Conviction

Chapter 11: Hostage Part I

xXx

It was late, later than either of them should have been up given everything that had taken place recently. Hermione watched as Draco slipped his shirt back on where he was sitting on the edge of her bed. She was sitting propped up against the headboard memorizing the way he moved. It took her a moment to realize his shoulders were shaking and another moment to realize it was because he was laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Draco turned to face her, still perched on the edge of the bed. His shirt was unbuttoned and he had yet to slip his pants back on.

"This certainly didn't work out as planned. Did it?"

xXx

48 Hours Earlier

It was a beautiful spring morning and Draco took a deep breath as he stepped out into the garden behind Malfoy Manor. He spotted Pansy on the stone patio, sitting at the small table with breakfast laid out in front of her. He walked up, taking a seat across from her. She smiled at him softly.

"Good morning." he greeted her, pouring himself a cup of coffee and swiping a piece of bacon off her plate. She swatted at his hand halfheartedly and he chuckled. "So, mother tells me you've opted to stay here at the manor instead of going home with your parents."

Pansy shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure if I can trust my mother." she explained. "I know my father would protect me, keep Greg away from me, but I'm not so sure my mother wouldn't try to convince me to forgive him."

"Well, no matter what happens we'll all be here for you." he reassured her.

"Thank you, Draco. For everything." Draco smiled at her. "So," she began desperate for a happier conversation. "What do you have planned for the day?"

"I have to be in court for a hearing this morning." he replied checking his watch. "A hearing I'll be late for if I don't get going." he told her standing up. "I should be back in the office after lunch if you need me." he continued leaning over to lay a kiss on her cheek before leaving.

xXx

Blaise chuckled as Draco approached, putting the contents of his pockets back as he approached his team outside the courtroom. "I swear security's getting worse." he complained.

"That's a good thing. It means they're doing their job." Harry replied. Draco conceded the point as they pushed through the doors into the courtroom.

"That can't be all." Blaise said as they made their way in.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Why you're almost late. Security takes a while but not that long." he continued.

"Oh yeah, I got held up at the Manor and then got stuck in traffic." Draco explained.

"Staying at the manor? Bit old to be living at home aren't you." Blaise teased. Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's just until I know Pansy will be alright." he said. "I don't think I'll have to worry about her much longer though."

"Why's that?" Luna asked.

"She's doing better. Better than you'd expect. Ever since she talked to Weasley."

They spotted Hermione at the front of the room talking with the defense attorney. The defendant was sitting at the table, turning to face her four family members, her parents and teenage children, behind her. The team made their way to the front, taking a seat in the row behind the Prosecutor's table.

Not long after, the bailiff, who'd been talking to the stenographer, stood to height and moved to the side of the Judge's bench, announcing her to the room and driving everyone to their feet.

"Be seated." the judge said as she took her own seat. "This hearing is to determine the validity of the conviction of Elaine Lassiter in the murder of her husband, Marcus Lassiter. Miss Granger, what is the Prosecution's stance?"

Hermione stood. "Your honor, due to further investigation we at the prosecutor's office feel it is only right to vacate the prosecution's stance on Mrs. Lassiter's conviction."

"Very well Miss Granger, I will take that into consideration as you present the new evidence." she replied. She turned to the defense but before she could say anything a commotion started in the hall. All eyes turned to the double doors at the far end of the courtroom. Muffled screams rang out, someone yelling orders to stop, and before anyone could react the doors burst open to reveal Greg Goyle pushing a young woman in front of him, a gun in hand. He pushed the doors closed quickly, sliding a metal horseshoe shape around the knobs.

Goyle was finished and back to pointing his gun at the young woman before Harry or the Bailiff could react and draw their weapons. "Don't even think about it Potter." he called pressing the muzzle to the woman's temple. He inched forward a bit. "You." he said pointing to one of the witnesses. "Take their guns, bring them here." when the older woman hesitated he screamed; "Now!"

She jumped rushing to each of them and with shaking hands laid the guns at his feet. He gestured for her to go back to Harry. "Take his handcuffs. Cuff him to the table." he ordered and she looked to Harry wide eyed. He nodded at her slightly non verbally telling her it was okay. "Everyone else over there." Greg continued gesturing to the opposite side of the room. As the woman secured Harry to the table, the group slowly moved across the room, making no sudden movements. "Not you two. Malfoy, Granger." Greg called out stopping them. They turned to look at him and followed his gestures back to where Harry was standing hunched over, one of his hands secured to a metal bar under the table.

When everyone was situated he let the young woman he'd brought in with him go, pushing her toward the group on the far side. He found Draco, putting himself between Greg and Hermione.

"Typical." Greg scoffed. They both look confused and Hermione shoots Harry a look earning a shrug. "Everything's all about Draco. The perfect son." Greg continued. "Everything revolves around Draco and what he wants. Everyone else be damned."

"What do you want Greg?" Draco asked which seemed to only enrage Greg. He'd been about as level headed as a hostage taker could be, but now, standing toe to toe with Draco he seemed completely unhinged.

"What do I want?" Greg seethed. "I want what's mine!" he exclaimed. "I want my wife and I know you're keeping her from me! Where is she?"

"Somewhere you can't hurt her anymore." Hermione replied glaring fiercely at her former classmate.

He brought his attention on her and pointed the gun at her but she refused to flinch even as Draco tried to pull her behind him. "Oh are you two best friends now?" Greg asked sarcastically. "Because if I remember correctly you hated each other in school."

Before anyone can reply a knock sounded at the doors across the courtroom.

xXx

Response time had been incredible when one stopped to think about it. But with the son of the Commissioner, an entire law enforcement task force and the Director of Public Prosecutions, all being held hostage by a lone gunman it was to be expected.

Remus and Sirius had been at home, packing for their honeymoon when a Police Constable appeared at their door, informing them that their daughter, nephew, their team and several other people had been taken hostage in one of the courtrooms downtown. They'd wasted no time, dropping everything and rushing to the scene where they pulled up on a blockade, keeping onlookers back and gatherings of police around the building. At the front of the building where the largest gathering of officers was, sat a mobile command unit RV. They were ushered passed the police line and into the RV where they were greeted by James.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sirius asked urgently, ignoring the hum of activity around them. James took a deep breath.

"An unidentified gunman entered the courthouse and made it through the security checkpoint. He attacked a guard near the back of the entrance hall and took a clerk hostage, used her as a human shield and took her into the courtroom where Hermione and her Task Force were holding a hearing." James explained. He gestured to the man standing in tactical gear behind a woman, also in tactical gear sitting at a bank of computers against the wall. She was typing away furiously, the screens blinking through CCTV footage. "You remember Superintendent Alastor Moody." James said, pointing out the standing man. "And of course Chief Inspector Tonks." the woman waved over her shoulder, focused on her work.

"Cousin." she mumbled in greeting.

"Dora's working on getting the CCTV feed from inside the courthouse; in the meantime they're trying to identify the gunman." James explained.

"The system is in the process of updating, so the images are a little grainy." Tonks explained. "I've got them running through a cleaning algorithm."

"We only have an estimated hostage count. The Judge, the bailiff, the stenographer, a defense attorney, the defendant, the hostage he took in there with him, Hermione and CIU which makes twelve so far. We don't know how many more were already in there for the hearing." Moody explained. "As soon as we get the feed we can assess the situation and decide what to do from there, but protocol states we open a line of communication."

"I got it." Tonks interrupted bringing up the feed on the largest screen.

"That's Gregory Goyle Jr." James said watching the familiar young man heard everyone into a corner. To the side he could see Harry, handcuffed to the underside of the Prosecutor's table. On either side of him he felt his best friends tense, watching in horror as Greg singled out Hermione and Draco, moving them over to stand with Harry.

"I count sixteen total sirs." Tonks said. "An older male and female and two teenagers."

"The defendant's family most likely." Remus muttered absently.

Moody turned to an officer off to the side. "Get a tac phone in there, now." he ordered before turning back to the screen.

"There's no audio?" Sirius asked his eyes never leaving the screen. Greg was yelling at Draco now.

"No, there are no microphones in any of the courtrooms. Too much of a risk someone will hack them." Tonks explained.

There was a bit more and then Hermione spoke up and a little voice in the back of Sirius' mind told him he owed Draco for putting himself between that gun and their daughter.

Then all at once, everyone in the courtroom turned to look at the door.

xXx

"I have a phone." A voice called through the door. "There are people who would like to speak with you." it continued.

"You must think I'm stupid!" Greg called back, lowering the gun as he turned to face the back of the courtroom.

"I'm setting the phone outside the door and walking away." the voice responded. There was an audible thunk as something hard touched the ground. Now that everyone was quiet they could hear heavy boots walking further away.

"If you don't pick up the phone to talk to the police, they'll have no choice but to make entry. Nine out of ten times the hostage taker dies." Harry explained.

"Shut up." Greg replied absently staring off at the door.

"This is your chance to make demands, tell them what you want." Harry continued unheeded.

Greg snapped his head around glaring at Harry and lifting his gun to point it at him. "My only demand is that you shut the fuck up!" Harry didn't flinch but he could just see Draco in the corner of his eye, holding Hermione back.

Greg hesitated before turning to the group and pointing at Luna.

"You, up." he ordered. Despite having a gun pointed at her, Luna was calm and cool, although Hermione hadn't expected any differently of her. Draco on the other hand was a bit surprised. Luna had always been nonchalant, breezy in her own way, but a man was literally pointing a gun at her, how could she remain so calm?

"You two, sit against the wall." Greg ordered Hermione and Draco and they did, sliding to the floor just behind Harry.

Greg followed Luna to the door, standing back off to the side. He lifted the horseshoe lock up so she could push the door open and watched her like a hawk as she peeked out and grabbed the divers box stamped with the Tactical Response Logo. She had just enough time to glance around the hall, spotting a tactical team ready for insertion at a moment's notices, before backing into the room, phone in hand.

With Luna back in the room he replaced the make shift lock and took the phone, ushering her back to the group. No sooner did she reclaim her seat than did the phone ring, muffled inside the case. Greg set it down on the table and opened it up, picking up the receiver. "Well you got your line. Now what do you want?" Greg demanded into the mouth piece.

"It's not about what I want. It's about what you want Mr. Goyle." the voice on the other end spoke calmly and clearly. "My name is Inspector Terry Boot, and I want to help you and those people you have in there with you get home safe tonight. Now, what do I need to do to make that happen?" he asked.

"Well, Terry, that's quite simple. My wife. Here. One hour." and with that Greg hung up.

xXx

"Do you know anything about the wife sir?" Boot asked when the line went dead. He turned to James, Remus and Sirius as he posed the question.

"Pansy Goyle nee Parkinson." James began. "She just got out of the hospital this past weekend. She'd asked him for a divorce and in response he beat her and threw her down the stairs."

"And he wonders why she asked for a divorce." Sirius muttered.

"Well, we obviously can't let her anywhere near him, but maybe she'll talk to him over the phone." Boot suggested. Moody agreed.

"When Goyle disappeared after the attack she went to stay with the Malfoys. I've already spoken with Narcissa about all of this, she's agreed to stay put at the Manor. They should still be there." James explained.

"We should probably have Pansy on scene." Tonks spoke up. "If he won't accept a phone call, we may be able to open up a visual line."

"Agreed." James said. "I'll go get her myself." he continued. "Keep me updated." he ordered Moody, before turning on his heels and leaving mobile command. His body guards met him outside and escorted him toward the waiting SUV. James stopped short however, when he noticed a familiar head of red hair in the crowd of officers.

"Ron!" he called out, drawing the young Inspector's attention. His son's best friend pushed his way through the crowd meeting him just outside the police line.

"Yes Sir? Any news?" Ron asked short of breath.

"I'll explain on the way, I need you to accompany me to Malfoy Manor." James told him and Ron didn't question it.

xXx

Narcissa was desperate for news as she ushered them into the house. "What's going on? Have you heard anything more?" she asked.

"We've identified the gunman." James began. "Is Gregory Goyle Jr." there was hitch in her breath but she said nothing as James continued. "He's making demands now."

"And what does he want?" she asked although she was certain she already knew the answer.

"His only demand is that we bring Pansy to him. He hasn't said what he'll do if we don't, but to be quite honest I don't want to wait to find out."

"There has to be another way." Narcissa insisted. "You can't bring Pansy anywhere near that monster."

"I'm sorry, Cissa, he's got sixteen hostages including our children." James replied. Narcissa shook her head, looking off at the staircase and catching sight of Pansy as she descended.

"He's right." she said softly, drawing James and Ron's attention. She stepped off the last riser and stopped beside Ron. "I don't want to go anywhere near him, but he has all those people. He needs to be stopped."

She was practically shaking; they could all see it, but equally so they could see the resolve in her eyes. She wasn't going to let anyone down.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked. She nodded.