Chapter 10:
It was the day of the trial. The clouds were a deep grey just like everything else seemed to be.
Unsure if it was the right thing she did, Hermione tucked a loose curl behind her ear. Her brown eyes searched for answers in the mirror but never found one. The thought of sending her best friend's girlfriend to Azkaban was a terrible one.
"Don't worry Mione" said Harry while stepping behind her. "Everything will be alright."
Hesitant her eyes searched for his forest green ones. "Aren't you angry with me? I'm responsible for the arrest if your…"
"Shh", he stopped her babbling with a finger on his lips. "She is no longer worth to carry your worry. She had hurt you and that is all that matters. So please don't worry any longer."
He pouted while her lips curved into a smile. "It is good to have you back Harry" she murmured and hugged him.
"As much as I missed you too, I don't think Oliver likes me very much right now."
She smiled at him and looked over his shoulder at Oliver who tried to look like he was occupied but kept glaring at Harry every minute.
Suddenly there was a knock on the front door and one of the twins screamed "I will open the door!" There were screams heard followed by the laughter of the other twin. To Hermione it was a common occurrence but Oliver and Harry surveyed the door with a sceptical look.
"Hermione!" George shouted. "Your ferret lawyer is here!"
"George!" she scolded and walked to Draco to welcome him. "Just ignore him Draco he is just excited it will be his first time in a real trial."
"Don't worry Hermione; I will just ignore him like always." He smiled but it faltered after a second or two. "I'm sorry but we have to leave."
He walked to the fire and looked for the floo powder. Nonetheless he saw her tense up. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to. I mean not only will it be your reputation that will suffer but mine too. Moreover Ginny will be shown as the victim of a cruel joke. But really it is just up to you if you go or not" he said casually and held the bottle with the powder triumphal in the air. The four men in the background coughed warningly while Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.
Draco cleared his throat and waved the bottle in the air. "We really have to leave." With that he walked into the fireplace and disappeared in a sea of green flames.
"Well then I will go to" Harry said to no one in particular and vanished. The twins looked at each other before both of them lunged into the fireplace and fought for the powder, which resolved in both of them disappearing at once.
"I think I will go too" Hermione looked at Oliver and walked towards the fire, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in his arms. He kissed her sweetly. "Just for Good Luck" he murmured against her lips and kissed her once more.
"Thank you" she whispered back, escaped his clutches and flooed to the rest of them, with Oliver right behind her.
The courtroom was dead silent while Ginny Weasley was lead to the chair in the middle, right in front of the judge, who was the minister himself; Kingsley Shaklebolt.
"Ginerva Molly Weasley you are here because of the murderer of the unborn child of Hermione Jean Granger. What does your defence plead?"
"Innocent" answered Cho Chang and smiled at Kingsley.
"Very well. Mr. Malfoy please bring your prove of the guilt of Miss Weasley."
Draco stood up and glared at Ginny before speaking. "For the beginning we have the memories of Miss Granger. Furthermore we have three witnesses and the verification of Miss Grangers Healer that she lost her child because of the shove from Miss Weasley."
"That's not true!" Ron shouted and jumped up form his chair.
"Quiet Mr. Weasley!" said Kingsley warningly.
Mrs. Weasley shoved her son right back into his seat while whispering in his ear to stay quiet. Kingsley nodded and the trial began again. "Did you, or did you not shove Miss Granger, Miss Weasley?"
"I did not!" she answered fiercely. "How come she said so?" asked Kingsley.
Ginny clenched her fist and ignored Cho's tries to calm her down. "Maybe because she needed a reason to clear her part in Harry's heart!"
Cho sighted and knew she would loose once again against Draco Malfoy. "That is a strong point you have there. But do you have evidences?" Kingsley asked.
Ginny nodded and stood up. "It was always obvious that she wanted Harry! She never left his side. It was a wonder that she didn't wash him!"
Harry stood up and walked into the circle where Ginny stood. "Minister, Wizarding Gamot." He bowed and looked with a small smile to Hermione who haven't said a thing this whole time but kept whispering with Draco.
"May I have the word?"
"You may Mister Potter" answered a witch in the rows behind Kingsley. "The points Miss Weasley brought up are a lie. Miss Granger stayed by my side because I asked her to. She could have walked away, but she didn't because she is, what we know as a true friend. Therefore I want to support Hermione's evidence of the shove."
"Please sit back Mister Potter. That was a fine speech" said Kingsley and you could see the twitching of his mouth.
Cho stood up and walked to Hermione. She glared at her. "Why where you on said day at the Weasley residence, even if your relationship with Ronald Weasley no longer existed?"
"Because Fred and George asked me to come."
"How do you know that they weren't part of the scheming?"
"They were the only once who were by my side during that time. They are honest people and wouldn't do something like that." Hermione looked Cho square in the eyes; never wavering.
Cho smiled evilly. "Tell me Miss Granger. Didn't you always shouted at the twins during your Hogwarts time? You weren't even friends then where you? How come you trust them now?" Hermione closed her eyes and remembered the moments in school and everything after. She opened her eyes and smiled warmly and Fred and George, who where sitting behind her. They nodded.
"People change. Especially after a war. They saved my live and I saved their live. Since then we have worked together if they needed help with some of their products. I'm sure you have use a Daydream charm or the expandable ears in you Hogwarts years didn't you Cho?"
"Yes who didn't?"
"Well you see, they are some of our better products. You could say they exist because of me." Cho stayed quiet and walked back to Ginny. It was Draco's time to ask questions. He walked towards Ginny and stood straight with a serious face.
"Why did you shove Miss Granger?"
"I didn't shove her."
"Why where you there at that time?"
"It is the house of my family! I have every right to be there."
"How come you say Miss Granger wanted to steal Mister Potter from you if you two weren't even in a steady relationship?"
"What do you mean? We have a steady relationship! We have been going out since my fifth year!"
"That's not true during the war and a little afterwards you and Mister Potter haven't been in a relationship."
"Every couple needs a little break once in a time" she said with a quivering voice. Her eyes glanced nervously to Cho. "Then tell me why did you corner Miss Granger in the kitchen of the twins flat?"
"She had no right to be there. She is filthy. You should no best!" she shouted just like Draco wanted her to do. He let a cold smile slip. "So did you shove her?"
"Pah! I wouldn't touch her even if my life was in danger!"
"So you are telling me that you have done it with magic?"
"You can do everything with magic! Are you an idiot?"
The audience watched the match with great interest. Everyone who had seen Draco Malfoy in a courtroom before knew what was to come. Every time he would use this method to irritate the opposite until he or she would spill the true.
Hermione looked sad at Draco. She knew it hurt him too, but there he stood proud and charming. Just like the day they meet in the club. If this was over she would let him live his life with Susan.
Draco frowned this was to slow he wanted to see her burn in hell. He would need a new method. "This will be no use. If she didn't shove Miss Granger I ask the trial to use Veratiserum. Until we use it we will never know if she did it or not."
Kingsley nodded and his assistant searched for the little vial in one of his pockets.
"Do you agree to use Veratiserum Miss Weasley?"
"No! I will not drink it. Whatever use would it be?"
Draco smiled now triumphal. "Do you have something to hide Miss Weasley? Or is this the confession?"
Ginny looked murderous but walked right in Dracos trap. Due to the hurtful words for her pride she lost sight of her goal. "Alright I will drink it!"
Cho grabbed her arm. "You shouldn't Ginny! You will loose everything!"
"I will not loose. There are things that can be suppressed, even if it is Veratiserum!"
"You don't understand Ginny!"
But the redhead ignored her and gulped down the global that was handed towards her. "Ginny! This Potion was brewed by Hermione! They always use her potions! No one, and I mean no one, is able to suppress it!"
But Ginny didn't even glance her way. The potion worked quickly and Kingsley started to ask questions again. Cho held her head in her hands. This was a lost cause. She should have never said yes to Ginny.
"Did you shove Miss Granger?" asked Kingsley.
"Yes" answered Ginny.
"Did you corner Miss Granger in the kitchen of your brothers?"
"Yes."
"Why did you corner her?"
"Because she is a waste of life!"
"And why did you shove her?" asked Kingsley angrily, while Mrs. Weasley began sobbing, knowing her daughter was send to Azkaban.
"Because she wanted the little Bastard in her. Because I should have been the first one to get pregnant."
"Why were you jealous?"
"She had everything in her life, even the little brood of the evil. She was a bad person."
Kingsley frowned. "Why was the child evil?"
"Because it was Draco Malfoy's child! A child unworthy of living in this world! A beautiful pureblood line ruined by a filthy mudblood!" shouted Ginny in rage.
Kingsley shouted over the angry voices in the room, while the potion lost his effects. Ginny's eyes cleared and she watched Hermione, who was sitting pale and tense in her chair. She ruined everything again. Filthy mudblood.
"I condemn you with 10 years in Azkaban because of the murderer of the unborn child of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, which resulted in the loss of Miss Grangers magical powers!"
Ginny Weasley was transported in a fit of rage out of the hall by the guardians, who would hurt her if it wasn't for the law that restraint them.
With shaking knees Hermione left the courtroom just to be welcomed in the arms of her new boyfriend and her friends. She was happy that everything found his end.
She watched Draco who stood with a depressing face in the room. Leaving her friends, she walked towards him.
"I'm sorry Draco. For everything."
"You don't have to be. Everything that happens, happens because of a reason." He smiled at her and touched her cheek. "I just wished you would have told me sooner."
"Believe me if I tell you that it would hurt much more."
He smiled at her and tucked a curl behind her ear. He bend down and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "It wouldn't have worked between us, not in this world Hermione. Who knows what good this loss will bring us?"
"Good bye Draco. I hope you and Susan will be happy."
"Yeah and please do me a favour; tell Wood if you are pregnant again!" He laughed and walked away while she shouted at him, that he was an idiot.
It was a really tough chapter to write. I didn't know how to make the trial.
I hope you are happy with the solution.
But there will be only one chapter left to write.
Until then.
Thanks for the review goes to triximionepotter, jessirose85, xxfallblossomsxx, Readerforlofe, voldyismyfather and Monnbeam.