Who: Tiberius Ogden When: Wednesday morning Where: Wizengamot Courtroom What: Tiberius has had enough of these shenanigans Rating: Low Status: Completed narrative
Despite the docile sense of calm that had seeped through Tiberius Ogden's consciousness for the past week and a half, there was still a vague, nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was not right. He was a member of the Wizengamot. He was supposed to be listening attentively to the proceedings and asking questions and trying to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendents without prejudice and yet he was only peripherally aware of the discussion taking place in front of him, only asking the questions that seemed to come to him through the thick fog filling his mind. And now it was time for another, to connect the Muggleborn before them with the terrorists who had attempted to overthrow the Ministry or... wait, was that right? That didn't seem right. No, but he needed to ask the question. It was what he had been told to do.
"Mr Harris, did you not..." he began, stammering a bit as the voice in the back of his head grew louder and louder in it's protests. "Did you not share... share a dormitory with... known terrorist..."
No.
No, this was most certainly not right. His stammered questioning had already brought the attention of those Wizengamot members who were not also under the imperius curse (the rest remained quite blissfully oblivious) and now as he fought against the powerful urge to just finish his question, he slowly and unsteadily rose to his feet.
"No!" he said firmly as a sharp edge of resolve took hold, only to be shoved back down a moment later. "I'm sorry, please forgive my outburst. I'm afraid I..." he continued more mildly before he finally managed to throw off the curse once and for all.
And then confusion settled in as the last week and a half vanished from his mind. The last thing he remembered, he had been in his house. Someone had tripped the wards and he'd gone downstairs to investigate, only to find a Death Eater in his house. A Death Eater who had not even attacked him, he'd just pointed his wand at him and now he was here. In the courtroom where everyone was staring at him.
Tiberius Ogden was not a stupid man. And he had sat through enough trials where the imperius curse was invoked as a defence that once he had worked through his initial confusion, what had happened became quite perfectly clear. "Stop! This trial must stop! Death Eaters have imperiused the Wizengamot!" he shouted. And he fully intended to explain exactly what had happened but before he had the chance to utter another word, chaos had exploded in the courtroom. Audience and Wizengamot members alike were standing and shouting in protest (both for and against him) the barristers were yelling at each other and at the Wizengamot itself, someone was calling for the prisoner to be taking back to a Ministry holding cell, DMLE wizards were running into the courtroom and all Tiberius could do was watch the scene unfold with wide-eyed wonder before he slumped back into his seat.