The Sentencing of Lucius Malfoy
Tentrees
Summary; Background for my version of the Harry Potter universe.
Updated: 10-6-2022 Published: 2022-01-28 Words: 2,649 Chapters: 1/1
The Wizengamot Chambers had never been so tense, not since the founding of the enclaves had muggles been allowed into them in numbers…let alone the Crown's soldiers. The presences of the muggle soldiery in the enclaves had unnerved the Wizarding world. Not that they had had any choice in the matter. The utter defeat and route of the Death Eaters by the Crown and their allies following the death of He-who must-not-be-named had only delayed the Crowns hand when it came to setting things right as the new Crown appointed Minister of Magic had said in his opening remarks.
With Dumbledore's absence and rumored incarceration, the ministry had performed dismally against the Purists who had signed the Declaration of Godrics Hallow and called themselves the Declared. That document and the continued fighting of the purists in the months following that Halloween evening had been the straw that broke the camel's back. Her Majesty had had enough of her subjects being attacked, bespelled, enslaved and hunted. Of the crowns police officers and fire fighters being obliviated to the point of minds being damaged by a Ministry more intent on keeping the secret of magic and the purebloods of the right families in power then in fighting the Death Eaters during the last war and the attacks on muggleborn and the Lords of the Ancient and Noble Houses who had been the Crown's most ardent supporters in the ministry. The ministry had even moved to crush what they saw as a rebellion by the remaining muggleborn and the Ancient and Most Noble Houses not aligned with the Ministry or the Purist factions. All on the pretext of restoring order.
Ten days into the spring offensive of the Declared and with its pro-purist puppet Ministry in power, the previous forbearance of the Crown evaporated and her Majesty ordered an intervention. In an hour of close fighting at the Ministry and with the capitulation of Hogwarts the magical world fell. While many of the pureblood family manors, long thought sacrosanct by the purists fell too combined magical and Crown soldiery working together. Few resisted in any meaningful way but several of the purist manors, most notably Malfoy manor and Riddle Hall, had fallen in bitter close actions which saw the near total destruction of both complexes.
With prisoners captured around England and most of the ministry staff undergoing questioning with veritaserum and truth spells few of the purists or the ministries secrets remained secret long. Because of this a quarter of the Ministry of Magicks personnel had been imprisoned for corruption or other crimes, while record reviews had resulted in another third being sacked for incompetence or demoted. The rest went back to work to learn that a great deal was both changing and remaining the same. The statue had been preserved, just barely, but the Crown resumed direct rule of the enclaves in exchange for their continued existence. Protest was vocal but peaceful especially after the Diagon Alley Riot had been met with water cannons spraying fluorescent green skunk oil that took several days to wash out of the skin and was immune to magical cleaning. Those who had used potentially lethal spells against the riot police had been shot by snipers when they could not be detained by the mages working with the police.
The message had been clear and unequivocal to even the most hardheaded of purists, the Crown was not weak nor was it going to be easily swayed. No longer would there be a law for magicals separate and above Muggle law, now there was only Crown law with penalties for misusing your magic. Tensions had been high. This had lessened as the Crown National Magical Constabulary patrols had worked to maintain order and defuse the worst of the tensions. The numbers of soldiers had quickly been reduced in areas they had taken over. The wizards had been shocked to see many of the new constables where muggle-born wizards and witches themselves, each paired with a half-blood or pureblood magically raised auror who had been passed their retraining and taken the Loyalty oaths. Many of the support personnel of the new Ministry and the CNMC where squibs or had children who were "muggle-born". The calm and soft but firm voiced pairs of constables (both in muggle police uniform, but ones with the old muggle police cape and helmet) had worked quite well, much to the chagrin of the purebloods who predicted mass lawlessness in the face of muggle inability to maintain order. The criminal elements had been sorely disappointed by the excellent teamwork and investigative abilities of the Constabulary.
The crowd this early morning waiting for the court to come into the session was a buzz with fearful energy. Security was strict, no wands, all magical or electronic devices where barred unless they passed screening and then only for accredited reporters, no bags where allowed and everyone was double checked. An undercurrent of disquiet filled the room. Normally many of the wizards in the government would have known what the sentence would be but that had all changed. No longer were the old laws and attitudes disregarding Muggle claims tolerated, no longer where wizards tried by their own under the pureblood laws and farcical public show trials, now Crown law prevailed in criminal cases.
These trails where not show trials, they had been legally correct, meticulous in the details of evidence and relentless in their pursuit of the guilty. Crown and Wizard technicians had worked side by side to sort the evidence and present it in detailed coherent reports, using strict Crown laws of evidence. These had trails over the last ten weeks resulted in forty convictions, many of which had been in multi-hundred count cases. Today they would hear the sentence of the first of the convicted Death Eaters leadership, Lucius Malfoy, member of the Dark Lord inner circle, and leader of one of the Declareds 'action groups' sentenced. His young wife sat in the front row of the public viewing area, holding her nearly three year old son, the only legitimate male heir to the Malfoy fortune waiting in tense expectation.
A few minutes after nine in the morning the Crown prison service guards brought in the elder Malfoy. He no longer wore the robes of a wealthy and socially powerful wizard. Today he wore simple blue jeans and a striped button down shirt with plain black slippers over white socks. His hands where cuffed to a waist belt and leggings fitted from the belt to his ankles with chains and an ankle bar prevented him walking in anything but a shuffle. His long nearly white shoulder length hair marking him as a head of house had been shaved back to one centimeter stubble on top with nothing but fuzz on the sides of his head. Around his wrists and neck were magic inhibitors. The four men moving him never let go of him until they had chained his leg bar into the ring in the floor of the docket.
While he had pride and controlled himself well keen observers noted the look of… regret in the normally icy grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy as he looked back over his shoulder at his wife and son and was quiet, awaiting the five judge panel too arrive to announce his fate. The looks his ex-wife gave him were cold and distant; the last three weeks had seen her world of loving powerful husband and secure life crushed during the trial. Finding out that your husband had kept both muggle and magical concubines had shaken her love of the man. To find out that even with the four bound concubines he had continued to prey on women, fathering seventeen children outside of the two he had by her had killed it.
He looked to be about to say something to her or his son when the Bailiff called them to order and the judges came in, the president of the court placed a thin folder on the bench in front of him; the court was brought to session. After several minutes verifying the identity of the accused and the judges, the president of the court directed Lucius to stand. "Is their anything you may wish to say too this court Mr. Malfoy before we pass sentence?" Malfoy stood tall and firm and raised his head high, his back strait as he faced the judge.
"No … I have nothing to say… too Muggles," He said in a voice of cold disdain after a moment's silence. Several in the audience nodded or murmured words of approval at his firm pureblood stand. Not a few rolled their eyes in disbelief at the show of arrogance.
"Very well, then Mr. Malfoy I shall read your sentence," said the lead judge totally non-pulsed by the comment. Malfoy said nothing and the judge opened the folder and started to read. "Lucius Abraxis Malfoy, For the acts as a Death Eater in the service of Tom Riddle the self styled Lord Voldemort, specifically the One hundred Forty-three counts of first degree murder, the eighty-three confirmed counts of rape, ninety-eight counts of bribery or blackmail of a public official, a jury has found you guilty on all counts. The first part of your sentence is that, as you are magical and a felon with more than three convictions for violent criminal acts using magic the court orders that your wand be destroyed immediately and that your are forbidden from ever owning another or handling a wand, or any other magical focus under penalty of law, and shall wear magical suppressors for the rest of your natural life," The Judge nodded to the bailiff, who pointed his own wand at Malfoys wand sitting in the shielded circle on the pedestal in front of the docket. A single *Incendio* and Malfoys wand was ash.
The wizard and witches in the court went numb for a second before a low shocked murmur filled the room. The wizarding world never destroyed wands. With the first lines of the sentencing The Crowns judges showed that they would destroy the wands of wizards and further more say they could never have another or use magic again, thus reducing them to the status of squibs forever, it was a change that signaled just how serious the Crown was taking the crimes committed by the Death Eaters and indeed by any magical.
The judge gaveled for order and then continued as the crowd quieted, "Further more The Crown has sequestered your titles and the House of Malfoy's right of place in the House of Lords Magical until your legal male heir, your son by the Lady Narcissa Malfoy nee Black is of age as defined in the Charter to take up the duties of a member of that body. This court also directs you to forfeit your entire personal fortune, less entailed properties and funds due your House its heirs and dependents, under the Provisions of the Criminal Forfeiture Proclamation."
Several of Lucius allies had come to the trail they quickly realized they had just been relegated to a minority within the House of Lords Magical and would be until young Draco came of age. Even then the vast power and wealth of the House of Malfoy, the primary funding source for the dark lord, and the Declared had just evaporated or been scattered among Lucius many bastard children. If this had been the Wizengamot the trail would most likely never have happened but this was a Crown court and the muggles were out for blood and the first two parts of the punishment were designed to set an example. It was lesson not lost on most of the observers that day.
The rest of the courtroom was stunned; not only because of the sequestering but also the forfeiture proclamation had been scoffed at but now the shattering of the Malfoy estate put all the Death Eater and many of the Declareds estates at risk. Many began asking themselves questions. With Malfoy the highest profile and certainly richest Death Eater losing nearly everything then what would happen to the rest? What would become of his family with his estate subject to that muggle law? And the *seventeen* illegitimate children he had fathered? Others were less charitable and asked when did a rape victim, a slave or a concubine or the child of such under the old laws ever get this kind of compensation? Several muttered that the muggle slags and slaves and their wretched foul offspring deserved nothing and that the forfeiture was illegal. Several hard eyed men in the crowd and watching from hidden cameras marked these individuals for watching and compared them with other watch lists. Few surprises where had. Several ended up being detained at later dates and questioned; a few of these ended up in the docket themselves. As they murmured to each other the judge continued speaking and the crowd quieted.
"A jury of your peers has also found you guilty of High Treason, in that you have taken arms and used magic against the subjects of the Crown and that you did wage war against and attempt to suborn, overthrow or enslave the subjects of the Crown, Parliament and her majesties legitimate magical and mundane governments and finely the Crown itself. On the other counts this court could have sentenced you to life in prison, with total forfeiture of parole for each act… but in consultation with both the Crowns Ministers and officials, it was decided that the despicable and heinous nature of your crimes against the whole of the United Kingdom are unforgivable," the crowd buzzed softly and the judge gaveled them into silence.
"Any further outbreaks and the bailiff will be directed to clear the gallery." The crowd stilled not wanting to miss the rest of the sentencing. Malfoy looked puzzled, he was not alone many of the wizards present where also wondering what this could mean. Would he get off? A lesser sentence? The dementors where banished and the veil itself destroyed. What prison did they have for him? The muggle barrister who had assisted the barrister-wizard for Malfoy paled when the senior judge donned a simple black cap over the white wig. Then in a tone like ice again began speaking.
"Because of the heinous nature of these acts and the continuing danger that you represent, this Court with no practical alternative… sentences you to death by hanging…'" The courtroom was silent until it heard the word death then it erupted in pandemonium as Lucius Malfoy sneered at the panel.
"ORDER," bellowed the judge. Hammering his gavel several times, the crowd lowered its volume and several of them reseated themselves. The judge handed the death warrant to the bailiff and continued with the rest of the sentencing. "Lucius Abraxis Malfoy, you have been sentenced too death by this court. I direct that you be taken from this courtroom and thence to Her Majesties Prison Manchester. And that at noon three weeks hence, you are to be taken to the execution room where in a manner proscribe under Crown law, you are to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. Further more as you are a magical and there are proven methods of reanimation available. Your body is then to be incinerated and your ashes scattered at sea to prevent that avenue of return. May God Have Mercy on your soul. This case is closed."
The judge hammered the gavel down three times and the panel stood and exited the rising noise in the courtroom over this was heard the screaming of his son as he reached for his father. A numb Lucius Malfoy could only look at the tears streaming down his wife's otherwise passive face and his screaming son as the four guards came in and secured him for transport.
A hundred and sixty-three death sentences were given out over the next three days and three hundred and seven other life sentences. Severus Snape and eight others were sentenced to the ministry potions lab making healing potions for St Mungo's for the rest of their lives. After thirty-five years the five survivors were granted life parole but always monitored.
The Purists cause fell to the dust bin of history as the trails exposed its bare bones desire for power and to stifle change. Especially as every single dark mark had turned into a burn scar at the Samhain festival in 1982, taking half their magic permanently.
Albus Dumbledore's grave appeared in Godrics Hallow in 1993. Rumors of his death in an insane asylum or senile dementia ward remain to this day.
Harry Potter graduated the Royal Academy of Magic and Science that replaced Hogwarts in 1984. He married to the nine-witch coven that had been with him and studied with him and dated him since very nearly the first year. He didn't seem to mind their attention and being a part time warder, enchanter and stay-at-home dad to help raise the swarm of children that followed.