-HP-
"Bring forth the defendant." Kingsley sounded like a broken record most days. Lucius strode in looking much the same as yesterday, if a little more ragged around the eyes. He looked oddly triumphant, which possibly had something to do with his finding out about his wife's sentence. For all the faults the family had, Harry envied them their loyalty.
It was another long day. The witnesses for Lucius' trial continued well past lunchtime, and it was 3 o'clock before Harry was even called to the stand. He could feel molten grey eyes on him as he took the witness chair and took the oath, but forced himself not to look in their direction.
"So Harry." Kingsley was positively beaming. Clearly he knew Harry would be the final nail in the coffin. "Tell us, did you have any contact with the defendant during the Second War?" The 'Second War', as it was now formally called, officially began the night Voldemort rose from the dead in Harry's fourth year. Which essentially meant he'd be on the stand for a while.
And he was. He talked for over an hour, and it was exhausting and liberating at the same time. He dredged up painful, dark memories that he had tucked away into the furthest corners of his brain, but somehow telling this nameless, faceless crowd was easier than it had ever been with Dumbledore.
"The last time I saw Lucius, was at the final battle at Hogwarts, but I had no direct contact with him. I saw him, next to Voldemort, but I heard he slipped out before the real fighting began."
"Speculation." Harry controlled the growl in his throat, forcing himself to stay quiet.
"Thank you Harry. Have you anything else to say regarding the defendant and his actions?"
"Er… no. No that's it." Kingsley nodded.
"Very well. Let's…"
"Wait!" It was Lucius, and his interruption was clearly unexpected as Kingsley took several seconds to react.
"Yes, Mr Malfoy?"
"I have the right, to speak on my behalf." Lucius said, as confident as his wife had been. The Minister of Magic looked a little put out, clearly unable to think of a reason to not let the man speak. Defendants were obviously allowed to make a statement, but few did, as the word of an alleged Death Eater was worth less than the paper it was written on these days.
"Very well. You may speak - you have 15 minutes." Kingsley said wearily. Lucius gave him a look that could freeze ice.
"I will only need 5." He sneered, before turning to face Harry. There was no doubt who this last ditch effort was aimed at. "Potter. I know you're not as stupid as you look. The evidence against me is… overwhelming. I will not plead for my life, as Malfoys do not beg. But there is no shame in pleading for the life of my son." Harry felt his stomach drop as he realised where this was going. "I know your insufferable Gryffindor heritage will force you to tell the truth at my son's trial, but I swear to you if you utter one word of a lie, if you embellish one insignificant detail that ends up putting him away, I will make you regret it. Do not let your prejudices blind you from the truth of what is going on here, of what the Ministry is trying to do. They are trying to regain control, order – they are handpicking who gets to be free, and who goes behind bars. Have you ever asked yourself who gave them that right?"
"That's enough!" Kingsley boomed, cutting Malfoy off before he said any more. Harry tried to not let the queasiness he suddenly felt show on his face. That was certainly not what he'd expected Lucius to say, but it hit a little too close to where his thoughts had been over the last couple of weeks. And Kingsley, judging by the vein throbbing at his neck, probably thought so too.
"What are you so afraid of Kingsley?" Lucius sneered, so quietly it was almost impossible to hear. But Harry heard it.
Later, after Lucius had been marched away (the vote was a unanimous guilty excepting Harry, who had abstained from voting) he could not shake those final words out from his mind.
-HP-
Harry ate at the Weasley's that night – although it was really just Molly and Arthur. All the Weasley children were out, having either moved out permanently (Bill, Charlie, Percy) or temporarily to rebuild Hogwarts (Ron, George, Ginny). The death of Fred had hit them all hard, but it had improved since the funeral. Molly didn't cry every time she saw Harry any more, and George had apparently cracked a joke last week according to Ron.
"Everything go all right today then Harry?" Molly said pleasantly, bustling around the kitchen as she prepared their dinner (beef stew and potatoes).
"I suppose." Harry tried not to sound too gloomy. "Mr. Malfoy was sent to jail." Molly looked up from the pot she was stirring, giving Harry one of her 'concerned mother' stares.
"You sound unhappy about that dear. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm good. It was just, he was just… a bit unsettling. He said some things about the Ministry at the end that were a bit…."
"Too close to home?" Molly finished, surprising Harry once more with her intuition.
"Well, yeah actually."
"That doesn't surprise me. A lot of the Death Eaters, before You Know Who first rose to power, they were a bit disgruntled with the Ministry at the time. A lot of them used it as a defence in their trials after the first downfall." Harry perked up, relieved he was finally getting some information, even if it did seem a bit left field.
"Why?"
"Well, after the Grindelwald incident, the Ministry got a bit freaked out you see. This was before my time mind you, but my mother used to tell me stories. They forbid all sorts of magic, even grey magic, afraid that people dabbling in it would wind up going dark. We lost a lot of knowledge, according to mother. It was during that time a lot of the really serious prejudices against dark creatures started. Werewolves, vampires – forced to be registered and tracked all the time. Fear does strange things to people Harry."
"Don't I know it." Harry said. It surprised him that he'd never heard this before, but then he'd never really asked many questions about what had happened prior to Voldemort's downfall. And he'd definitely never asked many questions about Grindelwald's rise to power, despite the eerie similarities.
"It's not an excuse though, for what they did." Harry continued. "The Ministry can be painful sometimes but you can't… you can't just stage a violent coup and hope for the best. Especially when it's led by someone as insane as Voldemort was." Molly winced, as she always did, at the name. Old habits die hard in the Wizarding World it seemed.
"Well no, of course not. But they were hard times Harry. It was hard to know who to trust. And we all lost friends. I knew a vampire, growing up – he was the sweetest man you'd ever meet. Excepting Arthur of course." She said, blushing prettily. "He and his family – he was vampire by birth you see – well they were taken one day. Never heard from them again."
"What? Why would Voldemort kidnap vampires? I thought…"
"Oh no Harry. It wasn't… wasn't You Know Who. It was the Ministry. Two unspeakables showed up, broad daylight. Took them away on brooms for some reason." Harry's mind absorbed the shock of this news, trying to piece it together into his view of the Wizarding World.
"But then, of course the vampires went over to Voldemorts side – and all the other dark creatures."
"Well, yes it was one of the reasons." Molly said thoughtfully, if a bit reluctantly. "Voldemort still saw impure creatures – not pure blood Wizards that is – as inferior. But they still had magic in their veins, so for that reason he saw them as… well… worthy I suppose. Worthy of some rights, if not all."
"And the Ministry didn't?"
"Not at the time. Things got better, slowly. New blood came up through the Ministry. But the prejudices remained. Look at what happened to Lupin." Molly's voice caught on his name, and Harry felt this chest tighten painfully. Don't cry, don't cry. You were done with the emotional crap remember?
"Right. I guess I thought it had always been like that." Harry said slowly, fighting the prickling behind his eyes.
"Sadly not. For centuries before, sure, but the 20s was a huge time for creature rights. And then it all came undone." Molly sighed, turning back to the pot. "Oh dear, I think I've overcooked this. Be a dear and hand me the bowls will you?" Harry got up to help, and let the conversation fall away. He had plenty to think about.
Later that night in bed, Harry was unsurprised that he couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about the trials, and the outcomes. Whether they were predetermined or not. About Lucius' warning earlier that day, and what Draco's trial would be like tomorrow. Harry was a fool to think he'd sleep easy after Voldemort. His life was cursed with the worst sort of bad luck.
-HP-
Harry could actually feel the sweat dripping down his forehead and it was mortifying. Sitting in the courtroom, waiting for the remaining Wizengamot members to take their seat, he could not understand why he was so on edge. But that wasn't true, not really – he was stressed because he wasn't ready to face what was about to happen. Narcissa, she had been easy. An open and shut case, her record almost white it was so clean. Lucius had been easy too. His record was black as his shitty soul.
But holy hell, Draco was a complex shade of grey.
"Thanks again for joining us. I appreciate your time, I know these trials have gone on longer than expected. We expect to wrap up today, so you can all get back to your day jobs!" Kingsley said the last line like it was a hilarious joke, and predictably the members of the Wizengamot laughed dutifully. Harry plastered an increasingly fake smile on his face. "Bring forward the defendant."
Draco Malfoy looked more like his mother than Harry could ever recall at Hogwarts. He was pale, and far too thin of course, like they all were – but also oddly composed. It was not the air of self-important righteousness that his father wore which clung to him now, but the effortless grace that Narcissa perfected.
"Draco Malfoy, you are on trial for actions committed during the period known as the Second War. Do you understand the seriousness of the allegations brought before you?" Kingsley boomed once Malfoy was seated.
"Yes." Draco said coolly. It was borderline indolent, and Harry couldn't help but compare the calm of the boy before him to the spineless weasel he knew. To all appearances, it looked like he had accepted his fate.
To everyone's surprise but Kingsley, first up as a witness was Narcissa. Someone had obviously bribed someone somewhere to get her up first.
"Narcissa, given your prejudice to this case you are to speak only of events which you personally are the only sole witness left alive to testify. Can you please relate to the Wizengamot the events you described to me, which occurred two years ago?"
"Yes, yes I can. Lucius…" Her voice wavered briefly, less confident than for her own trial. "Lucius had just been sent to Azkaban after the attack on the Ministry. The Dark Lord was… less than pleased. He called Draco and myself to his presence. Said he had a special job for my son – I knew it was a trap. He was punishing us for my husbands… disobedience." She said the word slowly, carefully.
"And what was the special job he asked of Draco?"
"Draco was attending Hogwarts at the time. He asked him to… to murder Albus Dumbledore." It was not news by any stretch of the imagination, so Harry for the life of him couldn't understand the collective hush that took hold of the Wizengamot.
"Very well. What happened next?"
"I knew, knew Draco couldn't do it. He's just – he was – just a boy. The Dark Lord had set him up for failure. So I took desperate measures, calling a meeting with Severus Snape." Harry recalled the memories of their meeting from the Potions Masters' pensieve, but as quickly as they came he forced them away. Now was not the time. "Bellatrix, my cousin, was there with us. I asked Severus to perform the Unbreakable Vow, to swear that he would help Draco accomplish this task and, in the likely event Draco couldn't do it, perform the deed himself." More stunned silence, broken only by awkward whispered mutterings.
"Very well. Are there any more events you'd like to relay to the court this morning Mrs. Malfoy?"
"I… I'd just like to say my son is a decent man. He was just a boy, when he did these things."
"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy." Kingsley was almost rude in cutting her off, but it was probably in her best interest. Anything she said would most likely only poison the Wizengamot's opinion of Draco.
As Narcissa was led away, Kingsley called the next witness, Katie Bell. Her testimony was short, and to the point. Having been familiar with the events of the cursed necklace, Harry took the time to study Draco, who had looked thoroughly bored since the trial began - although he'd a least sat up in his chair when his mother was on the stand.
After Katie, Professor Slughorn took the stand. Harry wandered if perhaps this was why he'd been loitering around the Ministry yesterday, but then he'd have no reason to hide it. Everyone knew the Great Harry Potter was attending the trials as a temporary member of the Wizengamot.
To Harry's great delight, McGonagall took the stand next. He felt like a little kid again, desperate to wave and get her to notice him. She was far more reserved on the stand, answering only specific questions directed at her. Harry thought that she was doing it on purpose, as her own form of rebellion, and he secretly marvelled that he hadn't thought of it before.
When they broke for lunch, Harry shuffled out with the others – and was delighted to see McGonagall out in the corridor waiting for him.
"Mr. Potter." She said cordially, ever with the formalities.
"Professor. Good to see you." Harry smiled warmly.
"I thought perhaps you might like the company of an old friend for lunch." Harry tried not to sound too eager as he nodded, leading the way down to the lifts.
"So how are you? How is Hogwarts?"
"Still a mess, I'm afraid." Harry was so grateful she was being honest he was momentarily stunned into silence.
"Is it fixable?" He finally asked.
"Oh, eventually yes. We'll have a castle again. But I'm afraid it won't be the same. So much of the magic in the walls, it was old magic that has been lost to us for centuries."
"I'll be honest with you Professor, I probably won't miss those moving staircases." Harry said with a grin as they exited the lift and walked across the atrium to the food cart.
"I hate to break it to you Potter, but they're the one thing that probably will stay around." McGonagall said with her small, almost imperceptible smile. "And by the way Potter, it's Headmaster now."
"Oh, sorry P… Headmaster." Harry said with chagrin. "I forgot."
"Perfectly understandable. Now, how are you finding these trials?" She sounded exactly like Harry did when he was fishing for information from Arthur. Harry glanced around them, making sure there was no one else around before answering.
"To be honest Professor, something doesn't seem quite right. They seem almost… rehearsed. Kingsley treats the whole thing like…"
"A game?"
"Well, yes. Like it's a chess game and he's, almost, in charge of all the pieces. I know that sounds stupid but…"
"No, actually, it's the most thoughtful thing I've heard in weeks." Harry let out a breath he did not know he'd been holding. "I have had a similar… sense… about the Ministry's involvement in the reconstruction of Hogwarts." She dropped her voice as two Ministry employees walked past them.
They halted their conversation as they each grabbed a sandwich from the food cart, before heading to the fountain where Harry had sat yesterday. With the trickling of water next to them, they could have a relatively private conversation. Harry – ever the cautious one after his final year hunting horcruxes – flicked his wand and cast a quick muffliato just in case.
"P… Headmaster, why would the Ministry want to be involved in the reconstruction of Hogwarts?"
"Well, it's more than just the reconstruction. It's appointing the new Professors, restocking the library. Reviewing the curriculum."
"The curriculum? What was wrong with the curriculum?"
"According to the Ministry…" McGonagall began, and Harry was surprised at the bitterness in her voice. "… the Hogwarts curriculum is unsuitable, uncontrolled and in dire need of review."
"Unsuitable? As in dangerous? This sounds like Umbridge…"
"It's more than that Potter. They want to introduce a new subject called 'Wizarding Law'. Teach all the students about the Ministry and how it works and why laws are so important."
"And you mentioned the library? New appointments?"
"Yes, the Restricted Section has been removed, unsurprisingly. And there will be a number of new faces come September 1st next year, not all of them qualified but all Ministry approved." Harry felt the pit that had been sitting in his stomach all morning grow a little wider. It was worse than he feared. McGonagall continued. "Do you know what they're doing to the defendants on trial who are released?"
"Yeah, the monthly parole meetings, forbidden from employment at the Ministry… stuff like that right?"
"Potter, I have reason to believe they're tracing them."
"Tracing?"
"Magical trace. It effectively tracks their movements, the spells they cast. It is the same trace put on underage witches and wizards."
"But you're not sure?"
"I have… friends, still in the Ministry. Members of the Order I still consider loyal and trustworthy. But no, I cannot say I know with certainty."
"What are we going to do Headmaster?"
"I don't know. If I were you Potter, I would keep my head down and continue to attend the hearings. Be a friend to the Ministry and to Kingsley."
"Headmaster, is Hogwarts definitely re-opening in September?"
"Yes, that it was one issue where the Ministry and I see eye-to-eye. It has never been more important to restart the school and restore some normalcy. But I would trust you to keep that quiet for now, until all the formalities have been dealt with." Harry nodded, pleased to be in the know for once rather than outside of it.
"And, what about us? The 7th years from last year who… missed out." Harry finished lamely, trying not to sound too eager.
"Most likely, although again I trust you to be discrete with this information for now, the 7th years will be given the option to return for their final year. As the battle occurred before students could sit their OWLS or NEWTS, I think most 5th and 7th year students will be repeating their year." Harry couldn't hid is smile. Going back to Hogwarts would definitely help to restore his mood.
"But you will still take on new first years?"
"Yes, I'm afraid we must. The castle will just be a little more crowded for a few years, but it is manageable." A comfortable silence descended, but Harry knew even before checking his watch that he was running late.
"I better go, Headmaster. It was good to see you."
"And you Potter." She said with a weary smile. "Don't forget what we spoke about. Don't mention it to anyone else just yet, and don't put it in any letters either." Harry nodded, knowing she was referring to this correspondence with Hermione and Ron. Good. Now I know something they don't.
-HP-
He was greeted by numerous disgruntled stares as he made his way to his seat. Avoiding Kingsley's glance, he sat down and waited for Draco to be brought out.
"Bring forth the defendant, and the next witness, Neville Longbottom." Harry sat up immediately, trying not to enjoy the look on Malfoy's face as they paraded Neville past him. Surely this was the most exquisite karma fate could possibly serve up for the blonde Slytherin. The Gryffindor who he had bullied for years now had his very life in the balance.
"Neville, we understand you were at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry last year with the defendant. Can you please describe to the Wizengamot the defendant's behaviour during your last year at Hogwarts."
"S…sure Minister." Poor Neville was too obvious in his attempts at not catching Draco's stare. The Slytherin had his usual aura of calm about him and it was making Harry itch to punch him in the nose. "I… the school was supervised by the Carrows last year. Right from the beginning, they showed favouritism towards the Slytherins. It started off small, extra detentions, deducted house points. But then they called for volunteers for a 'Patrol Squad', and that's when it got really bad. The whole squad was made up of Slytherins, and Malfoy – er Draco that is – was their leader. They patrolled the school at nights, terrorising people after curfew."
"Can you give us a few examples Mr. Longbottom?"
"Yes." He was getting more confident now as he told his story. "We set up a counter-squad you see. Members of the DA…"
"Of the DA?" Kingsley interrupted again.
"Dumbledore's Army. It was a group we started up in fifth year – Harry…" and here Neville gave him a warm smile "he taught us all defence spells in secret. We called ourselves Dumbledore's Army as a bit of a joke, but the DA saved our skins in our final year. We would patrol at night, preventing the Patrol from doing too much damage."
"One night, I was patrolling the second floor corridor when I saw Malfoy and his cronies – er, Crabbe and Goyle that is – surrounding a first year student. They were holding him upside down using a spell, and they were taking turns casting curses on him. Nothing, nothing permanent, but the kid was crying. They were asking him questions about the DA, trying to name names. I called for back-up – we had a system with these enchanted Galleons – and approached them. They sneered at me, told me to go back to my dorm, but I didn't back down. Eventually Dean and Seamus showed up and they let the kid go. He was pretty freaked out."
Harry, who had not yet had the chance to sit down with Neville and hear about the events from last year, felt his skin grow cold. He had imagined their last year had been bad, but he'd never imagined Malfoy's involvement had been so brutal. Did he do that to protect his parents? Was that about loyalty, or was he just rotten all the way down to the core?
Neville told a few more anecdotes, similar to the first, before he too stepped down. It was 2 o'clock and, predictably, Harry was called up as the final witness. Fuck, here we go. Another day, another Malfoy.
As he was sworn in, Harry finally took the chance to look straight at Draco. Their eyes locked, and Harry felt himself begin to sweat again. Seven years of rivalry, of insults and fights and duels, clashed in a single instant. Vaguely he heard himself nod in response to the swearing in, before taking a seat. He was pleased to see that Draco had sat up for his testimony. Good, be afraid.
2 and a half hours later and Harry's voice was hoarse from talking. How he had more to say about Draco than his father was beyond comprehension, but there it was. He was honest, almost monotonous in his retelling. His voice caught only once, when he reached the moment on the top of the astronomy tower when Dumbledore fell. He made sure the court heard that Draco lowered his wand. He lowered his wand dammit. The gits a coward. He wouldn't hurt anyone, not for real.
"Thank you Harry. I appreciate your testimony, I know it has not been easy these past few days." Kingsley gave him a smile that almost made Harry feel like he genuinely cared. Harry gave him a tired one in return. "Is there anything else you'd like to say on behalf of the defendant?"
There it was, the moment. It dangled in the air between them, thick as wool, and Harry suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
"I… I… think he deserves a second chance." The words were out before Harry could stop them, and he realised they came from somewhere inside him that he was trying to ignore. It was the same part of him that felt the surge of pity for the boy in their 6th year. Don't look at him, don't look at him.
"Why is that Harry?" Kingsley seemed a little uncomfortable, probably because this turn of conversation was not in his little pre-arranged set of moves. Check mate Kingsley. You can't control everyone.
"I… I was forced to do a lot of things I'm not proud of over the years. A path was laid out for me that I never really chose. And I think, I think it's not so different for M… Draco. Most of what he's done, was to protect his parents. There were only two chances he had, to do something truly unforgiveable, and he… well he chickened out both times. He lowered his wand, and he didn't rat me out when Fenrir brought me in. I'm not saying he's… good. I'm just saying he needs a second chance." The silence was immense, and it took all of Harry's self-control to not look at Draco.
The words had their effect. The room rippled with whispers and mutters, as people took in what Harry had said. Perhaps it was his ego finally settling in, but he felt that perhaps his voice carried some weight in that room – that in the end it made the difference. He would never know for certain, of course, but the Wizengamot did declare Draco Malfoy not-guilty by one, single vote.
Kingsley was visibly displeased.
-HP-
"Ah, Harry – can I have a word with you?" It was Kinglsey. Oh Merlin, he sounds just like he did after the first trial when he told me off for that smart arse comment about toads.
"Sure, Minister." Harry heard McGonagall's voice in his head, telling him to behave, as he headed into another adjacent room after Kingsley.
"First of all Harry, I'd just like to say how very proud we all are, of your efforts during these testing times." Ah, the proverbial 'we'. This isn't going to end well. "I know it hasn't been easy, especially that last one." Harry knew he was supposed to keep his mouth shout when Kinglsey got in these moods, so he dutifully nodded. "And I know you have a good heart, and we'd all love it if we could declare them all not-guilty and give them a second chance... but some of these men did very bad things. And we must be merciful, yes, but we must also protect the Wizarding Community. We must keep them safe. People expect that of the Ministry, do you understand Harry?" Harry thought he understood rather too well.
"Don't you think, Minister, that people should have more of say in how they're protected?" The look on Kingsley's face made it clear he definitely did NOT think so. Harry immediately regretted saying anything.
"People… people don't always know what's best for them Harry."
"I, I suppose I understand that." Harry said thoughtfully, although he really didn't.
"I knew you'd understand." Kingsley was all smiles again. "Excellent. We only have a few more trials before you're due back at Hogwarts anyway! That must be exciting."
"Er… I hadn't really thought about…"
"But of course you'll be going back. Have to get your NEWTS so you can come join us at the Ministry after all, eh? Just between you and me, there's a spot on the Auror program with your name on it…" Kingsley gave him a conspiratorial wink and nudge. With nothing better to say, Harry just smiled stupidly at him. "Now I better let you go before Arthur worries himself into old age!"
Back outside the courtroom door, Mr. Weasley was clearly fretting. As soon as he spotted Harry his face broke into a relieved grin.
"Ah, Harry. You had me worried there for a moment!"
"Sorry Arthur." Somewhere in the last few months Harry had stopped calling them Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. It no longer seemed appropriate. "K… The Minister just wanted a word."
"Yes, yes of course. Not to worry." Arthur smiled as Kingsley nodded by way of farewell.
"Till next time Harry." He said as he walked away.
"So." Arthur was itching for news. "I heard the barmiest rumour that Malfoy Junior escaped custody thanks to your testimony! Is that true?"
"Well, I don't know if it was my…"
"Nonesense! That's all anyone could talk about. You actually said he deserved a second chance? Blimey Harry, that was awfully big of you."
"Well it just sort of, slipped out." Harry said weakly, trying not to feel like he was justifying himself too much.
That night, Harry lay awake – again – and tried not to think too hard about whether or not he'd done the right thing.