"Or I can cast my Patronus for you, if you'd like," Harry muttered, coloring when he realized his sarcastic comment had been clearly heard by the majority of the Wizengamot, including the elderly lady. She favored him with a smile and rolled her eyes in Fudge's direction.
Fudge, though, was not amused and scowled at him, ignoring the chorus of laughter which met Harry's irreverent statement.
"Did you wish to take Mr. Potter up on his offer, Minister?" Dumbledore interjected. His eyes were twinkling madly at his student, and he was clearly enjoying Harry's outburst and his somewhat impudent manner.
Apparently deciding it was best ignore the jibe, Fudge stared down at Harry imperiously as though wishing the young man would say something further to injure his reputation. This time, Harry stayed silent, aware that his cheeky outburst had been forgiven once but would not be a second time.
At length, Fudge raised his chin in a snooty gesture. "Very well," he stated, in a haughty tone. "It appears as though the Wizengamot has decided and further debating on the issue is futile. We will recognize Madam Longbottom's motion and drop all charges against Mr. Harry Potter. You are free to go, young man, but I must stress in the most serious manner that the Statute of Secrecy is not to be taken lightly."
The tension he had felt since the incident was immediately released, and Harry slumped slightly in relief. He was not to be expelled and kicked out of the wizarding world! The thought of seeing his friends again and laughing about everything which had happened caused him to grin with delight. He smiled at the assembled Wizengamot and stated, none too coherently, that he understood and would avoid the use of magic unless absolutely necessary.
Jean-Sebastian, it appeared, was not so easily appeased, if the stern and disapproving expression on his face was any indication. Fudge had apparently noticed Jean-Sebastian's expression as well, and he glared down at the man with open hostility.
"If that is all—" he began, only to be cut off.
"As it turns out, there is something else," Jean-Sebastian rejoined, his voice flat and unfriendly. "It has not escaped my attention that my new ward has been vilified in not only in your national newspaper," the word was spat out with some disgust, "but also by members of this government, even at the highest levels."
What went unsaid was the fact that the Minister himself was the main driving force behind the things which had been said about Harry, but no one misunderstood the insinuation. Though Fudge's face darkened in response, he could hardly refute the charge, fact that it was.
"So what would you propose, ambassador?" he snarled. "Mr. Potter has been exonerated in an open session of this Wizengamot. Does he wish for the post of Minister to add to his portfolio? I doubt even that would be enough of a boost to his ego."
"Cornelius, this is exactly the attitude the ambassador is speaking of," Dumbledore interjected sternly.
"I must insist you cease these constant attacks on my ward—I will not have the British public told sensational stories and outright lies about him."
Fudge's eyes narrowed even further, and he glared at Jean-Sebastian.
"Do I have your agreement, Minister?"
"You do," Madam Longbottom interjected, fixing the recalcitrant Minister with a baleful glare. "Regardless of personal opinions or pending hearings, this government has a duty to protect all magicals, and the slandering of any citizen is not to be tolerated."
"I concur," Dumbledore confirmed. "There will be no further opinions regarding Mr. Potter, or any other citizen, issued by any member of this government. I give you my word that any such attacks will be dealt with."
Watching the Minister closely, Harry noticed the man himself said nothing, merely grunting in response to the strong statements which had been directed at him. Harry strongly suspected the Minister, as the top politician in the government, had never been hauled out on the carpet or spoken to in such a manner before. Or at least it had not happened since he had ascended to the Minister's office. It was equally obvious he was not appreciating the experience.
But Jean-Sebastian was not done. "That is acceptable, Madam Longbottom, Dumbledore," he said. "But it is the prior statements which now concern me. These must be rectified so Harry can continue with his life without further prejudice."
"And you wish to bring up the past again?" Fudge demanded. "Have we not given enough to Mr. Potter already?"
"No, you have not," Jean-Sebastian enunciated clearly. "With all that has been said about him, especially in the past few weeks, it is clear that the wizarding public of this country has had a slanderous image of Mr. Potter painted for them. This must be addressed—otherwise the mistaken perceptions of his character will persist. I insist on a public apology, to be published in the Daily Prophet in tomorrow's edition."
His lip curling once again in disgust, the Minister's eyes darted from Harry to Jean-Sebastian to Dumbledore and back to Harry again, clearly looking for some way out of his predicament. Unfortunately, no opportunity presented itself, and the reality of the situation was that he could not refuse without losing face even further than he already had.
With a curt nod, he spoke, although it was clear the words were like ashes on his tongue. "An apology will be printed in the Prophet tomorrow. In return, Mr. Potter must cease making public claims of the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Harry has offered the use of Veritaserum, Minister," Dumbledore cut in. "Will you not take him up on his offer?"
"No!" Fudge stated vehemently. "I will not have the public panic and hysteria caused by such a story, as it is merely Mr. Potter's word and has not been confirmed. The use of Veritaserum does not rule out the possibility of hallucination or illusion: only that Mr. Potter believes what he says to be true."
He directed an insincere smile in Harry's direction, causing Harry to scowl in return. "After all, Mr. Potter had been through a challenging task moments before his experience—there is nothing to say that what he thought he saw was not influenced by his fatigue or some overt trickery on the part of supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, people intent on causing panic and destabilization. The events of the Quidditch World Cup have proved such people are still out there or that some other group wishes to make use of the fear they commanded during the war for their own purposes."
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