Here we are at Chapter Nine then. Thank you to all the lovely people who've left reviews :) EmD23, LostmyPen, robdogg66, perfect fluke, mwinter1, Eleniel K, nontsing, tabitoo (and everyone else who has left a review). Thank you for the lovely words. I really do appreciate them.
TheChocolateOwl: Good advice. Will try and keep that in mind for next time!
notsing: there were cell phones in the 90s :) My mum had one. It was the size of brick and all you could do was text and make phone calls. They were rare though!
robdogg6: thank you! I love Ron and George. I'm going to explore their relationship a bit more later on.
tabitoo: You'll see how Hermione feels soon enough :)
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Chapter Nine
Looking back Percy always remembered that, despite how lonely he felt, he'd been surrounded by people. He hadn't gone a day without going out for lunch with work colleagues, he'd gone to multiple events every day with the Minister. A day didn't go by where he wasn't been dragged out for drinks after work with his colleagues and fellow Hogwarts graduates. After Percy publicly ditched his family he seemed to acquire more friends. People who had never bothered to speak to him before approached him in the hallways of the Ministry and shook his hand, congratulating him on his bold move and saying things like: "You're well shot Weasley.", "Best thing you've ever done, mate.", It's part of the reason why I've never approached you. I've always been unsure of where your loyalties lay, know what I mean?"
For the first nine months, all of the above confirmed to Percy that he'd done the right thing. He reveled in the new friends he was making and the new opportunities he was being given. None of this would have happened had he supported his parents decision to publicly back Dumbledore and Harry Potter.
A whole new world opened up to Percy when he ditched his family, one of wealth and privilege. He made friends with people from prominent families. He got invited to parties with top level ministry officials where he was lauded and praised. He dated a few girls from families who wouldn't have spoken to him before. Suddenly he was a part of a world he'd always been shut out of. His father, Percy told himself, had been stupid for not wanting this life. Percy laughed when other people made fun of his dad to his face; he even joined in on occasions. Percy had always had to justify himself in the face of his family's bad reputation, but hearing the disdain from other Ministry officials had shocked him. He'd never realised just how awful his family's name was. He told himself, again, that his parents were in the wrong.
When he heard his father was injured and in St Mungo's, it was the first time Percy's resolve nearly cracked. No, he'd told himself, god knows what Dad's been involved with. Leave him be. You'll only make things worse by going round to see him. They say he's fine, that he'll be OK...
He pushed away the worry and the horrible anxious feeling in his chest and continued on. He was making a new life for himself. He was better than whatever his parents were involved in.
The loneliness Percy felt, which had been inside him all along, hit him after his father came out of the hospital. The people he thought were his friends started to laugh about his father's attack, they mocked him and openly joked with Percy about what had happened.
"You must be so embarrassed Weasley, that your Dad was caught doing something dodgy. Christ."
"Who does he think he is? Wondering around the Ministry at all hours of the day. Wanker. Serves him right."
Percy realised then that his friends weren't very good friends at all. He could never be one of them. He would always be a joke. It started then: no matter how many people were with him, no matter how many parties and pub crawls he got invited to he was never with friends. He wasn't with people who actually cared about him. He felt apart from everyone else, alone. He felt like that right up the moment that he saw sense and joined the Battle of Hogwarts.
When he realised his parents had been right about You Know Who, when Fudge resigned and Dumbledore was praised by everyone, Percy went through a period of convincing himself that his parents were still wrong. He hadn't just stopped speaking to his family because of You-Know-Who and Harry, it had been about his father's reputation, his lack of ambition, about how his family didn't support him. He pushed away the shock he felt when Amelia Bones was murdered, a shock that made him lose sleep for a week. He got a job in Scrimgeour's office helping with some low level paperwork. It wasn't as good as the job he'd once had, but it was something, better than what he would have gotten had he not disowned his family. Percy tried to tell himself that he was still on the right path.
As his status declined, so did his place in his new social circle. Eventually, the "friends" he'd acquired stopped calling and he stopped asking to meet up with them. The girls he'd been dating stopped speaking to him. People began to exclude him. Some openly sneered at him: How could you abandon your family? I hear your brother is getting married, is that true? I see your twin brothers have opened up a joke shop, I hear they're worth a fortune. How can you not speak to them, what's wrong with you?.
Percy pushed the shame away where he couldn't see it and carried on. He had to get on with it, he told himself. He had to prove his parents wrong.
When he heard Bill had been attacked and Dumbledore was dead, Percy realised then that he'd been in the wrong all along. On the day the Ministry fell Death Eaters, murderers, marched into his office and ordered that they turn over every document they had on Dumbledore and Harry Potter. People in his department were tortured for information. The muggle borns he worked with were rounded up and he never heard from them again. People he liked disappeared and were found murdered. He heard later on that his brother's wedding had been attacked and fear and pain consumed him. He nearly quit the day he heard Harry had broken into the Ministry with two accomplices. He overheard that people in the Ministry were helping the Order of the Phonenix and he couldn't bring himself to join in. How could he look his parents in the eye?
When the war was over and Fred dead, killed in front of his eyes, a horrible darkness engulfed Percy. It got to the stage where he found it hard to look at himself in the mirror. What he'd done was magnified in the aftermath of Fred's death. He'd been such an idiot, a complete bastard. He found it hard to be around his family. He wasn't part of them anymore, he hadn't suffered in the way they had...
One day, his mother sat down with him and put her arms around him.
"Stop this," she said. "I won't have you blaming yourself day in and day out. I don't want that and neither does your father. You're back and that's all that matters."
He'd tried to apologise again. Despite saying sorry every day to every member of his family he didn't feel like it was enough.
His mother had grabbed his shoulder and forced Percy to look her in the eye.
"People who don't make mistakes don't make anything," she said. "Remember that. Don't believe anyone that tells you otherwise."
Percy held on to that. He carried it with him every day.
25th October 1998
She was late. It was thirty five past nine and court started at half. Percy tapped his foot nervously against the ground as Advocates and members of the press filed past him towards the courtroom. If Audrey didn't get here soon they would miss the hearing.
He was standing in a large, spacious room with a high ceiling on the top floor of the Ministry. Large glass windows adorned the walls and a massive glass chandelier hung from the ceiling. The floor was covered in marble making the footsteps of everyone who walked over it echo. Advocates and their clients sat on fine oak benches dotted about the room. Ministry officials and Advocates hurried through the room carrying files and paperwork; every so often they would dart behind one of the large wooden doors dotted around the room.
Percy was impressed with how well the new Crown and High Courts looked. They had been constructed by the Magical Maintenance Department over the past six months. The smell of fresh paint was still in the air and everything smelt like cleaning liquid.
Percy was keen to get into the court and away from the main foyer. Three journalists had stopped already to try and talk to him. He didn't want to make the papers; it was the last thing his family needed. Ron had been on the front page of the Prophet every day this week. His mother had stopped reading the paper altogether.
Percy shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat and let out a nervous breath. He was officially here on behalf of Kingsley, but he had volunteered to go. His greatest fear was that the journalists would discover that he'd recently made a visit to the holding cells and start asking questions...
He told himself that he was being far fetched. He was giving the journalists at the Prophet too much credit. Most of them didn't have two brain cells to rub together. He'd spotted at least three spelling mistakes in a recent "article" about George's new haircut.
Percy let out a relived sigh when he spotted Audrey walking up the marble steps towards him. She was dressed in her Advocate robes and was carrying a wig and some papers under her arm. Her hair was down today; it hung in lose spirals around her face.
When she reached him, Percy was so anxious that was unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. "I said to meet when court started," he said. "It's after half past."
She blinked, not bothered by his agitation. "Judge Randall is running the hearing," she said in an airy tone. "He won't start til ten, everybody knows that."
"What? I've been in the office since early this morning!" Percy had been told court started at half nine. Knowing he had a long morning ahead of him, he'd gone into the office early to get some work done. He'd been up since six this morning and was exhausted.
Audrey shuffled her papers and looked unconcerned. "Judge Randall likes to go for a fly before court," she said, casually. "He says it gets his brain going."
"Wish somebody had told me that," mumbled Percy. He could have gotten an extra hour in bed had he known the proper time.
"Well, now you know." She grinned at him in a forced way. "Come on. Let's get in so we can get a good seat."
She marched past him without another word and walked across the foyer, her heels clicking off the marble floor. Percy followed her, huffing under his breath. Audrey didn't seem to care that he was hurrying to catch up with her.
"So, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?" she asked, when he reached her.
"What?" he spluttered.
"Did you do anything interesting?" she repeated, looking straight ahead as she talked. "You know, have you been anywhere? Done anything?"
"I'm sorry?" They were about to go to Draco Malfoy's bail hearing and she wanted to exchange pleasantries?
"I went out for a drink last night," she said to him, taking no notice of his confusion. Her tone of voice was breezy, happy, and calm. "I met up with my sister. She's getting engaged so we met up to discuss the usual crap. Dresses, flower arrangements..." she waved a dismissive hand in the air.
He gaped at her. He was fretting about the hearing and she didn't look like it bothered her at all. She had the air of someone going off to meet a friend for coffee.
"I went to this really nice bar in Soho last night. It was expensive but my sister was paying." she told him. "It was called 'The Birdcage', ever been?."
"Uh...no."
"You should try it."
Percy said noting. It was like the last time they'd met had never happened.
The hearing worried Percy immensely. He'd known it was coming; it was inevitable after Draco Malfoy stormed out of the meeting in the holding cells, but that didn't make it any less frightening.
He'd had to work hard to look surprised when Kingsley marched up to him at lunch and slammed Draco's bail application down on this desk.
"Look at this!" the Minister had cried. He'd shouted so loudly that the entire office had gone quiet. "Draco's sacked his lawyer and appointed another. He's applying for bail! His Advocate says he's going to plead not-guilty to all the charges! The little shit!"
"You're kidding?" Percy had put a shocked expression on his face and lifted up the bail application with a forced look of curiosity.
"Draco's new Advocate is Jordan Entwhistle. He's sent a letter to Amanda saying that Draco wants to amend his statements!" Kingsley had spat the words out. His chest had heaved with anger. "Why the fuck would Draco do this?" he snapped. "When Amanda interviewed him a few months ago he was co-operative! We had to bully him a bit to talk but we got there in the end! What the hell could have happened to make him change his mind?"
Percy had stared down at the bail application like it contained the spell for blocking the Avada Kedavra curse.
"Sort this out for me Percy," Kingsley had said to him in a warm voice. "I want to look after Harry, Ron and Hermione. I'm not going to let Draco mess them around."
"I could go to the bail hearing tomorrow," he'd said. "I'll go with Harry's lawyer. I'll report back to you when I'm done."
"Harry's appointed a lawyer?" Kingsley had asked, interested. "Good. I'm glad. He needs someone to guide him through this. This trial is going to be messy, I can tell already. Who's he appointed?"
"Um, Audrey Sheppard?"
"Ah yes, Audrey! The one you went to the holding cells with the other day? Her father heads up the MLE in Manchester you know. She was one of our plants in the Law Department last year. She's a good girl. She did a bit of work for a friend of mine a couple of months ago. He said she was excellent."
"I suggested to Harry that he appoint her. I was impressed with her when she came with me the other day."
"Good. I'm glad." Kingsley paused. He stared bitterly at the bail application again. "Sorry I snapped at you Weasley. This is all so frustrating. You didn't see anything when you were down at the cells that day?"
"No," he'd said, far too quickly. When Kingsley frowned at him he forced his voice into neutral, calm tone. "We took a quick look round the cells. We spoke briefly to that Auror Muldover and then we left. The visit was really a chance to look round, discuss the parameters for the report."
Kingsley had nodded, still frowning. He'd walked back to his office, the bail report in hand. He'd continued to ramble on about Draco Malfoy and his sudden change of heart all day. The news had spread around the Ministry like wildfire.
Percy felt awful. Everyone around him was puzzled, confused by Draco Malfoys change of heart. Kingsley was furious, storming around the office snapping at his staff because he was annoyed the Malfoy trial wasn't going the way he wanted. Nobody knew what was going on but Percy did. He knew exactly why Draco Malfoy wanted to change his statement and plead not-guilty. Percy was, in a way, part of the reason why Draco had changed his tune.
Percy hated lying to Kingsley. He hated lying to his colleagues. He was a rat, a double crosser. His colleagues thought he was with them, working with them to put the Malfoys and others like them in jail. Instead, he was running around with Harry, meeting the Malfoys in jail cells and making secret deals behind their backs. It didn't matter that Harry was helping to keep the Malfoys in jail, the betrayal was still there.
I have to do this, Percy reminded himself. I have to help Harry and help my family.
If he had the choice between letting down his boss and letting down his family, Percy would always choose the former. His family meant everything to him. His only regret, his biggest regret, was not realising that sooner. His past, his betrayal, consumed him on a daily basis. He had to make it up to his parents, to his brothers, to Ginny, to Harry.
Percy couldn't deny that he'd been reluctant to get involved in with Mrs Malfoy and her meeting with Harry. He'd wanted to run to Kingsley and tell him all about it. He hadn't wanted to stop being a traitor to his family and then become one to Kingsley. After Mrs Malfoy had sneered at him in the holding cells he'd realised that he had to help Harry no matter what. The contempt in Mrs Malfoy's eyes had reminded him of how far he had to go before he could forgive himself.
"Have you ever been to the Crown Court before?"
He jumped. Audrey was talking again. She was staring at him sideways, a frown on her face.
"Well, I went when court was held in the basement. This is my first time in the new building."
"We hated the old building," said Audrey. "It smelt of damp and piss. We're all pretty glad the new building is open. The basement doesn't have a consultation room. I had to consult with clients in the men's toilets." She made a gagging face.
Percy stared at Audrey. He was jealous of her seemingly cheerful, calm demeanor. None of the anxieties that plagued him seemed to upset her. If they did, she wasn't showing it. Percy wished he could be like her. He had always been jealous of people that had the skill to push their worries to one side.
Audrey's attitude was surprising, Percy thought. She had risked a lot by getting involved with Harry and the Malfoy family. Advocates could be jailed for doing what she and George Robbin were doing. If Audrey was caught she would be struck off, banned from practicing law ever again.
"This way," she said to Percy, nodding to her left. She turned and headed towards the large wooden door that the journalists and Advocates were hurrying through; the number four hung over the door.
Audrey stopped outside the door and peered at a large board which hung on the wall. Fifteen names were written on the board beside corresponding numbers.
"He's number three on the list," Audrey murmured. She pressed her finger against his name-M v Draco A Malfoy (Bail). "We'll not have long to wait then."
When they walked through the court door they were met with a wall of sound. The room was packed. Journalists were crowded into the press gallery at the side of the court. Members of the public were jammed onto the benches which lay dotted around the circular room. The public gallery lay behind a row of tables and chairs which sat in front of the Judge's bench and that of the court clerk. Advocates were seated on the chairs in front of the court clerk, who sat at a desk in front of the Judge's bench. Some of the Advocates were leaning across the tables to talk to one another, others were furiously writing on notebooks. Most of the Advocates looked irritated by the large number of people crowding into the court.
Audrey found a space for them to stand behind one of the back benches. Percy noted that in this position they had a clear view of the area where Draco Malfoy would be brought out to stand. A number of MLE officers were standing tensely in front of a brown door on the left hand side of the court. The brown door led out onto a platform, which was also surrounded by MLE officers.
Percy glanced around the court. Journalists were fighting for space in the press gallery. Some members of the public were angrily pushing others aside so they could get a seat or a space to stand. Some people had brought food with them; they pulled bags of sweets out of their pockets and watched the Judge's bench eagerly, like they were waiting to see a show at the theatre.
"It looks like half the country has turned out to watch this," he said.
She nodded. "They're going to write books on this trial," she said. "I've never seen anything like it."
"How do you think it's going to go?" he asked. He was of the opinion that Draco had a very slim chance of getting bail. He was a high level prisoner. He didn't imagine that the Ministry would be too keen on letting him leave the holding cells.
"It's hard to say," said Audrey. "It really depends on who the judge is. Judge Randall isn't too keen on the Malfoys. A member of his family was taken to Azkaban and died there during the war."
Percy peered down at the Advocates that sat in front of the Judge's bench. "I wonder who Draco's appointed as his lawyer."
"Sacred twenty-eight no doubt," Audrey replied, almost bitterly. "There's a surprising amount of sacred twenty eight Advocates, despite all the hoohah over Kingsley's reforms."
Percy stared around the room to see if he recognised anyone. He tried not to react when he saw George Robbin slip through the door and stand awkwardly at the back of the room. Robbin was wearing his Advocate Robes and was clutching a large file. He looked worried.
"Robbin's here," he hissed to Audrey under his breath. "Near the door."
She glanced left and right before staring over at Robbin. "I guess he wants to see what happens. Draco sacked him," she whispered.
"I hope he doesn't come over here," he hissed back. "He'll raise suspicions."
"He won't," she told him. "He's not an idiot."
Percy stared at her. He wasn't sure how he felt about Audrey. She was strange, he thought. She seemed like a very capable Advocate, but she was clearly quite disorganised, messy and a bit of a scatter brain. Audrey was blunt and she always spoke to him with a weird sense of superiority, like she knew something he didn't.
Percy glanced at the file Audrey was currently perusing. The papers weren't in any particular order, they were bent at the corners and stuck out the file haphazardly. His files weren't like that, Percy thought smugly. He always made sure his papers were organised according to some sort of system.
"What were doing before you came here?" he asked.
"I was in the domestic courts," she murmured, staring down at some handwritten notes. "Remember Andrew and his wife? Turns out they needed some help with their daughter. I had to apply for a non-molestation order this morning."
"Oh. Sounds nasty."
"It was. I had to apply for an exclusion zone, a tracking charm..."
She lapsed into silence, making notes on her file. Percy wished he'd brought some of his own work to do while they waited for the hearing to start.
"So, what have you been up to since I saw you last?"
How could she go from talking about her casework, to asking him what he'd done since they'd taken part in an illegal meeting with Mrs Malfoy?
"Well?" she asked him, when he didn't reply.
"Well I've..." he was stumped by the question. How long had it been since somebody had asked after his social activities? "I've been at work," he said to her. "I've been working."
"Oh. Cool." She smiled at him. It was a very thin smile, the sort of vacant mile somebody wears when they having nothing to say but don't want to be rude.
Percy realised that his answer to Audrey wasn't very exciting. She had probably expected him to say that he'd gone out to meet friends, or gone to the pub or took part in some hilarious social activity like dancing or gobstones. He was in his twenties. He was expected to do that sort of thing.
Percy felt annoyed by the underhand social pressure to go out and interact with other people. Even when he'd been apart from his family and had a social life he'd spent some quality time on his own. Percy needed at least an evening a week to be by himself. He was of the opinion that you could have fun while sitting in your house with a cup of tea, a biscuit and a book. Why didn't people realise that?
They fell into silence again. Percy stared around at the court for a few minutes before turning back to Audrey. He supposed he should try and make some effort to talk to her. His brother, he thought, that was a pretty obvious conversation starter.
"Have you seen Charlie lately?"
"Yes we went out for drinks the other night," she said, her eyes on her file. "He took me out to say thanks for helping Harry."
"Oh, very good."
Charlie had offered to take him out for a drink to say thank you for helping Harry. He had declined and suggested they have a few drinks in the house. Percy suddenly felt boring compared to Audrey. He was about to talk to her about something else when a voice rang out.
"All rise!"
People were standing up. The hearing was about to begin.
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The courtroom stood up as one. A door to the side of the judge's bench opened and a lone man walked out. He was a tall, white man with a black beard. He wore black and purple robes and a long wig on his head. When the Judge took his seat he nodded and the room sat down.
"Number one!" called the court clerk, picking up a long piece of parchment. A small red haired woman stood up in the front row and began to speak.
"This is the case of Alistair Timble your honour..."
The courtroom visibly grumbled. The press looked bored, the members of the public that had come to watch the hearing let out noises of protest. The noise was so loud that it drowned out the Advocate's speech.
The judge tapped his wand on the bench. A noise like a clanging bell reverberated throughout the courtroom. There was instant silence.
"I will not have interruptions in this courtroom," the judge snapped. "It is obvious," he said, "that most people have come here to watch a particular hearing. I suggest that we proceed with this to speed things up. Do you agree with this Miss Staines?"
The red haired Advocate nodded. "As you wish your honour."
"Very well," the Judge said. "Mrs Lyman you may proceed."
A tall female Advocate that sat in the front bench stood up. She had dark brown hair and was unsteady on her feet; Percy noticed that she leaned on a cane.
"Thank you your honour. This is number three on the list; the case of Draco Malfoy. I appear for the Ministry."
A burly blonde looking Advocate sitting in the second bench stood up.
"Your honour my name's Jordan Entwhistle and I represent the defendant."
There was outbreak of muttering. In the press gallery journalists began scribbling down notes with their quills. Some stood up in their seats to get a good look at Entwhistle.
"Entwhistle?" Percy hissed to Audrey. "He fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, didn't he?"
Audrey gazed down at Entwhistle a frown on her face. "He's a capable Advocate," she told him. "He's a good choice."
"Please bring the prisoner out," the Judge called. "Let's get this over and done with," he added, irritably.
Nearly everyone in the courtroom stood as Draco Malfoy was brought out. Percy and Audrey had to cran their necks to get a good look. Percy noted that Judge Randall glared at Draco with disgust.
Draco was wearing a smart, dark suit. His blonde hair was smartly combed and pushed back from his face. His appearance contrasted strongly with the way he'd looked when Percy had visited him in the cells. He looked like he'd had a shower, washed his hair and face. He looked more like his old self.
Despite looking smart, Draco walked with his shoulders hunched and his head bowed. Even from where Percy stood he could tell Draco's face was ashen. The bruises and welts on his face were still visible.
Draco's appearance in the courtroom changed the atmosphere immediately; a stillness fell over the crowd and, for a moment, nothing could be heard but the click of Draco's shoes against the floor. After a few seconds those that stood in the public gallery began to make noise. At first the sound was a low rumble, like the sound of thunder in the distance, after a few seconds the noise swelled and grew so that the room was consumed by it.
"SCUM!"
"Murderer!"
"Death Eater Bastard!"
People began screaming at Draco. Women, Men, old and young began as one to shout and yell obscenities and curses towards him. Draco visibly recoiled. He stumbled backwards as the wall of noise hit him, looking terrified. Percy didn't blame him. People were trying to push their way through the crowd to get to where Draco stood, one man hurled himself from the front of the gallery and launched himself at the MLE officers who stood in front of Draco. A curse flew from the back of the gallery and hit off a spot near Draco's face. The curse rebounded against an invisible shield that had been placed around the defendant's box. Draco let out a yell and fell to the ground The MLE Officers that stood around Draco moved closely to stand around him. Some MLE officers launched themselves into the crowd to arrest people. Others shouted at the crowd to calm down.
"I will not have this. ENOUGH!" Judge Randall banged his wand against the bench, glaring round at the public gallery. The courtroom fell silent.
Percy noticed that the Advocates had turned around in their seats to gape at the rest of the court. Entwhistle shook his head with apparent disgust. The Advocate for the Ministry, Mrs Lyman, watched the crowd stoically. Some of the MLE officers were dragging members of the public out of the courtroom. A few of them shouted swear words and obscenities as they were dragged out of the door.
Now that she was facing towards him, Percy took a good look at Mrs Lyman. She was a tall woman in her early thirties with long brown hair. Her face was sharp and serious looking. Percy noticed that Mrs Lyman was holding on to a walking stick as she stood. Her posture was straight and poised but there was a slight gait to her stance. He noticed that she held her arm in a funny way.
"If I have one more outburst I will make this hearing a private matter," The Judge spat. "I will not tolerate a disturbance like this in my courtroom!"
There was a very low grumble of disappointment, but not from the press gallery. Percy looked up and noticed that many of the Journalists had looks of glee on their faces. He imagined the first ten minutes of the trial had provided enough drama to fill the papers for weeks.
"Mr Entwhistle you may continue..."
Entwhistle gave the crowd one last look of disgust before turning around to face the judge.
"Your honour," he began, "I'm here today to make a bail application on behalf of my client Draco Lucius Malfoy. My client has been in custody for three months and he has been charged with several offences, the majority of which are on indictment. He is only nineteen years old and has been held in a solitary jail cell throughout his incarceration. He has co-operated fully with the Ministry's investigations. In the past few months my client has been suffering from depression, post traumatic stress disorder and trauma. I have submitted a number of medical reports with the application. My client wishes to be allowed to prepare for trial in relaxed surroundings. There is a presumption of bail, as you're aware your honour."
"Mrs Lyman," said Judge Randall, "Your thoughts?"
"The Ministry objects to bail being granted for Mr Malfoy," she said in a thick welsh accent. "We believe he is at risk of absconding, of being a risk to others and of interfering with witnesses."
"Your honour this is nonsense."
"The Ministry has submitted a number of reports from the MLE and Auror Department your honour. Both organisations agree with our objections," said Mrs Lyman. "Mr Malfoy is a flight risk. He clearly meets the threshold criteria for refusing bail."
"Your honour," Entwhistler retorted calmly, " I have submitted a report from the Prison Service, St Mungos and the Young Offenders Institute. They all clearly state that Mr Malfoy doesn't meet the threshold criteria. He is a vulnerable young adult."
Lyman let out a derisive laugh. "Your honour if this was anybody else, if this somebody else without a prominent family name this bail application would be thrown out of court.
The Judge nodded in agreement with Lyman's words. Percy saw him glance at Draco with a contemptuous look on his face. "The arguments put forward by the Auror Department are persuasive Mr Entwhistle," he snapped.
"Your honour must take all evidence into consideration when considering an application for bail," said Entwhistle. "The prison service agrees that Mr Malfoy should be allowed bail. If you can't take their word then who else can you rely on?"
"The Auror Department,maybe?" said Mrs Lyman, with a sneer.
"The Auror Department is not sufficently qualified to make an assessment on a prisoner's well being. They're there to catch people, not look after them when they go to prison. Your Honour, my client is prepared to allow an anti apparition jinx to be placed around his place of residence. He is prepared to report to an Auror every day at a certain time. He is prepared to be submit to an exclusion zone, he is prepared to have a tracking charm placed on him, he is prepared to..."
"Yes, Yes," the judge cut Entwhistle off. He looked irritated. "Mr Malfoy is prepared to submit to whatever we give him as long as makes bail. Have you a surety?"
"Yes Your Honour, "Entwhistle said, "a Maria Crabbe. She is my client's cousin through his mother's family. The papers concerning her suitability are with our application. She has offered my client a room at her house in Essex."
The Judge pulled out a raft of papers. He peered down at them with a scowl on his face.
"Your Honour," Mrs Lyman's voice was dripping with frustration, "the entire Malfoy family is under investigation by this Ministry. Most of their assets have been seized. It would be utterly ridiculous to allow Mr Malfoy to go out on bail with a member of his family, not matter how distant!"
"It's perfectly reasonable," Entwhislte said in an irritable voice, "Mrs Crabbe is not under investigation. She has no links to any investigation currently being undertaken."
"What nonsense your honour! Her son, recently deceased..."
"Enough," the Judge snapped, shutting down the debate. He stared at the papers in front of him. After a moment he looked up at Draco and a look of contempt crossed his face. He drummed his fingers against the bench.
"I will grant the defendant bail," Judge Randall said, in a voice that suggested he was disgusted with his own words.
The courtroom erupted into shouts and yells again.
"No!"
"Rubbish!"
"Don't let him out!"
"Wow," Audrey whispered. "Entwhistle's actually done it."
Percy stared at Draco he was standing with his head in his hands. He was visibly shaking.
"Your client will have anti apparition jinxes placed around him and his place of residence, which shall be Mrs Crabbe's house in Essex. He will report to an Auror at least once a day. He will have no access to a wand. He will be tracked by an Auror on a daily basis. He must not leave Mrs Crabbe's house."
"Your honour..." Lyman's voice was harsh. She sounded furious.
Entwhistle coughed pointedly. "Your honour I have also submitted a further application with the bail application. I wish to apply for a Protection Order..."
"What?" Lyman spluttered. "Your client wants bail but he wants a protection order? Why doesn't he just stay in jail?"
"This is most unorthodox Entwhistle," snapped Judge Randall.
"Your honour you have seen the reaction of the court to my client! My client is in danger of being attacked, harmed..."
"I think most people are scared of him," snarled Mrs Lyman.
"My client would like to have an Auror stationed outside his place of residence on a permanent basis," Entwhistle continued, ignoring Lyman, "he feels this will allow him to feel safe as well as allay the Ministry's fears about his risk of flight."
"Your honour the Ministry is under staffed and under pressure! We can't afford to have an Auror placed outside Mr Malfoy's home all hours of the day!"
"The Ministry is under a statutory duty to look after the welfare of its prisoners!" Entwhistle cried, "As the Reform Act clearly states."
The Judge was silent for a few moments. He tapped his wand off the bench, thinking. He turned to look at Malfoy again. There was harsh anger in his eyes, a great dislike.
"I'm not going to allow your application for a protection order," he said.
"Your honour!" Entwhistle cried incredulously.
"What?" Audrey hissed, her eyes wide. "How can he deny Draco a protection order after what he's just seen?"
Percy shook his head in disbelief. He could hardly believe it himself. A large part of himself was glad to see the fearful look in Draco's eyes, another part of him knew it was wrong for the Judge to deny him protection. The public were baying for Draco's blood.
"No," the Judge snapped. "I will not allow it. The orders he is prepared to submit himself to on bail are quite enough to offer him protection..."
"Your honour I disagree..."
"I've just granted your client bail," the Judge said. "This is more than what he should be getting. If you disagree," Judge Randall tossed Entwhistle's papers on to the bench in front of him, "appeal."
"Your honour..." Entwhistle stopped speaking as the crowd behind him began to yell and shout again. Most of them were screaming things at Draco again. Their words were angry and vicious. Entwhistle gestured to the Judge meaningfully-see what I mean?
The Judge ignored Entwhistle. "Take the prisoner to the release area. You may escort your client out Entwhistle."
There was almost a stampede in the press gallery to get out the door. Draco watched the journalists leave with a look of dread on his face. Some members of the public hurried out of their seat to join the journalists.
"Your honour I must insist..." said Entwhistle, loudly.
"I am done dealing with your client's application," the Judge snapped. "I wish to deal with the next matter on the list."
Draco was led out of the courtroom, his head bowed. Entwhistle bent down, picked up his file and his briefcase, and darted up the stairs towards the court exit. Members of the press hurried after him. Some members of the public shouted things at Entwhistle as he ran past them.
Percy and Audrey gaped after Entwhistle as he exited the courtroom.
"I can't believe this," Audrey said. She let out a hollow laugh.
"We have to tell Harry what happened," Percy said, " He'll be worried by this. God knows what Draco will do now."
Audrey nodded. They exited the courtroom quickly. They were halfway across the entrance hall when George Robbin appeared from nowhere and blocked their path.
"We need to talk," he said in a low voice, "now." His face was sweaty and his voice was trembling.
"Not here!" Percy hissed at him, looking around. If somebody spotted them it would only raise questions
Robbin dragged them over to the corner of the foyer.
"What's wrong George?" Audrey asked. "Make it quick, people are looking."
"You should know," said Robbin, "that Muldover is missing."
Percy and Audrey stared at him.
"W-what?" said Audrey.
"Muldover is missing," repeated Robbin, "he hasn't been seen for days and he didn't turn up for his shift this morning."
Panic like Percy had never felt before slithered up his spine and wrapped itself around his throat.
There was fear in Audrey's eyes but she tried to sound hopeful."Maybe he's gone to visit someone," she said, "maybe he's gone away."
"He hasn't," Robbin snapped. "He was supposed to pick up his children this morning and he didn't turn up. He's a reliable character and he's never late. He left no note, no word with his mother."
Audrey gulped. Her hands shook as she gripped the file in her hand.
"When was the last time anybody heard from him?" she asked.
Robin swallowed. "On the 23rd October," he said, his voice cracking.
They stared at one another. It couldn't be coincidence that Muldover had gone missing on the day of the meeting with Mrs Malfoy. It was their worst fear coming true.
"How do you know this?" Percy asked. "There's been nothing in the papers."
"Somebody well informed...well, my partner James informed me this morning. He works for the MLE. Mrs Malfoy also sent me an owl telling me what happened," said Robbin. "The Auror Department is in uproar. This is a massive security breach. I'm told it's going to be kept under wraps. Nobody apart from top level officials in the MLE are going to be told."
Percy turned his back on the other two and faced the wall, his face in his hands.
Audrey gulped. "How could anyone know about the meeting?" she said, in a low voice. "Nobody else knows about it. We haven't told anyone."
"That's what I'm wondering. I'm making enquiries under the radar," Robbin replied. "James is doing the same thing."
"We'll be down on record as being in the cells the day Muldover went missing," Audrey said to Percy, her voice shaking. "They'll want to question us."
Percy nodded meekly at her words. She was right. He turned around to face Robbin again.
"Look," said Robbin, glancing around them nervously, "I suggest both of you stay under the radar. The same goes for Potter. Keep your head down. Say nothing and talk to no-one. I'll be in touch when I know more."
He turned on his heels and left. Percy and Audrey stood in silence watching him walk away.
"Shit," Audrey hissed. "Fucking shit." She flopped down on to the benches, her head in her hands. Percy sat down beside her, feeling numb.
Percy felt like vomiting. His heart was thudding against his chest. What had he gotten himself into? An Auror was missing and he, Percy, was partly responsible for his disappearance.
"We have to tell Harry," he said. "He needs to know right now."
"No!" Audrey snapped. She lifted her head from her hands. Her face was set.
"No?" hissed Percy, "What do you mean 'no'? Harry has to know!"
"No. Not yet."
"What?"
"We need to know more," she told him. "We need to know exactly what happened before we run to Harry and tell him that Muldover is gone."
"We need to act now," he argued. "We need to figure this out now and do some damage control. Whoever knows about the meeting is out there!" He ran his hands over his face. "If Kingsley finds out I'm done for. I'll never work again...my family will be disgraced."
Audrey got her feet. Her face was determined "I'm going to speak to my Dad," she said. "If they're telling top level officals they'll have told him everything." She looked at him pleadingly. "Don't tell Harry. Let's take a day or two to find out more. We can't help him if we don't know what we're up against."
Percy begrudgingly agreed. She was right. At least with her plan he had a few days to think everything over in his head. He nodded, standing up. "I'll keep my ears and nose to the ground, see what Kingsley's up to. I can probably use the extendable ears to listen in to his conversations...Merlin this is bad."
"We'll tell Harry when we know more," Audrey looked relieved that he'd agreed with her. "We'll be ok...we just have to stay calm."
"At least I'll have two cell mates when we're arrested," he said bitterly, shoving his hands in his coat pocket.
For the first time, she properly smiled at him. It was a small smile, but it reached her eyes.
"Let's go," she said.
Percy nodded and followed Audrey down the stairs. He couldn't shake the horrible, sinking feeling that seemed to engulf him. What had he gotten himself into? What had he done?
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