I hope Hannah's been taking good notes.

Hermione was aware that she and Ron resented defending Flora, but really they could only imagine. She knew exactly what kind of girl the Slytherin was, and she hated her. I have to pretend that I have faith in her innocence. Well, non-guilt, but I can't just sabotage her defense. That means we have to directly examine her.

"Witness for the defense," Snape muttered, almost as bored as Karkaroff. Their team had only one witness besides Professor Lupin, who had only just testified that he had used dark magic to defend himself in the past, including the killing curse, the illegality of which was suspended by Crouch during the war. He explained that against six wands, unless they were all first-years, an immediate, violent response was the only effective recourse if Apparation and advanced shielding were impossible. It was quite spectacular that she knew such a dark curse, but the story checked out. The prosecution had called Evan to the stand in hopes of associating him with Flora, or possibly disproving the defense's explanation of how she learned it, but the Heir of Slytherin denied them on all counts. Nowhere in his affidavit did he so much as say her name, and demonstrated no knowledge of the defendant on the stand, answering that he really only pointed her in the right direction when she asked him about defensive dark magic, and he had not spoken to her since. There was a serious chance he was committing perjury, but there was no way of proving it.

"We would call Flora Carrow to the stand." We've established that her views are irrelevant. She's the only one who can tell her version of the story. The defendant responded by simply rising and taking the assistant teacher's place. But I can't do it myself. Seated, she motioned for Ron to get up, and he responded with a moderately confused expression. He probably thinks that I just really wanted to defend her. "You'll be fine." she whispered. "You questioned her."

The Gryffindor rose and left the list of questions behind.

"You're a blood purist," he started. It was close enough to a question, but technically there was no requirement to respond. "Ever tell anyone?"

"The whole of the House of Slytherin is aware of it, I should think," the witness responded. "Beyond that, I would imagine anyone could guess, provided the wit."

"Right. So it's well understood, possibly even among the foreign students, that you don't like-"

"Mudbloods and blood traitors. The first are worse than the second in my belief."

"That's quite enough, it's not really important what you-"

"Objection, counsel is interrupting the witness," the French student argued from the prosecution.

"I'm only trying to say the... injured students had a reason to attack her."

"Perhaps the court would gain from a small example of what exactly the defendant believes," Megan argued. She will do it on cross anyway.

"The defendant's beliefs are not on trial," Hermione contested. "The defense explains only that the injured students would know about them."

An uneasy silence followed and Ron seemed to shrug and take advantage of it, asking another question.

"What happened, then?"

Flora explained her side of the story with minimal unnecessary input. It was, after all, the third or fourth time she had been asked to recount the events as they happened. The Ravenclaw witch was hit with a wave of doubt. What if she's been lying to us the whole time? I mean, it wouldn't make any sense-

"You used an unblockable dark curse. Why?"

"Only advanced shields can so much as deflect it."

The Gryffindor seemed to be thinking for a moment.

"Suppose a group of Slytherin pure bloods attacked you. What would you use?"

It was an unexpected question.

"I suppose, in that event, I would have little choice but to use the same spell, unlikely a scenario though-"

"I object," the French student started. "Counsel might ask her if she would use it on her parents; she might say yes; what would it prove?"

"Well, what would you do?" Ron argued. "D'you reckon you could Apparate out of there?"

"I am not on trial," Snape's expression seemed to agree, though Hermione doubted her partner was looking in his direction.

"I'm only saying you don't need any ill will to use the da- the dark curse, she only used it because her life was-"

"I object. Dark magic requires emotion."

"Generally, yes," the Ravenclaw witch intervened. "If the prosecution were to enter into evidence an expert who could testify about the emotional investment of the specific dark curse being used, the defense would find it necessary to enter into evidence an expert who can explain that the more a dark spell is used, the less it requires of the caster." Well, I've done it.

I've proven to the world that I really have been studying dark magic.

Headmaster Karkaroff gave a slight nod.

"No demonstration is required. I consider myself a preeminent expert on dark magic, and you have demonstrated an intelligence quite rare at this school."

Hermione froze, unable to so much as think as the questioning went on. She forced herself to focus on something more productive than an odd sense of déjà vu, and came up with the questions they had prepared for Capet, who was supposed to explain that the Beauxbatons students who had attacked Flora were not only friends, but members of what was basically a dark wizard hunting squad. Unfortunately, it would be his word against theirs, and she doubted she could realistically get enough French students to go against them on it, and even then it would not technically be proof. Well, Ron's friends with him; I'll let him ask the questions.

Megan Jones moved to cross-examine.

"Miss Carrow, what are your views regarding anyone of a different blood quantum than yourself?"

"Objection, the views of the defendant continue not to be on-"

"I merely establish motive-"

"Objection overruled," Madame Maxine decided. "Ze defense was permitted to not ask ze defendant about 'er views, not to remove zem from ze trial."

Ron scowled at Flora during the cross, particularly annoyed at her descriptions of wizard-muggle relations. In the past few weeks, he had found some of his wards had healed, and asked her help in applying them again. My past self really should have thought to write them all down, then erase them from our memories as well. It's doubtful that he, Hannah, Terry, or myself would have been stripped when we were questioned about Draco's disappearance, but layered wards designed to protect against combat magic would have looked suspicious. Her thoughts turning to Terry, she remembered that if Ron and Hannah had been resentful about defending the Slytherin, he had entirely refused until she told him that she had already said she would do it, and she needed his help. Basically, he had been against uniting the group in public, and being the defense team would make the four of them a named group in the public eye.

With the cross completed, the red-haired wizard scrawled something about asking another question of one of the prosecution witnesses. He'll have the opportunity when we're done with ours. Before deliberation, both sides will be allowed to question any witness on redirect.

Their next witnesses, Capet and Draco, were both character witnesses, the first for the injured French students and the second for the defendant. Hermione elected to interview them both herself. It would be too obvious that Ron likes one and hates the other. He's not that subtle. Their testimonies went as expected, with Capet able to provide details about the factions at Beauxbatons, which were more complex than she had expected, and the Slytherin explaining that Flora was of distinguished character, unlikely to kill anyone over a grudge, or attempt it.

"She and I are personal enemies, as it happens," the Malfoy heir elaborated. "Yet, at no point, has she challenged me to a duel or sought to exact revenge in any other way."

"Interesting," the Ravenclaw commented neutrally. "What exactly have you done?"

"Nothing you need to know, mudblood," Draco sneered. "We Slytherins are discreet in our affairs, and to say the least we would never do anything so foolish as to attack six wands out of nowhere. Flora is of a temperate disposition, and would not under any circumstances respond violently to mere talk; to do so she would become a disgrace to our House and her own. In a general case, the mob is more likely to attack the individual than the reverse."

"Nothing further," Hermione decided, her lips pursed. At least no one will think we chose our witnesses based on how much they like us.

The next witness was the Hufflepuff Malfoy proposed, and she was surprised to find Ernie getting on the stand. He's definitely trying to get Flora out of trouble, since she will most likely be convicted in the Wizengamot if we lose. I don't get this choice, though. She motioned for Ron to question him before seeing the barely-concealed bruises. He had a glazed look on his face.

It's too late. I can't stop it now. Wait.

"If we may, I would like to confer with our client," she proposed.

"Court will not adjourn for another hour," Megan interpolated. "The questions will proceed." She wants to ask him about the bruises on cross.

Ron shrugged, as if to say 'sorry, nothing I can do'.

"Were you one of the people involved with the attack?" he asked.

"No."

"Did you see it happen?"

"Yes," Ernie answered, his fingers tapping for some reason. I can't turn to look at Draco- everyone will know he had something to do with it.

"Please describe what you saw," Ron asked, his brow furrowing. He's confused. He doesn't know how Draco got a personal enemy of his to testify for Flora.

"I was only a few feet away when it happened."

"I didn't see you."

"I didn't see you either. You must have arrived after I left."

"You didn't intervene?"

"I did not."

"Seems odd."

"Are you trying to discredit your own witness?" Megan asked from the prosecution. "If you would like, I would be more than happy-"

"I order a recess," Snape interrupted. "Weasley, confer with your witness if you have the wit to string more than two words together. This juvenile process of objections and legal errors is tiring and it is close enough to noon. You are all dismissed."

The tables shifted back into place, but she and Ron would be going to Hogsmeade, since it was the weekend and it would be faster to go there than wait for the room to be rearranged for lunch.

"Did you see?" she whispered, following his angry, fast pace.

"I saw enough. He's lying; it'd be just like Malfoy to try to sabotage us just to get rid of someone, then make it look like he's helping by testifying himself. It's the knife you don't feel even after you're dead."

"Well, I don't know why he's lying-" It's almost certainly dark magic. "-but he has to be," she whispered back as the pair of them made their way past the crowd of students, grabbing Ernie from the witness stand. Hannah and Terry will find us outside. Somewhere behind them, Flora was being escorted away, likely where they found her.

"Enough bollocks out of you, Macmillan," Ron started as soon as they were out of the castle's side exit. Hermione expected other students would have the same idea, but they would be going a slightly different route. "What did you see?"

"I saw what Flora saw-"

"No, you didn't," he insisted. "Did Malfoy get to you?"

"I don't know that name."

Hermione's eyes widened. It's a cry for help.

"Ron, he's been beaten and cursed. I don't know what exactly they did to him, but he knows he's lying, he just can't do anything about it."

"Well, how do we get him out of it?"

"I don't know that we can," she said, her voice shaking as she waved her wand over the Hufflepuff wizard. It was frightening, knowing there was something seriously wrong, but not knowing what it was. I should have known he would get back at us for getting him expelled- and this is probably because I erased his memory. He doesn't know how we did it, but any other enemy of his would have killed him. So he shows us a taste of what could happen to us.

"Well, get a hold of yourself. What is it, exactly?"

"I don't know, it's nothing I can do, so it might be dark magic. I feel like it's something I've seen before, but I don't remember." It's a coded message, but he should work it out.

Their friends found them. The Gryffindor explained the situation as she kept trying to figure out what was wrong. We can't just take him out of the trial unless he recants his affidavit, which would basically put him in jail for perjury, which Draco already forced him to commit. He'll have to be tried, though- we can defend him if we figure out how he did it-

"I can do it," Hannah volunteered. "I've been around him the most; I know how he talks."

"What?" the bushy haired witch asked.

"We're going to use Polyjuice to turn me into Ernie. I can say I was never there in the first place, and even if they use Veritaserum-"

"Hannah, you can't!" Hermione objected. "That's fraud- what we need to do is tell Professor Snape that Draco gave us a witness he's bewitched into thinking he was there."

"That won't work. He prob'ly already knows," Ron decided. "I mean, think about every time he's turned a blind eye-"

"He doesn't care if Draco talks in class- not that he's done that in years. This is different. He's supposed to be a judge, and if we tell all three of the judges-"

"Then he'll tell them we're lying 'cause he can't risk the others thinking he's in on it," he argued back. "Hermione, when we tell people things, it's out of our hands. Two out of the three judges are dark wizards, and then the other one's already got a reason to be against us."

"Ron, the whole reason we're doing this is because we have to prove the process works," she pleaded.

"Well, it can't unless we filter out this kind of thing from the beginning," Terry decided, intervening. "Every witness should be put through the kind of enchantments the gates of Azkaban have, then they can testify under Veritaserum. Magic can be used to monitor trials as easily as it can be used to cheat in them." He sighed before continuing. "From everything I've read in criminal law, it's standard to subject the defendant to Veritaserum or in some cases a magical contract, but there were cases where that was rejected because the defendant was a child."

Everyone was silent for a moment, including Ernie.

"We'll put it to a vote," Hannah said.

"You're only saying that because you're in the lead- you know Ron's already against me- you're all against me!" This is how it happens. This is how courts and laws and justice collapse. A few bad people can't do it on their own; it takes good people taking shortcuts and undermining their own arguments.

"Hermoine, we're not against you," the other Ravenclaw said, though she was turned away. "We're trying to help you and we're trying to help Flora-"

"We're not supposed to be helping her, we're helping the process-"

"Well, as her counsel, we're supposed to be helping her," Terry explained. I know that.

"We can't help the process by cheating," she said firmly.

"Hermione, the system requires some sense of reciprocity in order to function," the dark-haired wizard continued. "Like, it's all well and good if everyone behaves, and it's not time to throw it out when one person goes against it, but we're stuck in a choice between proving to people that the system works by cheating, or working within the rules and convincing everyone that it does not." He sighed. "To the average person, the system working means that trials take no more than a week, and everyone the Prophet deems guilty is ruled so."

"Isn't there anything we can do about Ernie?" she asked. "He seems to be aware that what he was saying was false- is there a way Professor Snape could use Legilimency-"

"Professor Snape would be quite interested in using Legilimency."

The four of them turned, seeing him standing there, alone. Where are the others? Why did he follow us? Did he follow us?

"Please, sir, Draco told us that a witness he provided would be willing to-"

"Silence, Granger, I have heard quite enough of your voice today. I expect the conclusion of this trial will go quite well for Miss Carrow, quite poorly for Mister Malfoy, as well as everyone else, including the four of you."

"Well, we're going to win, aren't we?" Ron asked, annoyed.

"It will not please you to learn this, Weasley, but your mortal enemy is something of an amateur Legilimens. I expect he took the opportunity at the trial to extract secrets from Granger's head, learning something that made him silently rage, his lips refusing to curl for anyone but me. I tire of watching you flounder through a litany of objections, and I tire of my former student ruining my designs." The Headmaster turned away, having other business, as he claimed. "Your continued education at Hogwarts will depend on making him suffer for it."

They stood there in silence again. Hermione silently decided they might as well go inside for lunch, for all the good it would do them.