Disclaimer: I do not own any original Harry Potter characters. Sniff sniff.
Claimer: I own Judge Anderson, Adrian Sylvester, Robert Clegg, Jack Harry Arthur Potter, Maxmillian Xavier Black, and the entire 'de Varci' family.
This story is being used for entertainment purposes only, no money is being made and no violation of copyright intended.
Read, enjoy, and review!!! *****************************************************************
This chapter is dedicated to Chloe. I wonder how full your swear box is now......... *****************************************************************
At eleven the next day, after huge amounts of hangover potion and a long bath, she went over to Draco's house and rang the doorbell. Draco opened the door. He looked terrible- paler than usual, which dark shadows under his eyes.
"Hi. Are you okay? You don't look as though you slept too well." Hermione said as she followed him through to the library.
"I ran out of Sleeping Draught." Draco said.
"Couldn't you just have bought some at the 24-hour-drugsrore on Main?" Hermione asked.
"Yes- but I make my own and I make it differently so that Max can wake me if he needs to. With normal Sleeping Draught you're out like a light until it wears off, which isn't a good idea when you have a small child." Draco explain, his voice hoarse.
"Oh. Right." Hermione said, feeling foolish. "So where is Max?" she asked, as they went into Draco's office.
"I took him to day care this morning." Draco said. He walked over to the simmering cauldron in the potions lab and started expertly slicing some roots.
"Do you mind if I just finish this? Then we can get to work on the case." Draco said, taking a pinch of powder from a jar on the table beside in and throwing it into the cauldron.
"Sure. What is it that you put in there to make it so that you can be woken?" Hermione asked, perching on the edge of Draco's desk chair and watching as he stirred the cauldron and sniffed it before slicing more roots. Hermione was fascinated by the exact precision with which he sliced the ingredients and added them. He was a true potion-maker.
"It's pretty complicated. You have to alter the time-effect side of the potion. That's the Mandrake Root- you break down the elements in there and reverse the compound that keeps you asleep. That makes the potion send you into a sleep from which you can be woken." Draco said.
"I would never have thought of that. How long did it take you to figure it out?" she asked.
"An hour or so." Draco said, absorbed in lowering the flame.
"Whoa." Hermione said, impressed. "How could you do that in such a short time?"
"Well, I had to do it unless I wanted to hire a nanny. I thought it would take a lot longer to figure out exactly what to do, but using Muggle Chemistry it was fairly easy." Draco said, stirring again then turning the flame off completely.
"Okay. It has to cool for a few hours. Let's get back to the case- have you got any ideas?" He asked.
After ordering in Chinese food for lunch, they spent the afternoon going over points that would help Draco win the case. Hermione scanned Cendrillon's civilian records, looking for anything that would turn the court against her having custody of Max. Draco got reports from Max's day care minders, who all said that Max was thriving in Draco's care.
At about six-thirty, Draco fell asleep with his face on a couple of heavy books. Hermione didn't want to wake him. He'd said that Camilla's parents would be bringing Max home later that evening, so Hermione left a note telling Draco to owl her when he wanted to meet next- she had promised Dean that she would come to his restaurant for dinner. He'd said the restaurant was called Music House.
She went straight to Main Street, finding the restaurant with little difficulty. After being seated at a table by the guy at the door, Hermione turned around to find Dean in the seat opposite her.
"Hi." He said, grinning. He was wearing a chef's hat and an apron.
"Nice hat." Hermione laughed.
"I know." Dean said modestly. "What can I get you?"
"I don't know." Hermione said, looking at the menu on the table. "What do you recommend?"
"The Rachmaninov's nice. It's a Russian Specialty. Or the Beethoven? German frankfurters? Maybe the Packerbell's Cannon?" He suggested.
"Beethoven sounds good." Hermione said. Dean flicked his wand and a dish of sausages with bread appeared in front of her. Hermione began eating.
"It's good." She said approvingly. Dean grinned some more.
"Glad you like it."
"Stupid question- if you cook by conjuring, then what's that apron for?" Hermione asked.
"To prove that I'm actually a chef and not some randomer." Dean said.
"That makes sense. So, listen are you working all of tonight? Maybe we could go out again?" Hermione asked. Dean's face fell slightly.
"Actually, Hermione, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. And seriously, this isn't about you." Dean began. Hermione sighed inwardly. This wasn't going to be anything good.
"I just don't think I can be in a relationship right now, with anyone. I'm so sorry if you feel let down or used in any way, and I hope you can forgive me and just forget what happened." Dean said. Hermione could tell that it had taken him a lot of time to plan what to say.
"It's alright." She said. "I'm not really into the whole relationship thing right now either." Truthfully, she had been looking forward to it. For once it would be her, and not Lavender, who had the gorgeous boyfriend who showered her with gifts and admiration.
"I am sorry." Dean repeated.
"It's fine. How much do I owe you for the meal?" Hermione asked, putting down her fork.
"On the house." Dean replied. Shrugging, Hermione Apparated back to the hut for another night spent with the TV and a large tub of ice cream.
***********
For the next few days, she threw herself fully into healing Draco prepare for the case. He had asked her to come with him and Max to London and give evidence that he was a good father to Max. She had agreed with no hesitation- she truly believed that Draco's custody was the best place for Max to be. Draco obviously adored his son, and Max loved his father.
While working with Draco, Hermione picked up some more information about Draco and his ex-wife, and also how it felt to have a Death Eater for a father. Draco never cried or showed weakness, but then again he never laughed either. He would smile that small, half-hearted smile but not once could Hermione get him to laugh.
Three days before the trial, Draco had a meeting with his lawyer at his house. Hermione stayed for it- she was eager to meet this Adrian Sylvester that Draco thought so lowly of.
Adrian was a fairly young guy; Hermione guessed he was about twenty-nine or thirty. He was a wizard, even though it was a Muggle case. He had longish brown hair and weirdly coloured eyes- one was blue, the other was brown. It reminded Hermione a little of Mad-Eye Moody, the Auror that they had respected so much before his tragic demise in the Battle.
They held the meeting in Draco's library. Adrian- which he insisted on being called- strolled in with his briefcase under his arm, his suit covered in lint and dust. He held out a hand to Hermione and shook it after greeting Draco, introduced himself, and handed Hermione a business card. Hermione took one look at it and let out a snort of laughter.
A.S. Sylvester Family Lawyer 142 Animagus Avenue
'What unfortunate initials.' She thought to herself. 'A. S. Sylvester. A.S.S. Ass. ASS!'
She snorted again, unable to help it.
"What's so funny?" Adrian asked, taking some papers out of his briefcase.
"Nothing, I'm sorry. Just something my friend said this morning." She lied. She managed to make it through the meeting, but as soon as Adrian had left she collapsed again.
"Draco, what's his middle name?" she asked, regaining her composure.
"Samuel." Draco said, with a knowing look. Hermione could have sworn she saw a twinkle in is eyes. That was a start.
**************************
Finally, the day came. Hermione had stayed over at Draco's the night before, sleeping in his guestroom that overlooked the pool at the back of the house. They had gone over what Draco should say millions of times, and Hermione was confident that Cendrillon would not get custody.
In the kitchen, Draco was silent and pensive. He gave Max his breakfast, a bowl of wizarding cereal called Magic-O's, and only had a cup of black coffee for himself. Hermione just had a muffin and a glass of orange juice.
They took a portkey and then a taxi to get to the courthouse. The taxi ride was twenty minutes long and gave Hermione plenty of opportunity to think over what she would say as evidence to prove that living with Draco would be the best thing for Max.
Draco stared out of the window, not saying much at all. He was dressed in a casual black suit with no tie, his top collar button undone. Max was in a pair of ting khaki trousers and a checked shirt. He sat back in the seat, looking cute. Hermione looked down at her outfit; a black skirt and a white button-up shirt, with a light black jacket over it.
They pulled up outside the court house. Hermione helped Max out of the taxi while Draco paid the driver. The three of them stood on the pavement looking up at the building in front of them. In a couple of hours' time, Draco might come out happily, holding his son's hand, knowing that no one could take Max away from him. Or he could be forced out, kicking and screaming, as Cendrillon and her boyfriend drove away with Max- Hermione was sure that if her lost Max, Draco would not leave quietly. Thank god they had built up such a good argument against Cendrillon getting him.
"Scary." Max mumbled. Draco knelt down to his son's level and looked him in the eye.
"Don't be scared. I won't let her get you. I promise." He said. Max looked slightly less apprehensive.
They walked into the courtroom and took their places. Most of the other people taking part in the trial were there. Draco went up to the defendant's table, where Adrian Sylvester was already seated with a bunch of papers. Hermione took a seat on one of the benches behind Draco, and she seated Max next to her.
As soon as she had found her seat, Hermione's eyes wandered to the plaintiff's table which Draco's gaze was avoiding. There she was. Cendrillon.
She was exactly how Draco had described her. The first thing you noticed were the eyes. They were a deep turquoise-blue-green, never the exact same shade every time you looked at them. Then you saw the rest of her. She strongly reminded Hermione of Fleur Delacour from the triwizard tournament- the pale skin, the well-applied makeup.
Her lawyer was a neat, middle-aged old man who looked extremely professional. Hermione couldn't say the same thing about Adrian Sylvester, who was at the moment attempting to rearrange the papers he'd knocked off the table a few minutes before. Draco looked furious but said nothing.
Eventually, the judge came in. All Hermione knew about the judge was that her name was Marion Anderson. She had hoped that Marion was one of those kind, fair judges that were perfect for custody cases. Unfortunately, Marion wasn't. She was tall and overbearing. Her face was set in stone and her voice was harsh and loud.
The trial began. After going through the customary formalities, Cendrillon was sworn in and Adrian stood up, looking at the questions on the sheet of paper that Hermione had typed up for him.
"Miss de Varci. Explain why it is that you want full custody of your son." Adrian demanded.
"I just believe that it would be in his best interests to live with me instead of his father." Cendrillon explained simply.
"And why is that?" Adrian asked.
"Because I can provide him with a stable home with all the love he needs. I have a job providing a steady income and a fiancé who is more than willing to raise Max as his own. Whereas Max's father has none of that." "I see. Miss de Varci, is it true that you left your one-month-old son with his father?" Adrian asked.
"Yes." Cendrillon cast her eyes downwards.
"Why?"
"We were so young and things just weren't working out. I knew we had to separate, but I thought if I left Max with him that it wouldn't hurt him so much. But I didn't realise that I would miss my little boy so much..." Cendrillon's eyes filled up with tears. Hermione had to admit that Cendrillon was a good actress.
"And have you contacted your son or his father since then?" Judge Anderson asked.
"No. I sent the divorce papers through the lawyers but that's all. The hurt was so great that I... if I saw my son or heard from him I just knew I wouldn't be able to handle it..." Cendrillon took out a white handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.
"That's enough with the tears, Miss de Varci. How can we be sure that you will not abandon your son once more?"
"Because back then I wasn't able to provide for him and I had no idea what to do. Now I have everything planned out and ready to welcome him into my life again." Cendrillon sniffed. She was led from the witness box to the plaintiff's table.
"I see. Now the plaintiff may provide a witness to back up her claim." Judge Anderson said.
"The plaintiff calls Robert Clegg to the stand."
Robert was a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes. After he had been sworn in, the judge turned to him with a look that would have made flowers shrivel up and die.
"Mr Clegg, in what way are you acquainted with Miss de Varci?" Adrian asked. Hermione had to admit that Adrian was doing far better than she'd expected.
"I'm her fiancé." He replied in a steady, low voice.
"And how long have you been seeing her for?" Adrian asked.
"A year and ten months." He replied.
"So you were the man that Miss de Varci left Mr Malfoy for?"
"Yes." Robert replied. No beating around the bush for this guy.
"And were you aware that Miss de Varci not only had a son, but she had left him with Mr Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"And what were Miss de Varci's reasons for leaving her son with his father?"
"She said that she wanted to wait until she could provide for her son as opposed to dragging him into the unknown."
"Do you realise that in saying so, she implies that Mr Malfoy provided for Max in a way that she approved of?" Adrian asked. Robert looked slightly confused.
"Er... I suppose so." He said reluctantly. "But now I know she will do anything in her power to get her son back- she misses him so much. She literally cries at night when she looks at baby pictures of him. She is just so desperate to get him back, and spends every moment wondering about his well-being."
"Is that a fact?"
"It is. And should she get him back, I would be proud to legally adopt him and consider him my son."
Hermione looked at Draco, who was almost shaking with anger as Robert was led out of the witness box. He was sworn in, and Cendrillon's lawyer began interrogating him.
"So, Mr Malfoy. Max has been in your care since he was a month old, is that correct?" the lawyer asked.
"Yes he has." Draco replied.
"And how is his behaviour?"
"Normal."
"Does he ever throw tantrums or screaming fits?"
"No. Not once."
"I see. Mr Malfoy, have you employed a nanny for him?"
"No."
"Does he attend a nursery school or playgroup?"
"Yes."
"How often?"
"A few days a week."
"Is there a regular schedule?"
"No." Draco replied.
"I see. Since Miss de Varci left you, have you ever had any girlfriends?"
"No."
"None at all?"
"No."
"The defendant may now provide his witness."
"The defendant calls Hermione Granger."
A court official took Hermione from her seat and led her to the witness box, where she was sworn in. The same court official went back and sat by Max.
"Miss Granger, what is your relationship with Mr Malfoy?" Cendrillon's lawyer asked.
"I'm an old friend of his from school." Hermione said. Technically it was true.
"Not his girlfriend?"
"No, sir."
"How old are you, Miss Granger?"
"Nineteen."
"I see. And why do you think that Mr Malfoy should have custody of his son?"
"Because he really, truly cares for his son. And Max has thrived in his care- he has a brain capacity far greater than that of other children his age. He is polite and sweet. He is capable of things that even I can't do, such as speaking in other languages. I truly believe that he will be raised in the best possible way under his father's care." Hermione said. She had rehearsed her speech a thousand times in her head and it came out sounding just right.
"Miss Granger, how much experience have you had with young children?" The lawyer asked.
"Quite a lot." She replied evenly.
"In what way?"
"I baby-sat for children when I was younger, and one of my close friends has a three-year-old." Hermione replied, slightly put off by the question.
"So you have had enough experience with children of Max's age to be sure that his brain capacity is definitely greater than average?"
"Yes. He's capable of making adult decisions and has the ability to be considerate an polite to others. It's remarkable."
"And do you believe that Max would lose these abilities if in the custody of his mother?"
"I don't know." Hermione replied truthfully. The lawyer nodded and Hermione was escorted back to her seat. She waited apprehensively as the judge made her decision.
"I have seen both sides of the case, and both the plaintiff and the defendant have made good points. Because of this, I am unable to make a decision. However, since Miss Granger is so confident that Max can make adult decisions..." The judge smiled evilly. "He himself may choose."
Max was led up to the judge by a court official. The judge looked down at him with almost a smile on her face.
"Max, is your father nice to you?"
"Yes. Very nice"
"And do you remember your mother at all?"
"No."
"Max, you can either live with your mother or your father. Who do you want to live with?" the judge asked. Max thought for a few minutes. The entire court held their breaths. Then came the decision.
"Mummy."
***************************************************#
There you go, you horrible yet oh-so-wonderful people who only gave me 5 reviews for the last chapter... *cries* Here's a mega, 16-page chapter for you all. I probably won't post for ages since it's ½ term next week and I'm going to Canada. It serves you all right!
Can someone wonderful answer my questions about the three-dot thing, bold and italics? And I've got lots of answers for what a mary-sue is- all of them are different though. And what does lmao mean? My imagination tells me it means 'laugh my ass off' but hey, a whole day in a f*cking army museum does things to your head.
I've just realised that some of the language in this fic may not be appropriate to the PG-13 rating, and I'm sorry about that. Since I'm 13 and swear fluently, it just comes out without me noticing. That's uk girls' schools for you!
I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors in here. I don't have time to check because school is hectic- I'm choosing my GCSEs- and I'm agonising over whether to take Latin, Spanish, Art & Design and History, or French, Art & Design, Ancient Greek and Geography. It's hard, man!!!
About this chapter -*ducks flying corpses thrown at her* IM SORRY! I REALLY AM!
But hey. If you review, miracles may happen.
Happy valentines day a couple of days early everyone! And Anthony, wherever you are, get your lazy ass up outta that chair and send me a valentine, boi! Lol. Just kidding.
Claimer: I own Judge Anderson, Adrian Sylvester, Robert Clegg, Jack Harry Arthur Potter, Maxmillian Xavier Black, and the entire 'de Varci' family.
This story is being used for entertainment purposes only, no money is being made and no violation of copyright intended.
Read, enjoy, and review!!! *****************************************************************
This chapter is dedicated to Chloe. I wonder how full your swear box is now......... *****************************************************************
At eleven the next day, after huge amounts of hangover potion and a long bath, she went over to Draco's house and rang the doorbell. Draco opened the door. He looked terrible- paler than usual, which dark shadows under his eyes.
"Hi. Are you okay? You don't look as though you slept too well." Hermione said as she followed him through to the library.
"I ran out of Sleeping Draught." Draco said.
"Couldn't you just have bought some at the 24-hour-drugsrore on Main?" Hermione asked.
"Yes- but I make my own and I make it differently so that Max can wake me if he needs to. With normal Sleeping Draught you're out like a light until it wears off, which isn't a good idea when you have a small child." Draco explain, his voice hoarse.
"Oh. Right." Hermione said, feeling foolish. "So where is Max?" she asked, as they went into Draco's office.
"I took him to day care this morning." Draco said. He walked over to the simmering cauldron in the potions lab and started expertly slicing some roots.
"Do you mind if I just finish this? Then we can get to work on the case." Draco said, taking a pinch of powder from a jar on the table beside in and throwing it into the cauldron.
"Sure. What is it that you put in there to make it so that you can be woken?" Hermione asked, perching on the edge of Draco's desk chair and watching as he stirred the cauldron and sniffed it before slicing more roots. Hermione was fascinated by the exact precision with which he sliced the ingredients and added them. He was a true potion-maker.
"It's pretty complicated. You have to alter the time-effect side of the potion. That's the Mandrake Root- you break down the elements in there and reverse the compound that keeps you asleep. That makes the potion send you into a sleep from which you can be woken." Draco said.
"I would never have thought of that. How long did it take you to figure it out?" she asked.
"An hour or so." Draco said, absorbed in lowering the flame.
"Whoa." Hermione said, impressed. "How could you do that in such a short time?"
"Well, I had to do it unless I wanted to hire a nanny. I thought it would take a lot longer to figure out exactly what to do, but using Muggle Chemistry it was fairly easy." Draco said, stirring again then turning the flame off completely.
"Okay. It has to cool for a few hours. Let's get back to the case- have you got any ideas?" He asked.
After ordering in Chinese food for lunch, they spent the afternoon going over points that would help Draco win the case. Hermione scanned Cendrillon's civilian records, looking for anything that would turn the court against her having custody of Max. Draco got reports from Max's day care minders, who all said that Max was thriving in Draco's care.
At about six-thirty, Draco fell asleep with his face on a couple of heavy books. Hermione didn't want to wake him. He'd said that Camilla's parents would be bringing Max home later that evening, so Hermione left a note telling Draco to owl her when he wanted to meet next- she had promised Dean that she would come to his restaurant for dinner. He'd said the restaurant was called Music House.
She went straight to Main Street, finding the restaurant with little difficulty. After being seated at a table by the guy at the door, Hermione turned around to find Dean in the seat opposite her.
"Hi." He said, grinning. He was wearing a chef's hat and an apron.
"Nice hat." Hermione laughed.
"I know." Dean said modestly. "What can I get you?"
"I don't know." Hermione said, looking at the menu on the table. "What do you recommend?"
"The Rachmaninov's nice. It's a Russian Specialty. Or the Beethoven? German frankfurters? Maybe the Packerbell's Cannon?" He suggested.
"Beethoven sounds good." Hermione said. Dean flicked his wand and a dish of sausages with bread appeared in front of her. Hermione began eating.
"It's good." She said approvingly. Dean grinned some more.
"Glad you like it."
"Stupid question- if you cook by conjuring, then what's that apron for?" Hermione asked.
"To prove that I'm actually a chef and not some randomer." Dean said.
"That makes sense. So, listen are you working all of tonight? Maybe we could go out again?" Hermione asked. Dean's face fell slightly.
"Actually, Hermione, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. And seriously, this isn't about you." Dean began. Hermione sighed inwardly. This wasn't going to be anything good.
"I just don't think I can be in a relationship right now, with anyone. I'm so sorry if you feel let down or used in any way, and I hope you can forgive me and just forget what happened." Dean said. Hermione could tell that it had taken him a lot of time to plan what to say.
"It's alright." She said. "I'm not really into the whole relationship thing right now either." Truthfully, she had been looking forward to it. For once it would be her, and not Lavender, who had the gorgeous boyfriend who showered her with gifts and admiration.
"I am sorry." Dean repeated.
"It's fine. How much do I owe you for the meal?" Hermione asked, putting down her fork.
"On the house." Dean replied. Shrugging, Hermione Apparated back to the hut for another night spent with the TV and a large tub of ice cream.
***********
For the next few days, she threw herself fully into healing Draco prepare for the case. He had asked her to come with him and Max to London and give evidence that he was a good father to Max. She had agreed with no hesitation- she truly believed that Draco's custody was the best place for Max to be. Draco obviously adored his son, and Max loved his father.
While working with Draco, Hermione picked up some more information about Draco and his ex-wife, and also how it felt to have a Death Eater for a father. Draco never cried or showed weakness, but then again he never laughed either. He would smile that small, half-hearted smile but not once could Hermione get him to laugh.
Three days before the trial, Draco had a meeting with his lawyer at his house. Hermione stayed for it- she was eager to meet this Adrian Sylvester that Draco thought so lowly of.
Adrian was a fairly young guy; Hermione guessed he was about twenty-nine or thirty. He was a wizard, even though it was a Muggle case. He had longish brown hair and weirdly coloured eyes- one was blue, the other was brown. It reminded Hermione a little of Mad-Eye Moody, the Auror that they had respected so much before his tragic demise in the Battle.
They held the meeting in Draco's library. Adrian- which he insisted on being called- strolled in with his briefcase under his arm, his suit covered in lint and dust. He held out a hand to Hermione and shook it after greeting Draco, introduced himself, and handed Hermione a business card. Hermione took one look at it and let out a snort of laughter.
A.S. Sylvester Family Lawyer 142 Animagus Avenue
'What unfortunate initials.' She thought to herself. 'A. S. Sylvester. A.S.S. Ass. ASS!'
She snorted again, unable to help it.
"What's so funny?" Adrian asked, taking some papers out of his briefcase.
"Nothing, I'm sorry. Just something my friend said this morning." She lied. She managed to make it through the meeting, but as soon as Adrian had left she collapsed again.
"Draco, what's his middle name?" she asked, regaining her composure.
"Samuel." Draco said, with a knowing look. Hermione could have sworn she saw a twinkle in is eyes. That was a start.
**************************
Finally, the day came. Hermione had stayed over at Draco's the night before, sleeping in his guestroom that overlooked the pool at the back of the house. They had gone over what Draco should say millions of times, and Hermione was confident that Cendrillon would not get custody.
In the kitchen, Draco was silent and pensive. He gave Max his breakfast, a bowl of wizarding cereal called Magic-O's, and only had a cup of black coffee for himself. Hermione just had a muffin and a glass of orange juice.
They took a portkey and then a taxi to get to the courthouse. The taxi ride was twenty minutes long and gave Hermione plenty of opportunity to think over what she would say as evidence to prove that living with Draco would be the best thing for Max.
Draco stared out of the window, not saying much at all. He was dressed in a casual black suit with no tie, his top collar button undone. Max was in a pair of ting khaki trousers and a checked shirt. He sat back in the seat, looking cute. Hermione looked down at her outfit; a black skirt and a white button-up shirt, with a light black jacket over it.
They pulled up outside the court house. Hermione helped Max out of the taxi while Draco paid the driver. The three of them stood on the pavement looking up at the building in front of them. In a couple of hours' time, Draco might come out happily, holding his son's hand, knowing that no one could take Max away from him. Or he could be forced out, kicking and screaming, as Cendrillon and her boyfriend drove away with Max- Hermione was sure that if her lost Max, Draco would not leave quietly. Thank god they had built up such a good argument against Cendrillon getting him.
"Scary." Max mumbled. Draco knelt down to his son's level and looked him in the eye.
"Don't be scared. I won't let her get you. I promise." He said. Max looked slightly less apprehensive.
They walked into the courtroom and took their places. Most of the other people taking part in the trial were there. Draco went up to the defendant's table, where Adrian Sylvester was already seated with a bunch of papers. Hermione took a seat on one of the benches behind Draco, and she seated Max next to her.
As soon as she had found her seat, Hermione's eyes wandered to the plaintiff's table which Draco's gaze was avoiding. There she was. Cendrillon.
She was exactly how Draco had described her. The first thing you noticed were the eyes. They were a deep turquoise-blue-green, never the exact same shade every time you looked at them. Then you saw the rest of her. She strongly reminded Hermione of Fleur Delacour from the triwizard tournament- the pale skin, the well-applied makeup.
Her lawyer was a neat, middle-aged old man who looked extremely professional. Hermione couldn't say the same thing about Adrian Sylvester, who was at the moment attempting to rearrange the papers he'd knocked off the table a few minutes before. Draco looked furious but said nothing.
Eventually, the judge came in. All Hermione knew about the judge was that her name was Marion Anderson. She had hoped that Marion was one of those kind, fair judges that were perfect for custody cases. Unfortunately, Marion wasn't. She was tall and overbearing. Her face was set in stone and her voice was harsh and loud.
The trial began. After going through the customary formalities, Cendrillon was sworn in and Adrian stood up, looking at the questions on the sheet of paper that Hermione had typed up for him.
"Miss de Varci. Explain why it is that you want full custody of your son." Adrian demanded.
"I just believe that it would be in his best interests to live with me instead of his father." Cendrillon explained simply.
"And why is that?" Adrian asked.
"Because I can provide him with a stable home with all the love he needs. I have a job providing a steady income and a fiancé who is more than willing to raise Max as his own. Whereas Max's father has none of that." "I see. Miss de Varci, is it true that you left your one-month-old son with his father?" Adrian asked.
"Yes." Cendrillon cast her eyes downwards.
"Why?"
"We were so young and things just weren't working out. I knew we had to separate, but I thought if I left Max with him that it wouldn't hurt him so much. But I didn't realise that I would miss my little boy so much..." Cendrillon's eyes filled up with tears. Hermione had to admit that Cendrillon was a good actress.
"And have you contacted your son or his father since then?" Judge Anderson asked.
"No. I sent the divorce papers through the lawyers but that's all. The hurt was so great that I... if I saw my son or heard from him I just knew I wouldn't be able to handle it..." Cendrillon took out a white handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.
"That's enough with the tears, Miss de Varci. How can we be sure that you will not abandon your son once more?"
"Because back then I wasn't able to provide for him and I had no idea what to do. Now I have everything planned out and ready to welcome him into my life again." Cendrillon sniffed. She was led from the witness box to the plaintiff's table.
"I see. Now the plaintiff may provide a witness to back up her claim." Judge Anderson said.
"The plaintiff calls Robert Clegg to the stand."
Robert was a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes. After he had been sworn in, the judge turned to him with a look that would have made flowers shrivel up and die.
"Mr Clegg, in what way are you acquainted with Miss de Varci?" Adrian asked. Hermione had to admit that Adrian was doing far better than she'd expected.
"I'm her fiancé." He replied in a steady, low voice.
"And how long have you been seeing her for?" Adrian asked.
"A year and ten months." He replied.
"So you were the man that Miss de Varci left Mr Malfoy for?"
"Yes." Robert replied. No beating around the bush for this guy.
"And were you aware that Miss de Varci not only had a son, but she had left him with Mr Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"And what were Miss de Varci's reasons for leaving her son with his father?"
"She said that she wanted to wait until she could provide for her son as opposed to dragging him into the unknown."
"Do you realise that in saying so, she implies that Mr Malfoy provided for Max in a way that she approved of?" Adrian asked. Robert looked slightly confused.
"Er... I suppose so." He said reluctantly. "But now I know she will do anything in her power to get her son back- she misses him so much. She literally cries at night when she looks at baby pictures of him. She is just so desperate to get him back, and spends every moment wondering about his well-being."
"Is that a fact?"
"It is. And should she get him back, I would be proud to legally adopt him and consider him my son."
Hermione looked at Draco, who was almost shaking with anger as Robert was led out of the witness box. He was sworn in, and Cendrillon's lawyer began interrogating him.
"So, Mr Malfoy. Max has been in your care since he was a month old, is that correct?" the lawyer asked.
"Yes he has." Draco replied.
"And how is his behaviour?"
"Normal."
"Does he ever throw tantrums or screaming fits?"
"No. Not once."
"I see. Mr Malfoy, have you employed a nanny for him?"
"No."
"Does he attend a nursery school or playgroup?"
"Yes."
"How often?"
"A few days a week."
"Is there a regular schedule?"
"No." Draco replied.
"I see. Since Miss de Varci left you, have you ever had any girlfriends?"
"No."
"None at all?"
"No."
"The defendant may now provide his witness."
"The defendant calls Hermione Granger."
A court official took Hermione from her seat and led her to the witness box, where she was sworn in. The same court official went back and sat by Max.
"Miss Granger, what is your relationship with Mr Malfoy?" Cendrillon's lawyer asked.
"I'm an old friend of his from school." Hermione said. Technically it was true.
"Not his girlfriend?"
"No, sir."
"How old are you, Miss Granger?"
"Nineteen."
"I see. And why do you think that Mr Malfoy should have custody of his son?"
"Because he really, truly cares for his son. And Max has thrived in his care- he has a brain capacity far greater than that of other children his age. He is polite and sweet. He is capable of things that even I can't do, such as speaking in other languages. I truly believe that he will be raised in the best possible way under his father's care." Hermione said. She had rehearsed her speech a thousand times in her head and it came out sounding just right.
"Miss Granger, how much experience have you had with young children?" The lawyer asked.
"Quite a lot." She replied evenly.
"In what way?"
"I baby-sat for children when I was younger, and one of my close friends has a three-year-old." Hermione replied, slightly put off by the question.
"So you have had enough experience with children of Max's age to be sure that his brain capacity is definitely greater than average?"
"Yes. He's capable of making adult decisions and has the ability to be considerate an polite to others. It's remarkable."
"And do you believe that Max would lose these abilities if in the custody of his mother?"
"I don't know." Hermione replied truthfully. The lawyer nodded and Hermione was escorted back to her seat. She waited apprehensively as the judge made her decision.
"I have seen both sides of the case, and both the plaintiff and the defendant have made good points. Because of this, I am unable to make a decision. However, since Miss Granger is so confident that Max can make adult decisions..." The judge smiled evilly. "He himself may choose."
Max was led up to the judge by a court official. The judge looked down at him with almost a smile on her face.
"Max, is your father nice to you?"
"Yes. Very nice"
"And do you remember your mother at all?"
"No."
"Max, you can either live with your mother or your father. Who do you want to live with?" the judge asked. Max thought for a few minutes. The entire court held their breaths. Then came the decision.
"Mummy."
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There you go, you horrible yet oh-so-wonderful people who only gave me 5 reviews for the last chapter... *cries* Here's a mega, 16-page chapter for you all. I probably won't post for ages since it's ½ term next week and I'm going to Canada. It serves you all right!
Can someone wonderful answer my questions about the three-dot thing, bold and italics? And I've got lots of answers for what a mary-sue is- all of them are different though. And what does lmao mean? My imagination tells me it means 'laugh my ass off' but hey, a whole day in a f*cking army museum does things to your head.
I've just realised that some of the language in this fic may not be appropriate to the PG-13 rating, and I'm sorry about that. Since I'm 13 and swear fluently, it just comes out without me noticing. That's uk girls' schools for you!
I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors in here. I don't have time to check because school is hectic- I'm choosing my GCSEs- and I'm agonising over whether to take Latin, Spanish, Art & Design and History, or French, Art & Design, Ancient Greek and Geography. It's hard, man!!!
About this chapter -*ducks flying corpses thrown at her* IM SORRY! I REALLY AM!
But hey. If you review, miracles may happen.
Happy valentines day a couple of days early everyone! And Anthony, wherever you are, get your lazy ass up outta that chair and send me a valentine, boi! Lol. Just kidding.