A/N First off, an explanation for the long gap between this chapter and the last. I had a family bereavement last month and I've been occupied with that.

So *deep breath* here we are. I wrote this chapter over a year ago. I was bored in work one day and started thinking about Mrs Malfoy (I think I was on Tumblr). I suddenly had an image in my head of Mrs Malfoy meeting Harry in jail after the war. As a result, this fanfiction was born. Everything in this fanfic stems from this one chapter.

When I first sat down to write this chapter, I was like, 'Yeah, that'll be grand. That's a great idea.' Now, sitting here a year later, I'm a little terrified. This chapter (part 1 and 2) sets the tone for the rest of the story. So, no pressure on me at all.

Yikes.

Hope you enjoy.

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They landed in the Atrium of the Ministry. Harry gripped Audrey's arm when they landed to let her know where he was.

They took off immediately. Percy and Audrey walked beside each other; Harry following close behind. He regretted his decision to hide under the cloak. It was hard to navigate while trying to remain hidden. Workers were pouring into the entrance hall as business opened for the day; they stumbled out of the fireplaces or popped out of nowhere via apparition. Harry had to dodge and duck to avoid bumping into anyone.

Harry stared round at the Atrium. It looked the same as it had last year when he, Ron and Hermione had broken into the Ministry to find a Horcrux, but there were a few subtle changes. The horrible fountain Voldemort had erected was gone; the Fountain of Magical Breatheran was back. Harry noted that the fountain looked different. When he'd last looked at the statue, the figures of the elf and centaur had stood in awe of the statues of the witch and wizard. Now the elf stood beaming at the Ministry workers. The centaur stood in a battle stance, bow and arm ready to fire. Harry suspected the statue had been changed to reflect the Ministry's new liberal outlook. He noted that, despite the positive changes, the witch and wizard still stood on a higher plinth than the elf and centaur. They were the centrepiece of the fountain.

Along with the fountain, the other change Harry noted was the amount of wanted posters hanging on the walls. WANTED: WALDEN MACNAIR, WANTED: EVAN ROSIER. WANTED: THRANDOS NOTT.

The blinking, scowling faces of the Death Eaters glared at anyone that walked passed them. Harry felt a slight chill as he stared into the dark eyes of Macnair, the Ministry's old executioner. The posters were a harsh reminder that some of Death Eaters still remained at large.

Harry tried to keep one eye on Audrey and Percy as they wove through the crowd. Percy was wearing a smart navy suit. Audrey had donned her Advocate robes: a long, black, open fronted gown with wide sleeves. She wore a white, collarette over a tunic coupled with a black suit top and black pencil skirt. Audrey had told him her robes were like a muggle barrister's robes. She said she even had to wear a wig to court when she appeared in front of some of the judges in the higher courts.

Bill and Mr Weasley had told Harry that Kingsley had learned a lot while working for the Muggle Prime Minister. He'd apparently been so impressed by the muggle court system that reformation of the wizarding justice system had been one of his top priorities when he took office. Most of the reforms he'd pushed through were influenced or copied from the muggles. The move, Bill said, had infuriated every pure blood fanatic in the Ministry. Most of the Wizengamot had pushed back against the move, furious that Kingsley wanted to copy the Muggles. Bill said that a lot of wizards and witches had refused to become Advocates.

As he caught up with Percy and Audrey, Harry heard them having a stiff, awkward conversation.

"...so you've been at the bar for four months?"

"Yes."

Silence

"Did you ever think of trying out for the Ministry's Advocate Programme?"

"Yes. I didn't get in."

"Oh."

Silence.

"You worked for Barty Crouch, didn't you?"

"What? Oh. Um. Yes."

Silence.

"Didn't you work for Cornelius Fudge when he was Minister?"

"Yes...what's that face for?"

"What? I'm not making a face."

Silence.

Harry chuckled. He sensed that Audrey wasn't that fond of Percy. She'd been cold towards him since they said goodbye to Charlie. Percy, in turn, didn't seem to like Audrey very much. Harry suspected it was because Audrey wasn't prim or proper like him.

They crossed the Atrium and arrived at the Ministry lifts. Audrey and Percy stopped walking. Audrey turned her head slightly to the left and said, quietly, "Harry, if you're behind me, take my arm and don't let go."

He reached out and held on to her forearm. When the next empty lift arrived they darted into it. Percy quickly pushed the button to close the lift gates. "So sorry!" he said to a furious Ministry worker, the gold gates slamming shut in his face, "In a bit a hurry!"

Audrey pushed a button and the lift began to descend. She looked nervous.

"The holding cells are in the ground floor of the Ministry," Percy explained. Unable to see where Harry was, he eyed the area near Audrey uncertainly. "Kingsley felt it was better to house any remand prisoners here rather than in Azkaban."

"How many people are being held down there?" Harry asked.

"A couple of hundred," said Percy.

"There's another holding cell," Audrey said, "for magical creatures. It's in Scotland."

"Do Advocates represent magical creatures?" he asked.

"Not yet," said Audrey. "The matter's currently out for consultation."

Harry thought about what Hermione would say if she knew magical creatures were being locked up without legal representation.

The lift grinded to a halt; the doors swung open to reveal a large, low ceilinged room. A number of Advocates stood waiting for the lift. Some of them greeted Audrey cheerfully.

"Alright Audrey?"

"Hi Sheppard! "

Audrey smiled at the Advocates in greeting as she stepped out of the lift. Harry pressed himself against the wall to avoid touching anybody. He darted though the doors as they began to close. The Advocates inside the lift chatted and laughed as it headed upwards.

"If we're caught we're dead," Percy muttered, nervously. He stared at the spot where the lift had stood and gulped. "If they catch me I'll have to work a muggle job. The Ministry will never hire me again."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Well, we're going to have to work really hard not to get caught, aren't we?" she said.

Percy threw her a withering look. He fidgeted with his tie and glanced around at their surroundings. He looked uneasy.

"Calm down," Audrey told him. "Nothing's happened yet. We're fine." She walked straight past him looking irritated. Percy glared after her.

"Bit intense, isn't she?" Harry said to him, happily.

Percy jumped. He had obviously forgotten that Harry was there.

"You can say that again," he mumbled.

The room they had entered was large and empty. The walls were painted white and had the distinct look of recent construction. The room was bare apart from two signs on the walls that signposted different parts of the cells. There were two corridors leading away from the room in different directions. One sign, indicating left, read, 'TO: Custody suites, consulting and interview rooms, Chief Constable and reception desk. The sign on the right read, 'TO: Holding cells.'

Percy and Audrey took the corridor to the right. Harry hurried after them.

"Prisoners that need to be held for a short period, say if they're drunk, get kept in the custody suites," Percy told Harry. "Sometimes people are held here when they've been arrested for a minor offence."

"The Malfoys are in the holding cells?"

"They've been held here on remand for months. The holding cells are where all the bad boys go," said Audrey.

Harry stared around at the variety of posters that adorned the corridor wall. Most of the posters featured pictures of Advocates and MLE Officers alongside various slogans. 'HAVE YOU REMEMBERED TO SIGN IN WITH OUR MLE OFFICERS?' 'HAVE YOU CHECKED THAT ALL PROTECTIONS SPELLS ARE IN FORCE?'

They reached the end of the corridor to find another, much smaller, room. Unlike the entrance hall, the room held a large desk, manned by two older wizards in dark robes. Both men were middle aged, white, gruff looking and bald. One man was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry noted with anger that the front page read, 'POTTER, WEASLEY AND GRANGER YET TO COMMENT ON TRIAL.'

How is that even news, Harry thought.

Audrey made a move to walk to the desk but Percy got there first.

"Hello," he said enthusiastically to the two men, "I'm here on behalf of the Minister to conduct a brief survey of the holding cells. I believe our Department left a message with you yesterday and I'd be grateful if you could show us in. "

The two men who manned the desks shared a blank look. The officer reading his newspaper looked irritated. He eyed Percy, in his smart navy suit, with contempt.

"You what mate?" he asked Percy. "Repeat that again."

"I said," Percy explained in a patient voice, "that I'm here on behalf of the Minister and..."

"On behalf of the Minister?" the other man said, frowning. "We haven't been told about that!"

"Yes you have," Percy looked irritated. "My office sent a memo yesterday and..."

"We got no memo here mate," said the other man.

"I beg your pardon sir but that's clearly untrue and.." Percy said, going red.

Audrey rolled her eyes and took a step forward.

"Gary, Andrew!" she said, interrupting Percy. "Are you well?" She leaned casually on the desk with her elbow and beamed at the two men.

The officers' faces broke into warm, friendly grins.

"Right, Sheppard?" one of the men said.

"There you are!" the other man cried. "I was just saying to Gary this morning about you! I haven't seen you about the Cauldron lately. Are you well yourself? How's that father of yours?"

"He's fine thanks," said Audrey, happily. "They're keeping him busy up in Manchester. How's that daughter of yours? I heard she's due to have her baby in a few weeks?"

Andrew beamed. "She's doing great thanks," he said. "Can't believe I'm going to be a granda, again."

"What you doing down here, Aud?" Gary asked. He nodded at Percy. "You're not working with this one, are you?"

Percy frowned at Gary, annoyed that he'd been reduced to the phrase, 'this one.'

Audrey grinned. "I am!" she said, happily. "I'm here to assist Mr Weasley here with a report. Big investigation into how the holding cells are managing. Minister's really keen to see if his reforms are working, you know?"

"You're working for the Minister, are you?" Andrew said, smirking. He let out an exaggerated low whistle. "Don't think you'll be up for having a drink with the MLE on Thursday, will you? You're hanging about with posh people now."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "I'm as posh a bag of fish and chips. I seem to remember that I drank you under the table last time we all hung out," she said to Andrew. "I seem you remember you flooing your wife to tell her pick you up."

"Oh shut up," said Andrew. Gary roared with laughter.

It was like Percy wasn't there. He stood silently watching the exchange with ill conceived embarrassment.

"Can you let us in?" Audrey asked the two men, grinning. "I better leave before I embarrass Andy more."

Andrew got out of his seat and walked around to a large door on the right hand side of the room. He tapped the door with his wand. The door swung open.

"Thanks lads!" said Audrey, brightly.

"You free later on?" Andrew asked her in a low voice. "The wife and I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure!" said Audrey. "I should be free about five? I'll meet you both in the Cauldron."

"Sounds great. Thanks Sheppard."

Audrey beamed at Andrew and walked through the door. Percy followed, a scowl on his face. Harry hurried after them. He managed to get round the door just before Andrew closed it.

They had entered another small room with a set of spiral stairs that led downwards. Percy and Audrey made a beeline for them.

"You could have let me talk to them," Percy said to Audrey.

"Why?" Audrey retorted. "I know them, you don't. My Dad's in the MLE."

"You didn't have to make an arse out me."

"Believe me you did that by yourself."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and arrived in another large, low ceilinged room. The walls of the room where made of red brick. The room was lit by large candles that floated from the ceiling. The room consisted of a wide open space and a large, long corridor that led off into the distance.

The only person in the room was a middle aged white man who sat at a small desk in the corner of the room. He wore a dark suit under dark robes. The man's face was hard to see in the dark room but Harry could make out a long scar on the left hand side of his face. The man was hard looking, rough around the edges. He looked like the sort of man that had never had a belly laugh in his entire life.

An Auror, Harry thought.

Obviously keen to be seen as useful, Percy took another step forward.

"My name's Percy Weasley," he said. "We're here to meet Muldover?"

The Auror eyed Percy and then flicked his eyes to Audrey.

"I'm Muldover," he said. "Where's Potter?"

Percy and Audrey looked round. Harry pulled the cloak down from his face.

"Is there anybody else here?" he asked. He didn't want to take the cloak off completely if other people were gong to be walking about.

"Nobody else is scheduled for a visit for another hour," said Muldover. "You can take that cloak off."

Harry hesitated. He didn't know Muldover. He wasn't entirely sure he could trust him either. What was an Auror doing helping the Malfoys? Had he been paid off by them, or was he a sympathiser?

"I'll keep the cloak on, thanks," he said.

"Suit yourself," Muldover replied, shrugging. He got out of his seat and walked to the middle of the corridor. "Percy Weasley and Audrey Sheppard?" he asked, staring at them both with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," said Percy, coldly. He dug into his shirt and produced a badge on a piece of string. Harry imagined it was his Ministry ID. He'd seen Bill and Mr Weasley wear them around the Burrow.

Muldover looked at Audrey. She produced the same sort of ID from around her neck.

Muldover nodded. "Follow me," he said. He turned on his heels and walked down the dark corridor.

"Let's get this over and done with, shall we?" said Harry, marching past the other two and pulling the cloak back over his head. He saw Audrey and Percy share a dark look.

Muldover led them down the corridor. They passed a large number of wooden doors that were dotted along the walls. Harry guessed the cells lay behind the doors. It was weird, he thought. The corridor alone probably held at least thirty prisoners, but there was no noise. The corridor was so quiet he could hear Percy's shallow breathing.

They turned to the left and followed Muldover to a door half way down the corridor. Muldover knocked on the door three times.

"This is you," he said to them. "When you're done, send out Robbin to get me. I'll get you out of here."

He tapped his wand against the door; it swung open slowly. Harry stepped inside the room and took off his cloak.

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He was standing in a small room with a high ceiling. The walls were made of brick but were painted white. Harry glanced upwards. The ceiling looked like the open sky. Harry was sure this was a charm. It reminded him of the ceiling at Hogwarts.

His eyes landed on the three people sitting at a long desk in front of him: Mrs Malfoy, a dark haired man that must be their advocate, and, to his surprise, Draco Malfoy.

He stared at Narcissa. He started to break out in a cold sweat. He was suddenly back on the Forest floor again. How had he forgotten how the ground had smelt? Like dirty water, moss and shit.

Narcissa Malfoy looked different to Harry. Her face was thinner, the cheekbones on her face were more pronounced. Her blonde hair was longer than ever. Despite this, she still looked as haughty and arrogant as ever. Her eyes moved from Harry to the people standing behind him, Percy and Audrey. She raised an eyebrow.

Harry stared at Draco. He wasn't looking at Harry but staring pointedly at the wall. Harry could only make out part of Draco's face. He'd lost a lot of weight; his face was sunken and dull looking. His hair was greasy and unkempt.

He stared at Mrs Malfoy's lawyer. Robbin was of Chinese descent, tall, broad shouldered with messy dark hair. He looked like he was in his early thirties. Like Audrey, he wore Advocate robes. His facial expression was serious, worried. He sprung up from his seat as Harry, Percy and Audrey stepped through the cell door. "Close the door, Muldover," he said, sharply.

Harry turned. Muldover stepped out of the room. His eyes rested on Harry as he shut the door. After a few seconds the lock in the door clicked. They were locked in.

He turned around. Mrs Malfoy was still staring at him. Her eyes bore into his.

"I'm Audrey Sheppard, Mr Potter's Advocate." Audrey took a step forwards and shook the Malfoys' Advocate's hand. Harry noted the change in her voice. She no longer sounded bubbly and sarcastic, her voice was serious and poised.

"George Robbin," the Malfoy's lawyer replied. He eyed Audrey curiously.

"I'm Percy Weasley," Percy stepped forwards to shake Robbin's hand. The lawyer gripped his hand back.

"I'm here as cover for Miss Sheppard," said Percy. "I work for the Minister. Our story is that we're here to do research for a report we're commissioning."

"Ah. Interesting," said Robbin, not sounding interested at all.

Harry wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. He was still staring at Narcissa. She couldn't take her eyes off him. As the others talked she cocked her head slightly to look at him. Her eyes flickered to the scar on his forehead. Her face was impassive.

Harry clenched his fists. He could feel himself starting to get angry. Why wasn't she saying anything?

"Please sit," said Robbin, conjuring chairs out of thin air with wand. The chairs landed on the other side of the desk. Harry took the middle chair facing Mrs Malfoy, Percy took the seat in front of Draco, Audrey sat facing Robbin.

Mrs Malfoy continued to look at him. Her gaze bore into his.

"I haven't seen you down here before," Robbin said to Audrey. "I think I've seen you in the Magistrates Court though. Were you down there for an Occupation Order a few months ago?"

"Yes. I do quite a bit of family law."

"I wouldn't be down at the Magistrates very often," Robbin's voice was pleasant but there was tone of bravado to it. "I tend to spend most of my time at the Crown Court."

"Oh. How interesting," said Audrey, perfectly imitating Robbin's response to Percy a few minutes earlier.

"What the hell do you want?"

Audrey and Robbin stopped talking.

Harry had had enough of the Oxbridge pleasantries. Throughout their Advocates' conversation he and Narcissa had continued to stare at one another. Her eyes hadn't left his face. She was gaping at him like he was an interesting painting.

He was fed up. He'd risked a lot to come down here and all she could do was stare at him. He wanted this over and done with.

Narcissa's face remained emotionless. She glanced at Draco before she spoke.

"Patience Mr Potter," she said. Her voice was arrogant but it was cold and weak.

Robbin coughed meaningfully. "My client is very grateful that you agreed to meet her," he said.

Harry ignored him. He continued to stare at Narcisssa.

"What do you want?" he repeated.

"Who else knows about this meeting?" she asked. Her eyes drifted to Percy.

"The Weasley family and Hermione Granger," Harry replied. "You're not answering me. What do you want? You've some gall asking me to meet you here."

She leaned back in her chair and eyed him sharply.

"I asked you because I knew you would come," she said. "You pay your debts. I read in the Prophet that you're campaigning to have Severus Snape's portrait hang in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts." She nodded at him. "I owe Severus Snape a great deal," she said. "If I could pay him back I would."

He glared at her irritably. "I didn't come here to discuss Snape," he said. "You've got a minute to explain what you're up to or we're walking out of here right away."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her stare was cold. Harry wondered if any warmth or happiness had ever shone out of her eyes.

Narcissa leaned back in her chair and shook her head.

"I've often wondered," she said, sighing. "If I should have lied for you, if I should have told the Dark Lord you were alive."

"Having second thoughts?" asked Harry sarcastically.

She paused. She stared at his scar. "No," she said, "but I often wonder what would have happened to me. You tend to think these things over. I have so much free time now."

Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "If Voldemort had won you would have been celebrated, lauded. Your husband would be back as Voldemort's right hand man," he said. "The entire country would be under your control."

She blinked. "You think that?" she asked. "You think we would have flourished under the Dark Lord?"

"Well, yes." He frowned at her confused. He got the impression that wasn't the answer she wanted. Her face was curious. She looked like she wanted to contradict him.

"What do you want?" he asked, exasperated.

She unfolded her arms. Harry noticed that Robbin nervously wrung his hands. He had gone pale.

"I need you to do something for me," she said.

"If you think I'm going to lie for you," said Harry, "if you think I'm going to say you didn't do any of the things you're accused of you've got another thing coming."

"Hmm," she said. "I can see why you might think that."

He glared at her. She was infuriating. Was she being this disingenuous to annoy him?

"I'm not some idiot that'll risk his own head just to get you out of jail-"

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"...I didn't ask you save me. I didn't ask you to lie to Voldemort..."

"Mr Potter," she said, interrupting him, " I want you to lie for me. But not in the way you think..."

"I'm not lying to anybody!"

"I want you to omit from your statement that I lied to Dark Lord for you."

"I'm not doing it. I'm not-wait what?"

He wasn't sure he had heard her. He stopped mid sentence and gaped at her.

"I said,"she repeated, "that I want you to omit from your statement that I lied to Voldemort for you. When the Judge asks you relate what happened when I went to check your body you will tell him something else."

"But..."

"You're also going to omit from your statement the fact that my son lowered his wand when he confronted Albus Dumbeldore. You're going to neglect to mention that my son told Albus Dumbeldore that he had no choice but to try and kill him, that he was under threat from the Dark Lord..."

Draco suddenly came alive. He kept his face turned towards the wall but he snorted and let out a derisive laugh.

"You're going to leave out that my son recognised you and your friends at our house and didn't say anything. Your friend Miss Granger is going to leave out the fact that my son was visibly upset by her torture, that he asked my sister to stop what she was doing..."

"Wait...what?!" Percy spluttered. He looked horrified. He looked between Harry and Mrs Malfoy with his mouth open.

"...you're going to forget to mention that you caught my son in a state of distress in the Hogwarts toilets in your sixth year. As far as you are concerned by son was a willing participant in the murder of Albus Dumbledore."

Harry stared at Draco. The part of his face that was visible was furious. He was grinding his teeth, his fists were clenched at his sides.

Narcissa paused. She let out a shuddering breath. "You're going to do this for me because you owe me. Because you wouldn't be sitting there if it weren't for me."

He was pretty sure his face was frozen in a gobsmacked expression. He glanced at Percy. He looked stunned.

He looked at Audrey. She was staring at Narcissa with an incredulous look on her face. After several seconds she turned to look at Robbin. Mrs Malfoy's lawyer was staring at the desk. Harry could tell from his expression that he wasn't happy with his client. He looked annoyed.

Harry looked back at Narcissa. He had so many questions that he felt unable to speak. For a few seconds he opened and closed his mouth silently like a goldfish.

"What?!" he burst out, finally.

"I'm not going to repeat myself again," she said. "You heard me."

"This is madness," he heard Percy whisper.

Harry gaped at Narcissa. He couldn't believe this. She wanted him to lie about the fact that she'd helped him.

She wants me to keep her in jail.

"I don't get it," said Harry. "Why do you want me to do this? Surely...surely you helping me helps you? The fact that your son was under duress helps him! Why aren't you screaming this from the rooftops?" He looked at Robbin. The Advocate looked away from him pointedly.

She let out a hollow laugh. "You're naieve as I thought," she said. "I'm sure you can tell, however, that my Advocate agrees with your point of view." She threw Robbin an irritable look. Robbin put his head down and continued to make notes on his parchment.

Narcissa let out a nervous breath and folded her arms across her chest. For the first time Harry saw fear cross her eyes.

"I don't understand," he said. "Explain."

"My actions allowed you free reign to take down the Dark Lord. I lied to him. I put him at a strategic disadvantage. If I'd been honest with him he might have killed you there and then. I betrayed the Dark Lord. If this information gets out I will be killed. If the world really knew what happened between Draco and Dumbledore my son won't make it to his twenties. Do you understand? My family will be murdered."

She took deep gasps. She unravelled her hands and placed them together on the table. They were trembling.

"What happened in the Forest between you and Voldemort is not well known. There are rumours, speculation floating around, but nobody really knows what happened. Many of the Death Eaters that were there are dead, a few of have fled. Anyone else that was there is in this prison with me. Rubeus Hagrid has, thankfully, kept his mouth shut. He's being called as a witness in this trial as well. I'm told that he's been advised to stay quiet for fear of being held in contempt."

Harry leaned back in his chair. He wanted to say something but couldn't form a sentence. He'd come to this meeting expecting Mrs Malfoy to bully him into helping her get out of prison. Her request had thrown him; he felt like he'd just missed a step on the stairs.

She wants you to lie to the court. She wants you to send her entire family to jail.

"This is...this is insane," he said. "You want me to hide something that could redeem your family. I don't get it. You helping me could help your family's reputation."

Draco looked round by a fraction of an inch to look at him. Narcissa fixed him with a steely look.

"You really think that?" she asked him.

"Yes!" he cried. "Also, if it's true and you think you'll be danger if this gets out, how are you any safer in jail than you are in your own home?"

"There are Aurours in Azkaban now," she said, "walls with protection from the outside world. We'll have our own jail cells. After we spend time in jail we can return to our lives. There will be no questions about our loyalty to the Dark Lord."

He mouthed wordlessly at her. Her logic was ridiculous.

"If I hadn't approached you would you have told the court about my actions?" she asked.

The truth was that he hadn't really thought about Mrs Malfoy and what she'd done to help him. Ironically, the forest had been on his mind constantly. Since the war ended he'd been living in a sort of numb, dream state. At night he couldn't go to sleep without remembering how it felt to walk through the Forest to his death; what it was like to feel the air on his face and know that he would never feel it again. At night he would remember looking into his mother's face and asking her what it was like to die. Sometimes he woke up at night in sweat, remembering how it felt to face Voldemort, to feel the curse hit him. He'd had panic attacks remembering the cold feeling that had seized him when he walked through the forest. Narcissa's actions hadn't crossed his mind.

He thought about the trial and being called as a witness. If Mrs Malfoy hadn't approached him would he have told the court about what she'd done? Yes, he thought, yes he would have. She'd saved his life. She'd helped him defeat Voldemort. Everyone wanted to know what happened in the Forest with Voldemort. It was inevitable that he'd have to talk about it at some point.

"Yes," he told her, "yeah I would have talked about it."

She nodded grimly, her suspicions confirmed. "If this information gets out my family will be labelled blood traitors, scum, mudblood lovers," she told him. "I am a Black. I am a Malfoy. We are members of the sacred twenty eight. I will not have us dragged down because my actions."

"But...you helped me," he said. "That's...that'll help you, surely?"

"I keep a very different company to you Potter," she said. "The people you know might think saving you was a good thing. The people I know would consider it base treachery. The Wizarding World supports your actions against the Dark Lord but you are naive to think that they are all bleeding heart liberals like you. They aren't. They hide it from public view, they whisper their views at home and, like me, they care about blood, they care about status."

Harry looked at Audrey. She was watching the exchange with a frown on her face. Harry noticed that a quill and paper lay in front of Audrey; she was taking a note of everything said in the meeting. Audrey nodded at him encouragingly-keep talking.

"What will you do if I don't help you?" he asked. He wasn't as naive as she thought he was. He wasn't stupid enough to think her request didn't come with a price tag attached.

"Well, I could threaten to have somebody hurt you," she said, airily, "but I'm not stupid enough to believe that will work. No. If you don't help me you'll have to live with the fact that you didn't repay your debt to the woman that saved your life. You'll have that on your conscious for the rest of your life."

Harry glared at her. He hated that he was so predictable.

"I don't know why you're hesitating," said Narcissa, shrugging. "This is a win-win for you. If you agree to help me, my family go to jail and you will continue to be everybody's favourite hero."

"Harry this is ridiculous." Percy spoke up. "Surely you can't believe any of this?"

Harry looked at Percy. Perhaps it was because he'd just found out about Hermione's torture, he was gazing at Mrs Malfoy with immense hatred. His lip was trembling.

"Your opinion isn't wanted Weasley," hissed Narcissa, glaring at Percy with great dislike.

"This meeting is a farce," said Percy, "your words are pathetic. Do you really expect us to believe that you want your actions covered up? Your family have always been liars and manipulators. This meeting is a sham."

"Percy..." said Harry, warily. Mrs Malfoy looked incensed.

"If Mr Potter has any concerns with his meeting he can address them through his lawyer," Narcissa spat at Percy. "This meeting has nothing to do with you."

"I'm here with Harry and..."

"You're here with Mr Potter because your presence allows him entry to this prison," she sneered at him. "Why did you volunteer? Trying to make up for the fact that you abandoned your family for two years? Trying to be useful given how little you did for the Order of the Phoenix?"

Percy looked as though he'd been punched in the face.

Harry glared at Narcissa. "Shut up about Percy," he snapped. "If you say anything else about him I'm walking away."

"So you're considering Mrs Malfoy's request then?" asked Robbin, curiously. Narcissa leaned back in her chair and considered him. There was a small, triumphant smile on her face.

Harry said nothing. He wasn't sure what he thought. He was so taken aback by the turn of events that he couldn't think straight.

"I..."

"Harry," Audrey stood up, interrupting him, "we need to talk in private. " She looked at him reproachfully. Harry caught her meaning: don't say anything unless you've cleared it with me. Harry saw her glance at Percy and Mrs Malfoy. Percy was trembling with fury. His face was red and he was glaring at Mrs Malfoy with something close to hatred. His hand was on his wand.

Audrey nodded at the corner of the room. Grateful for her intervention, Harry got up out of his chair. He tapped Percy on the shoulder to tell him to follow.

They crowded into the corner of the room. Percy's mouth was in a thin line. His face was stony and angry. He glared at the wall of the cell, his mouth twitching.

"Harry," Audrey whispered, "we need to talk about what's going on, what's she's asking you to do."

He sighed. "What am I getting into here?" he asked. "What am I facing if I do as she asks?"

Audrey took a deep breath. "When you make your statement you'll have to swear an oath. If you lie on your statement you'll be committing perjury. We might be able to avoid that, but even if we do, you'll still have to give your evidence in front of the judge. If you lie in the witness stand you'll perjure yourself."

This didn't sound very appealing to Harry at all. He glanced at Mrs Malfoy, she was watching him while Robbin whispered in her ear. Draco was still staring resolutely at the wall.

"What are you thinking?" Audrey asked him. "You can just walk away you know. You don't have to put up with this."

Harry didn't know what he was thinking. He was still thrown by Narcissa's request; he'd been completely blind sided. He'd come to the meeting expecting her to blackmail him into getting her out of jail. He hadn't expected this.

His thoughts went to Hermione and the argument they'd had the other day. For some reason her angry, disappointed face was clear in his mind. She'd been furious at the idea that he might help Mrs Malfoy get out of jail. Harry had never seen Hermione so upset with him before. He hadn't slept the night after the argument, worried that Hermione thought he didn't care about what she'd been through at Malfoy Manor. He'd promised her that he wouldn't help the Malfoys escape jail.

If you do as Mrs Malfoy says you could send them all to jail for a very long time, a voice in his head said.

He hated to admit it, but Mr Weasley had been right. This meeting and everything about it had made everything more complicated. He should never have agreed to it. He should never have put himself in this position. Harry felt like he was trapped in a small room with very little air. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

And yet...Harry hated that Narcissa knew him so well. He hated that she knew exactly what to say to him to make him listen to her. He hated the idea of doing anything to help her, but he couldn't deny her offer was appealing. If he did what Narcissa asked, she and her family would spend a long time in jail. The justice he, Hermione and Ron wanted would be done. He had nothing to lose from the arrangement.

With this in mind, there was something Harry couldn't deny: he felt uncomfortable. If he did what Mrs Malfoy asked he'd get what he wanted but the idea of doing it left him feeling cold. Was it the right thing to do? Mrs Malfoy had helped him. By helping to cover up her actions he was condemning her to jail for a long time. If the world really knew what Narcissa had done there was a chance she would be set free or serve a shorter sentence. If the Ministry knew what Narcissa had done to help him that might even have an affect on Draco and Lucius' sentences.

Harry hated Narcissa. He hated her smug, superior attitude, born only of her sanctimonious belief that she was better than everyone else. He hated that she had fallen into line behind Voldemort, that she had stood by and done nothing while Hermione had been tortured. He hated her wealth, her status, her belief that blood should be pure. She hadn't come out of the war with her hands clean. She had done wrong.

Harry wasn't naive enough to think that Narcissa Malfoy had helped him because she was, underneath it all, a good person who wanted Voldemort to be defeated. Harry knew the family's support for Voldemort had only started to decline once they fell out of favour. Harry was certain that Narcissa wouldn't have helped him had her family had still been well thought of. If she'd had Draco by her side she might not have cared what happened to him at all. He thought about Mr Weasley's words: 'You can bet your bottom galleon she wouldn't show you as much compassion if the roles were reversed.'

Did her actions towards him wash out her other transgressions? No. Did it mean she shouldn't go to jail at all? He wasn't sure. There are shades of dark and light in everybody, thought Harry. Narcissa Malfoy wasn't a nice person but she wasn't evil either.

He thought about Draco. Narcissa wanted him to lie about his actions during the war too. She wanted to rub any good deed he'd ever done from the record. She wanted him to go down in history as being Voldemort's greatest supporter, a cold blooded criminal who had planned Dumbledore's death out of his own malice.

Harry disliked Draco just as much as he disliked Mrs Malfoy. He thought Draco deserved to face punishment but he knew that Draco had only done the things he was accused of because he'd been forced to. Draco wasn't a killer. He hadn't wanted Dumbledore to die. He'd lowered his wand before the Death Eaters had appeared. He hadn't wanted Hermione to be tortured, Harry's head spun with that new information.

Mrs Malfoy didn't want the world to know about Draco's true nature. If Harry agreed with Mrs Malfoy's plans he'd be sending Draco to jail for the rest of his life. Nobody would ever know about the frightened boy that had cried in the Hogwarts toilet because Voldemort wanted to kill him.

Harry hated this, hated the position Narcissa had put him in.

If you do as she asks you'll never have to hear from her again, a voice in his head said. You can do what Hermione wants, what everyone wants.

Was this what Hermione wanted, what Ron wanted? What Harry would have given to have his best friends by his side.

"What do I do?" he asked Audrey and Percy. "What do I do if I want to do as she says? Do I give her my word or..."

Audrey glanced over Harry's shoulder to look at Mrs Malfoy. Percy, who was still glaring angrily at the wall, looked at him dully.

"You can give Narcissa your word but I doubt that'll satisfy her," Audrey told him. "She'll probably ask you to enter into some sort of agreement."

"That doesn't sound very appealing."

"Not if we use it to try and get something from her," said Audrey. "If you agree to do this, we need her to give you something in return."

"What about Draco?" Harry asked. "Will I have to make an agreement with him?"

"Yes," said Audrey. "If you're going to get up there and lie about what he did then he needs to agree that as well. We can't do it without him."

"I think it's best if I keep my mouth shut," said Percy, sadly.

"Come on Perce," said Harry, "I value your opinion."

Percy shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

"If it were me," he said, a fierce look in his eyes, "I'd do as she says. Put her and her whole family in jail for a long time. If they want to go down in history as You-Know-Who's greatest supporters, let them. "

Harry looked at Audrey.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Audrey looked taken aback.

"I'm your lawyer," she said. "Harry I wouldn't feel right offering my own opinion."

"Please. I don't mind."

Audrey sighed. She put her hands into the deep pockets of her gown.

"I know you hate her," she said, "and I think if I were you I'd be tempted to take the deal she's offering you. But it's Narcissa Malfoy, isn't it? I'd be wary of doing any deal with her."

He sighed. He'd hoped Audrey and Percy would have the same opinion.

"Let's find out what she wants," Audrey told Harry. "Let's find out how she wants to secure this."

Audrey approached Robbin.

"If my client agrees to this how is this going to play out?" she asked. "What are you looking for? A contract, an agreement?"

Robbin glanced at Mrs Malfoy.

"My client wants Mr Potter to make an unbreakable vow with her and son."

Draco made a low growling noise in his throat.

"No!" said Harry. "No way!"

Her eyes glittered at him. She looked annoyed.

"My client needs some guarantee that your client isn't going to go back on his word," Robbin told Audrey.

"Say he does decide to co-operate," said Audrey, "How about a solemn declaration?"

"No. I need more than that. A magical oath?"

"He's not stupid. He's not going to agree to that. It's one step down from an unbreakable vow."

"What do you suggest?"

"A contract."

Robbin raised an eyebrow. "What sort of contract?"

"My client will agree to omit the information about the forest and to never mention this agreement in court proceedings. In return, your client will agree that she'll never ask anything of him again, that his debt to her is paid, that this meeting never happened. As long as she performs her end of the bargain, he'll agree to perform his."

Robbin looked at Mrs Malfoy. She nodded in agreement.

"What do you think Harry?" Audrey asked.

Harry looked down at the floor. He saw Hermione's face, her tears. He remembered how she'd screamed when Bellatrix had tortured her.

Could he really do this? Could he really lie for the Malfoys to keep them in jail? If he did this he'd be entering into a magically binding contract. He couldn't back out.

"Don't rush this Harry," Percy murmured. "Take your time."

Why had he agreed to come to this meeting? What was he doing? Why hadn't he just listened to Mr Weasley?

"What about my request with regard to Draco?" Narcissa, sharply. "You haven't mentioned that Miss Sheppard."

"If my client is going to do this then he needs Draco to agree that he's going to stick to the same story. We'll need Draco to sign an agreement as well."

Draco suddenly turned around his chair fully for the first time. Harry gaped at him. Audrey and Percy gasped.

Draco's face was the picture of despair. Half of his face was covered in bruises and large welts. One of his eyes was swollen and red.

"Draco who did this to you?" Percy asked, shocked.

Draco ignored Percy. He stood on his feet and glared at his mother.

"I've had enough of this," he said. "I'm not doing this anymore."

Mrs Malfoy glared at her son. "Draco," she snarled, "sit down. You will do as I say."

"No," he said, "I'm done. I'm not playing along anymore..."

"Draco stop this!"

"No! You're ruining us! You're destroying us! If Potter does as you ask I'll be spending the next 15 years in jail! I'll never have a life again!"

"Draco they will kill us!" Mrs Malfoy sat up straight in her chair. Her face was white. She looked terrified. "They will murder us in our beds! We'll be traitors for the rest of our days. Our reputation..."

"Fuck our reputation!" he snapped. "I didn't want to kill Dumbeldore! I didn't want to kill Weasley or that Katie Bell! I didn't want Granger to be tortured! I'm not going to jail for it!"

"Draco, please..."

"I'm not doing it. I'm not agreeing anything with Potter. I'm not going to jail." He kicked his chair aside and stormed around the table. He brushed past Audrey marched to the cell door and banged on it three times. He turned around to face Harry.

"Don't do it Potter," he said. "I'm going to have my say. You lie on your statement and I'll fight you in open court."

"Draco get back here now!" Narcissa was on her feet. She looked more scared than Harry had ever seen her.

"No!" Draco shouted. "I'm getting a new lawyer and I'm applying for bail."

"Draco if you tell anyone what I did..."

"I'll not tell anyone what you did," he snarled. "If you want to rot in jail, rot in jail."

The door swung open. Muldover stood there looking surprised. Draco brushed past him and darted out the door. Muldover closed the door behind him, frowning.

Mrs Malfoy clapped a hand to her mouth. Her hand was trembling. Harry, Audrey and Percy exchanged looks of shock.

"This changes things," Audrey told Robbin. "If Draco's not going to agree to keep his mouth shut..."

"Mrs Malfoy," Robbin spoke gently, "unless we persuade Draco to come back here there's very little point in asking Mr Potter to agree to lie about him."

She glared at Robbin. "Mr Potter is the Ministry's most credible witness," she snapped. "If Draco contradicts him I doubt anyone will believe him."

"You risk your own lies being exposed if you go down this path," Robbin told her. "I would advise letting this issue slide."

Narcissa glared at the desk. Tears slid down her face.

"What if Draco talks about the Forest?" asked Harry.

"He wont talk," Narcissa snapped. Her eyes were fierce. "I'll make sure of that."

"Well, do you agree to stay quiet about the Forest Mr Potter?" asked Robbin.

Everyone looked at him, Mrs Malfoy through wet eyes.

He stared at her. Her mouth was trembling, she glared at him.

"Don't make me beg..." she whispered.

His heart beat against his chest. He felt like throwing up.

He thought about Draco's face. Mrs Malfoys fears. He remembered staring into Tom Riddle's eyes in the Forest.

You have nothing to lose. You'll be rid of them for good. You owe her.

"Ok," he said. "I'll keep my mouth shut about the Forest."

"Let's get this sorted," Audrey said briskly.

Audrey and Robbin haggled over the wording of the agreement for the next ten minutes. Harry was impressed with how fierce Audrey was. She didn't let Robbin get a word in edgeways. Harry could tell that Robbin was impressed with her.

Audrey presented the final draft to him after 20 minutes. The agreement was scrawled in ink in Audrey's messy handwriting. The agreement stated that he promised to keep the fact that Mrs Malfoy had lied to Voldemort secret, that he wouldn't divulge that information to any judge, MLE officer or Aurour. It also stated that, should he do this, his debt to Mrs Malfoy had been repaid, that she would never ask anything of him ever again.

When Narcissa signed the agreement she nearly burst into tears. "If you tell the Ministry about my son you'll as good as kill him," she said. "Do as I ask, please. If you and Miss Granger stick to the same story then Draco has no chance."

He said nothing but bent down to sign the document. When he added his signature the parchment rippled and glowed.

"Potter," she said, after she'd signed, "Please."

He stared at her. Her eyes were pained.

"They'll kill him," she whispered. "Please. Please do as I ask."

Still he said nothing. He could only see Draco's messed up face, the agony in his eyes.

She began to get desperate. "Potter, please," she begged. "I know you hate my son. If you do as I ask you'd get rid of him for a long time. You could get your revenge."

She was offering her own son up to him on a platter.

"Harry you don't have to say anything," Audrey told him.

Audrey picked up the agreement and placed it in her gown. Percy touched his forearm. "Let's go," he whispered.

Audrey, Robbin and Percy shook hands. Percy knocked on the door to let Muldover know they wanted to leave.

"Potter..."

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were bearing into him.

"Potter, think about what I've asked. Consider it."

He looked away from her. He wanted to leave. He didn't think he could bear this any longer.

Percy flung an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the door.

When Muldover led them out of the cell and up the corridor, his stomach felt like lead. He couldn't get Draco's face out of his head. Hermione's screams. Ron's sobs.

He'd done the right thing, he tried to tell himself, he'd done the best thing for everybody.

Right?

He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just made a pact with the devil.

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A/N If you'd like to see what Audrey and Robbin's robes are like, take a look what Amal Clooney was wearing last week in the European Court of Human Rights.