Chapter 13: "Hermione," Maddie said as she came into my room. "Yeah?" I asked. "Um tomorrow is the trial," Maddie said as if she were talking to a little baby. "Oh," I said. This was the first time I had really thought about it. It never seemed real that the people who raised her might go to jail. "Hermione," Maddie said snapping back to earth. "I'm sorry," I said. "What were you saying?" "That you have to testify," she told me. "What?" I asked. "What are they going to ask me?" "Things like if you were happy with the Grangers and did they abuse you, things like that," she told me. "I don't want to," I told her. "You really don't have a choice," Maddie said. "I don't want to," I said again, maybe she just heard me wrong. "I'm sorry Hermione," Maddie said. That's when the tears started to flow. I didn't want to have to testify against the only parents I ever knew. I didn't want to tell a courtroom full of strangers about my life. ```````````````````````````````` "Ms. Hermione time to go," one of the maids said. I had insisted that they call me by my first name but they still called me Ms. Hermione. It was better than what the house elves called me, Her Majesty Hermione. I didn't like that one bit. I don't even know why they call me Her Majesty. "Coming," I said. I had a black silk back dress on. I followed the maid down the stairs and to the front door where Maddie was waiting for me. "Ready?" she asked. "No," I said. "I'll never be ready." I had been quite bratty since I found out I had to be a witness against my parents. We drove to the courthouse because that was Maddie's preferred transportation. Traveling by Floo made her sick, she couldn't apparate, and neither of us were the best flyers, so car was the way to go. It took about an hour to get to the courthouse. It was a very important looking building and since my parents were muggles we were having a muggle trial. Magic could be talked about because my parents had an attorney appointed to them and he happened to be a wizard but we still had it in a muggle courthouse. "Ms. Ganger," the attorney said to me. My legal last name was still Granger. "Are these the two people you have been living with your whole life?" "Yes," I said and her asked another few basic questions. "Were you provided with adequate living quarter's?" the lawyer asked. "If you mean did I have a comfortable place to sleep then yes I did have a bed and my own room," I answered. "Were you ever abused in any way?" "No they never abused me." "Can you please explain what life was like with the Grangers?" "Yes," I said. "I had always had a pretty comfortable life. A life that I thought was normal. Then I visited my friend Ron's house and saw the way their family lived. They always ate together and had a very loving relationship. My mother hugged me every once in a while but my father didn't. I was never told that I was loved but I didn't think anything of it. I just thought it was the way they were." "Thank you," he told me in a very fatherly tone, "That is all your honor." "Does the defense have any questions?" the judge asked. "Yes your honor," the lady attorney said. "Proceed," the judge said. She, like the first lawyer, started with some basic questions. "Would you please tell the court if you ever felt that you wanted to leave the Grangers place of residence," she told me. "No I didn't," I told her. "And do you miss them?" she asked. "They raised me from birth yes I miss them," I told her. "But Maddie is making me feel fight at home." "Thank you that will be all," she said. "You may step down." the judge told me. "Prosecution you may call your next witness," the judge announced. "We would like to call Mrs. Granger to the stand," our lawyer said. "Mrs. Granger did you take this girl," he said pointing to me then to Maddie, "from that woman?" "Yes," she said. There were collective gasps. "Why?" the lawyer asked. "Only about a week ago I found had a miscarriage and that I was now fertile," she told the court. "I saw this little girl walking away from her mother and I took her with me." "And did you ever hurt her," he said pointing to me again. "No never," she told the court. Both lawyers finished questioning her and them questioned my dad and a few other people. "I rest my case," both attorneys said. About a week later we went back to the courthouse to hear the verdict. I took my seat next to Maddie. Today I was wearing a red dress that came to my knees. "All rise for the honorable Judge Winehert," the bailiff said. We rose and sat, the typical stuff. "Bring in the jury," the judge said. The jury came in and sat in there seats. "Will the jury read their decision." "We find Paula Granger guilty on one account of kidnapping," the juror stated. "The punishment for kidnapping is five to twenty years in prison," the judge said. "We will resume in a week to hear the punishment." A week later we went to the courthouse again. I was wearing a blue dress. They did all the courtroom stuff and then the judge announced the sentence.

"In the case of the kidnapping I sentence Mrs. Paula Granger to ten years in prison." the judge announced hit his gavel and dismissed the court. My mom burst into tears. "I want to talk with her," I told Maddie. "If you want," Maddie said. "I'll go try to arrange it." "All right," I said. A few moments later Maddie came back. "You can go into a back room with her and you can talk," Maddie told me. "Okay," I said and followed her to what looked like an interrogation room. My mom entered a moment later. "Do you want me to wait with you?" Maddie asked. "No I'm fine," I said. Maddie left. "Hi sweetheart," my mom said. "I am not your sweetheart," I spat at her. "I guess I deserve that," my mom said. "OF COURSE YOU DESERVE IT," I shouted. "YOU TOOK ME FROM MY REAL MOTHER!" "I'm sorry," she said. "SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!" I continued to shout. "YOU TOOK ME FROM AND YOU MADE THAT WOMAN THINK THAT HER CHILD WAS DEAD. HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WHY DID YOU?" "I explained it in court," she said almost in tears again. "Can you tell me what you were thinking?" I asked more calmly. "I saw a little girl walking and I thought about what I was missing out on and I just reacted." "You just reacted," I said in a bratty tone. "Yes Hermione," she told me. "I don't know what to say to you," I replied angrily. "I have nothing to say to you. I don't get it. I don't get how someone can take someone else's child." "I know," she replied quietly. "And you're such a hypocrite," I said. "Whenever we heard about a kidnapping on the news you would always say that was the worst crime someone could commit and yet I was kidnapped." "I'm sorry," she said. "You have nothing better to say," I said. "I'm so sorry," she replied. "I'm not the one you should apologize to," I replied curtly. "Maddie is. She's the one that had her child taken from her." I said and stormed out. "Are you okay?" Maddie asked. "Yeah," I said with tears coming from my eyes. "Let's get you home," she said. Home? I thought. What was home anymore. I knew, Maddie's house was home. In a about a month she showed more motherly care than that woman ever did. Maddie really was my mom. "Okay mum," I said. `````````````````````````````````` "Okay mum," Hermione said as she stood next to me. Mum, she called me her mum. I smiled. That was the best gift I would ever get. My daughter called me mum.