A/N: She will be strong. For her son. For herself. For him. So this an AU where Lucius doesn't get acquitted for his involvement with Voldemort at the end of the First War. Dedicated and written for Emily (DolbyDigital)

Also a submission for:

The All-Era Endurance Test Competition: ROUND 2 - Write about your OTP

Hogwarts Writing Club Competition: Round 6 - coping

The Stratified Agate Competition: Level VII - Write about your pairing being parted by death (you may include them being reunited in the afterlife if you so desire)

The blonde woman sits on the hard, uncomfortable wooden benches of the courtroom, glad that she is able to spare her young son the reality of this situation. She watches the critical and judgemental faces of the people around her, all eyes focused on the man sitting in the middle.

His hair is dry and stringy, his skin pale, his cheeks sallow and he looks as if he hasn't bathe, eaten or slept in days, though he had only been held in Azkaban overnight. He is a far cry from the man she was used to.

The last few months have been brutal since the Dark Lord's fall, barely coping to keep her family together, but giving her time to consider all the possibilities. Most of her friends and acquaintances had been captured and sentenced to Azkaban, or worse. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with her husband, regardless of his standing within the Ministry prior to his discovery.

The overseer of the trial bangs his gavel, quieting the room before he asks her husband how he pled.

"Imperius Curse, Sir," he says, just he told her he would, just like they practiced. Some of the others had said the same, and few had been lucky enough to be spared. With the money used to grease the Ministry's palms, he will be lucky as well.

But then the overseer laughs. "Like we haven't heard that one before." He gestures to a man on his right and he steps towards her husband, pulling his head back and putting a drop of clear liquid on his tongue - Veristaserum.

She holds her breath as everyone waits for it to take effect, knowing now, there is nothing that can be done. The overseer asks again, and it wasn't until she heard his voice that she knew for sure. Clearly, for everyone to hear, her husband says, "Guilty."

The overseer reads out a long list of charges, and every "Guilty" is like a nail being hammered into her heart. After the final one, the man says, "Lucius Abraxas Malfoy is found guilty of his crimes against the Wizarding community and is sentenced to the Dementors' Kiss." And with the bang of the gavel on the last nail, her husband's fate is sealed.

Their eyes lock across the room, grey meeting grey for the last time. His are filled with fear, regret, and so much love, she feels almost compelled to throw herself in front of him.

But she doesn't. She watches with a blank expression as the Dementor sweeps into the room. A visible shudder runs through the courtroom as the faceless black cloak glides along the stands before settling in front of the blond man. He struggles against his bonds, the clinking of his frantic chains echoing off the walls, but it is no use. The Dementor's rattling breath grows louder and louder as he descends onto her husband. He screams, begging for mercy and forgiveness, but none comes. All the while, she stands tall and straight backed, never looking away from the gruesome sight.

Then it is over. His struggling has ceased and those grey eyes are now vacant. His body slumps forward as the Dementor moves away and the Aurors move forward. There is no body to collect, for he is not dead but also not living. He will be disposed of with as much dignity as a criminal deserves.

She rises with everyone and leaves the courtroom without a backward glance, among the whispers of her lack of emotion, but she does not care. Her feelings are hers to endure, and she will do it alone.

She will be strong. For her son. For herself. For him.