InsaneJournal

RP: And the Debates Raged
Characters: Isaac, NPC Ministry/Wizengamot folk
Time/Date: All day Thursday
Location: Various courtrooms within the Ministry
Warnings/Rating: None
Summary: The Wizengamot and various other boards debate Tom's fate
Status: Complete



Lunch had been a twenty-minute affair of quickly scarfed food and bathroom breaks before they reconvened in the second courtroom. The debates were still moving in circles, but at least they were getting through the circles a little faster on each go-round.

The primary two points of contention remained: this Tom Riddle had done no wrong versus all the crimes that could be credited to Lord Voldemort. The deaths personally at his hands versus the fact he was currently a teenager, who (theoretically) was not yet corrupted.

In Azkaban, he would be a life wasted - but a population protected from theoreticals, hypotheticals, and if-then scenarios.

In Hogwarts, he stood the chance of repeating the past - without he mistakes he made the first time around. Of gathering a new set of followers. But he also stood the chance of becoming a completely different person.

What it was finally boiling down to was the fact that it was not just, right, or fair to imprison a boy who was, so far, in this incarnation, innocent as far as they knew. Isaac knew it was going to take another half-day or so of fine-tuning before anything official was written up, and then there'd be closing all the loopholes that could be found.

Isaac listened as a few people went over points that had already been beaten to death. There was a lot of "yes but" and "no if" and "We've already said", and he almost smiled. A few people had been swayed over, and he knew a few more would. He didn't like the idea of Tom in school any more than the others did, but they had no concrete grounds to use to imprison a sixteen year old wizard. No one would protest it, not openly, but it was setting a precedent. They absolutely could not imprison people for crimes they didn't recall committing because they hadn't - this time - yet committed them.

It might not happen.

Isaac didn't honestly believe that Tom was a good person. Perhaps with the right supervision and influences, he could at least be kept from being the terror he'd grown up into, but Isaac wasn't willing to bet significant sums on that.

When it was his turn to speak again, he rose. "We all know that Albus Dumbledore is also among the returned. We know from what the books tell us, and what those of us who lived through it have seen ourselves, that Albus Dumbledore was the only wizard Tom Riddle - Voldemort, at that point - feared. We know that Albus Dumbledore is residing at the castle. I propose we ask the Board of Educators to create a position, an official title and rank for Mr Dumbledore that he can use to police Tom Riddle in an official capacity. Not as a professor; I wouldn't desire to displace anyone, nor face the man with the need to catch up on such a vast amount of work. But perhaps as an assistant or advisor to the Headmaster. To give him official capacity to do what he'll likely end up doing anyway." Isaac smiled at the soft chuckle that rippled through the witches and wizards who had known Albus.

"It will not be written specifically to include Tom, but all the students. I'm certain Tom won't be the only one who will need an extra eye on them. There's plenty of curiosity in that age group, and it's very rarely balanced by common sense." He could think of a handful of students off the top of his head that he'd heard about from Landon. He trusted his grandson not to be an idiot about this, but his grandson had a few idiot friends.

"So then," broke in a gruff voice from nearer the back. "This'll be the condition then? Tom Riddle can go back to school if and only if Albus Dumbledore is granted this ... advisory position? Otherwise, off to Azkaban?"

Isaac nodded. "I think that covers both sides of it. He'll be supervised more closely than if he were simply let loose into the professors' care. He can continue his education and hopefully have better influences, and ... we'll simply wait and see if history tries to repeat itself."

Alexandra exhaled a sigh. Finally, it looked to be close to done. "So we'll have it written up and submitted for approval tomorrow morning and should have a verdict before lunch tomorrow?"

Isaac nodded.

The gavel cracked against the podium; meeting adjourned for the evening.