
''So, where would you have the discussion with Mr Salvatore?' Harry asked, grinning. Everything suddenly seemed five times funnier than usual. It was starting to sink in: He was cleared, he was going back to Hogwarts. He can spend as much time as he wants with Elara.
''Oh, Dad and Mom are staying at Salvatore mansion till they are here,'' said Damon as they mounted the stairs, ''Stefan is already there and I will get there too. Its basically about the Salvatore business group in the muggle world you see--''
Damon off in mid-sentence. They had just reached the ninth-level corridor and Cornelius Fudge was standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face.
The second man turned at the sound of their footsteps. He, too, broke off in mid-conversation, his cold grey eyes narrowed and fixed upon Harry's face.
''Well, well, well... Patronus Potter,'' said Lucius Malfoy coolly.
Harry felt winded, as though he had just walked into something solid. He had last seen those cold grey eyes through slits in a Death Eater's hood, and last heard that man's voice jeering in a dark graveyard while Lord Voldemort tortured him. Harry could not believe that Lucius Malfoy dared look him in the face; he could not believe that he was here, in the Ministry of Magic, or that Cornelius Fudge was talking to him, when Harry and Elara had told Fudge mere weeks ago that Malfoy was a Death Eater.
