Chapter 24

Lies and Treason

Harry had been taken to the Ministry of Magic and his uncle and aunty had been informed. Their reaction was, "oh…does that mean he isn't coming back for summer?" Roxanne's godparents had also been informed and they were being held for questioning.

The sixteen-year-old boy was sitting in Arthur Weasley's office, scratching the wooden desk so hard it hurt his fingernails. He had been in the room where they were trying to figure out Voldemort's location but he caused such an uproar when they wanted to stop for a coffee break that he was sent to calm down in a smaller, less crowded space.

He looked out the fake window which was set to clear blue skies though he knew for a fact that it was night outside. He scowled and slammed his fist down on the table, trying to release some of his aggravation. He couldn't help but feel it was his entire fault. It always was! Why did he have to act such a hero? Hermione was right, she's always right. And now she was gone. He pushed the table angrily but it only slightly moved, as it was solid beech. The worst thing was, every time he tried to contact Roxanne with the necklace, he would get no reply. Maybe they took it off her…or maybe she was in no state to even speak.

There was a dull knock on the door and Ron entered, looking both worried and weary. Harry looked up suddenly.

"Any luck?" he asked.

Ron shook his head and collapsed on the chair on the other side of the desk.

"They've contacted Hermione's parents and they went ballistic, saying how Hermione would never had got kidnapped if she hadn't had gone to Hogwarts."

Harry didn't reply. She wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if he hadn't of gone in…

"And now they're coming down here… I dunno, it all just seems too unreal."

Harry nodded and rolled his head back so his neck clicked a couple of times.

"I'm going to kill him," he said quietly.

"Who?"

"Malfoy. I swear even if they arrest him I will go to Azkaban and kill him," he said calmly.

"And I'll help you," said Ron, grinning at him. Harry smiled back and they laughed for the first time in ages, even if it was quite false.

As Roxanne, Hermione and Malfoy flew away on the large dragons, they heard a loud roar. Looking behind them, they saw the trolls throwing rocks at them but missing.

"Damn, they'll alert Voldemort," hissed Roxanne, urging the dragons to go faster.

Just when they thought they were on their way to freedom; they sudden collided with something. The impact was sudden and though the thing they crashed into seemed to suck them in a bit, it felt painful. They crashed into the trees and the dragon's wings got caught up in the branches and the thin membrane tore. They screamed in pain and squirmed and twisted so the three humans fell from the dragons and landed on the leafy floor.

Surprisingly, they were all conscious but Malfoy was in no state to stand up.

"What the fuck happened?" he cried, holding his ankle which was supposedly broken.

"An invisible force field?" said Hermione frantically.

They all heard a loud crack and looked up, the two dragons were falling down right above them.

They both grabbed Malfoy and dived out of the way.

"Vervtrex? Jalth?" cried Roxanne.

"My wings…"whispered Jalth.

"Oh my god…"

Jalth stood up and when he did so one of his wings flapped by his side, half ripped off, while the other was full of holes. Vervtrex's wings were a bit better but he could not fly. He had a gash across his long neck that was spewing blood, but even as they watched with grotesque, it began clotting.

"I'm going to check if the force field is down here too," said a tearful Hermione.

"I-I don't know what to do! I don't know any healing spells!" said Roxanne. She looked at Draco who shook his head solemnly.

"It is not your fault, little one," said Vervtrex.

"Yes it is! I asked you to help us!"

"We would have helped you anyway."

Hermione came limping. "Its just in the air. Unless it's further on – but I could go through."

"Go on without us, youngling, we are but heavy burdens."

Roxanne laughed. "No way am I leaving you here. Can't you walk?"

"Yes but slowly."

Mr Weasley burst into his office, grinning broadly. "We've found them! They're with two dragons – which I don't really understand – but they are safe as long as we get to them before someone else does everything will be ok."

Harry grinned at Ron. He was so relieved.

"Of course Draco will be arrested straight away. I can't believe the Ministry let that slip…" muttered Mr Weasley, shaking his head. "So blatantly obvious… Well anyway, follow me boys. I'm sure you'll want to see your friends."

The two jumped off their seats and had to run to keep up with Mr Weasley's fast pace. A portkey was made and Aurors gathered. Alastor Moody winked at Harry and Tonks patted his shoulder, her other hand ready to grasp the chair they were using as a portkey. There was not enough room for Ginny and the rest; Harry and Ron were the only teenagers there.

"Three…" counted Kingsley. "Two…one!" Everyone grabbed the chair and they were thrown forward.

Moments later they were surrounded by trees and an amazing sight of Hermione, Roxanne and Malfoy coming towards them next to two huge dragons, seeping blood. Their faces lit up when they saw them all and Roxanne gathered the rest of her strength to run towards Harry. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his neck, soon joined by Hermione. He was so overburdened with two crying girls that he sunk to his knees.

Dumbledore nodded towards Draco and before you could blink they had cast a spell on him, sending tumbling to the ground unconscious.

"What are you doing?" yelled Roxanne, letting go of Harry.

"He is going to Azkaban to await his trial in front of a jury to decide what to do with him," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Surely you don't care, Roxanne," said Ron, staring at her.

"He was under Voldemort's control, Ron, he didn't know what he was doing!" cried Roxanne. She made to run over to the unconscious Draco but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her back sharply.

"No. We're going," he said, tugging her towards a portkey that was being set up.

An expression of repulsion crossed Roxanne's pale face. "Don't you tell me what to do!"

His grip on her wrist tightened and he turned to face her, his face contorted with fury. "Do you ever learn? Just because Voldemort had control over him does NOT mean he's 'good' now! He's a spiteful, malicious creep without Voldemort's help!"

Roxanne was taken aback by this sudden retort, it was so uncharacteristic. "Just because you hate him-"

"This is nothing to do with how much I hate him! I do not want to lose you again – especially to him, so stop being thick, forget about him," said Harry, as if his say was final. He put his hand in Roxanne's, she tried to break free but realised he was right. Choosing to help Draco meant choosing a life beside Voldemort and without Harry. She couldn't do that…

The Ministry of Magic's marble walls showed no comfort to the distraught Roxanne. She sat at the front of an audience of over fifty looking at the teenage boy who had shown her such kindness and yet left her life in tatters. Draco Malfoy was chained to the chair below the Judge, trembling under the Dementors gaze. He looked so young and scared but his dark eyes glared at everyone in the courtroom.

"Isn't focusing our attention on the Dark Lord more important right now than knowing how long this boy has in Azkaban?" spoke up someone not too far from Roxanne.

"We need to get the truth out of Mr Malfoy which will help us capture You-Know-Who!" replied the Judge, clearly getting annoyed with the whole situation. "And this boy is in league with him and is his Heir!"

"So why isn't Miss Winters down with him?" retorted the person, whom Roxanne disliked immediately.

"Ms Winters has been talked to and proved innocent. Now please sit down and be quiet, Mr Farnagle." The tall man sat down and started talking to the witch next to him in angry tones.

"Ignore him, Roxanne," came a whisper from Mr. Weasley behind her. Harry was next to him, too far to put a consoling hand on her shoulder but near enough for her to hear him practically growling at Malfoy. She had been questioned, and it had been horrible, but she let them use Veritserum to prove her innocence.

"Malfoy, is it true the Dark Lord has chosen you as his heir?" asked the opposition.

Draco was in a mess. He had been in Azkaban for two days and his blonde hair was messy and dirty, as was his face. Grey eyes were dimmed but scowling at everyone around him, especially Roxanne. She had deserted him.

"Yes."

"Are you loyal to You-know-who?"

A long pause. The whole room seemed to have held their breath. His gaze went to Roxanne, who stared up at him wide-eyed. She was like a rose, he had decided. Beautiful but a pain. Thorns grew from her and she was a deceitful bitch.

"Yes."

A gasp from the room. "No…" whispered Roxanne. "You shouldn't have said that."

Aurors had gone to that huge mansion that Roxanne had been held in only to find it almost empty. It had been a major disappointment and the only person they had was Draco, but he was refusing to talk.

"Draco Malfoy, I sentence you to three years in Azkaban unless changed otherwise," spoke the Judge, slamming the hammer down, causing Roxanne to shudder.

A smirk formed on Malfoy's pallid lips. It reminded Harry of the smile Belletrix had…

"He will return and won't stop to save me from your pathetic prison. Walls and Dementors won't stop me. I am more powerful than you know," he said, glowering up at the Judge.

"Take him away."

"And you Potter – you will suffer and those around you!" he shouted as the Dementors took him away, looking at Roxanne on those last words.

You would have thought Roxanne would have cried. But she was beyond tears. She was numb.

They visited Hermione in hospital the next morning. She was almost fully recovered.

"What did they say?" she asked Harry when Roxanne was out of earshot.

"Three years, but- " he repeated what Malfoy had shouted before he had been dragged away.

"Don't be worried-"

"I'm not!" he replied, cutting in.

"Good, but I dunno Harry…they don't have a lot of Dementors and he is strong…"

Harry scowled, sounded like praise to him.

"Anyway, what's this about you using magic without wands?" he asked her, just as Roxanne came over with a glass of water.

Hermione's cheeks reddened.

"Well I first knew summer last year during that…that fight. I pointed and shouted a spell, forgetting I didn't have my wand in my hand but it still worked…"

There was a silence of awe then she carried on.

"There are some spells that everyone can do but apparently I can do all of them. Dumbledore said it's a rare gift and the ones who have it are just called the

Magepolleo, or Mage for one."

"Wow…" uttered Harry, eyes wide. "What a gift. Do something then!"

An uncertain look crossed her face. "I haven't actually been able to do it since. The dragons sensed it in me and told Roxanne. But I'll try…" She stretched out her hand to a book on her lap and using the same movement you would a wand, shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The book wobbled where it lay but did not move.

She sighed and laid her hands across the cover.

"You'll get it," assured Roxanne, sitting beside her.