Halloooooooo again! I know I always say it, but I swear one day, I'll actually update REGULARLY! Well, hopefully anyway.
Anywayyyy...
Disclaimer: For the ninteenth time in this story, I still don't own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail...
Hermione turned back to Narcissa. "I know exactly what we're going to do. We're doing this Gryffindor style." She grinned. "All we need is your memory of the encounter with Lucius, and we have a trial - no matter how much the Minister tries to stop it.
"This whole thing needs to be very public, so that if he interferes it will seem very suspicious. Also, if we take it directly to Madame Bones, she can arrange the whole thing for us. I don't know if Draco has told you, but I have recently become a favourite of a certain potions master, who is very much so able to brew a batch of Veritaserum for us. Then, all we need to do is spell it into his stomach at the trial, and voila! It's foolproof - even if old Lucy takes the antidotes, Severus brew the potion to his own recipe - a recipe that has no antidote! And it won't wear off until well after the trial"
Narcissa was speechless. "You...Merlin's beard, Hermione, you truly are the brightest witch of your age!"
"Why thank you, Cissy, now if you'll excuse me I have a plan to prepare." Armed with Narcissa's memory, Hermione made her way to Severus' office, where she told him what was happening, and he gave her several vials of Veritaserum, in case one broke.
Gryffindor style she promised, Gryffindor style she delivered - after getting Ally to bring Madame Bones to her, and she revealed Lucius Malfoy's wrongdoing in front of the entirety of Hogwarts, plus the visiting students, teachers and the reporters. Madame Bones took the memory away for examination, and in no time at all, a trial had been scheduled for the following day - wrongful imprisonment in Azkaban was a very big deal to the Wizengamot.
And this was how, less than twenty four hourse later, Hermione found herself in a courtroom with numerous adult wizards, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Black.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, we are here today to rule on Lucius Malfoy's role in the wrongful imprisonment of Bellatrix Lestrange née Black. Alleged charges include but may not be limited to use of the illegal Insanity curse and the obstruction of justice. Will the defendant please approach the podium," Madame Bones declared, and Lucius approached the podium, his head held high.
"Mr Malfoy, will you submit to questioning by Veritaserum, as requested by Miss Hermione Granger?" Madame Bones asked, and Lucius smirked. He had been prepared for this.
"As the head of a Noble and Most Ancient House, I outrank Miss Granger, and so, it is within my rights to deny her request," he said, his smug expression directed towards Hermione who shot him a smirk of her own before standing.
"I'm afraid that Mr Malfoy is incorrect. Whilst the House of Malfoy is a Noble and Most Ancient House in France, it has never actually been officially given that status in Britain. If you were to search the records, you would find that it is only a Noble House. The House of Dagworth-Granger, however is a Noble and Most Ancient House - and I happen to be the sole magical heir. So even if I am only an heir, I still outrank Mr Malfoy." Hermione enjoyed the chaos that erupted after her statement- particularly the way Lucius paled dramatically, looking rather faint. It appeared that he had not been prepared for this development!
"Silence!" Madame Bones roared, and the crowd shut up. "Shacklebolt, please administer the Veritaserum." She directed the command at one of the aurors who had moved to stand around Mr Malfoy after Hermione's shocking revelation.
The Veritaserum - Severus' own special recipe of course - was administered, and Madame Bones began with the necessary questions.
"State your full name and date of birth for the Wizengamot," she asked, watching the man intently.
"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, I was born on the sixteenth of June, in the year 1960."
Madame Bones smiled as she began to read the questions. "Did you cast the Insanity curse on Bellatrix Lestrange, then Black?"
Lucius looked like he was trying not to answer, but he couldn't win over the Veritaserum. "Yes."
This sent the courtroom into another frenzy.
It was during this chaos that someone in the crowd shouted out something that would eventually lead to the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort.
"Hey, Malfoy! Were you ever under the Imperious curse or was that just another lie?!" Yelled Auror Dawlish, a small portly muggleborn and long time friend of Daniel Granger.
"That was a lie. I am and always have been a loyal Death Eater." His reply silenced the crowd far more effectively than Madame Bones ever could have.
Lucius' eyes grew wide with horror as he realised what he had just admitted.
"Don't just stand there then, Shacklebolt! Get him!" Madame Bones yelled, and before he could react, Lucius Malfoy was locked up in a lair of magic cancelling shackles, being taken to Azkaban to await further questioning.
It took a while, but Madame Bones calmed the Wizengamot down once again. "We will now discuss the matter of Bellatrix Lestrange née Black. Dawlish, if you would please cancel the Insanity curse."
The man changed a long, complicated Latin incantation, and when the brief flash of light disappeared, everyone was shocked by Bellatrix's change in appearance. Her hair, previously frizzy and out of control now fell sleekly down her back like a glossy waterfall, and her wide crazed eyes were almond-shaped, framed with dark lashes.
"Cissy?" She asked in a melodious voice, so unlike the crazed screech it had been before. "Why do you look so old?"
Hermione Granger stood and approached the now clear-minded Bellatrix.
"Bellatrix, we know you haven't done anything wrong, but we need you to answer a few questions about Lucius Malfoy. Will you consent to take some Veritaserum?" She asked, noticing how the woman sneered as she heard Lucius' name.
"Of course, if it will help you put that scumbag behind bars, where he belongs!" She said, opening her mouth for Auror Shacklebolt to give her the Veritaserum.
"If you could please tell us your name, dear, and what year it is," Madame Bones said, smiling at the nervous Bellatrix.
"I am Bellatrix Drusilla Black, and it is the year 1975."
Her statement caused mutterings amongst the crowd, and Madame Bones asked a few more questions, to perpetuate the charade of trial for the unlucky woman.
"Bellatrix, this is going to be hard for you to believe - incredibly so, but it needs to be done. It is not the year 1975, but rather 1995. You spent just over a decade in Azkaban for supporting the Dark Lord, as Lucius Malfoy cast the Insanity curse on you in 1975. You were married to Rodolphus Lestrange five years after that, so your name is legally Bellatrix Lestrange, not Black," Hermione spoke up, conjuring a mirror for the other woman to look into.
Bellatrix covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a cry as she saw not the fifteen year old she was expecting, but rather a woman in her mid thirties, covered in filth and dressed in a hideous Azkaban uniform.
"Oh god!" She sobbed. "I-I'm starting to remember it! Bits and pieces...no, NO! Don't do it!" She screamed, obviously trapped in a vision of the past. Madame Bones banished the shackles holding the sobbing woman in place, and Narcissa ran to comfort her sister.
"It'll be okay, Bella. I'm here, you have me," she said, stroking her sister's hair to try and calm her down.
"Ciss-y," Bellatrix whispered before passing out.
Hermione came forward, crouching next to the sisters. "Take her back to the Manor, mum'll be more than happy to help you. I'm afraid the Fidelius charm is going to be activated after this, so if you need anything - and I mean anything, Cissy, call for Ally, she'll bring the message to me. I have to get back to Hogwarts, but I'll come visit as soon as I can. I'll bring Draco as well." She hugged the conscious sister before heading towards the fireplace to floo back to Hogwarts.
"You're going to love Hermione, Bella. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met - It's almost a shame that she and Draco are already in relationships! Just never tell him that, I adore Meredy too, and she suits him far better," Narcissa whispered, apparating herself and her sister to the place she had come to think of as home.
A/N - What do you guys think? Bellatrix is honestly one of my favourite characters, so I couldn't just leave her in Azkaban - the Black sisters will be reunited! I don't actually know Lucius' birthday, so I'm guessing that he must have been about twenty when Draco was born, and since he was born in the same year as Harry (1980) I'm guessing Lucius was roughly born in 1960. As for the Black sisters, I'm guessing as well, and to suit the storyline, Bella was born in the same year as Lucius, and Narcissa is a year younger. Andromeda would be a bit older than both of them. We'll find out the results from the second task in the next few chapters, as Hermione never bothered to ask anyone because she was too busy rescuing Bella from Azkaban (and they say Harry has a saving people complex...)
Review please, my loyal subjects! I mean, readers, aha, •^_^•