Standing in the elevator in the Ministry of Magic, I, Hermione Granger-Weasley tapped my foot impatiently. It always took me long to go from my office (which was on the top floor) to the court-rooms (of course, those were on the ground floor), but today, it seemed to take twice as long. Today would be my most important case ever, and I wasn't even going there because it was my job. I had, after all, not been allowed to take up this case, no matter how much my in-laws had pleaded. I was too emotionally involved. I would have to sit with the family, not with the judges today.

Entering the corridor with the rooms where the really important cases were held, I saw the red-haired family already present. One thing was off though; their usual cheerfulness was replaced with much darker emotions. Understandable, of course. I couldn't quite understand it myself. I noticed my husband, Ron Weasley, sitting with our best friend, Harry Potter, who looked worse than dead. Understandable; after all, it wasn't everyday that your wife was trialled for murdering your youngest son.

As I made her way over to them, I caught Molly Weasley's eye, my mother-in-law; mother of the accused. Molly nodded sadly, only acknowledging me, and then turned back to Arthur, her husband. Only the adults were here, and not even all of them; I saw Bill Weasley talking solemnly to Teddy Lupin, Harry's godson. Neither Fleur nor Victoire were there; the former probably thought court-room air wouldn't do her pregnant daughter much good. As for the kids; James Potter probably thought it wasn't fair that he couldn't come, but he didn't appear to have pressed the matter either. Even he could see the seriousness of this situation, I assumed.

I hadn't even reached Ron and Harry when we were called into the court-room. I sped towards Harry to support him, along with Ron. Merlin knew he needed it.

The first thing I saw when they entered was the empty chair in the middle. She hadn't been brought in yet. I should've known; that never happened. The judges, though, were there. I gazed up to my colleagues, silently pleading that they would believe Ginny if she said she didn't do it. I could understand now why the families here always looked so scared; this was real. Very real. They were about to lose a loved one to the wizarding prison, Azkaban, and the judges, who sat higher than the family, didn't show any emotion as they went through the facts one last time.

Oh, I had seen Ginny's file. It didn't look pretty. There was almost no evidence, but everything pointed into one direction only: Ginny Weasley-Potter, ex-Holyhead Harpy, well-known reporter, wife to the Chosen One, assumed loving mother of three, had killed her middle child, Albus Severus Potter.

Thanks to my own efforts, there weren't any reporters allowed in the court-room. But surely, they would be standing outside when the trial ended, ready to speculate about what had happened.

Everyone eventually quieted down; the trial was about to start. A door, opposite to where they were sitting, opened, and three armed wizards entered, dragging a crying Ginny along. The Dementors, after all, had been vanquished a few years after the war had ended. The Ministry used other methods now to prevent Azkaban prisoners from escaping.

"Harry!" Ginny suddenly cried out. It felt like my heart was being stabbed to see my friend like this. Now I understood how those people must feel who sat here. And I watched them, every single day, without emotion. I wasn't so sure if I could do that after today. "Harry! I didn't do it, you have to believe me! I didn't kill Al, my baby boy, I could never hurt him!" Ginny's screams filled the court-room. I could feel Harry tensing next to her. I knew he didn't believe that his wife had killed their son either. But what could he do? The evidence was there, Al's funeral was already planned, and they were never going to see him, or Ginny, for that matter, again.

"Mum, dad, please! Don't let them lock me up, I didn't do it, I swear!" I heard sobs coming from my right, and I wasn't so sure if I could be strong enough not to cry. My heart sank further when Ginny called my name next. "Hermione! You believe me, don't you? I would never hurt Al, you know that! Please, Hermione, you can get me out, help me, please!"

After that, Ginny was forced (by magic, of course) to stay silent while the court recalled all the facts and evidence there was. Finally, they asked, "Do you have anything to say to defend yourself, Mrs Potter?"

"I didn't kill my son," Ginny replied with a strained voice. "I could never hurt one hair on his head, let alone kill him. You have to believe me – my family, they can testify – "

"I think we've heard enough," Doug Harness, my boss, interrupted her. "Mrs Potter, all the evidence points in your direction. Therefore, we hereby sentence you to a lifelong stay in Azkaban. You may take her away," he told the three wizards, who took Ginny out of the chair she had been forced to sit on, and they dragged her away again. The spell that allowed her only to speak when she was asked a question prevented her from shouting out to her family once more. She still sent us pleading looks, but there was no way that we could do something.

As we walked out of the court-room, what seemed like hundreds of reporters jumped them with questions – mostly, though, the most burning question of all: has she or hasn't she done what she's been sentenced for? The entire Weasley family gave only one answer to that: no, she hasn't. And no, they didn't know how else it should have happened, and yes, she had, indeed, been sent back to Azkaban, for life.

When we finally managed to get rid of all the nosy people, Molly told us quietly to all come to the Burrow. All the kids were there and they needed to be picked up anyway. I was amazed that Molly could still think so rationally. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do that if Rose would be accused of something she didn't do and would be taken away from me forever. Rose… how would she react to the news of Ginny being convicted for real for this murder? Al had been her favourite cousin and best and closest friend.

I glanced sideways at Harry. How would he explain this to James and Lily? They would be devastated. More than devastated, I corrected myself. Sure, they were no little kids anymore, but it would still be tough to explain, even to a 15 and a 12 year old, that their mother had been officially condemned for killing their brother.

A/N: So, what do you think? Liked it, hated it, anything else? Please review and let me know!

(Disclaimer: I don't own anything...)