Arc 12Trials and the Blood Curse

Shawn presided over a public trial that exposed corruption and ended in a violent attempt to free the accused, while he pursued Voldemort’s soul fragment and the threat in Albania. He saved Astoria from her blood curse, then learned that a Five-Wizard Tournament would bring foreign tensions to Hogwarts.

  • Shawn recruited John Carrow-er to train the Pentagram forces and ordered investigations into Umbridge, the United States, and the Wandering People.
  • At the public trial, Bones heard cases against Peter Pettigrew, Gilderoy Lockhart, Aio Yorks, and Algie Longbottom, while Pettigrew confessed to betraying the Potters and received the Dementor’s Kiss.
  • Ogden led an escape attempt for the accused, but Shawn’s magical assault stopped the rescuers and killed Ogden, allowing the trial to resume.
  • Shawn destroyed the Gaunt Ring and absorbed Voldemort’s soul fragment, while Voldemort recovered in Albania and sent Bellatrix to help with his resurrection.
  • Shawn brought Sybill Trelawney to Snape after her curse resisted treatment, then pressured her to write down her forgotten prophecy before she left.
  • After taking Harry’s Invisibility Cloak, Shawn clashed with Sirius, whose public denunciation of Shawn in Diagon Alley led to a crowd attacking him and the Patrol Team detaining him.
  • Shawn used an Alchemy Matrix, Wenge’s donated blood and marrow, and Harry’s Cloak to remove Astoria’s blood curse and reunite her soul with her body.
  • Astoria woke safely, and Dumbledore told Shawn the Five-Wizard Tournament would begin in late October while Shawn proposed expanding Hogsmeade and building a Magic Technology Laboratory.
Chapters 276–300 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 276Support

After the House Cup celebration, Shawn returned home and recruited former Head Auror John Carrow-er to train the Pentagram forces. He then went to Malfoy Manor to address the Ministry’s public trial and plans to distribute goods in the United States.

  • The Slytherins celebrated winning the House Cup as Dumbledore announced the result.
  • At Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, parents praised the patrol team, while Shawn watched them pass before returning home with Purple Shadow.
  • Shawn visited the underground passage beneath the Forbidden Forest through his basilisk and Purple Shadow’s ongoing search, then Apparated to Hogsmeade.
  • Shawn met John Carrow-er at a secluded cottage and persuaded the former elite Auror to train the Pentagram forces.
  • Shawn returned by Apparition and went to Malfoy Manor to handle the Ministry’s public trial and plans for distributing goods in the United States.

Ch. 277The situation in the United States

Shawn reviewed the Public Trial Assembly list and the Rowle Family’s transfer of its Hogwarts board seat, while ordering a deeper investigation into the American wizarding world. After returning home, he examined the Philosopher’s Stone that Dumbledore had lent him, which he was expected to return to Nicolas Flamel.

  • Shawn asked Lucius why Umbridge was under investigation, and Lucius explained her connections to Fudge, Barty Crouch, and foreign forces.
  • Shawn ordered Lucius to proceed with Umbridge’s trial using fewer charges because he intended to keep her useful.
  • Shawn read the Rowle Family’s report on the United States, noted its strict secrecy laws and political tensions, and ordered a deeper investigation into the Wandering People.
  • Shawn signed the contract transferring the Rowle Family’s seat on the Hogwarts board of governors and told Lucius to watch the family closely.
  • Shawn returned home, took out the Philosopher’s Stone, and began examining the stone Dumbledore had lent him on Nicolas Flamel’s behalf.

Ch. 278Unexpected news of a public trial

Shawn’s preparations culminated in the Ministry announcing a public trial to expose corrupt officials, stirring reactions in England and abroad. In Albania, Theodore considered using the trials to redeem his father, but Tom stopped him and warned that someone else was watching the temple expedition.

  • Shawn assigned Alice to take over part of Lucius’s authority and put Hermione in charge of investigating missing children.
  • The Daily Prophet announced that the Ministry would hold its first Public Trial Assembly on July 20, drawing public excitement and panic among officials.
  • Wizards in the Albanian Forest excavated a Greek-style temple while the International Aurors, Fawley’s team, Tom, and Theodore maintained separate camps.
  • After learning the public trial’s purpose from Shawn, Theodore tried to go capture Old Nott, but Tom stopped him and promised to keep his father alive.
  • Tom sensed an unseen observer near the excavation and vowed not to let them claim the expedition’s rewards.

Ch. 279Public Trial Venue

Wizards gathered in London for a public trial that Fudge presented as a way to clean up the Ministry, while Bones challenged his motives. Shawn Black arrived to a roaring crowd, leaving Dumbledore watching with both concern and relief as Bones questioned whether he was comfortable with Shawn’s growing influence.

  • Wizards from England and abroad filled the expanded trial venue, where Wizengamot members and Ministry officials prepared to hear the cases.
  • Dumbledore and Fudge arrived together, exchanged polite greetings, and took seats on either side of the vacant middle seat.
  • Bones challenged Fudge over the selective trials and asked when the Ministry would pursue Dark Wizards with records in the New Pentagram.
  • Fudge said the trial was meant to put the Ministry in order, while Dumbledore asked where the Patrol Team was and approved of its security arrangements.
  • Shawn Black arrived in a white-and-purple outfit to the cheers of the crowd, escorted by purple-clad wizards who held back his admirers.
  • Fudge and Pierce went to greet Shawn while Dumbledore watched from his seat, and Bones asked whether he was comfortable letting Shawn grow so powerful.

Ch. 280The Ministry of Magic, Spoken For

Shawn rallied the crowd at the public trial with promises of a fairer Ministry, earning overwhelming support as Dumbledore and Bones watched. The trial resumed with Peter Pettigrew named as the first accused, shocking the audience and Snape.

  • Dumbledore told Bones he believed the wizarding world needed upheaval, and Bones agreed to support him.
  • Shawn calmed the crowd and promised transparent governance, blood-status equality, more jobs, and action against misconduct.
  • Shawn fired a spell into the clouds, and the crowd joined him before returning to their seats.
  • Shawn declined the central seat and sat beside Fudge as Bones opened the public trial.
  • Bones announced Peter Pettigrew as the first accused, and members of the Order of the Phoenix and Snape reacted in shock.

Ch. 281Presumption of guilt

The Ministry interrogated Peter Pettigrew after Shawn Black and Dumbledore identified him as the rat Scabbers, while Pettigrew continued to accuse Sirius of betraying James. Bones insisted on the presumption of innocence and prepared to wait for Sirius to testify, but Dumbledore said Sirius would arrive shortly.

  • Guards brought Peter Pettigrew into the packed courtroom, while Snape and Harry reacted angrily and Pentagram operatives kept Snape from intervening.
  • Bones questioned Pettigrew about his disappearance and his years living with the Weasleys as Scabbers, and Ron realized the rat had been sleeping beside him for years.
  • Percy confirmed that Shawn had taken Scabbers from him, and Shawn explained that the Marauder's Map had revealed Pettigrew's identity before he handed the rat to Dumbledore.
  • Pettigrew denied guilt and blamed Sirius, but Bones chose to follow the presumption of innocence rather than repeat the flawed process used in Sirius's earlier trial.
  • Dumbledore told Bones that Sirius would arrive shortly to testify in his own defense.

Ch. 282Wormtail's Dying Words

Sirius confronted Peter Pettigrew at his trial, where Wormtail confessed to betraying James and Lily and defended his choice as a response to fear. Bones sentenced Peter to the Dementor’s Kiss, while the Wizengamot’s members held back from challenging the new sentencing rules under Shawn’s gaze.

  • Sirius arrived at the trial and punched Wormtail before the Pentagram members restrained him and placed him in a prisoner’s chair.
  • Bones resumed the proceedings, and Sirius declared that Wormtail had betrayed James and was the real Secret Keeper.
  • Wormtail admitted revealing the Potters’ address to Voldemort and claimed he had never regretted betraying his friends.
  • Wormtail’s confession left Sirius speechless and made Dumbledore and Shawn reflect on fear, conviction, and the choices people made under extreme pressure.
  • Bones revoked Wormtail’s Order of Merlin and sentenced him to the Dementor’s Kiss, which made Sirius break down in tears and left Wormtail unconscious with fear.
  • The Wizengamot members considered objecting to the sentencing rules, but Shawn’s calm gaze made them back down.

Ch. 283Lockhart's Veiled Barbs

Shawn used the Public Trial Assembly to rehearse a new jury system while the proceedings punished Peter Pettigrew and tried Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart confessed to his crimes and received a life sentence in Azkaban, while Shawn and Dumbledore were left to consider his pointed criticism of Hogwarts.

  • A Dementor carried out Peter Pettigrew's punishment, and Sirius was released and left with Wormtail's body to bury him.
  • Bones called Gilderoy Lockhart as the next prisoner, and he calmly admitted to stealing others' adventures, using Memory Charms, and colluding with the Dark Lord.
  • Lockhart explained that he had used his books to teach Hogwarts students about deception and criticized Dumbledore's leadership.
  • After reviewing Lockhart's crimes, Bones sentenced him to life imprisonment in Azkaban, prompting cheers and tears from the crowd.

Ch. 284A new idea

The public trial continued as Aio Yorks was convicted for corruption and match-fixing, while Shawn began considering rebuilding England’s Quidditch team with Hogwarts players. The assembly then turned to Algie Longbottom, whose accusations and resistance led to his arrest as Bones prepared to hear the charges.

  • Bones questioned Aio Yorks over corruption, molestation, embezzlement, and match-fixing, but Yorks blamed Shawn and pleaded for mercy.
  • Bones sentenced Yorks to fifteen years in Azkaban and ordered his illegally obtained assets confiscated.
  • Shawn considered selecting elite players from Hogwarts’s four House teams to rebuild England’s national Quidditch team.
  • Bones named Algie Longbottom as the next defendant, shocking the assembly.
  • Algie accused Shawn of framing him and Dumbledore of surrendering the Ministry, then resisted the Patrol Team officers before they stunned and brought him to the defendant’s seat.
  • Bones warned Algie to cooperate, and Pierce began explaining his situation.

Ch. 285The Rebels

At the Public Trial Assembly, Algie Longbottom exposed the Ministry officials’ corruption and disrupted the proceedings. When Dumbledore stayed silent, Tiberius Ogden urged the accused to flee, triggering a battle that Shawn prepared to contain.

  • Algie Longbottom admitted taking bribes and abusing his position, then claimed his family deserved preferential treatment.
  • Shawn silenced Algie and told Bones to summon everyone facing similar charges, while Pentagram members prepared for trouble.
  • Bones called up officials including Ludo Bagman, Tiberius Ogden, and Umbridge; Umbridge tried to appeal to Fudge, who warned her to confess.
  • After Dumbledore gave no response, Ogden ordered the accused to escape by Portkey, and more than a dozen supporters rushed to help them.
  • Lucius, Yaxley, and their allies joined the fight against Ogden’s group as angry spectators began moving toward the center.
  • Shawn checked for other threats, then summoned a Purple Crescent Harp as dark clouds and thunder gathered over the battlefield.

Ch. 286The Godson Teaches the Godfather

After Sirius reunited with Harry and Lupin, he warned them not to trust Shawn, but Harry defended the Chief and persuaded Sirius to keep his suspicions to himself. A commotion at the venue drew Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks back, where they found Shawn fighting a group of wizards with powerful magic.

  • Harry, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks reunited outside the venue, and Lupin embraced Sirius after learning he was alive.
  • Sirius told Harry and Lupin that he suspected Shawn of working with a fragment of Voldemort's soul and warned them not to trust him.
  • Tonks challenged Sirius, and Harry argued that Shawn should not be condemned without proof and that they could oppose him if he turned evil.
  • Sirius agreed to stop speaking ill of Shawn but said he would remain wary of him.
  • When dark clouds and lightning appeared over the venue, Sirius hurried back with Lupin and Tonks while Harry stayed to guard Wormtail's body.
  • Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks found Shawn floating in the venue and attacking the remaining wizards with spells as Lucius and the others targeted those delivering the Portkeys.

Ch. 287An Expected Turn of Events

Shawn defeated the rebels at the trial venue, but three apparent rescuers launched a sudden assassination attempt that killed Ogden before Shawn escaped the curse. The trial resumed, and Sirius watched the crowd celebrate Shawn as a hero.

  • Sirius watched Shawn calmly direct a powerful magical assault that shattered Ogden's shield and trapped the rebels in electrified Water Prisons.
  • Shawn used an expanding electrical net to stop the remaining rescuers from escaping with Portkeys, and the battle appeared to end.
  • Three fallen rescuers attacked: two exploded through Dumbledore's barrier while the third cast the Killing Curse at Shawn.
  • Shawn Apparated out of the curse's path, and it struck Ogden instead, killing him; Shawn ordered Bones and Fudge to restore order and resume the trial.
  • The crowd cheered Shawn, Lupin told Sirius that ordinary wizards recognized who had their best interests at heart, and the remaining trial proceeded with the rebels facing added charges for resisting arrest.

Ch. 288The triggered restriction

Shawn consolidated his control of the Ministry while Hermione’s investigation uncovered the Rowle Family among the suspects in the disappearances of young wizards. When a surveillance restriction at the Gaunt Shack was triggered, Shawn Apparated there and saw someone blast open its door.

  • Bones sentenced Algie Longbottom to surrender twenty thousand Galleons and serve three years in Azkaban.
  • Shawn assured Dumbledore that the Ministry would become less corrupt as his influence and reforms spread.
  • Shawn refused to receive Barty Crouch and ordered Lucius to give Hermione’s investigation full support after her findings implicated the Rowle Family.
  • Lucius reported that someone had triggered the surveillance restriction at the Gaunt Shack, and Shawn Apparated to investigate.
  • Shawn arrived near the Gaunt Shack and saw a figure blast open its door.

Ch. 289Bellatrix's twisted devotion

Shawn destroyed Voldemort’s Horcrux ring and absorbed the soul fragment, causing Voldemort to collapse in Albania. Voldemort recovered, rescued Bellatrix, and began preparing to use her blood for his resurrection.

  • Shawn sealed the Gaunt Shack, entered it, and found a woman wearing the cursed Gaunt Ring; he recognized her as someone unexpected.
  • Shawn used Fiendfyre to remove and destroy the ring, then absorbed Voldemort’s Soul Fragment through the system.
  • In Albania, Tom staggered from the soul fragment’s destruction while a cloaked Voldemort collapsed nearby and later recovered, blaming Shawn Black.
  • Voldemort tracked Bellatrix to her hidden cave prison, freed her, and healed her broken limbs.
  • Bellatrix pledged her blood to Voldemort’s resurrection, and Voldemort said he suspected the Black ancestors had carried Slytherin blood.

Ch. 290An Unexpected Person

Voldemort ordered Bellatrix to retrieve his golden cup and help Rodolphus obtain blood during the Five-Wizard Tournament. After absorbing Voldemort’s soul fragment, Shawn discovered the gravely injured Sybill Trelawney, whose cryptic prophecy warned of coming slaughter, and brought her to Snape for help.

  • Voldemort dismissed his allies’ intentions and sent Bellatrix to retrieve the golden cup and help Rodolphus obtain blood for him.
  • Shawn absorbed Voldemort’s soul fragment, improving his Parseltongue and water affinity and gaining a level-three curse talent.
  • The injured Sybill Trelawney woke and muttered a prophecy about a demon, crimson slaughter, and purple thunder before passing out.
  • Shawn’s healing potions failed to stop the curse spreading through Sybill, so he Apparated with her to Snape’s home in Spinner’s End.
  • Shawn carried Sybill inside and urgently asked Snape to save her from the powerful curse.

Ch. 291Give Her the Potion, Then Get Out!

Shawn helped Snape save Sybill from a powerful curse, suppressing it with lightning until Snape’s potion confined it to her palm. Sybill woke without remembering what happened and accused Shawn of doing something to her.

  • Snape examined Sybill, gave her a potion to suppress the curse, and went to brew a stronger one.
  • Shawn reviewed his draws, raised his curse talent to Level Five, and used lightning to destroy some of the curse’s black mist.
  • Snape returned with a potion that trapped the curse in Sybill’s palm and warned it would keep her alive for only a year.
  • Shawn gave Sybill the potion, waited for her to wake, and worked on his holiday homework.
  • Sybill woke, saw Shawn writing, and cried out in alarm, asking what he had done to her.

Ch. 292The prophecy of dawn

Shawn forced Sybill to write down the prophecy she had made at the Gaunt Shack, but she could not remember it. He sent her away with a Pain-Relief Potion and demanded that she later provide a genuine prophecy about dawn and Thunderbolt, while Snape warned Shawn not to trust her predictions.

  • Shawn silenced Sybill when she began threatening him and demanded that she write down her unfinished prophecy.
  • Sybill admitted that she could not remember the prophecy and said she had visited the Gaunt Shack at the instruction of a distant ancestor.
  • Shawn gave Sybill a Pain-Relief Potion and told her to produce a genuine prophecy about dawn and Thunderbolt or die.
  • Shawn warned Sybill not to reveal what had happened and watched her hurry away.
  • Snape emerged from the bedroom and told Shawn that Sybill's prophecies would only hurt him and others.

Ch. 293Level Six Curse Talent

Shawn redirected Snape from discussing prophecies by giving him photos of Harry beating Sirius, then learned Rodolphus was seeking ingredients for an ancient Resurrection Potion. As the threat surrounding the Albanian Temple Ruins grew, Shawn improved his curse talent and emerged from seclusion ready to help lift Astoria's blood curse before taking Draco to collect Harry.

  • Shawn gave Snape photos of Harry beating Sirius, and Snape eagerly admired them.
  • Snape told Shawn that Rodolphus had asked him for rare ingredients for an ancient Resurrection Potion, and Shawn instructed Snape to supply some while tracking Rodolphus's progress.
  • Shawn spent the following weeks studying curses to find a way to lift Astoria's blood curse, then used one point of legendary value to raise his curse talent from level five to level six.
  • As the Albanian excavations increasingly pointed to a temple left by Herpo the Foul, Shawn decided he needed to unlock a Divine Skill to prepare for the coming battle.
  • On August 20, Shawn emerged from his curse research and messaged Draco to prepare to collect Harry and go to Diagon Alley for school supplies.

Ch. 294The Invisibility Cloak

Shawn borrowed Harry’s Invisibility Cloak, but Sirius accused him of taking it to insult the Black family. Shawn left for Diagon Alley without Harry, leaving Harry to restrain Sirius while Draco urged him to go.

  • Shawn waited outside Harry’s relatives’ home while Sirius watched from a nearby house.
  • Harry gave Shawn the Invisibility Cloak, which Shawn had asked to borrow through Draco.
  • Sirius demanded that Shawn return the Cloak and accused him of deliberately humiliating him.
  • Shawn insulted Sirius’s narrow-mindedness, said he would not go to Diagon Alley, and Apparated away with the Cloak.
  • Harry held Sirius back as he argued with Draco, who then asked Harry to leave for Diagon Alley.

Ch. 295Trouble from a Loose Tongue

Harry and Draco shopped in Diagon Alley while Sirius remained hostile toward the Black family and skeptical of Shawn Black’s reforms. After Sirius publicly denounced the citizen law and Shawn, furious supporters attacked him and a crowd overwhelmed him.

  • Harry and Draco walked through Diagon Alley with Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks following them.
  • Lupin read the Future Wizard Citizen Law Outline and was shaken by its contents, while Sirius dismissed the Ministry’s reforms as a sham.
  • Tonks provoked Sirius into publicly denouncing the citizen law and calling Shawn Black a hypocrite.
  • Sirius used Sonorus to shout his accusations to the shoppers in Diagon Alley.
  • Several werewolves attacked Sirius for insulting Shawn Black, and an angry crowd joined in as Lupin failed to intervene.

Ch. 296Abiding by the law starts with me

The Patrol Team broke up the crowd beating Sirius and took him into custody, while Scrimgeour was forced to back down when the crowd sided with the Patrol Team. Harry worried about Sirius, but Lupin reassured him that Sirius would be safe under either the future Citizen Law or current laws.

  • Harry and Draco returned to Lupin, and Harry asked how they could save Sirius from the crowd.
  • Tonks said the Patrol Team would arrive soon, and its members calmed the crowd and detained the youths beating Sirius.
  • A Patrol Team member recognized Sirius as a Black and told the captain that Sirius was the Leader's uncle, but the captain insisted on treating him like everyone else.
  • Scrimgeour arrived with the Aurors and demanded Sirius, but the crowd pointed wands at him until he withdrew.
  • The Patrol Team led Sirius and the other detained youths away, while Lupin stopped Harry from acting rashly and Tonks hoped Shawn would reorganize the Auror department.

Ch. 297Reflections on power

Shawn completed an alchemy matrix to connect to Limbo and prepare for treating Astoria’s blood curse, then reflected on the dangers of unchecked power. He told Draco to summon Astoria and announce a Throne Conference in three days.

  • Shawn finished carving the alchemy matrix at Wenge Manor, and Draco felt its summons when it activated.
  • Shawn explained that the matrix would separate Astoria’s soul from her body and stabilize it during treatment.
  • Draco told Shawn that Harry and he had witnessed people attack Sirius in Diagon Alley and that the Pentagram commanded growing respect.
  • Shawn considered whether he could relinquish power if he became unrivaled, concluding that power required responsibility, checks and balances, and restraint.
  • Shawn asked Draco to arrange a Throne Conference in three days and bring Astoria so he could treat her.

Ch. 298An Uninvited Guest

Shawn began treating Astoria’s blood curse with the Alchemy Matrix while her family watched. Dumbledore arrived unexpectedly, and the treatment was underway as Astoria’s soul left her body and her blood and marrow were replaced by Wenge’s.

  • Shawn extracted blood and bone marrow from Wenge and explained the treatment’s precautions to Astoria.
  • Astoria entered the Alchemy Matrix, and Shawn reassured her that she must not pass through the illusory door when her soul separated from her body.
  • Dumbledore arrived, claiming he had come to watch Shawn treat Astoria, though he had also come to prevent Shawn from studying Harry’s Invisibility Cloak.
  • Shawn activated the Alchemy Matrix, turning its glow green and drawing Astoria’s soul out of her body.
  • Astoria’s blood and spinal marrow flowed into the matrix as Wenge’s donated blood and marrow boiled into mist and drifted toward her.

Ch. 299Treating the Blood Curse

Shawn used an alchemy matrix to remove Astoria’s blood curse while her soul hovered near the door to the Realm of the Dead. He succeeded with Dumbledore’s help, and Astoria’s soul returned to her healed body.

  • Astoria’s soul left her body, and Dumbledore reassured Wenge and Daphne that the matrix was holding it in place.
  • Shawn used the matrix and Harry’s Invisibility Cloak to separate Astoria’s soul from her body while replacing her cursed blood and bone marrow.
  • Shawn anesthetized Astoria’s soul and drew the blood curse’s green threads out of it and into his own hand.
  • As Astoria’s soul drifted toward the door, Dumbledore slowed its movement with the Elder Wand while Shawn accelerated the matrix.
  • Shawn removed the Invisibility Cloak, and Astoria’s soul reconnected with her body before he shut down the matrix and told Wenge and Daphne she would be fine.

Ch. 300A discussion of the tournament

After Astoria recovered, Shawn discussed Sirius, the Five-Wizard Tournament, and his plans for Hogsmeade with Dumbledore. Dumbledore withheld details about an international dispute and Albania, while Shawn gained enough faith value to draw a prize.

  • Astoria woke and the Greengrass family thanked Shawn, while Lucius arranged a celebratory banquet.
  • Dumbledore asked Shawn to return Harry's Invisibility Cloak and urged him to be more tolerant of Sirius, but Shawn criticized people who caused harm through incompetent idealism.
  • Dumbledore warned Shawn not to use the Blood Curse to hurt anyone, and Shawn said he was studying its transformative properties.
  • Shawn asked about the Five-Wizard Tournament, and Dumbledore explained that it would begin in late October and bring adult wizards to mediate a dispute between the Russian Ministry of Magic and the United States Congress.
  • Shawn proposed expanding Hogsmeade and building a Magic Technology Laboratory there, and Dumbledore agreed the plan seemed worthwhile.
  • Dumbledore left without explaining the dispute or discussing Albania, and Shawn received a system notification that Astoria's contribution brought his level three faith value to ten points.
Arc 12 of 22