Disclaimer: Still haven't got a clue about law.

Chapter 14

"I am in misery… Ain't noboby gonna comfort me…"

Sebastian sighed as he heard the now familiar voice from Thad's room. That boy was moping again. He had a very strong moral compass when it came to Anderson, and now they were involving him in his plot, Thad was feeling remorse. The Head Warbler had been hoping that they never needed to get Blaine involved directly, but here they were.

"Thad," Sebastian grumbled as he turned into the older boy's room. "Is this you dropping hints?" He asked.

Thad paused the video and turned around to look at him. "What if I just really like this song?" He sounded very defensive.

"I thought I deleted all the Anderson videos from your computer." It seems he would need to hit all Warbler laptops. Thad needed a serious intervention, and the blazer brigade wasn't helping.

"He wants to talk to you, you know. Blaine. He isn't mad but he does have a lot of questions."

"About what? I thought I explained things thoroughly at the meeting." He wasn't ready to deal with Anderson at the moment. The kid was sweet and innocent and would probably cry. He didn't do tears. Plus, Henri's absence was taking a toll on him.

His little French delicacy was struggling. He believed that Henri would win. Karma was a bitch and that old man was going to get what was coming to him. But it was a long process. They said Justice was swift, but the trial was taking it's damn time.

Now Anderson…

A lot was happening before Christmas. Santa better get him something expensive considering how good he has been.

"You kind of threw everything in his face then walked out. A second run through wouldn't hurt." Thad explained.

He felt a little insulted. His PowerPoint presentation was very well-constructed and educational. He put in some time to make it idiot proof so that every one present, all levels of intelligence, would be able to understand. Maybe he should have made a little jingle, a dance to highlight the important points.

Thad scoffed. "How fast would you be able to process if I told you Henri cheated on you, threw a bunch of pictures around, and then said 'oh but wait, he's done worse!'."

"Quite fast, as none of that would happen. So, I wouldn't need to process something I knew was false," Sebastian argued. Did Thad even see his face?

"But what if it did happen," Thad pressed.

"I wouldn't be upset. First, if anyone cheats on this face then they have something seriously wrong with them and I don't need that crazy on my life. In that case, I would be happy to rid such a presence from my life and move on."

Thad rolled his eyes. "Your face isn't that great…" he muttered.

Sebastian smirked as he stared at his captain. "Yes it is."

"Whatever, just talk to Blaine please?" Thad pleaded.

"I'll call him in a few days," he promised.

"Sooner rather than later? He's struggling to deal with Hummel at the moment."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. Anderson really did wear his heart on his sleeve. "Tell him to go away for Christmas. He needs space from Hummel and those New Direction losers."

"I'll tell him. But you still have to talk to him."

Sebastian didn't bother replying and retreated to his room. Thad would deliver the message. He would contact Blaine, and from there they could figure something out. All his planning… it didn't seem that important as he was waiting on word from Henri.

Maybe he could understand a little why Anderson was so hesitant to believe that Hummel would do the things he claimed. Infatuation rewired your brain slightly. Before, he would always go for the win, but now, he was willing to wait because someone was just a tad little more important to him.

Sitting at his desk and tapping his fingers, Sebastian was antsy. He needed to so something. Pulling out his phone, Sebastian hit record and started singing.

"I am in misery…." He started to sing. "There ain't nobody who can comfort me." He blamed Thad that this song was stuck in his head. "Boy you really got me bad, you really got me bad. I'm gonna get you back. Gonna get you back."

Ending the recording, Sebastian sighed before sending it off to Henri. He was turning into Blaine- a soft hearted fool.

o.O.o

By day 5 of the trial, Harry was ready to murder someone. Preferably Dumbledore, but really anyone to get all this to stop!

The custody case was resolved, thankfully. Now it was all the money problems and who owed who what. At least in terms of him versus Dumbledore. This whole case brought out more and more of the old man's dirty secrets and when they were finished here, Dumbledore would continue on with other charges. Criminal conspiracy, fraud, extortion…

But for his case, they were nearly there.

Witness after witness was called up, there were boxes of evidence to present, videos to watch, and pictures to see proving Dumbledore was a scheming bastard. Brennan was tag teaming all the questions with another company lawyer, giving him some reprieve between testimonies- something the over-worked man desperately needed. Harry was pretty sure that Brennan was going to charge them to cover his therapy bills after questioning Dumbledore though. He would pay for it. The man earned it after basically digging a trench though all of Dumbledore's bullshit.

Dumbledore had a way to talk around an issue. He would answer a direct question in the vaguest way he could, forcing Brennan to drag answers from him, prolonging the entire process. When asked a vaguer question, Dumbledore would ramble and try to redirect the topic to something more innocuous. Brennan had held strong the entire time, never faltering. But as soon as Dumbledore was dismissed from the stand, the judge called for a much-needed recess. Harry was tired… His legal team was tired. Even the judge looked one migraine away from locking them all up to get a break.

One of the most damning testimonies was Professor Minerva McGonagall.

The stern Scotswoman had dumped decades worth of evidence against Dumbledore. McGonagall had noticed early in her career that Dumbledore wasn't the man he seemed. She kept watch and the first few times her concerns had been ignored or swept under the rug, she started collecting evidence. She helped where she could but she knew that winning a small battle wouldn't stop that war. So, she waited.

When Dumbledore dumped him on his Aunt's doorstep on a cold November morning, McGonagall had been there and tried to persuade the man to reconsider. She offered her own services to raise Harry as she knew that Petunia Dursley was not the best choice. He had told her no and dragged her away. She returned an hour later and kept watch over Harry, knowing that if she tried to remove him, Dumbledore would know. She gathered Harry and kept him warm in her car all night. When she saw movement come from the house, she quietly put Harry back and watched until he was discovered beside the milk.

One statement from her was so powerful, that Henri could feel a chill run through the room as it affected everyone.

"As an educator, my one goal has always been to do my best to teach, nurture and protect the students under my care. For years I had to pretend and play to Dumbledore's wishes and whims, so that when needed, he wouldn't interfere or question me when it came to the students. I had to gain his trust so that he would hand the daily operations and discipline of the student body over to me. With his head turned elsewhere, focussed on Potter Corp and the lost heir, I did what I could to protect the innocent youth that may one day fall in his web. I could not save them all. Some were too greedy for power and influence, or too naïve to see the man that he is, but I like to think that I saved most."

She did what she could, and prayed that Harry wouldn't suffer like she feared. She pretended to be loyal enough to Dumbledore for him to let down his guard a little, make her Deputy Headmistress, and now that the moment was right, she struck. Before she even left the courtroom, she was the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. She had all the power to protect her pupils like she always tried to do. She also helped their side immensely.

Henri had never had the pleasure to meet or speak to McGonagall, but watching her leave the stand, he held incredible amounts of respect for her.

"I will retire now and deliberate over everything presented this week," The judge declared.

Harry held in a tired sigh as he heard those words. Soon all this would be over.

"I'm going on vacation when this is all done," Brennan whispered to him. "Taking the wife and the kids, going on a cruise. A nice one where it will last months and will provide weeks without cell service."

Harry smiled slightly. That sounded amazing. "You deserve it," he whispered.

"I considered retiring… but besides all the headaches, paperwork, overtime, and hair loss, this has been the most exciting case of my career. Hopefully the next time you need me, it will be a simple case."

He hoped he wouldn't need to call on his lawyer too soon. A couple years at least.

Movement on the other side of the courtroom drew their attention. Dumbledore was trying to get up and do something but Diggle was keeping a firm hand on his arm. They were whispering fiercely together, arguing over something.

McGonagall had changed Dumbledore. Dumbledore had started the trial calm, confident, and joyous. He probably thought he was finally going to get everything he had been working towards- Harry's wealth. As the days passed and more people were called to the stand to talk, his smile dropped. His posture grew more tense, and then today, on the last day, he started glaring at everyone including his lawyer.

It must have been a major blow to think that one of the people you trusted most as working against you the whole time. To see things, he thought he covered up perfectly, being presented to the entire courtroom must have knocked the wind out of him.

Dumbledore tried to move again, probably trying to chase after McGonagall, and knocked Diggle's hand away. He started hissing something fierce, only to be grabbed again and dragged back into his seat. Diggle was sweating, he looked nervous and was pleading quietly at the former Headmaster.

"We don't need to wait for the judge to see that we won," Brennan whispered. He was smug. After the marathon of migraines, he put up with, he was relishing in his victory.

Henri hummed. He wouldn't celebrate until the judge banged his gavel for a final time this trial. Signing that he was going to step outside for a minute and asking his mother to give him a minute, Henri quickly exited the courtroom for some fresh air.

He walked to the bathroom and locked himself in a stall to savour a minute of quiet. He wasn't a social people person. Being constantly surrounded was getting on his nerves on top of everything he was dealing with.

He took a few deep breaths to clam his racing mind. He was close. Oh, so close.

Pulling out his phone, Henri hesitated before calling his boyfriend.

The phone only rang once before it was picked up and he heard the slight breathless hello on the other end. Doing some quick mental math, Henri was embarrassed that he forgot that Sebastian should be in class at that moment. Did he run out of class to speak to him?

"Henri! Are you okay? Did they lock him up finally?" Sebastian asked quickly.

"Ah… Judge is deliberating. Soon." He responded.

"But are you okay? This hasn't been easy for you. How are you feeling?"

How was he feeling. At times his felt like he was in a constant state of half-hyperventilating. His heart felt like it was beating a trillion times a minute and when it calmed a little, his chest would be sore. He felt like his mind was stuck in a never-ending race of stress and desolation, with no white flag in sight. The only thing stopping him from a full panic attack was the thought that he had to see all this through. When he was back in his bedroom, with no one watching him, then he could break down and cry.

"That rough?"

He sighed.

"You are almost there," Sebastian reassured him. "Then you will never have to deal with that bastard again. And no one will try to steal from you again. This trial will scare away any potential scammer, as they will know that you are not to be messed with."

That did sound nice. Never having to deal with this kind of issue again.

"And if that doesn't help. Just know that when I graduate from law school, I will be your personal lawyer. I will be right beside you to stop this type of thing ever getting this big again."

Henri raised an eyebrow at that announcement. Who did this cocky kid think he was to assume Henri would hire him?

"We both know you will hire me."

Who was to say they would still be on talking terms by that time?

"Henri… Henri… Henri…" Sebastian tittered on the other end of the call. "You think you can escape me? You're stuck with me for life, darling. Even if we are no longer in a romantic relationship, I know what I want. I will be a big fancy successful corporate lawyer, and I will only do that for the best company. Yours. You will hire me, and I will get a nice big salary, and a large corner office, and a hot secretary."

Henri rolled his eyes. He would hire some dumb woman to annoy Sebastian.

"Hey, don't be mean now."

Henri stuck out his tongue. He could be mean if he wanted. He was the future boss!

"Alright, I don't need a hot secretary. A hefty signing bonus will do."

"If you actually graduate from an Ivy League law school top of your class, I will sign you." He finally spoke.

"Deal." He could hear the smirk in Sebastian's voice.

He took a moment to just listen to Sebastian breathe on the other end. It was steady, stable, slow… peaceful. He started to match his breathing to the taller boys.

Sebastian seemed to know what was going on as he gave him a couple minutes to just listen. "Feeling better now? Calmer?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"Thanks." He was feeling better. His heart calmed, and his thoughts were more organized.

"Good. Now go back. They will probably call you back into the courtroom soon so you should be there. You need to see the end of this."

The end was finally near… it was a relief.

o.O.o

Blaine was jittery. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to act. Sebastian said to be normal but considering the situation, he wasn't sure what normal was. Two weeks ago, he had full faith, trust and love in his boyfriend. Now, he was doubting all his choices and didn't want to be near the boy he once claimed to be in love with.

He was at The Lima Bean, they were talking about Regionals but Blaine wasn't really listening. Earlier he had sent a text to Thad letting him know they were headed here and how he was silently freaking out as this would be the first time in two weeks, he didn't have an excuse to avoid his boyfriend and his boyfriend's friends.

He had used 'relatives in town', studying, and he even joined several clubs to just take up time. But there was nothing he could do about today when Kurt literally latched on his arm and dragged him to the coffee shop.

His phone ringing broke his concentration, and he scrambled to answer.

"H-hello…" he said as he answered.

"Dude, you sound like Death is calling or something." Thad threw out from the other end of the line.

"Thad!" Blaine said a little too loudly in excitement. His exclamation drew the attention of the New Directions around him. Having the veil pulled from his eyes, really let him see things in a new light. He saw the clenching of Kurt's jaw as he struggled to stop a frown. Mercedes and Rachel both tensed. Finn looked annoy, and Tina didn't really do anything.

"Blaine honey, we are in the middle of something. Isn't this a little rude?" Kurt piped up.

Blaine cleared his throat, and tried to send a smile their way. "Sorry guys. I just… Thad was doing something for me and… well…" Oh jeez. What was he supposed to say?

"I got that batman comic you were looking for?" Thad helped.

"Really?" Blaine felt a giant smile appear on his face. He was looking for 1992 Batman: Birth of a Demon, for a while now. He spent a lot of afternoons strolling through various comic book shops hoping to find one. He was wary of buying it online since there was a lot of scammers selling them through ebay and whatnot. "Where did you find it?"

"Blaine!" Kurt hissed.

"Kurt!" Blaine threw back. "It's Batman! I want this comic, I NEED this comic." He couldn't put enough emphasis on this.

Turning away from his agitated boyfriend, Blaine focussed solely on his friend. "Thad you better not be playing with me right now. Did you really find it? Where was it? How much was it? I will transfer the money to you right now."

"Blaine…" Thad started. "Why don't we table this for later alright? Seb is ready to talk. If you want, he says he has this Sunday free."

"Sunday, I can do Sunday!" Blaine said eagerly. "What if I swing by now to pick up the comic?" He wasn't really giving the older boy an option as he was already putting his coat back on.

"Blaine!" Kurt hissed a second time.

He was over it. "Kurt, I will talk to you later, I'm going to go see Thad." Blaine didn't spare a good bye for anyone else. He honestly didn't know how to feel about them either.

"Blaine!" Thad yelled through the phone to grab his attention. "I don't have the comic."

He deflated at that news. "No comic?" He pouted.

"I'll make it up to you I swear," Thad promised.

o.O.o

"Thank you," Sebastian said as he took the newspaper from Callum. The older Warbler had promised to get him a copy of The Daily Prophet that printed about Henri and Dumbledore.

"He won," Callum announced, "Dumbledore was found guilty of 17 counts of fraud, embezzlement, and conspiracy."

Sebastian hummed. "And Henri?"

"He agreed to do an interview with my mother tomorrow about everything that happened."

"That will be difficult."

"Probably. But he's a strong kid. Considering every thing he has exposed about his childhood."

Getting a text, Sebastian briefly glanced at it, noting that Thad was telling him to find a Batman comic. "He appreciates all your parents help with this."

Callum chuckled. "I think they appreciate all the exclusives more."

"I'll see you at practice," Sebastian dismissed the older boy. "Jeff has a new number for us. Michael Jackson I think."

One problem was solved. Just 20 more to go.