The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

The Advocate

The Advocate

MUGGLE-BORN HOGWARTS STUDENT ACCUSED OF USING THE KILLING CURSE ON HIS FATHER, ARRESTED, TO BE TRIED AS AN ADULT
Ministry Officials responded to an incident of underage wizardry at a muggle home in Surrey in the early hours of the morning. Aurors found the expired muggle on the floor, his son, Jasper Odair, standing over him - the murder weapon in hand. It is believed that Odair, who turned 17 on Wednesday, may still have had the trace on him as a clerical error in the Office for Underage Wizardry. While the Ministry Officials working on the case have not released an official motive for the attack, Prophet reporters have speculated that the attack may have been directed at the boy's father as a hate crime against muggles. Odair is currently being held in Ministry cells until a proper trial is scheduled. Authorities in the Office for Magical Law Enforcement have confirmed that Odair will be tried as an adult by the Wizengamot for his offense and faces a life sentence in Azkaban Prison, should he be found guilty for the murder of his muggle father.

Charlus Potter slammed his coffee mug to the table in the kitchen and struggled to push himself up from the chair.

James looked up from the bowl of porridge he was eating as Dora raced over to brace Charlus's arm. Charlus braced himself on the table, only just catching the edge of it, dizzy from having stood so quickly. "What are you doing?" Dora demanded, disapprovingly.

"James, get my cloak."

"Dad, what --" James started and then he saw the paper - the face of Jasper Odair, holding up the placard featuring his prisoner number and a bit of a stunned expression, his knuckles tight 'round the wood frame as flashbulbs reflected in his pupils. "Holy shite!" James cried, snapping the paper up from the table.

"James Charlus! Language!" Dora shouted, then turning as her husband attempted to leave the room, she grabbed his elbow, "What are you doing?"

"Going to the Ministry," Charlus replied.

"Are you mad?!" Dora cried, pulling Charlus's arm.

He shrugged out of her grasp, "Dora - that boy needs help - and nobody else at the Ministry is going to help him..."

"Well how do you know he isn't guilty of exactly what they've said?" Dora demanded, having not read the story.

"Look at his face, Dora," Charlus said, snatching the paper from James's hand and flourishing it at his wife for her to see. "That is not the face of a murderer! That's the face of a scared boy - a boy."

"I know him, mum," James spoke up. "He wouldn't -- never -- not Jasper Odair." While James had obviously been at odds with Jasper before over the heart and attention of Lily Evans, it had never once been anything but well mannered sparring - and whether it was factual in this time or not, James could not forget the fact that Jasper Odair had once saved his life when he fell from his broomstick on the quidditch pitch.

"Get my cloak, James," Charlus repeated.

"You can't go to the Ministry! You aren't well!" Dora protested, even as James leaped to his feet to go fetch the cloak.

He raced up the steps and slammed his palm against Remus Lupin's door frantically - Charlus's cloak hung over his arm. "Get up!" he called through the door, "Or at least get decent, I'm aware you're just laying there snogging."

There was a long pause and then the door opened but a crack and Sirius shoved his face into the narrow opening, staring out at James. "I know you're bloody excited to go snog Evans outside the ice cream shoppe but some of us are busy right now and it's only eight in the bleedin' morning and no matter how fast we go to Diagon Alley, she still isn't arriving 'til one! So --"