Anika stuck to Dumbledore's side like glue as they lingered in the atrium of the ministry for magic for a further four hours waiting for the verdict of the Wizagamot.

"What do you think the outcome will be Professor?" Anika asked him weakly after a long few hours of silence. Anika and Dumbledore were sat on chairs in the atrium that had been set up for them to wait, all of the witnesses for the trial were seated around the atrium in identical chairs, but all of them were a fair distance from Anika and Dumbledore who were closest to the large fountain in the centre.

"In all honesty Anika, I couldn't hope to guess," Dumbledore stated. "Unfortunately the ministry often does not like to be confronted with new things, and this trial is all new."

The pair lapsed back into silence as Anika pondered his words, staring absent-mindedly at the Flamels who sat 10 meters away from her to her left side. The pair were gazing back at her and as soon as Anika realised this she blinked herself back to reality just in time to see a tired-looking assistant walking out of the lift. Anika recognised the assistant from the courtroom and without realising it she jumped to her feet.

The assistant crossed the room towards where she and Dumbledore were.

"We're ready for you to come back," The assistant addressed Dumbledore, seemingly purposefully not looking at Anika.

Anika's stomach dropped. If this assistant was avoiding her gaze, what could that mean for the case that would follow the verdict from this one? Did this mean that all of the ministry tribunal were of the firm opinion that she was not human? Would she have her wand taken and snapped in front of her eyes as she had read about happening to those who were expelled from Hogwarts?

All of these questions and more flew through her head as she and Dumbledore made their way to the lift, and then down the stairs which descended to Level 10 where the courtrooms sat.

Anika's heart was threatening to beat right out of her chest as she took her seat in the room when she realised she hadn't even considered what the verdict of the first trial would be, as she had been pondering the upcoming debate about her own human status.

"We bring this court back to order to deliver the verdict reached by the court on the matter of the custody of Anika Smith," the Minister said once everyone had returned to their seats. Anika thought that the Minister looked as though the debate which had been had in the hours since she had last seen him had aged him several years. He looked as exhausted as Anika felt, but the apprehension of the verdict was keeping Anika going, as soon as that adrenaline wore off she knew she would crash and likely sleep for several days.

"The court has debated the evidence given and has concluded the following: The Ministry will grant Mr Burke and Mr Borgin a sum of £5,000 galleons for the expenses they incurred in raising Anika Smith-"

"Only £5,000?" Mr Burke jumped to his feet in outrage. "That won't-"

"Silence whilst the verdict is delivered." The Minister's words sliced through Mr Burke's protests like a knife and the man fell back into his chair in shock, not used to being spoken to in such a fashion, it wasn't often that Mr Burke was told to be quiet and Anika felt slightly jealous of the Minister's ability to quiet the man.

"As I was saying," The Minister continued, "The Ministry will grant Mr Burke and Mr Borgin a sum of £5,000 galleons for the expenses they incurred in raising Anika Smith. These funds will be paid in part by the Ministry, but a donation of £3,000 galleons will be expected from Mr and Mrs Flamel. If this condition is met, the Ministry will grant full and sole custody of Anika Smith to Mr and Mrs Flamel."

Anika let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding as a strange sense of joy overtook her. She hadn't been sure whom she wanted to win this trial, but this nervous excitement told Anika that this was the conclusion she had wanted.

"Mr Flamel do you and your wife agree to this condition?" The Minister turned to look at the Flamels.

"Yes," Perenelle answered before her husband could, "Yes we will make the transfer as soon as Grigotts opens tomorrow."

"In that case, the matter of the custody of Anika Smith is settled." The Minister stated, letting out his own breath of relief, it seemed this trial had been almost as stressful on the Minister as it had been on Anika. "Moving on to the second piece of business for today. The Wizagamot decided that during the proceedings of the custody trial, enough evidence was presented to reach a conclusion in the rights trial too."

Anika's heart, which had slowed down briefly after the announcement of her custody, took off again. She hadn't prepared for this, she had expected to have hours more before her wand was snapped in half in front of her, but they were to tell her she wasn't human now? The joy that she had felt mere moments earlier died down and was followed by an impending sense of doom.

"The court has found no reason to prove Anika Smith is a true witch," stated the Minister. What would she do with her life once she was kicked out of Hogwarts and the magical world? Try to live as a Muggle? She shuddered at the thought. No, she would move somewhere far away and hide this part of her, there had to be one corner of the world where the story of the girl made by the elixir of life hadn't reached.

"However, the court has also found no reason that Anika Smith is not a true witch. She clearly has magic and has thus far excelled in her studies. The Ministry sees fit to deem that Anika Smith is and always will be just as human as you or I." The Minister stated.

Anika felt a large smile spread across her face. She was not to be a possession anymore. She would live with Nikolas and Perenelle who loved her and she would stay at Hogwarts with her friends.

"Although the Ministry will be releasing new laws on the matter," continued the Minister, "there will be no more creations- ah - people like Miss Smith permitted to be created by any methods. From now onwards the experimentation on reproducing witches and wizards by any unnatural methods is outlawed. The conclusion of the rights trial only concerns Miss Smith, and there will be no tolerance on this matter again in future."