Another Chance?

By Cedar1

A/N First off MERRY XMAS!! Good tidings to u all and christmas mince pies all around Yay!!

second..Thanx to the stars who reviewed last time, mesmer, Shabopo, carolyn, jessicaLucyferina, aellabelle1, JuxtaposedSchism and Cami4 ure lovely reviews really made my day!

This chapter is definitely not one of my best, quite short. The next one should (cross fingers) make up for it.

Oh and if i don't update b4 then HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Discalimer: Same old. Nope own nothing apart from the shirt on my back and perhaps the plot i have in the front pocket of said shirt.

Chapter 13 : Justice

Previously

Even now he would still only look at her, even when she had his life in her hands.

Well if she was going to die. So were they.

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Had she really fallen in love with the devil?

She couldn't have. She could never love a person like that. Draco. Draco had done some bad things in his time, but it was during the war. They had all done some bad things in that time, hadn't they?

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With a look of indifference on his face the young Draco hauled each one of them onto their feet and with the efficiency of a trained assassin pointed his want at each, killing them with statements of Avada Kedavra

A girl. A tiny girl was shrieking, her high voice shattering Hermione's eardrums. So much agony. Her thin arms were wrapped around her small frame, trying desperately to quell the immense pain that was ripping her insides to shreds. Granite grey eyes concentrating behind the mask so not to destroy the link between killer and victim.

That's when it happened. The hand flew though the air slapping her soundly on her cheek, catching the corner of her lip, drawing blood.The hand of the Hermione that watched was now resting against the bruise that was the remains of that hit.

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"You know now don't you?" came that voice again, Pansy's voice.

"You know what it's like to love a monster."

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Chapter 13: Justice

Everything was falling apart, all the pieces that had fit so nicely in her head - a jigsaw of all her thoughts on him, their relationship, collapsed. In her mind there was nothing left apart from a heap of useless sentiments. The ground beneath her feet began melting away and the cell and the images of Draco and herself were being drawn into black swirls. She could feel the drag of the pensieve pulling her back to the courtroom when in truth all she wanted to do was to be sucked into a big, black hole like the other memories.

Hermione found herself once more squashed by the wizards and witches that had crammed on to the bench where she sat. She didn't want to open her eyes, didn't want to see him. But the force of the unleashed tears that collected behind her closed lids became to much too contain and she opened them, allowing clear streams of liquid to trail paths down her cheeks and onto her trembling fingers which were resting on her lap.

How could he?

How could she? There she was wasting precious seconds of her life on a man who went against everything she believed in, everything that was good. But more importantly how could she still care for him. Despite all that she saw she could still not deny the fact that the thought of him, and the memory of his soft touches brought a rush of butterflies flooding into her insides and shocks of electricity to her skin.

She had become a woman that she hated, but couldn't stop being.

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She felt drained, the jealousy that had over-ridden common sense had finally left her body. And now the poisonous effect that the emotion had could be seen on those around her, for they appeared to be as broken as she had beenYoung witches had their heads buried in the chests of their partners who were trying to be strong, although their quivering lips gave away their true feelings. Even the twice decorated war heroes amongst them were struggling to keep up their posture, hunching under the weight of atrocities they had hoped they would never see again. But she didn't care about these people. They were insignificant, merely a background to the key players.

It didn't take long to spot her in the crowd, and what she saw brought a smile of satisfaction to her face. Hermione Granger no longer the Gryffindor Golden Girl, the darling of wizarding society, instead a damaged, lost little girl who has finally realised what she has gotten into by falling in love with one Draco Malfoy - a life of misery. Welcome to my world Granger. If she was determined to steal Draco away from her so be it but Pansy wouldn't let it happen until she made sure Granger knew everything there was to know about Draco, the bad and the good. The ball was now in Granger's court: could she love all of Draco Malfoy and not just the part he had allowed her to see?

Personally Pansy doubted it.

And then he would understandthat no one could love him like she, Pansy Flint, could.

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He had never understood it when people said their minds went blank, that it was emptied of all thoughts, ideas, dreams. He had thought it to be the consequence of being ignorant, stupid. But he was neither of these and yet here he was the smart, witty Draco Malfoy reduced to a person who had nothing besides air seemingly in his head, for his mind had gone completely and utterly blank. Shock and fear had evaporated anything that had ever existed in his brain. His whole body had gone still, muscles in a state of nervous contraction, eyes unblinking - scared that if they were to close they would miss something.

He watched as his past lover left the stand to join the rest of the audience. Her strides were as assured as they had always been, confidence oozing each time her heel made contact with the stone floor. However he noted the anxious flicker of her green eyes to one corner of the room, the one area that was shaded by shadows. Although the darkness hid the occupants of that particular bench he could guess who sat there.. his mother, his aunt, other members of the alliance, wizards who gave little children nightmares. It seemed that Pansy's fate would probably be decided for her, and he had not a shred of pity for her, instead he thought it to be an act of justice, and it gave him a moment of comfort.

However that moment did not last long, for the Prosecution brought out their next witness and then their next. It was an endless parade of aurors retelling their own horror stories all of which contained a man they accused of being Draco killing their colleagues, their loved ones. For Draco faces began melding into one common appearance that consisted of angry eyes, tight lips and a condemning finger pointing in his direction. As each second went past his future seemed to hurtling towards an end that he thought would never occur, his death. In truth the evidence the aurors gave was merely speculation, but it acted as a force driving the damning images Pansy had provided into the heads of all those that were to judge him. Furthermore he knew in cases such as his he would not be able to speak on his own behalf, such was the law now. They would never know that he had no intention on continuing with that way of his life providing Hermione remained with him. Maybe he did not regret all of what he had done in the past, for what he had done then he had believed in at the time, but didn't he deserve the opportunity to show them he could change? That they were going to kill a man who could become as innocent as they all assumed they were.

His only chance was to have a friend, acquaintance even, to speak in his defence. But all his friends had followed the same dark path, taking the same oath that bounded them to silence if one of their own were caught. Not even his mother would take the stand, the threat of a curse hanging over her head were she to break such a promise prevailing over the love she had felt for her son. He should have been angry at them, furious that they would not be brave enough to come to his aid. Then he realised he would have done the same as them, sympathising from afar while at the same time declaring him to be stupid for allowing himself to be caught in the first place.

And so it was Draco Malfoy trapped in a journey that was heading straight into the firey depths of hell, with hope being only an absurddream.

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"Those in favour of clearing the defendant Draco Malfoy of all charges?" came Frickin's penultinum question.

Nervous looks were shared between the judges, with hands floating inches above the wood of benches but not yet raised to count as a vote. The public remained rapt to the scene that was playing out in front of them. Not a single hand had been raised against him. The wail of a mother of one of the accused victim's vibrated around the silent courtroom. Her sobs vibrating in the heads of all those present.

They were scared.

The Wizagamot were scared.

Their fear could be seen in their sweating brows and pale faces. They too had realised the consequences of their actions, like Pansy. Vote against him and there would be no doubt of retribution from the remaining Death Eaters. They all had families, all had ones that they did not want to lose.

From his seat Draco could practically smell the apprehension that was seeping from the high benches, and it filled him with joy. He was free. He was going to go free, after all that happened. His heart had started beating again and he took a huge breath of relief, cooling the heat that had been quickly burning his lungs as he had held his breath during the verdict. He looked towards Hermione. His eyes immediately finding her form in the shocked crowd. Tears were glistening on her ashen face with strands of her hair sticking on her cheek and brow due to the moisture. She was shaking. Her whole body quaking with emotion. She was avoiding eye contact he could tell, she seemed determined to keep her head down, doing anything but looking up. Draco knew she was angry. He knew he could probably never make up for all he had done. But he was willing to do whatever he could to try and get her to forgive him. If only she would give him a chance. Could she do that for him?

At that precise moment her head rose and was now looking straight at him and for once he had no idea what she was thinking. Her normally open brown eyes were unreadable, a thick veil shielding him from her thoughts. Please Hermione, he begged. Just one more chance. Then a flicker of the eyes, still not revealing anything but instead a change in direction, and then she closed them. Suddenly the hush in the courtroom erupted into a series of gasps. What the hell was happening? The mother who had been crying had stopped and a huge smile burst from her lips as she started hugging the man seated next to her. Frantically Draco turned round and there in the midst of the purple sea rose a thin arm. High and proud. Soon more were joining it in the air. One by one hands moved from wood to air. Cheers and claps were exploding from the public sector, pounding in his head.

This couldn't be happening.

Why was this happening?

His throat was tightening, closing in on his airway, cutting his air supply. His heart was thumping. His blood rushing to his head. Spots of colour were appearing in front of his eyes, fireworks in his vision. His mind was screaming and crying at the same time. In the background he could here Frickin's voice again...

"I hereby declare that Draco Malfoy has been deemed guilty by those present in the Wizengamot today. In light of the charges pressed against the accused Draco Malfoy is sentenced to death by nefastus venenum on the night of the twentieth of August."

I'm sorry Hermione was his last thought before Draco blacked out


A/N nefastus venenum Sinful poison

Cos haven't updated in so long am a bit scared have lost the tone of the story. But let me know what you think and whether I need to revise this chapter to improve it. Till nxt time...

Luv Cedar1