Queen of Hearts: Now then, are you ready for your sentence?
Alice: But there has to be a verdict first.
Queen of Hearts: Sentence first! Verdict afterwards.
Alice: But that just isn't the way.
Queen of Hearts: shouting All ways are...!
Alice: ...your ways, your Majesty.
"Alice in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll
A/N: Remember: First part is present, second part is past.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to JK Rowling. I write to learn. No money is being made.
Chapter 6 – Sentence First, Verdict Later
Hermione went straight from visiting Draco to see Harry. If she was going to be seeing Draco—the thought made her grin—she was going to confront her friends from the beginning. She wasn't quite ready to talk to Ron yet; she hoped to have Harry on her side before approaching him.
Molly answered the door and called Harry down. Hermione led him outside to somewhere private.
"What's this about?" Harry asked, once Hermione had stopped walking.
She wrung her hands and wondered briefly if the whole idea of going out with Draco was a mistake. "What would you say if I told you I had a date?"
Harry frowned slightly. "I would ask, who's the bloke?"
"I don't want you to be upset with me," Hermione started. "But, it's … Malfoy."
He stared at her for a few seconds, then forced a laugh. "Good one, Hermione. For a moment, I thought you were serious."
"Harry," she mumbled. "I am serious."
He shook his head. "How … I don't … when … Him?"
"Yes, him," she huffed. "I know I'm not living up to everyone's expectations, but I don't really care."
"You've only seen him, what, three times in prison? How can you possibly want to go on a date with him after so little time?" Harry asked.
"There's more to it than that," she assured him.
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow. "What's that? Have you been secretly seeing him for years, or something?"
"No, nothing like that. And I can't really tell you what I mean." He looked ready to stomp away in frustration. "All I'm asking is that you trust me, Harry. I know what I'm doing."
"Does Ron know?" Harry demanded.
"Not yet, I wanted to talk to you first," she confessed. "I was hoping you would be a little supportive."
"Of Malfoy? No way, Hermione." Harry shook his head adamantly. "Never. Just because he helped the Order doesn't make him one of the good guys. Look at Mundungus; he was rotten, even if he didn't want to abolish Muggles."
She held her tongue, despite desperately wanting to tell Harry about Malfoy saving her life. Surely that would change his opinion. However, it still wasn't her secret to tell.
"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked, searching her eyes. When Hermione didn't answer, he visibly relaxed. "I think you should give this some thought. Really consider what it would mean. Do you … fancy him, then?"
"Yes," she answered.
Harry made a face. "Promise me you'll think about this, okay?"
"I will give it more thought, even though that's all I've been doing recently," she assured him. She had decided to go ahead and see Draco even if her friends weren't supportive. Well, Harry, at least; she didn't expect Ron to even speak to her for a long time after he found out.
Now, though, after speaking to Harry, she got a taste of how difficult it would be to attempt a relationship with their former enemy when no one approved. She wasn't averse to choosing a hard path, but she needed to be certain it was completely worth it.
ooo
The next day, Hermione arrived at the Ministry with Harry and Ron an hour early. Ron still wasn't quite speaking to her, but he wasn't being unpleasant, either. The three of them sat together, and slowly the courtroom filled with other people.
Hermione saw Daphne and, feeling bad for the way she had treated her the day before, gave her a small wave. Narcissa and Andromeda were also in attendance, as was the entire Wizengamot, and by the time the trial started, the seats were completely full with spectators.
Draco was ushered in, still dressed in prison robes, his hands and feet magically bound. He held his head high, and once he was in his seat, began scanning the crowd. Hermione watched as he found his mother and aunt, then Daphne, and finally, her. He blinked at her and glanced away.
The prosecution went first, trying to show that Draco was a cold-hearted, ruthless killer. Of course, they had no real proof and resorted to massive speculation and witnesses who had once been Draco's friends. Hermione knew they were lying, and from the look on Daphne's face, she knew they were lying as well. Maybe Hermione would get along with the other woman after all.
Then the wizard in charge of defending Draco got up and began to present the well-organized, carefully prepared defense. Narcissa spoke on behalf of her son, though Hermione didn't think she would get a lot of sympathy from the Wizengamot.
Harry's turn to speak went much better. He described the night of Dumbledore's death on the Astronomy Tower and Draco's hesitation.
"What, in your opinion, would have been the outcome, if Mr. Malfoy had not been interrupted by the Death Eaters?" asked the Chief Warlock.
Harry swallowed, then said firmly, "I believe he would have taken Dumbledore's offer."
Hermione glanced at Draco to see what, if any, reaction he made. He continued to stare at Harry, his expression blank.
Next, the defense continued with Snape's memories. In preparation for the trial, all members of the Wizengamot had been given copies of the memories, as well as the letters from Andromeda. All the defense did was remind those present of the convincing evidence of his client's efforts against Voldemort.
The defense was about to call another witness, when the Chief Warlock held up his hand. "There's no need. I have seen enough to give me the true picture of the matter. Mr. Malfoy. It is clear from what we have heard today that you willingly and knowingly used two Unforgivable curses during your sixth year of school, and that two students nearly died as a result of your efforts."
Draco shifted in his seat, and for the first time all day, Hermione thought he looked nervous.
"It is also clear that the circumstances surrounding the death of Albus Dumbledore were extraordinary in the least, and that your situation was a very complex one. I do not envy the position you were in. Since you were not the direct cause of Dumbledore's death, I find it unfair to hold you accountable for it. All in favor?"
Most of the room agreed, and Hermione felt a small wave of relief. There was still much to be decided, however.
The Warlock continued. "The evidence presented has shown that after your return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you sought a way to assist the Order of the Phoenix in its efforts against Voldemort. I also have evidence, privy only to me, that depicts a scenario that took place before the night of Albus' death. This goes to show proof of your character, Mr. Malfoy, that your actions in your sixth year were the anomaly, not the other way around."
Hermione gripped the small vial she had received back from the Warlock that day and smiled.
"I hereby propose that all charges be dropped against Draco Abraxas Malfoy. All opposed?" A few people raised their hands. "Those in favor?" The vast majority. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, I suspect your mother will be glad to have you home for dinner." He pointed his wand at the scroll which had the charges listed and muttered a spell. A bright, red light encompassed the scroll, and then the Warlock handed it to an assistant.
"I sentence you to one year probation," he continued, looking over his glasses at Draco. "You are not to leave the country, nor are you to engage in the Dark Arts. If you are found to be in violation of this parole, you will be sent to prison for a length of time that befits the infraction. Do you understand?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"Good," said the Warlock. "Now, we'll adjourn for fifteen minutes before beginning the next case."
Hermione was grinning broadly as Draco's bonds were released and his wand returned to him. Then Narcissa rushed to him and hugged him tightly.
"Ready to go, then?" Harry asked.
"No, I'd like to speak with him, if that's all right."
Ron just scowled, and Harry sighed, but nodded.
After speaking with his mother, Draco walked deliberately to where Hermione was sitting. She couldn't tell if he was nervous about Harry and Ron, however. He stopped just beside the barrier separating them.
"Hey, Granger," he said and then motioned to Harry and Ron with his head. "Enjoy the show?"
She beamed at him. "I'm so happy. They made the right decision."
Draco turned to Harry. "Thanks, Potter."
"I was only doing the right thing," Harry said stiffly.
"Yes, but you didn't have to," Draco said. "I appreciate it."
Harry mumbled something incoherent and scowled at his feet. Hermione was grateful that Ron was simply trying to ignore Draco's presence.
"So, Granger. I reckon you could tell them now," said Draco, his pale grey eyes boring into hers. "If you want."
Hermione nodded.
"Tell us what?" demanded Ron glaring at Malfoy.
Draco ignored him. "See you later?" he said, his tone questioning and hopeful.
Hermione nodded again, sensing Ron's rage climbing. Draco then returned to his mother and aunt, and soon, they had gone.
"Tell us what?" Ron repeated, his face red with fury.
Harry, too, was watching her expectantly.
She held out the vial, and Harry took it without a word. "I don't think you would believe me if I told you. Watch this together." With a pointed look at Harry, she continued, "You know where to find me."
They didn't try to stop her as she exited the courtroom and made her way home.
ooo
Harry and Ron didn't make her wait long. She had been home for an hour and a half when there was a knock on her door. After confirming it was them, Hermione admitted them to her parents' house, showing them into the living room.
Harry, who was quiet and sullen, flopped impressively onto the sofa, slouching into the corner. Ron, who was extremely pale, sat gingerly on the other end of the sofa.
Hermione waited for one of them to speak. It was Harry.
"Merlin, Hermione … Wow."
"Yeah," echoed Ron, nodding slightly.
"We had no idea he did that," Harry continued.
"I know," she said gently. "I couldn't tell you."
Harry leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I-I still can't believe that Malfoy did that for you! I thought he hated us, you in particular. I thought he would have been pleased to see one of us suffer, but …"
"So this is why you wanted to help him?" Ron asked. "Because you felt you owed him?"
"Not exactly," she explained. "I felt, and still feel, indebted to him, but I wanted to help him because I knew what kind of person he could be. If he'd been sent to prison, I think it's very possible that he would have turned out like Lucius. I didn't want to see that happen."
"Is this the evidence the Warlock had?" Harry asked.
"Yes. I took that vial to him yesterday after I saw Malfoy."
Harry slowly shook his head. "I never thought I would say this, but … I'm thankful for that git. What he did …"
Ron shuddered. "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time, Hermione," he said.
"It makes me almost physically sick to think about what might have happened if Malfoy hadn't stumbled upon you that night," Harry said.
"Thank you, Harry. I'm glad to hear you say that," she said.
"I was physically ill at the thought," Ron mumbled. Then he stood and wrapped his arms around Hermione. "If I'd lost you, I don't know what I would have done. I'm so sorry about … well, everything."
"Oh, Ron," she said, hugging him back. "Me, too."
After another moment, he pulled away, a bit of color back on his cheeks. "Well, that's that. We owe Malfoy our eternal gratitude, but he's out of prison now, and we'll never have to see him again. We can finally be rid of him."
Hermione felt Harry's eyes burning into the side of her head, and she glanced at him warily.
"What?" said Ron.
Hermione sighed. "We aren't quite rid of him just yet, Ron."
"Why not?" he asked, turning to Harry and then back.
"The thing is …" she started but then stopped. She still hadn't decided to take the hard path, but she wanted to. Better now than later, she told herself. "I might be seeing him."
Ron's face went from confused, to hurt, to angry, and then a combination of the last two. "You … what?"
"Ron, please just listen to me—" She reached out for his arm, but he pulled it away.
"No, I don't think so, Hermione," he sneered. "You're going out with that … that … with him? How could you do this!? I have been in love with you for years!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Ron …"
"I have always been nice to you, I have never called you names or made fun of you. I am the one who deserves to be with you, not him." His eyes were blazing with anger. "He's just going to hurt you—that's all he knows. Just you wait and see, Hermione. And I won't be around to pick up the pieces once he's left you broken."
She was crying now. "Please, Ron, don't be like this!"
"You chose this, Hermione. The moment you considered him, you chose this. You have no one to blame but yourself." With that, Ron Disapparated.
Hermione sobbed and collapsed onto the sofa. Harry put a hand on her back but didn't say anything. After a few minutes, she was able to speak. "I suppose I should have expected this. Oh, Harry, I hate hurting him so much! I've never seen such pain in his eyes. First I tell him I don't like him that way, and now this … I hate being the cause of his pain. He's such a good person, Harry."
"I know," he said softly. "As much as I would like to see you two together and happy, if you know that it won't happen, it's better for Ron to know that now, rather than later. It'll hurt less in the long run."
"And then I tell him I'm going to date the one person who ridiculed him, laughed at him, made fun of him at school … I'm a horrible person, Harry!"
He grimaced. "You aren't horrible. Just … confused, I think. This Malfoy thing will blow away once the novelty wears off."
Hermione nodded, part of her hoping it was true, even though her heart was unwaveringly against it.
Draco followed the other Slytherins out of the Great Hall, but he had no intention of joining the Death Eaters outside. For a moment, he thought of his parents and wondered if they would forgive him for his absence. Slipping away from his classmates, however, would be a tricky thing.
He glanced around for Crabbe and Goyle and saw them standing off to the side.
"What are you doing?" he asked, joining them.
Crabbe's grin made Draco shudder. "We're going after Potter. If we get him and take him to the Dark Lord, we'll be heroes!"
Granger would be with Potter. If these two dimwits were going after him, they'd find her too. All he wanted was to keep her safe. "I'm going with you," Draco announced.
Crabbe and Goyle exchanged a wary look. "No offense, mate," said Goyle. "But you haven't been all that interested this year."
"Yeah, what's the matter with you?" Crabbe asked.
"I want to prove myself to him, finally," Draco sneered. "I'm coming, like it or not."
"Fine," said Goyle. "But we're going under Diss-lusion."
Draco bit back a corrective retort and did as Crabbe and Goyle did, casting the Disillusionment spell on himself. "Where are we going?" Draco asked as the other two hurried through the castle.
"To find Potter," said Crabbe.
"Then we should go back to the Great Hall and follow him when he leaves."
"Oh. Yeah," said Goyle.
Draco rolled his eyes and doubled back to find Potter. Then, to his great dismay, he saw that Granger wasn't with Potter when he left the Great Hall. He started to panic but forced himself to calm down. Surely they would be reunited soon.
They followed Potter as he spoke with the Gryffindor ghost and then the Grey Lady. Draco couldn't understand everything they were saying; they were hiding around the corner, as he was unable to convince Crabbe and Goyle that it was safe to be more in the open.
Next, Potter ran back toward the Entrance Hall, and Draco hurried to keep up. Potter stopped to talk to Hagrid, and then someone—or something—screamed from outside the castle. It made Draco's blood run cold.
Soon, Potter was off again, and this time he ran into a whole lot of current and former students, all ready to fight. Then, finally, they came upon Granger and Weasley. She was going on and on about something, her face lit enthusiastically. Draco was stunned; he'd never really thought she was anything special to look at, but in that moment, she was beautiful.
Of course, the fact that she was raving about something Weasley had done put a slight damper on his admiration.
"What's a hoe-cux?" whispered Goyle.
"Shut up," Draco hissed. "I have no idea."
The three Gryffindors set off again, finally stopping outside the room Draco had used during his sixth year to let the Death Eaters into the school. During most of this year, Longbottom had commandeered the room, using it for his own purposes. Draco had no idea what went on in the room, but he was very curious; perhaps now they would get in.
They sent an older witch, Draco's cousin, and Potter's girl away, but then something happened that made Draco's stomach lurch.
Weasley said something about house-elves, and then Granger threw her arms around him and kissed him. They were locked together, oblivious to the world and Potter's attempts to break them apart. Finally they surfaced; both looked embarrassed but also thoroughly snogged. It was all Draco could do not to simply leave Crabbe and Goyle to do whatever they wanted to Potter. He'd wanted to protect Granger, but that was a foolish thought. She had Potter and Weasley; she didn't need him. She would never even know he was there, would never know how much he thought about her, wished that she thought about him, too.
Draco blinked and they were in the hall again, Potter pacing in front of the room. A door appeared, and Draco, Crabbe and Goyle barely made it through undetected before it shut.
The three split up, looking for a diadem. Draco didn't care why, all he wanted was to curl up in a dark corner and disappear until it was all over and he was free to live his own life.
Crabbe followed Potter, a strange, inhuman look on his face. Draco had no choice but to go along, wishing instead that he could have followed Granger.
Crabbe confronted Potter, and Draco noticed that Potter looked frustrated. His eyes kept darting around the area, and he didn't seem too concerned about Goyle's threats. He was looking for the diadem, Draco realized. Though he had no idea the importance of this thing, he wanted Potter to get it.
"No!" he cried, staying Crabbe's arm as he attempted to repeat his spell. "If you wreck the room, you might bury this diadem thing!"
"What's that matter?" said Crabbe, tugging himself free. "It's Potter the Dark Lord wants, who cares about a die-dum?"
"Potter came in here to get it," Draco said, finding it hard to disguise his impatience with his once-friend. "So that must mean—"
Crabbe interrupted with a ferocious sneer. "'Must mean?' Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished."
Then Potter lunged for something, and Crabbe shot the Cruciatus at him. Draco was frantic; if Potter was hurt, they'd look for Granger. If Potter was killed … He refused to think about the possibility, of what life would be like living under the Dark Lord's rule.
He tried to convince Crabbe to see reason, but the boy was intent on killing Potter, despite the Dark Lord's wish to take him alive. Granger showed up then, and Crabbe shot the Killing curse at her, which she dodged. Still, Draco was angrier than he had ever been in his life.
"Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" he shouted, when Crabbe and Goyle had their wands trained on Potter. Potter couldn't die; if he did, hope—his hope—died too.
The next few seconds were a blur. Crabbe tried to kill Weasley, and Potter was shouting about the diadem. Then Granger screamed his name, and everyone looked up to see Weasley and Crabbe running as fast as they could from giant flames. Draco could only stare in horror until Potter tried to put the flames out. Then he grabbed Goyle and pulled him along, but they were falling behind.
Over his shoulder, Draco saw the terrifying magical flames transforming into hideous beasts, eating at the contents of the room as though they were living creatures.
This is it, Draco thought, climbing a stack of precarious desks. I'm going to die in here, because the Dark Lord's ways poisoned my friends. He let out a wail of fright; he had never imagined he would meet his end this way: engulfed by magical fire.
But then, just when he'd given up, he saw Potter flying through the air on a broom and held up his free arm. He was too heavy for Potter with Goyle, but then Granger grabbed Goyle, and Draco clambered onto Harry's broom.
He couldn't believe what had just happened, but he shouted for Potter to get out as fast as possible. Then, to Draco's horror, Potter went back for the diadem, diving and swerving as though he were going for the Snitch. When Potter grabbed the item, he then turned around sharply, flying full force for the door.
The two brooms burst through, into the hallway, and Draco fell off the broom when it hit the opposite wall. He could barely breathe from the smoke and sheer terror, and sat on the floor, trying to calm his nerves. He saw Goyle, still Stunned, lying beside him, and realized that Crabbe hadn't made it out of the room.
Draco remained slumped against the wall, watching Potter, Weasley and Granger talking about the diadem and Fiendfyre. Crabbe, you idiot! he thought, before he had another coughing fit. When Draco looked up at Granger, her face was covered in soot and her hair singed, but she was alive.
Then the wall exploded.
ooo
End Notes: Thanks for reading! And many, many thanks to my excellent betas, pokeystar and shug! :D
Lines taken from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" written in bold, italics. And if you're wondering about "Diss-lusion," yes, JKR made Crabbe and Goyle out to be so thick that at the age of eighteen, they couldn't say "Disillusion."