This is my first story, so please review and tell me what you think! Constructive Criticism is great! Enjoy :) P.S. I own nothing
The Verdict
Hermione's POV
I'm freezing. As I stare at the goose bumps on my arm, I'm wishing I had brought a sweater. I know that I could easily cast a heating charm on myself, but the simple act of pulling my wand out of my trouser pocket and casting the charm seems too difficult. I'll just endure the cold. I'm sitting on a bench in the Ministry of Magic, down in the basement, just outside of courtroom 10. Sitting to my left is Harry Potter, my best friend, who is better known as the boy who defeated Voldemort. On my right is Ron Weasley, my other best friend. The bench we're sitting on is small, forcing us to sit close together, without any elbow room. The corridor outside the courtrooms is dark and empty, aside from us. The trial of the Malfoys is being held mere feet away from us, inside the courtroom, but we can't hear what was going on. Ron tried to use the extendable ears, with no luck. Someone's cast an imperturbable charm on the door. After we gave our testimonies, we were asked to leave the courtroom so the Wizengamot could deliberate. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting with us until about five minutes ago, when they were called back into the courtroom. Why would the Wizengamot want to talk to them?
The Malfoys are the last of the Death Eaters to be tried, for now at least. Some of the Death eaters are still on the run. In the two weeks since the Final Battle,all of the Death Eaters that were captured have been tried and sent to Azkaban. The dementors have been removed from the wizard prison, replaced by Aurors. I wonder what's going to happen to the Malfoys. Will they be sent to Azkaban? That seems harsh, considering their special circumstances.
Draco Malfoy was only 16 when he joined the Death Eaters. Voldemort threatened to kill him and his family if he did not accomplish his mission. What choice did he have? Wouldn't anyone have done the same thing? In the end, Snape killed Professor Dumbledore in his place. Draco did not kill anyone during the war. Isn't being forced to torture people, to have Voldemort using his house as a headquarters, witnessing such horrible crimes and not being able to stop them punishment enough? Hopefully the Wizengamot will take this all into account. Narcissa Malfoy was not a Death Eater, but she may as well have been. She supported Voldemort for a long time, but in the end, she turned against him. She redeemed herself during the final battle when she betrayed Voldemort to save her son. Had she not lied to him, announcing that Harry was dead, the Dark side probably would have won. She and Lucius did not fight for Voldemort in the final battle. Lucius had been a true death eater, though. He was a part of Voldemort's inner circle. He had tortured and murdered people during the first war. However, he fell out of favor with Voldemort. He spent the last year as a prisoner in his own home, without a wand.
While I hope that the Wizengamot will try to see reason, I know that there has to be some sort of punishment. Witches and wizards all over the continent are demanding that the Malfoys be punished for their crimes. People want someone to blame for everything that has happened, and the Malfoys are easy targets.
Just as I was wondering how much longer we would have to wait here, Mrs. Weasley came out of the courtroom, looking troubled. Harry stood up.
"What's going on in there?" Harry asked her urgently.
"Let's not talk here, dears. The trial is over. I'll tell you everything when we get back to the burrow." She turned to leave, only to be stopped by Ron.
"You haven't told us what the verdict is!" Ron said, indignantly.
"You will have to wait until we get home, Ronald Billius Weasley," Mrs. Weasley replied, her tone suggested finality.
Harry, Ron and I followed Mrs. Weasley down the corridor at a brisk pace, up a flight of stairs, past the door to the Department of Mysteries, and into the lift. The dark marble and the torches that lit the walls caused memories to flash across my vision. I remember running through these halls during my fifth year during the battle of the department of mysteries, and again this year when we were hunting for the horcruxes. Those things seem so long ago. I feel like I'm watching scenes from someone else's life.
I heard the cool female voice announce that we had arrived at the atrium. When the lift doors opened, I was blinded by flashes of light. There was a large group of reporters assembled outside of the lifts, waiting for us. I vaguely registered that they were shouting questions at me as I pushed my way through the crowd, but I completely ignored them, not even offering a "no comment". The reporters have been constantly hounding us for the past two weeks, and I'm in no mood to deal with them today. I stepped into the first fireplace I came to, flooing to the Burrow without glancing back to make sure Harry, Ron and Mrs. Weasley were still behind me.
I stepped out of the fireplace into the Burrow's kitchen, brushing soot off. Ginny and George were sitting in the kitchen, waiting for everyone to get back. They had been sitting in complete silence. They both jumped up when I entered.
"What happened?" they asked at the same time.
"I have no idea," I said, walking over to the stove and pouring water from the kettle into a mug.
Before I could add the tea bag, Ginny yanked the mug out of my hands.
"What do you mean, 'I have no idea'!" George said.
"Your mom wouldn't tell us anything, she said she would tell us when we got back here," I replied, unfazed, grabbing my mug back from Ginny and adding the tea bag.
Just then Harry and Ron stumbled out of the fireplace, followed by Mrs. Weasley. Harry gripped the back of a chair, doubled over and out of breath.
"The reporters wouldn't let us leave. We had to fight our way out," he said.
"Where's dad?" Ginny asked, surveying the group.
"Yeah, where is he? Why isn't he with us?" Ron asked.
"There was something he had to do first. He should be home soon enough." Molly said, a shadow crossing he face.
The room was silent for a moment, and then George spoke up. "Are you going to tell us what happened?"
"Yes, of course. Why don't you all have a seat." I exchanged looks with Ginny. This didn't sound good. After everyone sat down around the table, Mrs. Weasley spoke.
"After deliberating for about a half hour, the Wizengamot couldn't come to an agreement, so they took a vote. It was very close. 27-23, in favor of zero prison time." There was silence. I was a bit shocked. None of them got prison time? Mrs. Weasley continued,
"They have come up with an alternate punishment." She paused. "All of the Malfoys are on probation. If they break any laws, they will be sent to Azkaban. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy have been sentenced to one year of house arrest, without magic. They will not be allowed to leave their manor for the next year. Narcissa will be allowed to purchase a new wand at the end of the year, but Lucius will never be allowed to use magic again. He will have to do things the muggle way for the rest of his life."
There was silence again. Lucius Malfoy, who despises muggles, forced to live the muggle way? It was very ironic.
"There is something else. The Wizengamot does not believe that Malfoy Manor is a good environment for Draco right now. He has been through a lot, and they want him to be closely monitored. That's why they called Arthur and I back in to the courtroom. They asked us to…. We've agreed to, well…. We have offered to take him in. Draco Malfoy will be living here with us for the next year."
I dropped my mug, and the quiet that had taken over the room shattered along with it.
"What!" Shouted George.
"How could you!" Ginny yelled.
"The Ferret can't live here! He hates us! He'll probably try to kill us in our sleep!" Ron shouted, enraged.
"Enough! I will not have one more word! Draco Malfoy is coming to live with us, and that's final. I expect you all to treat him with kindness and respect. That boy has been through enough, and he doesn't need you lot adding to his trouble!"
Everyone stopped their protesting immediately. Ron looked mutinous.
"Now, Arthur has taken him to retrieve his belongings. They should be here anytime. I want you to make him feel at home, understood?"
Everyone around the table cowered under her famous glare. We all value our lives to much to argue.
