Chapter 18:
A/N: My lovely readers, Happy Holidays! I wanted to thank each and everyone one of you for sticking with me the past months and not giving up on me. It has been an extremely challenging semester at school and in life in general. I will try to write and update as much as possible. Enough excuses…Without further ado – Chapter 18! I do love a good review by the way!
Today was the day. The trial. Harry awoke in Sirius' room of Grimmauld Place, looking in the mirror. He looked tired. Ever since Draco had told Harry about his feelings for Hermione two days ago, he had been staying with him at Grimmauld. It was not as though the two had become friends, but they had a consensus – they understood each other. Harry understood the love that Draco had for Hermione, and the pain and agony he felt as he walked towards his imminent imprisonment and death. It wasn't just about him anymore, it was about those around him. He could care. Harry wasn't sure what came to more of shock to Draco – the fact he had feelings for Hermione Granger, or the fact that he had feelings for someone other than himself.
Harry smirked, thinking about the internal confusion his blonde-haired housemate must be facing. Arriving at his door, he lightly knocked on Draco's door, opening the door a crack. Draco was seated fast asleep on his windowsill. Harry felt a pang of guilt. He had to wake him, had to take him to the trial. He felt an odd sense of loyalty to Draco, for what he had done, and what he was about to do. Harry knew that both Hermione and Ginny would bombard him with questions. Why had he stayed the extra nights? What had Malfoy said? Had he hurt him? Had they fought? Harry felt as though he owed some kind of "guy code" to Draco. They had come to an understanding, one that not many others would be alright with. When they asked, he wouldn't tell, only when Draco was ready.
Tapping Draco's shoulder, the blonde awakened to look up at Harry.
"I guess this is it" he said solemnly. Harry nodded and walked out of the room to prepare breakfast. The rest of the morning passed quickly for Harry. They prepared one last time, then Harry put the necessary charms on Draco, leading him gently to the fireplace.
"Ministry of Magic" Harry spoke loudly and clearly, and stepped into the green flames.
They stepped out into pure chaos. Everyone was running around them. There were people running to the courtroom trying to find a seat. There were journalists and their entourages running in each every direction. The robes of the Winzegamot billowed around them as there was a mass entrance into Courtroom Number 3.
"We wait here," Harry whispered to Draco, "until everyone is inside. Then I guess I bring you in." They just stood for what seemed hours, as everyone ran around them, not even noticing them.
"Where is Mr. Longbottom?! Has anyone seen Neville Longbottom?!" One woman in rust colored robes shouted from one corner of the large courtroom foyer. Everyone in the room immediately turned around looking at those nearest them, to see if in fact, it was Neville Longbottom.
Harry just watched the chaos happening around him, hand firmly grasping Malfoy's shirt. His attention shifted when he saw a head of straw-like platinum blonde hair. Harry's heart rose in his throat as he thought it could have been none other than Lucius Malfoy himself. The fidgeting man immediately turned, eyes landing on the two of them, a nervous look in his eye.
"Ah! Xenophilius, we've been looking everywhere for you!" the woman in rust colored robes muttered to him, pulling him into the corner with her. Lovegood's eyes were trained on Harry and Draco, as though nothing else was in the room. Harry felt Draco shiver slightly underneath his grasp – he had felt it too. The two were so immersed in the previous events that they hadn't even realized the room had cleared out.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted behind the pair. Harry immediately doubled around to see the smaller Hermione, eyes a little redder than usual, with dark circles underneath. Her breath visibly hitched as she realized that Malfoy too was there, now looking at her. Harry watched her brow furrow in concentration, she was avoiding looking at him, at Draco.
"Well! What do you think you're doing?! You have to bring him in now…they're waiting!" Harry snapped back into reality, pulling Draco along with him. This was really it.
oooooooooooo
All he saw was her. Even through all the chaos and everyone running in each and every direction, tripping over their robes, over their shoes, Draco only saw Hermione. She stood in the back of the room, fiddling with her hair nervously and chewing her lip. A sense of calm came over him. Even in all of this chaos and screaming and running, all he saw was her. What if he hadn't said all of those hurtful things to purposefully upset her? Would she still stand next to him? Would she still have worked as hard as his prosecutor? All Draco Malfoy could do was question.
What if Hermione was the only one able enough to get him off an Azkaban sentence? What if she was his only way out? All the negativity and anxiety came flooding back in. The room started to move again, and Draco lost sight of Hermione. This was it. He had pushed her away, she wasn't going to help him. He was going to Azkaban, where he would face daily pain and sadness, and eventually where he would be murdered. It was his fate. But he deserved it right? Again with the questions, Draco chided himself.
"Harry!" he heard her shout, and suddenly he was facing her. She wouldn't look at him, he knew that much. But oh, could he look at her. He eyes were bloodshot and red, the soft skin underneath them dark and purple. She hadn't been sleeping well, probably crying too. He had done that.
Draco stood transfixed as Harry and Hermione exchanged words. Draco could tell that Harry was assessing the situation as well. He spoke slowly and kept his eyes moving around her face. The next thing he knew Draco was walking towards the courtroom. Yet, his eyes couldn't move. He couldn't bare to lose sight of her now. She was all he had. The only one. For just one second, her eyes bore into his. He saw her anger, her frustration, her anxiety, and her sadness. This was really it. He passed the threshold, and was handed off to Ernie Macmillan – a Ravenclaw he barely remembered from Hogwarts. Harry had told him that in light of Hermione stepping down as his lawyer, Ernie had been appointed to him. Harry had also added in phrases like "not to worry", "all of Hermione's documents", and "I've spoken with him myself" to attempt to make Draco feel better. But Draco wasn't feeling right now. Everything was numb.
oooooooooooo
Ernie Macmillan stood sweating in front of what seemed to be thousands of people.
"Citizens of Wizarding London, and fair Justices of the Winzegamot. Today we sit and listen to the momentous trial of known Death Eater and follower of Voldemort, Draco Malfoy." There was a hushed whisper around the room, but Ernie pressed on, "I will argue diligently, that Mr. Malfoy does not in fact share the same views as Lord Voldemort and his followers, but actually resents them. He was only forced to follow them for fear of the death of he and his family. In light of recent events, namely the murder of Mr. Malfoy's father Lucius, I argue the punishment of life in Azkaban as unfit and inhumane, leading to Mr. Malfoy's most swift murder."
The room was in uproar. Some were stunned, mouths wide in shock. Others were understanding, brows furrowed in thought. Reactions in the room came from those who thought he was completely wrong. Citizens stood pointing and screaming at Malfoy as though he was Voldemort himself. Ernie swallowed - Harry had prepared him for this. He remembered Hermione's notes and moved on.
"I will begin with the questioning of Draco Malfoy himself. Mr. Malfoy, was it ever your intent to become a Death Eater your sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" the crowd was silent, waiting on Draco's answer.
"I never had the intent of becoming of Death Eater." Draco started with some reaction from the crowd, "One day I was called in to speak with my father, but instead was greeted by Voldemort himself. I remember being frozen with fear, unsure if this was the scene of my death or of my family. Lord Voldemort threatened me that night. He threatened that if I did not take the Dark Mark, and plotted to kill Albus Dumbledore, that my family and all of those I cared for would suffer as I watched. That night, he branded me with evil, and I took it like the unemotional man my father wanted me to be. But when I returned to my room the vomit and bile seeping in my intestines came out. I don't think I have ever truly slept soundly since that day."
Ernie was mesmerized. Harry had been right. Hermione Granger had prepared everything and coached Malfoy to the tee. He would be the star witness, his only job was to ask the right questions. Surely enough the trial proceeded well. Ernie used the emotion of the crowd and of the Justices to tailor which question he posed next. Draco went through his family history, his sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts, his capture and eventual house arrest at Grimmauld Place. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, hanging off of his every word. Ernie couldn't believe it. Hermione Granger might have actually done the impossible. Draco Malfoy could walk free.
oooooooooooo
"Dear Neville,
Malfoy must go to Azkaban. He's gotten too close to Hermione. I'm worried. You're the only person I know who would share my views, and would actually be able to do something about it, with you being on the Winzegamot and all.
Ron"
Ron's letter kept replaying in Neville's mind as Malfoy spoke before the courtroom. He listened to Malfoy's words, about his past and his father's harsh punishments, and how scared he was of the Dark Lord. Rubbish. Neville could see it now – how bad Draco wanted to be free. He would literally say anything. He knew that Ron had been slightly misguided in thinking that Draco being in Azkaban would bring him back Hermione, but Draco did belong in Azkaban.
Neville did the only sensible thing he could think of at that moment. A trick taught to him by one of his best, and most intelligent friends, Hermione Granger. He began to list the pros and cons of Draco Malfoy going to Azkaban prison for a life sentence. Cons. His eyes wandered to Hermione sitting in the back of the room, face etched in sadness and worry as Draco spoke. She knew this trial; she had come up with it all. She would be a mess if she failed and her dear Draco ended up in Azkaban. There was also Harry, who had some kind of strange attachment to the blonde. He had seen them muttering to each other as he had stormed in late to the trial. Then there was Ron. The disgusting satisfaction Ronald Weasley would get from seeing his life-long nemesis imprisoned would be nauseating. He knew that he would try to get Hermione back, which wouldn't eventually work. Neville loved his friends, but wondered just how much Malfoy affected all of them.
That led him to Pros. Malfoy had a strange hold over those that he cared about most. Azkaban would take that away. Of course, he would have to deal with a broken Hermione and a brooding Harry, all while listening to a confused and overzealous Ron, but Malfoy would be gone. They would move on, and everything would go back to normal. That was a big pro – normalcy. Ever since the war, he had his friends had had no time for themselves. They were always working for others. Whether it was an assignment for the Aurors' office or a cameo interview for Witch Weekly, they now had to think about those outside of their immediate lives. It had been hard, and overwhelming. The introduction of Draco Malfoy, and the possibility that he might walk free brought back everything that Neville and his friends had sought to avoid. Malfoy would bring back the press and the assignments and the attention. Just when things were starting to finally calm down.
Neville continued to think as the trial ended, and the rust colored robes of him and his colleagues billowed out of the back door. The court of the Winzegamot was unceremoniously locked into another room, with the head Justices taking their seats at the front. He looked at the seven – Minister of Magic himself Kingsley Shaklebolt could really go either way. Everyone knew that he had a soft spot for Harry, but he still maintained a just and fair order at the Ministry. Then there was Percy Weasley – Undersecretary to the Minister, who would surely vote against Malfoy because of past family squabbles. Neville continued looking throughout the room, pegging each individual's vote. That's what it really came down to in these Winzegamot trials – who voted which way. The system was that there was an hour of discussion after the trial, and that each member of the court would vote. If the vote was a tie, it would be settled by the seven Justices, thus guaranteeing a verdict.
As the discussion commenced, Neville's answer became solidified. It was going to a close one. Kingsley believed Malfoy, while Percy was adamantly resistant. Neville kept flashing back to Ron's letter, Hermione's worried face, and the pros and cons list he had so deligently worked on during the trial's proceedings. One man who spoke up a lot was Xenophilius Lovegood. Neville had immediately written him off, considering that the Malfoys had imprisoned Luna during the war. However, Lovegood was beginning to advocate for Malfoy's gradual release back into society. He was arguing a half-verdict.
"I have heard enough from the Malfoy boy to put enough doubt into his actions" he started softly, "He has told us of his father's evil ways and those of his Lord. He has also told us how he reluctantly agreed to abide by all of these ways, as pain and discomfort it may have caused him. Finally, he tells us he is changed: he never wished for War or death, and that he had in fact never wanted Dumbledore's death. In my mind, I want to believe that the infamous Malfoy heir is reformed and no longer a threat to our now safe society. But I do not necessarily think we should write him off so easily. Let us consider his living conditions as of late. He has been living in Harry Potter's house – the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, with Auror and war-hero Hermione Granger! He has had no wand, and no outside contact! How can we really be sure that Draco Malfoy – known supporter of Lord Voldemort – will not revert to his old ways as soon as he is given his wand and let out of his cage? We must watch him fellow Justices; give him a taste of freedom; before we can truly make an educated, informed, and fair decision."
That introduced an unprecedented third option on the table. For the first time in history, the verdict of this hearing was not just guilty or innocent, but come back in a few weeks. This caused some uproar in the chambers, but some seemed to align with the frazzled and nervous man. Kinglsey Shaklebolt was deep in thought as Percy Weasley – just as any other Weasley – flailed about the room, yelling about how unjust and unfair it would be give Draco Malfoy a second chance. Many sided with Weasley, as Draco Malfoy had caused so many problems for the Ministry of Magic as of late. Some seemed to digest Xenophilius Lovegood's proposition. Neville agreed that Lovegood did have a point. There was a doubt, that Malfoy had been pushed and forced, that he had never wanted it, and that he was sorry and reformed. But there was no way a final verdict could be sure of such a thing. The chambers chattered loudly for the next twenty minutes, but Neville remained silent in thought. His pros and cons list had to be changed. He had to consider alternative possibilities. His mind was on overload.
A small time in the front of the room lightly chimed five times, indicating that it was time to caste votes. Neville thought one more time of the past three hours of his life. He had three distinct options. Freedom, Azkaban, or reassessment.
Thinking inwardly, Neville knew he had decided long ago – perhaps still in the courtroom. It hadn't even been Ronald Weasley's letter that had brought him to this decision. In Neville's eyes, Draco Malfoy was still the boy he had been in Hogwarts, because that was the only person he knew him to be. Unlike Hermione and Harry had told him – he hadn't witnessed the changed Draco Malfoy. He only saw the emotionless boy walking across the hall, an evil smirk on his face. Neville had really known what his answer would have been all along. On the tiny slip of paper that had just magically appeared before him, he wrote in magical ink – Azkaban.
ooooooooooo
Hermione Granger glanced at her watch for the fourth time. Harry put a hand on her wrist to steady her, "The bell has just chimed 'Mione, we'll know soon enough." Hermione couldn't understand what was going through her mind. On one hand, she was furious with Draco Malfoy, He had punched her in the gut, and as she was lying helpless, had kicked her. He had told her that all the hours she had put in to helping him were useless, that all of his advances were just for a shag, that she didn't matter to him. But she couldn't stomach the fear of losing him to Azkaban.
Hermione was slightly upset with herself for letting Draco Malfoy affect her the way that he did. Her and Draco had been romantically involved for a little over two weeks. She had no real attachment to him. They had only snogged! She kicked herself for letting him get to her. She was Hermione Granger. She was strong. She didn't need a man! But Draco still affected her this way. Sure, she was upset and hurt about what he had said to her a few nights ago, and she still hadn't forgiven him. But she was still undeniably nervous. Draco could be going to Azkaban, and she didn't know if she was ok with that.
There was a hush that came over courtroom 3 as the Justices of the Winzegamot came back into the room. Draco was led back into the room and sat in his chair. Hermione could see only his back. The citizens whispered to themselves and waiting for Kingsley Shaklebolt to clear his throat and announce the verdict. The low rumble of the crowd soon died down as Kingsley began to straighten his robes. Hermione grasped Harry's hand and watch Draco visibly shiver.
"Citizens of Wizarding London, we have been called today to listen and rule the charges accused on one Draco Abraxas Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, consisting of aligning with Lord Voldemort and fighting against the Light. We have heard his case. He argues that he never truly wanted to be branded as a Death Eater, and that he only did such things to protect his life and that of his family and friends. As a court of Justices, we feel as though we have not heard enough." The courtroom erupted. The sound in Hermione's ears was deafening. People around her were screaming in fright, yelling in disagreement. All Hermione could do was squeeze Harry's hand.
Kingsley cleared his throat and pressed on, "In our proceedings, we discussed the notion of doubt. Mr. Malfoy's accounts have put enough doubt into our reasoning, that we would see it unfit to remand him to Azkaban Prison right away. However, we feel as though the conditions of his house arrest have not been conducive to assessing whether Mr. Malfoy would be ready to return to society. Therefore, our verdict – though very close called – is to grant Draco Malfoy a month-long period, living at 12 Grimmauld Place accompanied by Aurors, with the use of a wand. After this month-long period, the Winzegamot court will reassess whether Mr. Malfoy was indeed forced into submission to the Dark Lord's wishes. Until then, the Winzegamot rests, and the court is adjourned."
Hermione released Harry's hand immediately. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her. Draco was walking out of the courtroom. With a wand. For a two-week period. He would be reevaluated. There was hope. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't sit down! Draco had stood up now and was frantically looking through the crowd. He was looking for her. There was a fluttering in her stomach. She had to speak to him she had to be near him.
Hermione started hopping down the aisles of courtroom, down to the center, where Draco stood looking for her. She was halfway down when Draco found her. For a moment, they just looked at each other. Fire. Draco's eyes were on fire. She had never seen so much passion in his eyes. She rushed down the last few eyes, and practically threw herself at Draco. He held her tightly.
"Hermione. I never meant to hurt you. Please understand. I didn't want you do get hurt. I didn't want to leave you. I didn't want to be sad when I was gone. Please forgive me." His voice was hushed and urgent. He needed her. He was sorry. But none of that mattered now. They were together. Even though the courtroom buzzed around them, Hermione heard none of it. All she saw was smoldering silver. She then did the only thing that her body would allow her to do. She reached her hands up, taking Draco's face in her hands, and kissed him. And she was lost.
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