"Well off you go. Get some rest before the hearing." he said, and pushed them all out, before anyone could protest otherwise.
As expected, Rose had disturbed sleep, that night as well.
Nightmares plagued her, all too vivid, but fast disappearing once she awoke. She tossed and turned restlessly, unable to fall asleep without waking up, a few minutes later. The heat was stifling, and when she threw off her covers, she shivered from the cold.
It was around 5 am when she decided to finally put an end to it.
She got out of bed and headed for a nice long shower. She then pulled on her best skirt, ironed shirt and black pumps. She ran a comb through her tangled curls, attempting a neat bun, with not a strand out of place.
Without her wand, she had to do it the muggle way, which set her back.
It took a while, but she was finally happy enough with her appearance, professional.
Minutes before she floo-ed to Grimmauld Place, the Daily Prophet arrived, 'Sentencing today: Life or Death for Malfoy Heir.' the headlines screamed, the same photo under it as before.
Too disgusted to read it, she drained the rest of her coffee in one go, getting the caffeine fix she needed to get through the day.
It was still early when she reached her Uncle's.
Ginny was in the kitchen like before, and she offered her toast, knowing she wasn't in the frame of mind to eat anything else. She accepted gratefully, swallowing it down, all the while wondering when her last meal had been.
"Oh, good. You're here." Al said as he helped himself to a slice, ready in his Auror robes. "Dad is at the Department already; they are hot on the trail of Rodgers, and are going to bring June in for custody soon. Blake is around too, trying to use anything he can get." Al updated her.
"That's great news, Al!" Rose exclaimed, finally a smile shining through.
"He won't talk though. He'll know we don't have anything concrete on him." He said grimly, getting to his feet.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." she said, swallowing a mouthful, hurriedly.
"Thanks Aunt Ginny!" she called out, grabbing her purse from where she had dropped it earlier. She didn't even hear her Aunt's reply, as Al had side-along apparated them to the Ministry already.
They were greeted by a huge din, coming from around the office. Rose suspected that someone had tipped off the press about the new leads. They weaved through the crowd, desperate to get inside, away from the noise.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter! What do you think is going to happen today? Mr. Potter, is Scorpius Malfoy guilty?" The reporters hounded them as soon as they appeared on seen. Rose fled, thanking her stars that they hadn't spotted her yet.
"I believe in our judicial system and I believe he is innocent." Al said, giving them the exact response they wanted. As soon as the word were out of his mouth, they started again, question after question, each barely discernible from the next.
"Mr. Potter, is your personal relationship with Mr. Malfoy affecting your objectivity on this case?" A young reporter asked, heard above the rest thanks to the sonorous spell he used.
The audience waited with bated breaths, their quick note quills at the ready.
"I have known him since I was 11. If he says he didn't do it, then I believe him. It has no bearing on my actions as an auror. If anything, it has made me work harder than ever before to ensure the right answers are found and the person actually responsible for these heinous crimes is in Azkaban." He answered truthfully.
The direct quote from Harry Potter's son was enough to excite the reporters. Each ran in different directions, hoping to publish it before their rivals and earn brownie points from their bosses.
"You should run for minister." Rose suggested playfully, once their way was clear. He brushed her off with a non-committal shrug of his shoulders and sauntered into his father's cubicle.
"Did we get him?" Rose asked eagerly. Harry shook his head grimly. "Even if we do, he knows we don't have enough to hold him for long. He's been too careful for that. It's sheer luck we even got on his trail. He is going to wait it out and walk out of here free. And we can't do a damn thing to stop him." He said, sounding absolutely frazzled.
"Not if I can help it." The sly tone of Draco Malfoy interrupted. There he stood, by the door, looking as tired as Harry, but a smile painted across his face, making him look younger by decades!
"Malfoy! I have never been as happy to see you." Harry admitted, a smile softening his features as well.
"While you and your incompetent team aimlessly looked for Jacob, I did something much more useful with my resources." He said, disregarding Harry's greeting completely.
"So you figured it out too then?" Harry asked, only mildly surprised.
"Of course I did Potter. I may be getting on in age, but I am not a complete moron." He answered, a smirk dancing on the corners of his mouth.
"Alright then, tell us already." Harry hurried, impatient for good news.
"I present to you, my lovely, soon to be ex, daughter-in-law." He announced with a flourish, and it was then that they noticed her slender figure, almost hidden behind him.
For a moment Rose had assumed her to be Astoria, but at his words, her heart soared. "And, she's willing to talk. Aren't you, June?" He said, forcefully, dragging her in front with a vicious grip on her arm.
June looked haggard and pale, with her hair dishevelled, as were her clothes. The purple bags under her eyes showed stress, and Rose wondered whether it was a glamour that had kept her looking so impeccable all these days.
"Yes, I will testify." She squeaked, not daring to meet anyone's eyes, especially Rose's. Rose didn't know what had made her change her mind, nor did she know the methods Draco Malfoy had used to get his way, but things were taking a turn for the better and she wasn't complaining.
The end of Voldemort had brought an end to many other things in the Wizarding world, the trials by the Wizengamot being one of them.
The 50 member strong council had been dissolved by Kingsley Shacklebolt and his advisors, in favor of a more just system, adopting a few practices from their muggle counterparts, in hopes of better governance.
The new administration allowed for a formal hearing in front of a Judge, complete with lawyers et al.
This had led to a new crop of lawyers, including those with private practices, like Mr. Peter Blake. With the Death-Eater trials taking utmost priority as the end of the war, these establishments had been set up rather fast, and now they represented big names within the fraternity.
The profession too, became highly sought after, and soon kids were aspiring to be lawyers, as they were aurors.
Now, a few decades after that epic battle in Hogwarts, the lawyers were a flourishing breed, the new system cemented in place, and the Wizengamot all but forgotten.
The wise members of the auspicious panel weren't to be left out, however, and they took up the roles of Judges and the 'jury' if you please, in the new reign.
This particular trial, the one of Scorpius Malfoy, was to be judged by one of the best men they had.
Named Chief Warlock after Albus Dumbledore, Edward Nathaniel Robards was as experienced as they came. He had looked over the proceedings immediately after the war, and had taken the right decisions regarding each individual presented before him, the Malfoys included.
Now, he rarely attended the trials, but upon special request from the Auror Department, he had agreed.
The case intrigued him as well. Classic case of a rich, most possibly spoilt rotten, brat, doing as he wished, thinking it was alright to kill innocent muggle girls. It had been a while, since the matter of blood-purity had been brought to the forefront. Prejudices were still present, he wouldn't deny it, but it was never voiced, certainly not as loudly as this.
The voices for justice were louder than ever this time around, with the whole community wanting to drown out blood supremacy, once and for all. No one wanted power or money to deny them justice.
And then there were the muggles, who had been affected by this as well.
The media were hyping things up as usual, not having had a proper scandal in a really long while.
There were so many people out for the poor boy's blood, no one quite stopping to ask if he was guilty or not.
And that's what intrigued Robards.
The hearing today would decide his fate, and yet there were faint murmurs about his innocence.
The Malfoys complicated things as well in his opinion. A family who had fought really hard to regain their name and stature in society wouldn't inculcate such values in their only heir, surely.
Even if they had, wouldn't they have hidden it better?
Their wealth and influence was well known, and yet the only place they had seen it flash was in the hiring of Peter Blake.
Ah, Mr. Blake. It would be entertaining to see how the man handled this one.
Yes, it was going to be challenging.
Extremely confusing, if he knew Blake, and he did.
But Edward Robards also had a keen sense of observation, and years of experience had made him a brilliant judge of human behaviour if not anything else. The hearing would be immensely interesting if not anything else, and he for one was waiting to have a crack at law again.
With this on his mind, he apparated to his office, ready to hear Peter Blake's defense while the rest of the country cried for Scorpius Malfoy's head.
Please Review? :)
Kind of a filler, but required for the build up to the trial. I'll try to have the next one out soon :)
Thanks!
