Disclaimer ~ I don't own Harry Potter!!
A/N sorry I haven't updates for ages!! But I've been concentrating on my Pirates of the Caribbean story!! So if you're a fan of Jack Sparrow (Captain!!) then please check out my story ~ 'The Sparrow Rebellion'. Many thanks!!
**Hermione's thoughts**
Chapter twenty five ~ The Trial.
Trail 729B3H5R
Hermione Granger verses the Ministry.
Hermione stood outside the courtroom, breathing heavily. Her eyes were blurred as she starred in front of her at the threatening oak door. Dumbledore stood behind her, his aged hand resting on her shaking shoulder.
Both Harry and Ron were to give evidence for the defence, so couldn't be present in court. She had not even told her parents. She had a wrote a letter and entrusted it to Harry, he was to send it, if she was sent down for the murder of the Order member's.
She gasped softly, as the doors were pulled open and the light filed into the dim corridor in which she was standing. She stepped into the room, but instead of the hundreds of eyes that Harry had seen, there were just twelve people, including Malfoy sitting in the enormous courtroom. They were huddled together, and the empty seats seemed more threatening then a thousand people would have.
Dumbledore led her into the middle of the room where they both sat down. She glanced up at the huddled group, over half she recognised, from Harry's descriptions, they were death eaters. Sitting there, next to the ageing Dumbledore, being stared at through evil eyes, she knew that justice could not be done, and it was there and then she changed her mind. She was going to plead not guilty. Like Harry and Ron said, she hadn't done anything.
Then came the charge.
Malfoy stood up, and cleared his throat in a silky fashion.
"Hermione Granger," The words sounded bitter on his forked tongue. "You have been charged on the dreadful and disgusting charge of giving government secrets to the enemy. Such crime holds a minimum of life time in Azkaban."
A pug faced woman stood up. "How do you plead?" She asked coldly.
Dumbledore looked across at Hermione, his tired face showing regret.
She looked down for a moment or two, as though deciding what to say next.
"How do you plead?" The pug woman asked again, her voice getting colder, sending an icy chill down Hermione's spine.
"Not guilty." She said, softly.
The cruel grin on Malfoy's face grew, as he continued. "Then it remains the job of the prosecution to find you guilty." As he said that, a man stood up, from next to Malfoy. He was young about twenty five, enthusiastic to please and as cruel as Lucius himself.
"And it is the defence's job, to prove Miss Granger innocent." Dumbledore stood up.
"Dear me Dumbledore, it will not do well for your image to be supporting and concealing, yes indeed concealing the talker."
Dumbledore didn't reply, he sat down once more.
"Stand up, Miss Granger." The pug woman said.
Hermione pushed herself up, the chair scraping the floor, noisily. And the questioning began.
"You spoke to Mr Draco Malfoy on the evening of February 5th, only two weeks ago, correct?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"What was the nature of this conversation?"
"Draco asked me to meet him in the library."
"Why was that?"
"He told me that Mr Malfoy, his father, was after a friend." Hermione stopped, shocked, how could she have let that slip? She was bad at this! ".was after Rayola Snape."
"Nonsense." Grinned Mr Malfoy.
But the young man had picked up on her slipped words. "Friend of yours, Rayola Snape? You know where she is? She is a wanted criminal, Miss Granger. We do not want to add perverting the course of justice on to your list of crimes."
Hermione sighed, it was a lose-lose situation. If she told the truth they would condemn her, and if she lied they would condemn her. There was no way she could win. The hopelessness of the whole situation began to rest on her, and one thought whirred round her head. **I'm not going to get out of this alive.**
"I do not know where she is." She spoke confidently, and truthfully, for the Order would be stupid to remain at Grimmauld Place, or so she thought.
"Lies." The young lawyer said with a curt nod. "But I would expect nothing more from a mudblood."
Dumbledore stood up. "Objection, use of discriminating language, surely can not be permissible."
"I'm going to let Mr Rogers continue. Mr Rogers please mind your language." Malfoy said, silkily. From where he was sitting he had a good view of the courtroom. He was definitely enjoying himself.
"And so you told the enemy?"
"Enemy!" Hermione exclaimed. "The only one I talked to was Draco Malfoy. And Draco as the minister's son, I thought I could trust him, it is not my fault he turned out to be the enemy."
"Stop this at once." Malfoy said with a snarl. "You will not slander my family, or any good name in my courtroom."
"Who did you tell? We want names. Young master Draco heard you talking to someone."
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You were witnessed giving the information away."
"But I did no such thing." Hermione said, angrily as she flopped back down in her chair. After that she closed her ears, she couldn't be bothered listening to Dumbledore argue the case for, or Rogers twist every word the witnesses said. She managed a half smile as Ron and Harry entered to give their evidence. Although they spoke clearly and truthfully that Hermione was not a spy, she didn't think it would count for much.
"Before we make a decision, do you have anything to say for yourself, Miss Granger?" Lucius Malfoy asked, standing up.
Hermione stood up. "Yes."
Dumbledore looked at her warningly, not that it mattered, she could hardly make the situation worse.
"Yes, I do. I'm innocent, the only one I spoke to was your son, Draco Malfoy. I trusted him, but I have learnt my lesson. He should be the one standing before you not me. As Mr Rogers said, I'm a mudblood, Voldemort's biggest desire is to wipe my sort from existence. He'd hardly pay me to hand him secretes, and I'd hardly help in destroying my own kind." She said.
Lucius Malfoy's face hid a snigger.
"But it does not matter what I say," she continued, "for you will find me guilty, otherwise the slur on your son's name and indeed your name will be too great. So here it is the coward's way out, find me guilty, and you truly are the coward, I always thought you were. Harry saw you, bowing down to your master, Voldemort, we all saw you that night in the ministry, trying to steal." she stopped, after a kick from Dumbledore.
"We all saw you kill innocent people that night." Hermione cried.
The Pug faced woman stood up. "Ahem! Court is adjourned, we shall return in half an hour for the verdict." And slowly the people began to pour out of the room. Hermione stayed, standing in the middle, sitting beside her was Dumbledore, he too remained. When the room was empty she fell down on to her chair and began to sob.
A/N please review!!
A/N sorry I haven't updates for ages!! But I've been concentrating on my Pirates of the Caribbean story!! So if you're a fan of Jack Sparrow (Captain!!) then please check out my story ~ 'The Sparrow Rebellion'. Many thanks!!
**Hermione's thoughts**
Chapter twenty five ~ The Trial.
Trail 729B3H5R
Hermione Granger verses the Ministry.
Hermione stood outside the courtroom, breathing heavily. Her eyes were blurred as she starred in front of her at the threatening oak door. Dumbledore stood behind her, his aged hand resting on her shaking shoulder.
Both Harry and Ron were to give evidence for the defence, so couldn't be present in court. She had not even told her parents. She had a wrote a letter and entrusted it to Harry, he was to send it, if she was sent down for the murder of the Order member's.
She gasped softly, as the doors were pulled open and the light filed into the dim corridor in which she was standing. She stepped into the room, but instead of the hundreds of eyes that Harry had seen, there were just twelve people, including Malfoy sitting in the enormous courtroom. They were huddled together, and the empty seats seemed more threatening then a thousand people would have.
Dumbledore led her into the middle of the room where they both sat down. She glanced up at the huddled group, over half she recognised, from Harry's descriptions, they were death eaters. Sitting there, next to the ageing Dumbledore, being stared at through evil eyes, she knew that justice could not be done, and it was there and then she changed her mind. She was going to plead not guilty. Like Harry and Ron said, she hadn't done anything.
Then came the charge.
Malfoy stood up, and cleared his throat in a silky fashion.
"Hermione Granger," The words sounded bitter on his forked tongue. "You have been charged on the dreadful and disgusting charge of giving government secrets to the enemy. Such crime holds a minimum of life time in Azkaban."
A pug faced woman stood up. "How do you plead?" She asked coldly.
Dumbledore looked across at Hermione, his tired face showing regret.
She looked down for a moment or two, as though deciding what to say next.
"How do you plead?" The pug woman asked again, her voice getting colder, sending an icy chill down Hermione's spine.
"Not guilty." She said, softly.
The cruel grin on Malfoy's face grew, as he continued. "Then it remains the job of the prosecution to find you guilty." As he said that, a man stood up, from next to Malfoy. He was young about twenty five, enthusiastic to please and as cruel as Lucius himself.
"And it is the defence's job, to prove Miss Granger innocent." Dumbledore stood up.
"Dear me Dumbledore, it will not do well for your image to be supporting and concealing, yes indeed concealing the talker."
Dumbledore didn't reply, he sat down once more.
"Stand up, Miss Granger." The pug woman said.
Hermione pushed herself up, the chair scraping the floor, noisily. And the questioning began.
"You spoke to Mr Draco Malfoy on the evening of February 5th, only two weeks ago, correct?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"What was the nature of this conversation?"
"Draco asked me to meet him in the library."
"Why was that?"
"He told me that Mr Malfoy, his father, was after a friend." Hermione stopped, shocked, how could she have let that slip? She was bad at this! ".was after Rayola Snape."
"Nonsense." Grinned Mr Malfoy.
But the young man had picked up on her slipped words. "Friend of yours, Rayola Snape? You know where she is? She is a wanted criminal, Miss Granger. We do not want to add perverting the course of justice on to your list of crimes."
Hermione sighed, it was a lose-lose situation. If she told the truth they would condemn her, and if she lied they would condemn her. There was no way she could win. The hopelessness of the whole situation began to rest on her, and one thought whirred round her head. **I'm not going to get out of this alive.**
"I do not know where she is." She spoke confidently, and truthfully, for the Order would be stupid to remain at Grimmauld Place, or so she thought.
"Lies." The young lawyer said with a curt nod. "But I would expect nothing more from a mudblood."
Dumbledore stood up. "Objection, use of discriminating language, surely can not be permissible."
"I'm going to let Mr Rogers continue. Mr Rogers please mind your language." Malfoy said, silkily. From where he was sitting he had a good view of the courtroom. He was definitely enjoying himself.
"And so you told the enemy?"
"Enemy!" Hermione exclaimed. "The only one I talked to was Draco Malfoy. And Draco as the minister's son, I thought I could trust him, it is not my fault he turned out to be the enemy."
"Stop this at once." Malfoy said with a snarl. "You will not slander my family, or any good name in my courtroom."
"Who did you tell? We want names. Young master Draco heard you talking to someone."
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You were witnessed giving the information away."
"But I did no such thing." Hermione said, angrily as she flopped back down in her chair. After that she closed her ears, she couldn't be bothered listening to Dumbledore argue the case for, or Rogers twist every word the witnesses said. She managed a half smile as Ron and Harry entered to give their evidence. Although they spoke clearly and truthfully that Hermione was not a spy, she didn't think it would count for much.
"Before we make a decision, do you have anything to say for yourself, Miss Granger?" Lucius Malfoy asked, standing up.
Hermione stood up. "Yes."
Dumbledore looked at her warningly, not that it mattered, she could hardly make the situation worse.
"Yes, I do. I'm innocent, the only one I spoke to was your son, Draco Malfoy. I trusted him, but I have learnt my lesson. He should be the one standing before you not me. As Mr Rogers said, I'm a mudblood, Voldemort's biggest desire is to wipe my sort from existence. He'd hardly pay me to hand him secretes, and I'd hardly help in destroying my own kind." She said.
Lucius Malfoy's face hid a snigger.
"But it does not matter what I say," she continued, "for you will find me guilty, otherwise the slur on your son's name and indeed your name will be too great. So here it is the coward's way out, find me guilty, and you truly are the coward, I always thought you were. Harry saw you, bowing down to your master, Voldemort, we all saw you that night in the ministry, trying to steal." she stopped, after a kick from Dumbledore.
"We all saw you kill innocent people that night." Hermione cried.
The Pug faced woman stood up. "Ahem! Court is adjourned, we shall return in half an hour for the verdict." And slowly the people began to pour out of the room. Hermione stayed, standing in the middle, sitting beside her was Dumbledore, he too remained. When the room was empty she fell down on to her chair and began to sob.
A/N please review!!