In This World And The Next (Completed)

Chapter 19

Albus maintained his stern expression but inside, the old wizard was doing his happy dance for the first time in months. This was his chance to get something on the Potters, the first chink in their armour. There was no way they could avoid punishment for this, unless the decided to play things his way. Only Dumbledore's vast experience prevented these feelings from showing as he dealt with Minerva and Remus in his office.

"I'm sorry Minerva, I must take action. Young Draco could have died hanging from that tower, either from the weight of those bats or exposure to the elements. The entire school knows who was responsible for this and the Potters must be punished accordingly."

Remus had recently undergone his transformation and was therefore in no mood to swallow shit from anyone, "Just as 'everyone' knew Sirius Black was guilty so no questions were asked, no charges pressed and no trial needed. Let's just punish the guilty because 'everyone' knows they did it. You have already made up your mind they're guilty and can't wait to regain some of your power over them. Is it any wonder our society is in the state it's in when you were head of the judicial process and headmaster of the school who teaches the children that this is the correct way to go about proceedings?"

Minerva attempted to placate Remus, he was getting close to the stage where it could cost him his job and she certainly didn't want that to happen. "Albus, you are correct. Had Draco been hanging off that tower all night, he would have been dead before morning. Poppy said that the bats alone would have killed him after six or seven hours, the cold last night could have affected that time but he most definitely would have been dead by morning."

Albus couldn't figure out where Minerva was going with this but was sure he wouldn't like it. He didn't have long to wait though.

"Judging from Draco's condition, Poppy estimates the boy had been hanging there for about thirty minutes, certainly under an hour. Once we had him cleaned up, all that was physically wrong with the lad was some muscle strains that Poppy fixed in a jiffy."

Dumbledore's happy dance just waltzed into a brick wall, he felt like a four year old being told sweets were bad for you.

Remus wasn't in the mood for letting the old wizard off the hook though, "I, and a few hundred others, can swear on the locations of Harry and Hermione in that time period. They were sitting in the great hall, enjoying their breakfast with their friends during that time."

Albus was now whining in his disappointment, "But they had to be responsible for it, why else would beater bats be used?"

Remus at the moment wasn't caring about his job, one friend had already been sent to prison for something he didn't do. He wasn't about to stand back and watch Harry and Hermione fall into this man's clutches for something there was no proof they actually carried out. "Like Pettigrew, perhaps the real culprit wants to focus the attention elsewhere. Embarrassing Draco while implicating the Potters would be a very Slytherin thing to do. Come to think of it headmaster, what time did you come down to breakfast this morning?"

Albus was totally taken aback by this switch of focus, "Surely you don't suspect me?"

Remus pressed ahead, "Well you have been in dispute with the Potters almost from the moment they walked in the door. You are also the subject of a legal investigation they are bringing against you. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone who would more like to see the Potters guilty than you. There is also as much evidence against you as there is against them."