Cleared of all charges

The gates of Hogwarts looked as though they had descended into hell.

The spell Eli and Professor McGonagall had unleashed together swept over everything, leaving Kingsley and Dawlish drenched in cold sweat. Had even Voldemort ever pulled off anything like this?

Shut outside the castle doors, Fudge shook like a leaf, his once-neat bowler hat sitting crooked on his head.

Kingsley and Dawlish exchanged a glance. After years of working together, the two elite Aurors had reached an unspoken agreement.

They turned their wands downward and raised them high.

"Finite Incantatem!"

With a shout, both drove their wands into the ground. Golden light surged from the cracks in the earth, surrounding the fiery lion.

Without needing to confer, Professor McGonagall and Eli both stopped resisting. They had bought almost enough time, and they could not actually do anything too serious to these two Aurors.

The fiery lion roared, battering the spell barrier the two Aurors had raised with thunderous crashes.

The two Aurors continued to sustain Finite Incantatem, while the fiery lion had lost its source of magic.

As one side grew stronger and the other weaker, the flames slowly dispersed under the two Aurors' efforts.

At last, only a small, lively flame remained. Eli beckoned, and it bounced its way into his body.

Professor McGonagall folded her arms, her wand resting against her shoulder, and stood sideways as she watched the two panting Aurors with an air of indifference.

"Professor..."

"I don't know you," Professor McGonagall said, peering down her nose at the masked Eli before ignoring him entirely.

Eli nodded to Professor McGonagall, then turned and ran toward the river.

"You..." Dawlish's expression changed. He straightened up to give chase, but Kingsley held him back.

Kingsley's dark face was slightly flushed. The battle had left him utterly exhausted.