Misunderstood
Chapter Ten
The Appeal – Cancelled
Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot to this story. All characters that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling and Scholastic and all them people.
Author's Note: Veritaserum – The Truth Potion - I've heard a lot of suggestions to use this, and I promise it will be used in the future, possibly in the next chapter. I specifically left it out in the trial, because I think Fudge doesn't want to hear the truth. I don't like him after the end of the fourth book, and I believe that he will ignore the truth even if it's right in front of him. But the trial was bias to begin with, so Ron didn't have a chance. I'm sorry for upsetting you all, but I love Ron to death, he's my favorite character, and this is the crap my brain comes up with. Also, Angelina and Alicia have been mentioned more than I planned in my story. I just feel that the twins need some girls to rely on, as they're not extremely happy at the moment. And for some reason I'm inclined to put more of Sirius and Remus in here, because they're my favorite adult characters. If I get a bit off track, I apologize. Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews! You all are the best! ~*Carey*~
Fred, George, and Ginny made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room looking as if they were soldiers who had lost a war. The pain and defeat was written all over their faces, and it told Harry and Hermione exactly what they hadn't wanted to hear.
Fortunately, everybody else had been too busy with assignments to see them enter. It would scare everyone, to see the boys who could always cheer anyone up, unhappy. Everybody had been looking forward to when the Weasley's would return, but they were expecting them to return with a big bang.
Angelina was coming downstairs talking to Alicia, but both twins seemed to hear her talking over all the mumbling from the students working on their homework. George almost laughed, thinking about how much the Common Room sounded like the library, full of students studying and not being really loud or talkative.
"I have to do my detention tonight. It's with Snape, so I'll probably be in detention all week." Angelina said in an irritated tone.
"Well maybe if you wouldn't talk back to him, you wouldn't be in detention for the rest of the week." Alicia said.
"It's not in my nature to hold back my opinions, especially not when he's the one making the remarks." Angelina said.
"Ange, if he looks at you, you start." Alicia said.
"No there's a difference. If he looks at me funny, stares or glares at me, I'll have my say about it. Anybody who looks at me in a wrong way has to be corrected, or I'll think I have something on my face. Everyone knows I'm not something to look at." Angelina said.
"Please, you're gorgeous." Alicia said rolling her eyes.
"You've never said anything truer." Fred said.
"I'm sure she has." George muttered.
"Oh my gosh! When did you two get back! I didn't hear any explosions, so I assumed you were still gone!" Angelina cried.
"What did you do to get a detention? Did you lose all the points from Gryffindor that Snape hasn't any left to take away, leaving you in such a horrible position?" George asked raising an eyebrow only half jokingly. It was common knowledge among the seventh years that Angelina could run her mouth during a Potions lesson, but she'd always get the points back in a Quidditch match or in another lesson.
"No, I taught Malfoy a lesson or two after he threatened me." Angelina said.
"He threatened you?" Fred asked with concern looking to George and back to Angelina.
"Yea, but that's all Malfoy's made out of… threats. He never carries them out. He just tries to scare everyone, but I'm not afraid of him." Angelina said. "If anything he's afraid of me now."
"Or maybe just your knees." Alicia said.
"His father's a death eater… you might want to warn your parents. He may be bluffing, but if word gets to his dad…"
"Fred, he knows that if my family or me is injured in the slightest, his ass will pay." Angelina said.
"Snape's going to kill you if you don't fly downstairs. You're going to be late." Alicia said interrupting her.
"Well I'm not going to hurry for him. He's going to make me have a detention tomorrow too as I'm already late. I might as well not go at all." Angelina said.
"McGonagall assigned your detention, she could pull you off the team if she gets enough complaints from Snape." Alicia said.
"Fine, I'll go now. Fred, you look exhausted, but wait up until I get back. I want to talk to you." Angelina said.
"All right." Fred said with a nod.
"By the way, is there something wrong? I've never seen you two depressed since… well, since the chamber of secrets was open and Ginny was taken." Angelina said.
"No, everything's fine. We're just exhausted like you said." Fred lied.
"I'll get it out of you later." Angelina said before leaving.
At the burrow, arguments still were still being fought. Grandfather, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and Percy were all screaming at one another.
"Mum, please be reasonable, you can't leave the burrow! It's where you and dad raised all of us! We love coming back here! You cannot just throw away our childhoods!" Bill cried angrily.
"And what about the others? They're already confused about everything else in their life! The only thing they're sure about is their home, and that is here! You can't keep messing up everybody's lives!" Charlie shouted.
"You think I mess up everybody's lives? You think I'm responsible for ruining your father's life? Do you think I'm responsible for his death?" Mrs. Weasley shouted.
"Yes I do!" Charlie yelled taking everybody back, especially Mrs. Weasley who swelled up with tears. "You messed dad's life up when you left him! He loved you mum! You kept dad as sane as possible! If you wouldn't have left him, nobody else's lives would've fallen apart! If you wouldn't have left him, dad might not be dead! You could've helped him fight whoever it was who killed him! But you weren't here, because you left him!"
"I DIDN'T LEAVE HIM! HE LEFT ME!" Mrs. Weasley cried angrily.
"He was the one who came home! You didn't. You knew perfectly well where he was, and you never made an effort to try and work things out!" Charlie roared.
"He never made an effort either!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.
"When would he have had the time? He was working mad hours, and he had to take care of Ron on top of all of that. You weren't working!" Charlie raged.
"Charles!" Grandfather warned harshly earning a glare from his grandson.
"Bill… you'll learn that the boys and Ginny will love Grandfather's home, much more than here." Mrs. Weasley said calmly trying to make her eldest son see reason.
"We've already seen what happens when Ron goes to Grandfather's." Bill said.
"But that won't happen anymore, because Ron's in Azkaban." Mrs. Weasley said.
"He's got an appeal! You cannot give up on him!" Charlie roared.
"Charlie, would you please grow up? It would be wonderful to 'pretend' that Ron was innocent, but sooner or later you'll have to face reality and see the horrible truth. Face it, Ron killed dad, but he's getting what he deserves." Percy said.
WHAM! Percy's head met the wall painfully.
Charlie pulled Percy violently on to his feet and looked at him dangerously in the eyes. He seemed to be staring him down as he would a dragon.
"You need to be brought back to reality! If I didn't knock any sense into you then, I'll sure as hell try again! You need to wake up Percy! For once, you are being an idiot! You're as blind as Fudge. Dad is dead! RON DIDN'T KILL HIM! It's not possible! Harry saw You-know-who reborn! Now Fudge can disregard that, because he's heading for a fall soon, but I don't want you to fall down with him. It's one hell of a fall for such a bright young wizard... If you continue to be ignorant like Fudge, your name will end up big in the papers under a list of failures. Because when Ron is proven innocent, which he will be, your name will be among those who believed an innocent kid to be guilty. And just to remind you that kid who's being tortured and slowly killed in Azkaban right now, is your brother. The Ministry's headed for a collapse, with everybody betraying Fudge in it. I'm warning you to come to your senses before it's too late. There's a dark side to this world Percy you know it deep down! Do you think Harry's lying about You-know-who? Do you think that You-know-who or his death eaters didn't murder Cedric Diggory and Mr. Crouch? And if so, who do you think they were murdered by? There's obviously some kind of dark side out there… And rather than be a hero and help, you look away and let it happen. Do you realize that you're more of the problem than the solution? Don't tell me you think Ron's guilty again! Don't you dare- unless you visit him, look into his eyes and if you see that Ron's guilty, then you come up to me and hex me, but until you make that trip to see your little brother, than don't talk about things you don't know! Because you're wrong Percy." Charlie said.
Percy pushed his brother away from him and pulled out his wand threateningly. "If you ever say another word against the Minister I'll…"
"You'll what, kill me?" Charlie asked.
"Don't tempt me!" Percy warned.
"That's betrayal if I've ever seen it… You threatened to kill me, your own blood, for saying something against your boss." Charlie said.
"Boys!" Grandfather snapped.
Bill looked from his brothers to his mother. "What will happen when Ron's released? Where will he go, if he can't come to the burrow? Like I've stated before, we've all seen what happens when Ron and Grandfather are around each other." Bill said.
"Well, I…" Mrs. Weasley began, not having thought of that possibility.
"She never said she'd authorize his release." Grandfather said.
"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.
"The Minister may find Ronald innocent, but that doesn't mean your mother will! If he's found innocent, somebody else can release him, but he won't be going home with your mother." Grandfather said.
"What?" Bill and Charlie asked outraged. They were looking to their mother for explanations and they were hoping she'd stand up and say the opposite of what her father had just said.
"Of course I'll have him released." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Molly, I don't believe the boy to be innocent, and I really don't want him in my house after all those accusations he claimed. Release him if you want, but don't expect him to come to my house." Grandfather said.
"Well, no I don't expect for him to live with us, but I will have him released if there's any reason to believe he's innocent, but I'll find somewhere to send him." Mrs. Weasley said.
"You can't be serious! Mum, Ron's your son! You still have your own family and your own home to take care of. Grandfather is manipulating you, but you don't owe him anything!" Charlie said.
Bill had been thinking the same thing, though he was smarter than to voice this in his Grandfather's presence.
"That's enough! Apologize to your Grandfather immediately! I'm in complete control of my life." Mrs. Weasley snapped.
"No, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to apologize to you mum, because I was wrong for saying that you've destroyed our family. I now know that it's Grandfather who was responsible. One day you'll see that too. I'm leaving now, and I'll be at the appeal for my brother, but once Ron is free and in good care, you won't see me again. I love you, but our family's falling apart and you're not bothering to fix it, if anything you're making it worse. I don't want to remember you like this. I'm leaving so I can remember you as the wonderful mother who always encouraged us to be ourselves and do are best, and who cooked the best meals, and who made those sweaters for us every Christmas. I'm going to remember you as the mum who always supported dad and always believed in all of us. I'm not going to remember you now, not when you're so uncaring and… I just can't remember you when you can't fix things, because you've always been the solution to any and every problem, and now you're the one with the problems." Charlie said as tears streamed down his face. Charlie grabbed his cloak and disapparated.
"I'll be at the appeal… I have to go back and catch up with my work." Bill said. Bill also disapparated.
A week later…
The cell gates opened, but Ron didn't notice. He only felt pain from his sickness. He didn't know that anybody had entered, and even after this visit, he couldn't be sure whether he had imagined this or not.
"Do you want all this to stop?" A voice that appeared to be coming from far away asked.
Ron looked around him, but all he saw was his father lying dead on the kitchen floor covered in spiders.
"My, my… some people are weaker than others would expect." A voice said that sounded nearer.
Ron searched for the voice but could not find the owner.
Ron opened his eyes again to extreme pain. Somebody had just thrown his goblet of water on his face to awake him from the insanity. The dementors were away for the moment, and Ron shivered and coughed with pain. He looked around and saw a blurry figure standing in front of him. He rubbed his eyes for a good two minutes, until he was able to recognize the blur. It was Lucious Malfoy.
"Do you want all the pain to go away, boy?" Lucious asked.
Ron inwardly thought yes, but wouldn't say it allowed. He couldn't talk for one thing, he had lost his voice, and what did it matter if he told a death eater what he wanted, he'd do just the opposite.
"Stubborn, I see. Well, if in a few months, you're still alive, maybe you'll change your mind." Lucious said.
"What do you want?" Ron mouthed, but it wasn't heard.
Lucious saw this though and grinned, though Ron didn't know this.
"Information on your friend Potter. I could free you, let you escape, or perhaps give you a rope to hang yourself with." Mr. Malfoy said with a grin.
"Leave me be!" Ron said covering his ears as he tried to think of a happy memory to block Malfoy out. The dementors had drained him of pretty much all of them now, by either making them turn out scary, or just erasing them from his memory completely.
Ron winced as a painful grip took hold of his wrists. He opened his eyes and looked up at Mr. Malfoy who was looking dangerously at him.
"Like I said, you'll be wanting to change your mind sooner or later. Such a pity you have to be difficult." Mr. Malfoy said grinning. Then his grin spread wide and before Ron knew what he was playing at Mr. Malfoy started shouting. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! HE'S TRYING TO KILL ME! HELP!"
"What?" Ron asked with tearful eyes. "But I'm not doing anything!" Ron knew that all Fudge needed to hear was that he was trying to kill a visitor for him to lose his appeal.
Dementors swept in the cell gathering around Ron who screamed before everything went black… again.
Harry and Hermione entered Professor Dumbledore's office, causing Sirius to jump ten feet high in surprise. Professor Snape and Remus Lupin were also in the Headmaster's office. Remus looked exhausted, but he was a bit amused at Sirius' fright. Professor Snape looked at the two students loathingly.
Professor Dumbledore couldn't help but look slightly amused, although Sirius was actually… angry!
"HAVEN'T YOU TWO HEARD OF KNOCKING? YOU COULD'VE BEEN ANOTHER PROFESSOR! HONESTLY, HARRY I THOUGHT YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT ME GETTING CAUGHT!" Sirius yelled.
"Sorry." Harry and Hermione said in unison.
"We were hoping that the Weasley's faces didn't mean anything significant. Tell us it's just another prank, and that Ron really wasn't found guilty." Hermione pleaded.
"If I were going to lie to you, it might be something among those words. As it is…" Professor Dumbledore said softly.
"Weasley blew it." Professor Snape said.
"You mean he actually did it?" Harry asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, you know that's not possible." Hermione said.
"No, Mr. Potter I do not believe Mr. Weasley is guilty." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Then how-"
"Weasley lost his patience." Professor Snape said.
"How would they expect anybody to be patient after being in Azkaban?" Sirius asked.
"Especially when they knew they were going to be sent right back…" Remus added. "Somebody led Ron to believe that Fudge paid the jury to find Ron guilty, despite any proof, and I think that somebody was right."
"But that's not fair!" Hermione cried.
"Nothing's fair anymore." Harry said miserably looking at Sirius as if to show Hermione an example.
"Well, he'll be having a fair appeal." Remus assured them.
There was a knock at the door. Sirius transformed into a dog abruptly and hid behind Professor Dumbledore's desk.
"Come in…" Professor Dumbledore called.
Hit Witch Diane Watson entered the room cautiously.
Sirius crawled out from underneath Professor Dumbledore's desk.
"Ms. Watson, such a pleasant surprise to see you back here. May I ask what brings such a pleasant surprise?" Professor Dumbledore asked trying to get her attention, but Sirius seemed to have it all.
Remus noticed this and took out his wand cautiously, incase a memory charm was needed.
Harry and Hermione tried to remain calm, but they couldn't help but exchange a worried glance. This lady was a hit witch and possibly an auror, or someone who could see through a person, as she was looking at Sirius suspiciously.
Diane pulled out her wand and eyed the dog cautiously. "Is that a muggle's dog, or is it an Animagus?" Diane asked never breaking eye contact with the dog.
"It's my dog!" Harry cried quickly.
Diane muttered a spell that made Sirius transform back into his human form. He looked worriedly from Diane to Remus and from Remus to Dumbledore.
"Well, it's good for you that the Minister's so thick, isn't it Sirius?" Diane said with a smirk on her face.
Harry and Hermione looked confused. It was if the two knew each other.
"Diane, you're not going to turn me in, are you?" Sirius asked with a plea behind his voice.
"Now that is the first time, I have ever heard you plead. You must be really desperate." Diane said grinning.
"I am not desperate!" Sirius said.
"I'm sure Severus would like it if I were to take you to the Minister." Diane said smiling and glancing ever so slightly to Professor Snape. Professor Snape suddenly looked weird to Harry and Hermione, and it wasn't just the possibility of having Sirius gone that made him look so happy, it was as if he were actually taken with this Hit Witch Sirius called Diane. "As much as I would love to turn you in… I'd have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, and I just got off duty. Not to mention, I'd have to take you to Azkaban, and I'm not in the mood."
"So, if you aren't here to turn Black in, why are you here?" Professor Snape asked curiously.
Harry was sure this witch was a former Slytherin in Snape's year, after hearing Snape's more gentle tone.
"My apologies." Diane said to everybody. She turned to the Headmaster. "Sir, Professor McGonagall gave me the password to allow me up to your office. I have letters for two of your students that attend here. With your permission, I'd like for those two students to receive them. To be completely honest, the Minister doesn't know of these letters, and would never approve of me being here, but I feel that the Minister's been quite unfair in the past month, and as I'm off duty, I felt it necessary to at least deliver the letters to you, and you may decide whether these students can receive them or not. I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting."
"Just a second, please." Professor Dumbledore said as he looked at the envelopes. "Who are these from?"
Diane glanced at the two teenagers in the room and looked back to the Headmaster to remind him of the two children in the room.
"They're addressed to them." Professor Dumbledore said smiling. "Therefore I won't read their mail, if I know who wrote these, and if there's nothing questionable about the contents of the letter."
"A friend of theirs, Ron Weasley. He wrote them ages ago, though he knew he couldn't send them out. He asked me to deliver the letters, if the Minister found him guilty, and there was no chance of him ever leaving Azkaban. I feel responsible for his outburst, as I had the dementors stay with him the night before the trial. I told him about the Minister's scam, and I just feel that I owe it to him, for leaving and everything to give his friends these letters." Diane explained.
"I'm sorry, but you said that he asked for you to deliver them only if there was no chance of him ever leaving Azkaban… Professor Lupin… or… he just said before you came in that there's going to be a fair appeal, or at least an appeal!" Hermione said anxiously.
"I'm delivering these, because I know he won't be leaving Azkaban legally." Diane said formally.
"Professor Dumbledore will be organizing the appeal using Veritaserum." Professor Snape said.
"Oh, well then perhaps Professor Dumbledore didn't receive an owl yet." Diane said.
"Or perhaps the Minister won't be sending one. May I ask what will be in my owl?" Professor Dumbledore said.
"Fudge has cancelled the appeal. Ron had a visitor the other day that offered him a proposition… Information on a friend of his in exchange for an escape, a guarantee on his innocence at the appeal, or a rope to hang himself with…" Diane started.
"Oh my God! Please tell me he didn't kill himself!" Hermione cried.
"He didn't say anything about Harry, did he?" Sirius asked with disbelief.
"No, he told the visitor to go away and the visitor screamed to the dementors that Ron had been trying to murder him. The dementors and the visitor both told the Minister about this, and the Minister cancelled his appeal." Diane said.
"Who was the visitor?" Professor Snape asked.
Diane gave him a meaningful look, and Professor Snape understood that it was Lucious Malfoy.
"How do you know for sure that that was what happened? Did Weasley tell you, or…" Professor Snape asked raising the eyebrow.
"Ron couldn't tell me if it meant his freedom. Not only has he lost his mind, his voice has gone as well." Diane said.
"Then how are you so sure that the visitor wasn't telling the truth?" Sirius asked.
"I have my sources, but I can't unveil them." Diane said.
"Miss?" Hermione asked.
"Diane Watson." Diane said.
"Ms. Watson, can't you at least tell the Minister about the visitor setting Ron up, if you're so certain that it happened differently, perhaps you could unveil your sources to the Minister… so he could see or hear the proof." Hermione said.
"I tried, but- The Minister doesn't like to be lied too, and he doesn't like to be proven wrong. So he believes the liar, and he doesn't want to be wrong about what he believes." Diane said.
"He just doesn't want Ron out of Azkaban, does he?" Harry asked.
"What does he have against Ron?" Hermione asked in frustration.
"Hermione! I just remembered that essay that's due tomorrow… I didn't start it. Come to the library and help me." Harry said meaningfully.
Hermione looked at him skeptically and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You choose now to remember?" Hermione asked.
"Yea, bad timing, but it'll be even worse tomorrow." Harry said.
"Fine! Hold on a second." Hermione said before turning back to Professor Dumbledore. "Can I just have that letter?"
"Is there anything in these letters that might be questionable?" Professor Dumbledore asked the Hit Witch.
"No." Diane said.
Professor Dumbledore handed the letters to Harry and Hermione, before they left.
Hermione was extremely annoyed with Harry for pulling her out of Dumbledore's office where information about Ron was being exchanged for a stupid assignment, and to be honest, she didn't know which assignment Harry was on about.
"Do you realize that they're talking about Ron, our friend, up there? You've never cared about homework before, and you could've just taken a detention!" Hermione cried frustratingly.
"Hermione, I do realize that, and that brought up another realization for me." Harry said with a smile.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Rita Skeeter…" Harry said grinning.
"Oh Harry, what are you on about?" Hermione asked irritably.
"Hear me out!" Harry whispered, looking around to make sure nobody was close by. "Listen, we can blackmail her. We know what she is, so if we write to her about everything we know and about everything that's going on in the Ministry, she'll go to the Daily Prophet about it, and we'll warn her not to write anything else… or we'll reveal her secret."
"Harry!" Hermione cried hugging Harry with tears in her eyes. "You're a genius! I should've thought about that ages ago! Let's go to the library I want to write the article for her."
The following morning, Rita Skeeter, received an owl that wasn't a howler, and that contained no evidence of poison that would hurt her fingers if she opened it. Not used to having such a non-dangerous, non-screaming letter. She opened it, and she grinned as she read the following.
Dear Rita Skeeter,
Do you remember that agreement we had about you keeping your quill to yourself for a whole year, in order for my silence about your secret as to how you get everybody's stories? I've changed my mind. I want you to write an article for the Daily Prophet, if they allow you too. Mind you, it should look almost identical to the following. If you write anything other against anybody or anything, besides where I say, I will go straight to the authorities and let them know about your illegal identity.
Here's what I need you to write about. There's been corruption at the Ministry. Ronald Weasley, fifteen, is behind cell bars in Azkaban, because of the Minister's failure to see the evil in the Wizarding World. Arthur Weasley was murdered on the morning of September first, and Ronald Weasley, the only other Weasley home at the time was framed for the murder.
Ronald Weasley was in Azkaban nearly a month, before his trial. He was released after attempted suicide to St. Mungo's Hospital, where Hit Witches and Wizards watched him. The night before the trial, he was left to the dementors, because nobody wanted to be apart of the crime that was taking place in the Ministry. Cornelius Fudge had paid jury members to find Ronald guilty, without making it look too conspicuous. When Ronald was told of this, he tried to believe differently, and hoped that the truth would change the jury's mind, but the Minister's money and beliefs had more power. When Ronald knew he didn't have a chance, he lost his patience and made an outburst, as would anybody else in such a situation.
As the trial was so biased and set up, an appeal and a fair one, was being planned. However, the Minister has cancelled the trial, after a death eater visited Ronald Weasley with the following proposition. If Ronald were to give information about his best friend Harry Potter to the Death Eater, the Death Eater offered to help Ronald escape, give evidence that Ronald was innocence at the appeal, or if he simply wanted a length of rope to hang himself with, he'd give him that. When Ronald refused to give information, the Death Eater claimed Ronald had tried to kill him, thus the Minister cancelled his appeal. Real evidence has been offered to the Minister about the Death Eater story, but the Minister appears blind and deaf to the truth.
Conditions at Azkaban are beyond terrible, especially for a young man whose only fifteen! The temperatures are glacial, and with no heat or proper blankets, Ronald Weasley will die from freezing to death or from an illness such as Pneumonia. If there is no appeal before the end of the month, Ronald Weasley will die, if not from the climate, then from starvation, as food covered in poisonous spiders, is not something anybody would eat, even if they were desperate.
Please feel free to emphasize more on the Minister's bad name and blindness. Only write to the Daily Prophet, if you'll be writing among these lines. By the way, these are all facts from an unnamed source.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
Author's Note: I'm sorry… This Chapter didn't please me. I guess I'm just trying to put some time between the trial and the appeal... if there is one. The next chapter will be better, I promise, and it will be up by Saturday night, Sunday morning, unless something happens, and something usually does. Thanks for sticking with me! I love the reviews! ~*Carey*~