Summary: Malfoy finally stands trial, Snape is found, and questions are answered. The end of the Best Man series.
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: See end of story.
Goblet of Fire spoilers - Yes.
The Best Man 2: The Search for Snape, Part 9 - final part!
Ron had never enjoyed attending the Council of Magical Law. Giving evidence at trials was one of his least favourite parts of being an Enforcer. Sitting up on the highest bench on the right-hand side of Priskett made him feel uncomfortably exposed to the curious gaze of the wizarding public who were packed into the cavernous underground courtroom. There was hardly an empty seat in the place.
On Ron's other side, Harry was looking pensively at the stone ceiling, while Alex, Ivan and Leander, further along the bench, were slumped in varying attitudes of boredom.
It was the last day of the trial, and outside the building, above ground, it was a grey day in late November. Three chairs, with chains on their arms, stood in the middle of the courtroom, presently empty. They were waiting for the accused trio to be brought back into the courtroom for the start of the final day's proceedings.
Everyone stirred suddenly, as there was a flurry of movement around the door in the corner. Then, the Azkaban guards marched briskly into the room, flanking the prisoners. Ron and Harry exchanged glances briefly, and Ron knew Harry was thinking about the Dementors who had used to guard Azkaban, before they had been removed from the task during the last battle against Voldemort, eight years earlier.
The prisoners looked very much as they had done on every morning of the trial. Malfoy, brought in first and led to the central chair, still had a closed look of defiance on his pale face. His blond hair and moustache were rather lank and greasy now, but although his face was almost expressionless, Ron did not miss the look of hatred in Malfoy's grey eyes.
The chains on the three chairs were fastening around the prisoners now. On Malfoy's right, big Vincent Crabbe was shaking with terror. He had gone completely to pieces during his questioning yesterday, admitting everything about his part in the plot. He had revealed, blubbering and trembling, how Malfoy had come to him after escaping from prison and persuaded him to help in seizing the Carlyon sisters and kidnapping Ron's squad of Enforcers.
"He - he said if we had Weasley, Potter and Granger would come looking for him," Crabbe had muttered, not looking at Malfoy beside him. "Then he - he could get Potter's blood - he wanted to use it for a p-potion - no, I didn't know what sort of potion, honest...He told me he'd disguise himself as Snape so they wouldn't know it was him..."
Looking at the jury's faces, Ron had known they were unimpressed with Crabbe, and indeed he was a pathetic figure. "He never had enough brain to think for himself, for good or bad," Harry had said dispassionately, after Crabbe's testimony.
On Malfoy's left, Gilderoy Lockhart was sagging in his chair, a vague expression on his face. He, too, had been an unimpressive defendant when he had been questioned near the beginning of the trial about Harry's kidnapping on the eve of the wedding, back in the summer. He had told how he had met Malfoy in a pub, started drinking with him, and revealed to Malfoy how broke he was.
"He said he'd pay me well if I helped him with a little job, well, I didn't think there could be that much harm in it, all we had to do was knock Potter on the head and take a bit of blood, I thought we'd just do a Memory Charm on him afterwards and return him safe and sound, Malfoy seemed to get a bit carried away, I thought, and it all turned rather nasty when the Ministry arrived -"
Priskett had found it hard to get a word in edgeways when Lockhart had been testifying. The jury and the public had looked at Lockhart with a mixture of pity and horror on their faces - horror that someone who had once been an admired celebrity in the wizarding world was now on trial as an accomplice in a particularly nasty plot. Flabby and down-at-heel, Lockhart was much changed from the dapper celebrity he had once been. Ron remembered how upset his own mother had been on seeing the photos of Lockhart in the "Daily Prophet."
The trial had been a long one because there had been so many witnesses to testify. Ron himself had given evidence - first about the abduction of Harry, and how he, Hermione and his squad had rescued him from the house at Fairmile Cross in time for the wedding, and secondly about his own kidnapping, and his time as a hostage in the dark underground cell, and the exhausting escape through the collapsed tunnels.
Ivan, Leander and Alex had all given evidence, and so, of course, had Harry and Hermione. Hermione was not in court today. Her evidence having been given already, she wasn't really needed, and she had said that she felt she really ought not to miss any more teaching days at Hogwarts. Ron hadn't seen her since Sunday - his flatmate being away, Hermione had spent the weekend in London with him - and was missing her. When she had kissed him goodbye on Sunday night she had wished him luck for the final few days of the trial. "Not that you'll need it," she had said. "There's no way they can find him anything but guilty."
She had given her evidence calmly and clearly, and though Ron had known she was a little nervous about facing the Court of Magical Law and the hundreds of people there, she had made a good impression with the jury, and her testimony had been transparently truthful.
Harry had also made an excellent impression, Ron thought. The courtroom had buzzed excitedly when his name was called, and when he was speaking, in his usual open, straightforward way, the jury and spectators had hung on his every word. Looking at their rapt faces and half-open mouths, Ron had known there was no question they would not believe Harry's evidence. When Harry finally sat down, the jury foreman had asked Priskett to pass on the jury's best wishes for Harry's next Quidditch match with the Hogsmeade Hurricanes, and there had been a relaxing of tension in the courtroom as everyone laughed and clapped.
This morning, however, the mood was more tense. Only one more witness was left to testify, Malfoy having refused to say anything so far, even in his own defence. Privately, Ron didn't really think there would have been much point in Malfoy defending himself, with such damning evidence against him.
After the last witness had testified, the jury would consider its verdict, and sentence would be passed. Then, Ron thought, they would all be able to put the trial behind them and get on with their lives. Preparing the evidence for the trial had meant a lot of work for him and his team in the last few weeks, and very little free time. Most of the free moments he had been able to snatch he had spent with Hermione, still almost unable to believe his good luck. That she still loved him - that she wanted to be with him - seemed almost too good to be true, and Ron couldn't help feeling that he didn't deserve it, although he was fully prepared to make the most of it. After the trial was over, he meant to cut back on his workload and spend time making sure that she knew just how important their relationship was to him.
Ron had also spent a day in Cornwall before the trial, visiting Bernard Turvey. Bernard was slowly recovering from his injuries and, although he was still not well enough to attend the trial or return to work, he had been very glad to know that Ron and the rest of the squad were all safe and basically unharmed.
On the same day that he had visited Bernard, Ron had gone to check on the two little Carlyon girls, Morwenna and Meredith. He had been rather embarrassed by the gratitude of Mr. and Mrs. Carlyon, who had insisted on shaking his hand many times, and thanking him over and over again for their daughters' safe return, although Ron had told them that he had had nothing to do with it, having been a prisoner at the time himself. But he had promised to pass on their thanks to the M.L.E.S., Harry and Hermione, and anyone else who might deserve them, and to pass on the news that the two little girls were making a remarkable recovery from their ordeal.
While Ron had been musing, Priskett had been recapping the previous day's evidence to the courtroom. Now, he called for the final witness.
"Call Severus Snape!"
There was another excited buzz around the room as the Council waited. Turning his head, Ron saw the same apprehension in Harry's face that he knew must be in his own.
The door in the corner of the courtroom opened again, and Snape entered, alone.
"Please give your name to the court."
"Severus Snape."
Snape was standing in the middle of the room, looking directly at Priskett. He had walked past the three chairs in which Malfoy, Crabbe and Lockhart were sitting without even glancing at them. Looking at Snape, Ron didn't think he had changed much. Older, with more silver streaking the greasy dark hair, he looked just as Malfoy had, of course, after taking the Polyjuice Potion.
"Severus Snape, you have been called here to testify to this court about the events of the last week in October this year. But first, would you tell the court your normal residence and occupation?"
"Certainly. Since retiring from my position as Potions Master at Hogwarts School eight years ago - " well, retiring was one word for it, Ron thought, " - I have kept a small apothecary's shop in Cornwall, dispensing potions to the local wizarding community."
"And have you seen, or been involved with, your ex-student Draco Malfoy during that time?"
"Yes, I have." There was an excited stir around the courtroom. Ron, who had already heard what was coming, suppressed a smile.
Priskett frowned at the onlookers. "Quiet please. Please continue, Snape."
"Well, it is not generally known, except in the highest reaches of the Ministry of Magic, but I have been working undercover to find out information about the remaining Dark Arts practitioners still scattered around the country. As part of my work, I led Draco Malfoy and his followers to believe that I would help them with their plans to practice the Dark Arts."
If looks could have killed, Ron thought, Snape would have fallen dead at that moment, felled by the glare Malfoy was directing at him.
"And you supplied Malfoy with various potions?"
"Yes - nothing very harmful, though. I took the precaution of altering the recipes of the more dangerous potions to render them less effective."
"And did you supply Malfoy with a sleeping potion last July?"
"Yes, I did."
"Did you know he was going to use it to drug Harry Potter and try to use his blood to make a Resurrection Potion?"
"No, I did not know that his plans involved Potter." For just a moment, Snape's dark eyes glittered as he looked along the bench to Harry and Ron. In that moment Ron suddenly felt like a schoolboy at Hogwarts again, dreading a Potions lesson. Then Snape looked back towards Priskett. "However, Malfoy had asked me about Resurrection Potions previously - naturally I hadn't given him any effective recipes, but it would have been easy for him to research them in books."
"If you had suspected Malfoy intended to make a Resurrection Potion using Potter's blood, would you have taken action?"
"Of course, I would have notified the Ministry at once." Snape's voice remained as soft, cold and level as it had been since he started to speak. He showed no emotion.
Priskett looked down at the notes on the parchment in front of him. "Now, in the last week of October, Harry Potter has told us that he believed he saw you in Hogsmeade. What were you doing there, so far from Cornwall?"
"I was visiting old friends in Hogsmeade. Potter -" again Snape's glance flicked along the bench to find Harry, " - probably saw me just as I was about to leave Hogsmeade after spending a few days there."
"While you were in Hogsmeade, did you hear about Malfoy's escape from prison?"
"No. So I was extremely surprised when I reached home that night and found him waiting for me in my house."
This caused a sensation, as everyone around the court started talking at once. It took Priskett several minutes to quieten everyone down again.
"Please tell the court what happened when you found Malfoy in your home."
"I asked him immediately what he was doing there - since I believed him to be in prison. He told me he needed my help, and I refused and threatened to summon assistance from the Ministry. Then -" Snape suddenly looked genuinely angry for the first time - "I was struck on the head from behind, and knocked unconscious."
"You didn't see who hit you?"
"Obviously not," said Snape coldly, but he turned for the first time to shoot a very cold look at Crabbe, who started shaking even more violently in his chair.
"And when you came round, where were you?"
"I was lying in the attic of my house, tied up and without my wand. I also noticed that some of my hair had been cut -" Snape motioned to a place just by his right ear " - I now suppose that Malfoy had taken the hair to use in his Polyjuice Potion so that he could pose as me."
"And you were rescued from the attic three days later, by M.L.E.S. agents?"
Snape clearly hated admitting this. Ron tried not to smile as his former Potions master muttered "Yes."
This was more or less the end of Snape's testimony. Priskett thanked him, and Snape took a seat at one side of the court before Priskett started summing up the evidence for the jury. Finally, he shuffled his notes together and said, "Vincent Crabbe, we have heard the evidence against you. You are accused of helping Draco Malfoy to kidnap two children and four Enforcers, not to mention trying to lure Harry Potter and Hermione Granger into captivity. You are also accused of attacking Severus Snape in his home. Have you anything to say before the jury decides its verdict?"
But Crabbe, trembling and blubbering, didn't seem to be capable of saying much.
"Very well. Members of the jury, please raise your hands if you believe Vincent Crabbe is guilty of these crimes."
Ron looked along the jury benches as every hand was raised.
"It is clear that you were only following Malfoy's directions, but nevertheless you took part in very unpleasant crimes. I suggest a term of five years' imprisonment. Will the jury please raise their hands again if they agree with this sentence?"
Again, every hand was raised in unison. Crabbe, still shaking, was unchained from the chair and led away. Ron looked away from the pathetic figure of his old enemy. This was the part he hated most about attending trials. He was always glad that his squad had managed to stop crimes from being committed, but it didn't give him any pleasure to see characters like Crabbe wasting their lives. He only hoped that in five years' time Crabbe might be a reformed character, who would stay away from the likes of Malfoy.
Ron didn't pay close attention while Lockhart was sentenced. He guessed what would happen, and he was right. Lockhart looked aggrieved and confused as he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for helping to kidnap Harry. He too was led away.
Ron's attention snapped back to the courtroom, however, when he heard Priskett say,
"Draco Malfoy. Numerous witnesses have testified that you were the mastermind behind these evil schemes. Your desire to resurrect your dead father led you into this terrible plot to trap Harry Potter and his friends. When cornered by the M.L.E.S., you even tried to use the killing curse. The jury have found you guilty. Have you anything to say in your defence before we pass sentence?"
Ron, along with everyone else in the courtroom, looked at Malfoy, still chained in his chair. Still with that look of hatred and defiance on his face, Malfoy looked up, past Priskett, past Ron - and his gaze fell on Harry.
"He murdered my father!" he spat at last. "He deserved everything I had planned for him. And if I had completed the potion, he -"
"That's enough!" Priskett's voice cut through the courtroom, and two guards moved close to Malfoy. "Draco Malfoy, on behalf of the Council of Magical Law I am suggesting that you serve a life sentence in Azkaban. Will the jury please raise their hands if they agree."
Slowly, every hand was raised. Ron sighed, and heard Harry sighing too, beside him.
"Take him away," said Priskett heavily. "This trial is concluded."
As a hubbub of noise broke out, Ron, like Harry and the others beside him, got up from his seat on the hard bench. He became aware suddenly that he badly wanted to get out of this dank courtroom and see some sunshine - and Hermione.
* * * * *
Despite being late November, it was a surprisingly fine evening. The sun was setting over Hogsmeade, turning the western sky into a red glow as Ron, Hermione and Harry watched. Although there was a chilly nip in the air, they didn't mind it as they sat on the front steps of Broomstick Cottage, talking quietly. Ginny was trying her hand at cooking a meal again, and had thrown them out of her kitchen, refusing all offers of help. Harry and Ron had Apparated from London a few hours ago, after which Ron had walked up to Hogwarts to meet Hermione after she had finished her teaching for the day. They had had time for a long and interesting conversation on the way back to Broomstick Cottage - there had been a lot to discuss, some of which was still a secret between them.
"I still can't help feeling a bit sorry for Malfoy," Harry said pensively.
Ron, hugging Hermione against him as they sat close together, raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Really? Even after what he tried to do to you?"
"Yeah." Harry sighed. "I know he went off the rails in the end, but I can understand how angry he felt about his father dying - after the last battle against Voldemort he was pretty much left with nothing -"
"He tried to kill you!" said Hermione indignantly. "And he kidnapped Ron -"
"Yes, but - I can't help wondering - I had to face some pretty tough times too, but I had you - good friends - to help me get through it. Malfoy really didn't have anyone to set him straight. No wonder he felt desperate."
"Hmm. Well, I can't feel that sorry for him," Hermione muttered.
"It's all over now," Ron interrupted firmly. The trial had dominated his life for weeks, and he was sick of it. "Let's talk about something else. Like how the Hurricanes are going to flatten the Wimborne Wasps on Saturday!"
Harry and Hermione both laughed at this.
"Or whether any of those cottages up the lane from you are for sale," Ron added, pointing to the thatched rooftops just visible over the hedge of Harry and Ginny's garden.
"Thinking of moving to Hogsmeade, Ron?"
"Maybe." Ron turned his head and looked down at Hermione, who gave him a glowing look. "I could still Apparate to Headquarters from here, after all."
"Every time the world needs saving," Hermione teased.
Harry looked at his two friends indulgently. "It seems quite strange not to hear you two arguing."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find plenty of things to quarrel about - it wouldn't be natural if we didn't," said Hermione, grinning.
"But we'll always make it up," Ron said more seriously. Weeks ago, when he and Hermione had first got back together, they had had a long talk about their quarrel six years ago, and promised never to let their resentments fester like that again. Especially after seeing how Malfoy had ruined his life, Ron was determined to make the most of his.
"Well, you know it's all thanks to me that you two are together, anyway," Harry said airily.
"How do you work that out?" Hermione asked.
"Well, if I hadn't invited you both to my wedding, and asked Ron to be my best man, you might still not be speaking to each other," Harry grinned at them. "So it's all my doing."
Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ron. They both looked at Harry.
"There's only one thing I can say to that, Harry," Ron said.
"What's that?" asked Harry curiously.
"Will you be *my* best man?"
There was a loud crash behind them. Ginny, coming out to call them in for dinner, had overheard Ron, and dropped a plate.
THE END
Author's Notes: I can't believe this story took so long to finish. This really is the end of the Best Man series. Hope you enjoyed it. I finally have some free time now, so I might have a go at a post-Goblet of Fire story I have an idea for. Thanks for your reviews - more always welcomed!
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: See end of story.
Goblet of Fire spoilers - Yes.
The Best Man 2: The Search for Snape, Part 9 - final part!
Ron had never enjoyed attending the Council of Magical Law. Giving evidence at trials was one of his least favourite parts of being an Enforcer. Sitting up on the highest bench on the right-hand side of Priskett made him feel uncomfortably exposed to the curious gaze of the wizarding public who were packed into the cavernous underground courtroom. There was hardly an empty seat in the place.
On Ron's other side, Harry was looking pensively at the stone ceiling, while Alex, Ivan and Leander, further along the bench, were slumped in varying attitudes of boredom.
It was the last day of the trial, and outside the building, above ground, it was a grey day in late November. Three chairs, with chains on their arms, stood in the middle of the courtroom, presently empty. They were waiting for the accused trio to be brought back into the courtroom for the start of the final day's proceedings.
Everyone stirred suddenly, as there was a flurry of movement around the door in the corner. Then, the Azkaban guards marched briskly into the room, flanking the prisoners. Ron and Harry exchanged glances briefly, and Ron knew Harry was thinking about the Dementors who had used to guard Azkaban, before they had been removed from the task during the last battle against Voldemort, eight years earlier.
The prisoners looked very much as they had done on every morning of the trial. Malfoy, brought in first and led to the central chair, still had a closed look of defiance on his pale face. His blond hair and moustache were rather lank and greasy now, but although his face was almost expressionless, Ron did not miss the look of hatred in Malfoy's grey eyes.
The chains on the three chairs were fastening around the prisoners now. On Malfoy's right, big Vincent Crabbe was shaking with terror. He had gone completely to pieces during his questioning yesterday, admitting everything about his part in the plot. He had revealed, blubbering and trembling, how Malfoy had come to him after escaping from prison and persuaded him to help in seizing the Carlyon sisters and kidnapping Ron's squad of Enforcers.
"He - he said if we had Weasley, Potter and Granger would come looking for him," Crabbe had muttered, not looking at Malfoy beside him. "Then he - he could get Potter's blood - he wanted to use it for a p-potion - no, I didn't know what sort of potion, honest...He told me he'd disguise himself as Snape so they wouldn't know it was him..."
Looking at the jury's faces, Ron had known they were unimpressed with Crabbe, and indeed he was a pathetic figure. "He never had enough brain to think for himself, for good or bad," Harry had said dispassionately, after Crabbe's testimony.
On Malfoy's left, Gilderoy Lockhart was sagging in his chair, a vague expression on his face. He, too, had been an unimpressive defendant when he had been questioned near the beginning of the trial about Harry's kidnapping on the eve of the wedding, back in the summer. He had told how he had met Malfoy in a pub, started drinking with him, and revealed to Malfoy how broke he was.
"He said he'd pay me well if I helped him with a little job, well, I didn't think there could be that much harm in it, all we had to do was knock Potter on the head and take a bit of blood, I thought we'd just do a Memory Charm on him afterwards and return him safe and sound, Malfoy seemed to get a bit carried away, I thought, and it all turned rather nasty when the Ministry arrived -"
Priskett had found it hard to get a word in edgeways when Lockhart had been testifying. The jury and the public had looked at Lockhart with a mixture of pity and horror on their faces - horror that someone who had once been an admired celebrity in the wizarding world was now on trial as an accomplice in a particularly nasty plot. Flabby and down-at-heel, Lockhart was much changed from the dapper celebrity he had once been. Ron remembered how upset his own mother had been on seeing the photos of Lockhart in the "Daily Prophet."
The trial had been a long one because there had been so many witnesses to testify. Ron himself had given evidence - first about the abduction of Harry, and how he, Hermione and his squad had rescued him from the house at Fairmile Cross in time for the wedding, and secondly about his own kidnapping, and his time as a hostage in the dark underground cell, and the exhausting escape through the collapsed tunnels.
Ivan, Leander and Alex had all given evidence, and so, of course, had Harry and Hermione. Hermione was not in court today. Her evidence having been given already, she wasn't really needed, and she had said that she felt she really ought not to miss any more teaching days at Hogwarts. Ron hadn't seen her since Sunday - his flatmate being away, Hermione had spent the weekend in London with him - and was missing her. When she had kissed him goodbye on Sunday night she had wished him luck for the final few days of the trial. "Not that you'll need it," she had said. "There's no way they can find him anything but guilty."
She had given her evidence calmly and clearly, and though Ron had known she was a little nervous about facing the Court of Magical Law and the hundreds of people there, she had made a good impression with the jury, and her testimony had been transparently truthful.
Harry had also made an excellent impression, Ron thought. The courtroom had buzzed excitedly when his name was called, and when he was speaking, in his usual open, straightforward way, the jury and spectators had hung on his every word. Looking at their rapt faces and half-open mouths, Ron had known there was no question they would not believe Harry's evidence. When Harry finally sat down, the jury foreman had asked Priskett to pass on the jury's best wishes for Harry's next Quidditch match with the Hogsmeade Hurricanes, and there had been a relaxing of tension in the courtroom as everyone laughed and clapped.
This morning, however, the mood was more tense. Only one more witness was left to testify, Malfoy having refused to say anything so far, even in his own defence. Privately, Ron didn't really think there would have been much point in Malfoy defending himself, with such damning evidence against him.
After the last witness had testified, the jury would consider its verdict, and sentence would be passed. Then, Ron thought, they would all be able to put the trial behind them and get on with their lives. Preparing the evidence for the trial had meant a lot of work for him and his team in the last few weeks, and very little free time. Most of the free moments he had been able to snatch he had spent with Hermione, still almost unable to believe his good luck. That she still loved him - that she wanted to be with him - seemed almost too good to be true, and Ron couldn't help feeling that he didn't deserve it, although he was fully prepared to make the most of it. After the trial was over, he meant to cut back on his workload and spend time making sure that she knew just how important their relationship was to him.
Ron had also spent a day in Cornwall before the trial, visiting Bernard Turvey. Bernard was slowly recovering from his injuries and, although he was still not well enough to attend the trial or return to work, he had been very glad to know that Ron and the rest of the squad were all safe and basically unharmed.
On the same day that he had visited Bernard, Ron had gone to check on the two little Carlyon girls, Morwenna and Meredith. He had been rather embarrassed by the gratitude of Mr. and Mrs. Carlyon, who had insisted on shaking his hand many times, and thanking him over and over again for their daughters' safe return, although Ron had told them that he had had nothing to do with it, having been a prisoner at the time himself. But he had promised to pass on their thanks to the M.L.E.S., Harry and Hermione, and anyone else who might deserve them, and to pass on the news that the two little girls were making a remarkable recovery from their ordeal.
While Ron had been musing, Priskett had been recapping the previous day's evidence to the courtroom. Now, he called for the final witness.
"Call Severus Snape!"
There was another excited buzz around the room as the Council waited. Turning his head, Ron saw the same apprehension in Harry's face that he knew must be in his own.
The door in the corner of the courtroom opened again, and Snape entered, alone.
"Please give your name to the court."
"Severus Snape."
Snape was standing in the middle of the room, looking directly at Priskett. He had walked past the three chairs in which Malfoy, Crabbe and Lockhart were sitting without even glancing at them. Looking at Snape, Ron didn't think he had changed much. Older, with more silver streaking the greasy dark hair, he looked just as Malfoy had, of course, after taking the Polyjuice Potion.
"Severus Snape, you have been called here to testify to this court about the events of the last week in October this year. But first, would you tell the court your normal residence and occupation?"
"Certainly. Since retiring from my position as Potions Master at Hogwarts School eight years ago - " well, retiring was one word for it, Ron thought, " - I have kept a small apothecary's shop in Cornwall, dispensing potions to the local wizarding community."
"And have you seen, or been involved with, your ex-student Draco Malfoy during that time?"
"Yes, I have." There was an excited stir around the courtroom. Ron, who had already heard what was coming, suppressed a smile.
Priskett frowned at the onlookers. "Quiet please. Please continue, Snape."
"Well, it is not generally known, except in the highest reaches of the Ministry of Magic, but I have been working undercover to find out information about the remaining Dark Arts practitioners still scattered around the country. As part of my work, I led Draco Malfoy and his followers to believe that I would help them with their plans to practice the Dark Arts."
If looks could have killed, Ron thought, Snape would have fallen dead at that moment, felled by the glare Malfoy was directing at him.
"And you supplied Malfoy with various potions?"
"Yes - nothing very harmful, though. I took the precaution of altering the recipes of the more dangerous potions to render them less effective."
"And did you supply Malfoy with a sleeping potion last July?"
"Yes, I did."
"Did you know he was going to use it to drug Harry Potter and try to use his blood to make a Resurrection Potion?"
"No, I did not know that his plans involved Potter." For just a moment, Snape's dark eyes glittered as he looked along the bench to Harry and Ron. In that moment Ron suddenly felt like a schoolboy at Hogwarts again, dreading a Potions lesson. Then Snape looked back towards Priskett. "However, Malfoy had asked me about Resurrection Potions previously - naturally I hadn't given him any effective recipes, but it would have been easy for him to research them in books."
"If you had suspected Malfoy intended to make a Resurrection Potion using Potter's blood, would you have taken action?"
"Of course, I would have notified the Ministry at once." Snape's voice remained as soft, cold and level as it had been since he started to speak. He showed no emotion.
Priskett looked down at the notes on the parchment in front of him. "Now, in the last week of October, Harry Potter has told us that he believed he saw you in Hogsmeade. What were you doing there, so far from Cornwall?"
"I was visiting old friends in Hogsmeade. Potter -" again Snape's glance flicked along the bench to find Harry, " - probably saw me just as I was about to leave Hogsmeade after spending a few days there."
"While you were in Hogsmeade, did you hear about Malfoy's escape from prison?"
"No. So I was extremely surprised when I reached home that night and found him waiting for me in my house."
This caused a sensation, as everyone around the court started talking at once. It took Priskett several minutes to quieten everyone down again.
"Please tell the court what happened when you found Malfoy in your home."
"I asked him immediately what he was doing there - since I believed him to be in prison. He told me he needed my help, and I refused and threatened to summon assistance from the Ministry. Then -" Snape suddenly looked genuinely angry for the first time - "I was struck on the head from behind, and knocked unconscious."
"You didn't see who hit you?"
"Obviously not," said Snape coldly, but he turned for the first time to shoot a very cold look at Crabbe, who started shaking even more violently in his chair.
"And when you came round, where were you?"
"I was lying in the attic of my house, tied up and without my wand. I also noticed that some of my hair had been cut -" Snape motioned to a place just by his right ear " - I now suppose that Malfoy had taken the hair to use in his Polyjuice Potion so that he could pose as me."
"And you were rescued from the attic three days later, by M.L.E.S. agents?"
Snape clearly hated admitting this. Ron tried not to smile as his former Potions master muttered "Yes."
This was more or less the end of Snape's testimony. Priskett thanked him, and Snape took a seat at one side of the court before Priskett started summing up the evidence for the jury. Finally, he shuffled his notes together and said, "Vincent Crabbe, we have heard the evidence against you. You are accused of helping Draco Malfoy to kidnap two children and four Enforcers, not to mention trying to lure Harry Potter and Hermione Granger into captivity. You are also accused of attacking Severus Snape in his home. Have you anything to say before the jury decides its verdict?"
But Crabbe, trembling and blubbering, didn't seem to be capable of saying much.
"Very well. Members of the jury, please raise your hands if you believe Vincent Crabbe is guilty of these crimes."
Ron looked along the jury benches as every hand was raised.
"It is clear that you were only following Malfoy's directions, but nevertheless you took part in very unpleasant crimes. I suggest a term of five years' imprisonment. Will the jury please raise their hands again if they agree with this sentence?"
Again, every hand was raised in unison. Crabbe, still shaking, was unchained from the chair and led away. Ron looked away from the pathetic figure of his old enemy. This was the part he hated most about attending trials. He was always glad that his squad had managed to stop crimes from being committed, but it didn't give him any pleasure to see characters like Crabbe wasting their lives. He only hoped that in five years' time Crabbe might be a reformed character, who would stay away from the likes of Malfoy.
Ron didn't pay close attention while Lockhart was sentenced. He guessed what would happen, and he was right. Lockhart looked aggrieved and confused as he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for helping to kidnap Harry. He too was led away.
Ron's attention snapped back to the courtroom, however, when he heard Priskett say,
"Draco Malfoy. Numerous witnesses have testified that you were the mastermind behind these evil schemes. Your desire to resurrect your dead father led you into this terrible plot to trap Harry Potter and his friends. When cornered by the M.L.E.S., you even tried to use the killing curse. The jury have found you guilty. Have you anything to say in your defence before we pass sentence?"
Ron, along with everyone else in the courtroom, looked at Malfoy, still chained in his chair. Still with that look of hatred and defiance on his face, Malfoy looked up, past Priskett, past Ron - and his gaze fell on Harry.
"He murdered my father!" he spat at last. "He deserved everything I had planned for him. And if I had completed the potion, he -"
"That's enough!" Priskett's voice cut through the courtroom, and two guards moved close to Malfoy. "Draco Malfoy, on behalf of the Council of Magical Law I am suggesting that you serve a life sentence in Azkaban. Will the jury please raise their hands if they agree."
Slowly, every hand was raised. Ron sighed, and heard Harry sighing too, beside him.
"Take him away," said Priskett heavily. "This trial is concluded."
As a hubbub of noise broke out, Ron, like Harry and the others beside him, got up from his seat on the hard bench. He became aware suddenly that he badly wanted to get out of this dank courtroom and see some sunshine - and Hermione.
* * * * *
Despite being late November, it was a surprisingly fine evening. The sun was setting over Hogsmeade, turning the western sky into a red glow as Ron, Hermione and Harry watched. Although there was a chilly nip in the air, they didn't mind it as they sat on the front steps of Broomstick Cottage, talking quietly. Ginny was trying her hand at cooking a meal again, and had thrown them out of her kitchen, refusing all offers of help. Harry and Ron had Apparated from London a few hours ago, after which Ron had walked up to Hogwarts to meet Hermione after she had finished her teaching for the day. They had had time for a long and interesting conversation on the way back to Broomstick Cottage - there had been a lot to discuss, some of which was still a secret between them.
"I still can't help feeling a bit sorry for Malfoy," Harry said pensively.
Ron, hugging Hermione against him as they sat close together, raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Really? Even after what he tried to do to you?"
"Yeah." Harry sighed. "I know he went off the rails in the end, but I can understand how angry he felt about his father dying - after the last battle against Voldemort he was pretty much left with nothing -"
"He tried to kill you!" said Hermione indignantly. "And he kidnapped Ron -"
"Yes, but - I can't help wondering - I had to face some pretty tough times too, but I had you - good friends - to help me get through it. Malfoy really didn't have anyone to set him straight. No wonder he felt desperate."
"Hmm. Well, I can't feel that sorry for him," Hermione muttered.
"It's all over now," Ron interrupted firmly. The trial had dominated his life for weeks, and he was sick of it. "Let's talk about something else. Like how the Hurricanes are going to flatten the Wimborne Wasps on Saturday!"
Harry and Hermione both laughed at this.
"Or whether any of those cottages up the lane from you are for sale," Ron added, pointing to the thatched rooftops just visible over the hedge of Harry and Ginny's garden.
"Thinking of moving to Hogsmeade, Ron?"
"Maybe." Ron turned his head and looked down at Hermione, who gave him a glowing look. "I could still Apparate to Headquarters from here, after all."
"Every time the world needs saving," Hermione teased.
Harry looked at his two friends indulgently. "It seems quite strange not to hear you two arguing."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find plenty of things to quarrel about - it wouldn't be natural if we didn't," said Hermione, grinning.
"But we'll always make it up," Ron said more seriously. Weeks ago, when he and Hermione had first got back together, they had had a long talk about their quarrel six years ago, and promised never to let their resentments fester like that again. Especially after seeing how Malfoy had ruined his life, Ron was determined to make the most of his.
"Well, you know it's all thanks to me that you two are together, anyway," Harry said airily.
"How do you work that out?" Hermione asked.
"Well, if I hadn't invited you both to my wedding, and asked Ron to be my best man, you might still not be speaking to each other," Harry grinned at them. "So it's all my doing."
Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ron. They both looked at Harry.
"There's only one thing I can say to that, Harry," Ron said.
"What's that?" asked Harry curiously.
"Will you be *my* best man?"
There was a loud crash behind them. Ginny, coming out to call them in for dinner, had overheard Ron, and dropped a plate.
THE END
Author's Notes: I can't believe this story took so long to finish. This really is the end of the Best Man series. Hope you enjoyed it. I finally have some free time now, so I might have a go at a post-Goblet of Fire story I have an idea for. Thanks for your reviews - more always welcomed!