Fudge - Lockhart - Florences, Slugs - Why Harry Lived - Where Dumbledore Studied

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 19516

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., dfrankis at d... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Steve Vander Ark" <vderark at b...> wrote:
> > And then, in 
> > one of the more satisfying moments in any book I've ever read, 
> > EVERYBODY curses Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle at the end of the 
book. 
> > What will Lucius do about that, I wonder? Will Narcissa have to 
> board 
> > the train to find her little darling and discover him knocked out 
> > cold on the floor? Will she change her mind about Durmstrang at 
> that 
> > point? Will the Weasleys find themselves sued by Lucius for 
> > everything they have?
> > 
> > Steve
> > in musing mode
> 
> My view of Draco is that he will do all he can to conceal from his 
> father what happened - he is too proud to admit that *famous* Harry 
> Potter, teachers' favourite mudblood Hermione, and the penniless 
> Weasleys could get the better of him.  Of course, if the Malfoys 
find 
> them before they have recovered (I imagine them sending a servant 
to 
> pick him up though - thus avoiding unpleasant contact with muggles) 
> they may extract the truth and take action.
> 
> If so it would be Dark, rather than legal, action (remember that 
some 
> HP4GU members are lawyers before asking the obvious question)
> 
> See you in court
> 
> David

This has prompted me to post on various musings I have about law in 
the books.  Firstly, we know there are courts and tribunals.  Why 
aren't there lawyers or at least people who can represent others.  
For instance - Hagrid really needed help when arguing Buckbeak's 
case.  Instead he had to rely on the help of three school children.  
There are obviously law books - or at least books full of cases, 
which the trio use to research the way dangerous animals have been 
treated.  Who compiles them?  Who keeps records?  What other kind of 
courts are there?  Why has the wizarding world dispensed with 
lawyers? (non rude answers to this question please!)

Regarding justice in general.  There seems to me to be a very simple 
solution to solving any disputes, allegations of criminal behaviour 
etc.  VERITASERUM.  Why isn't this used?  This could have saved 
Sirius 12 years in Azkaban.  If I had been Sirius, I would have asked 
about this.  There could be different rules about using it on 
witnesses, but imagine the good it could do -if it had been used on 
Draco as a witness in Buckbeak's case, then surely the outcome would 
have been different.  This would then prevent people such as Lucius 
Malfoy from being able to manipulate tribunals into doing what he 
wants.

We've talked before about the martial law imposed during VW1, and the 
suspension of habeus corpus etc., which is why Sirius didn't get a 
trial.  In which case, where and how did Dumbledore testify that 
Sirius was the Potters' secret keeper?  

BTW:  Possible career moves for Hermione were discussed recently.  
Can anyone else see her as a judge?  Scrupulously fair, open-minded, 
non-prejudicial, very intelligent...

Catherine