Monday, April 21, 2008 8:53 am Courtroom 7 The Ministry of Magic

It was a gray spring morning in London.  The Wizengamot had convened to sit the hearing of Theodora Kingstreet.  These proceedings are open to the public, and any person with a stake in the matter will have opportunity to speak should they raise their voice.  (I do not demand anything happen in this thread, other than the ultimate release of Kingstreet.  Other than that, please cause whatever ruckus that please you.)

---

Theodora's dull blue eyes almost glowed with a sort of ravenous excitement.  Her thin lips were held firm in a very small, very deliberate sort of smile.  Her frozen expression had the spirit of a cat, frozen and coiled, happily anticipating it's happy attack.  The release, both literal and poetic, would slake the thirst in her bones to be set loose upon England once more.

Oh, yes. It was time again for her day in court.

At the appointed time, she was marched out of the Reasonable Security Waiting Cell, and down the corridors to Courtroom 7.   She handed her wand over without a care, but was searched thoroughly for any pens or quills she might have concealed on her person.  When the doorwitches were certain the convict was free of any administrative accouterments (the instrument of her crimes), Theodora Kingstreet was marched into Courtroom 7.

She emerged from the portal into the cavernous chamber, to the sound of murmuring.  High above the main floor were rows and rows of seats in tiers, stretching up and back into the torch-lit room.  The rows in the back were nicely populated with civilians, press and the normal ogglers.  The front area and it's fancier chairs sat empty awaiting the esteemed hind ends of the Elders of the Wizengamot.  And waiting just for her was a high-backed wooden chair, situated squarely in the middle of the room. 

Her escort left the small, tight witch standing next to the chairs, looking out from under her curled, pointed hat.  She squinted up from behind her spectacles at the poor chickens clucking up in the observer's sections.  She looked for familiar faces, who must all be ten years older than when she'd last seen them.  She looked for the Hogwarts boy, Devlin Matthews.  She looked for the Aurors who'd been the snivelling traitors who'd gotten her arrested.

She found she was frowning, and quickly fixed her face, back to her icy grin.  This would go very quickly. And before she knew it, it would all be over and the real work could begin.

As if her own resolve had given the clock permission to tick Nine, the doors closed behind her with a boom. 

He was trying so hard.  So very, very hard.  The Wizengamot was supposed to be the beacon of justice in the Wizarding World, impartial arbitrators of all cases which came before it, protector of the rights of the accused and guarantor of the liberties that witches and wizards had come to expect over generations.  Where the Minister's office could sometimes become a bully pulpit, the Department of Mysteries his own personal research and development team, even the Hitwizards and Aurors his glorified brute squad, the Wizengamot's reputation remained untarnished, the balancing scales on which any wizard could expect to be fairly weighed.

Jason MacDonell kept these things in mind.  He was trying very hard.

And failing spectacularly.

He had come into the Ministry from the Floo Network; a very unusual choice, as any who knew him would have observed.  Apparition was as natural for him as breathing, and he used that method of arrival almost exclusively.  But the day's activites had him in a frighteningly dark mood, and the roar of green fire, curling harmlessly off his shoulder and retreating off his untouched face like a vanquished foe suited his flair for the dramatic in such situations.

On the way down the steps from Level Nine to Level Ten, cane clicking on the steps, the retired Auror made sure one final time that his wand was snugly secured in the inside pocket of his plum-colored robe.  It made him ever so slightly uncomfortable to have it less than instantly accessible, but it removed the temptation to curse Kingstreet from his Wizengamot chair.  And if someone in the crowd should sneak in a wand and curse her, well...what a pity it would be that his reflexes weren't fast enough to intervene.

He was certain their collective grief would be manageable.

At the door, the Hitwizards nodded respectfully, stepping aside without taking his wand.  The privileges of being a Wizengamot member, he mused to himself, though it was with a note of surprise that he observed Annwyl hadn't instructed them to take his wand anyway.  Perhaps hoping not to offend, though it was equally likely that Belisario had put in the good word for him.  He stepped in through the tall doors with only a nod.

It was best that Jason saw her from behind first; it made the attack instinct less intense.  Circling the courtroom, giving Kingstreet as wide a berth as humanly possible (and this only because the spells on the room prevented him from Apparating to his seat), he strode toward the high-backed chairs facing the traitor.  He was expressionless, or so it would seem to most.  Aurora called it his "Auror face", a distinctly blank, professionally detached look he wore when he needed to be cold and removed from the emotion of a situation.

Taking his seat, a few to the right of the Chief Warlock's and close to the one reserved for Belisario, Jason leaned his eagle-head cane against the chair where the arm met the back, took a deep breath and finally looked Kingstreet in the face.  Azkaban had been kinder to her than she deserved, or perhaps her sickening joy at the impending judicial miscarriage simply smoothed what would otherwise have been the marks of stress.  Not for the first time, MacDonell found himself wishing the dementors had returned to the service of the Ministry after the war.  Alas...

Eyeing Kingstreet, Jason crunched his velvet-gloved left hand into a fist and pressed it against his tightly sealed lips, unable to afford whatever might slip past them if he let his imagination run wild.  He hoped Aurora would come to the trial; while he hated her seeing his usually-dormant aggressive side so alarmingly close to the surface, her presence was comforting, even across a room.

Waiting for Annwyl to arrive and commence the proceedings -- or at least Belisario, so if Jason snapped someone would be nearby to stick a quill in his thigh -- MacDonell let his emerald eyes zero in on Kingstreet, wondering why there was no magic discipline that could make looks kill

Alex wouldn't be far behind MacDonell.  This case was important to him on many different levels.  But instinctively he knew how this was going to go.  And that was what was bothering him the most.  He strolled past his Hitwizards with a nod without stopping.  There was a very select few that could go in with their wand, and it was a special list that Alex himself had to clear. 

On most occasions Alex was never on time.  Appearing only when he felt he was finally needed.  But this was different, he was on time.  He would have to keep focused through out this trial as to not betray his true feelings about the case.  He couldn't help it because this was personal.  He had been one of the half responsible putting the woman in Azkaban to begin with.  She was a traitor to the Ministry.  Voldemort had access to the Ministry thanks to her.  To think that after all the things she had done to help him put dark wizards in Azkaban for as long as possible before all of that.  That was why her betrayal was unforgivable to him.

He strode to his seat which was thankfully close to where MacDonell was sitting.  Alex was focused on the situation, and seeing Kingstreet in the courtroom stirred a wide array of emotions.  Sitting down he gave a nod to Jason.  "I am guessing you and I are feeling the same on this...subject."  He said leaning over to Jason to talk. 

The real problem that Alex had, was Marcus.  Marcus had to somehow keep himself subjective and neutral to this whole thing.  Which most people believed he could.  But, nobody knew exactly how hellish that period of time had been for them.  It had been an all out scramble for Aurors.  And during Kingstreet's arrest the Ministry had been taken over.  So Alex and Marcus had a load of problems.  Though it probably wouldn't have been as bad if they had known about  the Order of Phoenix.  Or maybe not?  All he knew was that things had been complicated.

That was part of the problem though, because of certain things the investigation against Kingstreet weren't as thorough as it should have been.  So here they were...about to discuss if Theodora Kingstreet should be released.  What did Alex think?  He believed they should lock her up in a room of complete and utter darkness for another ten years, and then flood it with light and make her go blind.  Or the condition for letting her go is that Alex got to cut off her writing hand.  Her inability to correct mistakes on paperwork would probably drive her insane.  Either that or the witch would spend her time to perfect writing with her off hand.  Both ways Alex would win.  Though it wasn't the most humane of conditions for release...

But of course he didn't want Kingstreet to see the light of day, to walk around freely.  And if she was released, he had half a mind to have her shadowed everywhere she went.  Put her on parole, and switch her parole officer every week so she wouldn't be able to befriend them or even blackmail or convince them to look the other way. 

Without probable cause though, he could lose his job over such a move.  And in that regard, Kingstreet would win.  He had to play this whole thing smart.  If Kingstreet was three moves ahead, then he would just have to stay five moves ahead of that.

Aurora walked through the Ministry swiftly. Next to her, a little carrot topped girl was trotting along. Aurora kept the young girl’s hand tucked into her as they approached the courtrooms. Normally, Aurora would have kept Jack home with her brother and Thalia. However, Alex had woken up with a slight cold. Torn between staying with her son and going to the Ministry to give Jason her support, Aurora contacted her family on Avalon. So Alex got to stay with his cousins and Jack got a chance to see her father work. It was easier than trying to keep have her cousins keep an eye on the Abraxan obsessed child. And it cut down on Jack bring home strays animals that she would find. The other reason why Jack was accompanying her mother was a bit more devious. Rory knew how Jason was feeling towards this case. Rory hoped that by having Jason in the room, Jason would be a bit more calmer and comforted than if it was just Rory.

Stopping at the door, Aurora submitted her wand for inspection. As the hitwitch looked it over, Rory looked down at her daughter. Jack hugged her stuffed Abraxan doll closer to her as she watched the hitwitch closely. It was easy to see the girl was determining how much of a fight she would put up if the witch wanted to check her toy.  Gently patting her daughter’s head, Aurora gave Jack a reassuring smile.

“You are all set, Mrs. MacDonell.” The hitwitch stated as she handed Aurora back the wand. Rory took it back with a smile and ignored the subtle sneaking of candy to her daughter. The act brought a small shy smile to the child before they entered the courtroom.

“Where’s daddy?” Jack asked after she looked over the gathering crowd.

“He’ll be here soon, love.” Rory stated as she ushered Jack to a pair of seats in the back. Settling herself in a chair, Rory helped Jack into hers. Once the child was occupied, Rory looked over the crowd. She looked at Kingstreet who was grinning in a way that bothered Aurora’s instincts. Something was up. However, the entrance of the Wizengamot interrupted any further thoughts on that matter.

Aurora sat up straighter as Jason took his seat. She could feel the danger he was radiating from where she sat. She hoped that someone took his wand or insisted her put it somewhere that he couldn’t easily reach it. Glancing at her daughter who had just noticed her father, Rory couldn’t help but smile as the child eagerly waved at her beloved daddy. Rory scooped Jack into her lap so that she wouldn’t become too big of a distraction.

“Now now, love, you can’t distract your father from his job.” Rory informed Jack who pouted in response, “Don’t worry. We’ll see him after wards. I promise.”

Jack settled down in her mother’s lap content with that promise. Rory kissed her head and looked back at her husband. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be to bumpy of a court hearing. 

Paperwork was a pain to deal with no matter what it was about. One of the things Marcus had to learn quickly was the overabundance of attention in his climbing of the Ministry's ladder. When Kingstreet was involved, however, everything always seemed to be in order. Such is her nature. Funny how even though the woman had almost nothing directly to do with the words that represented her, they were still the picture of perfection. It was almost as if she inspired an attention to detail.

Marcus jokingly thought of asking her how she does it.

He gathered his papers and headed down to Level Ten. It gave him plenty of time to think on the events of the day. Remaining neutral would be a definate challenge given the circumstances. Namely, the fact that he was one of the Aurors that actually apprehended Kingstreet. The nature of her crime was also an issue. While not as heinous as jailing and/or killing a half-blood because they're not pure, it did enable such acts to take place. The anger he held for the incident had long since passed, a side-effect of his time as an Auror.

Marcus paused at the door, letting the Hitwizards do their job. He opened up the right side of his jacket and released his wand slowly from it's holster. He gave it to the guards for inspection, and they handed it back almost as quickly. Marcus put it back in it's home and nodded at the Hitwizards, saying softly, "You guys are doing a great job."

He made his way to the chair that would have been occupied by the Chief Warlock. In the absence of one, it was commonplace for the Minister of Magic to take over for the time being. He took his seat, passing Jason and Alex along the way. He nodded to them and noticed that Jason was looking clearly tense. It was an expression Marcus was very familiar with, but Jason's poker face failed at hiding anything today. Perhaps it was a mistake for him to keep his wand, but Alex insisted that it wouldn't be a concern. Marcus trusted Alex more than anyone else. In this case, he would have to.

As the Wizengamot arrived, Theodora Kingstreet reserved special attention to three in particular.  Alexander Belisario. Jason MacDonell. And Marcus Annwyl.

Oh how far they'd come, little chickens.  Ten years had padded their middles and their titles.  Department Head Belisario? Preposterous.  He was an ape! Barely write his name!  Wizengamot Elder Jason MacDonell?  The man was unhinged, violent and more of a ghoul than most people seemed to want to acknowledge!  And Minister Marcus Annwyl?  Minister! It was a joke. It was of the highest hypocrisy. This was the true crime, stooges like these three sitting on the Wizengamot, running the Ministry of Magic.

Jason MacDonell's vibrating hostility did not go unnoticed by Theodora Kingstreet.  She raised her right hand to shoulder height and wiggled her first two fingers almost undetectably.  If he really was so touched by these proceedings, she might be able to count on him to bungle things up and force the Court to declare her case sabotaged and let her go with no complaint.  It was a long shot.  She could just as easily find herself a greasy spot on the floor, cursed to oblivion.  But either way, she'd beat him.  It deserved that little wave. 

She looked again around the gallery.  She didn't yet see some faces she was expecting, but she did see MacDonell's wife with what must be his child.  She rolled her eyes.  Children were abominable.

But it was no time to tarry.  It was time to begin.

Without leave, she stepped forward to stand in front of her chair, she raised her clean alto.

"Before these proceedings begin, the council in favor of Release calls a point of order!  The council in favor of Release begs the Wizengamot to remove Minister Marcus Annwyl as Chief Warlock for reasons of Heinous Conflict of Interest & Undo Bias in this case!

"Minister Marcus Annwyl cannot legally find himself impartial to serve as Chief Warlock for the reason that he was one of the Aurors who arrested me!  Any hearing conducted by this wizard will be tainted with the insolvent scum of his personal vendetta and his resolve to stand by the actions of the Auror Office in 1998!  The council in favor of Release demands he step down so that justice can be served here!"

"The Wizengamot will find the appropriate document has been filed," she added with that same smug grin.  She took a deep breath and dusted a bit of grit from her brown robes.  She was so at ease, a calm had befallen her unlike one she had known in a decade.  She had fallen into the procedure and rhetoric easily, languishing in the comfort of regulation and systematic expectations of order.

The heat rose within Marcus and he struggled to remain composed. The aforementioned paperwork was now being presented to him. Marcus whispered, "Why wasn't I made aware of this beforehand?" His Undersecretary had no answer. That's probably what Alex was trying to tell me about when he came in during the interview. Marcus internally beat his head against a non-existant wall. The courtroom had become restless, as if suddenly aware of what was happening.

"Order!" Marcus yelled while slamming down the gavel. Order, something Kingstreet was well-versed in, something Marcus should have seen coming. He underestimated the situation, and was paying for it. "The very idea that you could accuse me of not being neutral is laughable, Ms. Kingstreet, and if you really thought about it you could see why." Kingstreet had gotten him angry. He was doing exactly what she wanted. He would have to regain his composure in order to keep this from becoming a mockery. "Ms. Kingstreet, it would be hard to find someone in this entire city who hasn't been directly or indirectly affected by your actions."

Theodora was trying to dismantle the Hearing, and insert her own brand of order. For the first time since taking the role of Minister of Magic, Marcus felt helpless. He would have to take control. However, if he moved to take control and forsake the paperwork, Kingstreet would claim she was not given a proper hearing. If he gave the reigns to someone else, then he'd be playing right into her hands. Like it or not, Kingstreet was taking control.

Just the way I remember you, Kingstreet.

Ciarra stood in the back of the courtroom, she had been assigned to assist in case of anything going wrong.  So essentially a very big babysitting job.  And she realized very quickly what her Father had done.  He was putting temptation on the plate, and he would most likely take care of the rest.  Ciarra didn't like that thought.  Especially under the presence of the entire wizengamot.  But from appearances, her Father was holding one hell of a poker face.

And it became rather obvious just how much Kingstreet held her Father, Marcus and Jason MacDonell in contempt.

Kingstreet proceeded with her argument to force Marcus to step down as Chief Warlock.  And as Alex had said to her before she presented the paperwork.

***

"Ciarra," her Father stated as he stood in front of her.  In his office he was personally giving her the new assignment.

"On April 21st you will be part of the security detail for Kingstreets hearing.  But your main objective is observation.  I want you to keep a close eye out to detail.  Watch Kingstreet, notice habits, consistancies in her approach, and her method.  I want you to go over every move with a fine comb.  And I want a detailed report about it after.  I give you permission to use my pensieve afterwards so you don't miss anything," He looked towards the wall of his office which had a few of the awards he had gained.

"Of course, sir.  I shall perform to the best of my ability," Ciarra replied with a salute.

"Additionally, you are not to repeat this assignment to anyone but myself or Ms. Raynor.  This is confidential," Alex said slowly.  "This day, could be very important for us to remember."

***

Perhaps her Father was being paranoid, but she had a task to do.  She took as many mental notes as she could, since she was unable to write.  She was supposed to stay in place and jump at the first sign of trouble.  Ciarra knew of every wizard and witch that had been cleared to have their wand, so she kept a loose eye on them but mainly her eyes stayed on Kingstreet.

She didn't have time to think about how she had been trusted with an assignment like this, but she was going to do her damn best.  And if Kingstreet made the slightest mistake she would see it.

 This was going to be a long day. Raynor felt it as surely as when she knew a Trainee was pushing his luck. They claimed she had eyes in the back of her head. She claimed it was intuition. And that intuition was kicking like a team of Abraxan. As a result, the whole of the Auror Office had been called in that morning. Some of them were on detail, one little witch in particular was stationed in the court room itself, but for the most part they were twiddling their thumbs in HQ. Merlin forbid, it would stay that way. It was a sea of Hitwizards that nodded her through various security check points. But it didn’t take clairvoyance to know that the twenty first of April, in the year of two thousand and eight would go down as one of the biggest headaches in ministerial history. Kingstreet’s infamous ability with paperwork had already just declared as much.

That fact was efficiently trumpeting itself down the corridor.

And it was none too melodious.

The gentle “click” of heels against the smooth marble floors should have resounded across the usually stoic halls of level ten. Should have. Instead the nuance was washed away in a rather significant tide of noise rising from Court Room Seven. It was rather miraculous how long of a stride the miniature woman could produce when the occasion called. Within moments she wedged her way between the two hitwizards now gawking at the developments occurring in the room. They had not even bothered to inspect her wand. She had clearance. But that was not the point. But nor was the moment to discuss the fatal mistakes of distraction. Later.

"Order!" The Minister’s commanding yell was much more effective than the gavel. ” The very idea that you could accuse me of not being neutral is laughable, Ms. Kingstreet, and if you really thought about it you could see why.”

Like the majority of the other veterans in the room, Raynor’s face had become as easily interpretable as a stone slab. She gave young Belisario the faintest of nods as she came almost parallel to the girl, but did not make eye contact. Or with her father, despite the urge to raise her eyes up to meet his. Nor to MacDonell not far from him. Her gray eyes even skipped over the woman in the middle of the room that held everyone else at attention.

No, Raynor was staring placidly at the Minister, reading the governmental leader’s face while the room awaited Kingstreet’s reply. It felt too much like waiting for the headsman to come to the chopping block for her taste.


((Not the best, sorry folks. Had to weasel my way in before things got too good.  ))

Kingstreet met his gaze fearlessly and waved, and Jason breathed out through his nose, nostrils flaring, so no breath could remain in his lungs to fuel a snarl.  Her defiance reminded him unpleasantly of Bellatrix Lestrange's, though at the time Lestrange had been going into Azkaban.  MacDonell considered letting his hand touch his wand, but Legilimency would reveal nothing to him he did not already know; Kingstreet was confident of her impending release, and duly so.

Before he could consider what else he might do with the wand, Jason noticed Belisario coming to join him.  He returned his comrade's nod, not bothering to remove the scowl from his face.

"I am guessing you and I are feeling the same on this...subject."

"If by that ye mean wondering why the Ministry ever stopped executing people -- or perhaps reflecting on how far away the Hitwizards are, and how utterly unable they would be to intervene -- then aye, I believe we are of one mind," Jason muttered back.

A flash of red distracted Jason from further scheming with Alexander, and he turned an automatic smile to Aurora, the only person who could unfreeze his heart in these circumstances.  In the next second, his heart refroze and skipped up into his throat, though the only indication he gave was a widening of the eyes and a slightly parting of the lips.  Jack was here?  What on earth had possessed Aurora to bring their eldest child into even the presence of such a vile thing as the Wizengamot was currently planning to pardon?

The courtoom was no place for such a question aloud, and Jason's features smoothed over an instant after he had flinched.  The Auror face, on again.  But his emerald eyes flashed Aurora a very pointed look, promising a conversation later.

Kingstreet's eyes turned in the same direction, and Jason saw disgust cross her face.  His teeth locked in anger, concealed behind his tightly compressed lips, but before he could say anything to Belisario, Kingstreet herself spoke.

"Before these proceedings begin, the council in favor of Release calls a point of order!  The council in favor of Release begs the Wizengamot to remove Minister Marcus Annwyl as Chief Warlock for reasons of Heinous Conflict of Interest & Undo Bias in this case!."

Jason stared.

"The very idea that you could accuse me of not being neutral is laughable, Ms. Kingstreet, and if you really thought about it you could see why.  Ms. Kingstreet, it would be hard to find someone in this entire city who hasn't been directly or indirectly affected by your actions."

Bile rose in MacDonell's throat.  He and Marcus had always had an unusual relationship -- professionally respectful, and certainly cognizant of each other's abilities, but with a murky tension beneath the surface he had never cleanly placed -- but the notion that the man was somehow unfit to perform his duties was outrageous.  A half-formed denunciation of the reviled traitor was nearly to his lips before he froze.

Bureaucracy had never been Jason's strong suit; he was a warrior first and foremost, and the diminishing need for men like him had prompted his retirement from the Ministry.  But in those six years he had served as Head of Aurors, and in the few months of his time on the Wizengamot, he had forced himself to learn the ins and outs of magical law's details and minutiae, mostly so Dark wizards and lesser miscreants could not slip past justice on technicalities.  And he certainly had a knowledge of rank and succession as well.

His lips curved into a thin smile.

"Madam Kingstreet," he called out, raising his ungloved right hand to placate some of his nearby compatriots on the Wizarding court.  "Ye're right, of course, if the Wizengamot is asked, it may vote on the removal of one of its own officers, in accordance with the Bias and Partiality Act.  As I'm sure ye're also aware, in the event of the removal of the senior presiding officer of the Wizengamot, conduct of the trial passes to the most senior member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement present -- in this case, Mr. Alexander Azariah Belisario."

His smile widened, turning cold.  "According to the Edict for the Control of Chaos and Calamity in Courtrooms, no more than one -- that is to say, fewer than two -- member of the Wizengamot may be impeached for partiality in a single sitting.  Should you wish to challenge more than one member of this body for bias, we will need to recess to discuss the matter, during which time you will be returned to Azkaban Prison, pending our decision."

A few of the Wizengamot members around Jason finally relaxed as they saw where he was going.  "Of course," the former Auror added in an almost lazy tone, "such a matter as the removal of two outstanding, widely acclaimed and respected members of this body, both former Aurors and war heroes, will be a lengthy process.  We'll need to summon witnesses, hear testimony, perhaps establish a committee to consider your motion.  I imagine we could have a ruling for you in...oh...six months?  Eight at the very most."

"Now then, you wished for the Wizengamot to consider the removal of Minister Annwyl?  And, of course, authorize the temporary instatement of Mr. Belisario?  Or does the Counsel in Favor of Release wish to withdraw the motion?"

The grin turned openly sadistic at last, a fierce gleam in Jason's green eyes.  Of course, Kingstreet could never accept Belisario as the presiding officer -- she could draw a wand this very moment and hex Annwyl, and still get a fairer trial from him.  And now that the taste of freedom was so close to her forked tongue, she wouldn't take the blow of returning to Azkaban for the better part of a year just to out-paperwork the Aurors.  Better yet, even though the other elders were clearly going to release this vile woman, at least they had enough respect for Annwyl and Belisario to not play Kingstreet's game.

Leaning back in his chair with a quick glance at Belisario, Jason took his cane in his right hand, tapping the eagle device on its handle and awaiting Kingstreet's answer.

Marcus looked upon every face in the room, and they all seemed to be shifting their glares from him to Kingstreet. It was like some sort of perverse chess game that they were all apart of, and Kingstreet had called Check with the second move. "Ms. Kingstreet," Marcus began with a sigh, "The only way we could find someone that didn't have a personal stake in what happened a decade ago are the First Year children at Hogwarts and those that are even younger than them. I wouldn't suggest using them in any official capacity, and it would probably backfire in your case."

The paperwork made it's way to Marcus, and he looked it over carefully. "However, you have gone through the process of requesting an unbiased wizard or witch to have the final say in the courts, and I would hate to make a bad example of our criminal justice system."

Marcus stood up and addressed the entire courtroom. "In light of recent revelations," Marcus began, nodding slightly to the forms in front of him, "As well as Jason's intricate attention to the rules regarding the Wizengamot." Marcus looked to both sides of him, "If it pleases the Members and Elders of the Wizengamot, I propose that we come to a vote. If the majority believes that I am unfit to sit as Chief Warlock, I will stand down, without malice or hesitation, and let Alex take the lead in the proceedings."

"If, however, the majority believes me to be worthy of the Chief Warlock's chair, then I will sit down and we will proceed." Marcus looked at Jason and gave him a very slight nod, letting him know that he respected the hell out of the man. In all honesty, the nod could have meant anything, but Jason got the message. He turned his attention to Kingstreet, and stared down at her. She stood defiant of those that would decide her fate, and didn't flinch. Marcus gave her a look as if to say, "Your move"

"If by that ye mean wondering why the Ministry ever stopped executing people -- or perhaps reflecting on how far away the Hitwizards are, and how utterly unable they would be to intervene -- then aye, I believe we are of one mind,"

Oh yes, indeed they were of one mind.  But when it came to something like this how could they not?  Both having had one hell of a time thanks to Kingstreet and her crimes.  He noticed as Aurora entered the court and Jack was with her.  It was nice to see, and soon before Alex realized it, all the players were in place.  His daughter, Ciarra, doing her task to which he had given her the assignment himself.  With her taking in as much as she could and being a 3rd party, her memory of this event would serve as an excellent one to view in the pensieve.

As Alex had expected, Theodora Kingstreet moved to remove Marcus as the Chief Warlock for the hearing.  Drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair as he watched the events unfold before him, he kept up his unflinching face that revealed nothing to his thoughts.  And with such a mastery of occulumency, there were no one else that could get privy to the workings of his mind, or how he was playing his own game in this hearing.  Testing the waters almost on how many moves he could make to make sure that the hearing would not slip into Kingstreets turf, which it had been all those years ago.  However, he would not let it happen now, not as long as he was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. 

When Jason began to speak, the card had been dealt to Kingstreet.  There was little choice for her...as the law was, it was either let Marcus or him.  And if he was placed in that chair he would probably send everyone for a loop with how hard he would make it for Kingstreet. 

"Now then, you wished for the Wizengamot to consider the removal of Minister Annwyl?  And, of course, authorize the temporary instatement of Mr. Belisario?  Or does the Counsel in Favor of Release wish to withdraw the motion?"

Alex didn't allow his emotions to show through any of this.  He simply watched Kingstreet as one thing after the other was moved into the open.  In this game, the only unpredictable element he had was Kingstreet herself. 

Alex had personally seen to that the ones who had the most reasons to be shoving their wand down Kingstreets throat still had their wand.  That in itself was a message to every single one who was allowed their wand.  If someone just happened to cast a spell at Kingstreet, well it would be a very long investigation that would be forced to send Kingstreet back to Azkaban until it could be resolved.

He knew that as much as he would like to put Kingstreet back behind bars for the next few centuries.  Alex knew the outcome that would be from today.  That didn't mean he wasn't going to have fun throwing every curve and road block he had at his disposal. 

He remained quiet, and patiently waited for Kingstreet to play her own hand in response to Jason and Marcus.  He continued to silently drum his fingers on the arm of his chair.  This day would be immensely important, and for that...Alex was determined to make sure that it went well...and was very well recorded.  Sure Alex was known for his distaste for paperwork, but that certainly didn't mean he wasn't prepared to show his political prowess if he needed too.

"If, however, the majority believes me to be worthy of the Chief Warlock's chair, then I will sit down and we will proceed."

Who would she want?  Marcus or Alex?  Either way, the Chief Warlock would be one of the Aurors who had captured her. 

Theodora scowled up at the Wizengamot. Oh, they were so smug with themselves, were they not!  The Wizengamot was stacked meters deep with incompetent, violent and blood-lusted Aurors.  From the looks on their faces, she was quite certain they wanted nothing more than to retreat to their more barbaric instincts and assassinate her.

She almost hoped they would! An assassination attempt would only give her that much more credibility. 

But for now, Jason MacDonell had more than effectively countered her move.  But it didn't matter.  She'd made the first strike, and not only that, but she'd planted the seed in what was to be a very public hearing that the Ministry wasn't the shining paladin of justice most thought.  She looked over her shoulders at the press, at the spectators: they just had to see this irony! The reason her motion would not follow through because it was simply too tiny to stand a chance against the staggering corruption of this court.

She sniffed and composed herself.  Wiping the scowl from her face to replace it with a more professional, almost penitent grimace. 

She looked markedly at Alexander Belisario for a moment, almost considering it.  But she wouldn't dare it.  At least Marcus Annwyl was bound by some sort of Ministerial duty to put on a mask of honor - he'd be much more inflexible on his ethics than would Belisario, who had no such scruples, if he was anything like he'd been ten years ago.

Then she spoke, keeping a stink eye on MacDonell. 

"I can see the Wizengamot has taken an inflexible position and barricaded itself behind a roster of hateful individuals ten wizards deep, and has chosen not to do its duty to provide me with a fair hearing.  The Counsel in Favor of Release has no choice but to bow to the corruption of this court and to withdraw the very reasonable motion to have Chief Warlock Annwyl removed and to allow the proceedings to process in a less obscene pace than the timeline suggested by Mr. MacDonell.

"The Counsel in Favor of Release humbly thanks the junior Wizengamot Elder MacDonell for making perfectly clear the prejudiced state of these proceedings."

She adjusted herself physically.  Repositioning her curled pointed hat.  Shrugging her robes straighter on her shoulders.  Leveling her glasses.  Then she turned her back on the Wizengamot and addressed those gathered at large.

"Then with perhaps less ado, The Council in Favor of Release wishes to submit the formal petition to release Theodora Lucille Kingstreet from Azkaban Prison and end her sentence for crimes convicted immediately!" she cried, then rounding again on the violet-robed Wizengamot.

Theodora Lucille Kingstreet herself gestured to the appropriate underling who delivered a copy of the petition to the Chief Warlock's pulpit. It was a massive document, taller than it was wide or long, as these types of documents usually were.  It was Theodora's Tome or Ticket to freedom and it was letter perfect.

"Council in Favor of Release demands to hear the grounds under which she has been held these ten years in Azkaban Prison, and then intends to submit statements that proper due for these crimes has been paid in good faith."

"Council in Favor of Release demands to hear the grounds under which she has been held these ten years in Azkaban Prison, and then intends to submit statements that proper due for these crimes has been paid in good faith."

Marcus glared at Kingstreet for what felt like forever. She was backed into a corner, and was doing all she could to win. Same old Kingstreet, but this time she was trying to make it personal. The fact is, Marcus was as neutral a party as can be. Alex was good, but he was no diplomat. He has said as much himself. Kingstreet thrives in chaos. It means she can remove the current order and impliment her own.

"You call contempt on the entire court system, and yet you still plea to it in order to be released. You claim prejudice, but still want this Hearing to proceed. Your erroneous claims on the Wizengamot is an insult to the due process of law." Marcus paused to take a breath. "Your perfectly done paperwork states your wishes to have myself removed from this seat. As Wizengamot Elder MacDonell has so eloquently put, the senior-most member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will conduct the Hearing. Department Head Belisario is the senior-most member, and you knew that when you filed those papers."

Marcus continued, "The Wizengamot will not abide by your gross manipulation of the justice system. You filed the appropriate papers, only to unofficially withdraw them a few moments ago." Marcus was being more civil than Kingstreet gave him room to be. Threats can be effective, but diplomacy tneds to be more effective. He hoped that his speech would cater to the diligent side of Kingstreet. "I need your official declaration, for the records." It was civil, if not a bit of a cheap shot.

Maybe she was beginning to see that an argument was a waste of time. Or maybe she was making her next move. Regardless, Marcus would have to be at his best.

Arianna watched the proceedings from the centre of the public stands, merging beautifully in with the wizarding crowd. Her normally radiant complexion had been dulled, her nose, very slightly elongated, housed a neat pair of wire rimmed spectacles. Her hair, long and a dull brown colour, was scraped back into a bun. She looked...exceptionally ordinary, someone that people would cast their eyes over, vaguely register but not actually see. An aurors nightmare, an identity parade of someones that looked like everyone else. That was the essential essence behind sucessful stealth. The art lay not in hiding behind black cloaks and painted masks....true shadows were varying shades of grey.

If spoken to by the wizard beside her, she responded politely in monotonous tones, instantly forgettable and all interesting views and opinions, of which she had many, hidden deep beneath the facade. Only one thing betrayed her. An expression of disgust flickered once or twice across her face, not unusual in itself, many of those surrounding her did the same, though not like those around her, her gaze was not fixed upon Kingstreet but the purple robed group bearing down upon her.

Listening to the proceedings, this farce of a fair trial, to MacDonell's slippery words, her opinions were, in her mind, only confirmed... that the justice system was still dysfuctional and corrupt, more concerned with being seen to do the right thing, rather than its actual application.

The whole ministry had apparently come a long way since the days of Rufus Scrimgeor, a statement often announced at the sort of dinner parties Arianna played at, usually said with a raised glass or a slap to the back. Arianna ignored such advertised improvements, her mind already set. Whatever changes had been made, they had still not helped her mother.  Whatever so called improvements, they were still not enough.