Locked In
You're lying through your teeth
it doesn't seem to be that bad
until a good friends corpse is lying on the floor
I can't seem to get by
when all I'm living on is fake smiles
Jenny
5/9/10
3:20 p.m.
Bollig's wand hitting the Pensive seemed to echo loudly in my head as the room automatically dimmed so that the memory could clearly be seen. It was a memory from my own mind, and I frantically searched through my head, trying to remember how he got it.
"What will you do once we actually kill them? You know this won't bring them back, your past friends and family. I'm sorry, Jenny, but I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore than they already have." Draco was insisting hurriedly to me, raising his hands as I turned quickly on the spot in anger. In the ten seconds it took for him to speak, my rage had grown exponentially until I could feel my eyes flash. For one searing second, I felt like he deserved pain, sheer raw pain. It faded as soon as I saw his face. Guilt rose in me. That was the second time in recent history that I felt that craving.
"How did you get that?" I gasped as it cut off, and Bollig's smug grin grew even wider.
"Despite your 'sleepy' state, I was still given permission from the Wizengamot to collect evidence from you."
"That was private," I said angrily, but even more horrified that anyone would poke through someone else's mind like that.
"You don't deserve privacy anymore. You gave that up when you became a citizen. Are you embarrassed to see your true self for everyone to see? Willing to attack your own loved ones?" He challenged, slowly advancing as I stiffened in outrage.
"If you hadn't trimmed that memory for your own gain, you would have seen that I broke down crying from shame, and that I never felt like that again-"
"Never again, hmmm?" Bollig barked over me, and rapped his wand on the Pensive again.
It was another time when I hardly recognized myself. I was full of grief, looking more like a skeleton than a healthy person. I was dreadfully angry, shouting and swearing at Lupin, my face still wet from tears.
"That happened before the first memory you showed. That only happened twice." I said frostily, but Bollig chortled.
"Look at you, swearing in the face of the man who has become your father figure. Later on, you're bi-polar. Face it, Quinty, your mind is unstable and uncontrollable."
"No, if my mind at any point has been unstable, it was when I was captive at the Malfoy Manor, sir." I said dryly, swallowing the anger forcefully. "I'm perfectly capable of managing myself, as your own psychiatrist said earlier." We glared at each other, almost face to face as the courtroom burst into titters. His face turned ugly, then smoothed into a mask that might have reflected pity once, but was no longer capable. It turned into a sick sort of grimace.
"How terribly sad. Your grasp of reality has completely faded, my dear. You see, in this world, people don't get away with murder, no matter how crazy and dangerous they are."
"I'd like to see you prove that first," I snapped, and he leaned back away from me, smirking.
"Oh, don't worry. That's what I am about to do, werewolf. I would like to call George Eads to the stand." Bollig said dangerously, and a very tan man with wild grey hair and very patched clothing came in and sat. "What is your profession, Mr. Eads?" Bollig asked almost triumphantly.
"I'm a Dark Beast catcha'." The man rasped and I couldn't help but shudder. He killed people like me for a living.
"So you've observed werewolves and the people who become them, is that right?"
"Yeah, yeah, you gots to hunt em' down first, you know what I'm sayin'?" He started to laugh, and Bollig let him for a moment.
"What are the people like?" Bollig asked loudly.
"Most of em' is nomads ya know? All detached from society and the like."
"Are they dangerous?"
"Most of em' are disgusting ugly brutes to be honest. They be livin' in the wild all the time, and that ain't good for the mind, ya know?"
"Can you believe that this girl is a werewolf?" Bollig asked, and I had to work hard to keep my gaze lifeless as I let my eyes lock onto Eads'. He started to chuckle again, his eyes raking over repeatedly, instantly reminding me of Kingsley.
"If she wasn't all battle-scarred I'd say that she'd be a hot-" Bollig cut him off hurriedly.
"Battle-scarred?"
"Ya know, covered in the scratches and the like. I mean, werewolves be fightin' all the time, they're so territorial an' all. Most of the time they'd be maulin' away on anythin' that be crossin their path. Yeah," He looked at me again, and cockily waggled his eyebrows at me.
"That'll be all, thank you." Bollig said, sounding satisfied. Eads looked at me one last time before wolf-whistling and leaving, make my face pale. What an asshole. "And to end my affidavit, I'd like to examine a relationship Quinty had, and how irresponsible and un-caring she was about this person's health and well being. I'm talking, of course, about Brian Schwenn." Bollig said in his sleazy tone, and I felt my face pale further. "Back when Jenny was where she belonged, she had a boyfriend, Brian Schwenn. When she was questioned during her stay at Malfoy Manor, she happened to mention that he knew this 'karate', also known as martial arts. So instead of being murdered on the spot along with the rest of her family, he was taken to Malfoy Manor to be trained as a spy for the Death Eaters. After Jenny killed more of Voldemort's followers, he was sent out as an assassin, to kill Jenny or to kill Order members as collateral. Once Jenny rescued him, she didn't take him somewhere safe, didn't give him time to heal, and didn't even resume the relationship they had together. Instead, she chose to stay with her new man, make Brian apart of her team, and take him out to murder more people."
By the time he finished, I was shaking. Brain's death had been my fault, but where would he have gone? Bollig was almost lying through his teeth. I couldn't help myself, I had to say something. "Either tell the truth or say nothing at all," I hissed, and he arranged his face to mock surprise.
"Excuse me?" He asked, trying to sound wounded. He failed miserably, but I was too angry to care.
"Don't talk about Brian like that in front of me." I said slowly and coldly. He smirked, and leaned close to me, meeting my glare with a satisfied and smug face.
"Did you love him, Quinty?" He mocked, and I snapped.
"You fucking prick, if you knew anything about love," I swore at him, hands clenched into fists, and he started to chuckle, cutting me off, still watching me intently.
"My, my…such…angry behavior. Minister, I'd like to recommend isolation and a continuation of the previous treatment given to Quinty, to calm her down. We wouldn't want anyone else getting hurt, now would we?" He asked, and any blood left in my face drained away.
"That isn't at all necessary; Auror Bollig was provoking the witness and behaving like a child." Dawlish said curtly, and Bollig glared at him. They stared meanly at each other as the Minister stroked his chin, thinking.
"I agree with Auror Bollig. After we finish today's session, Quinty will receive the same treatment as the Wizengamot deliberates." The Minister's smug smile seemed miles away as my brain reeled. I would lose myself again, be lost in that black, sticky tar-like substance. How long would I sleep this time?
"Auror Bollig was provoking the witness -that cannot stand here in this court!" Dawlish argued, but the Minister raised a hand and he quieted, looking furious. I closed my eyes to try to vanish his face from my mind. He shouldn't care. I tried to only think of Draco, how much time we would be able to spend together when this was over…suddenly, I felt rash. It didn't matter anymore what I said, I was already going to be drugged, what would another comment matter?
"Is it a crime to have someone love you?" I asked quietly, without opening my eyes, and I heard Bollig shift, as if pleased to have another fight.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked with mock politeness.
"Brian didn't want to leave me. I wasn't going to force him to stay with people he didn't know. If that's a crime, then I'm guilty." I opened my eyes and locked in directly on his beady little eyes, not looking away, flinching, and not even blinking. We looked at each other a moment, until he coughed and looked away. Internally, I savored this tiny victory. Fuck him and his twisted truths.
"I believe that I am finished, Minister." Bollig said in an unusually quiet voice. He turned on his heel and walked away. As the Wizengamot left the room, the chains unwound, but I didn't stand up. I was utterly exhausted all of a sudden, feeling beaten down. I put my face in my hands as I heard who I knew was Draco vault over the bar and skid to a stop.
"Jenny," He said quietly, and I knew he was upset. I looked up, and his face confirmed it. Almost simultaneously, we grabbed each other, hugging tightly.
"God, I'm such an idiot…why did I do it? Why didn't I just shut up and-" I mumbled tearfully into his neck.
"Jenny, if you hadn't stood up for yourself and Brian's memory, I would have been worried about you. It will be ok, I promise. The Wizengamot has gone out to deliberate, and I know that they will go in your favor. I know it," He repeated firmly, almost to himself.
"What happens to me…if they find me guilty?" I asked quietly, and we pulled apart, but he took my hands with a hint of desperation.
"They won't-" He stopped as I just looked at him, then sighed. "You'd be sent to Azkaban, with all the Death Eaters that survived." He said quietly, and I stared at him in horror. I had heard enough about Azkaban to know that it was not a good place to be. I turned when I heard more footsteps, and found myself swept into a hug from Lupin, and I held him tighter than I had with Draco.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't…I'm sorry," I gasped finally when he set me down, past caring about the fact that tears were streaking down my face.
"It's almost over. You won't be under for long, they won't have time to give you the Draught of the Living Death, just other drugs." Lupin tried to say it reassuringly, but his voice cracked.
"They won't? I won't sleep for days?" I asked, and when he nodded, I put my face in my hands a moment, counted to ten, then wiped my face clean.
"It will all work out." I said firmly, and then turned to Dawlish and Williamson, who were standing there like idiots, watching us with open mouths. "I'm ready to leave." I said flatly, then turned and walked for the exit, holding my head as high as possible.
What do you think, is Jenny innocent or guilty?
blackorchestrafreak