Happy Holidays loves :)
This chapter is a bit overwhelming. Haha. Oh well. I'm trying to update sooner, but things get a little out of hand with christmas coming and everything...
Here we go then :)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I'm so sorry for your loss. Viktor was a great man, and a great Quidditch player too." said Samantha Dewhurst, her co-worker, while patting her shoulders.
Hermione merely nodded. It was her first day back to work as a researcher in the Department of Magical Research and Development but she didn't really feel like doing anything. She felt a pang in her heart everytime someone would come up to her and say, 'I'm so sorry for your loss,' 'Viktor was a great man' or 'Viktor was a great Quidditch player.'
She tried to feel something, really. but how could she when she didn't even remember him?
It was like one of those times, when you hear someone die in the news. You feel sad for a while, but forget about it eventually because that person wasn't really that close to you.
But they were close, sweet Merlin they were about to get married too...
She sighed.
She had a mixture of different emotions; specifically guilt for not feeling miserable enough, and anger at herself for letting Malfoy win again. She shoved her emotions out of the way and tried to busy herself with her books and experiments.
The laboratory was quiet when she started mixing up the ingredients. Everyone probably thought she needed some alone time and she was thankful for this. She needed to lose herself. She needed to relax or she would go mad. She sniffed the fumes of her potion and smelled the intoxicating scent of the mint herbs. She watched, satisfied, as the potion swirled and turned into a slimey green color.
"Hermione."
She turned and cringed slightly at the sight of blonde hair, accidentally adding a bit more of the pixie tears than necessary.
"Oh no." The potion turned shocking pink this time, the cauldron started shaking and shaking.
"DUCK!" she yelled.
The potion exploded with a deafening sound, splattering pink goo everywhere.
Bugger. Now she had to start all over again. She spat the liquid substance that got inside her mouth, stood up and pursed her lips at the pink mess.
"Harry told me to come check on you." came Luna's dreamy voice. Her clothes and hair were disheveled, covered in pink goo. Hermione chuckled at the sight. She walked over to Luna and hugged her tightly. "And to invite you to our house for dinner too."
"When did you get back?" Hermione asked while grabbing her wand and cleaning Luna's clothes.
Luna was a naturalist. She travelled the world looking for various mad creatures, similar to the Crumple-Horned Snorlacks and Umguburglar Slashkitties or whatever she called them.
"Just yesterday." She replied serenely. Hermione started cleaning the walls. "I just had a feeling you needed help, with Viktor gone and Draco Malfoy back and everything."
Hermione stopped momentarily.
"Oh, so Harry told you?"
"That Draco Malfoy came back? Yes." She took her wand that was stuck behind her ear and started helping Hermione clean the mess. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."
Hermione fidgeted awkwardly. Talking to Luna always made her feel rather uneasy. She didn't know what Luna was thinking half the time and she hardly understood what Luna was saying.
"What makes you say that?" said Hermione.
"A lot of things," she smiled dreamily,"Draco Malfoy's quite evil, but it gives me great comfort that unlike you-know-who, he knows how."
Sometimes Hermione wonders what the world would look like through Luna Lovegood's eyes. She was incredibly open-minded, and she saw things most people didn't see, or didn't want to see.
Maybe that's why Harry fell in love with her.
"How? How to what?"
Luna stared at her although she looked like she wasn't really seeing her. She stared and stared, her protuberant eyes never blinking even once. It really made her feel uncomfortable. "To love, of course." She said nonchalantly, before looking away. "He's just got a different way of showing it."
Hermione stared at the floor in embarrassment. "I—er—"
Luna carefully held a lock of long hair in her hand, examining it dreamily. Her blonde tresses were now highlighted with streaks of pink.
Hermione moved towards her to get the pink goo out of her hair. "Here, let me."
"Oh no," Luna told her, "I kinda like it. Besides, my hair bothers you, doesn't it? It's blonde like Draco's, yes?"
Hermione managed to nod stiffly. She watched, dumbfounded, as Luna started heading to the door, pink highlights and all. She stopped for a while.
"I knew he would come back, because the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end."
She smiled a dreamy smile again, then she was gone.
The room was dimly lit; it was more of a dungeon than a room actually. It might even be underground, because there were no windows, merely torches very much like the ones that illuminated the walls of Hogwarts. There were rows and rows of witches and wizards that were seated around every wall on what seemed to be benches rising in levels, all positioned so that they had a very clear view of a chair in the center. The chair had chains on its arms.
Hermione was sitting at the very corner of the dungeon, hidden in the shadows. She stayed there specifically so she wouldn't be seen by the person who was about to sit in the center chair. She wasn't allowed here, but somehow she convinced Harry to let her come, as long as Malfoy didn't see her.
She could see from the top of everyone's hats. They were all patiently waiting for him, and none of them were talking to one another.
She heard footsteps. The door in the corner of the dungeon opened and five people entered— or at least one man and four dementors. As if it wasn't already cold enough, the dementors seemed to make the dungeon colder.
She fidgeted in her seat nervously at the sight of him, only relaxing when Harry touched her shoulder.
"It's okay."
Somehow those words sounded familiar.
Harry stood from his seat beside her and occupied the empty seat close to the center chair. He wanted to see Malfoy's reaction to all of this. Malfoy sat lazily; he didn't acknowledge Harry's presence. His hands were sprawled in the arms of the chair, his legs were crossed and he looked very much like he didn't have a care in the world—like he wasn't about to be sent to Azkaban or he wasn't surrounded by four soul-sucking monsters.
She wondered how he did it, how he was so calm everytime a situation like this happens. She thought of different reasons; maybe he wasn't really calm, maybe he was just good at hiding his nerves... then again maybe he didn't really feel anything at all.
"Draco Malfoy," said the deep voice of Mr. Alasdair Worden, he was wearing a black hat and dark robes, "you have been brought here by the Council of Magical Law so that we may pass judgement on you for a crime so heinous—" She saw Draco raise an eyebrow "—that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court.
"We have heard the evidence against you. You stand accused of torturing and killing Ronald Bilius Weasley by the use of Moonseed poison," gasps and murmurs errupted from the crowd. He paused as if he was waiting for Malfoy to protest. When Draco didn't do anything he continued, "You were found in possession of the Luteus stone and you were also behind the murders in the Winter Masquerade in Hogwarts five years ago."
"...sweet Merlin, Moonseed? That's impossible to make, that is..."
"...it hasn't been brewed over hundreds of years..."
"...Luteus stone! Is it still inside..."
"...and what poison did he use in the Massacre? I heard they couldn't find a cure..."
"...no cure at all. It destroyed Minerva, having to watch those students die a slow, painful death..."
"...of course it would be nothing short of brilliant, this is Draco Malfoy..."
Draco remained impassive. His handsome face was expressionless but he had a calculating look in his eyes. Hermione felt a cold, sinking feeling in her chest again. Perhaps it was because of the dementors.
"Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pass judgement?"
Draco's lips slowly curled into a smirk.
"These evidences," he said tauntingly, "what are they, exactly?"
"I beg your pardon?" said Worden, slightly confused by his question.
"Kindly elaborate – the evidences you have—against me." Draco said slowly, as if he was talking to a child.
"Oh yes, well," Worden cleared his throat. He placed spectacles in his eyes and unrolled a piece of parchment. He began to read. "The brewing process of Menispermum (commonly known as Moonseed) is incredibly difficult, containing 727 steps over a seven month maturation period. Because of this, Menispermum is rarely used and fairly unknown to most wizards and witches, and is only known to a few pureblood families." He looked up from the parchment. "The Malfoy family is one of the old pureblood families capable of brewing Moonseed. They practice the art of poison-making. Impossible as it may sound, you have the skills to do so."
Draco's smirk widened but he didn't say anything. Hermione was infuriated with the way he was behaving. He was too calm and collected. He was up to something.
"Yes Mr. Malfoy?" Worden looked slightly irritated. Apparently, he noticed Draco's behavior too. "Do you have anything to say?"
"It just seems like you based your accusations on weak evidences." He replied in a casual yet arrogant tone.
The noise from the crowd grew louder. Mr. Worden's face twisted into pure dislike. He stared at Draco with deep annoyance.
"Weak evidences?"
"Do you have any proof at all that he was poisoned?" Suddenly it dawned on Hermione what he was going to do, he was going to manipulate everyone into thinking he was innocent. The sodding git.
Let him try then. He can't possibly worm his way out if this one, can he?
"Nothing?" Draco paused and waited for Worden to answer. When Worden didn't speak, he leaned back on his chair and clicked his tongue. "I'm disappointed."
She desperately wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
"From what I heard, Madam Pomfrey gave him medicine that contained centaur blood. Now there have been cases—rare occurrences, mind you— where wizards and witches die of having to take such a medicine. Weasley's blood is not compatible with the centaur's blood and therefore his body rejected it."
"Hermione said she saw the roses that killed Ron turn black before withering." Harry said loudly. "Care to explain that one?"
This time, Malfoy finally acknowledged Harry. "Ah yes, Hermione. Can she prove it?"
Malfoy stood from the chair and started pacing around the dungeon, eyeing everyone he passed. "Even if Weasley was poisoned, which I doubt very much, there isn't any proof that it was me who did it, is there? I do have motive, yes, but there is still no concrete evidence putting me in the crime scene." He snorted a short laugh. "Hell, I didn't even give him the roses—"
"Your team hit him with the bludger that sent him to the Hospital Wing!" Harry said loudly.
"An honest mistake." He replied. "It's Quidditch, Potter. People get hurt. My team did send him to the Hospital Wing, but that's all. As far as I know, that doesn't amount to murder."
"The Luteus Stone was found inside of you—"
"I thought we already established that I only placed it inside of me because I was forced by Voldemort?"
"What? WHAT? You played Voldemort! You did it to gain more power!"
"Believe what you want Potter, but remember, Dumbledore himself said I was innocent."
He thought about everything. Hermione was about to stand and give him a piece of her mind but Harry beat her to it, he stood from his chair in anger.
"And what about the people in the Winter Masquerade Massacre?" Harry was shouting now. "I suppose you think they just dropped dead of their own accord?"
"Again, there is no real evidence against me." He stopped walking directly at the place where Hermione was hidden for a while. This can't be happening. He was winning. He was manipulating people into his side again. She tried to stand and hex his sorry arse but the person to her right glared at her and reminded her that she mustn't be seen. Draco continued walking. "Aside from the fact that I know how to brew such poisons."
There was a long silence.
Draco finally stopped walking and settled in the center chair again.
"Mr. Potter believes you committed these crimes. He claims you—confessed—that night in the Astronomy Tower." said Worden.
"Coming from someone who accused the Zabinis of being Death Eaters out of spite." Draco sneered at Harry. "Let's all take the Chosen One's word for it!"
Harry looked furious, his knuckles were white in anger. Hermione thought he was going to grab his wand but he sat in his chair again, confirming to everyone what Malfoy had just said.
"What about the Krums?" said a wizard said from the upper left bench. "The Krum Mansion burned to crisp and you suddenly come back from the dead, isn't that a little suspicious?"
"Yes it is," Draco said loudly, more menacing than ever. He seemed irritated at the mention of the name, "but we already know how the Krums died, don't we?"
More gasps came from the crowd. What is he playing at?
"Mr. Malfoy," Worden said in a surprised tone. "Is this...Are you confessing?"
Draco suddenly had a very evil gleam on his eyes. She didn't like it at all.
"Well no, I didn't do anything," he smirked once more. His expression was almost feral, "Viktor Krum shouldn't have stolen what was mine."
Hermione felt her heart race. She felt a mixture of hatred and anger. She saw Harry staring at her with utter confusion on his face. She stared back, trying to tell him she was just as confused as he was. The titters from the crowd were deafening.
"Mr. Malfoy?"
"The Krums died because of this." He threw a small object at Worden and he caught it. He raised it at eye level.
"A ring?"
Suddenly no one was talking anymore. Harry looked dumbfounded. Hermione suddenly felt the need to get out of there.
"Hermione Granger's engagement ring, to be more precise," Draco said with a sadistically happy smile.
"If you're going to blame this on Hermione—"
"Relax Potter."
And at that very moment, Hermione knew the world had ended. She braced herself.
She didn't know how (he wasn't suppose to know she was there), but right now Draco's look was directed precisely towards her.
"It wasn't her fault, really." He continued, still staring at her intensely. He stood up again. "She didn't know I was still alive, so she thought..." He placed his hands on his pockets. "...it's okay to get married again."
The crowd went wild, voices of protest and shock resounded everywhere. She could hear a great deal of them from where she was sitting. A couple of people were already eyeing her in shock.
"...A mudblood married to a Malfoy, unnacceptable..."
Hermione was literally frozen in her seat. She felt at a loss of words, of anything. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding.
"...This is obviously a lie isn't it? Hermione would never..."
"...Poor thing, she probably didn't know about the pureblood tradition..."
"Is—is this true, Ms. Granger?" Worden's voice was the only thing that made sense, the only thing that was clear amongst the whispers. It reeked of disbelief, denial.
"I—I—" She tried to grasp the right words but her mind went blank. What else could she say? The truth was already out.
"Go on, princess." Draco said in mock encouragement. "Tell them how we bonded. Show them my family crest."
"...a traditional marriage bond? That explains the Fiendfyre..."
"...I can't believe this. The Malfoy name has been stained..."
"...and the memory loss too..."
"Tell them you belong to me."
Someone was grabbing her and pulling her to the center space. She didn't know who exactly. It was all a blur of confusion, the smear of colors of different faces blending before her eyes. She usually knew what to do or what to say, but right now she just felt lost.
Grey.
She remembered this feeling. She could never forget.
When the whole world held its breath...
She felt his gentle touch in her skin, felt herself shiver. He took her wand and aimed it at her arm. The crest she tried to hide after all these years was now as clear as ever.
He stared at her once more before giving her back her wand and letting go of her arm.
"The moment she wore the ring, the bond obviously noticed the betrayal." He told everyone in a serious tone. "What magic has bound together, no man can undo. And if any man should try to undo the magic, he, along with his family, will burn to death. I'm sure you know this." He stared at the purebloods and they nodded. "She can't remember him because of the bond too. Betrayal is a grave offence in a marriage bond. I came back to tell her, and to warn the Krums, but obviously, I was too late."
"You're LYING!" She yelled, suddenly feeling her blood boil. "You did this on purpose! You WANTED them dead!"
"Such ludicrous charges." He gazed back at her, smirking again.
"Don't you see what he's trying to do?" Hermione yelled at the crowd. "He's trying to manipulate you into believing him! He's—he's brainwashing you!"
"Now, now, Hermione." He said mockingly. "I'm merely trying to prove my innocence."
"Innocence?" Harry shouted. "You wouldn't know the meaning of the word—"
"STOP IT! THE THREE OF YOU!" Mr. Worden yelled. They all looked at him and kept quiet. He adjusted his spectacles and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
It took a while before he composed himself and recovered from the shock.
"I now ask the jury," he said, his voice slightly shaking, "to raise their hands if they believe that these crimes deserve a life sentence in Azkaban."
A great number of hands were thrown in the air but Hermione shook her head.
It wasn't enough.
He won again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well they didn't have enough evidence to send him to Azkaban in the first place. He was too thorough with hiding his crimes. Aww... :(
My longest chapter so far :p Read and Review!
Care to answer my poll? :)
