Aftermath - Chapter 8 - The Trial of Draco Malfoy

As Harry stood, the witch stood aside the open door and Harry was surprised to see Madam Rosmerta leaving the court room.

"Oh, hello, Harry," she said. But before Harry could ask her anything the Auror guard cautioned him.

"Witnesses are not to speak to one another."

Madam Rosmerta gave him a reassuring grin and then Harry was inside.

It was as he remembered, the circular room with many benches rising higher and the chair in the center of the room. The chamber was about half full, with the many witches and wizards in their best robes high above. Kingsley Shacklebolt was not among them, and Harry guessed he was too busy to preside over such matters. High on one bench sat Rita Skeeter, her green quick quill poised over her notepad. To his delight Mr. Weasley sat there also, a little aways from Rita Skeeter, and Harry felt better seeing him there. He guessed Mr. Weasley managed to put aside his duties to make sure Harry was all right.

Harry had barely even entered the room when there was a shout of "Bravo! Harry Potter!" and then more shouts, applause, and ringing congratulations until finally an old witch in the place where Cornelius Fudge had once sat pounded something on her podium and called for order. She was in black robes, was very old, and Harry had no idea who she was.

"There will time to congratulate Mr. Potter in due course. We are in the midst of a trial so I expect all witches and wizards to maintain a sense of decorum!" she said in a high pitched voice. As she said this Harry saw her give him a smile. Harry entered the chamber and took in the scene.

There was Draco Malfoy. He was sitting on the lowest row, to the right, with glowing chains on his hands and two Aurors sitting beside him. Malfoy was dressed in a black suit, which emphasized the paleness of his face and hair. He looked awful, and Harry could only guess it was because he had spent the last few days with Dementors nearby as guards. His mother was on the lowest level of the benches on the left side, looking at Harry intently, seeming to be pleased at the reception he had gotten. Draco Malfoy did not even look up or seem to care that Harry was in the room. In the past he would have scowled when anyone had praised Harry Potter.

Next to the chair in the middle stood a large man, tall and broad, white, with a mane of grey hair, and blue eyes, clean shaven except for the very thinnest of moustaches Harry had ever seen. He wore very majestic robes of dark green with silver trim and Harry immediately thought of Slytherin house and its colors and believed this man had once gone to Hogwarts and had been in that house. He also wore gold rimmed spectacles, rounded like Harry's. He could only guess this was Jeremiah Hatcher, Malfoy's legal counsel.

"Please, take a seat, Mr. Potter," said the witch who seemed to be in charged.

Harry moved to the center and sat in the chair, the same chair he had sat in when he had been charged with underage use of magic almost three years ago.

"State your name for the record," said the same witch and everyone had a good chuckle, seeing as Harry was perhaps the most well-known wizard in all of Britain, if not the world.

"Harry James Potter."

"Address?"

"Number 4…no, sorry, it's changed. Weasley Residence, The Burrow, near Ottery St. Catchpole." As he said this a few wizards and witches looked over at Mr. Weasley. He was going to say Grimmauld Place for a few seconds, but decided that would not be wise. Actually, he didn't want to give any address, but the Ministry already knew he was at the Burrow so he saw no point in refusing to answer the question.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," the old witch continued. "You have been called here as a witness for the defense for the hearing of Mr. Draco Malfoy. The charges against Mr. Malfoy are as follow: the use of the Imperius Curse on Madam Rosmerta of Hogsmeade; the abetting in the murder of Albus Dumbledore; the opening of a magical passage into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which endangered the lives of students and staff and led to the injury of some of them; the unintentional cursing of Hogwarts student Katie Bell; the unintentional poisoning of Hogwarts student Ronald Weasley; and, finally, of being a Death Eater. Do you swear to answer all questions given you truthfully, Mr. Potter?"

"I do," Harry said.

"You may precede, Mr. Hatcher," the old witch said.

And so it began. In his smooth silky voice, Hatcher asked Harry endless questions about what happened the night Dumbledore died and about the attacks on Katie and Ron. Harry told the truth, told them about what he heard Malfoy confess to, cursing Madam Rosmerta, making her give Katie the necklace, give Slughorn the bottle of mead, and of using the Vanishing Cabinets to let the Death Eaters into the school. Harry told them how Malfoy explained to Dumbledore about the Vanishing Cabinets at Borgin and Burke and the one in the Room of Requirement, which from the murmurs Harry gathered a lot of witches and wizards had never heard of. Several others said it was real, it existed and they had used it at Hogwarts. One said he and he's friends had used it to play tennis seeing as Hogwarts had no courts.

When asked, Harry admitted he did not actually see Malfoy do any of these things.

"So Draco Malfoy could have been boasting of such acts, yes?" Hatcher asked in a tone that sounded like he already knew the answer.

"What? I...no…why would he?"

"Come, come. Young wizards are always boasting. We've all done our share of bragging over the years, have we not?" This was said to the court, not to Harry, and a few wizards could be seen nodding and smiling.

"I've never heard of anyone bragging about trying to curse or kill someone," Harry said.

"Ah, but that is the point," Hatcher exclaimed as he turned to Harry again. "Draco Malfoy did brag about these things because he was facing a powerful wizard, not trying to show up his friends. He was trying to show Dumbledore how dangerous he was, wasn't he?"

Harry scoffed and so did many others, chuckling and shaking their heads. "Dumbledore was never afraid of Malfoy or any other wizard or witch, including Voldemort." Harry said, wondering just how stupid this counsel was and why Mrs. Weasley had said he was the best.

But then Hatcher smiled and Harry soon found out why. "What happened when Draco Malfoy faced Dumbledore? How would you describe Draco Malfoy as he stood face to face with one of the greatest wizard's of our time?

"Ah…sorry, what do you mean?" Harry asked, not expecting this question.

"Did he seem sure of himself? Cocky, arrogant, ready to kill Dumbledore?"

"Yes…at first."

"At first? But after?"

Harry wanted to lie, but couldn't. "He became very scared."

"And why do you think he was scared?" Hatcher asked in his smooth tones.

Harry sighed, not wanting to say this, but knowing he had to. "Because Malfoy said that if he didn't kill Dumbledore then Voldemort would kill him and his whole family."

That led to many murmurs from the wizards and witches and for the first time Malfoy looked up at Harry. What Harry saw was surprise in Malfoy's face, like he had never expected Harry to tell the truth.

"So Voldemort threatened Malfoy's family with death if Draco Malfoy did not follow his commands?"

"That's what he said. I don't know if it is actually true," Harry replied.

"But knowing Voldemort, as perhaps you know him better than any other living person, do you think such a threat was possible?"

Harry knew it was very possible. He wanted to lie, but again Ginny's words came to him and knew he had to tell the truth when all in this room knew it. "Yes, it is possible."

Hatcher almost smiled, but pressed on. "And could not a scared boy, worried for his own life and his parent's lives, lie about things he didn't do to bolster his courage at a time of need?"

"Ah, I…I don't know. Maybe," said Harry not wanting to really admit it was possible. But he knew the truth, knew Malfoy had done those things. But knowing the truth and proving it were two different things, as Harry had learned the hard way the last seven years.

"And what did Dumbledore say when Draco Malfoy told him he had to kill Dumbledore or his family would die?" Hatcher asked next.

"He…he offered protection for the Malfoy family. Said it was not too late to switch sides and that they could be hidden."

"Sounds like Dumbledore was a very forgiving man," Hatcher said with a smirk.

"Stick to questions and statements related to the charges, Mr. Hatcher," the old witch in charge said.

"Yes, madam," Hatcher said and then moved on to a new line of questioning. "What happened just before Dumbledore died?"

"First, Malfoy disarmed him."

"Easily, or did they duel?" Again there were chuckles, as if a mere boy could have ever successfully dueled with Dumbledore.

"Quite easily," Harry said and he knew where Hatcher was going with this.

"So easily, in fact, because Dumbledore wanted to die. He was ill and hadn't long to live anyway, isn't that correct?"

"Yes," Harry said in a hollow voice and all the witches and wizards began chatting at once until order was restored.

"Why was Dumbledore ill?" Hatcher asked.

"One of Voldemort's Horcruxes, a ring that belonged to his ancestors, was cursed. Dumbledore put it on and…was cursed." Harry decided to leave out the part about the cave, which had made Dumbledore much more ill.

"Why did he put on the ring, knowing it belonged to Voldemort?"

"I have no idea. I wasn't with him when it happened." The second part at least was true. He knew why Dumbledore had put on the ring, the ring which contained the Resurrection Stone. He had wanted to see his parents and sister one more time. Harry would never tell them anything about the Hallows.

"So," Hatcher began to sum up. "Dumbledore was ill, was ready to die, and then was disarmed by Draco Malfoy. And now, Mr. Potter, who actually killed Albus Dumbledore?"

"Professor Snape killed him."

"Yes. But as many witness have stated, at the Battle of Hogwarts during the final moments, you said that Dumbledore intended to die, intended to have Snape kill him."

"Yes."

"Any idea why?"

"Because he was ill."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Then what about the Elder Wand?"

Harry gulped and a bead of sweat appeared on his head. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the Elder Wand. The old witch came to his rescue. "The Elder Wand has no bearing on this hearing," she said.

"But…" Hatcher began to protest.

"Not another word about it Mr. Hatcher or you shall be removed!"

"Very well," Hatcher said, but he was not done with Harry yet. "So, Snape killed Dumbledore?"

"Yes," Harry said, growing weary of the questions.

"And Dumbledore most likely allowed Draco Malfoy to disarm him. Correct?"

"I'm not sure. I don't pretend to know what went on in Dumbledore's mind," Harry said with a touch of anger.

Hatcher switched tactics suddenly. "During your sixth year at Hogwarts, did you suspect Draco Malfoy of doing something devious?"

"As I said before, Malfoy was in the Room of Requirement, trying to mend the Vanishing Cabinet there. He used it and one in Borgin and Burke to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts," Harry said.

"Mr. Hatcher," said the old witch. "We've already covered this ground."

"Forgive me, madam, but I would like to question him on this Vanishing Cabinet business again."

After a moment the old witch nodded. "Proceed."

Hatcher turned back to Harry. "Where are they now, these Vanishing Cabinets?"

"I have no idea."

"According to published articles in the last few days about the events at Hogwarts and about the destruction of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the Room of Requirement was set on fire by one of Draco Malfoy's friends and the diadem of Ravenclaw was destroyed. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you not think that such a fire, which could destroy an artifact such as the diadem of Ravenclaw, which had in turn powerful magical protection because Voldemort had turned it into a Horcrux, could not this fire also destroy everything in that room, including the Vanishing Cabinet, if such a thing actually existed?"

"Yes, it could have. But there is still the one at Borgin and Burke."

"Not anymore," said the old witch. "Place has been searched and there is no sign of it."

"Because they moved it or destroyed it!" Harry shouted.

"No statements, Mr. Potter. Please answer only the questions put to you," said the old witch. "Am I clear?"

"Yes,'' said Harry, as his insides boiled in anger. "Sorry."

Hatcher continued with a bit of a smirk. "So there is no actually proof that Draco Malfoy let Death Eaters into Hogwarts other than the words you heard him say to Albus Dumbledore. And there is no proof that Draco Malfoy cursed Madam Rosmerta, cursed Katie Bell, or poisoned Ronald Weasley other than the statements you, and you alone, heard him make to Dumbledore. Statements made when Draco Malfoy was scared for his and his parent's lives."

Harry said nothing. There was no question in any of this, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I believe I am done with this witness," Hatcher said after a moment of looking at some papers. Then he took a seat next to Narcissa Malfoy, who looked very pleased.

Harry had expected questions about how he had saved Malfoy's life and how his mother had saved his but they were not related to the charges so they didn't come. He now guessed she had asked him about that to remind him and to make him feel more sympathetic towards her son.

The old witch looked around her at her fellow witches and wizards. "Does any member of the Wizengamot wish to question Mr. Potter in this matter?"

Sure enough the questions came.

"How long have you known Draco Malfoy?" asked an old wizard in red robes.

"Since my first trip on the Hogwarts Express when I was 11 years old. No, actually we meet in Diagon Alley before that, but I didn't know his name then."

"And how would you describe your relationship with him?" asked another person, a witch this time, with glasses and jet black hair.

Hatcher stood up, ready for this. "And what does that question have to do with the charges against Mr. Malfoy?"

"Goes to the character of the witness," said the witch who asked this question.

"Very well," said Hatcher and he sat down. Harry looked around at Mr. Weasley and saw he had a worried look. Something wasn't right.

"Mr. Potter?" said the old witch in charge. "The question?"

"Sorry. Malfoy and I have hated each other since day one." It was the truth after all.

"And why did you hate him?" asked the same wizard who had poised the first question.

"He's stuck up," Harry started with relish, waiting for this day for years. "He comes from money and a pure blood family. Looks down his nose at half-bloods and Muggle-borns. He has endlessly insulted me and my friends and he did everything he could to make life at Hogwarts miserable for us."

"Sounds like just a school boy rivalry," said Hatcher with a bit of a laugh. But Harry pressed on, not catching the warning looks Mr. Weasley was sending him.

"Ask him yourself. We hate each other, don't we, Malfoy?" Harry said to Draco Malfoy where he sat in chains with the two Aurors, letting all his anger and emotions spill out.

Draco Malfoy looked up and at first appeared angry. But as he looked at Harry, the eyes softened a touch and he looked at all the wizards and witches and spoke calmly. "Yes. He's right. I did despise everything about Harry Potter. We have been enemies since we started at Hogwarts. But…he saved my life, twice, during the battle…and…and…if he hadn't killed Vol…Vol…the Dark Lord, my family would be most likely dead now. So…so…I…no, that's it. I have nothing more to say."

Harry was so surprised he was stunned for a moment. Harry had the feeling Malfoy was actually trying to say thank you, but couldn't quite bring himself to do so.

Hatcher and Narcissa Malfoy seemed very pleased at Draco Malfoy's words and Hatcher pounced like a tiger which has run down its prey, stepping back onto the floor and looking at Harry with a gleam in his eye. "Saved Draco Malfoy's life? Twice? Is it true?"

"Mr. Hatcher, you said you were done questioning Mr. Potter," the old witch reminded him.

"I reserve the right to rebuttal questioning," Hatcher said.

The old witch sighed. "Very well. Answer the question Mr. Potter."

Now Harry knew they had set a trap, had goaded him into talking about how he hated Malfoy. All eyes were on Harry as he replied, "Yes. I saved Malfoy's life."

"How did you save his life?" an old wizard asked before Hatcher could.

Harry did not want to speak of it, but knew he had to keep telling the truth. "I plucked him from the fire in the Room of Requirement. Later, one of the Death Eaters did not recognize him and was going to attack him so I attacked the Death Eater first."

"How noble of you, Mr. Potter," Hatcher said grandly. "Saving the life of someone you claim to hate, not once, but twice! Indeed, why would you save the life of someone who you claim aided in the death of Dumbledore, let Death Eaters into the school, cursed and poisoned your friends? Why Mr. Potter?"

After a long silence, Harry just said, "He…he…I don't know."

"Maybe you saved him because his mother had saved your life?" Hatcher asked and then everyone was whispering and looking at Narcissa Malfoy.

"What? No…that…," but Harry didn't finish, glaring at Hatcher, who Harry guessed knew that came later, but was looking for a way to introduce this piece of information.

'Narcissa Malfoy did save your life, correct?" Hatcher asked calmly.

"Yes," Harry replied. "But that came later, after I had saved Malfoy."

"So, she saved your life because you had saved her son's life?"

"Ah, no, I don't think so, she didn't know where Malfoy was or what had happened to him," Harry answered and he snuck a look at Mr. Wesley who just nodded and gave him a reassuring look that failed to mask the worry on his face.

"Then how and why did Narcissa Malfoy save your life?"

Harry paused and it seemed as if the tension in the room was at a fever pitch with everyone waiting for his next words. "Voldemort hit me with a Killing Curse. He told her to check my body to make sure I was dead. She told him I was and Voldemort believed her."

So loud was the outburst of chatter that came after this that the old witch had to bang her podium again to get silence.

"But you were not dead?" Hatcher asked after order was restored.

"No. Obviously." And that brought a few chuckles from the crowd.

"So, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived – twice, it seems. The second time you have survived a Killing Curse, is it not?"

"Yes."

"But how?"

And now the court was again listening with bated breath for Harry's next words. But again the old witch rescued Harry from talking about something he did not want to. "Mr. Hatcher, I have given you enough leeway in this matter. You have established that Mr. Potter saved Draco Malfoy's life first and his mother saved Mr. Potter's life later. That is enough with this line of questioning. It has no bearing on the charges against Mr. Malfoy"

"Very well," said Hatcher. "I believe I am now truly done with this witness." He returned to his seat next to Narcissa and she beamed at him. Got her money's worth, Harry thought with some regret, believing that Malfoy was about to be cleared of all charges.

The old witch sighed. "Now are there any more questions?"

Again the same witch who had spoken earlier asked a new question. "Mr. Potter, if you claim to dislike Mr. Malfoy so much, why are you here acting in his defense?"

Harry sighed. "Because it's the law. I have been called so I must come."

"For one who does not seem like he wishes to be here, you seem to have told the truth," the same witch asked and now Harry knew why Mr. Weasley had been giving him warning looks. He looked intently at the witch. She was also in the Malfoy's pocket, he just knew it.

"I have." He said with a touch of contempt for her.

If she had detected it she ignored it as she pressed on. "It seems odd that you would tell the truth about someone you dislike so much, despite having saved his life."

Harry looked right at her and held up his hand with the scar on the back and waved it so everyone could see. "I must not tell lies. That's what the Ministry of Magic has taught me. " he said and there many were puzzled looks and others nodded gravely, knowing how Harry got the scars. Harry looked around and saw Rita Skeeter's quick quill writing furiously and Mr. Weasley giving him a big grin.

There were no more questions and after a few moments Harry was thanked for coming and was told he could leave. Harry thought he would be allowed to stay for the verdict but that was not to be. He gave Malfoy one last dirty look, but Malfoy had his head down again and did not see it.

Harry left the court room and his mind was full of what had just happened and wondered what would happen to Malfoy. He hoped to find Madam Rosmerta outside to find out why she was here but she was already gone. Harry looked at his watch and was surprised that it was not even 11 AM. It felt like he had been in the court room for hours. He made his way back to the Auror office, sat in his cubicle and just stared at the bare walls. Have to get some pictures here, he thought, of his parents, and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, and maybe his Gryffindor Quidditch teams.

"Morning, Harry" said a voice behind him and he turned to see Lucy McMullan, a heavy cloak in one hand, holding a broomstick in the other, a Nimbus 2000, and looking a little disheveled.

"Morning," Harry said as she placed the broomstick against the wall of her cubicle and put the heavy cloak on the back of her chair. "Ah, do you come here by broomstick?"

She smiled. "No, course not. What would the Muggles think, me flying over Buckingham Palace on my broomstick in broad daylight?" she said as she laughed a bit. "We just got back from Azkaban before daybreak." She gave a slight shudder. "Dementors. I hope they get rid of the lot of them. Horrible beasts. We had to bring in some prisoners for hearings, some to be tried, some as witnesses. Been down below sorting them out and pulling a little guard duty. What a sorry lot, not such brave Death Eaters any more, very thankful to be out of Azkaban, even if just for a short while. Heard you were a witness today. How did go?"

"Not my favorite thing to do," Harry said with a touch of irritation.

"Hard on you, were they?"

"The legal counsel, Hatcher, he was."

"Oh, him. Heard he's the best."

"Can't disagree," Harry said, knowing right now Draco Malfoy was most likely being set free. He really didn't want Malfoy to go to Azkaban but he also did not want to see him go unpunished. Harry felt like doing some spell work or exercising to get out his frustrations. "Have you seen Charlie George?"

"He's down there with the prisoners."

Just then a green paper airplane memo came to Harry's desk. It was from Mr. Weasley. "Come to my office when you are free."

Harry said a quick goodbye to Lucy and started toward Mr. Weasley's office. As soon as he came out of the heavy oak doors of the Auror headquarters he heard a voice which he had hated for years.

"Potter!"

Harry turned and there was Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy, with no chains on his hands and no Aurors nearby. He was free.

"Oh," said Harry in a quiet voice. "Got off I see."

"Disappointed?" Malfoy asked, some of the old swagger back, but not the same as usual.

"Now, now Draco," his mother said. "We should thank Potter for his testimony. I really think it played a significant role in your being set free."

Harry said nothing, just looked at them, and Malfoy seemed to struggle a bit and then, grudgingly said, in a bare whisper, "Thanks."

"I just told the truth," Harry said calmly, not angry at all, he was surprised to find. "And you know it. Hatcher may have helped you fool all those witches and wizards. But you and I both know what you said to Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower. You and I both know what really happened. And I bet the rest of the wizarding world will soon find out seeing as Rita Skeeter was there. And you'll have to live with it the rest of your life."

Malfoy started to say something, then stopped and Harry knew his words had sunk in. He just turned his back on them and walked away, and hoped Malfoy would forget Rita Skeeter was an unregistered Animagus and really hoped he would never see Malfoy or his mother again for the rest of his life.

Mr. Weasley told him all that had happened before Harry had arrived and after Harry had left. At first Malfoy was asked if he was guilty of the charges and he had declared he was not. Then a wizard had stood and related the facts of the charges to the court, giving some details, most of which had been collected from witnesses the previous year after Dumbledore's death. Then Madam Rosmerta was called, was asked if she remembered giving the necklace to Katie or the bottle to Slughorn, and she had no recollection of either event. As Fleur had stated, there was no way to prove she had been under the Imperius Curse. It had long been established by the wizarding courts that people under the curse were not responsible for their actions. It was a tough legal point since anyone could claim to be under it. Rosmerta did not know if Draco Malfoy had cursed her, and there were no witnesses to her giving the necklace to Katie or putting the poison in the bottle, so her testimony had no real bearing on the outcome of the trial. But Harry's did.

After Harry had left, the Wizengamot had voted with a clear majority to dismiss all the charges except the one where Malfoy was a Death Eater. Malfoy was made to lay bare his left arm and there was the Death Eater mark as Harry had suspected. It was fading, Mr. Weasley said, something that seemed to be happening to all the Death Eaters in captivity, but there was no doubt it was the mark of Voldemort. When questioned about when he received the mark, Malfoy stated it had been almost two years year ago. Hatcher pounced on this, saying Malfoy had been only 16, under aged, and not responsible for his actions. Again he brought up Malfoy's fear of death for him and his family. It was a much closer vote, with many wanting to see Malfoy punished for something, many suspecting he did play a role in Dumbledore's death, as they said to Mr. Weasley later, but the Wizengamot dismissed this final charge as well.

"Well," said Mr. Weasley. "Not totally unexpected. Not your fault Harry, you told the truth, so not to worry. Hatcher worked his special brand of magic, and that swayed some votes. And I believe Narcissa also paid off some of the judges."

Harry nodded. "I figured as much. Not really fair is it."

"Nothing ever is. But…do you really think Malfoy deserved to go to Azkaban?"

"No, not really," Harry admitted. "Just…he did all those things. I guess no one disputed that he had disarmed Dumbledore."

"No, they didn't, not even Hatcher, if you noticed," Mr. Weasley said. "But Hatcher made it look like he had no choice, so that weighed heavily in Malfoy's favor. And there is no evidence of Malfoy using the Vanishing Cabinets even if you and others knew he was in the Room of Requirement. And none that he curse Rosmerta or Katie or poisoned Ron. So…there wasn't much chance of him being punished after all."

"But Malfoy caused so much trouble,," Harry said glumly. "And I just bet his mother is off to find Rita Skeeter with a bag full of gold to shut her up. Maybe I should have lied,…told them…something…to see he got some punishment."

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "No, you did the right thing. Most people know the true story, even if Skeeter doesn't publish what she heard. Draco Malfoy will have a tough life ahead of him, branded as the one who helped Death Eaters into Hogwarts, and being part of Dumbledore's death, no matter if he was ready to die or not."

Harry knew this was right and then he thought of something from the hearing. "Why did the witch in charge prevent them from questioning me about the Elder Wand and why I survived the Killing Curse?"

"Kingsley's orders, I suspect," Mr. Weasley replied, and then looked very serious. "Harry, why you survived is still a lot of speculation. Some people think you are invincible, more powerful than Voldemort ever was."

"But I'm not!" Harry said in protest. "I can die as easily as anyone else."

"Yes, this is true. But only a few people know the real truth. And that could come in handy."

"I don't understand."

"You are going to become an Auror. Do you think it better if Dark Wizards fear you and come along meekly or do you want them to dismiss you as a mere boy and fight you every time you confront them?"

"I…I…guess it's better if they fear me."

"Exactly. Oh," Mr. Weasley exclaimed looking at his watch. "Time for lunch. Off we go."

The rest of the day passed swiftly. Harry and Charlie George spent the afternoon working with alarms. Harry practiced many ways to get around them, not always succeeding, but doing better by the end of the day.

That night at the Burrow, Harry and Mr. Weasley had to recount the trial in as much detail as possible. Ron couldn't believe Malfoy got off and also couldn't believe he had said "thanks" to Harry. But there wasn't much energy for anger and they were all in a somber mood, what with attending the funeral for Tonks and Remus. It had been another weepy affair, with only a brief after funeral doings as Mrs. Tonks putting on a brave face for someone who had lost her husband, daughter, and son-in-law in such a short time.

None of the surviving Black family had showed and it was just as well, because Mrs. Tonks would have surely sent them all fleeing with a host of spells in their wake. Hermione found out from one of Lupin's relatives that Bellatrix Lestrange had been buried two days ago in the Malfoy family plot near their mansion. That was the day Narcissa Malfoy had confronted Harry. She had been wearing black and seemed less in control of her emotions than usual and perhaps she had just come from her sister's funeral.

After dinner Bill and Fleur said their goodbyes, promising to come back soon. Harry asked if Bill was in trouble with the goblins and Bill told him nothing had happened yet, but it didn't mean it wouldn't. To Harry's surprise, Charlie also had to leave, the goblins at Gringotts demanding a dragon as soon as possible. Charlie had managed to secure one for them in Norway and was all excited about the prospects of visiting there. After many hugs and kisses and handshakes and admonishments from Mrs. Weasley to be careful, Bill, Fleur, and Charlie said their goodbyes.

The next day was Friday and it thankfully passed with no unusual events. Harry practiced non-verbal spells all morning with Charlie George and he had more martial arts lessons with Mr. Kim, who reminded him to get proper glasses, which Harry hadn't had time to do yet. Also, fewer people were stopping him in the hallways to thank him, which was good. Harry wanted to feel as normal a possible, to fit in and not be treated as some kind of freak of nature.

Saturday morning almost everyone slept in, thankful for a day of rest. All except George and Ron, that is, who had to be at the shop because Saturday was their busiest day. Harry heard Ron groaning and complaining as he got dressed after Hermione had come to wake him up and remind him he had to be at work by 9 AM.

"It's Saturday! You're supposed to sleep in on Saturday!" Ron groaned. Harry said nothing, pretending to be asleep and before long he was again. He woke up around 11 AM when someone knocked on his door.

"Yeah?" he said sleepily as he reached for his glasses. To his surprise Ginny came in the room, still dressed in her pajamas. She came over and sat on his bed, a worried look on her face. Harry would have leaped under the covers in surprise if she didn't look so concerned.

"What's the matter, Ginny?" he said in a groggy voice.

"You have a visitor," she said quietly.

"What? A visitor?" Harry said as he sat up. "On Saturday morning? Who is it?"

"Says he's a solicitor."

Not more legal things. Harry just bet it was about another Death Eater who wanted him as a witness. "Did he say what it's all about?"

She looked at him with worry. "Said he needs to talk to you about…about your parents."