Hold Me Hostage

by nomajmeg

When Hermione is captured after the Final Battle to be used as a pawn in a half cooked Death Eater scheme for freedom, she finds an unexpected ally. But what will happen when she is finally free?

11. Chapter 10: Trial and Error

Chapter Ten: Trial and Error

"Haunted" -Taylor Swift (The Heart Lock cover)

Hermione was bouncing from heel to toe, anxious. She was patiently waiting for Harry who would be escorting her to the Ministry. She had blatantly refused Kingsley's offer of another Auror detail. After Barrett, she wasn't really comfortable with the idea of a replacement at all. Kingsely had been less than enthusiastic, citing the fact that his Aurors were more than trustworthy. She hadn't relented and finally he had thrown his hands up in exasperation, giving in.

Harry laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "Ready?"

"No," she answered honestly. She was most definitely not ready for what she had to do, what she had to show, to a courtroom full of friends and strangers alike. She hadn't gone into details with any of them about her time in captivity. Mostly because she didn't want them to look at her any differently. It was one thing for Dean and Neville to know. They had been there. They had experienced it all together. But showing people on the outside, even her best friends, who hadn't been there to know the brevity of the situation, who hadn't been in their shoes... well, it was hard. She would do it, though. Because of the four people who had sacrified their freedom for hers and her friends. They deserved for her to make a good case and she couldn't do that without her memories.

Harry gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, Hermione. You're the strongest witch I know."

She gave a tense smile back, hoping that he would still feel that way after the trial. "Let's go," she breathed. Harry stepped into the fireplace first, throwing down his floo powder and being shot off to the ministry.

Hermione stepped in once the soot had cleared, cleared her throat and repeated the motions.

She stepped out of the Ministry fireplace into the Atrium, dusting off her robes as she began to cross the marble floor. Harry was standing beside the wand check desk, conversing pleasantly with the elderly lady working there. Hermione approached, handing over her wand for it to be examined. The woman gave them each a visitors badge and they made their way into the lift to head to Kingsley's office.

An hour. One hour, that's all she had before her private memories were on display for everyone to see. She sucked in a shaky breath, steeling her resolve. The lift opened and they clambered out, crossing swiftly over to Kingsley's office and knocking. He opened it a few moments later, allowing them entry and wishing them a good morning. Hermione was horrified to find Auror Barrett sitting in front of Kingsley's desk.

He smiled at her. It was completely unnerving. "Barrett," Harry greeted him, extending his hand for him to shake.

"Morning Potter. Come early for class, eh?" Barrett said, standing, and grasping Harry's outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake.

"I'm here to attend the trial, actually." Harry said, his hand coming up to rest on Hermione's shoulder.

"Ah, right." Barrett said, turning his attention to Hermione. "Miss Granger, we meet again."

"Auror Barrett." Hermione said coolly.

"I supposed you're going to testify on behalf of the Death Eaters, then?" Barrett sneered at her, a glint of something playing in his eyes.

Hermione kept her face a mask of placid indifference. "I'm going to testify on behalf of my rescuers, yes. If you ever catch the Death Eaters who held me, they can rot for all I care."

Barrett gave a barking chuckle. "Well, Miss Granger, one of your 'saviors' just happens to be a Death Eater and they all aided in holding you hostage, so you are already contradicting yourself. Might want to work on that before going in front of the Wizengamot." He winked, and moved around her, toward the door. "Best of luck, Granger. Potter, I'll see you, mate."

Kingsley hadn't made a peep during their entire conversation. Hermione turned to look at him, "What was that about?"

Kingsley shrugged. "You'd be a bit put out, too, if you were pulled from your detail because the girl you're protecting thinks you are a suspicious character. Of course he's bitter."

Hermione scowled. "Can we get on with this? How will it work, any way? Will each member of the Wizengamot have to view it individually?"

"No. We can project it, so that everyone may watch them at once. I need you to focus on the memories you wish to share, one at a time, while I extract them."

Hermione nodded. That much she could do. She sat down in the chair before Kingsley's desk, waiting patiently as he readied the viles.

"Ready?" He asked finally, pressing the tip of his wand to her temple. She gave a tiny nod, steeling herself to relive the torture. "Ready."

She concentrated on each memory individually, one after the other as he pulled the wispy fibers from her mind, stoppering them in the glass vials before he placed them in a small box.

When the last memory had been extracted, she sagged with relief, trembling in her seat. "'Mione. Are you okay?" Harry asked gently.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Fine." She took a deep breath, steadying herself. Now she just had to remain calm during the court precedings as she watched her memories from an outsiders perspective and get through her testimony. Easy Peasy.

Draco glared at the red haired Auror dragging him forward by his hands, bound once more by 'no-magic' shackles. He would have resented the man regardless, for the simple fact that he was escorting him to his suredly bleak fate. But what's more, with his red hair and freckles, he reminded him of the Weasel and that in turn reminded him of Hermione and the kiss he had witnessed during the battle a few weeks previously and that was enough to send his foul mood plunging to the deepest depths.

The courtroom was already filled, he and his friends the last to join the party. Behind him he heard Theo mumble, "Good turn out." Draco rolled his eyes. He would have to ask for a cell far from Theo's in Azkaban. His acerbic comments had begun to wear on him, especially after his birthday. Theo had been determined to get him to admit to having something going on with Hermione Granger and had been incorrigible about it. Pansy had done nothing but egg him on, whereas Blaise sat stoic and silent, as he had most days since their arrest. He was bitter with the way things had turned out. Though Theo frequently reminded him that he could be dead, and that would be considerably worse.

Draco kept his eyes downcast, refusing to give in to the temptation to search the crowd for Granger. They lined them up directly in front of the Elders of the Wizengamot, Kingsley standing front and center of them all behind a podium, standing in for the Chief Warlock. Dumbledore had held the title previously, and no one had been reappointed since his death.

Their Auror escorts held tightly to one of their arms each, standing slightly behind them as they faced their judgement. Draco watched as Kingsley pointed his wand at his throat, muttering an incantation. "Silence," he boomed, effectively quieting the few whispers that had been bouncing around the courtroom. "Today we will have effectievly four seperate trials in one. All charges are equal between the four, including Aiding and Abedding known Death Eaters and Kidapping, with the exception of one. Draco Malfoy, you are also to be tried with Aiding and Abedding Lord Voldemort, and Assault of an Auror. Please state your full names, individually for the record."

He looked pointedly at Draco, who rolled his eyes before answering, "Draco Lucius Malfoy."

"Theodore Caspian Nott."

"Pansy Reese Parkinson."

"Blaise Ellis Zabini."

"Very well," Kingsley said, nodding to his left. Draco glanced over to see Granger, Looney, Thomas, and Longbottom sitting a few rows away. "The defense has several witnesses, in the alleged hostages they held. We will move forward with questioning first, and then we have several memories to view. Mister Thomas if you would," Kingsley gestured for Dean to move forward. He approached the podium hesitantly, stopping to shoot a glare in Draco's direction.

"Please state your name for the records of the Wizengamot." Kingsley said.

"Dean Elias Thomas."

"Thank you, Mister Thomas. We're going to ask you several questions. Please answer to the best of your ability. Do you remember your captors?"

Dean nodded. "Two Death Eaters, Yaxley and Dolohov, under the orders of Lucius Malfoy." His gaze drifted back to meet Malfoy's. He could feel Hermione's eyes on him and he made a point not to glance her way.

"Did they harm you, at any point during your capture?"

"Not until I refused to ask for the, er the Death Eaters, to be pardoned. Yaxley and Dolohov became quite violent when I refused."

"How do you mean?"

"They Crucio'd me. Boxed me around a bit."

"You have only mentioned Yaxley and Dolohov. Did you ever see any one besides those two specifically?"

Dean nodded, "Zabini and Parkinson each brought me food and water."

"And did they ever harm you in any way?" Kingsley asked.

Dean shook his head, "No. Never."

"Did they ever threaten you in any way?"

"No."

"And did you see any one else, other than the four people you have previously mentioned?"

"Malfoy and Nott, once. Briefly. Other than that, no, not until the night we escaped."

Kingsley nodded. "Thank you, Mister Thomas. You may retake your seat."

Dean looked supremely relieved, purposefully strode back to his seat while Longbottom replaced him at the podium.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Neville Frank Longbottom."

"Thank you, Mister Longbottom. Did you get a good look at your captors?"

Neville nodded, "Oh, yeah. Lucius Malfoy suprised me. I was helping to heal minor injuries in the Great Hall when Lucius approached me. Said he had something important he needed to discuss with me. He said that my friends might be in grave danger. I followed," Neville scowled. "Fell right into his trap. He bound and gagged me, then knocked me unconscious."

Kingsley grimaced. "Were you hurt in any way during your captivity?"

"Same as Dean. Yaxley and Dolohov Crucio'd me, and hit me a few times."

"Did you see any one else during your stay?"

"Blaise and Pansy. They brought me food and water. Malfoy and Theo once, when they stopped- well, they stopped Hermione, Dean and I from being tortured."

"Any one else, besides those four?"

"No."

"Thank you, Mister Longbottom. That is all."

Neville nodded and returned to his seat. Luna approached the podium, weird vegetable earrings flopping about as she walked, strange glasses resting atop her blonde head. Draco scoffed. As if anyone could take her seriously.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Luna Pandora Lovegood." She said, smiling serenely. She caught Theo's eye and waved. Draco turned to see him grin in response.

"Do you know who your captors were?"

"Oh, yes. Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They got to me after the battle. I was sitting under a tree beside the lake at Hogwarts, and I must have been swarmed with Wrackspurts. I never saw them coming, my brain was so fuzzy. They tied me up and then it all went dark, until I woke up in the manor."

"Malfoy manor?"

"Oh, no. It wasn't that manor. Actually, I don't know exactly where we were... But the view from my window was quite spectacular. I rather enjoyed it."

Kingsley was knowingly tolerant, having known Luna on a personal level for several years, but most of the Wizengamot members looked flabbergasted. Kingsley continued with his line of questioning.

"Were you harmed at any point during your captivity?"

"No, not at all. I had a very lovely stay, really." At that, titters broke out throughout the crowd of Elders.

"I find that extremely hard to believe, miss, that your stay was 'lovely' as you so put it." A man said, rising from his seat a few rows back from where Kingsley stood.

Luna smiled up at him. "I could take some Veritaserum if you would like. I assure you that I am being one hundred percent truthful in my statements."

"Er, that won't be necessary, Luna." Kingsley said, turning back to her after shooting a meaningful glance at the man who had spoken. He huffed and sat back down, allowing Kingsley to continue on with his questioning.

"Please name off the people that you saw personally throughout your captivity."

"Theodore, mostly. Though I did see Draco a few times. Blaise and Pansy stuck their heads in once or twice, looking for Theo." Luna said, giving a small smile.

Kingsley ignored the twitters that had started up again. "You wrote a letter, asking for the Death Eaters full pardon. Were you coerced?"

"No, I wanted to."

"Why, might I ask?"

"I don't believe that people are seperated into only two categories of Good or Bad. Everyone has light and dark in them. Everyone makes mistakes. I feel that everyone deserves a second chance."

"You felt that they deserved to start over with their lives? Even after kidnapping you and holding you against your will?"

"Yes, especially after that. People do strange things when they're desperate."

Kingsley nodded. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood, you may be seated."

And then she was there, walking up to the podium and Draco could avoid her brown eyes no longer as they latched with his. She gave a small smile, though it was quickly wiped away, replaced by a most anxious expression.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Hermione Jean Granger."

"Do you know who captured you?"

"Lucius Malfoy distracted me, disarmed and bound me. The Carrows, Yaxley and Dolohov surrounded me, and then I was rendered unconscious."

"Were you harmed during your captivity?"

"Yes."

"Can you elaborate?"

"I would rather not. You will all see it for yourselves in a matter of moments, any way."

Kingsley nodded, relenting and Draco sat stunned. She was giving up her memories, putting them on display for every one to see, in hopes of swaying the Wizengamot to release them. His eyes met hers again and he now understood the anxiousness and apprehensiveness they held. He wanted to shout at her. To tell her she was being ridiculous. That she didn't have to bare the innermost demons she carried for him and his friends. She smiled at him again and some of the tension he was holding onto eased, though not nearly enough.

"Very well," Kingsley said. "Is there anything that you would like to say before we continue on and view your memories?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Yes, actually. I'd like everyone here to know that giving up these memories... hasn't been easy for me. I haven't shared them with anyone, not even those closest to me. My sole motivation in sharing them with you now is the hope that you will see the goodness in the people on trial before you."

Kingsley nodded, signalling that she might be seated again. Draco watched her as she went, seating herself snugly between Luna and Neville who each took up one of her hands. She looked terrified.

Kingsley had removed a box of several phials. He poured one after the other into a large stone basin, murmuring incantations over them as he swirled them around with his wand. One last flick of his wrist, left them all speechless. They sat in Hermione's room at the manor, watching on as if they were actually there. Draco watched as memory Hermione snatched his wand from his pocket, and the confrontation afterward. The memory shifted and they were in the living room, Hermione's hand outstretched for the door as Yaxley Crucio'd her for the first time. Draco saw himself enter, shouting "Enough!" before helping Hermione back to her room. The memory shifted again and they were in Hermione's room once more, this time she was alone. The door opened as Yaxley and Dolohov entered, "Hello Little Mudblood, would you like to play a game?" Draco watched disgusted as he viewed this part of that night for the first time. He was disgusted with himself, once again, that he hadn't gotten there sooner. They all watched as memory Hermione was dragged from the room, up the hallway and thrown onto the floor of Neville's room, joined shortly thereafter by Dean. There were gasps from several people throughout her being tortured, but that was nothing compared to the cries of outrage pouring out as Yaxley popped the button of her jeans and began working them off of her. He was pretty sure he heard both Ron and Harry shout out in horror. Draco watched with a sick feeling in his stomach as Neville conceded to stop his friend from being violated. Yaxley bent and kissed Hermione's pubic bone and then the door burst forth and memory Draco, Blaise, Pansy and Theo burst in. He watched himself as he stunned Dolohov, and aimed at Yaxley, threatening him, too, before bending and scooping up Hermione. "Draco," she breathed as he carried her up the hallway, the first time she'd used his given name, and then the memory faded to black.

They didn't have to wait long before they were pulled into another memory. Hermione sat on her bed, Draco resting on the edge beside her as they conversed. "Looney's letter didn't work. The Ministry has refused my father's terms twice now and he's growing impatient." Draco heard himself say.

"What exactly does he want?"

"Immunity. Freedom. A full pardon for his crimes, and the rest of ours as well."

"You haven't done anything," protested memory Hermione.

Draco watched as his memory counterpart jerked up his sleeve. "This says differently, Granger." Memory Hermione reached out to touch the Mark he'd uncovered with tentative fingers. They'd barely brushed his skin when he jerked his sleeve back down.

"Just because you have a Dark Mark, doesn't mean you deserve the same fate as the rest of them."

"You're being held prisoner here, with me as your guard and you are defending my choices?"

Memory Hermione asked, "Have you ever killed any one?"

He glared right along with the memory version of himself, unsure how this memory was helping his case. All it was doing was putting him on display and making him feel vulnerable. "No. But I've tried."

"I bet the rest of them couldn't say that, could they?"

"No, they couldn't. Granger, where are you going with this?"

"No where. I just feel like you don't give yourself enough credit. Your not a bad person, Draco, even if you have done bad things."

Memory Draco scoffed. "Now you sound like Looney Lovegood."

A sigh from memory Hermione, before, "Well, she was right... partially, anyway."

"I'm not a good person, Granger."

"I think you are. You've saved me. Several times, actually."

"They were going to rape you!"

"I know. And you stopped Yaxley the night before, as well."

Memory Draco was rendered silent.

"You tried to stop Crabbe from killing us in the Room of Requirement... And at the Quidditch World Cup, our fourth year, you warned us to get away from the campsite. Because you knew they'd torture me if I stuck around."

"Do you have a point, Granger, because I'm getting bloody tired of the monologue."

"You won't convince me that you're a bad person, Draco. I know better."

"I didn't stop Bellatrix," Memory Draco whispered harshly, avoiding memory Hermione's eyes, just as their real time counterparts were avoiding each others gaze now.

"You were scared. I can't say that I blame you."

"You don't know everything," he had snapped.

"I know enough."

And then the memory was changing again, stopping to reveal Draco standing before a tearful Hermione as he told her what his father had planned should the Ministry refuse again. "Finger?" She had squeaked. "Stop that. You're not going to have to worry about it." Memory Draco said as the waterworks started up again.

"W-why?"

"I'm getting you out of here."

"What?"

"Out, Granger. I'm getting you out."

The memory changed once more, depicting Draco blowing the door off of it's hinges and following them as they made their escape. There were gasps of suprise as he stunned Yaxley. Even more gasps when he had shoved Hermione out of the way of his father's stunning spell, taking the brunt of it himself. The memory stopped, just after he had stunned the bell end of an Auror who had grabbed Hermione so roughly on the night of their arrest.

The courtroom returned to normal and every one sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Kingsley stood and approached the podium once cleared his throat. "Now, we will hear from the defense. Theodore Nott, you will go first. Please approach the podium."

Draco watched as Theo walked forward casually, seemingly unaware of the seriousness of this trial. He grinned wolfishly at the Wizengamot, going so far as to wink at an older witch in the front row. She gasped, letting out a small sound of indignation as her wrinkly cheeks flushed crimson.

"Please state your name for the record." Kingsley said, his voice oozing disapproval.

"Theodore Caspian Nott," Theo grinned.

"How did you become involved in the scheme to kidnap four of your fellow classmates?"

"Well, you see, it was either I cooperate of my own accord or be Imerius'd and cooperate any way. I didn't much fancy not being in control of my own thoughts or actions, so I went along with it. Good thing, too, eh? If we had resisted, we would have been mindless robots and these four," he gestured to Hermione and company, "Would be much worse off, don't you think?"

Kingsley cleared his throat, continuing, "Why did it take so long for you to come to your senses and help the prisoners escape?"

"Why did it take the Ministry so long to get their shite together and act? You should be thanking us. We did what you couldn't, or else, what you refused to do. Granger'd be missing a finger if it had been left up to you."

Draco groaned internally. Leave it to Theo to fuck up any positive sentiments they might have had toward them.

"Who's idea was the escape?"

"Draco's."

"And he forced you to help him?"

Theo scoffed. "I love the confidence. No, actually, we all jumped at the chance as soon as it was mentioned. None of us wanted them there. Hell, none of us wanted to be there, either."

"If you were to be sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban today for your past actions, would you regret breaking them out? It is possible that you might have escaped with your freedom if you hadn't aided them."

Draco saw Theo's eyes flash over to Luna, before he said, "I don't have regrets."

"Do you feel that you have gained reasonable knowledge between right and wrong?"

Theo grinned wickedly up at Kingsley and the Wizengamot behind him. "Oh, I've always known right from wrong. Wrong's the fun one." There were several gasps and titters. "But, if you're asking me if I'll be a danger to society, if you'll have to constantly watch out for me kidnapping someone else, then the answer is no. Actually, if by some miracle I make it out of this courtroom a free man, I think I'm going to return to Hogwarts. Finish out my education."

Kingsley looked suprised at that, nodded, and sent him back to his spot.

"Miss Parkinson, please approach the podium," he said, pausing to wait for her to reach it before continuing, "Please state your name for the record."

"Pansy Reese Parkinson."

"How did you become involved with this plot to kidnap your fellow classmates?"

"The same way as Theo and Blaise. We were threatened with the Imperius curse. None of us wanted our free will taken from us so completely, so we conceded."

"Did you harm any of the captives during their time in captivity?"

"No."

"Why did you not act to free them sooner than you did?"

"I was scared." She said honestly. "They would have killed me, any of us, if they had any inclination of what we had planned. We barely made it out of there, as it were. If I had acted alone, I would have been taken down. The motivation, for me at least, was higher to keep them there. Hoping that the Ministry would meet their demands so that I could go home. My confidence began to wane with each letter the Ministry sent, refusing. I thought, if the Ministry didn't care about them," she pointed to Hermione, Neville, Dean and Luna, "Then they damn sure wouldn't care what happened to me. Once I realised that I was screwed either way, I really wanted to do the right thing. Even if it meant that I would spend the rest of my life in wizard prison. So, when Draco came to us with the idea to break them out, I jumped at it."

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson. Mister Zabini, please approach the podium." Kingsley said. Blaise and Pansy traded places and Draco saw their fingers stretch out for each other, thought they were spaced too far apart to ever reach. It struck Draco then that that could be their fate for the rest of their life, to be seperated lovers, so close, but yet so far. That thought was fucking depressing.

"State your name for the record."

"Blaise Ellis Zabini."

"How did you become involved in the scheme of kidnapping your classmates. Blaise sighed, and Draco didn't blame him. How many times must they repeat the same things? "I was threatened with an Imperius curse. If I was going, I was keeping my free thoughts, my free will."

"What was your main motivation in breaking the prisoners out?''

"Honestly, I don't know. It was wrong to have them there in the first place, but I had nothing to gain and everything to lose by helping to break them out. I knew we'd be arrested, and yet I still felt compelled to do it. But without Draco's insistence, I would never have had the gall to attempt it."

"Do you regret your decision?"

Blaise's eyes drifted to Pansy's and Draco was forced to look away from the profound sadness in them. "I'll let you know."

"You may go, Mister Zabini. Mister Malfoy, approach the podium."

Draco stood up straighter, striding forward at a brisk pace, forcing his short legged Auror companion to scramble behind him. He smirked.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy."

"Mister Malfoy, how did you come to be involved in the kidnapping of your peers?"

"I have the unfortunate pleasure to be the son of the ring leader."

"Did you volunteer for the job then?"

"No!" Draco scoffed at the thought. "I had no idea what he had planned. As soon as I realised, I told him how stupid it was. He wouldn't see reason. My mother was compelled to stay, believing in him still, after everything he's put our family through. I've long since realised that Lucius Malfoy is no one to put your faith in."

"And yet you stayed?"

"I couldn't very well leave after he'd already shown up, hauling in four unconscious bodies and 3 of my unwilling friends. I would be a coward to run after that." Draco said, the conviction in his voice suprising even himself. It was true that he hadn't run, but it had definitely crossed his mind. For a fleeting moment.

"We witnessed you coming to the aide of your captives in Miss Granger's memories... Lucius and the other Death Eaters couldn't have been happy with you."

"Not very, no."

"Were you punished?"

Draco barked out a humorless laugh. "No. I dared them to try it again."

"And how did you keep them from it? Why did they never attempt to touch Miss Granger again?"

Draco glared at Kingsley, wishing he'd stop saying Granger and bringing the attention back to her. She had been through enough for that day. "I kept watch."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I spent each consecutive night in an armchair in her room. In case they got any more clever ideas about how to persuade her to do something they wanted."

"And it was your idea, then? To break them out, I mean."

"Yes."

"What prompted that, I wonder?"

Draco scowled. "They were going to cut her finger off. Possibly more than one, to send in with the Ministry's morning post. Yaxley, he was going to do it, but it had been my father's idea. He was terribly upset that the Minstry wasn't taking him seriously, you see. I couldn't let them do that."

"Why not?"

"Are you daft? You'd rather I let them?"

"Of course not, I just wondered at your motivation."

"My motivation was that cutting someone's finger off to make a point is disgusting. Potter had defeated the Dark Lord, I thought that having to witness such horrors would be a thing of my past. I wasn't about to watch, or worse yet, participate in something so ghastly."

"Hm, yes. Speaking of the Dark Lord, you are also charged with aiding and abedding him. Please raise the sleeve of your left arm."

Draco swallowed dryly, glaring Avada's at Kingsley with his eyes. He reached down and slowly pulled up the sleeve to reveal the Morsmordre mark on his left arm. "Ah, yes. There it is. How long have you been a Death Eater, Mister Malfoy?"

"I'm not a Death Eater. The Dark Lord has been vanquished." Draco snapped.

"When did you recieve the Dark Mark?"

"The summer before last."

"Nearly two years, then, you were under Voldemort's thumb. Why did you choose to give your life over to dark magic?"

Draco scowled. Might as well be honest, since you're going to Azkaban. "A last ditch attempt to please my psychophant father. He was never pleased with anything I did. It was the only time in my life he told me he was proud of me, and it was the worst moment of my life."

Draco met Hermione's warm, brown eyes, turning away quickly. They were filled with pity that he didn't want or need.

"You regret your decision to take the Mark?" Kingsley asked, the suprised tone of his voice irritating Draco even further.

"Of course I do. I regretted it before it was ever branded on my skin."

Kingsley paused, seeming to consider this. "You stunned an Auror during your arrest. Can you tell us more about what prompted you to resist arrest?"

"I wasn't resisting arrest! I was going willingly. I stunned him, because the idiot was hurting her," he pointed at Granger, who flushed. "She had been through hell and then he decided to paw at her like an animal, trying to drag her away. I couldn't just stand there and watch it happen, Auror or not."

"I have one final question, before we break for the Wizangamot to discuss and decide your fates. Do you regret helping the prisoners escape?"

Draco didn't think twice, turning to look into Hermione's eyes as he said, "No. I'd do it all again without question."