The State Vs. Draco Malfoy

Poor Cho Oak cried the front of the newspapers. A beautiful and kind woman taken away from the world so cruelly. May had observed every newspaper in her hand. The Daily Prophet had a picture of Draco Malfoy nest to Cho Oak. DRACO MALFOY KILLS CLASSMATE in bold words. It would seem that that world had already decided that Draco was guilty.

But the paparazzi as daring as their tongues are were not the ones who would determine Draco's fate. May knew that the press had no interest in prioritising justice over profit. May flicked through every newspaper only to find that they had nothing to suggest that Draco is guilty. They stated no reason to why Draco was arrested and it appealed this his arrest was based on hearsay.

May nodded as threw the newspaper back on the lobby table. Scorpius was next to her, staring at her. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I think we've got a good chance," May admitted. She remembered asking Gary why Draco was arrested, and it was because of what Cho said about him during school. May wasn't going to lie, Draco may have been an arsehole at school, but he's a grown up now – and a dedicated single father. Being a bully at school doesn't make one a murderer. "I believe the arrest could be illegal."

"Illegal?" Scorpius asked.
May looked over at Draco who was standing in the corner of the room opposite the guard. "If the prosecution can produce no evidence of your guilt, then you've been arrested illegally."

"They've already decided I'm guilty," Draco hissed. "I don't even know why they're bothering with this trial."

"Everyone has a right to a fair trial," May insisted. "And it's pretty clear that there's been a major cock-up somewhere in the investigation. I haven't been able to find anything. Nothing. Nothing to suggest that you're guilty, but nothing to clear your name either. Still, I believe that the killer is out there somewhere."

"Keeping busy I see," said a deep voice behind them. Draco 's face suddenly became cold. May looked around and saw two men standing in the middle of the room. One man in white, and the other in black. Both of them had angel wings representing their colour.

"Professors..." Draco gulped.

"You know these people?" May asked.

"Draco knows us very well," the man in white said. "We were both his headmasters at school. It's a pleasure to meet you at least, May Maple. You don't know me, but I've been watching you for a long time. I am Albus Dumbledore, your guardian angel. And Severus Snape here is Ash's guardian angel."
Severus Snape must have been the man that gave Ash that book. She had never seen Ash look at a book, so she wasn't sure if he had even looked at the book or not.

"So you've come to help?" May asked.

"We thought you could do with a helping hand," Albus said. "We're not suppose to interfere with human affairs, but I can't allow a former student of mine to go to prison for a crime he didn't commit."

"Even after everything I've done?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Albus said. "None of this is your fault. And we all know that you didn't kill Cho."

"And the assailant isn't Mr. Potter either..." Snape hissed.

"Do you know who did it?" May asked.

"Yes," Albus responded with a smile. "Sadly I'm not allowed to tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself..."

May smiled. "I'm sure there'll be some clues somewhere." Her heart jumped as she heard a thud behind the door. "What was that?"
The lights flickered: all the doors opened. People in dark cloaks invited themselves into the lobby with grizzling smiles on their faces. It didn't take long for May to realize that they weren't people: they were demons – residents of the underworld. The man in the middle was Hades, their lord.

"Hey," Hades said, waving his hand.

"What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry," Hades insisted, waving his arms again. A glass of wine formed into his hand. "We just came to wish you good luck for today."

A lady with strangled hair locks stepped out in front of Hades. She smiled. "Hello there, Draco. Long time so see..."

"Wait," May said. "Are these your family?"

"My aunt and parents are there."

"I think we'd best be off," Albus said to Snape.

"An excellent suggestion," Snape said. The two angels vanished afterwards.

The two angels vanished, leaving only the demon gang loitering around in the lobby. Thankfully for May, they didn't stay for long and the guards escorted them outside. There something sinister going on, and May wanted to observe anyone. She had nothing, so any clues from anywhere would be appreciated.

The trial was a bizarre experience. After the prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth, began his opening statement he called Gary Oak to the stand first, but May couldn't get any new information of him that she already knew from the cross-examination. The next person on the stand was Gregory Goyle who stood by his beliefs that Harry Potter was the culprit. Things got intense. So intense that the Judge ordered him to leave. Then Professor Neville Longbottom was called to the stand. There seemed to be something peculiar about the flask the man was holding in his hand.

"Please state your name and occupation."

"Neville Longbottom. I teach Herbology at Hogwarts."

"Professor Longbottom," May called out. "May I ask what's inside your flash."

He placed the flask in front of him. A green vine wiggled around trying to break out of the glass. "It's a Devil's Snare." Neville placed the flask back into his handbag. "It's distressed because it hates light.."

The judge peered over from his desk. "And is this Devil's Snare plant responsible for Mrs Oak's death?"

"Yes," Neville confirmed. "Lush Jungle has been known to have Devil's Snare. It's not very common."

"Could you please explain to the court what a Devil's Snare is?" Edgeworth requested.

"It's a dangerous plant," Neville explained. "It's got the power to constrict or strangle anything. They share a lot of DNA with the tangela line. When attacked by a Devil's Snare, it's important to relax, the more you panic, the faster it will kill you."

"The victim was found in the girl's bathroom," Edgeworth reminded the court. "Due to this information, I can conclude that the bathroom was not the murder scene."

"What makes you so sure of that?" May asked.

"The bathroom would have been too bright for the plant."

"Can you prove the lights were on that night?"

"No," Edgeworth responded honestly. "But it wouldn't have made a difference. Mrs Oak would have known about Devil's Snare having studied in Hogwarts. If the lights were on, Mrs Oak would have seen it and been able to combat it. She had a litten, a fire-type pokémon at her house. It's clear to me that the murder took place in Lush Forest. What I don't understand is why there are no marks left on Cho's body to suggest that she had been strangled."

"The marks wouldn't show up with muggle technology," Neville explained.

"So if you guys are saying that the plant killed the victim," May said, suddenly. "Then my client is innocent right?"

Edgeworth shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Of course it is," May raised her voice. "I believe that my client was arrested illegally."

"And you have evidence towards this?"

May nodded. "I do: the lack of evidence towards my client speaks for itself. Professor Longbottom's statement has made it clear that the plant killed the victim. So it's safe to say that Mrs Oak's death is a tragic accident. What evidence have you got against my client? None! Why was Mr Malfoy arrested? Circumstantial evidence. That evidence being that Mr Malfoy was a bully."

"It was obvious during my investigation that Mr Malfoy wasn't liked at school."

"Was...was! Being a bully doesn't make somebody a killer. The Draco Malfoy that they knew at Hogwarts is different to the one standing in this court today. Draco Malfoy grew up. He's a devoted single father who's had to put up with too much. His arrest was unlawful, and he's entitled to compensation. Deep down, Prosecutor Edgeworth, you know it's true."

"It is a possibility," Edgeworth said. "But we still haven't got all the facts. There's still a possibility that Mrs Oak was murdered."

"I don't think so," May said, clenching her fists. "If the police want to investigate her death further, then be my guest. But my client had nothing to do with his death." She looked over to the Judge. "Your Honour! As far as I'm concerned, this trial has come to an end."

"I agree."

"Objection!" Edgeworth cried.

"Overruled," the Judge said. "I have listened to both sides. It is clear that we are nowhere near finding the truth. But I will side the defence in that Mr. Malfoy's arrest was without merit due to lack of evidence. Therefore I find the defendant...Not Guilty." He slammed the gavel. "That is all. This case is adjourned."

After the trial, Draco smiled. "Thank you..." he said with his hand on his heart. "I can move on with my life."

"Do you want to try and get that compensation."

Draco shook his head. "I have enough money."

"I understand," May said. "Thinking about it. It might not be a good idea. You might get the feeling that you're reliving the trauma."

Scorpius hugged her father tight. "I love it here, but I can't wait to go back home."

"Yeah," Draco said. "Me neither."