White shirt. Vest. Tie. Robes. Slacks. Shoes.
Everything was laid out, but Scorpius couldn't bear to put them on. He just sat on his trunk, eyeing his clothes spitefully and clutching his mug of hot cocoa as if drinking it slower would somehow delay the moment they had to leave.
Flint, Farley and Pucey were all milling about, getting ready for the long day of classes ahead, picking up books and notes - all the things that usually irritated Scorpius to do. Today, though, he wished he were on his way to Charms.
Albus walked over to him, his shirt still open, putting on his belt. Albus never wore a belt unless it was with his uniform.
"Are you going to get dressed? Or are you going in your pajamas?"
"I'll get dressed in a minute," Scorpius said.
Albus hooked his thumbs on the pockets of his pants and looked down at him. Scorpius stared at him - open shirt, combed hair, tie undone around his neck. There were suddenly many more things he'd rather be doing than getting ready to testify before the Wizengamot.
"You've got to get dressed, Scorp," Albus said. "We said we'd meet Ainsley at McGonagall's office."
"I know what we said," Scorpius mumbled. "That doesn't mean I want to do it."
"You've got hot chocolate on your face," Albus said, buttoning his shirt. Scorpius was disappointed.
"I'm aware."
Albus took Scorpius' mug from his hands and set it aside.
"Come on," he said, gesturing for Scorpius to stand, which he did with the utmost reluctance.
"Al -"
"Quiet," Albus said gently, holding out Scorpius' grey trousers. Scorpius sighed and shed his pajamas and began getting dressed. It felt like starting a slow march off a cliff.
Albus held out Scorpius' shirt and helped him into it before picking up Scorpius' favorite blue tie, winding it into his collar and swatting Scorpius' hand away when he tried to take over.
"It's one day," Albus said. "It's going to be a long day, but it's one day."
"I know," said Scorpius, resigned.
"And we're going to see your dad. You love seeing your dad."
"I do."
"And after the trial is over, we'll probably go out for dinner with my parents or something. And you know they'll take you wherever you want to go."
"I know, but..." Scorpius trailed off as Albus slid the Windsor knot into place, buttoning the top button of Scorpius' shirt for him.
"But what?" Albus asked. He placed his hands on Scorpius' forearms so he couldn't avoid eye contact or the question. Scorpius suddenly understood why Mr. Potter was so good at his job - those bright green eyes were very difficult to ignore or lie to.
"What if they don't put her away?" Scorpius asked, his voice quiet. Albus was staring him down, and he had to look away.
"That's what you're worried about?"
"Well, yes. People get out on technicalities all the time -"
"Scorp, if they don't put her in Azkaban, I can promise you that you'll have nothing to worry about. You're in control of your powers now and can defend yourself with or without a wand."
"I guess so -"
"Also, your dad and I will kill her with our bare hands. So really you shouldn't be concerned."
The way Albus was looking at him, Scorpius was pretty sure he wasn't exaggerating. Still, he was nervous for a hundred different reasons.
"By tonight we'll be at your home, in front of the fire, and your dad will give you as much brandy as you can drink. We don't have to be back here until tomorrow afternoon," Albus reminded him, and Scorpius nodded, letting Albus help him into his vest and robes.
Professor McGonagall had given Scorpius a cup of tea while they waited for Ainsley. This was the first time he'd seen her in more than passing since December, and he was grateful to be bak in her office, even if it was only for a moment.
"I'm glad to see you're not having control issues anymore," McGonagall told him. "At the very least, you've gained that."
"Yes," said Scorpius. "At the very least."
She looked at him piteously. He was tired of being pitied but new there was much more of it on the way.
"Are you alright, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked quietly. He glanced at Albus who was pacing, staring up at the currently-unmoving portraits of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
Two hired aurors (or mercenaries, Scorpius hadn't asked) had followed them into McGonagall's office when they left the Slytherin common room, and stayed near the door, silent but imposing. Scorpius glanced at back at them - their stoic, unmoving faces unnerving him as they did daily - before looking back to McGonagall.
"I'll be fine, professor. But I have been wanting to thank you. I think... I think what you taught me... before..."
Scorpius spoke slowly, choosing his words as carefully as he could.
"I think it may have saved my life."
McGonagall's expression softened as Ainsley opened the door and entered, muttering apologies.
"I'm glad I could help, Malfoy," McGonagall said quietly as Albus tore his eyes from Severus Snape's unmoving portrait to greet Ainsley.
Scorpius stood up and McGonagall took his mug from him and gave him a small pat on the shoulder.
"You'll be fine," she assured him.
Anxiety was written all over Ainsley's face when Scorpius looked at her. She wore her glasses and a proper set of robes over a yellow cardigan, and he wondered if it was an act of defiance - one last reminder to her mother that her only child was a Hufflepuff.
McGonagall regarded them all as they stood before the fireplace.
"It's terrible that the three of you must do this," she said. "I do wish there was something I could do to help."
"Thank you, professor," Ainsley said from between Albus and Scorpius. McGonagall handed a small cup of Floo powder to Albus.
"Shall we?" he asked. Scorpius nodded and together, they stepped into the flames.
Draco Malfoy was exactly where he said he'd be - standing in front of the Ministry's central fountain. He was pacing, hands folded behind his back, pointedly ignoring the stares of Ministry workers passing by on their way to meetings and their offices.
As they approached, Scorpius was surprised to see Dania sitting on the edge of the fountain nearby, watching him pace. She met Scorpius' eyes and grabbed Draco's sleeve as he passed her again and pointed to Scorpius, Albus, and Ainsley approaching.
They were too far away to hear in the echoes of the atrium, but Scorpius saw his father's mouth form his name and he smiled just a bit, quickening his pace and rushing to hug him.
Draco embraced Scorpius and held onto him for an extra beat.
"It's good to see you," Draco said as he released Scorpius. He shook Albus' hand, grasping his shoulder for an instant, and embraced Ainsley, who stayed close to his side as Dania stepped to his shoulder, smiling half-heartedly at Scorpius and Albus.
Scorpius smiled in spite of himself. If Dania was here, that meant things were going well.
"It's good to see you both, even given the circumstances," Dania said. She looked to Scorpius. "You look much better than when I last saw you."
"Thanks," said Scorpius. "Albus has been taking good care of me."
"I was sorry to hear about the Quidditch team," Draco said. Dania's eyes flickered to Albus' cane.
"It's okay," said Albus dismissively. Scorpius had noticed how skilled he'd gotten at passing off disappointment, and it hurt him deeply.
Draco looked to his watch, tense.
"We should get going. Harry is going to meet us down there."
Scorpius walked at his father's side as they crossed the atrium to the elevators.
"Are things going well with Dania?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure she was well out of earshot.
Draco gave him a small reserved smile. "Well enough."
"That tells me absolutely nothing," Scorpius said. "Do you see each other a lot?"
"Most days," Draco said.
"I'm glad," Scorpius told him. "Really, I am."
He thought of his mother, pale and smiling at him as she lay in bed a few days before her death, making them promise to be happy - whatever that meant. Scorpius hadn't understood what that would mean for his father then, but he did now.
The elevator ride felt longer than it was to Albus, who remembered making this same trip before with Draco Malfoy. He'd been in dirty Quidditch robes then. He reached for Scorpius' hand and held it tight until the doors opened.
The hallway to the Wizengamot chamber was long, and as they turned and walked into the room, Albus remembered Hermione hugging him, telling him everything would be okay.
Neither Scorpius or Albus had been in the Wizengamot chamber before, but Scorpius found it breathtaking in its darkness. The black benches rose along the sides of the rounded room like a stadium, and ahead of them stood the large, raised podium where the Chief Warlock would preside, and to either side were the members of the Wizengamot milling about, talking to one another.
Scorpius spotted Hermione ahead at the center of the room, talking with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry and Ron were nearby, and the room was beginning to fall into order as nine o'clock neared.
Harry spotted Albus and met them in the middle.
"They're about to begin," Harry said. He looked at all of their faces, one at a time. "Are you ready?"
"I want to get it over with," said Scorpius.
Behind Harry's back was a disturbance, and they looked to see the source. The prisoners, silenced and bound with magic, had been brought in, locked in an iron cage that was lowered onto a podium above the highest seats by several wizards in black.
Scorpius adjusted his glasses and looked at Daphne. She was staring down at him, screaming within the cage, but no sound escaped the bars. She was yelling wildly, her eyes darting around, and Scorpius wondered if she'd gone mad.
Judging by the annoyed look on Pansy Parkinson's face, however, they could hear each other within the cage.
Selwyn and Tarvers looked miserable, and were silent. They were seated with their arms restrained behind their backs, and Scorpius hoped spitefully that their shoulders were as sore as his had been.
Beside him, he heard a small, strangled sound, and turned to see that Ainsley had buried her face in Draco's shoulder. He placed a hand on her back and leaned in to speak to her quietly.
"This is going to be over soon," Scorpius said.
"You'll always have a home with Scorpius and I," Draco said. Scorpius looked at his father as he kept an arm around Ainsley. The concern on his face was genuine, and he knew that Astoria would be grateful that he'd taken such care for her niece despite Daphne's actions.
Ainsley sniffed and Scorpius saw that she'd started crying. He handed her his handkerchief and she wiped away the wetness under her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Ainsley said.
"Don't be," said Scorpius. "Your whole family has been torn apart. You should be upset."
Ainsley looked up at the cage and Scorpius followed Draco's eyes to where Pansy sat in irksome silence.
"She doesn't deserve Azkaban," Scorpius murmured to Draco. "Pansy tried, at least... she regretted it."
"We'll see what the Wizengamot decides," Draco said. "Just tell the truth. It's out of our hands."
Scorpius looked up at her again and hoped that what he'd done was enough.
Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice boomed around the room, silencing its occupants.
"Let us begin," said Shacklebolt, now standing at the center of the room. Albus and Scorpius followed Harry, Draco, and Ainsley to their place in the first row of seats, directed by one of the Ministry attendants.
"Do you have to do this often?" Albus asked Harry.
"I'm in here a few times a month," said Harry. "For various cases. Listen, Scorpius -"
Harry was cut off by Shacklebolt's booming voice asking everyone to take their seats. He sighed, clearly irritated.
Albus sat down on the bench beside Scorpius, who was looking somewhat shell-shocked, staring straight ahead at the marble floor. He sat as close as he could and slipped his hand into Scorpius', acutely aware of the flashes coming from the press gallery.
"You're not alone," whispered Albus.
Scorpius nodded, his eyes unblinking.
"I know."
Harry was called upon first and he offered the facts of the case - that Daphne Greengrass, in association with Pansy Parkinson, Angus Selwyn, and Hugh Travers had kidnapped Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and taken him to the ancestral home of the Greengrass family in Annesley, where he was held captive, tortured, beaten and starved for fifteen days.
He stated the facts of the search, listing Draco Malfoy's knowledge of the pureblood families as an asset, and when Shacklebolt, who Scorpius decided had one of the most intense voices he'd ever heard, questioned Albus' involvement, Harry looked over his shoulder at his son.
"Had anyone else been handling the investigation, or been Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Albus Potter would have still been involved in the investigation."
"And why is that?"
"Frankly, Kingsley," Harry began, showing familiarity as he'd markedly avoided thus far, "he didn't give me much of a choice in the matter."
Scorpius thought he saw a smile play on Shackleblolt's lips, but he was too far away to tell for sure.
"The Wizengamot heard testimony from the accused in a closed session," Shacklebolt said, which elicited loud protests from the press gallery. He waited patiently for their voices to die down. "We'll hear testimony from the witnesses and those involved before rendering judgment. Are there any objections?"
A resounding "nay" was heard from the Wizengamot members.
Shacklebolt called upon Ainsley first, which Scorpius assumed was out of mercy. Though there were still tears streaming down her face, Ainsley's face had hardened and she looked as if she were in extreme pain but couldn't show it, keeping her eyes focused and straight ahead. She rose and took her place in the center of the room, seated in the high-backed chair on the dais.
"You are Ainsley Greengrass, correct?" Shacklebolt said.
"Yes, sir."
Scorpius was proud of how strong her voice sounded, ringing around the room, as she looked up at the Chief Warlock.
"And your mother is Daphne Greengrass, yes?"
"If you mean that she gave birth to me, then yes. Daphne Greengrass is my mother."
Scorpius watched Ainsley closely from between Draco and Albus, and when Ainsley recounted the events of Scorpius' abduction, Draco hung his head. Scorpius slipped his hand into his father's, watching his cousin tell what she'd seen.
"And Mr. Malfoy's captors did no physical harm to you?" Shacklebolt asked.
"No," said Ainsley. "They called me a blood traitor, but told me it wasn't yet time for my 'lesson.'"
"During the Christmas holiday when you were home with your mother - was she acting strangely."
"We barely speak," Ainsley said. "We barely spoke before that, so if she was acting strangely, I didn't notice. I was kept at home most of the holiday, and she was out, but that wasn't too unusual. I never thought she'd do something this insane."
"Thank you for your testimony," Shacklebolt said. "The hearing on your guardianship will be held in a few days."
Ainsley nodded politely and took a step down from the dais, but not until she shot a withering glare at her mother, who sneered.
"Let's keep this telling somewhat chronological," said Shacklebolt, running his finger over a piece of parchment in his hand. "Will Draco Malfoy please come forward?"
Draco gave Scorpius' hand a tight squeeze, his face set and expressionless, and he stepped down toward the center floor. Harry, who had remained stationed near one of the waist-high gates, opened it for him, and muttered something to Draco as he passed. Draco nodded, and took his place at the center of the room, giving Ainsley's shoulder an encouraging pat as he passed her.
Shacklebolt confirmed Draco's identity for the record, and began questioning, asking about the investigation and his role. Ainsley sat down beside Scorpius, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.
"You did great," he whispered to her.
She said nothing and rested her head against his shoulder. Scorpius watched his father in profile as he recounted the investigation day-by-day in extreme detail for nearly thirty minutes, lauding the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's efforts, and pressing the point that Pansy Parkinson had told him to search the ancestral homes of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
"And you had no inclination that Daphne Greengrass would harm your son?"
"Daphne always disapproved of how Astoria and I chose to raise Scorpius," Draco said, his voice measured and calm - the kind of calm Scorpius remembered from his childhood when Draco scolded him for some immature wrongdoing.
"I never expected, however, that she would harm her late sister's only child," said Draco. "Despite their differences, I know my wife loved her sister very much, though it's clear the sentiment has not been reciprocated."
From within the cage, Daphne yelled. Her co-captors cringed at the noise, but Scorpius could only guess what she had said.
"Had I thought Daphne would harm her nephew to this extent, I would have volunteered that information," Draco said.
"I imagine you would have," Shacklebolt conceded. "Tell me about the night Scorpius was found. I have the report from Mr. Potter's perspective, but I'd like to hear yours."
Draco took a deep breath to calm himself, his first real display of emotion, and began telling of December 30th. He explained how Albus found the record for the Gringras' first establishment in Britain, and how they'd arrived to find Daphne and her accomplices in the house under the guise of restoring the mansion.
"We were about to leave," Draco explained, "when Albus told me he was certain Scorpius was there."
"And how did the young Mr. Potter know your son was present?"
Draco opened his mouth as if he were going to explain, but thought better of it.
"With all due respect," Draco said, "it may be best if Albus were to explain that part himself."
When Draco began telling of his conversation with Pansy, Scorpius saw her turn her face away as if she couldn't watch.
"Travers stunned her. When she fell back she hit her head. He and I dueled, and I petrified him, though he was very intent upon killing me, and once he was disabled, I found the door to the dungeon. I had to blast it open, but that's -"
Draco's voice gave out suddenly, and Scorpius knew why. He watched as his father looked down for a moment, then looked over his shoulder to where he sat. Scorpius nodded.
"And that's where I found my son. I used the key Pansy had given me to unlock him."
"What happened next, Mr. Malfoy?"
"We heard Albus yell - it echoed. We ran upstairs where the Potters were dueling Selwyn and Greengrass, just as Albus was injured."
"Can you tell me about what followed?"
Draco told Selwyn about the fire and how Scorpius used the pond water to disable his captors before collapsing.
"And that's all there is," Draco said.
"Forgive me, Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt began, removing his spectacles and leaning upon the podium to get a better look at Draco. "I must ask you to describe the state in which you found your son."
Scorpius saw Harry shift his weight from foot to foot anxiously, folding his arms and watching Shacklebolt closely, clearly irritated.
Draco described the dungeon and the dirt and blood he'd found Scorpius covered in. He described the burns and blisters and bruises on his wrists and arms, and the smaller, lacerations across his body.
"Thank you," Shacklebolt said with sincerity. "That concludes our questions. Do you have anything else you'd like to add."
Draco stood from his seat as if to leave, but took only one small step before pausing and looking up to Daphne for a brief moment. He looked down to the Wizengamot, seated in silence.
"You all know who my father was, whether or not you ever met him in person," Draco said. "And you all know he was a particular type of bastard. But even Lucius Malfoy, who gave his home and his family over to Voldemort and who hated anything touched by a wizard of less-than-pure blood, would never have done what she did of his own volition to another witch or wizard, much less one of his own family."
Clicks and flashes from the press gallery lit the room as Draco turned his back on the court and walked back past Harry to where Scorpius sat. Ainsley slid over next to Dania to let Draco join Scorpius who couldn't meet his eyes, but extended his hand, which Draco gratefully accepted.
"Will Albus Potter please come forward?"
Albus let out a slow exhale before limping over to the gate, leaving his cane behind. Harry reached his hands out as if he were going to help, but Albus shook his head and waved him off, making the long trek to the dais alone. When he got there, he took a moment to sneer at the accused, his eyes locked on Daphne who appeared to growl at him. He collapsed into the seat, his posture far less proper than Draco's and Ainsley's had been, and despite his injury, Scorpius realized he somehow managed to look dangerous.
"Albus," Shacklebolt greeted him.
"Kingsley," Albus said with familiarity. "How are the kids?"
"Well," Shacklebolt replied. "How is Hogwarts?"
"It's still there," Albus confirmed.
"Shall we begin?"
"If we must."
Shacklebolt smiled as he consulted the parchment in front of him, his spectacles restored to their place atop his nose.
Listening to his father's account in full had been difficult enough, though Draco's descriptions were clinical and he'd been careful to only state the facts. Scorpius found that Albus' emotional retelling of the investigation was even harder to bear. He watched as Albus kept his eyes locked on Shacklebolt, the clean edges of his jaw tight as Shacklebolt's questions got more and more difficult to answer, his voice hitching over what Scorpius knew were the harder moments.
When Shacklebolt began asking about December 30th, Scorpius saw Albus' hands tighten around the arm of the chair and he looked up at Daphne with disgust.
"Mr. Potter - Albus," Shacklebolt said, his voice softening. "How did you know Scorpius was in the Gingras mansion?"
Albus looked down at a spot in the floor ahead of him.
"Daphne took Scorpius because he's very powerful," Albus said. "We've already established that. He managed to shock me through the floor. Just a little. Just... enough."
Albus looked over at him, and Scorpius remembered the moment clearly.
"And then Travers went to check on Pansy and Draco, and when we heard them start fighting, Daphne and Selwyn started attacking my father and I."
"Can you tell me about the fight?"
"Selwyn cast Avada Kedavra on me," Albus said. "I barely dodged."
Shacklebolt looked up at the accused and shook his head, his face contorted in hatred - the first real show of emotion Scorpius had seen.
"And then Daphne cursed me just as Scorpius and Draco made it back upstairs," Albus concluded. He patted his own knee. "And now I'll likely never fly again."
"Let the record show that Daphne Greengrass has been charged with causing permanent disability," Shacklebolt said to the record keeper, whose fingers had yet to stop moving since the start of the trial.
"Do you have anything to add, Mr. Potter?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Yeah," Albus said. "Let the record show that I hope she rots in hell."
Shacklebolt smiled as if he'd expected no less. Albus stood with great effort and Shacklebolt nodded, releasing him from his obligation. Harry met Albus halfway and escorted him back to his seat.
"They're evaluating you," Draco muttered to Scorpius. "They're looking into what you can do and whether or not you're a threat."
"Good," Scorpius replied. "Let the Prophet write about it and no one will ever threaten me again."
"You did well," Harry assured Albus and he nodded as if he didn't believe he did, and when he slid back down the aisle, holding onto the banister, he couldn't meet Scorpius' eyes.
There was a spare moment when Albus sat between Scorpius and Ainsley again when Scorpius took his hand tightly in both his own and looked at him, at his face and his eyes and the slope of his neck and his hair that wouldn't stay where it belonged, and he fully appreciated that Albus would have looked for him for the rest of his life if he'd had to.
Scorpius opened his mouth to tell him just that, but Shacklebolt cleared his throat for silence in the room.
"Will Scorpius Malfoy please come forward?"
Scorpius' heart sank and he closed his eyes, the sudden silence of the room pressing in on him.
"You'll be fine," said Draco, and Scorpius stood, swallowing hard, and walked to the dais with his head as high as he could manage, pointedly avoiding looking up at Daphne. As he passed, Harry gave him a single, respectful nod, and Scorpius reminded himself to thank Mr. Potter later for all that he'd done.
He took his seat at the center of the room, and looked up at Shacklebolt.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt said with some measure of kindness.
"Hello, sir," said Scorpius, folding his hands in his lap.
"I understand that this may be difficult for you, so you can take your time answering."
"Yes, sir."
"Can you tell me about the day you were abducted?"
That part was easy, Scorpius found. He told Shacklebolt - ignoring the rest of the Wizengamot, about Travers and Selwyn and Parkinson, and about Daphne's explanation of her actions. He recounted as much as he could verbatim, until Daphne told Travers to torture him.
"For the record, you are saying Hugh Travers used the Cruciatus Curse on you," Shacklebolt said.
"Yes," said Scorpius. "And for the record, so did Daphne and Travers."
"But not Parkinson?"
"Pansy Parkinson never raised her wand at me after Hogsmeade," Scorpius said. "I want to make that very clear. She never laid a hand on me except to offer me food and aid behind Daphne's back."
He heard a few whispers from the crowd, and Shacklebolt held up his hand for silence.
"What happened over the next fifteen days."
"It all runs together, sir," Scorpius admitted.
"Do your best," Shacklebolt said.
Scorpius took a deep breath and told them, slowly, taking a moment when he needed. He told them about the kept meals, the rat skeletons he slept beside each night, and the occasions when Travers and Selwyn would resort to physical violence to provoke him into a magical reaction. He told them about the near-daily use of the Cruciatus Curse, and in his periphery, he saw Albus rest his forehead against the black banister in front of them, unable to listen.
Scorpius kept his face straight, as empty as possible, making every effort to sound as clinical and factual as his father had, but he kept thinking about Albus and the nights neither of them could sleep. He thought about the way Daphne had told him he owed his mother something - the way she used Astoria against him - and how she'd shamed him for not seeking a wife to continue his family line.
Shacklebolt sat in silence for a moment when Scorpius stopped talking.
"We've already heard the account of when you were located," Shacklebolt said, reviewing his notes. "Is there anything you would like to add?"
Scorpius was relieved. "No, sir."
"I have a few more questions for you, then," Shacklebolt began, regarding Scorpius carefully. "The first - are these the handcuffs, for lack of a better term, that you were restrained in?"
Scorpius heard movement behind him and looked around the edge of the chair where a Ministry deputy was walking towards him, only to be stopped by Harry, who took the dark wooden tray from the woman's hands. Harry carried it to Scorpius himself, and he was grateful. The sight of the thick, iron restraints made him nauseated.
"Yes, sir," he said, just loudly enough that Shacklebolt could hear.
He saw Harry look to Shacklebolt with an expression that plainly asked if this was necessary. Shacklebolt nodded.
"I've examined these myself, and they're a very strange artifact," Shacklebolt said. "There are old records of them dating back to the 1400s, and the Ministry records have no record of their whereabouts past 1846. For centuries they've been used to restrain wizards and witches and to stop them from using magic to escape."
Scorpius nodded in understanding.
"My question, of course, is how you managed to alert the young Mr. Potter to your location."
Scorpius swallowed hard and looked at Albus, who had his elbows on his knees and was looking at him through his fingers - small splotches of green that seemed kilometers away.
"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I think I got desperate enough on Christmas Eve that it just started happening, and the night before they found me I'd been experimenting - trying to do things while they were still on. I'd sensed Travers approaching while I was trying to meditate, and when I heard my dad's voice, I tried it again."
Scorpius stopped, but Shacklebolt gestured for him to continue, as this was clearly insufficient.
"It's kind of like homenum revelio, but without a wand, and I thought of each of the rooms I'd been in - the ones I'd seen - and I just sensed something familiar. It was this sad kind of warmth, I guess - like a fireplace after being drenched in a cold rain - and I knew who it was."
Shacklebolt looked down at Scorpius for a long time, longer than felt natural, and Scorpius knew he was being evaluated.
"My last question," Shacklebolt said finally, "is if you were able to do all of these things, why didn't you escape or disable your captors?"
"Every time those things came off my wrists, Daphne made sure I knew my father and Albus were being watched," he said. "If I'd failed, she said she'd kill one of them."
For the first time since he sat down, Scorpius looked up at Daphne and her wild eyes and disheveled hair. This, he decided, was how he wanted to remember her. Defeated.
"Is there anything else you would like to add, Mr. Malfoy?"
Scorpius looked back to Shacklebolt.
"I don't..." Scorpius didn't know how to say it adequately - to explain himself. "I don't think Pansy knew what she had gotten into, really. And by the time she did, she was trapped. Just... please consider that."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt said. "Thank you for your testimony."
Scorpius nodded and rose from the seat slowly, feeling as if he'd sat there for a hundred years, and he looked to the gallery gate where Harry waited on one side and Draco on the other. Draco wrapped his arms around Scorpius when he arrived, causing a new barrage of clicks and flashes from the press gallery, and Harry followed them through the gate as Shacklebolt stood at his podium.
"The Wizengamot will convene in private quarters to render judgment," Shacklebolt announced. "We will let you know promptly when a verdict has been reached."
Scorpius watched as the members of the Wizengamot filed from the room. Two wizards stood at the center of the room with their wands raised, and he watched as the accused's holding cage slid back into the wall and a curtain was drawn.
"Why did he ask me so much?" Scorpius asked Harry.
"The Ministry has been pressured to assess whether or not you're a danger," Harry told him. "I've been led to believe that the questioning was a simple, public way to show that you aren't."
Hermione appeared at Harry's side, along with Ginny.
"I'm sorry, Scorpius," she said. "Kingsley trusts Harry and I, but the rest of the Wizengamot... he had to ask some of the questions they wanted."
"A bit of warning would have been nice," Scorpius muttered as Albus joined them. He had the distinct urge to kiss him, but wasn't keen on seeing that on the front page of The Daily Prophet again.
"I only just heard about it before the trail began," Harry said. "There wasn't time to talk to you alone."
Scorpius looked around at the witches and wizards leaving their seats - craning to get a better look at them. When he met their gaze, they looked away quickly.
"Are people going to be afraid of me now?" Scorpius asked.
"They will be for a while," Harry told him. "But in time they'll move on. Right now you're just the latest piece of gossip."
Scorpius felt Albus' hand on his back.
"Besides," Albus said, "it's not like there's going to be a lot of opportunity for you to become the next magical dictator when you're working at the archives."
Scorpius smiled faintly at him, and Albus met his eyes for the first time since he'd testified.
"I would have rather not relived that," Scorpius admitted.
"I know," said Albus.
"But at least it's over now."
As they left the chamber, Scorpius and Draco walked slowly with Albus as Dania explained to Harry that her examination of Scorpius, and later Albus' injury, had led her to be called in for questioning as well.
"Everything is on record," said Dania.
"I've made it a point to better our recording practices," said Hermione.
"Yeah, thanks for the extra paperwork," Harry muttered. Hermione grinned.
"You always were terrible at taking notes."
It was nearly sunset when word reached Harry's office that the Wizengamot had reached a verdict. Albus, who had quickly claimed the dilapidated couch in the corner, was half asleep on Scorpius' shoulder and had to be shaken awake.
"Come on, Al," said Harry. Scorpius ruffled his hair, and got the predictable irritated response that, at the very least, woke him up.
"No," groaned Albus.
"We've got to go," Scorpius said. "They reached a decision."
Ainsley, who leaned against Harry's desk, drained her cup of tea.
"There's only one decision she could reach," she said.
"Still," said Draco. "We have to be there."
Together, they walked to the elevator and rode down to the Wizengamot chamber.
"I really hate these elevators," moaned Albus, leaning back against the rail. "I'm never in them for anything good."
"I came her once as a kid," Scorpius told him. "Had to use the elevators to get to the Department of Magical Education."
"Had you won something?" Albus asked flatly.
Scorpius smiled and nodded.
"Amateur potions competition," Scorpius said. "Best ages eight to eleven."
Albus scoffed mockingly. "Nerd."
Albus saw Draco try to hide a contented smile, but he met Malfoy's eyes all the same and understood. The things that made Scorpius who he was had been left largely unchanged, and for that, they were both grateful.
The doors opened and they joined the stream of people walking into the Wizengamot chamber, earning excessive glances and stares as they did. Scorpius kept his head down, staying between his father and Albus.
In the chamber, most of the members of the Wizengamot had taken their seats, and they sat once again in the front row reserved for witnesses. Scorpius didn't watch as the remaining members took their places, and instead chose to pick at a loose thread on the cuff of his shirt, conflicted.
How could he be happy about seeing four peoples' lives ruined? About putting his mother's sister in Azkaban?
Albus nudged him with his shoulder and produced a chocoball from his pocket, holding it out to Scorpius. He took it gratefully, and Albus whispered -
"A wise person once told me sweets will always help you make friends."
Scorpius grinned in spite of himself.
"Sounds like a dork."
"Well, yes," Albus agreed.
Shacklebolt stood in the center of the room and looked up at the now-exposed cage where Daphne could be seen, glaring down at all of them.
"The Wizengamot has reached a unanimous verdict on all charges," Shacklebolt announced, his violet robes swaying as he paced, reading from a piece of parchment. Scorpius held his breath.
"Daphne Greengrass. You have been charged with kidnapping," Shacklebolt held up his fingers to count the charges. In the end, he needed both his hands.
"Daphne Greengrass, upon hearing your testimony and that of witnesses, experts, and victims, you have been convicted of all charges."
Whispers erupted from around the room, and Scorpius' shoulders slumped as he leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. Albus placed his hand on at the nape of his neck.
"You are sentenced to live the rest of your days in Azkaban."
Albus leaned forward and spoke quietly. "She can't hurt anyone else now."
"I know," said Scorpius. "It wasn't myself I was thinking about, mostly. It was the harm her way of thinking could do coupled with her level of determination."
Scorpius looked past his father to Ainsley, whose head was bowed. Ginny stroked her hair in the caring, motherly way Scorpius was sure Daphne had never offered, and he hoped someday Ainsley would find her peace.
They listened in silence as Shacklebolt convicted Selwyn and Travers of similar charges, giving the same sentence. When he got to Pansy Parkinson, he paused.
"Pansy Parkinson," he began. Scorpius looked up at Pansy who sat still as stone, looking down into the room.
"Miss Parkinson, you have been charged with the same crimes as your companions," Shacklebolt said. "But the wronged party - Mr. Scorpius Malfoy - issued a petition that you not be sent to Azkaban for life."
"You did what?" Albus hissed.
"This is why I didn't tell you," Scorpius said, his hands folded beneath his chin as he watched Shacklebolt.
Pansy Parkinson looked appropriately confused, but did not move.
"Based on this, the testimonies heard today, and your own testimony issued under veritaserum, the Wizengamot has determined your sentence to be three years in Azkaban, followed by a decade of house arrest to be enforced by Ministry personnel."
Pansy looked down and scanned the faces below until she found Draco and Scorpius who both looked up at her. Though Scorpius sincerely hoped he would never see her again, he was grateful that, in some part, his wishes had been recognized.
"You are so much like your mother," Draco told Scorpius as the press snapped their last photos of the trial. Scorpius smiled sadly at him.
"I try to be," said Scorpius. "She was very forgiving."
Shacklebolt adjourned the court, ordering the prisoners be taken directly to Azkaban, and as the crowd bled onto the marble floor in an effort to exit, he strode over to where the Malfoys, Potters, and their companions stood, gathering themselves.
"This must have been a terribly long day for all of you," he said, greeting Harry and Draco with handshakes and Albus with half a hug.
"I had forgotten that you two know each other," Scorpius said as Shacklebolt released Albus.
"I used to give this one piggy back rides," Shacklebolt said. Albus blushed.
"That was a long time ago," Albus grumbled.
"I did it until you were ten, Albus."
Albus blushed even more.
"I am sorry that the questioning was so harsh," Shacklebolt told them all. "This case was complicated, and the members of Wizengamot demanded a thorough interrogation."
Evaluation, corrected Scorpius silently.
"I'm just glad it's over," Scorpius said. "I can finish at Hogwarts in peace and move on."
Albus smiled at his side and took his hand as the others talked. He looked at Scorpius as he watched Draco keep his arm around Ainsley's shoulder, and as Harry and Shacklebolt made grim remarks about Greengrass, Travers, and Selwyn. He watched Scorpius' blue eyes move from face to face, studying them, and he watched as he bit his lip in uncertainty as Draco suggested dinner plans.
He knew this was a step in the right direction - that there would still be sleepless nights and nightmares and bad days - but it was a big step, and when Scorpius smiled, asking for spaghetti, since he got to pick and it was Ainsley's favorite, Albus knew everything was going to be alright.
