"I want you to bring him down to the Meeting as if he's being brought to trial. I also want you to force him into the defendant's chair and chain him down. That means manacles, chains, the full works. Got all that?"
"Yes, Ma'am," replied Proudfoot. A moment later he hesitantly asked, "May I inquire as to what the big lie is?"
She thought only a moment before she firmly replied, "Dumbledore did not kill Gellert Grindelwald." It was a long moment before Proudfoot goggled back in shock. It took a few seconds for it to percolate through his mind what she'd told him. He was that tired.
"Weeellll... fuck!" he quietly declared.
Rather than tell him off for his language, she just gave a wry smile back.
"Hear ye!" intoned the Master of the Court, a Master Auror. "All rise to make welcome Her Majesty's loyal Wizengamot, sitting in Emergency Session, this Nineteen Hundredth and Seventy Ninth sitting of the Courts Magical!"
As the packed room of visitors and media all stood, the witches and wizards who formed the make up of the Wizengamot all entered from the antechamber behind the tiers of the Wizengamot Seats and made their way to their Seats; including Sirius. The current Chief Warlock, Miles Ogden of the Noble and Ancient House of Ogden, was last to enter and find his seat.
It was quite noticeable how many of those Seats were also empty; nearly a quarter of them, but not all of them considered to be for Dark Houses.
As soon as he sat, Ogden looked around to ensure himself all the Members who would be attending were sat, then picked up and gave the gavel before him a single bang on the block on his small desk provided for it. "Be seated," he firmly stated.
That gave the 'audience' permission to sit, except for the auror detail in places around the chamber.
Within the tiers of the visitors' gallery sat Luna Lovegood. As the VIP guest of Member Lord Sirius Black, she was sat only one extra seat away from Neville Longbottom, who was there as the 'VIP guest' of Member Augusta Longbottom, his proxy. He was under a minor glamour, but Luna knew it was him. Remus was sitting one row back as a VIP guest of Lord Peverell.
Today was the first time Neville had attended the Wizengamot, other than to install his grandmother as his proxy as required by law. Dumbledore had 'volunteered' himself to be the Longbottom proxy, which was quickly shot down by both Longbottoms when he first put it forth.
However, since that first attendance, the young man had not been 'permitted' to return. Dumbledore had blocked him each time he'd tried to argue he should attend.
Luna, though, had attended on quite a few occasions. Always, she'd gone as Sirius's personal guest; which is why she was accorded a VIP guest slot. She attended so often there were many who thought she was Sirius's 'witch on the side', or would one day become his actual wife.
It helped to stop any suitors from approaching her or her father for her hand, but did have a negative effect on Sirius's love life. In return and contrary to Sirius's wishes, she'd informed certain witches of the truth as to her and Sirius's relationship and that they weren't to tell Sirius that she'd told them. It amused her that she was acting somewhat as a 'sex negotiator' for him, but she was accepting of the risk of others finding out about their true relationship for Sirius to get... relief.
Today that meant there were many, who also were often VIP guests, to recognise her as being like them; a regular and not one to worry about. Even Longbottom wasn't surprised to see her there; even if he wasn't, until then, a regular himself.
Once the noises of people sitting mostly died away again, Chief Warlock Ogden said, "Minister Bones. Under your authority as Minister you have gathered us this day to sit in Emergency Session. For what purpose have we been so gathered?" His Seat was one which had an automatic voice enhancement charm, which allowed him to be heard clearly across the entire chambers.
The words were both for the record and a formality. There was little doubt, in anyone's mind, just why they were all there that day.
Standing, Bones said, "Chief Warlock, fellow Members of the Wizengamot, invited guests both international and domestic, gentle witches and wizards and those currently listening in real time via the WWN through the WWN transmitter currently active in this chamber... I have summoned and stand before you to announce and confirm that the dark wizard, the so called Dark Lord known as Lord Voldemort, is dead." While it was noticed how many listening to her flinched when she said 'Voldemort', it was nothing to their reactions to when she told them Riddle was dead. The gasps and shudders from her mentioning his supposed name shifted a moment later to cheers from those in the room, almost all from the audience sitting in the visitors' gallery opposite.
Luna watched as Longbottom, the Lord, didn't verbally react. Instead, he tensed slightly and leaned forward. He was staring with intensity at Bones and not paying anyone else a damn bit of attention. As such, he didn't see Luna looking to him with an amused expression. Neither did anyone else, really.
Ogden let it go on for about twenty seconds before he raised his gavel and rapped it on its block a few times. That had the noises quickly quiet down again.
"Minister Bones," he said. "Will you present that evidence... that confirmation?" "I will, Sir," she returned. She then gave a quick gesture to one of the aurors standing next to a door and awaiting her signal. That auror gave a silent nod back, turned to the door, opened it and gestured within.
A moment later, a 'legged' solid hospital stretcher was levitated within. There was clearly a body on it, but it was only outlined with a draped plain white sheet with its edges nearly reaching down to the floor, entirely covering it.
Once it was in the middle of the floor, the 'escorting' Healer wearing Saint Mungo's Healer's robes which designated him a Master Healer, moved forward and folded back the sheet at the head end until Riddle's entire face was shown. Then the Healer stepped back and waited for further instructions.
Meanwhile, those watching were getting quite excited and aggravated. As soon as the sheet was folded back, there were even a couple of muffled screams. Longbottom's only reaction was a slight gasp and a start before sitting up straighter.
Again, Ogden had to bang his gavel a couple of times to restore at least what was somewhat order.
When the noise quieted enough to allow her to be heard, Bones said, "Chief Warlock, fellow Members of the Wizengamot, invited guests both international and domestic, gentle witches and wizards and those currently listening in real time via the WWN... I present, as evidence of him being deceased, the body of the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort."
Surprisingly, this time there were not as many flinches at mention of the dreaded name. People were already in enough shock.
Not waiting a jot she then called, "Master Healer Stanwyck... do you confirm the body before you is that of the one who called himself Lord Voldemort?"
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