Headline from August 15th 2003 Third Day of Trial: Accused ATTACKED by Wizengamot Member
It was an eventful third day of trial over the Magic Loss case. The accused were given their first crack at the stand amid boos and hisses from the viewing public. Minister Burke had to call for order three times and threaten incarceration before the crowds calmed.
It wasn’t to be calm for long, for following the introductory remarks from each of the five accused, Hermione Granger, friend to the boy-who-lived, and junior member of the Wizengamot, hexed a swarm of gigantic canaries to attack the five accused.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Ms. Granger was noted to have shouted before she was forcibly escorted out of the courtroom.
Ms. Granger, who suffered from magic loss herself, has been pushed to take vacation time. Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, testified to Ms. Granger’s calm and upstanding demeanour to the Minister and other Upper members of the Wizengamot. It has been the Ministry’s opinion that the outburst was the result of stress (Ms. Granger and Dr. Padma Patil were the ones the Prophet noted earlier to be whom uncovered the link between the magic loss and the tainted champagne) and a side-effect of the magic-loss antidote. “As such, Ms. Granger is not to be viewed as dangerous, but rather someone who has done right by us all.” Mrs. Bibbly, a colleague of Ms. Granger tells the Prophet. Con’t on Pg 1A
Hermione Granger sat quietly in the courtroom along her co-workers of the Wizengamot. Though you might expect it, relief was not what she was feeling. Yes, she'd gotten her magic back, and the culprits had been taken into custody, but any happiness that came with the news had passed quickly. She should have been happy, especially since Padma and herself played a part in targeting the cause, but as she watched the 5 criminals fidget and scowl, her frustration rose and eyes narrowed. She was trying to remain as calm as possible, but her anger toward the entire situation had been building up since before she lost her magic and Hermione was far beyond her pressure point by now. There was no excuse or explanation that would satisfy her or curb her anger. These so-called people had caused so much trouble, had hurt so many people. She hadn't felt this upset since she found out Ron started dating Lavender Brown. Or when she slapped Draco Malfoy for insulting Hagrid. If they hadn't caused people to loss their magic, Hannah, Sally Anne and the rest of the missing witches might not be missing. If they hadn't caused people to lose their magic, Hermione might have been able to save Sally Anne. Ron wouldn't be at work so much and they would actually have time for their relationship. There wouldn't have been any restrictions on when witches could go out, and people, including Hermione, wouldn't have sleepless nights full of worry. The ripple effect of this was far too large for it's own good.
Hermione clutched her wand between her hands, eyes never moving from the 5 figures below her. It hadn't taken long to fall back into step with her magic, and at that moment part of her was just itching to practice a few spells. But she remained calm as the trial started. Names were introduced and charges were read. Introductions to the case, descriptions of crimes. Hermione had heard it all before, numerous times. What she hadn't heard was the testimony of these criminals. Finally, the 5 were given the ability to stand and speak for themselves. Once they started talking, however, that was it. Although a few showed remorse, their was also pride as well as well as righteous explanations over what they felt had been, before it got out of hand, an appropriate punishment for wizards and witches who all too often overlooked squibs. The smirks, the attitude, it was too much to bear, and before Hermione could even remember she was suppose to be a logical, collected person, she stood up and waved her wand.
A truth that should be universally known: do not piss off Hermione Jane Granger. The flock of canaries, much bigger than the one that attacked Ron, flew from her wand in the form of a large "X". They swirled and chirped, showing no intent to harm. With one small, rare smirk and a flick of a wand, however, that changed: the flocked suddenly dropped down and dispersed, headed right toward the criminals. Curiosity turned into concern as the crowd began to gasp and point, a few small shrieks released occasionally. But the birds remained true to their orders, given by Hermione's wand: they only touched the 5, nipping and squawking, releasing Hermione's anger for her. At one point, she managed a complicated flick-twist motion and produced a couple proper slaps on the faces of the culprits. "DO. YOU. HAVE. ANY. IDEA. WHAT. YOU'VE. DONE?" She snapped down to them, sounding scarily like Mrs. Weasley yelling at Fred and George, but she doubted they heard her due to the birds. Before she could go much further, though, she felt strong hands grasp her arms and remove her wand. As she was being escorted out, struggling mildly but feeling better, Hermione refused to leave without a statement to them. "YOU BLOODY WELL DESERVED IT." She paused, thinking of an appropriate conclusion. "STUPID GITS."
Never had any act felt so liberating, and though she would likely do it again, Hermione gradually became concerned as she realized there would be consequences.