Evil plot bunny love. Loki hijacked the rabbit hole so getting anything out of there is currently a nightmare so you can blame him for the wait.
Chapter II: Love Your Enemy?
"No! No! And NO! Harry if you are seriously suggesting I testify to help that slimy little spawn of a mountain troll you are officially out of your mind!"
Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Are you finished yelling Ron?" His best friend scowled and slammed his hands on the table.
"Have you been listening or did having Voldemort almost killing you completely toast your memory as well as your sanity?" Ron glared and leaned in until the two boys were almost nose to nose. "He. Is. A. Deatheater!"
"Who's a deatheater?" Both of them jumped at the new voice and turned to see Ginny standing in the kitchen doorway. Ron 'hmphed' and sat back down.
"Your boyfriend here thinks it will be a good idea to tell the world all about the piety of saint Malfoy. And what are you doing here any way? I thought you were staying home to help mum."
Ron immediately wished that hadn't come out quite so hard. The death of his brother had hit the family hard and left them all in a daze. Just last week he quite accidentally, on reflex, asked George which brother he was. The look in the surviving twin's eyes sent Ron scurrying to avoid him the rest of the day. For now he had joined Harry in hiding out at Grimmauld place in an attempt to avoid the wizarding world in general.
Infamy, he was learning, was just not worth the problems that came with it. Thanks to several large jawed students, his and Hermione's roles (highly exaggerated and speculated thanks to a certain blond reporter) in the defeat of the Dark Lord were now almost as legendary as Harry's first round with old snake face.
Ginny caught the guilty look in his eyes and easily overlooked his temper. "She's doing fine. Much as I hate to admit it, I think Percy coming back is doing her loads of good to get on." The family had readily forgiven their prodigal in lieu of his repentance, the loss of one of their own inspiring their familial bonds to new heights.
Harry respectfully left them to their silence and stood to walk to the stove. "Tea?" he asked conversationally.
"Thank you," Ginny said and slid onto the bench he had vacated. "Where's Hermione? Is she still with her parents or here?"
"She's upstairs looking through some books she kept when we were cleaning out the place. Said something about 'even musty old papers having more sense than us two'." Ginny caught Harry's eye and giggled at her brother's sulking. Ron and Hermione might be together but that hadn't done much to change their general behavior towards each other.
"Her family OK then?"
"Her parents spent the last year thinking they were Australian and childless. It didn't affect them too much and after a week she showed up grumbling about lack of personal space." Harry set down the steaming mug in front of Ginny and leaned over to snag a kiss.
"Do you mind mate? That happens to be my sister you're snogging there." Both looked up to see Ron with his nose turned away in the air as if watching might make him physically ill.
"Huh, you're one to talk." Harry snorted. "You can't wake up without hounding Hermione for a morning kiss. Now when I finally get to see my girlfriend for the first time in weeks you complain?"
"Who's complaining about what?" Ron instantly 'eeped' and jumped as the redhead's voice preceded its owner into the subterranean room.
Harry and Ginny were once again forced to stifle giggles as the now heavily blushing Ron turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway holding a book she had obviously been perusing on the way down here.
"Nothing Hermione," he quickly covered. "Just trying to decide on a proper way to welcome back our long lost prodigal brother…er… what are you reading?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow that clearly stated she didn't believe him. "Well, since we are already on the subject of prodigals…" She carefully laid the book on the table and turned it to show Harry. "It says here in Law 472, section 19: No witch or wizard may be held responsible for the actions of their wand if said article was not in their possession at the time of the casting. Subsection 8 goes on; involuntary lending or surrendering of a wand under duress shall not be held against original owner. Responsibility of the wand shall immediately revert to the party or parties found in possession of the item in question.
"Basically, since Lucius Malfoy hasn't had his or any wand for the past year they can't charge him for any spells his wand was used for or cast in his house." Ron and Ginny's heads swung from Hermione, to Harry, and back as if attached to the same string.
"Merlin's beard! Hermione, you're not actually helping him with this are you?" Ron looked the way he might if, say, he caught Percy and Professor Lockhart going at it in a corridor.
Hermione straightened up and glared until Ron whimpered and backed down from his challenge. "Yes I am and you should be as well."
Seeing her boyfriend going into intrinsic shock she sighed and sat down. "Ron," she said in a forced gentle tone, "I know this is not easy for you to understand. I don't like the brat either, but think about it. We're trying to make a new start, a new beginning for everyone. But in order to do that we need to be able to set aside our differences and work together.
"Sure they were mean, stuck up, egotistic bastards, but that's what years of hatred and ignorance can do to people. Don't you think you would be the same if your parents brought you up to hate muggles too?"
"No!" Ron stated a little too quickly, prompting Hermione to raise an eyebrow at him thoughtfully. "Well… maybe?" he replied meekly.
Hermione nodded and leaned against the table so she could look at him fully from her position next to him. "I'm not asking you to like them or even forgive them. But, don't you think there have been enough deaths. Enough people losing their lives over misunderstandings and bad feelings. If we're serious about making a change then we need to show them we are capable of rising above their level, even if it feels like gouging out your stomach with a fork."
"Yeah, wouldn't you want to get a fair trial even if you were them?"
Ron glared at Ginny before throwing his hands up in surrender. "Fine you win. I'll help." He shot a pained look at Hermione who gave him one of her most dazzling smiles and leaned back against the shoulder of the arm he draped around her. It was still hard for him to believe that the formerly mousy, bookish girl had turned out so radiantly beautiful and was now all his. Agreeing to her arm twisting was but a small price to pay.
"If nothing else," Harry offered, "that fork will also be doing the tango in Draco's stomach at the fact it's us who are saving him again."
Ron smirked at this prospect. "Ah, do you remember the look he had when he finally grasped the fact that it was we who saved his life twice?" The other three couldn't help a small snicker from escaping.
"Do good to those who hate you? That line says nothing on not enjoying watching them squirm about it." The words suddenly caused Harry to see Ginny in a whole new light.
"You know, you're right. Hey, think maybe we could get George and a few others to help if we use that reasoning?"
Hermione shot Harry a reproachful glare for a few seconds before relenting. "Well… it would be nice to have some more help with the research and technicalities. I know for a fact that Luna has some relatively solid evidence from her time in Malfoy Manor about what was really going on with them since you can hear pretty much anything going on in the hall upstairs from the cell she was in. She was surprisingly fast on jumping in to volunteer when I asked about it."
Harry chuckled at the idea of the eccentric girl being the best defense for what had previously been one of the most distinguished families in the wizarding world. "Well… if you think it will help."
Hermione beamed. "We'll have a case yet. Just see what happens when we show up for that trial."
"Every wizard with half a brain will be suffering shock comas in twenty seconds is what will happen. Hey I just thought of something," Ron piped. "That passage ends with 'Pray for those who do spitefully use you and persecute you'."
"Ron!" Hermione warned grinning.
"Heavenly Father," Ron solemnly intoned as he slid forward to kneel on the ground with hands folded on the table before him. "We ask your divine intervention as we now endeavor to pull off the miracle of the century. Lead these Your lost sheep, the Malfoy family, back to Your holy ways of love and grace to all they do meet. In Thy name we most humbly ask. God bless us everyone. Amen."
Laughter filled the room at the most unconventional entreaty to the heavenlies, quickly expunging the place of the previously charged atmosphere. With their spirits back up they all set about preparing for their most unforeseen battle yet.
They were going to have a lot of ground to cover before the court date. Most of which would be sorting through the muddle that was the meager facts they had to build their defense. A lot of the little details could send the trial either way.
The most unpredicted fact however, was that request sent up on high in jest. Because the problem is, when you pray, you had better be prepared for the answer.
Ok so I have no idea if they teach any kind of religion in the wizarding world but it was fun. So unless Rowling says otherwise I will stick by the theory that they must have some knowledge of that kind of stuff.
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