Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I make any money from the writing of this fanfiction. Harry Potter and all related characters belong to JK Rowling. Only this particular story line and various original characters are my own.
Chapter Twenty Three
Molly placed her purchases in her potions cupboard and locked it before turning to make supper for her family. She needed to think of a way to make sure that uppity little bitch took the potion, as well as a way to appear innocent as a newborn babe when the potion took effect.
Accuse one of MY children of hitting her? I'll never believe that. Ronald might have a temper, but I didn't raise my boys that way. This little tantrum just proves that Ronald and that little tart were never suited, I don't care how many Order of Merlin awards she was given. It's also obvious that she would never do as she was told; actually pursuing WORK after school, instead of being a PROPER witch and leaving earning the money to whichever wizard the girl married. My mother taught my sisters and me well; a witch is to stay home and raise the next generation of witches and wizards, not try to get a job after school, much less a "career". Yes, I may be a bit bossy, and yes, Arthur usually just agrees with whatever I'm saying and follows my advice on what to do, but the boys needed the kind of discipline a bossy mother could provide, and the Prewetts are higher on the Sacred 28 than the Weasleys, so Arthur knows that even if he is Head of House, I outrank him.
As soon as supper was cleared and the dishes set to wash, Molly planned to begin her potion. She wanted it to be able to be delivered in multiple ways; since there was never any guarantee someone would drink or eat something that a potion had been mixed into, so this required thinking. She mentally began cataloguing the various methods to administer potions as she reduced the oleander plant into its various components. She had a separate container for each component, since they could be used for different potions, and every part of an oleander plant was poisonous. She was actually amazed how many didn't recognize oleander based on the few times she had seen the plant in someone's decorative garden.
Hmmm…if I use one of the stripped branches and remove the bark, it would appear to anyone to be simply a piece of plant material or wood similar to what's in a kindling box. That would keep the branches from being detected, so now I just need to figure out how to use it to my advantage. I refuse to let that little bitch put one of my children in prison with her lies.
Putting the leaves from the plant in a cauldron with a bit of standard ingredient mixture and water, she left it to steep a few minutes while she crushed a bit of adder's tongue and diced a skinned shrivelfig. Adding both to the cauldron and stirring twice clockwise, five times counter-clockwise, she waited a moment and lowered the heat. She would let it simmer for a couple of hours before adding the next ingredients.
The Floo activating had Molly double checking supper, then floating it to the table. She just needed a couple more days and she'd be able to fix what Hermione broke.
OoOoOoO
Amelia looked up when her assistant knocked on her door. She was currently going over every case Macintosh ever had part in thoroughly, making sure nothing was missed.
"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger are here, Madam Bones."
"Yes, I'm expecting them. Send them in, please."
As the two walked in, Amelia noticed Draco's eyes never stopped moving, continually scanning the immediate area.
"Ordinarily, I would be insulted someone felt the need to do a visual sweep walking into my office, but I do understand it can be an occupational hazard. Please sit Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy; we have a lot to cover before we go back into court tomorrow."
After they were both seated, she went over what she intended to ask Ronald Weasley, and since she had already called Hermione to the stand, the next person called up after that would be Draco. If she recalled any witnesses it would be for clarification purposes.
"Madam Bones, I want to thank you for finding the reports. Now I can be assured there's a record of what Ronald did, should he defy all sanity and walk from the courtroom a free man," Hermione said.
"Male," Draco snapped.
"I beg your pardon? What do you mean, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Ronald Weasley put his hands on a woman in violence. The way I was taught, he no longer has the right to be referred to-either by someone else or himself-as a man; therefore, he is a male."
"Mr. Malfoy, that is one of the best ways I've heard to describe the individuals who do this to those they allegedly care for; may I use that in the courtroom?"
"By all means, Madam Bones, be my guest."
"Hopefully it will drive home for some people on the Wizengamot that this kind of behavior is not to be tolerated, no matter what 'old school traditions' they might have been taught at Hogwarts or at home."
"How much longer do you think it will be until it's over?" Hermione asked.
"I intend to wrap up my case tomorrow. Then we have the defense present their case. That could only take the afternoon, or it could take three days. But one thing is certain; there isn't much of a defense in regard to the memory evidence and written Auror reports."
"What could he possibly get as far as a sentence?"
"I wish I could tell you with confidence something like 'he's going to go to Azkaban for twenty years', but the truth is, I can't. If Mr. Weasley is convicted, his sentence will be determined by the Chief Warlock. Yes, you can have some input, but ultimately it's not up to you, nor is it up to me."
"So even if he's convicted, there's a chance he could still avoid Azkaban, that's what you're saying?"
"Unfortunately, yes. There is also still a measure of prejudice in the Wizengamot as far as blood status goes. Which means there's also the chance some blood purist on the Wizengamot could vote to free Mr. Weasley, simply due to the fact he or she can't conceive of anything a Pureblood does to a Muggle born as a crime in need of punishment."
"You would think the war would have made people rethink some of those attitudes. I understand finding it difficult to break habits formed in childhood, but looking down on someone simply due to their blood status-as well as allowing someone with a so-called superior blood status to get away with breaking the law makes about as much sense as the prejudice in the United States of seeing one group of people as superior to another simply based on skin color. Just because someone has been taught that kind of attitude and thinking from the time he or she is small doesn't mean the attitude and thought process is right," Hermione stated, voice hard and flat.
"And there is the heart of the problem for that issue. But we aren't here to discuss differences of blood status; we're here, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, to discuss the remainder of Ron Weasley's trial. Do you have any questions about that, or any concerns?" Amelia asked, looking from one to the other.
"What about the missing reports? Was the person responsible for that in any way involved in the case? Also, what's going to happen to the person responsible?"
"The person responsible has been suspended pending investigation. They weren't involved in this case, and there is a strong possibility that this person-and the accomplice-are charged with obstruction of justice at a minimum."
"Madam Bones, thank you. Unless Draco has any questions, that was all I needed to know," Hermione said, smiling weakly. Draco shook his head slightly and stood, his eyes still sweeping the room.
"Then I'll see you both tomorrow at eight, since the trial reconvenes at nine," Amelia said, standing and walking both of them to the door.
A/N: Next Chapter-the conclusion of Ron Weasley's trial. Thank you for reading, and please review!
