Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be rich and I would have more than 10 worth of savings. Nah, I'm just borrowing them for a while to entertain myself and hopefully others.
Title: At the Beat of a Hammer
Chapter One
Outside it was mid-November and the clouds veiled off the sky, letting a shade of pale gray settle over the earth. The raindrops eagerly bounced off of the windshields of cars and the multicolored umbrellas of the pedestrians. That was outside and things were very different on this side of the walls. The courtroom was rather small, as far as courtrooms go that is because by normal room standards it was a grand room. Its walls were lined with oak panels making the ceiling stand out in it's prime whiteness against the different browns of the room.
The chairs inside the room were lined up in rows of twenty, and nearly every leather seat had a person sitting in it. These people were very unusual to say the least. They were dressed in robes of different colors and styles, with hats on top of their heads that seemed to all lean in the same direction. That wasn't the most distinct thing about them either, each one of the guests was clutching an approximately foot-long stick in their hand, holding on for dear life. As if that thin piece of wood could save them from any troubles to come. Yes, these people were far from ordinary. Truth is, they were all wizards and witches. Every single one of them that were gathered in this room. Also, that piece of wood – a wand – could very much save them from most troubles that could come that way.
A wood panel near the front of the room fell inward and from the gaping hole emerged the judge with a small entourage consisting of the jury walked behind him. A wig of white curls sat atop his head as he made his way to the front. As soon as he was at the center of the small stage, in front of the podium, every person in the audience rose from their seats and greeted him with the respect he deserved. Sweeping his gaze across the magic folk gathered in the courtroom he cleared his throat and began his speech.
"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we are here to honor our community by setting a punishment for a traitor, a person who used us, a person who ran in the same league as the greatest evil – Lucius Malfoy." His fragile hand, withered down with age, gestured at the only man left standing.
His platinum blonde hair was slightly matted as it lay against his back, pulled back with a black ribbon. His eyes were the palest of blue, treading that fine line between blue and gray, and held such malice that it made it almost unbearable to even look at him. Crevices ran along his eyes and near his mouth, the only thing about him that let the judge know that Malfoy Senior was under some sort of stress, the rest of him was neutrally passive since he showed no emotion in his face.
The orange robe that he had to wear during his stay in Azkaban looked positively ridiculous on the richest wizard in the surrounding area, but even his money couldn't buy his freedom this one time.
The judge finished examining the prisoner and with a nod continued to talk. "He was accused of running in the same league as You-Know-Who, of killing hundreds of muggles, of torturing and slaughtering muggle-born wizards and witches, and of treachery. This Death Eater that stands in front of us at this very moment was proven guilty two months ago when we met in September and now it is time to reveal his punishment for those crimes. Our loyal jury has sat for two months and discussed every aspect of the sentence and today they are finally ready to present to you the result of their deliberation."
The judge took a step back, his robes swishing around his thin frame. From his side, a younger man took a step toward the stand and conjured an envelope. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he nervously surveyed the crowd. He knew that this had to be done, and with a reassuring nod from the judge the representative started to talk.
"Thank you, Your Honor. After two months of hard work, me and my colleagues have decided on a punishment that would serve this traitor right. No, it will not be a Dementor's Kiss," he could hear half of the people gathered in front of him groan in disappointment. "It seemed to us to be the perfect thing, but only at first. We realized that the kiss would only last a short while and wouldn't be enough to revenge all of his crimes. We took everything into consideration, and it became clear to us what we had to do. We knew what Malfoy's number one fear was, and we acted upon it. This will cost us a few sacrifices but in the end we decided that it would be worth it.
"The thing that Lucius Malfoy is most afraid of is contaminating his pureblooded family line."
As that was said, everyone's eyes snapped to where the convicted man stood. It was very much visible as color drained from his already pale face. At once, hundreds of different conversations erupted all over the courtroom and the jury representative had to hold up his hand for a minute in order to get everyone to quiet down.
"So, we have decided that while Malfoy Senior will serve his days in Azkaban, his son will help us punish his father. Draco Malfoy will be ordered by law to marry a muggle-born witch. And no, we aren't dooming the family lineage completely for we have picked the most educated girl of approximately his age to become his wife. They will produce an heir and that child will be acknowledged as the official heir to the Malfoy fortune. The witch that will be bound to marry Draco Malfoy by law will be…"
Murmurs spread over the room once more, names were being said, and it took another two minutes to quiet everybody down before he spoke the name.
"…Hermione Granger. The smartest witch to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in almost a century. She has great potential, and so does the young Mister Malfoy, so the two of them being together has great potential for the entire wizarding world. Yes, we know that the Malfoys are of pure blood and that we are putting a damper on their 'purity' but this is what has to be done."
"By my word, let it be law." The judge spoke the words and hit his wooden hammer against it's platform. Just like that, their life was sealed.
However, no one paid attention to what the two men had to say after Hermione Granger's name was said. Part of the gathering erupted in cheers. Another part started discussing the issue. A third part watched Lucius Malfoy be dragged away by the guards after he had collapsed onto the floor. And yet another part was heading out of the courtroom, obviously shaken.
One of the people walking out was Arthur Weasley, the father of one of Hermione's best friends. He thought of the girl as a daughter and it pained him to hear of what she would have to do. "What's going to happen now? I'm almost afraid to even think about it." He muttered to himself and left the building, stopped by no one.
Flashes burst as pictures of the judge and the juror were taken before they headed back into the black hole in the oak paneling, leaving the people to wander about the events of the day amongst themselves.
AN: First chapter, what do you think? It's my first try at fanfiction after a year long break. I hope it isn't too bad. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Thank you.
-Brokken