Chapter 48: The Verdict
The sound of chairs scraping on the floor and the ruffling of papers filled the courtroom as the Wizengamot returned to their seats. Draco stretched his neck and sat up straighter as Hestia Jones assumed her seat in front of Draco.
"Order, order, silence," she called out across the room. A few moments, the whole room was silent. "Very good, let us resume," Jones said, straightening the papers on the desk in front of here. Please bring in the next witness." Luna Lovegood was led into the courtroom and she nearly pranced up to the witness box. Draco bit his lit, wary of what she might say. "Ms. Lovegood," Jones began. "You came in contact with Mr. Malfoy last winter?"
"Yes, I did. While I was a prisoner at Malfoy Manor," Luna replied in her characteristically dreamy voice.
"And what interactions did you have with Mr. Malfoy while you were a prisoner?"
"Oh, he was the one who brought us food everyday. He was very kind, and terribly thin. He looked just awful."
"Did he ever harm you while you were at Malfoy Manor?"
Luna looked up at Jones, almost surprised, her pale blonde eyebrows raised high and her blue eyes wide. "No, of course not. He was very polite, and he talked to me whenever he came down to deliver the food. And he didn't bring any Wrackspurts with him, either."
"Alright, Ms. Lovegood. Thank you," Jones said, seeming a little confused. Luna had that effect on people. "Our final witness will be brought in momentarily. Please be patient.
Draco sighed as the courtroom filled with chatter and indistinct conversations. Can't they hurry this along? Draco surmised. Who else can they even bring in?
Twenty minutes later, the Wizengamot was growing impatient. Some members were asking for a recess. Jones had refused, insisting that the final witness would be there soon. Draco could feel his hands and legs cramping up.
Finally, over half an hour later, Jones called for order. "Quiet, quiet. The witness is here. Please take your seats. "Silence, please. Please bring the witness forward." Draco heard the door swing open. Footsteps followed and the witness stepped up to the box. Draco had kept his eyes downcast the whole time, then finally looked up when he heard the gate to the witness box swing shut. He groaned when he saw who it was. He had been expecting it, but he was still surprised to see her standing there. Draco squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for what was to come.
She had been testifying for twenty minutes already, detailing everything she could remember that Draco had done up through fifth year- how he had treated Harry, the names he had called her, the way he behaved in classes. She had a remarkable memory, Draco had to admit; she remembered almost every incident that had taken place between Draco and Harry. Draco's whole body sagged and his heart grew heavy as he was forced to recall his former self. Finally, she reached the end of her story about Umbridge's secret task force.
"Thank you, Ms. Granger. Now, will you please tell us about the incidents that took place involving Mr. Malfoy during your sixth year at Hogwarts?"
Hermione tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "Yes. Ok." She inhaled and exhaled again. "We first saw Malfoy in Diagon Alley before school started, in Madame Malkin's. He was behaving no differently than he usually did. But Harry kept insisting something was different, and he insisted that we follow Malfoy to Knockturn Alley. We did, under the Invisibility Cloak, follow Malfoy to Borgin and Burke's, where Malfoy had a rather interesting and vague conversation with Mr. Borgin. He seemed to be making a purchase, and he was intimidating Borgin. Then, he left, and we left as well- then we lost him.
"Malfoy was acting strange when we got back to school. There was an incident that Harry recalled to us- Harry snuck into Draco's compartment on the train and overheard something about the Dark Mark. Draco realized Harry was there and Immobilized him after everyone had left. He then broke Harry's nose and left the train. Tonks found Harry later and brought him to the castle.
"A few months went by, and Malfoy, I noticed, was beginning to look pale and thin. I asked him about this, but he rudely, rather understandably, brushed me off. He was, of course, spending all his time on the task that Voldemort set him.
"Then, in the wintertime, the Katie Bell incident occurred. At the time, I did not realize it was Malfoy's doing, but I later put two and two together.
"Soon afterward, Draco...Malfoy sought to speak with me. He claimed that he needed help with an assignment Professor Snape had given him. Of course, at first, I was skeptical, but I agreed for reasons I do not feel the need to divulge here. In a few weeks' time, Malfoy revealed to me the true nature of what he was doing.
"I did not stop helping him at this point," Hermione said bravely. The Wizengamot let out a loud gasp. "Let me explain, please," Hermione begged as angry outbursts rippled through the room.
Hestia Jones banged her fist on her table. "Silence! Don't you dare call Ms. Granger a traitor. She has done more for the Wizarding World than all of you combined. LET HER SPEAK!" Silence fell over the room. Hermione cleared her throat.
"Okay." She exhaled. "Malfoy, upon revealing this information, explained to me his circumstances. He was in mortal peril, as was his mother. He had no other choice but this. And-before you say anything- the fact that he was sharing this information with me indicates that he was trying to inform our side of what was happening to him.
"So, given what I knew, I determined to figure out a way to help Mr. Malfoy. I planned to tell Dumbledore what was happening and use Malfoy's task as a means of capturing all the Death Eaters he would be letting into the castle. However, Dumbledore was away most of that year, and soon after, the incident in which Ron was poisoned occurred, at which point I stopped helping Malfoy."
A ripple of understanding and sympathetic noises went across the room. Hermione continued.
"At the end of the year," she said nervously, "I spoke to Malfoy one last time. I gave him a notebook, upon which I placed a Protean Charm, with which he could contact me. We remained in communication over the summer." Hermione continued before the Wizengamot could react. "Malfoy used this notebook to notify me, to warn me, of the Death Eaters' planned attacks on both the night Alastor Moody would be murdered as well as the night of the Ministry takeover." Some members of the Wizengamot gasped. "We continued communicating sporadically until about January, at which point we stopped contacting one another; I was a bit, er, busy.
"The next time I saw Malfoy was at Malfoy Manor around Easter. Harry undoubtedly already explained what Draco did in terms of trying to protect our identities. But I saw Draco after than particular incident as well. As you all know, I was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Malfoys' dining room. As Bellatrix was torturing me, Malfoy tried to stop her a couple of times, until Bellatrix hexed him." Draco could make out tears in Hermione's eyes, though she was doing a brilliant job at hiding them.
"I didn't see Draco again until the final Battle, in the Room of Requirement and such. The last time I saw him was just before he ran away from the battle and went into hiding." Hermione sniffled quietly, almost silently.
"Thank you, Ms. Granger," Jones said politely. "Thank you." Hermione nodded, and stepped down from the witness box. The members of the Wizengamot began to mutter amongst themselves. Draco felt the knot in his throat tighten, and he broke out into a cold sweat. He couldn't determine if he was really afraid, or just reacting to everything Hermione had just said. As he tried to work out his emotions, the sounds of the Wizengamot faded away, and he became lost in his thoughts. He closed his eyes and began taking note of everything he was feeling. Heart pounding. Throat tightening. Eyes burning. Chest freezing. Hands shaking. Mouth drying. Sweating. Trembling.
Draco took a deep gulp of air and gripped the arms of the chair tightly. He let out a long, slow, breath, and returned himself to reality. Hestia Jones' voice slowly grew louder.
"...we, the members of the Wizengamot, find Draco Malfoy guilty of attempted murder, involuntary assault, of being a Death Eater, and bearing witness to imprisonment and torture. Due to your actions in bringing about pain to the Wizarding Community, we would sentence you to six years in Azkaban. However, your heroic actions in many situations, as relayed to us by the witnesses who testified today, have convinced us to reduce your sentence by half. Therefore, Draco Malfoy, the Wizengamot sentences you to three years in Azkaban. Do you have anything to say?"
Draco opened his mouth, finding it difficult to speak, having been silent for so many hours. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. "Yes," he whispered.
"Proceed," Jones said sharply.
"May I please be permitted to send one owl?" Draco asked cautiously. Jones looked skeptical. "Please, madam. And if you find that my letter brings about any attempts for my escape, you may imprison me in Azkaban for life." Jones nearly gasped. She quickly turned to the wizard sitting beside her and consulted with him for a few minutes. Then, she turned to Draco.
"Very well, Mr. Malfoy, you will be permitted to send one letter to the person of your choice," she said almost skeptically. "Guards, please take Mr. Malfoy away." Draco felt the chains from the chair snake away from his body as he was pulled upright by two guards in black robes. He placed his arms behind his back and was led out of the courtroom. His shoulders were slumped downward, and he stared at the floor as he was pushed through the large wooden doors. He ignored the remarks and insults hurled at him by members of the Wizengamot as he walked down the hallway toward the elevator. The grate slammed shut in front of Draco as he was lifted, pushed, and jolted upward by the elevator. Finally, the grate was opened, and Draco found himself in a large atrium, where there was a crowd of people waiting for him. He could barely make out who was there. Draco walked slowly forward until he could see the people who had come to bid him goodbye. First came the Slytherins, each shaking his hand almost emotionlessly. Then came Luna, who Draco hugged sadly.
"Hang in there, Draco," she whispered in his ear. "You'll make it through this. I'll send you some Gurdyroots, if you'd like."
Draco almost smiled. "Thanks, Luna," he whispered back.
Now, Draco found himself confronted with a silvery figure- Moaning Myrtle. She was, of course, crying. "I-I-I-I'm so sorry," she wailed. "I-I-I-ooh I wish I were dead... this is all so upsetting!" She let out a sob. "You-you-you don't deserve this," Myrtle cried as she dove down through the floor. Draco stared after her, stunned.
Draco looked up from where Myrtle had disappeared to see Harry Potter, standing in front of him, hand outstretched. "I'm sorry, too, Malfoy," he said, grasping Draco's hand. Something inside Draco broke just then as he recalled the time he had extended his hand to Potter, when he had been so bitterly rejected. "You'll get out alright," Harry said, patting Draco awkwardly on the back. Harry stepped back to reveal Hermione, who was staring at the floor, tears staining her cheeks. Draco bit his lip and walked slowly past her.
"I'm sorry, Draco," she whispered, shoving her hands deep into her pockets. "I'm really, really, sorry." Draco merely glanced up at her, catching her eye for a brief moment, before turning to face his last visitor: his mother. Narcissa flung her arms around her son's neck, causing Draco to stagger back slightly.
"I'm so sorry, Mother," Draco whispered to her through tears. "For everything I said. I was upset, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it."
"I know," Narcissa whispered back, gripping Draco more tightly. "I know, darling."
"Promise me you'll take care of yourself," Draco said, taking a step back. "Please."
"I will," Narcissa said, her voice laced with emotion. "And you do the same."
"I'll see you by my twenty-second birthday, I suppose," Draco said with a weak laugh. Narcissa merely bit her lip and nodded.
"Alright then," a guard said gruffly. "Let's get a move on, then." He grabbed one of Draco's arms and led him to the large metal door at the end of the room. The door was pushed open, and Draco found himself at the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast, dark, stormy sea. He turned back to get one last look at his mother. As he glanced over the group of people, he locked eyes with Hermione, who nodded slightly. Draco quickly shifted his gaze to his mother's puffy face.
"Goodbye, Mother," Draco said loudly as the door clanged shut behind him.
The ocean roared beneath the ship as it rocked its way toward the island in the distance. Draco gazed out at the choppy black waves as the salty spray of the sea tinged his cheeks. He glanced down at the piece of parchment he grasped in his hands, and reread his requested letter.
Dear Dominique,
I know you are probably wondering where I am right now. To be honest, so am I. So let me clarify for at least one of us.
They found me, Dominique. I'll be serving three years in Azkaban for the crimes I have committed. Please do not feel any need to wait for me or to forgive me. I have done what I have done and now I am paying for those actions.
I am sure you will do brilliantly in life. You are talented, smart, and beautiful, and there is no one like you in the world. Don't forget that. By the time I get out, I am sure you will have your own wand shop in Paris. Send me a wand, will you?
While you are still in San Francisco, I have but one favor to ask of you. Please tell John at the paper that I was called to England on urgent family business and that I will return as soon as possible. I would like that job to be the one thing assured to me and the one hope I can hold on to while I make my way through this ordeal.
Thank you for all your help, love, and kindness. I wish you nothing but the best in life.
See you in Paris someday.
With love,
Draco Lucius Malfoy
Draco smoothed the letter over his knee, rolled it up, and shoved it into his pocket. Then he looked up at the fortress looming before him in the dark.
A/N: Part 4 is coming soon, I promise! Now that I'm done with college apps, I have pretty much the rest of the school year free :) I hope you're enjoying the story! I'd love to hear what you have to say about it!