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HP: Bloodraven Chapter 229 - The Trial and the Turmoil (II)
🕑 Added 2025-08-16 22:11:58 +0000 UTCMidterms aren’t as stressful as the final exams, so professors don’t bother wracking their brains to make anything fancy and just patch together bits and pieces from past tests based on what was taught that semester.
Maverick did the same as well, and didn’t go out of his way to make anything unique for any of the five grades he taught. As for the practicals, he kept it simple too—just a repeat of an exercise they had already done in class—and the students completed it all with ease.
And just like that, with time slipping away like water through your fingers, the last week of term was gone as well before anyone even noticed. All things considered, Quidditch was probably the only thing that made the semester feel exciting—otherwise, it was just classes, hanging out, and more classes.
Sure, a few soul-sucking demons—the Dementors—still flew overhead, but even that couldn’t change the fact that this semester had been pretty uneventful. By Hogwarts’ standards, that is.
Usually, there would be some attack on a student or a professor, and this year, a certain “dangerous” fugitive was supposed to break into the castle—but nothing of the sort happened.
Basically, it was just a normal ending to a normal semester, the kind one would see at any other school.
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Outside, the Scottish December air hovered just above freezing, and a fresh layer of snow covered the grounds. The very next morning after midterms, the castle was alive with movement—students dragging or floating their trunks toward Hogsmeade Station, their paths carving thin trails through the white.
Of course, not everyone left. Some stayed behind to spend the holidays at Hogwarts. It happens every year—usually Muggle-born first-years too enchanted by magic to part with it, even for a week or two. Then there were those with no home to return to, a quieter group who found the castle warmer than anywhere else.
For the last two years, Harry Potter had been part of that group, choosing Christmas at Hogwarts over the Dursleys’ cold welcome. But this year, and different from how the original story went, he had decided to go back to Privet Drive. Or at least… that’s what it looked like.
Knock.
Knock. Knock.
After breakfast that day, while the rest of the castle bustled with students packing their things for the holiday, Harry made his way to Maverick’s office before heading to the train.
Not long after he knocked, the door opened to reveal his professor at the desk, buried in papers, and another person across from him on the sofa, comfortably reading a book. It was an acquaintance, and it didn’t take Harry long to realise why Jean would be here today. Unlike everyone else, she would have to go to another continent, and the Hogwarts Express only had one stop.
The two Gryffindors met eyes, and she set the book down, asking, “Harry? You aren’t going back home?”
“Uh… I am…” Harry hesitated, wondering whether to say what he had come for with her there. He glanced at Maverick, who had just set down his pen and raised an eyebrow in his direction.
“What brings you here, Mr. Potter?”
Harry thought for a moment and decided to be straightforward, since he wasn’t sure he would get another chance to see Maverick before the break. “Professor, I just wanted to let you know I won’t be in the castle during the holidays…”
“Oh…” Maverick leaned back and smiled. “Did you miss Dudley or something?”
“No… Merlin, no...” Harry shook his head quickly. “It’s about… you know…” He trailed off, glancing at Jean, though Maverick had already read the surface of his thoughts.
Harry was mainly worried about missing Sirius Black’s trial, and to his credit, it was clever of him to realize that staying at school might make getting to the Wizengamot more complicated. But if he was at home, he could just go—no professors to inform, no annoying questions to answer.
And what he really wanted was to remind Maverick to pick him up—because even if he managed to get to the Ministry, what could he, a little teenager, do after that?
"Right… you don’t have to worry," Maverick said, nodding to show he understood. "Go on before the train leaves. I’ll pick you up from the Dursleys when the day comes."
Harry’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. With his purpose taken care of and after wishing Jean a good holiday, he didn’t linger any longer and left just as quickly to join his buddies.
“Professor…”
As soon as the door closed, Jean looked at him eagerly, sensing it might be something exciting, and she obviously wanted to tag along.
But Maverick raised a hand and stopped the girl before she could say anything else.
“It’s something to do with Harry’s family—a personal matter of his, Jean,” he said straightforwardly, his expression serious.
Fortunately, she was smart enough and at the mention of a family matter, she didn’t press further.
“Right… let’s get you home then.” Saying that, Maverick rose from his seat, walked around the desk, and beckoned her to follow as he headed toward the fireplace.
“Remember… no magic outside of school,” he reminded her with a smile. “I’ll pick you up again after the holidays.” Then with a flash of green, the two of them vanished from the room.
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While Hogwarts itself had gone through the week without so much as a ripple, outside—in public and behind the scenes—the past seven days had been anything but quiet. Because of the interview Lord Greengrass had with the press, the Ministry was thrown into frenzy, with both the press and the public clamoring for answers.
Cornelius Fudge was obviously not happy, and to make things even worse for him, Lord Greengrass went around him and took the matter straight to the Wizengamot, pushing for a public trial for Sirius Black.
The Minister and the Wizengamot were basically the two main powers running Britain’s magical government. Fudge had more individual control over what happened inside the Ministry, sure, but the Wizengamot—if they got enough votes—could easily override him. In other words, anything the Minister decided could be vetoed with enough signatures, and just as easily, decisions could happen without him even knowing.
Needless to say, Fudge did everything he could to get in Jameson’s way. But before Lord Greengrass could start flexing the votes to bypass him, he got a message from Maverick with a smarter idea. So, he decided to take the gamble and meet Cornelius face to face.
He laid it all out for the fat man—proofs, moving pictures, even a memory Sirius had set up according to the script—everything showing not just that he was in contact with Black, but more importantly, that Peter Pettigrew, the supposedly dead one, was very much alive and right there with Black himself.
Fudge, naturally, argued every point and even threatened to use the law against him for withholding crucial information about a fugitive. But then Lord Greengrass hinted that a public trial might actually work in Fudge’s favor, the man finally sat up and started paying attention.
It was just as Maverick had guessed, the foolish minister was easy to manipulate—just hint that it could make him look good, and he was hooked.
Lord Greengrass painted him a beautiful picture: Sirius Black’s imprisonment without a trial wasn’t Fudge’s fault, and it was his predecessor’s mess. Fudge could step in, right the wrong, take the credit for finally bringing justice to a man who had been robbed of it for over a decade, and on top of that, get a nice little boost to his reputation.
The idea hit Fudge like a sweet dessert he didn’t have to bake himself. The man got hooked immediately and, without thinking twice, even went out of his way to make the announcement himself.
And so, the very next day after Christmas break began, breaking news spread across the country. Cornelius Fudge, looking every inch the Minister for Magic, announced that Sirius Black would finally get a public trial, making sure to point out that he had been deprived of one by the previous administration. He spoke with such fervor and self-righteous emotion that even skeptics could feel it.
The Minister for Magic looked into the camera with firm eyes and, at the end of the press conference, turned his words to Sirius Black directly, urging him to be present on the day and promising that, as the highest authority, he would do everything he could to see justice done.
To be fair, the man’s acting skills were impressive. People were swayed, and his tarnished reputation even started to recover. Fudge, of course, was more than pleased, and he even handed a few ‘good guy’ points to Lord Greengrass for the excellent opportunity.
---
Back in the present, after dropping Jean off in the United States, Maverick returned to Hogwarts the very same day and headed straight for the Headmaster’s office. Dumbledore and McGonagall were both there, and Maverick wasted no time, asking for an update on the matter they had discussed weeks ago.
The old man reassured him not to worry, promising his full support, and asked Maverick for an update from his side as well. Maverick gave a quick rundown too, adding casually that everything was falling into place, and that the press would be all over it soon enough.
The two old foxes and the young fox talked some more before Maverick left, choosing not to linger longer inside the office. He saw the mountain of paperwork Dumbledore and McGonagall were going through and didn’t want to be scammed by the scheming old things. And it was the right call, because as soon as they saw him, they thought to dump some of the work on him, but fortunately Maverick bailed in time.
With that taken care of, Maverick headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, found Lupin, and together they left Hogwarts once more. A blink later, they were somewhere north of London, ready to meet the person who would be the center of all the chaos that week.
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Author's Note:
Hey guys... Just wanted to let you know that mom and baby are doing great, and they're both healthy. Thanks a ton for all the well wishes.
Comments
EvenWSteven
Congratulations for the baby! Take it easy and enjoy yourselves!
Error_Error_123
Congrats!
Vitatie
Want to ask what is maverick wands make of+
Radhin~
CONGRATS FOR THE BABY!!!
QuantumServer
Congratz again
QuantumServer
Thanks for the chapter!
Tyler Mahoney
Congrats and thanks for the chapter!
Shugokage
Congrats!
Shannon Smacher
congrats man!
pukeofhurl
Hell ya, glad they are doing well congrats again! Thanks for the chapter as well!
