Remember Me.

Hermione

I was sitting in the back of the courtroom waiting to see the Malfoy Family Trial, first up was the youngest, Draco Malfoy. Harry and I were here to speak on behalf of certain members of the family. It was strange seeing the tall blonde strapped to a chair in the middle of the room, he looked like he hadn't been eating well and appeared scared out of his mind. The Minister of Magic was the first to speak, Kingsley Shacklebolt;

'As the Minister for Magic I call for the Trial against the Malfoy family to be in session, now I address Draco Malfoy. You are accused of aiding 'you know who' by allowing Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts. Conspiring to kill Former Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. As well as taking the Dark Mark. You were also accused of being a bystander while your classmate Hermione Jean Granger was tortured by your Aunt Bellatrix Lestrange on the floor of your Manor. How do you plead?'

Malfoy appeared to be conflicted and hurting from the charges laid against him 'Guilty' Malfoy said in a voice of someone who has given up.

'It seems that not everyone believes you are Draco as there are two who are here to speak on your behalf. I call the first Witness Harry James Potter.'

Harry stood and Malfoy looked at him in shock, 'I witnessed Dumbledore's death and the Malfoy Manor incident. Professor Dumbledore and I returned from a mission to the Astronomy Tower. It was there that we heard someone coming up the stairs. Dumbledore told me to hide under the stairs. It was there that I saw Malfoy disarm Dumbledore. Draco was conflicted about killing Dumbledore but he revealed he had no choice or Voldemort would kill his Mother and him. He felt he had no choice, but he couldn't go through with it, even when Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters showed up. He was lowering his wand. Professor Snape was the one who killed him, but it wasn't till later that I discovered that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him. He wanted Malfoy to be free of that burden.'

'How did you discover this Mister Potter?' asked the Minister with curiosity.

'Right before Snape died and he gave me his tears, it was his memories. Memories starting from before he attended Hogwarts all the way to him killing Dumbledore'

'Do you know why Snape turned sides, it was the one secret Dumbledore kept from us all' asked the Minister with hope.

'He loved my Mother, they knew each other before Hogwarts. They were friends. But when he made friends with the wrong people, he betrayed her but he never stopped loving her. Always. He asked Voldemort to spare her, but she sacrificed herself and that is what turned him to our side. All this time he was protecting me. For her.'

I heard Lucius scoff and glare at me for some reason. 'She was a worthless Mudblood!' said Lucius while glaring at me.

'Silence! hold your tongue Lucius as what you have said does not help your case' said the Minster. 'Mister Potter, please tell us of your experience at Malfoy Manor?'

'We were dragged in by snatchers and brought before the Malfoy's, Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback. My face was jinxed by Hermione to prevent them finding out my identity so they required 'Draco Malfoy' to know for sure. But Malfoy didn't reveal my identity, even when they questioned whether Hermione was who they said she was. He didn't reveal it. He bought us enough time to think of a plan to get out. But there was nothing he could've done to prevent what happened after. If he tried to stop his Aunt he would've been killed. Then when I went to get the wands off Malfoy in our escape, he gave them up easily for me. He helped us to escape.'

'Thank you, Mister Potter. Would you be willing to share your memories with us to prove that what you have said is the truth?' asked the Minister.

'Of course,' replied Harry with sincerity. An Auror went over to Harry and pulled a vial from his robes as Harry used his wand to pull the memory from his mind and drop it in the vial.

The Auror took the vial up to the Minister who placed the memory in a Penseive and observed the memory and passed it along to the others to view.

'The memory is accurate. Now Miss Hermione Granger will speak for Mister Malfoy' said the Minister. I rose and looked down at Draco who was looking at me in shock.

'What Harry said was right, in the fact that he didn't reveal our identities. But there was another incident before the War started up again. This showed me there was a side to Malfoy that no one saw before. He warned me to keep my head down at the Quidditch World Cup at the beginning of our Fourth year. He did it in a way to insult me but at the core of it, he never wanted anyone to get hurt. One thing you need to remember is that when the war started, we were in school and already fighting for our lives. I ask each and everyone of you to remember that Draco was raised to believe that Muggleborn's weren't worthy of Magic. He believed in that because that was what his parents taught him and any child out there would believe anything their parents told them because he loved them. He was as much a victim in this war as the rest of us.'

'Thank you, Miss Granger. Would you be willing to share those memories with us to prove your case?' I nodded with wariness, the Manor incident was an experience that I didn't want to relive again. But if it could save an innocent I would gladly do it. The Auror came over and took the memory over to the Minister. When they looked at the memory, they seemed to be looking at him with a bit less hatred then before.

My eyes shifted to Draco, who was looking at me in a way he has never looked at me before, he was shocked.

'Now I will ask for those who believe he is not guilty?' asked the Minister to the Wizengamot. 90 percent of them raised their hand, making Draco a free Wizard. He was released from his chair and he walked back to where his family was and awaited the next trial.

'I now call Narcissa Malfoy to the stand' called the Minister and one of the Auror's led the slim, elegant and very pale woman to the chair her son once sat upon.

'Mrs Narcissa Malfoy, you are on trial for being a Death Eater and aiding 'You know who' on his rise to power. How do you plead?' asked the Minister.

'I… am not a Death Eater' Narcissa said with a trembling voice. 'I was never marked.'

'Check her arm' said the Minister.

The Auror strode over and unbound her wrists from the chair and pulled each of her sleeves up to reveal very pale thin arms with no Dark Mark.

'You may not have taken the Mark but how do you plead to the other charges of aiding 'You know who?' said the Minister.

'I plead guilty' she replied in a stern voice 'I hosted many Death Eaters in my home. I watched many Muggleborn's and Muggle's alike be tortured and killed. Most by my own sister Bellatrix. I was desperate for anything to save my family that I aided in the capture of; Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and many more. There is nothing I can do that will make up for my crimes, but I did it for my family. Seeing my son Marked was the worst day of my life. I will never forgive my husband and myself for what we have brought upon our child. I deserve the Dementor's Kiss for my crimes.'

'NO!' shouted Draco in desperation and sadness as he tried to move in front of his mother to protect her.

'SILENCE!' boomed the Minister.

Draco was pulled back into his seat as tears streamed down his cheeks.

'Mrs Malfoy, that is not for you to decide as we have a witness who may save you from that fate. I call Harry Potter to the stand'

Harry stood and spoke for Narcissa 'I can only speak of the events that happened at Hogwarts at the end of the war. When I was called upon by Tom Riddle to go to the Forbidden Forrest. When I arrived there, Tom hit me with the Killing Curse which killed the piece of Tom's soul living inside me. As I lay on the ground Narcissa was asked to see if I was dead. She checked and discovered I was still alive but whispered in my ear asking me if Draco was alive. I gave the smallest nod I could without raising attention and she told Tom Riddle I was dead. If she didn't do what she did, I would not have had the chance to defeated him'.

'Thank you, Mr Potter, we will like that memory to look over if you please.' The memory was retrieved and reviewed.

The Minister continued, 'Mrs Narcissa Malfoy, we have reviewed the memory and the memories from your son's case and have determined you are guilty of aiding 'You know who'.

Draco was sobbing in the corner as his Mother was being tried.

'But you will not be sent to Azkaban. You will not be receiving the Dementor's Kiss. You will be placed under House Arrest for 5 years. The reason we are being lenient is that you were under duress when serving 'You know who', you were trying to protect your son. Which is a redeemable trait, as well as your involvement in aiding Harry Potter to defeat 'You know who' you are free to return home.'

Narcissa ran to her son and held him tightly as he sobbed into her shoulder.

'I call Lucius Malfoy to the stand' said the Minister in a sterner tone. This was the part of the trial everyone was waiting for.

Lucius walked over and sat on the chair, was strapped in and looking up at the Minister with anger.

'Lucius Malfoy, you are charged with being a Death Eater and aiding in 'You know who's' rise to power. You tortured and killed many Muggle's and Muggleborn's. You held captive a Griphook (the Goblin), Luna Lovegood, Garrick Olivander, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. These charges are on top of the one's you already had in the Department of Mysteries. How do you plead Lucius Malfoy?' The Minister looked upon Lucius with disgust and hatred.

'I am not guilty, you are. Every single one of you are traitors to what is pure. My wife and son have been tainted by the aid of the Great Harry Potter and his Mudblood trash. They came to my son and Wife's aid; would they do the same for me? No. But I think I will add charges to my list just to show you how evil I can be. I tried to kill Harry Potter at the end of his Second Year when he called me out on planting The Dark Lord's diary in the Weasley girl's cauldron. This brought on the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. I helped in the incident at the Quidditch World Cup. I even offered my son up to the Dark Lord to be a Death Eater, but he was too weak to live up to it.'

The crowds went wild with shock at his remarks. The Minister held up his hand to silence the crowd and everyone obeyed.

'Lucius Malfoy, you are sentenced to Dementor's Kiss for your crimes against the Wizarding World' He was then pulled from the chair by Aurors and taken to the other room.

Lucius shouted at his Wife and Son 'YOU ARE TRAITORS! YOU ARE NO MALFOYS! YOU HAVE DESTROYED OUT NAMES!'

When the room was adjourned, Harry and I walked to the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. When Malfoy and Narcissa came into view they walked right up to Harry and I.

Malfoy looked like he hasn't eaten in a week. His Mother looked the same but seemed to be handling it a bit better.

'Mr Potter and Miss Granger, I would like to thank you for aiding in the trial of My son and I' said Narcissa in a grateful and emotional voice neither had heard before. She was just a Mother doing whatever she could to protect her son.

'We only did what was right' Said Harry while shaking Narcissa's hand.

'Not everyone would've done what you two did. Most would've just seen my son's arm and sentenced him to the Kiss without hearing his side of the story. Thank you for freeing us twice Mr Potter. The first by killing the Dark Lord and the second by saving us from Azkaban' said Narcissa with gratitude.

Malfoy looked up at Harry and put out his hand and said 'Thank you Potter, for saving my Mother and myself. I know I have been a right prat to you and I don't deserve your forgiveness.'

Harry took Malfoy's hand and shook it, this felt eerie in the sense that Malfoy offered Harry a handshake on the first day at Hogwarts and Harry refused. But this time, he accepted it.

Malfoy looked at me with eyes I had never known him to have, thankful. He looked me in the eye and said, 'Thank you Granger, for seeing the good in me. Even when I didn't see it myself. I am so sorry for everything I have ever said to you. Please forgive me' he held out his hand to me and I took it without hesitation. His hand felt thin and weak from malnourishment. But it was warm, something I never thought Malfoy to be.

'You are forgiven Malfoy; I wish you all the best with your future' I said with honesty.

Walking back to the apparition point and looked at the large clock and saw it was 12.35pm. Then it hit me, the biggest headache I ever had. I collapsed to the ground in pain, I couldn't hear anything. There was just the ringing of the headache. Harry picked me up and ran straight to the fireplace and yelled 'Saint Mungo's' and walked inside.