Come the Maëlstrom

Chapter 23

It was the second week of August and Lucius was doing what he particularly loved to do in this month. He was currently outside, enjoying a slow canter on one of the many trails that wound through his property. Being back outside again was invigorating and he couldn't have chosen a better day for this.

True, the sun was just starting to rise and there was a thick blanket of fog on the ground but it didn't matter. The horse nickered lightly with a toss of its head. He looked around at the hazy path up ahead before he clucked to the horse and nudged it with his heels, tugging on the reins. The horse started to make its way back slowly, obviously not in a huge rush to go anywhere any time soon.

Lucius felt inclined to agree with the creature. If he had to spend another day cooped up inside the house only to leave it to have to go to court, he was liable to attempt killing someone in a very demeaning, Muggle fashion: with his bare hands. And that certainly would not look good splashed right on the front of the Daily Prophet.

But considering the manner in which they were publicising his trial, he would be lucky to set foot outside his house afterwards without being mauled by someone. There were always reporters crowded around the courtroom doors, attempting to get a picture of him. Simply walking in to take his seat at the defence table was murderous. And the prosecution was relentless, attempting to tear their evidence to shreds.

That particular tactic was working rather well as Lucius had no witnesses to testify on his behalf. But even as the prosecution tore down his defence, they revealed the ineptitude of the Ministry during the past few years and called its questionable practices into account. The prosecution seemed to gnash its teeth uselessly as Valerian had easily and methodically blasted massive holes in their strategy at key points.

There was no denying that he would be walking away a free man. It would be a miracle if he wasn't completely reviled and shunned from society as a whole.

"Not that matters much anyhow," he murmured to himself as he fingered the reins. "It would simply be done to my face now rather than behind my back…"

He was well aware of what people said about him when they thought he wouldn't find out. He had let it slide temporarily with the thought that he would extract a revenge of sorts one day. But with no means to do that now and no desire to, they would certainly be running off at the mouth.

The horse jerked suddenly, one of its front legs bending unnecessarily. Lucius dismounted and went to take a look. There was a large rock wedged right between the shoe and the hoof. Frowning, he reached for his wand, only to realise it wasn't there anymore. After a few moments, he looked around and found a stick, carefully prying the rock loose. The horse gave a soft snort and started sniffing around his head. He pushed the muzzle back gently and rose, bringing the reins forward.

"We'll get that looked after at the stables. Come on," he said as he started to walk slowly.

The walk back to the stables didn't take very long, and Lucius saw that the horse was settled into its stall before taking proper care of the horse's hoof. That alone had caused the groom to fly into a flurry of consternation. He was convinced that Lucius shouldn't even be bothering with it and was bemoaning the fact that it was only a matter of time before the horse squished him against the wall or crushed something with a single step. When Lucius had walked out of the stall uninjured, he left behind one very bemused groom.

"Hopefully, this will all be done and over with in September," he groused, walking into the house and making his way to the solarium. "I'm getting rather sick of being escorted around like a mongrel."

When he opened the door to the sunny room, he found that Bwink had laid out an impressive spread for breakfast. He also saw that there was another occupant at the table: Valerian, who was poring over some papers.

"I see you're back from your morning jaunt," Valerian said as he folded what turned out to be a dossier shut. "Enjoy yourself?"

"Until I found you here," Lucius replied easily, taking his seat and starting breakfast. "Proceedings are early today?"

"No; they still start at eleven," Valerian said as he turned to breakfast as well. "I was asked by Miss Tonks to see if you needed anything in Diagon Alley. Unfortunately she has a pressing matter with the Ministry and will be unable to make it this Monday for your weekly visit. She wanted me to pass along the message early."

"And she is asked you why?"

"No one else wanted to take it," Valerian said with a shrug as he helped himself to some bacon and toast. "You can be prickly but that's what simply makes you, you. If you acted any other way, it would be a travesty. Not to mention odd."

Lucius simply inclined his head. "So, shall I be paying you extra for this?"

"Heavens, no," Valerian smiled a bit wearily. "However, if you could find it in your charitable heart to dole out a much needed infusion to –"

"Them again?" Lucius rolled his eyes. "Why don't you have Charybdis simply ask me herself? She shouldn't send her brother as a messenger."

"She is protecting your anonymity," Valerian said after a moment. "You're a well-respected wizard and her werewolf advocacy group has had some unfortunate members in the past. They're a decent group that suffers from the occasional extremist member, but others don't see it like that."

"Ah," Lucius mused wryly. "She has no wish to endanger her main source of income for the group."

"That's another way to put it," Valerian conceded with a nod of his head. "But you're an only child; what could you possibly know of sibling relationships?"

"Enough to know that they are the perfect testing ground for power plays."

Valerian laughed. "That they are," he lapsed into silence a moment later. "You should know something."

"What? Lucius asked in a semi-resigned voice before he sipped at his tea.

"She has volunteered to testify for you. But only if you wish it."

Lucius arched an eyebrow. "A character witness I suppose?"

"If need be," Valerian said. "What do you say to that?"

"I say that she may do as she wishes,"

"You're not making this any easier you know. Considering the fact that we've had no witness for you, I'm doing a brilliant job. I'm the bloody lawyer version of Merlin himself!"

Lucius inclined his head in agreement. "I can't dispute you there. But if Charybdis wishes to testify, then it's her decision."

Valerian gave a disgusted sigh. "Since when did you become so noble and what not?"

"I think your question should be, just when I became so very tired of everything."

"All right then. When did you become a jaded crotchety old man?"

Lucius frowned. "There's no need to be vulgar."

"Anything to get your attention," Valerian snorted. "Really Lucius, this is a serious matter. Anything to tip the scales in your favour would be greatly appreciated. And make my job that much easier…"

"Stressed?"

"Just a bit. Could you tell?" Valerian replied with a wry sardonic smirk.

"Hm," Lucius finished his tea. "And I assume you have other things to take care of down at the courthouse?"

Valerian seemed momentarily startled by Lucius question. "Yes but –"

"Then why waste your time coming here when the trial doesn't start until eleven?"

"Well, I thought you'd like the company," Valerian said a touch peevishly. "Forgive me if I was wrong."

Lucius regarded the other man slowly, nothing the slight circles under his eyes. He shook his head, rising from his seat. "Follow me."

"What now?" Valerian demanded in a testy voice.

Lucius didn't say anything simply walking from the solarium. A disgusted sigh came from behind him as Valerian grabbed his files and followed. He made his way upstairs, finally coming to rest at a bedroom door. Valerian was looking at him in puzzlement.

"I will not have you becoming belligerent during today's proceedings. Get some rest. I'll make sure a house elf wakes you in time."

"Really Lucius, this is quite ridiculous –" Valerian began.

Lucius frowned. "Shut up, get in there and get some sleep. The last thing you'll need is that mind of yours working overtime from lack of sleep and your mouth speaking before you think. You'll be held in contempt within five minutes. Get. Some. Sleep."

"Fine!" Valerian said as he opened the door and stomped in. "Bloody mother hen…"

Lucius couldn't fight the amused sardonic grin that came to his face as he closed the door and made his way back down to the solarium for a nice leisurely breakfast. It seemed that Monday was going to prove very interesting.

"Are you quite sure you're up to this? I'm sure it can wait Harry."

"Yes Headmaster, I'm positive."

"All right then," Albus looked between Severus and Remus. "And you'll both bring him back safely."

"Of course," Remus said with his usual affable smile.

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was precisely the exact reason why he didn't like Mondays; the worst things happened to him on Mondays. First of all his Death Eater initiation had occurred on a Monday. Nearly getting killed when he decided to join Dumbledore and the Order, countless attempts on his life, Sirius Black slipping through his grasp along with the Order of Merlin… all on a Monday.

This Monday was even worse due to the simple fact that he knew Harry was planning to slip away and cause a definite amount of chaos. In other words, something he could have prevented but was very much loath to. But simply standing here, watching the Gryffindor's placid expression, he wouldn't have thought the boy was up to anything. For once in his generally miserable life, that was the understatement of the year.

"Then here's your Portkey," Albus said handing them an old fuzzy sock. Severus couldn't help but snort at the fact that Albus had a Portkey ready to go right on time for once. "It's set to bring you back around just before dinner. That should be plenty of time."

"A disgusting amount of time, I daresay." Severus ground out.

Harry's eyes flickered to him for a moment before he looked back at his fingernails as if they were interesting with a secretive sort of little smile. Severus thought it much better to focus on the sock and the whirling sensation of the world whipping past them; anything to alleviate the horribly sinking sensation in his gut with the knowledge of Harry's imminent act.

The Leaky Cauldron was just as dimly lit and crowded as usual. Both he and Remus hurried Harry along before anyone could really ask them questions. Harry was heavily disguised, true, but he was also the saviour of the Wizarding world. All it would take was one person to notice, or even think that they saw Harry Potter, before they'd have to find some way back to Hogwarts quickly in what would undoubtedly be a mad throng of crazed witches and wizards.

That was not a thought Severus relished.

Remus tapped on the brick with his wand and the wall opened up, allowing them into Diagon Alley. "All right, first stop is Gringotts and then Ollivander's."

"Yup," Harry said easily. "Maybe a robe shop or two. I could use some new stuff."

"Wand first." Severus grumbled, already pushing a way through the crowds.

Every time he glanced back, he found Harry closely behind him, and Remus sticking to him like a shadow. Good; between the two of them, nothing was going to happen to the boy today. Gringotts was horribly busy and it seemed to take forever before they were able to go to Harry's vault and withdrawn some Galleons. When they finally managed to reach Ollivanders, they found themselves facing a surprisingly empty shop. The dusty boxes still sat on shelves and the worn lamp sat on the counter by a register, quill, inkpot and slight pile of parchment. Severus could have sworn it looked exactly like this when he was here as a child, only marginally less dusty.

"So, any idea of what you might need?" Remus asked conversationally as he turned to Harry.

"None really; it's –"

"I recognize that voice."

The sound of a ladder sliding came and a moment later, Ollivander came to the end of the shelf on the ladder. Severus could have sworn that was exactly the same as well. Barring Ollivander himself, it was almost like the shop itself was frozen in time.

"And just what might I do for you today, Mr. Potter?" Ollivander's watery eyes flickered up. "Ah, Remus, Severus, how wonderful to see you again. Treating your wands well, I suppose?"

Remus produced his with a slight flick that had the lamp swirling merrily across the countertop.

"Eight inch ash and werewolf fur. A fine wand if I do say so myself."

Remus gave a feral yet childlike sort of grin. Severus snorted and he suddenly found the watery gaze on himself.

"Nine inch willow and rowan with quintaped claws," Ollivander seemed to grow a smug smile. "Such a difficult, difficult customer…"

"Wow, not much has changed." Harry muttered.

Severus looked at him sharply as Remus attempted to cover up his laugh with a cough. He was immensely glad when Ollivander turned his attention back to Harry.

"So, you need a new wand…" Ollivander mused, already wandering off down an aisle.

"Yes!" Harry called after him. "Maybe you two should wait outside," He said turning to look back at Severus and Remus. "Last time I was in here, things went flying around. It might be worse this time."

"I'm sure Severus and I can take our chances." Remus said.

Severus settled for a frown and crossing his arms a bit sulkily. He wasn't at all pleased to see an expression of amusement flicker on Harry's face. Blast it all. Just how he managed to get himself involved with two Gryffindors was beyond him but he'd make sure nothing of the sort ever happened again.

"All right, here we are," Ollivander said, carrying back a massive amount of boxes and placed them on the counter. "Just pick one and give it a swish."

Harry looked at the pile before he dug through them and pulled one out from the bottom. He grasped the pale wood in his hand and gave a gentle swish. All the boxes flew backwards, crashing into Mr. Ollivander and knocking him to his feet.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked, peering over the counter.

"I'm all right," Ollivander said in a flustered voice. "Quite used to that. Pick another one and see how it goes."

Severus watched as Harry picked up another one and nearly sent the lamp halfway through the wall. It wasn't so much that it created a hole, but that it was halfway phased through the wall itself. "Playing with fire…" he muttered just so Harry could hear.

Harry shot him a look that clearly said to shut up. Remus was busy attempting to extricate the lamp and Ollivander had scooped up the boxes and disappeared once more and reappeared with a new handful of boxes.

"Try these! They're much more powerful; more than one channel." Ollivander managed in breathless excitement as he plunked them down.

Severus watched as the corner of Harry's mouth tugged for a moment and he picked up a wand. This one appeared to be mahogany. When Harry gave it a flick it had the lamp jumping from Remus' hand to dance a mad jig across the tabletop. Harry seemed delighted but Ollivander yanked it from his hand, mumbling something to himself.

The pile of boxes started growing and growing, even though Ollivander was doing his best to clear them away. Both he and Remus had to duck outside into the hustle and bustle of the street in order to avoid having something smash into them frequently. Though there was a part of him that insisted that Harry was doing it for fun and nothing more. Once Remus had stuck his head in and was rewarded with the end of a box imprinting itself against his forehead as a reward. He could still see the bright red mark, clear as day.

It was only when the sounds of crashing halted from inside that Severus dared to stick his head around the door and look in.

"And just what haven't you killed Potter?" he asked caustically, surveying the damage done to the shop.

"A few rogue Death Eaters," he sniped back. "You guys can come in now."

Severus walked in slowly, Remus trailing warily behind him. That's exactly what the werewolf got for not using his senses when he should have been. Harry was standing at the front counter, stroking a piece of dark wood with a small smile while Ollivander practically seemed ready to burst his face from the broad grin there.

"Ebony wood, that one," Ollivander said eyeing it with pride. "Combined core of Chinese Fireball scales and kappa fingernails. Cleverness, stealth and a fierce will; not to mention a very nasty bite, nastier than most… how curious that you would require a wand with such exotic cores…"

Severus watched a Harry didn't say anything for a long moment. "What makes you say that?"

"A wand speaks what the owner doesn't wish to say," Ollivander had that same curious smirk on his face and, Severus had to admit, he too was a touch curious about Harry's decidedly Asian wand.

"Really?" Harry mused as he continued to look at his wand.

Ollivander didn't say anything but smiled as if he now contained some secret information about Harry. Severus snorted but looked impatiently at his watch.

"Really," Ollivander finally spoke. "You were as difficult as Severus here. More so I daresay. It's –"

"If that is all…" Severus said, cutting off Ollivander; undoubtedly there would be a comparison between him and Harry he didn't feel much like hearing.

"All right then," Ollivander said making his way to the register.

Severus watched as Harry chatted with the man as he paid for his wand. Remus, who had decided to keep conversation to a minimum, leaned in closer.

"Is it me or does Harry look a touch bothered by something?"

Severus simply flicked a look at Remus and continued to remain silent. Of course Harry looked bothered. Who voluntarily charged into a courtroom, obliterating all gained privacy, in order to testify for a man who was as dangerous as they come? Only someone with such a painful sense of honour and duty; but he really couldn't protest Harry's point. If they didn't do this, Lucius would undoubtedly call it in via some other manner.

But the curious thing was that Lucius didn't simply demand it from them yet. Surely he could use a few witnesses on his side. Blackmailing the Boy-Who-Lived to testify for you was nothing short of useful; unless Lucius was banking on the boy's sense of duty. That in itself was confusing, since Harry seemed so eager to testify for Lucius; he normally loathed Death Eaters and would try to have very little to do with them as possible. Come to think of it, it seemed like they –

"All right, I'm all done here," Harry said easily, standing in front of them. "Can we go to Madame Malkins? I could use some new robes."

"Not a problem. We have the whole day ahead of us," Remus said, gesturing to the door.

Harry gave that secretive grin again and walked out the door with Remus in tow. Severus felt his stomach gave another lurch, much more painful than the last and couldn't help but wonder just when an ulcer would come to visit him again.

He had to admit, being back in Diagon Alley felt great. And what was even better was that no one seemed to recognise him. Well, at the moment at least. It was exhilarating to go into stores and not be fawned over and swamped by others. But Harry noticed that Remus was starting to look a bit worried and fretted over him quietly. Snape looked downright uncomfortable as if he would have liked nothing more than to be back in his dungeons.

In a way, Harry would have liked to vanish back to the infirmary and let the Wizarding world wonder just where he was. But that certainly wasn't the case. If anything, he would suffer it for awhile before leaving them to wonder again. He didn't know why the idea hadn't occurred to him earlier on. It was so simple and was just what he needed to get away from England and from Dumbledore as well.

He wouldn't have picked today to come down to Diagon Alley. It was Monday and he was getting back his essays as well as possibly meeting with Professor McGonagall in order to discuss possible N.E.W.Ts that he could and should probably try to take.

A gentle knock on the change room door made him look up suddenly. "Yes?"

"Almost done trying it on Harry?"

"Yup; I'll be out in a minute Remus," Harry said as he adjusted the horrid robes.

This was the third clothing shop they had come into and Harry now had a decent wardrobe and had disposed of Dudley's oversized hand-me-downs. It felt great to walk around in clothes he could call his own. Granted, it was just a pair of jeans, boots and a t-shirt, with the jet cross around his neck, but it felt like him. He pushed the door open and walked out into the hallway.

Snape was slouched in a seat, with a murderous expression. Apparently he hadn't signed on for a shopping trip of this magnitude as well or having his pockets stuffed full of Harry's shrunken things. Harry felt a bit sorry that he had to put Snape through this. But in a few minutes, the man would be running around, snarling and cursing his name.

"Well? What do you think?" he turned around, causing the robe to flare a bit.

"You look like a bloody pouf," Snape grunted.

Remus frowned. "I think it looks fine."

"No self-respecting wizard would be seen in that." Snape glared up at Remus. "It's nothing short of a travesty."

"Just because it's pinkish?"

"Not because it's pinkish; look at the cut of it."

Harry simply watched their exchange; he would never be caught dead in a robe like this. But it was serving its purpose of distracting Snape and Remus. He let it continue on for a few more minutes, the words flying thicker and faster before he interrupted.

"Um, I'll just go pick a new robe then." He muttered loud enough to hear.

Snape waved his hand irritably and Remus nodded his head absently. Perfect. He slipped out of the robe and left it on a hanger in the change room before slinking past them and heading out into the store. He had his wand in his pocket, as well as Galleons and the perfect disguise.

It wasn't hard to slip out through the front door and into the swirling press of people in the street. He only had ten, fifteen, minutes maximum before Snape and Remus noticed that he slipped away. Making his way down the street, he tried to piece together where Lucius' trial could be taking place. The Daily Prophet was very vague when it came to descriptions of the location, as per the media gag. But he was able to piece together some basic facts. The building was large; it was located around the northern Diagon Alley area and had no door. That last one he wasn't sure about, but he knew it would take some searching before he found what he was looking for.

He glanced at his watch, noting that the time was close to one. There had to be some security wizards working, which meant some of them had to take a break for lunch somewhere. A court house wasn't exactly the best place to find food. Well, at least that's what he hoped. He carefully made his way to restaurants, blending into the background as he ordered drinks and small snacks. It wasn't until he went to his eighth one that he finally hit pay dirt. He could only make out snatches of conversation through the crowd as he trailed behind the wizards.

"… bloody trial is a pain in the butt…"

"… and the arrogant git just…"

"Tell me about it. I've heard Mr. Nihilare…"

"You're … he actually found a willing…"

"… kinda hard to believe huh? Lucius…"

"… deserves is the Dementor's Kiss…"

"… if you can find a Dementor now…"

The conversation continued on like that, the wizards oblivious to Harry trailing behind them. When they turned a sharp corner, he hurried and found himself facing the smooth walls of a building. Brow furrowed, he did a quick round of the building only to find that there was indeed no wall. A scowl came to his face as he pressed a hand against the wall and started to walk along it. Maybe there was some sort of hidden switch that he had to press.

"Harry!"

He looked back to see Remus and Snape hurrying up to him. Damn. They found him sooner than he wanted. He turned to face them, hand still against the wall, ready to face the consequences. What he wasn't expecting was his hand to slip right through it, causing him to fall backwards and sprawl onto a polished marble floor.

"Oi!"

He scrambled to his feet as the two security wizards he saw before leapt to their feet, wands drawn. They approached him hesitantly unsure of just what he was doing here.

"And you are?" one of them, a rather plump one, demanded.

"Harry Potter." He said easily.

They looked at one another and laughed.

"Right," the other stocky wizard replied. "And I'm Merlin hisself."

Damn; Harry had forgotten about the glamour charm that veiled his true appearance.

"For Merlin's sake, Harry, just what did you think you were doing taking off like that!" Remus' relived and angry voice came now. "You know there's still Death Eaters on the loose out there!"

Harry glanced back to find Snape and Remus standing there behind him; Remus looked supremely angry and Snape looked massively pissed off. He looked back at the security wizards; it would be much easier to deal with them.

"I'm Harry Potter," he narrowed his eyes as the wizards laughed. "I'm sure Mr. Nihilare won't be pleased to know you're holding up proceedings like this."

The wizards stopped laughing almost immediately. They glanced at one another before the plump one took off and the stocky one kept his wand trained on them from a good safe distance. Remus however had much different plans. He grasped his shoulder and turned him around.

"Just what is the meaning of all this? Where are we?"

"A court house," Harry said easily.

Remus looked surprised while Snape looked ready to have a brain aneurysm.

"And just what was so important that you had to come to a court house?"

Harry gave an enigmatic little shrug. Remus gave a sigh that said he was clearly attempting to understand Harry's actions.

"If it was important, why didn't you simply ask? We could have cleared it with Dumbledore and –"

"Dumbledore has already made his position known on this issue." Harry said coldly.

Remus frowned for a moment. "All right. But it still wasn't safe for you to wander off like that. Who knows what could have happened."

"So," Harry said after a long moment. "You don't think I can look after myself."

"No, I didn't say that Harry."

"Then what is it? Because everybody sure acts that way. I'm good enough to kill Voldemort but in no way should I have to look after myself."

Remus frowned. "It's not a question of you being capable of looking after yourself. I know you are. Merlin knows you've proved it time and time again. It's more a question of the six Death Eaters still on the loose. One wizard against six desperate ones does not make for very good odds."

Harry snorted, not quite feeling willing enough to stick his foot in his mouth.

"This is where Lucius Malfoy is facing trial, isn't it?" Remus asked after a moment.

Harry simply nodded his head, feeling like a complete fool. Remus was always the sensible one; he should have known he could have asked him. Remus however seemed to understand. He patted Harry's shoulder.

"We all rush off to do stupid things from time to time," he said. "Just why do you feel that you should testify for him?"

"He helped us," Harry said simply. "He's the one partially responsible for making the Dark Lord weak enough for me to kill him. We owe him one. I'm not going to ignore that."

Remus nodded his head. Snape, who had been lingering off the side, finally spoke up.

"And you're prepared to go in there?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking at him.

"This trial has been going on for almost four months now. I have no doubt that the prosecution will look for any chance to rip Mr. Nihilare's witnesses to shreds. Even if one of them is the infamous Boy-Who-Lived."

"Oh," Harry said dumbly for a moment. "I'm still planning to go in there."

"How selfless…" Snape muttered.

Harry simply smirked. "What timing. Here comes the other wizard now."

The plump wizard was huffing and puffing his way up, with someone else in tow behind him. It was a tall woman with a head full of auburn ringlets and a rather imposing aura about her. It didn't help that they were frizzy slightly and the light coming through it looked like a bloody halo. She came to a halt in front of him and Harry was a bit surprised to find that Remus and the security wizards were the only short ones.

"You claim to be Harry Potter?" she asked brusquely, sizing him up critically.

Harry sighed, drew his wand and flicked it across his face. Almost immediately the woman's eyes went wide.

"That's because I am," he said a bit impatiently. "Anything else you want?"

"No," the woman said after a moment in the same brisk tone. "I'm Valerian's assistant on this case. You have no idea how grateful he is. Am I to take it that all there of you are here to testify?"

"Just –" Harry began.

"Us two." Snape finished

Both Harry and the woman turned to look at Snape who looked far from angry now; he had a mordant expression of glee on his face. Harry wasn't too sure what was up with that but it was honestly creeping him out.

"Very well them," the woman nodded her head. "Sir, if you would please, follow the security wizard he will escort you to the gallery for a seat. I'm afraid that you'll have to relinquish your wand at the check point upstairs."

"Not a problem." Remus said with a nod of his head. "Good luck you two."

Harry gave a small smile and nodded his head and watched as Remus started walking off before he looked back at the woman. "And you are?"

"Cassandra," she said with a small bow. "Cassandra MacDougal at your service. This is not the proper time however for a formal introduction. Valerian would like for you to testify immediately as the trial is drawing to a close and I will need to brief you so the prosecution won't appeal the judges and draw this out any longer than necessary."

"You mean it was going to finish today?" Harry asked incredulously.

"More than likely," Cassandra said, placing a hand on Harry's back and motioning down the hallway. "Come on, we have a steep order ahead of us."

Harry glanced over at Snape, who seemed to be regarded him in amusement. His black eyes seemed to say, 'You're the one who wanted to do this'. Harry snorted and followed Cassandra.

Lucius was bored out of his right mind, sitting there. So far, this trial day was far too long. And it was the only day that Valerian had called his witnesses to the stand. First had been Charybdis who had given a simple testimony that the cross examination couldn't dispute much. He was surprised when Severus Snape was called. He was even more surprised when the surly man rose from the gallery in the back and made his way up to the witness stand. The prosecution attempted to have a field day with him. Severus quickly shot them down in a blaze of humiliation and seemed to enjoy himself in the same process. It made for quite an amusing show.

All the while, Valerian assistant, who seemed to practically live in the court house, scurried back and forth. The whispered murmurs were driving him nuts. Not to mention that supreme look of gloating that had come over Valerian's face when his composure cracked every so often.

Valerian had something up his sleeve. He didn't know what it was, but he wasn't all that sure he liked it. It was the kind of smile that foretold a nasty surprise.

"… you may step down."

Lucius looked up to find Severus walking away from the witness stand, a supremely pleased expression on his face.

"Does the defence wish to call another witness to the stand?"

"Just one more you Eminences," Valerian somehow managed to look calm. "I'd like to call Harry Potter to the stand."

The entire court room erupted into a flurry of words as witches and wizards started chattering away. Lucius gritted his teeth and attempted to sit perfectly still. So that's what had Valerian looking so smug. He glanced over to the prosecution's table and was rewarded with the look of extreme frustration from the prosecutor who looked like she wanted to strangle someone. The sound of gavels being slammed down sounded, causing silence to fall.

"Mr. Nihilare, you know very well you can't call someone who is MIA."

"Then I wouldn't have called him if he was," Valerian said stepping aside and gesturing to the aisle to the gallery on the main floor.

Every single head in the room turned, including Lucius' own. There stood Harry Potter just at the entrance doors on ground level, hair bound back with slight wisps around his face. He was wearing jeans that seemed a touch too snug and a t-shirt that was barely big enough with a necklace of black beads and a cross around his neck. His arms were hanging by his sides and his thumbs hooked into his pockets. He looked casual enough but there was something in his posture that made Lucius want to grin. It was like seeing a serpent feigning weakness in order to strike.

"If you please, Mr Potter."

Harry inclined his head slightly and made his way up to the front. Every single pair of eyes were glued to him as he made his way up to the front and stepped into the witness stand. When he sat down in the witness stand, he reached in his back pocket and drew out his wand, resting it on the top of the wooden bars. That caused another flurry of panic to sweep through the room. The judges had to bang on their gavels once more.

"Mr. Potter, are you aware this is a wand free court room?" one of the judges asked, pegging him with a hard glare.

"Yes. The security wizard attempted to take it from me."

"Attempted?" the judge scowled at him.

"Yes. He picked it up and suddenly found his arm covered in welts. My wand doesn't like being handled by other wizards. You can try to take it if you like."

As if on cue, a spurt of dark green sparks came from the tip of Harry's wand. The judges whispered amongst themselves and then proceeded to call Valerian to examine his witness. Lucius watched as Valerian strode up and did his usual thing. Harry gave all his answers flawlessly, but Lucius couldn't help but feel a gnawing sense of worry. If Harry wasn't careful, the prosecution would look to exploit any opening. It seemed that Valerian had realised this as well and was carefully constructing his queries to allow Harry some room to manoeuvre for when the prosecution took their crack at him. He knew that Harry must have known what he was doing – otherwise, he wouldn't be doing this – and prepared for it. After all, he had that air of ease about him. Or, he could have simply charged in here with no concrete plan and was simply faking the ease in an attempt to throw off the prosecution. Lucius didn't even want to entertain that notion. Harry wasn't stupid; he must have prepared for this in some way. It seemed like the gnawing worry abruptly developed into a pit right in the middle of Lucius stomach.

"Prosecution, your witness…"

Lucius blinked and watched as the prosecutor smoothed down her hair and robes before rising and making her way to the stand. When did Valerian finish with his examination?

"Don't worry," Valerian whispered as he sat back down. "He's a smart kid."

"I know that," Lucius hissed back, in a voice that clearly contradicted his calmness. "I'm more worried for the prosecution. If she riles him up…"

"Then I say sit back and watch the show." Valerian said with a smug smile.

Bloody hell; Valerian had that same smirk on his face again. Maybe Lucius should have paid attention to the questions he asked Harry instead of fretting.

"Now, if you would please state your name for the record."

"Again?" Harry asked archly. "Harold James Potter. Born July 31st, 1981." He frowned. "Hey, my birthday passed and I didn't even realise it. I'm 17!"

A slight chuckle passed through the courtroom. Lucius found himself hoping to Salazar that Harry was deliberately playing the 'I am your Saviour and just a young boy; please love me' angle as best he could.

"Happy birthday then," the prosecutor murmured. "And, if I may –"

"Sorry to interrupt you," Harry said sheepishly, leaning forward. "What's your name? I'm going to feel silly sitting here and just calling you prosecutor."

"Bella," the woman said with a slight flush. "Now then Mr. Potter –"

"You can call me Harry."

Bella regarded him for a moment. "Very well then. Harry, how exactly do you know the accused?"

"Do you mean, when did I first meet him, or when did I first get to know him?"

"Clever boy…" Lucius muttered; splitting the question so finely would force the prosecution to make their move.

"I told you…" Valerian murmured in a singsong voice.

"When did you first meet him, then?"

"In Flourish and Blotts when I went to pick up my books for second year."

"Did you meet him again after that?"

"Once at Hogwarts, Miss Bella. We had a few words. Then again at the Quidditch World Cup, but he was all the way at the other end of the box. And then once more after that… I think… been cramming my head full of stuff to prepare for my N.E.W.Ts…" he held his hands up apologetically.

"Describe the circumstances of this recent meeting, as best you can, please."

"Well, like Professor Snape said before, it was me, Mr. Malfoy and him all in a room to brew a potion."

"It must have been a simple potion if you could brew it in a day."

Harry regarded Bella for a long moment, something flickering in his eyes for a moment before it vanished away. "Nope; we had to spend a month in there, I think… yeah, it was a month. That thing was a real bitch to brew."

"Language, Mr Potter…" a judge chided from their seat.

"Sorry,"

Harry flashed an apologetic grin and Lucius could have sworn the judge swooned a little bit. He gritted his teeth and continued to listen.

"Why would you have to spend a month brewing a potion?"

"Well Voldemort – "

That was all Harry managed to get out before the courtroom was filled with shrieking, fainting people and general hysteria. Harry sat on the stand looking sufficiently puzzled while the judges banged on their gavels imperiously attempting to maintain order.

"Mr. Potter," one of the judges said in a tight voice. "If you utter that name once more in the court room, you will be removed in contempt of the law, am I understood?"

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, staring at his hands, looking properly abashed. "I really didn't mean to frighten everyone like that."

The judges grumbled and motioned for Bella to continue.

"As I asked before Harry, why would you have to spend a month brewing the potion?"

"Well, the Dark Lord had used my blood in a ritual in order to resurrect himself. Like Professor Snape said, the potion we brewed used that against him."

"Yes, and we all know what his word is worth."

"He probably won't want me to say this," Harry replied smoothly. "But he's helped me loads of times. More than he probably should have, considering the amount of silly, stupid things I've done. Not to mention all those people with the Wolfsbane potion alone. Hell, he discovered Veritaserum. I'm quite sure the Ministry knows all about that conveniently enough," he infused a bit of acid into his tone and his gaze flitted to Lucius for a split second. "His word is worth plenty in my book. I'd certainly take his word over some one else's, I can tell you that much."

Bella arched and eyebrow and continued on. "So, you tricked the Dark Lord into ingesting this potion?"

Harry looked at her incredulously. "That's a badly worded question. You make it sound like I walked right up to the Dark Lord and politely asked him to drink the potion, if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience to him."

Definite chuckles ran through the courtroom now, and a few came from the judges as well. Lucius felt the worry inside his stomach lessen a bit. So far, Harry was doing well on his own.

"I apologise; I should be clearer. Were you the one who tricked the Dark Lord into drinking the brew?"

"No; that was Mr. Malfoy. I don't know how he managed that, but he did somehow."

"I see," Bella paused for a moment. "What can you tell me exactly about this brew?"

"Why are you asking me?" Harry asked almost immediately. "You asked professor Snape about this already. Besides, he's the potions master, not me."

"Simply answer the question Harry."

"It took a month to brew," Harry began, furrowing his brow as if he was concentrating very hard. "And it was complicated as hell."

"Can you tell me about the ingredients?"

Lucius saw that same flash again in Harry's eyes and realised he was quickly becoming irritated with the woman. He glanced over to find Valerian calmly taking notes. Almost as if sensing Lucius' uncertainly, he leaned backwards slightly and whispered.

"She's taking the tack of questioning the Boy-Who-Lived about the potion. In a way it makes sense; he can never do wrong; but that will strengthen our defence. But I get the feeling Mr. Potter here will show her just why she shouldn't try to goad him in any regard."

"The only definitive thing I can recall is that my blood was used."

That caused momentary flurries of conversation to sweep through the crowd. Once it died down Bella was looking at Harry as if he was a hare caught in a trap.

"You are aware that blood is an illegal potions ingredient, correct Harry?"

Harry blinked in what had to be feigned surprise. "I am now."

Bella looked as if Christmas had come early. "Surely Professor Snape informed you of this. Am I to assume that the potion you brewed was a poison of an illegal Dark sort, Harry?"

"Define illegal and Dark please. Everyone has slightly varying ideas of what that constitutes."

Bella looked at him sharply. "The terms illegal and Dark are fairly straightforward, Harry."

"Well, I'm asking because the potion was brewed at Hogwarts, which, as you know, is exempt from Ministry law. It is ruled by the Board of Governers and administered by the Headmaster. Any sort of endeavour that goes on in the school grounds by any student or teacher has to be cleared with the headmaster first. And he's the one who provided the room and most of the materials. In this case, the potion in question wouldn't be illegal in any manner whatsoever."

Lucius couldn't help but smirk. It was refreshing to know that Harry had actually read Hogwarts: A History. So very few students did; it gave the perfect excuses to wriggle out of so many things.

Bella cleared her throat. "Nevertheless, the Dark nature of the brew must be called into question."

"I kind of doubt that. I see magic and potions and whatnot as a clean slate. It's what individuals do with it that makes people regard them as good or bad. I can bet you that if the Dark Lord really wanted to, he could have taken another spell like a tickling curse and twisted it so we'd be calling it the fourth Unforgivable."

"Be that as it may," Bella frowned. "As Professor Snape explained earlier on, the potion was designed to turn your blood against the Dark Lord. In essence you poisoned him; with the assistance of Mr. Malfoy. Was this some sort of attempt on Mr. Malfoy's part to keep his freedom and terrorise more –"

A flicker of a scowl crossed Harry's face. Then there came a sudden blur of motion from a judge's hand and a gavel flew across the room and smacked Bella in the face so hard, it knocked her to the ground. Lucius watched as Harry gave her a mild look, halfway between amusement and vindictiveness.

"Your eminence," Bella protested thickly.

"You were dangerously close to badgering the witness…" a judge said after a few minutes.

Bella seemed to take a few moments to compose herself, with Harry still watching her. Lucius had the distinct impression that Harry was sizing her up, attempting to find the best manner in which to easily dispose of her. It took Bella a few more minutes before she removed her hands from her face and took a deep breath.

"Did Mr. Malfoy ever indicate that having you testify on his behalf would be appreciated? Rewarded even?"

Harry gave Bella mild look of offence. "Nothing of that nature ever came up in the course of the month."

"Are you quite sure, Harry? You said yourself that you've been busy studying for your N.E.W.Ts."

"I'm pretty sure. I keep track of who owes me what or who I'm indebted to." Harry said after a moment of silent thought.

"Even wizards who helped you engage in illegal acts."

Harry took a deep breath of infinite patience. "I just told you."

"True Hogwarts does have laws unto itself. However, this 'potion' that you three set about brewing was classified as Class A, meaning regulated by strict Ministry guidelines. Even this cannot be ignored by the Headmaster and Board of Governors. The only way to gain most of the ingredients, of which slipped your mind Harry, require clearance from the Ministry. Shall I inform you as to some of the ingredients?"

"Please," Harry said in a somewhat cool tone.

Bella strode over to the table and picked up a sheaf of paper. "Jagannath stones, two types of dragon bile, Erumpent Exploding Liquid, Manticore scorpion stinger, couckle liver… the list goes one. The procedure alone is over five pages long."

"Is it? I just received instructions from Professor Snape. I never saw the actual document itself."

"I see," Bella tucked the sheaf of parchment under her arm. "If you could hazard a guess, where do you think Professor Snape found these instructions?"

The corner of Harry's lip curled into a smirk. "Hogwarts does have a library. It conveniently has books in it."

"Harry, you're very close to being held in contempt," Bella frowned.

"Then don't ask me such stupid questions," Harry said with a shrug. "With an entire library at our disposal, don't you think we'd find it somewhere in there?"

Bella looked Harry hard in the eyes. "Are you aware of what purgery is, Harry?"

The worry that had been progressively lessening in Lucius' gut sharpened as Bella said those words. Just what was she getting at now? He could even see the consternation on Valerian's face and that usually didn't spell something good.

"Basically you don't want me to lie on that stand," Harry watched her carefully for a moment. "You act like I have something to lie about Bella."

"I just find it incredibly odd that you spent a month in the room, your blood was the key ingredient in this illegal poison and you didn't even get a glance at the procedure once." Bella mused.

Harry blinked at her and then chuckled. "You don't know a Potions Master then. Professor Snape never let it out of his sight or far from his fingertips. He was constantly going over it and double checking facts and making sure nothing went wrong. He probably would have hexed me if I breathed on it wrong. He would have hexed dust for landing on it."

Lucius heard Valerian breath a low sigh of relief. "She almost had him there."

"Oddly enough," Lucius murmured. "That's the first full truth he's told so far."

Valerian snorted loudly and quickly covered it up with a cough as he drew attention to himself. He waved his hand to dismiss their worry and quickly drank down some water. Once Bella went back to questioning Harry Valerian tilted his head slightly to Lucius.

"Look on the bright side. She thinks she's leading him around, but he has her on a good and short leash."

Lucius lips curled into a semi-snarl. "I'd much rather hex her to pieces."

"The feeling is mutual," Valerian replied. "Unfortunately for you, the judge imposed a ban on you buying a wand, pending your final verdict."

Lucius didn't even want to hear that again. Just sitting there the first time hearing it… the urge to not try some wandless magic was tempting. But the Ministry certainly knew his magical signature at this point. The less trouble he remained out of, the better the chance of a lighter verdict.

The rest of the cross-examination didn't take very long. Lucius wasn't sure which fact was worse. The fact that he wanted to make Bella suffer for simply existing, to make her suffer for putting Harry through the longest and weakest cross-examination ever. Or the simple fact that Harry was there, alive and breathing and he wanted nothing more than to just be alone with him.

"Thank you Harry, you may step down."

Almost immediately, the court room was filled with titters as Harry walked down to the gallery and sat down beside Severus. This time, the judges only had to bang their gavels twice before pure silence descended in the room. They surveyed the galleries before speaking.

"As this has run late with the defence's rather surprise witnesses, closing statements will be made tomorrow morning. Both of the defence's witnesses will be delivered to the appropriate housing conditions pending the final verdict upon which they shall be allowed to return to their original place of living."

And with that, the judges slammed their gavels down once more and gathered up their notes and filed out. The courtroom had already erupted into noise which was feeding out into the main hallway. Valerian was gathering up his notes and organising them.

"This is open and shut," he said. "You should be a free man by tomorrow."

"Should? Is that some pessimism I sense?"

Valerian simply chuckled and started to make his way to the door. "Come on, I've got to deliver you home. You don't need anything else in Diagon Alley, do you?"

"Nothing else." Lucius said simply walking beside him.

"Then let's go," Valerian paused as he cracked open the door and the sound of screaming and voices assaulted them. "If we can work our way through that through of frantic witches and wizards, that is."

Lucius grimaced as he saw the throng that had developed around Severus, Remus and Harry. They both looked like they wanted to bolt and Harry looked like he was restraining from using his wand altogether. Valerian sighed.

"You think this is bad now, just wait until he hits outside the courthouse. If he doesn't go blind after tonight, I'll be amazed."

Lucius followed after Valerian as he pushed his way through the crowd. The sheer noise was deafening and he was just on the fringes. He winced as the pitch grew louder and louder. He almost missed the first shriek; it blended right in with the others. But when they came more regularly, he turned around to find Severus, Harry and Remus standing alone, a ring around them, littered with bits and pieces of cameras. Harry had a black look on his face and Severus looked like he was restraining pure, unmitigated amusement. Remus on the other hand looked sorely vexed with a look of strained patience. When Harry stepped forward, the ring immediately parted for him.

Not a single word was said as Harry started walking away, Severus and Remus following beside him. Severus looked like something good had happened for once. Remus looked displeased. Harry looked ready to get out of there. Valerian murmured something to him but he vaguely heard it. He was far too busy watching Harry's deliberate stride and posture. He was daring anyone else to even attempt approaching him for reasons he found unsuitable.

Harry must have felt Lucius gaze on him since he glanced in their direction. He paused, looking at them, before he finally spoke.

"Mr. Nihilare, Mr. Malfoy," he inclined his head slightly before continuing on.

The entire exchange was made all the more eerie by the absolute silence that filled the hallway. What made Lucius' gut twist was the way Remus froze somewhat as he glanced at Harry and then looked right at Lucius him, nostrils flaring. And then the manner in which he narrowed his eyes and his lips pulled back into a vicious snarl. As if he smelled something he didn't like in the slightest and was quite willing to wipe it off the face of the Earth in the bloodiest, most excruciating manner possible.

Once they reached the front door, the rush of sound that came with the door opening, seemed to jolt everyone back into motion. Some of the witches and wizards chased after Harry but most of them decided to keep their distance. Remus was still in the doorway, giving him that damning look before he snorted and disappeared through the door as well.

"Lucius. Lucius. Lucius!"

Lucius swung his gaze from the door to Valerian. "Yes?"

"Come on, it's time to get you back to the Manor."

Lucius nodded his head and went with Valerian over to the Floo fireplaces He was immensely glad this was over with tomorrow.