holy guacamole! wow, it's been awhile. I'm so sorry! is partly to blame though, they wouldn't let me sign in for awhile, that was sad. cheneeway. I'm back! Things might be picking up, but I dunno. We're going ok, so far. we'll see. :) REVIEW! glomp

Chapter Twelve, Something Strong

"And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin,
Or the moment of truth in your lies.
When everything feels like the movies,
yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive." -'Iris', GooGoo Dolls

Harry walked confidently into the courtroom with an unusually quiet Ron in tow. It had been only a day since he'd been moaning and groaning about how Malfoy always gets his way, and Malfoy's got everyone in his pocket, and Malfoy brainwashed her - Harry didn't want to mention his silence in case that brought it to his attention, and he started up again.

So he just left Ron alone, hoping that the spell wasn't just a phase, that it would last for at least until the trial was over - then maybe Harry could maintain some semblance of sanity.

They sat down together behind Percy's table - he happened to be there already, just sitting there, still. The Rousseau woman at the other table was busy scribbling on a piece of parchment, talking to Draco, who'd just been dragged in and turning around to talk to --

Ginny. Ginny was there. Harry saw her and his heart nearly stopped - it always had when she was around. Even now, after all these years, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She lit up a room like no one else could, and seeing her so anxious and hurt broke his heart. He tried to shake out the memories of her he had, of her last year at Hogwarts. He'd been an immature little prat is what he'd been, and he felt entirely guilty for her leaving. He had never really said that aloud, because everyone seemed to be feeling that way, but if he had just been her friend...actually been a friend to her instead of alienating her...maybe things would be different. Maybe she would've accepted Healing as a profession and stuck around to see him battle and defeat Voldemort. Maybe...

Harry shook his head, realizing he was getting carried away - and he was staring. He looked up towards the front as Katie Bell and the others on the Wizengamot took their places - he remembered the days when they played Quidditch together, and had to smile at those memories. She was a vicious Chaser - she'd helped them win the House Cup.

After another minute or so, Katie slowly called the court to order - that hadn't always been in the job description (trials were rarely this popular or covered, even back when all the other Death Eaters were being tried) so it was a bit awkward for her, but Katie took it in stride. Harry thought about the publicity of this ordeal - whoever his publicist was, they were doing a good job. The media hadn't printed one word describing him as at all bad - not 'murderer', 'evil', or even 'voluntary Death Eater'. It irked Harry, but he figured that Ron would be upset enough for the both of them, so he tried to let it go. There had been only a few articles about it, one printed this morning describing yesterday's opening statements - talking about how the Ministry screwed up, and how could they miss two people, and who were these people - all ridiculous things that Harry knew were about to be revealed anyway. Nobody had any patience anymore. He could faintly heard Dumbledore laughing at that thought, and he had to smile. His old mentor was never far from his thoughts, and it helped him take all of life in stride.

Since Percy had very little clue about what his job was, or what he was really supposed to be doing, Draco's lawyer took the lead and called Draco to the stand. Harry found it odd that everyone was willing to listen to him, when so many had been put away without so much as a sentencing hearing.

"So, Mr. Malfoy," Rousseau began formally. Harry saw Draco give her a look that said she was being ridiculous, and was a little confused at Draco's obvious nonchalance.

"Fine, Draco." She corrected, narrowing her eyes at him. Harry watched them stare at each other, and could nearly see the chemistry between them. He wondered how long they'd known each other, because she was obviously not just his lawyer. It made him worry about Ginny, because Rousseau was quite attractive, but he knew it was none of his business.

"So, Draco," Rousseau continued. "Yesterday I said you killed five people." Harry saw Draco stiffen, and began to realize how different he was to the boy Harry had known so many years ago.

She paused, waiting for Draco to say something, but he seemed to be refusing to cooperate. She glared at him, as if urging him to say something, but he sat there rigidly, his cool demeanor nowhere in sight. She forced a smile at the Wizengamot before she continued.

"Would you mind naming them for the court?" She asked sweetly. Harry could see her impatience swelling, but Draco seemed unphased. Had the entire world not been waiting to hear his answer, even Harry might've found the defiance amusing.

"I would prefer not to," Draco muttered, glaring at Rousseau. She glared back at him and walked right up to him, hissing in a low voice that Harry could barely make out, even though he was sitting so close.

"God helps those who help themselves." She spat angrily.

"Maybe I don't want your help." He shot back.

"Oh yeah? And what should I tell Ginny? That you'd rather rot in jail then see your children?" That seemed to shut him up, but nothing had ever quelled Malfoy's rage. Harry was amazed at their interaction, it was almost like they were siblings.

"So, could you name the five people?" She said, clearing her throat so everyone could hear. Draco sighed heavily and looked down at the ground - something Harry had never, ever seen him do before. His change in character was really beginning to creep Harry out - where was the attitude? The arrogance? The unmitigated Malfoy sneer?

"Eric Munch, Mafalda Hopkirk, Kenneth Towler..." Draco paused.

"Continue," Rousseau said through gritted teeth. Draco looked up at her and put his elbows on his knees, leaning forward.

"Antonin Dolohov and Theodore Nott." He said loudly. A murmur arose in the courtroom.

"Wait..." Ron said, turning to Harry. "They're Death Eaters!" He exclaimed.

"Well, they were," Harry pointed out. "Maybe they betrayed the cause or something." He shrugged.

"Order!" Katie called, banging a gavel. "Now...what?" She asked, turning to Draco and quietly ordering a secretary to go pull up their files.

"Antonin Dolohov and Theodore Nott." Draco repeated, louder this time.

"But weren't they Death Eaters?" Someone towards the back of the Wizengamot asked. Draco seemed entirely offended by this, in his own very Malfoy way. He smirked and shook his head, looking up towards wherever the person was.

"So...what? Do they not count because they were Death Eaters? Nott had a family - he was a husband and a father. Does his involvement negate that role?" He asked bitterly. Harry could hear the cynical tone of his voice, and felt guilty for thinking - even for a split second - that their murders really didn't matter as much, because they were Death Eaters.

Interrupting everybody's thoughts, Rousseau cleared her throat.

"Draco, could you tell us about the deaths of Mafalda Hopkirk, Eric Munch, Kenneth Towler and Theodore Nott?" She asked, her back to him - talking more to her audience than anyone. Seeming like she was trying to tell them to pay attention.

"He wanted to see if I could handle it." Draco said seriously.

"Handle what?" Rousseau prompted.

"Killing a person." Draco said after a moment of silence.

"So what happened?"

"He..." Draco paused, urged on only by another glare from Rousseau, and an unreadable glance at Ginny. Harry looked over at her, only now noticing two blonde kids at her side, nudging and whispering to eachother. Harry saw how strong she was trying to be, and how brave. He also saw how nervous and scared she was, and wondered why she was there at all.

"He wanted some Ministry workers dead. And he wanted to know why I hadn't killed Dumbledore. So he sent me out with Bellatrix, and we..."

"Draco, were there any real mitigating circumstances?" After a pause she rephrased. "What exactly did Bellatrix do?"

"She held her wand at my back to make sure the job got done."

"And what would have happened had you not killed those people?" Rousseau prodded. Draco glanced back at Ginny, but quickly looked at his lawyer.

"I would have been killed." He said simply.

"If Voldemort wanted Ministry workers dead, why did he order the murder of one of his own?"

"He wanted Nott dead because he was being reckless. And it was another test for me." The indifference in Draco's voice put Harry on edge - he couldn't understand how anyone could be so emotionless when talking about murders they'd committed. Then again, Harry had only ever killed one person, and that didn't really count since he'd already come back from the dead.

"Now let's move on to Antonin Dolohov's unfortunate demise." Draco put his head in his hands, but quickly masked his reluctance by sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Can you tell me about the night Dolohov was murdered?" She asked him, moving away from him so that everyone could see and hear him.

"It was a pretty big battle. In some wood somewhere, I don't quite remember. A clearing of some sort where everyone fought." That was obviously not what Rousseau wanted to hear, because when he stopped, she turned around with a sweet smile on her face.

"I'm going to have to beat it out of you, aren't I?" She hissed.

"Yes." He spat back. She sighed and rolled her eyes, and Harry's curiosity was peaked.

"Fine. What were you doing when you killed Dolohov?" She asked pointedly.

"Committing murder." He answered unhelpfully. She looked like she was about to committ murder, with the way he was cooperating. She turned to him and forced another smile.

"How long had you been dating Miss Ginevra Weasley?" She asked pointedly. Harry could feel Ron's eyes bug out next to him, and felt it wise not to turn to him and look. He, too, though, felt as if a knife had been thrust into his chest. He hadn't felt so strongly about much of anything in a long time, but Rousseau's implication that Ginny and Draco had dated...for a long time... and then he remembered her 'secret boyfriend'. He remembered her stealing his invisibility cloak. He remembered trying to spy on her. Every memory that came back just made him feel worse about himself and the situation. He hadn't acted in the most mature manner, but Ginny...Ginny had dated Malfoy while he was actively fighting as a Death Eater. That was not only unbelievable, but nearly unforgiveable.

"A few months, I suppose." He replied.

"And what made you go to the scene where you found Dolohov, just before you killed him?" She prodded. He sighed and looked up at her wearily.

"I'd been trying to keep an eye on her, but...I heard her screaming. When I found her, he was torturing her and she was unconscious."

"She being Ginevra?"

"Yes." He answered flatly.

"Why did you kill him instead of knocking him out?" This seemed to be a part of the story Draco really didn't want to go into.

"I'd taken off my mask. He knew who I was, he'd seen me. It was the first thing I could think of that wouldn't get either of us killed, and she was already unconscious..."

"So you killed him?"

"Yes."

"And then what did you do?"

"I tried to revive her, but I couldn't. I left her at the edge of the clearing where someone would find her." Harry's heart nearly stopped as he listened to the story. He remembered that night. He remembered that battle. He remembered finding Ginny's lifeless form at the edge of the clearing...

"And did someone find her?" Rousseau asked compassionately.

"Obviously." He scoffed. Rousseau glared at him, and they paused. Harry took the time to run over in his memory everything that had happened that night - it was fuzzy, all those battles seemed to bleed together in his memory, he preferred not remembering them.

Rousseau was visibly keeping her own temper under control. Harry was amazed at how much they got to each other - how frustrated they both were.

"So you killed Antonin Dolohov to save Ginevra? And then moved her to a place, where you knew she'd be found and cared for in order to protect her?"

"Yes." He answered simply.

"Draco, do you know Ron Weasley?" She asked curiously. Half of Harry wanted to perk up to see where this was going, and the other half of him knew he didn't want to know.

"Of course I do."

"Was he the one that arrested you?"

"One of two." He answered, evading the question.

"Draco, why did you run away in the first place?" Rousseau's questions were all over the place, Harry was having trouble making the connections in his head. He couldn't help but think, though, that there was some sort of method to her madness.

"I didn't want to stay." He answered simply.

"Why not?"

"I couldn't live that life."

"You mean a life of deceit, murder and violence?"

"Yes,"

"If you had stayed and graduated from Hogwarts, what would've happened to your relationship?"

"It would've ended."

"Because you were graduating?" Draco paused and looked straight at Ron and Harry. Harry was on the edge of his seat waiting to hear the answer to his question - he thought it would be 'yes', but the look Malfoy was giving Ron made him think 'no'.

"Because of my assignment," If looks could kill, Stefanie would've had power over the world. She took a deep breath as she walked back to her uncooperative client.

"Which was...?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"To kill her brother." A gasp went throughout the courtroom, and everyone started talking.

"You mean Ron Weasley." Stefanie clarified, and Draco nodded. Stefanie walked over to them and smiled at Harry. She turned to Ron and sighed.

"You look well today, Mr. Weasley." She chirped. "I'm glad." Harry and Ron looked at each other, neither of them could speak.

"So," Rousseau continued. "Your task was obviously left undone. Mr. Weasley is alive and well, and here today. He was one of the men who arrested you. He, in fact, was the one who dug out your eleven year old arrest warrant and apparated to your home. He was the one who threw you in jail. Wow. Nice guy." She finished, shaking her head.

"He didn't know that was my assignment." Draco pointed out.

"He became an overzealous Auror, with no compassion."

"Maybe, but he lived to do it."

"He lived to arrest you."

"He's got a family now."

It got to the point where Harry wasn't sure who's side he was on. He liked Rousseau, and Draco was defending Ron, but Malfoy's job had been to kill Ron...Harry wasn't sure his feet were on the ground anymore, either. He looked down, just to make sure.

"So you let Ron Weasley live, because you didn't want to lead a life of murder, violence and deceit? Or because you loved his sister, and killing him would, pardon the phrase, kill her?" She asked pointedly. Draco took a deep breath and kept a stony look on his face.

"Both, I suppose." Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was openly crying. He'd only ever seen her cry once before, and that was a long time ago - she rarely cried. Her two kids flanked her sides now and they were all holding each other - a brilliantly beautiful picture - and they both looked too concerned with their mother to focus on their father. Harry supposed it was better that way - he'd never want children that young exposed to something like this, no matter what he'd learned at their age.

"Is it fair to say that your relationship with Ron Weasley has never been good?" Rousseau asked, looking at Ron as opposed to Draco.

"Relationship?" Draco responded with a small chuckle. "I suppose that's one way to put it."

"You two were, in fact, arch enemies in school?" Draco took a deep breath and cleared his face of all emotion, but Harry was focused on Rousseau and where she was going with this line of questioning.

"Something like that," Draco answered cautiously.

"He hasn't let that go yet, has he? Can you relate to us the events of your visit to his childhood home with your family? What, specifically, happened when he arrived?"

"He wasn't too happy to see me, or his sister." Draco responded firmly - but there was a hint of something Harry couldn't identify in his voice.

"He seemed to still be holding a grudge against you?" Draco shifted and cleared his throat.

"I suppose."

"And that night he went back to his office to seek out an arrest warrant, didn't he? Because he's doing his job, or because he's an overzealous Auror who cares little for anyone but himself?" Rousseau continued aggressively. Draco stared at her with a blank face - the kind he used to get in school when someone he didn't like or respect was talking. Harry was about to stand up in Ron's defense when he looked over to his friend. Ron's eyes were wide and his face bright red. Fact was, Ron had been a bit overzealous when it came to seeking out Draco's arrest warrant. So many people had thought he was dead, it had never gotten properly filed. Nobody cared about fulfilling it so many years later, but Ron had insisted on it.

Now both men were frozen in their seats, unsure of what to do when they heard an angry growl from the stand.

"Stefanie." Draco hissed softly. Harry had to squint and crane his neck to make out what Draco was saying - his lips were barely moving, but his tone was clear - he was not happy.

"Knock it off," he warned her. She just smirked a smirk that reminded Harry far too much of Draco as she skipped back to her table to look at a piece of parchment.

"I'm serious." Draco said loudly before looking at Percy. "Why aren't you objecting?" Percy stiffened after being addressed.

"Objection!" He cried. Draco rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"On what grounds?" Katie asked dutifully. Apparently at least one someone had done their homework. Harry craned his neck again to see what was on Percy's table, and sure enough, it had nothing to do with trials, this trial, or Draco. It was reports about the import/exports of different countries and their currencies. Percy never did have his priorities straight.

"Erm..." he stuttered, looking at Draco, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She's not allowed to do that!" Katie Bell looked around at her colleagues and shrugged. Stefanie immediately apologized as she shrugged and moved back to Draco.

"Don't do that again," he hissed. Harry couldn't help but glance at Ginny - he figured she'd be a wreck now that Draco's lawyer was attacking her brother. He was surprised to find, though, a smile on her face. She seemed almost to be giggling through her tears. Her son - Damon, he remembered - was sitting with one hand dutifully on Ginny's arm, an indifferent expression on his face. Emma, however, seemed to be giggling uncontrollably. She was about to roll off of her seat when Ginny stopped her and gave her a stern look. Emma protested, saying something that obviously amused Ginny, but she lost the war.

Harry turned his attention back to the front of the room as Percy stood up.

"So, you say that your Aunt held a wand to your back to make you committ those murders." He said mechanically.

"Calling her my Aunt is a bit of a stretch, but yes," Draco replied.

"That she would kill you if you didn't perform the task at hand."

"Most likely."

"She was your mother's sister, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that? Your Aunt would take your life?" Percy scoffed with a smile. Draco gave him a look that Harry knew well, but couldn't define.

"You obviously don't know Bella." He said seriously.

"Bellatrix Lestrange? Oh, I think we all know Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Then you know that she doesn't care about anyone except the Dark Lord - whether he's alive or dead."

"The Dark Lord?" Percy inquired curiously. "Why do you call him that?"

"Self preservation." Draco answered cautiously.

"Certainly you don't believe you're under any threat at the current moment - his name is used by most today."

"Habit." Draco replied flatly.

"You say that you left Ginny Weasley unconscious at the edge of a forest, is that correct?" Percy asked. Draco muttered something under his breath and rolled his eyes, but Harry couldn't make it out.

"That's correct."

"Wouldn't it have been better to seek medical care for her immediately?"

"Yes." Draco responded without missing a beat.

"And you didn't because...?"

"Because I was a Death Eater and being even that close endangered us both enough. I wasn't about to risk either of our lives when I knew she'd be alright." Percy looked at Draco with a patronizing look on his face and nodded.

"I see," he said, amused. He turned and walked back to his table, sitting down and going back to whatever he was reading. Rousseau looked up at him curiously, laughed a bit and then gestured for Draco to come down from the stand. She stood up and smiled at the Wizengamot.

"I would like to call Harry Potter to the stand." She said clearly. Harry blinked and looked at Ron.

"What did she say?" He asked. Ron's eyes were just as wide as his were, and he shrugged. Harry reluctantly got up and sat down in the chair Draco had just been sitting in, realizing for the first time just how many people there were. Too many. He gulped.

"Mr. Potter, I don't have many questions to ask you, but seeing as you were integral to the fall of Lord Voldemort, you would be the best equipped to handle them." Harry looked at her for the first time and saw her smile sweetly. He just nodded.

"Now, I'm curious as to how the legal system worked in England at the time of Voldemort's fall. You, being an Auror, arrested as many Death Eaters as you could, correct?"

"Correct," Harry answered. "The ones we were sure of."

"The ones you were sure of," Rousseau smiled sweetly. "And they were put on trial?"

"Kind of," Harry nodded. "Not like this. There weren't so many people there, and mostly they were sent to Azkaban."

"Mostly?"

"Well, some of them gave up names of fellow Death Eaters, some made deals, and some hadn't committed any crimes we could hold them for."

"What do you mean when you say they gave up names?" Rousseau asked, looking at Harry. He looked around at everyone in the courtroom for the right answer, but couldn't find one in anyone's face.

"I mean...they just told us who they worked with. Who did what and when."

"And that's how you came to know my client's name?" She asked. Harry nodded. "I see. So your information could be entirely false." Harry looked around, confused. His information obviously wasn't false - Draco had confessed to all the murders. "I understand this specific information isn't false," she clarified, "but it could be."

"I suppose it could be." He shrugged. She smiled again at him.

"One last question." She said, moving back towards her table. "How many names on average were enough to warrant an acquittal?" Harry considered this - and realized it wasn't nearly enough.

"Three or four." He said. Times had been so desperate even one name was a triumph. Looking back it almost sounded pathetic.

"Thank you." Rousseau said, gesturing for him to step down. He did so tentatively, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Percy and Rousseau approached the Wizengamot, and Harry sat back down next to Ron.

"What do you think they're going to do?" Ron asked nervously. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno, wonder what they're talking about." Harry replied nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on Katie Bell.

"I dunno," Ron replied cautiously. "Things were so quiet before they came back...maybe...maybe it would've been better if they just hadn't." He said. Harry looked at him as if he were crazy. This was not the Ron he'd come to know over the years - not the one he'd worked with through dinner yesterday.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, incredibly offended that Ron could even think about such a thing. Harry had always dreamed about when Ginny would come back, the day she finally realized what she'd done. Ron just shook his head solemnly.

"I don't know." he replied. "It's just not worth it. All this. We were all beginning to forget everything, things were finally becoming normal. Maybe things would've been better off. This is all just a show anyway, to show a new generation of children a glimpse of the past. At least that's the only productive thing that's coming out of this ordeal." Harry gaped at his friend. Of course that logic was sound and his reasoning correct, but...Ron had never really been one for sound logic and rationale.

"Are you serious?" Was all Harry could manage to get out. Ron just looked at him and shrugged.

"I dunno." He replied. A moment later the court was called back to order and the lawyers went back to their tables.

"Court will reconvene tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Katie announced.

With that, everyone rushed out of the courtroom - reporters had to get their articles into the evening's paper, radio hosts had to immediately relay the events, and everyone else just had to get home.

Harry noticed Ginny walking out of the courtroom with her children and Rousseau. He almost went up to her to greet her, but he knew these were not ideal circumstances and that he should wait until another time.

He thought about what Ron said. About how things would be better if Ginny hadn't come back. Granted, her coming back with five kids and a husband was not exactly what Harry'd had in mind, but he did love seeing her again. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh. He wanted to be the one she loved, despite it all.

He walked out of the courtroom and parted ways with Ron - he needed a drink, alone. Something strong.