The briefing room, which Victor had unceremoniously usurped the previous year, was now unrecognizable. He had transformed it into a semblance of a Supreme Court hearing room, but in the dark tones of Slytherin. Heavy velvet curtains were tightly drawn, and the only sources of light were floating green candles.
In the center, on a raised dais, sat Victor himself. He wore a long, heavy robe resembling a judge's gown, and an antique powdered wig rested on his head. His face was inscrutable, and in his hand, he rhythmically tilted a massive wooden gavel.
To his right, at a small table, sat Adele. She looked pointedly official in her white shirt. Before her stood a bulky magical typewriter that clattered like a machine gun, recording every word into the transcript.
Daphne took her place as the prosecutor at a separate oak desk. Her back was straight as a string, and a neat stack of papers lay before her. Opposite her, at the "defendants' table," sat two bewildered boys from Gemma's faction—William and Miles—with their heads tucked into their shoulders.
Behind them crowded dozens of Slytherins. To the side, on specially installed bleachers, sat twenty jurors.
Victor slowly raised the gavel and brought it down on the block with a deafening crash. The sound echoed through the hall.
— Attention! — his voice rang out, amplified by a spell. — The Court of Slytherin is now in session. Adele, dear, record the time.
Adele's typewriter clattered furiously, hammering out letters on a long ribbon of parchment. Victor scanned the defendants with a stern gaze and frowned, tapping the gavel against his palm.
— Defendants! Why do I not see your attorney? — his voice rolled through the hall.
The boys turned fearfully toward Gemma. She gave a barely perceptible nod.
— M-Mr. Judge... we waive our right to defense. We confess...
— What?! — Victor raised his eyebrows in outrage. — No defense? No, that won't do. We are not barbarians here; we have the most honest and unbiased court in Hogwarts!
The jurors, every single one of whom was from Victor's personal guard, nodded in agreement. Miles nearly fell off his chair upon realizing the "honesty" of the proceedings.
— Since you did not provide for yourselves, — Victor continued, — justice comes to meet you halfway. The State... that is, I, shall provide you with a public defender, free of charge!
At that moment, the heavy oak doors of the hall swung open with a bang. The Slytherins gasped, and Astoria's eyes went wide. A second Victor entered the room. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored, Muggle-style suit, carrying a leather briefcase, with thin-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
— Good evening, everyone, — said Attorney-Victor, flashing a dazzling smile to the room. — I am here to represent the interests of these... ahem, young men.
He nonchalantly approached the defendants' table and squeezed in between the two boys, who were mute with shock.
— Don't worry, friends. In my career, I have never lost a single case, — he whispered to them, though his voice was heard even in the back rows.
Victor nodded approvingly to his double.
— Well, since all formalities have been met, let us begin. The prosecution has the floor.
Daphne ran her eyes over the parchments one last time and rose gracefully. Her voice sounded cold and professional:
— Your Honor, members of the jury. Today I speak on behalf of the interests of Victor's faction. At the end of the last school year, our faction generously invited several upperclassmen to a private party. During the festivities... let's just say, we slightly overstepped school rules. The next day, Mr. Higgs and Mr. Bletchley had the indiscretion to brag about the details of the evening at every turn. The information reached Professor Snape. It is only thanks to the spectacular fiasco of Potter and Weasley, who rammed the Whomping Willow, that our Head of House is too busy healing the tree to punish us. However, damage was done to the faction's reputation. We demand retribution. And as our first witness, I call...
— Objection! — Attorney-Victor jumped up, dramatically adjusting his glasses. — In the case files provided to the defense, there is no mention of a single living witness! I demand the testimony be struck!
Victor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking at himself.
— Daph-dear, is this true? I haven't actually read the case files myself, — Victor casually flipped through the pages in front of him.
— How was I to know you'd decide to defend them? — Daphne shrugged. — I was certain there would be no defense at all, so I didn't bother with the paperwork formalities.
Victor shook his head in disappointment.
— Fine, objection sustained. Prosecution, continue.
Daphne thought for a second, scanned the jury, and summarized succinctly:
— In short, jurors: they are guilty on all counts. Just look at their faces.
An approving hum and whispers filled the hall. The jurors nodded in unison, and someone even shouted, "Verily so!"
— Thank you, that is quite enough, — Victor struck the gavel. — Defense, if you please, it is your turn.
William and Miles huddled in their chairs, looking hopefully at Attorney-Victor, who sat beside them studying a piece of parchment with an air of extreme importance.
— Don't you think the jury has been bought? — he whispered to his clients. The boys only gave a bitter smile. — Regardless, it doesn't matter. After my speech, you won't just be acquitted—I will win you monetary compensation for moral damages!
He sprang up effectively, adjusted his cufflinks, and stepped into the center of the hall, sweeping the audience with a piercing gaze.
— Friends! Tell me, how boundless can the love for animals be? Where is the line where simple care turns into something... else? Моих подзащитных (My clients) were seen in the owlery engaged in quite questionable activities, but can we judge them for the call of the heart?! Can we—
— STOP! — Victor brought the gavel down with a crash. — Ahem... Mr. Attorney, I believe you have the wrong case.
— Oh? Really? — Attorney-Victor looked puzzled at William and Miles. They nodded desperately, pale as ghosts. He quickly flipped through his papers and sighed heavily. — Damn, you're right. Confused it with the case of those Hufflepuff boys.
— Well then, — Victor propped his head on his hand. — Daphne just explained what they are being accused of.
— Forgive me, I wasn't listening. I was busy rehearsing the finale of my speech, — the double replied calmly.
— That's rather irresponsible of you, don't you think?
— Oh, come on, it's fine, — Attorney-Victor smiled disarmingly at the room. — I'm a free lawyer. You get what you pay for.
— Ah... well, in that case, you are performing your duties quite brilliantly.
— Oh, thank you! — The Attorney gave a gallant bow to the judge. — Well, since I am officially useless here, I see no reason to stay. Farewell, gentlemen! Justice is a myth!
He waved to everyone and began to slowly dissolve into thin air. Victor turned to Adele, who had been imperturbably typing the transcript the whole time.
— Cool guy, right? Charismatic.
Adele slowly shifted her gaze to him.
— No.
Victor pouted.
— Well then, since everyone has spoken, — Victor rose and adjusted his judicial wig, — the court will recess for deliberation. Jurors, please remain to deliver your verdict. The rest of you are dismissed.
The hall instantly filled with a hum of voices. Students poured into the common room. Victor led Adele to his room.
— I hope the jury doesn't drag their feet, — he grumbled, tossing the heavy robe onto a chair. — I'd hate for this to last until dawn.
Adele stopped in the middle of the room, looking at him intently.
— Drag their feet with what? The "guilty" verdict was ready before you even put on that wig.
Victor turned and smiled softly.
— I know, I'm just having fun, Adele-dear. No, not like that—we are having fun. Did you see the others? I didn't drag anyone there by force. They came to enjoy themselves.
He flopped onto the bed with a sigh, spreading his arms wide.
— Listen, I didn't have the most cheerful life before Hogwarts. I have a lot of problems in my head, and I'm just... catching the moment. While there's a chance to fool around—I take it. And as you can see, they happily get sucked into my chaos.
He turned his head toward his sister, a shadow of pride flickering in his eyes.
— I don't want to brag, but I've turned them from boring, perpetually detached Slytherins into normal kids. Now they are a group that can get together just to laugh and spend time.
— You are too light-minded, — Adele shook her head.
— Ha-ha-ha! Daphne tells me the same thing, word for word, — Victor laughed, staring at the ceiling. — Но я и не хочу быть (But I don't want to be) serious. They are just schoolkids. They should have fun before real adult life begins outside the castle walls.
— When you speak of them, you mean yourself, right? — Adele stepped closer and looked down at him.
— Well, of course, — Victor winked at her. — If I'm not having fun myself, what's the point of any of this?
The door to the room creaked open, and Daphne appeared on the threshold.
— Victor, the jury is ready to announce the decision.
When everyone took their seats in the improvised courtroom again, a graveyard silence fell. Victor put on his wig and nodded majestically to the stands.
— George, — he addressed one of the jurors, — please, announce the verdict.
George stood up.
— Ahem... Your Honor, despite the brilliant, hilarious, and professional defense provided by the attorney, we have unanimously found the defendants guilty on all counts.
The hall erupted in cheers. Victor struck the gavel on the table three times.
— Quiet! Please maintain decorum in the courtroom.
He turned a heavy gaze on the now-silent William and Miles.
— Well then, I am in full agreement with the jury's decision. And as punishment, you two are sentenced to the following: three times a month throughout the entire school year, you will perform a full deep-cleaning of the Slytherin common room. By hand. Without magic.
The boys, who had expected something far more terrifying, looked at each other and scrambled to their feet.
— Thank you for your leniency, Your Honor!
— Yes, we take full responsibility for our actions and pledge to carry out the punishment to the best of our ability!
Victor slowly bared his teeth in a smile that boded nothing good.
— Oh, of course you will carry it out. You simply have no other choice. But remember: if I find a single speck of dust under a sofa or a smudge on the shelves... I will skin you alive. I will break you so exquisitely that Madam Pomfrey won't be able to put you back together in a week. Do you understand me?
A chill ran through the room. The defendants swallowed in sync and nodded frantically, their joy instantly vanishing.
— This court session is hereby adjourned! — Victor brought the gavel down for the final time. — Thank you, everyone. Now, you little demons, brush your teeth and get to bed.
The Slytherins began to rise, discussing the finale of the trial in hushed tones. Victor walked up to Adele.
— Well, Adele-dear? Come on, big brother will walk you to the dormitory. It's time for you to sleep too; tomorrow is a big day.