Azkaban Prison

Day 30

The first day Hermione marched into his detention room, hand on hip, he hated her. As per usual, Miss Perfect had it in her head that he was a project, and he had no use for any of it. The self-righteous bitch could feel superior on someone else's time, but she wasn't going to fulfill her do-gooder quota on him.

She hadn't said much. She came in, stared him down and asked if he was being treated okay. He grunted a response that seemed affirmation enough to satisfy her and she told him she'd make sure he had a fair trial. He rolled his eyes at that. Leave it to the Gryffindor Princess to believe she had some sort of power over true blue politicians who probably hated her guts anyway. He said nothing and eventually she left, a look of determination on her face.

Day 31

"I didn't know you had an ally in Hermione Granger," Draco's solicitor said, eyebrow raised in question.

"I don't," Draco said, flatly.

"According to the impassioned speech I was given last night in my personal office, I'd say you are wrong," the other man replied.

Draco's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "What did she say?" he couldn't help but ask.

"She wanted to know what case we were making and how to get into contact with whoever would be representing the Ministry for trial. She demanded all the files I have on you and your parents and when I refused she became highly agitated." Draco's jaw was on the floor. "At first I assumed she wanted to threaten me for representing you, but it seems quite the opposite. She wanted to insure I'm competent. I would have found it insulting, but I assume the two of you have some sort of…relationship."

"We most certainly do not," Draco huffed with indignation. The very idea that he could be in any sort of relationship with the Mudblood was preposterous. Ugh. It gave him chills just considering it. Shaking his head, he turned to Goodwin Keddle, the exceptional Pureblooded lawyer his father had hired to specifically work on his case, and declared that he not tell Hermione Granger one damn thing about his case or he'd be fired. Keddle swallowed hard but agreed.

"She isn't a bad ally to have, you know," the older man pointed out.

"Sure. Except if she does help, she'll expect me to lick her dragon-skin boots until the day I die. I'd rather go to Azkaban," Draco insisted.

"If you say so," Goodwin said skeptically.

Day 42

"Have you ever considered, Hermione, that he might not want your help?" Ron countered, once he could get in a word between his girlfriend's ranting. They had in fact, finally decided that they were 'dating' or that was what they were calling it. But between the Hogwarts rebuild, keeping George's shop open, and the insanity at the Ministry, they rarely saw each other.

"Of course, he doesn't want it. He has more Pride than any imbecile i've ever met," Hermione bit out.

"Well, so he doesn't want your help. Let it go," Ron said with a shrug. He, personally, had no idea why Hermione gave one single fuck what happened to Draco Malfoy. Maybe a few years in Azkaban would do him some good.

"You just don't get it, Ron. It's not really about Draco. It's about Justice!" she cried, and she already knew she was talking to a brick wall, but no one else listened either. "This is exactly how genocide starts! Sure, full blown Death Eaters are bad. They killed people. They did so willingly and enthusiastically. But what about people who were just associated with them? What about people who just happen to be born into their families? We just let them be carted off to Prison too? Get rid of all of them, guilty or not?"

"I think you are romanticizing Malfoy quite a bit, love. He was a Death Eater. He did join voluntarily. He let in Death Eaters to a school full of children and nearly killed Dumbledore. It's not like he's innocent," Ron countered.

"And what choices did he have? He was brainwashed. Hell, he might still be brainwashed, Ron, but he never had a choice. Still, he's never killed anyone. He isn't outside of redemption. He made terrible choices when he was offered very little in the way of alternative. That doesn't make him evil. And it isn't fair that he, or anyone else like him, is being scapegoated to cover up the sins of the Ministry!" Hermione argued.

"I don't disagree with you, per say," Ron conceded. "But we cannot fix what's broken with the Ministry. All we can do is try to move on. They are just Death Eaters and Death Eater families. It's not like they can change."

Hermione huffed in frustration. The problem was, most of the population agreed with Ron. They were just Death Eaters. Who cared if they got proper legal due process. Better safe than sorry.

Day 60

He should have seen it coming. The Daily Prophet had been hinting at it for weeks. But when Two burly Aurors hoisted him up by the armpits and practically carried him out of the room that had been his home for two months, he was gobsmacked.

"Where am I being taken?" he demanded, which as much authority as one could while being carried like a baby by two men twice his size.

"Azkaban," one grunted.

Draco's heart raced and he felt like he might puke. No one was supposed to be incarcerated in Azkaban unless they were convicted. The law stated that the charged would be remanded in Ministry detention until trial. He had no idea what was going on, but something was terribly wrong. What if they simply decided he didn't get a trial? That was illegal, but he worried there wasn't much to stop the current Ministry from doing whatever it wished in the name of sweet sweet vengeance. He was a Death Eater after all.

If there was no trial, did that mean he'd never be free too? At that thought he did retch and puke all over the shoes of the guard on his left. He could tell the man was not amused.

"Kingsley!" Hermione cried, but the man she'd considered a friend dodged her as he swiftly made way for the employees only lift. "Kingsley!" she shouted again holding up the Daily Prophet in her hands. "Ahhh!" she grunted in frustration kicking the side of the lift as the doors closed on her. She was steaming mad and, at the moment, her ire was directed at her old friend who neglected to inform her of what was coming in regard to the treatment of Death Eaters and families of Death Eaters by dictatorial decree of the newly formed Wizengamot.

She looked down at the paper again, almost unable to believe her eyes.

Wizengamot Reforms Lenient Laws to Insure Safety of Wizarding Britain

Last night, the new fully formed and vetted Wizengamot met in emergency meeting to deal with what has been labeled the 'Death Eater Problem'. As previously reported, there are an estimated 100 Death Eaters in Ministry Custody and as many as 50 at large. That does not even include family members of Death Eaters who are likely be harboring the same violent and racist tendencies.

In an effort to cut costs and show respect to the dead and the justice they deserve, the Wizengamot passed a motion that would:

1. Allow the Auror Department to detain potential Dark Wizards indefinitely. This will cut the bureaucratic red-tape required to bring criminals to justice as well as keeping society safe as the Ministry builds its case.

2. All persons of immediate blood relation to known Death Eaters must register with the ministry and put a trace on their wand. These persons will not be allowed to travel outside of the country without special documentation and proof of intent to return.

3. Pureblood students at any of the accredited schools within Wizarding Britain will be required to enroll in Muggle Studies and will participate in at least one organized field trip into the Muggle world.

4. No Purebloods may immigrate into Wizarding Britain without first being vetted by the newly formed Department of Tolerance and Understanding. For security purposes, there will be a limited number of visas for Purebloods from other countries.

The Prophet has been assured that safety and security is of paramount importance to this new Wizengamot, and they will continue to work to maintaining the Peace and prevent the tragic events that resulted from letting Pureblood Terrorism go unchecked in the name of Political Correctness.

Hermione was ready to spit nails. She could not believe anyone, let alone one-hundred and fifty seasoned politicians could be this stupid. They had, essentially, undone every single liberal legal reform that anyone had ever fought for in the history of Wizarding Britain, overnight. Now, being Pureblood made you as suspicious in the eyes of the Ministry as being a Muggle-born had only two months ago. It was astounding how they could get away with this with any kind of credibility at all.

The Ministry just never seemed to be able to get anything right. They fucked up every single thing they touched. Forget the fact that this was essentially taking a supposed privileged class and trying to punish them as a whole, regardless of their own personal accountability, this went to the very core of criminal justice. People not even guilty of violent crimes were being locked in the hell hole known as Azkaban indefinitely. What that place could do to your soul…Hermione shuddered. She could still hear Sirius' screams in the night as he slept through nightmares.

More than that, simply the bad luck of being born into a family that was considered 'Dark' made you a second class citizen! It was a gross injustice, and Hermione and to admit she hasn't seen it coming. She knew the Wizengamot would deflect criticism of the Ministry into 'vengence' trials, but she had hoped that they would at least maintain the rule of law and the common sense judicial reforms Wizarding Britain had enjoyed for over a century - barring the martial law that prevailed during the Wars with Voldemort. And on top of even that, now being Pureblood made you suspicious all on it's own. Forget that the fucking Weasleys were Pureblood and never had a Muggle-born met as strong an ally as that whole family, but many of the people who fought valiantly against Voldemort and his Death Eaters were Purebloods. Those men and women certainly did more to end the war than Ministry officials who were busy holding pointless and illegal tribunals against Muggle-borns!

Her felt her throat closing up with rage. She wanted to kick or punch something. The Wizarding world was at a crossroads and it looks like it was going to be lost in a sea of paranoia, fear, and political pandering.

She'd been working with a number of Death Eaters' kids and extended family since she decided to take on the project of insuring they all had safe trials. Malfoy, of course, was not cooperative, but there were other former Slytherins who knew that an alliance with Hermione could only help them and allowed her access to their files. She wondered if they'd been carted off to Azkaban or let go. She'd need to find out just exactly who'd been incarcerated and start from there. She could scream at Kingsley another time.

Day 62

He was cold, hungry, tired, and that wasn't even the worst of it. Azkaban was worse than his most detailed nightmares. Vaguely, he'd wondered what the prison was like when his father was incarcerated there those long months during his Sixth Year, but the older man would never discuss it. He assumed it was no picnic since his father came back much less enthusiastic about the Dark Lord's plans and much more withdrawn.

However, he could not imagine this. The Dementors, who for some reason still were allowed to guard the prison, though they had joined Voldemort in the final battle, were so much worse than words could describe. As they passed his tiny cell, he'd go ice cold and visions would overwhelm him.

It wasn't as if Draco's life had been sunshine and roses. People might have thought it was. Sure, he was rich. Sure, he was Pureblood. But he lived in a strict home with a strict code, and that often led to harsh punishments and certainly meant he was not coddled. Still, his mother had always been loving, but the Dementors took that from him. The only thing he remembered when they were around was his father's harsh tongue, constant criticisms, and occasional corporal punishment.

Then there was Snape. Professor Snape, for all is faults, was a guidepost for Draco. The man even killed Dumbledore for him - though he'd come to learn it was all part of maintaining his cover as a spy. Still, he owed Snape everything. Snape had saved his life countless times, and saved his soul that night in the Astronomy Tower. The despair he felt at knowing he'd never see his Potions Master again felt like a new gash of pain every time the Dementors forced his mind to remember that the man was dead and he was never coming back.

Dumbledore's death played over and over in his mind, and, of course, those horrible hours when his Aunt Bella tortured Hermione Granger on his Drawing Room floor. Her screams echoed in his head until he wished he could die to escape them.

He couldn't eat. They brought slop to his door once a day, but he couldn't shovel it down. Not with the Dementors constantly floating by and removing his will to live. The tattered sheet he got as a blanket did nothing to fight the bitter cold that had settled into his bones and he really wanted to die. It had only been two days. He was never going to make it.

Day 63

"I don't really mind having to go through the paperwork if it means we are safer…" Ginny said, uncertainly.

"One, we won't be safer. Two, whether you mind it or not, it's still wrong," Hermione said.

"But maybe Voldemort came to power because not enough people were paying attention to what Purebloods were doing and saying," Ginny countered.

"And maybe treating Purebloods like second class citizens would have driven even more people to Voldemort's ranks," Hermione replied.

"Touche," Ginny said. "I just want this to be over." Her voice sounded tired. "I'm sick of being afraid all the time. I'm sick of worrying about what's behind every corner."

Hermione smiled sadly and hugged her friend close. "The best way to stop being afraid is to just stop being afraid. The world is safer now. The real threat is the Ministry. Voldemort is gone. His followers are mostly captured. You are more likely to die in a broom accident than from a Death Eater today."

Ginny smiled at that, "You and your anti-broom fear mongering."

Hermione chuckled. "You people are psychotic for riding those things willingly."

Day 65

Hermione bit back tears as she left Azkaban. It took five days but she was finally able to negotiate visitations for prisoners without the Demeanors present. She'd never been to the prison before, but it was so much worse than she imagined.

There was no level of hygiene upheld. Prisoners were given nothing more than a hose shower once a week, and that was not the worst of it. She'd seen Theo Nott Jr. and Pansy Parkinson while she was there. The former had technically joined the Death Eaters upon his graduation from Hogwarts but he was no more 'Dark' a Wizard than anyone else. He was born into the group, his father insisting he join. That was enough to seal his fate. Pansy, not a technical Death Eater, has been incarcerated for treason for her suggesting that the school turn Harry over to Voldemort to save themselves. Hermione shook her head. A scared 17 year old girl was now indefinitely locked in prison for suggesting a boy she didn't like might need to be sacrificed to save herself. It was insanity.

Neither prisoner looked well. Both were haggard, thinner, and clearly disturbed. It hadn't even been a week. She had no idea how they would manage for the months it might take to reverse the Ministry's illegal act of imprisonment. In the back of her mind she wondered about Malfoy. Pansy and Theo said they hadn't seen him but had heard he was there. Apparently prisoners were not allowed to interact. On top of everything, they were all alone. After figuring out how to overturn the law, she was going to fight for prison reform. This was inhumane.

At the moment, the captured Death Eaters had all been transferred to Azkaban along with a few choice Slytherin, like Pansy, who has been turned over by community members. Hermione was still trying to figure out who'd turned over Pansy. It made for about 120 new inmates, most of which had never experienced Azkaban's horrors before and all of which had not stood proper trial. When the Ministry used Azkaban to lock up the likes of Lucius Malfoy after the Department of Mysteries debacle, it made some sense. There was no way to insure that Voldemort didn't have enough people inside the Ministry to break prisoners free in seconds. Now, the Dark Lord was gone. There was no reason to avoid due process. This was injustice, and it would not stand.