(A/N: Hello everyone! I'm trying to get a good update schedule going... I hope its going to work... (Sighs) Thank you to all of you returning readers for supporting my story. I know I'm not the best, but It really makes me happy to see that someone enjoys it. And also... if you reading my story and you like it, please please please don't hide those wonderful reviews for me. I love to read all of yalls feed back and to have a chance to personally thank you for your support. So if you like what your reading, drop a small comment below and tell me what you think. Thanks yall!
On another announcement, I have a new Beta reader, and yall... SHE IS AWESOME! I am currently reading one of her stories and it is just amazing! Its got it all folks! The fantasy, the blossom of a forbidden romance, the humor... just the works! Its still in progress, but like I said yall, she is amazing! She updates really fast because she is so passionate about her work, and she still has time to Beta my chapters, and write more of her own... (What... BAM!) So this is a shout out to her for doing such an amazing job on this chapter right here folks.
Than you kou shuurei sama!
Alright yall... I'm done for now... Read on my fellow Dramione Shippers!)
Draco poured his all into the task at hand. He was feeling more and more proud of himself the more he did. He and Snape had worked up a good argument, and he spent most of his night either with Snape, going over the key points of law that he needed to know for this particular case, or with Hermione, taking statements and going through mock questionings that could possibly be thrown at her by the opposing side of the trial.
The student who offered to act as Danny's defense, Draco knew very well. He was the number one student in school, and Draco was classified as the worst - not because he wasn't capable of it, but because at that time he just didn't give a shit about it.
But now he had a reason to. And if there was one thing Draco was certain of, it was that when he was determined, he usually got what he wanted. Maybe it was his spoiled boy mentality that made him think that way, but he was hoping that it would follow him in with the case.
He was currently in a predicament. The hearing was tomorrow and he was lacking evidence to support his claim. And to back it up, he needed more witnesses of any type of lewd acts from Danny to Hermione.
He and Hermione sat at the kitchen table of the house, staring at the white board behind them with the game plan on it. The last name on the list was Nelly.
Draco knew it was a long shot to ask her to testify against Danny, but he was hoping that at the very least she might accidently leak information that she had been having denial about.
"I don't know, Draco... I hardly think she will listen. And to be honest, I'm not sure I want to bring her into it. She has been through enough..." Draco sighed in irritation.
"Hermione, she is already in it, but she is going against you. We have to try at least one more time to get her to help us. She very well may be the key to our success." he explained. Hermione bit her lip, and nodded her head.
She knew that. She just didn't want to think about it. Looking up into Draco's stormy eyes, she nodded.
Her hands were shaking again... No matter how hard she tried to keep calm, her nerves always got the better of her.
Draco pushed the red gate open and walked in, stopping and turning back to Hermione when he noticed she didn't follow him in.
"Are you coming?" He asked gently. Sighing, Hermione shook her head gently.
"No, I think it's best if I stay out here... She might not speak to you at all if she sees me. I don't want to jeopardize that. You go ahead... I'll wait for you out here." She said reassuringly. Draco eyed her worriedly for a minute but accepted the excuse and continued to the door and knocked.
"Hold on." Nelly screamed back from the other side. Dropping the bit of laundry she was folding back onto the bed, she made a dash for the door, pulling it open to see Draco standing there. Her stomach fluttered when she looked around Draco and found Hermione was not with him... It hurt to not see her there. Disappointment and sadness crept into her heart for a minute, and Draco saw it flicker in her eyes for only a split second.
"Hoping to see her?" He threw in her face, hoping to draw out some emotion for her.
"No! In fact if I had seen her, I probably would have went crazy with rage and beat on her some more." Nelly answered, sneering ugly at Draco.
Draco rolled his eyes.
"What can I do for you Mr. Malfoy, I am a very busy woman and don't have a lot of time to be chatting." Nelly spat. Draco pushed his way into the house and began to walk into the living room.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She yelled, following him through her house, and finding him jumping over the back of the couch and siting down.
"I'm here to speak with you about tomorrow's hearing. I'm hoping you might speak on Hermione's behalf." Draco started. Nelly sat down on a chair with a huff and crossed her arms in disbelief.
"One word. Impossible! There is no way I would help her!" Nelly answered. Draco rolled his neck in annoyance.
"You know they say that when you look at a girl, you can tell the type of person who raised her. Do you really think Hermione is that type of girl? Are you that type of woman?" Draco countered. Nelly's eyes widened at the implications Draco threw at her.
"Excuse me? I raised her up to be a respectable woman, and she couldn't even take those lessons at heart! She seduced my husband like a common trollop!" Draco felt his ears burn and he stood up from his spot and stared down at Nelly.
"You know it's really a waste that you're only a house wife! You are mean, vicious and have an ability to turn wrong into right... You would make one hell of a lawyer..." Nelly just shrugged her shoulders in smug acceptance.
Growling, Draco stomped from the living room and toward Hermione's old bedroom.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here or I'll call the cops for trespassing or something." Nelly yelled, flustered, and grabbed Draco by the arm to stop him from entering the room.
"Excuse me... But when you agreed to the hearing, you also agreed for us to collect evidence. So everything I am doing is legal." Wrenching the door open, Draco pulled out a camera from his pocket and began taking pictures of all the locks installed on the door of the room.
"Besides, I think that the ugly truth should be revealed. I don't think you really believe that Hermione is this kind of person..." replacing his camera in his pocket, Draco looked into Nelly's eyes and saw a bit of uncertainty in them. "You just seem to be lying to yourself and running from the clues that are right in front of you." he said. Turning to the desk in the room, Draco took a pen and wrote down his name and number, and handed it to Nelly.
"If by some miracle you come to your senses and decide to pick Hermione over yourself for once... give me a call." he said and walked out.
Nelly watched him walk out the door and heard the gate slam shut behind him. She looked down at the paper in her hands, then shoved it into her pocket, making her way to the back yard to get the blankets off the line before the rain came in.
Sitting on a chair under the porch, was the blanket she was going to get. Shocked, Nelly looked around. "Hermione?" She called, but received no answer. Looking back down, a folded piece of paper caught her attention.
To: Auntie
Nelly grabbed the blanket and took it into the house, the note weighing heavy in her hands. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she opened the letter and began to read.
'Auntie,
This is the only way I can talk to you now. Please read this letter to the end. After I left, I wasn't mad, and I don't hate you. I haven't complained that you have misunderstood me. But I am mad at myself. There are a lot of things I wanted to tell you... but never did and I don't know why I have never said this before.
The woman who gave birth to me left me way to soon. The term 'Mom' to me was just a word. And when Dad pointed at the picture of that woman when I was little and told me 'That's your mom' I didn't have any impression toward it... I didn't know her. The one person who was always by my side, and did what a mother should do has always been you, Auntie.
I remember the sports day at primary school, you came with me in the family competition. I fell by accident, and we lost the game. You took care of me and doctored my knee, so afraid it would leave a scar. During Jr. High, I was chosen to deliver the graduating speech, and you said you couldn't make it because you had to work... but... I saw you there... you were even wearing your gloves and apron. Forgot to take them off because you were more concerned with getting there for me. '
Nelly touched her heart and whimpered.
"You remember all of these things..." Wiping a tear, she continued to read.
'You're the one who taught me how to be a woman, how to act and present myself with pride... We would even fold the big quilts together. Each taking a side and spreading it open to get it folded nice and neat... But now, I'm not there to help you anymore. If I have hurt you in any way...
I'm sorry... Mama
-Hermione
Nelly clutched tightly to the shirt over her heart. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes, but she wouldn't let them. Of course she missed Hermione. She was her daughter in every way... But she had never asked for any of that responsibility. It had been thrust upon her and she had no choice but to go with it and do her best. Now, she couldn't even think about Hermione without feeling a deep seated hurt and resentment.
She had tried to take the one thing in Nelly's life that had been constant. Nelly loved Danny, and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't pissed at him for even falling for Hermione's tricks.
But it had happened and there was nothing she could do about it now. She was just thankful that she had gotten there when she did... or things would have turned out different. She may have never known what Hermione had been doing to her husband...
"Why say things like this now?" Nelly questioned, shoving the letter in her pocket with a scowl. "It doesn't change what you did." she said.
Grabbing the folded quilt, Nelly kneeled on the bed, and opened the compartment in her head board to stuff the blanket into. Meeting with resistance, she huffed.
He was always putting his stupid things in there and it always took up to much space. Reaching down into the compartment, she began to pull bags and things out of it to make room. Her hand met with a bulky envelope, and she pulled it out to inspect it.
Confusion met her mind as she looked down at it. Where had it come from? She didn't remember it ever being there before. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it, pulling the contents out.
Nelly felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach and shock shook her whole body. There in her hands were hundreds of pictures of Hermione. Each one looked to have been taken in secret. Her legs, her back, her chest. Random snaps of her everywhere.
Tears stung her eyes again, but she didn't have the energy to hold them back this time. Fanning through the pictures, her whole body went rigid when she landed on a particular one of Hermione in the shower. With shaking hands, the photos fell limply from her grip.
She just stood there staring at the pictures that had scattered all over the floor in disbelief, then it hit her... Hermione was really telling the truth... And instead of taking action when it was needed to protect her, she had shut her eyes to the truth and cast her out.
Nelly fell to her knees on the floor. Reaching across the floor, she scooped the pictures up in her arms messily and pressed them to her chest, and a strangled cry left her throat as the tears continued to pour down her face.
"Hermione..." She croaked... bringing her hands up to her face... as if to hide her guilt and shame.
Theo walked into the club room, the music flowing through him. Spotting his target, he walked confidently, and a little sexy if he might add, up to the group of people.
"Hi." He greeted each and every person, patting the men on the back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here, loser." One of the guys said, and Theo smirked, shrugging his shoulders.
"I thought this was where all the losers came." he said cockily.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" a guy jumped up, Theo placed his hand on his shoulder and patted it.
"Simmer down, I was just stating a fact here." He said, as he slyly slipped a plastic baggy of powdered sugar in the guys hooded shirt pocket.
He knew it was just sugar, but it looked like drugs and that was what he was going for.
"Alright, everyone up! Stand up on that wall!" A police officer yelled, busting through the doors. Everyone stood up from their spot and made their way to the side of the room where they were told.
"Oh! Drugs!" The police officer announced as he spotted one of the bags of sugar that Theo had planted on one of the guys.
"Everyone arms out!" He yelled, and went from person to person. Theo smirked when everyone but Pansy Parkinson and him were caught with something in their possession.
"All of you over here, and you two." He said pointing to Theo and Pansy. "I will have to bring you down to the station as well. You will be tested." The police officer said then turned his back on them.
Theo could almost laugh. That was the worst acting his uncle could ever do, but every single one of them fell for it.
"But I didn't do any drugs! They are the one who had it on them!" Pansy screeched. The police officer turned back around and faced her.
"But how do I know you didn't take them before I got here?" He replied, then turned back to the other guys and began to place them in cuffs.
Theo reached down and snatched Pansy's hand. She turned to him with a confused look. Nodding his head to the right, she smirked.
"Now!" Theo said, and began to drag her behind him, running out of the club. His uncle played his part and gave chase after them.
"Theo, I can't run in theses." Pansy said, pulling him to a stop and trying to get steady on the high heels she had on her feet. Looking behind them, Theo saw his uncle closing in on them and cursed.
"Sorry, but we have to go." He said, tossing her into his arms bridal style, then taking off running.
When they got far enough, Theo sat her back on her feet and pulled her into a very narrow passage way, covering her mouth with his hand when his uncle came zooming past them on a small moped.
Theo panted, their chests pressed so close together that he could feel her heart beating fast from the adrenalin. Feeling small dainty fingers crawl their way up the side of his chest and nestle on his neck, he looked down at Pansy. Her eyes glazed over in a sexy look.
"So... You wanna come over to my place?" she asked, her voice dripping sex appeal.
Looking up, Theo chuckled and smirked.
They toppled over onto the bed, and Theo slowly ran his hands up her sides, just barely grazing the skin as he reached her arms and hitched them up above her head.
Pulling a black bandana from his pocket, he ran his nose up the crook of her neck as he secured it to her hands and tied them to the bed post for extra leverage.
"Oh, I didn't know you were that kind of guy... Be gentle now... You don't want to hurt me..." she said her voice full of lust.
"Actually..." Theo said, his voice also dripping with lust... "You have it all wrong." He whispered in her ear, then pulled back and crawled off her bed.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she screeched, pulling on the binds he had her in. Theo just ignored her and went straight to her laptop.
"What's the password?" he asked seriously. Pansy just laughed spitefully.
"Like I'm going to tell you." She seethed, then pulled on the binds again. "And you're not smart enough to crack it either." She smirked.
Theo smiled sarcastically. Then held up a tiny black cord.
"Don't need to be, because all I need to know is what a power cord is." He smirked, then shoved the laptop in his bag.
Knowing he couldn't go out the same way he came in, Theo ran out onto the balcony, secured his bag to his back, climbed over the rail and jumped down as easily as he could. When he hit the ground, he could still hear Pansy screaming in her room. Flipping her the finger, he took off running.
Draco stood, looking into a mirror hanging in the hallway of Hermione's house. He pulled and twisted the tie around his neck but it just wouldn't go on right.
Hermione saw his frustration and smiled. Taking it upon herself, she walked up to Draco and turned him to face her. Taking his necktie in her hand, she unknotted it and started all over to tie it correctly.
"You know, after all of this, if we win this hearing; I'm going to have to thank you properly." She said, looping the tie through the knot and pulling it snugly to his neck, smoothing her hands down the lapels of his shirt.
"Oh and how do you propose to do that?" he teased. Hermione picked up her cup of coffee and took a gentle sip.
"Well, what do you give to someone who already has everything?" she asked, teasing back, then sighed. "How about... if we win, I'll cook you my best dish?" she asked.
"That's it? You're just going to cook for me?" He asked with a smirk. And Hermione swatted his shoulder playfully.
"I don't know how to do much besides cook, clean and other womanly things." She blushed. "But if you don't want it then...", she teased turning to walk away, but laughed when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to face him.
"Ok, fine, but I expect a feast, woman!" he teased, and Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry.
Grabbing his suit jacket from the hanger, she held it out to help him get into it, turning him back toward the mirror.
"You look as handsome as ever." She said, smiling back when he shot her one.
His smiles were infectious, but she couldn't get enough of them. If when they first met, he smirked, now it was a genuine smile and she loved it.
The room was quickly filling up with people who were there to argue the cases and those who were there just to witness the whole thing. Hermione felt strange. A bit of excitement as finally outing Danny for the pig he was and nervous because she had been told the opposing side was ruthless in his attempts to win at any cost. She could only hope that Draco was well prepared and they had enough witnesses to pick up the slack of their lack of evidence.
A shiver ran up her spine as Danny walked passed them to his side of the room, eyeing her as he sat at the table across from her. Draco noticed her body stiffen and placed his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner.
Where the hell was Theo with the video evidence? He was supposed to have been here by now. A gavel pounded on a podium, bringing the entire court to order.
"This is an investigative hearing to try and find out the truth behind what happened at the music hall on this law university campus. To find out if Miss Hermione Granger was, in fact, selling herself for money. The verdict will be passed by a jury made of the school board members. The hearing will start, Mr. Draco Malfoy may begin first." the Judge said.
Draco looked down at his papers for a minute before standing from his seat.
"I would like to call Miss Rita Skeeter to the stand." Draco began. Hermione watched as the woman took her place on the witness stand, and smiled at her.
"Miss Skeeter, please tell me what transpired at the fish stall the day before the incident in the music hall happened." Draco asked.
"Danny often comes in and buys a soft shell turtle from me, but on that day, he had brought Miss Granger in with him. Soft shell turtles are often said to be a sexual stimulant... And he had been talking nasty. When a man talks like that, it unnerves a woman. But something was different. Usually he is just talking in general, this time I felt as if he was targeting the poor girl with him. The things he was saying and the way he was saying them were... different. He kept staring at the poor girl... Finally she ran out of the stall and I didn't see her again that day. I felt it was my duty to tell Nelly. She often comes to dance class with me. So I warned her. But she didn't want to believe me." Rita answered. Draco nodded.
"So you are saying that on that day, he was specifically trying to corner my client?" Draco asked, and Rita nodded.
"Yes. I believe so." She answered. Draco nodded again.
"Thank you." He turned to the jury. "My client was innocent then and she is innocent now. This woman has seen the sexual harassment of my client up front. This proves that Mr. Danny knew exactly what he was doing." Draco said, then took his seat back at the table when the opposing side rose for his questioning.
They watched as he walked up to Rita and reached into her podium slowly. Rita jumped back, startled.
"What are you doing young man?" She asked wary. Pulling the mike up higher, the attorney stepped back.
"I'm only adjusting your Mic... Do you often mistake actions like this one for lewd ones?" he countered her.
"Well, a woman can never be too careful..." Rita said. And the attorney nodded in acceptance of her answer.
"Miss Skeeter, is Danny the only man who comes to your stall and talks dirty?" He asked, and Rita cringed.
"Well no... They all do it, but on that day, he was staring at her as if she was a piece of meat!"
"Miss Skeeter, is it possible you may have misread Mr. Danny's intentions, as you have just misread mine a few minutes ago?" Draco groaned.
"I... Well... He... uh..." Rita stuttered. She knew what she had seen, but this boy was tearing it to shreds in front of her. She saw him smirk.
"You may go sit back down Miss Skeeter, no further questions." He dismissed her.
Rita looked toward Hermione with sad eyes.
"I'm so sorry... I wasn't much help..." She said softly, then took her seat.
The opposing side called another older woman up to the stand and Hermione recognized her as the wife of the man at the wine store she worked for a few months ago.
"Miss Granger worked for you, am I correct?" they began and the woman nodded quickly.
"Yes, I had hired her. She had seemed to be an honest girl and so sweet. But it's the sweet ones you have to look out for." The woman started, shooting a glare at Hermione from her spot.
"Yes, and what was it that changed your perspective of Miss Granger?"
"My husband became very fond of the girl quickly. And I caught them whispering to each other one day. He had given her a bottle of our most valuable wine. At the time I brushed it off... But now that I find out what she has been doing with her time, I suspect she was sleeping with my husband, and that wine was the payment she requested." The woman said, and Hermione felt appalled.
"Draco, I was given a bottle of wine, but the boss said it was a bonus for my hard work in the shop. He wouldn't let me pay for it even though I had tried." she whispered. Draco smirked, knowing exactly what to do as he looked over the woman's papers.
Standing to his feet, Draco paced in front of her slowly, before he narrowed his eyes at the woman in front of him in a scrutinizing manner.
"Miss Allen, it is said that you were once an accountant at a factory for canned goods, am I correct?" He asked.
"Yes, I worked there for several years." Draco nodded.
"And you received a bonus of sorts yearly, maybe monthly right?" he asked again. She eyed him skeptically.
"Well yes, but I don't see how this is relevant-"
"Oh, it's relevant. I was under the impression that the wine that your husband gave to my client was for a bonus for her work in the shop. So it's safe to say, that since you have also received bonuses from your previous jobs, that you must also be charged with soliciting your body for money... correct?" Draco asked, smirking when the woman was completely gob smacked. And the crowd roared in his favor.
Hermione watched the woman leave the stand, and felt a shiver roll up her spine at the glare she shot her way. She wasn't afraid of her in the slightest, but to know that someone hated you so much was unsettling. And Hermione couldn't understand what she had done for these people to attack her like they were.
The opposing attorney called forth a couple to the stand, and Hermione had a bad feeling in her chest. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she felt this hearing was about to turn and it wouldn't be in her favor.
"Please tell the court what you witnessed", the attorney said.
"We were walking around that night. I had just recently had a bad break up and was hurting. He was comforting me. We had been sitting outside on the benches right outside the music hall since 4 AM and not even once did we see anyone enter the hall. But about 9 in the morning, we saw two people walk out, and they seemed to have been in there all night." The attorney nodded.
"Are those people here now in the court room?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips, and Hermione shut her eyes in dread as they raised their hands and pointed in the direction of her and Draco.
"Yes. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger." They said at the same time.
Draco cursed as his opponent to the depths of hell and back. He could feel his hands itching to knock that rotten tooth smirk off of his face.
"Draco Malfoy isn't here to prove the innocence of this girl, because she isn't innocent at all. He's here to hopefully cover up his own mistakes." Slamming his hands on the table, he pointed at Draco again.
"This is by far the greatest scandal this school has ever seen!" He yelled with emphasis on the word scandal.
The court proceeded to pick on Hermione and accuse her. But no matter how bad the opponent smashed her name, Draco always found a way to counter each and every one of them even when it looked as if there was nothing else they could do... He always seemed to pull through somehow.
Theo ran into Harry's room and, finding him still asleep in bed, he cursed, kicking him lightly to wake him up.
"What the hell are you doing still asleep?! The hearing has already started!" Theo dragged Harry from his bed and planted him in the chair in front of Pansy's computer. Numbers and codes flashing fast across the screen.
"Theo, the program is still running. There is nothing I can do right now", he stated with irritation, groggily.
"Hurry up! We need that video!" Theo yelled desperately. It was a good thing that Theo was family to Harry, or Harry probably would have socked him in the jaw by now. Nodding, Harry began to furiously type in codes on the computer to speed up the process.
When the last code was cracked, the computer finally unlocked and Harry hurried to make a copy of the video and handed it to Theo. With a pat to Harry's back, Theo ran from the room and made his way to the hearing.
"Mr. Danny you are Miss Grangers... uncle?" the opponent asked. Danny nodded his head, not completely looking anyone in the eyes.
"And Draco Malfoy was the one who inflicted you with your injuries, am I correct?" Danny nodded again.
"Yes, these are all of my medical records... I am still in a lot of pain." Danny stated, goading the jury to feel pity for him.
"I will try to get you justice for how you have been wronged", his attorney stated.
"Please tell us what happened that night." Danny looked towards Hermione, and began his story.
"I had heard that Draco and his family were going to be at a charity event. I knew that Hermione went to meet up with Draco every night and when I heard he wasn't going to be there, I went to bring her home. When I got there, she threw herself at me. I refused, and I ended up having to get a little rough with her to get her to stop. Then Draco walked in. Maybe it's because he witnessed me shoving her off of me, I do not know, but he attacked me." The attorney nodded.
"Mr. Malfoy is known for his quick temper and for taking the law into his own hands quite literally. I believe Mr. Malfoy flew into a jealous rage at seeing Miss Granger trying to be with another and attacked a helpless man. It cannot be ignored!" He yelled, then took his seat.
Draco stood from his seat. Oh, he was going to bust their balls. He was getting really sick and tired of them trying to pin things on them that were not even in the slightest bit true.
Draco eyed Danny with a glare.
"Home. The word home has great meaning to it. It's a place that is supposed to be the safest... Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Danny?" Draco started.
"Yes." It was short, but Draco went on.
"And would you say that Miss Granger felt she was safe in your home?" he asked. Danny eyed Draco.
"What are you saying exactly Mr. Malfoy?" Danny challenged, and Draco smirked.
"I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Danny. Everyone please look this way." Draco clicked a button on a remote control and a white screen dropped from the ceiling. Pictures projected onto the screen. Hermione recognized them to be the locks that were littered on her bedroom door.
"Three locks. Tell me, Jury, if you felt safe in your home, would you install three locks on your bedroom door?" Then turned to Danny.
"I ask you again, Mr. Danny; would you say that Miss Granger felt safe in your home?" Draco leveled his eyes on him. He could see Danny squirming.
"O..Of course she did." He said to quickly.
"Upon investigating your home for evidence, we also found planks in the shower house, fitting the exact size of the window. Why would Miss Granger feel the need to install so many locks on her door and cover the shower house window with planks if she felt safe?" Danny was getting nervous. He could feel his mask slipping and he didn't know if he would make it through the interrogation.
"I don't know. She was always a weird child." He explained.
"I'll tell you why. Because she was protecting herself from a monster who lived with her. You knew that I wouldn't be there that night, and knew that she would be alone. So that defeats your argument that you were going to save her from me. You had motive! In fact, you planned the whole thing!" Draco finished, slamming his hand down on the podium in front of Danny.
The room erupted in shock, and Draco took his seat again, nodding his head to Hermione when she was called up to the stand.
"Miss Granger. You would meet Mr. Malfoy in the music hall every night am I correct?" The opponent asked.
"Yes, I saw the piano through the window when I was walking one night. When Mr. Malfoy heard me playing, he asked me to come back and play again. It became something we just did. We would meet and I would play the piano. Nothing more", she stated firmly, even though her nerves were a jumbled mess.
"It seems a bit farfetched when you think about it. You just played the piano... all night." He stated, then shook his head. "Then tell me, how did you get your cell phone. Your uncle says you never had one before..." He probed and Hermione felt her heart begin to race in her chest. It was a trap and she knew it. But she didn't have a choice but to walk right into it.
"Mr. Malfoy gave it to me for my own protection." She explained. The attorney smirked.
"Or, he gave it to you as payment for services... And you used it to keep contact with him and your other clients", he accused and Hermione shook her head.
"No! He knew I was living in fear, and told me that if Danny tried to touch me again to call the cops", she rushed out.
"And why didn't you call the cops? If what you're saying is true, then you had many opportunities", he stated. Hermione dropped her head, tears threatening to come to her eyes.
"I didn't want to hurt my aunt..." Before she could get the rest out, he took those words and went with them.
"No, you sold yourself and received the cell phone. You worked not only for money but for anything else they could pay you with, the phone, the wine..."
"I didn't... I didn't!" Hermione yelled, feeling her control slipping and the tears threatening to spill.
"You came here to pin it all on an innocent man so you could keep doing what you are doing..." Hermione wiped her eyes.
"I have never taken advantage of anyone! I have not lied about anything!" She yelled frantically.
"Then tell me one person who can vouch for you, because Miss Granger, this trial isn't going in your favor!" Draco slammed his hands on the table and rose from his seat.
"That's enough!" He yelled, glaring at the attorney who was recently attacking his client mercilessly.
Leaving from around his table, Draco guided Hermione back to her seat before taking up the center of the room again.
"I was once a man who believed that all women were parasites, sucking the life and money from men, and were worth nothing. But it was Miss Granger that brought me out of the dark and into the light. Call it what you will but it's true. They said I was only here to cover up my own mistakes... They were very wrong. Because I will stand here today and admit that I have made many. I was lucky. I didn't have to work for a living, I had plenty of money. I didn't have to worry about my door being opened in the middle of the night and being harassed by my uncle-" Draco slammed both of his palms on the desk in front of Danny, and he jumped, startled. "While I was sleeping", he continued.
"But Hermione didn't get that luxury. She had to think about everyone else. Her aunt would have been devastated. So she dealt with the abuse and locked herself up tight when she could. Constantly fending off his unwanted gestures. Tell me what all of you would have done in her situation?" Draco turned to Hermione. His stormy eyes bore down into hers.
"I will never allow that kind of pain to be inflicted on her again. I will protect her with everything I have because it's the right thing to do and because I have never met a girl who makes me want to be better, for her... I hope that you jury will consider that." He said, eyeing them all down, then taking his seat at the table with Hermione.
"The jury will deliberate together and come to a verdict. We shall resume in half an hour." The judge banged his gavel.
(A/N: Hello again! I'm gonna make this as short and sweet as possible. Thank you for reading! And if you liked the story, please leave a review and give me a chance to thank you for your support. I really to appreciate it guys. Yall are awesome! Don't forget to FAVE/FOLLOW/REVIEW!)
