MoM vs. James Roland

So she is giving me a chance.. Roland almost sighed with relief. Whatever else the woman was, Khaat was just and fair- clearly traits she got from her maternal side, for they were things Robert Lupin lacked. He let out a bark of laughter as Khaat asked who would mount his defense. "I will, of course," he answered politely enough. He had no friends left, Roland reflected with some sadness before moving onto the second question. "Treason. Against whom have I committed treason may I ask? My nation? My people? The ministry? I committed no treason against any. I helped Grindelwald into power simply because I believed he would be a better leader than your father, for the wizarding populace and the ministry as well," Roland said with blunt honesty. "I will not deny that I hoped to gain his favor from my actions, and be promoted to an office suited to my reputation and ability. But surely I am not being held on trial for being a politician?" He wanted to say more, but first he would wait for a reply.

"You are being accused of committing treason against the Ministry of Magic," Khaat explained calmly, wanting to make sure it was all done completely by the book, for his benefit as well as everyone elses. "The same ministry that is the governmental authority for the wizarding public in Britain, and, by technical definition, the wizarding citizens of Britain themselves." This was formality. She wasn't educating him nor attempting to. He knew full well. He was far too clever. This was clarification for the record only. He was sounding bitter to her. Angry, disillusioned, and, perhaps, displaced from the country he loved. This was clearly not where he had wanted to end up in his life. Brian was right. Roland had merely backed the wrong horse for all the wrong reasons. And to Roland they had felt appropriate at the time. He was sounding like they still seemed appropriate reasons. She wanted him to shut up with his ranting before he condemned himself. Before there was little to do to give him half a chance.

"Mr. Roland," she said, knowing he probably knew this section of the law by heart but also knowing she had to place it in the record, "for the record of the case, the legal definition of treason is, in part, a crime in which a citizen acts to assist in the overthrowing of, making war against, or seriously injuring of the parent nation, which is, in this case, the Ministry of Magic.

"I take it, then, that you plead not guilty."

Jess gave a brief smile to Khaat as she spoke before returning to his thoughts, only looking up to accept the paper and quill passed to him, and to nod a short greeting to the newcomers. He was a little shocked to see Kingsley, truth be told, he looked awful. Hopefully he'd get better, Jess was coming down with something actually, he figured there was some bug going around, or something like that.

When Roland entered Jess couldn't help but roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to instruct the man to shut up, but he was beaten to the punch by the prisoner's custodian. As the preceedings began Jess found it easiest to simply sit back and wait, he knew his argument, and he knew the right and wrong time to use it. Now was not the right time.

((Out of curiosity, who is playing James? Darren is his controller atm, right?))

((lol. yes.))

((Jess' edit: Don't forget to put parentheses around your OOC comments Khaat.))

Jack did not want to be here. Politics was not her game. Which, yes, sounded stupid coming from the head of department at the Ministry of agic, but Jack was not a politician, she was not a judge. All she was was a person who lived her life in a way that was as harmless to others as she could keep it. This was not in her plans for her life, but plans changed. Khaat had needed her and swore that Jack could quit once they could find a replacement. Jack had done it because Khaat had once saved her life as well as Vito's.

So Jack sat back in her seat, trying not to look as though she were brooding. Trying to look pleasant was not possible, so she ended up looking bored and picking at her fingernails. That was even worse somehow- after all, this was a man's livelihood in her hands. Fonally she sat forward, elbows on her knees and hands cupping her chin as she tried to focus on the proceedings.

Sophia sat and listened to Roland and couldn't help but not roll her eyes at his statement for he knew to well what he did. Roland appeared to gotten on the wrong horse for all the wrong reasons, Sophia knew he was a good man before he ever worked for Grindlewald. Sophia also knew he was well known at the ministry for many thing and he just threw it away. Sophia didn't understand why he did it when he was well known at the ministry. Sophia figured it all had to do with power, power to take over the whole ministry and not to mention the whole wizarding world.

Sophia didn't get what people thought was so fasinated about having power for one, it didn't get you anywhere but trouble. Of course, if you knew how to handle it like and don't let it get to your head to where your out of control. Khaat father Robert Lupin is a fine example of that in Sophia's opinion for he was always loyal and a good man in Sophia's eyes. Sophia was glad things were back to normal, maybe they would stay like that for awhile. Heck, they needed some peace after fighting battle after battle with death eaters and stuff it was tiring after awhile.

Jess thought about his options for a few seconds before snapping into action, reaching under his bench and procuring a heap of papers, sifting through them for a few seconds before looking at Khaat and giving a small cough to get her attention...

Then hacking and spluttering for a few seconds afterwards - coughing for attention was not something he would try again for awhile

Khaat anticipated some sort of...tension..from Jess. He hadn't been in the best of spirits when she saw him come in. She could feel his hostlity but she wasn't sure what it was about. The file she had passed them was all the published articles that Roland had done as a Ministry employee, the ones that supported the Ministry and the propaganda items that not only did they appear to be deliberately designed to subterfuge any element of working with Ministry guidelines and policies, bu also appeared to but actually acting against in, to create dissention in the people. And all done in his role in the Ministry.

She shifted her gaze to Jess, determined to look calm and clear. "You wish to address the court, Mr. Potter? Then, please do so."

Jack had to entertain herself somehow. So when Jess began coughong )good thing too, because her eyes had begun to glaze over and she even thought her head might have been nodding, just a bit) she was stirred back to the world of the living and the conscious. She blinked a few times, bulging her eyes to try and get her senses reawoken. Then she took in what was going on.

She quickly reached into her bag and felt along for what she was looking for- a candy from a Skiving Snackbox. This one was designed to mirror the common cold, so she was able to cure coughing with the good end. She tore the candy in half and shoved away the half that incited symptoms. She looked at Jess. "Pssst." She tossed him the half that would help his coughing and gave him a thumbs up.

She got her kicks.

Jess nodded to Khaat and rubbed his throat, opening his mouth to speak when Jack caught his attention and passed him some sort of lozenge. "Thanks," he mouthed, popping the sweat in his mouth and beginning to speak.

"If it would please the court," he began, rising and walking out from his bench, "I do have something to say," he told them, suppressing a small urge to cough then continuing.

"It is without a doubt, in my mind, that Mr Roland here does stand guilty of treason, that is not what I am here to" he said, stopping to give a great wheezing cough, his hand flying to his mouth as he tried to stop it. "My question," he said, his voice straining a little, "Is to you, and the Ministry itself. James Roland was not the only man to support Gellert *Cough* Grindelwald, he was aided by a great number of *Cough cough* people. I know that some of these are on your wanted list, but others were pardoned of their *Cough cough cough cough cough*," he said, bending over as a fit of coughing took hold of him.

He paused and shook his head, his eyes watering a bit, before straightening up a little. "My question is why Thaorson Elldir, who was guilty of the exact same crime, was not only pardoned without trial, but also granted a high ranking ministerial position?" He asked, turning his back on James to face Khaat, his eyebrows arched as he gave her what he hoped was a piercing look (Hard to achieve when you're straining not to explode)