"Law is vulnerable to the winds of intellectual or moral fashion." ~ Robert H. Bork

Chapter Thirty-seven: Unwavering Resolve

"… The bottom line is that if Draco Malfoy had not stepped in, had not taken control of the situation and his destiny, Master No Name would have won. We would still be running around in circles, and they would be greasing old pipes and working their sneaky magic on this great ministry. Draco said, that's not going to happen, not on my watch, and he did something about it. He had the courage to protect Miss Granger from assailants not only stronger than he, but equipped with wands while he did not have one! This is noble indeed, citizens of the jury.

"His plan was clear as soon as he realized how wrong he and those around him had always been. He actively sought to make everything right, fix what was broken. He actively brought them down, overpowering several Death Eaters on numerous occasions and protecting Miss Granger no matter what the circumstances. If that isn't valor, if that isn't honorable, then I doubt anyone is.

"He was fighting for the same reason that Harry Potter, or Albus Dumbledore fought - because it was right. That is what we are talking about, members of the Wizengamot. We are talking about the courage to stand up to what is known in favor of doing what is needed.

"And most importantly, he was successful. Miss Granger was not used as a pawn in the Death Eaters' schemes. Their group was dismantled, finally, after decades of violence to our world, to our families. He struck the final blow in this war. And because of his efforts, we have won."

There was much murmuring among the people present; Nora's chair creaked as she leaned forward.

"Now is not the time to be tossing people into Azkaban without a second thought, which is what we would have done years ago. This is the time to rebuild our world and our beliefs, to salvage what we have left from this war - our sense of community.

"I understand that it is easy to see the mark on his arm and judge him, but as we all know, people are not always as they have been labeled; they are not always what we make of them. For this young man, there were other forces at work, pressures, that you and I cannot know, cannot fathom at this time. We will get to know those pressures, so that before you make a decision, you know what really happened."

"The defense will tell you that the people who died because of this boy don't matter. He will tell you that it isn't Draco Malfoy's fault that he became a Death Eater. The question is, and this is the only question: is one good deed, in his lifetime of detriment to our world, really enough to redeem him? Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I think not. I think the law states that he is every bit the man of his crimes.

"The law is not the question here - the question is whether or not the law should be followed. The defense hopes that you will chose in his favor, giving him more power than he deserves. The defense hopes to persuade you that the law, written by the greatest minds of our world, means absolutely nothing. They wish that because he ratted out his friends, he should be given recognition. I'm afraid that's not how the world works, and not how order is kept. People who break the law and put our people's lives in danger deserve to be punished, not given a second chance.

"So I ask you to remember the men and women who fought to protect what we hold most dear, and recognize that Draco Malfoy stands for everything that they did not stand for ..."

Malfoy Trial Sparks New Debate

With the final defeat of the Death Eaters, the Ministry is seeking to repair the damage caused by their thirty year rampage. Among these changes are new relief efforts, laws, and a trial that is sparking a heavy debate on the Ministry floor.

Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy and Death Eater, began his trial yesterday morning in a flurry of controversy over the considerably lax proceedings and security. After a four month tryst with Hermione Granger, who he initially kidnapped and held against her will, Draco allegedly played a significant role in the final battle against the Death Eater camp in Western Canada.

"I believe it is a waste of Ministry time and effort, not because of his guilt or innocence, but because no matter the circumstances, the law must be strictly observed in all cases," commented Khristina Jiharam, ambassador to India and member of the Wizengamot.

Nora Constable, head of the Department of Magical Defense, has been working closely with the defense. She had this to say: "Because of his part in the battle, the usual response would be to recognize his efforts and grant leniency. Unfortunately, this type of dealing has no precedent since no Death Eater has ever provided significant enough information to gain their release."

It is currently unclear as to which way the trial is going, but due to its delicate topic and nature, the Minister is sure to [...]

[cont. on pg. 6]

"What you are doing is working, Hermione."

She nodded, idly twirling a bit of hair around her finger as she read.

Harry was becoming accustomed to being perpetually ignored, so her silence did not deter him. "There was an article in the Daily Prophet about the trial."

She nodded again, flipping the page and readjusting in her seat. The last few weeks had taught her not to be hopeful for anything, as she had scrapped for every bit of approval she could gain for Draco. Her research and back-end persuasion had plateaued as she had feared it would, so she had to work extra hard now that the obvious points had already been wrung dry over the Wizengamot. Harry did not seem to understand how little of an impact she was making; he was there every other day, telling her how well everything was going and how much people are noticing.

Hermione knew better; politicians liked to agree with you to your face and then vote against you as your back was turned.

"I might be able to get you in to see him."

Hermione looked up sharply.

Harry rubbed at his already messy hair. "Apparently if you are a reputable expert, you are allowed to question him, as long as you agree to go on the stand. Which I think you have to do anyway… you are the best witness for the trial I should think."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't believe the prosecutor will see it that way."

"You know how to handle it, Hermione. Stay factual, stay focused on answering the questions, et cetera. You make any wrong moves, and the prosecutor will move to have your testimony stricken from the record."

It was amazing how delicate this entire process was. The clunky and mismanaged way in which the Ministry used to do trials had evaporated into something not only more refined, but borderline sinister. Winning had come down to who pulled more strings rather than what was right.

"Hermione… "

"Yes?"

"… Have you ever thought that… maybe Draco does deserve to go to Azkaban?"

Hermione stayed silent. Yes, she had thought that. She was almost resigned to the fact that all this work she was doing was going to amount to nothing in the end. And yet… without seeing him, spending time with him, this was all she had to keep her going.

Nothing she was doing was even challenging for her; nothing was above her ability anymore. In the beginning, it had been hard to say the right thing, hard to push the correct point at the correct person. Now, it was so much a part of her that she did it automatically, and even found herself doing the same thing to her friends. Smoothing over people, pulling information out of her ass at the right time… it was how she operated now.

She needed him to set her right again.

Hopeful that she was just infatuated with him, she had initially looked forward to spending time with her friends again. She had hoped that they would set her straight, realign her priorities and perhaps shed a more balanced light on the situation. In actuality, they had done the opposite - not only could she feel herself drifting away from them, but she could feel them lose hope for her, lose respect for her.

Harry had especially noticed her reformed mask, the same one she had worn so many times in school when she had buried herself in academia and forgotten how to be free with people.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, I have, Harry. I know that he probably deserves to be thrown in Azkaban. But that's not what I want."

Harry looked at her, through her, and realized that he didn't recognize the Hermione in front of him anymore.

"They are trying to make me sound like some abused kid," he laughed, his whole body shaking with the effort. "I don't know if I deserve that, considering the rich lifestyle I had."

"That is different, Draco. Just because your parents gave you things doesn't mean they gave you the most important thing."

He shook his head, his humorless smirk dropping a little.

"And Draco? You do deserve that. You deserve all of this."

"Do I, now?" The words of the prosecutor rang in his head like a death toll. "She's right. The law is clear."

"Thinking like that will do you wrong, Draco." Nora looked back at Gerard for some backup, and he nodded. "You deserve to be happy. Anyone who would do what you did deserves to be happy."

Draco shook his head. "Well, I bet they didn't appreciate my name being in the same sentence as Albus Dumbledore. That was probably a bad idea."

"Opening statements don't matter as much as you think, Draco. We still have the rest of the trial ahead of us."

Draco scoffed.

"Don't get defensive. And you need to keep your temper in check when we are on the floor. Don't say anything, don't give anyone any looks, and for goodness sake, at least pretend to be slightly interested in what happens to you! I know the prosecutor's words were clinical at best, insulting at worst, but you can't let her get to you. It's what she wants and what she's hoping for."

Gerard put his hands through his suspender loops and snapped them lightly. "She's going to have to question you, Draco, and no matter how well you do, she'll twist it. You just have to let it roll off you, and answer honestly."

He could do it, he realized. He could sit there and let her insult him repeatedly through the trial. It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with that type of thing before.

But he didn't want to.

He was sick of everyone else being right all the time. He was sick of everyone having this idea about him when they knew nothing, nothing at all about him.

"Hermione is working out the back-end stuff. Soon, she'll find something that will turn this whole trial around, and she'll let us know."

There was a knock at the door; assuming it was the security guard, Draco immediately let out a heavy sigh and began to stand. Instead, Harry Potter burst in, his eyes blazing.

"OUT," he shouted, speaking to Nora and Gerard. Though both looked taken aback by the immediate order, they both complied, Nora giving Harry a warning look as she closed the door.

"Frankly, I'm sick of your shit, Malfoy. My best friend is gone, plain and simple. It's like she's not even alive anymore."

Draco was torn between yelling at Potter for blaming him and asking how Hermione was doing. If Potter had come all the way over here just to bitch him out then something must have happened.

"To think, I was trying to help you two."

"Now what did I do?"

"DON'T. Just don't." Harry paced in front of the table, and Draco sat back in his chair, knowing that standing in front of Potter the way he was would just encourage his anger. "You've destroyed everything, Malfoy. Maybe you didn't mean to or whatever, but you did. You've destroyed everything that meant anything to me."

Draco's face hardened as the words he had been telling himself all this time got spat in his face. "Shut up, Potter. Don't you think I know that?"

"I'm talking about Hermione too! Especially Hermione. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that you hated the lot of us for the longest time. We are the ones who have been there for her since first year at Hogwarts. So don't even think about lecturing me about her feelings or about what you think is best for her. Don't even get that idea in your fucking head."

Under his angry exterior, Draco shrank back. Potter was right - how much did he truly know about Hermione? Sure, he thought that he loved her, but in the end her friends really knew her. He could say that he'd seen her soul, knew her heart, which is something that he was sure none of her friends knew, but did he know her fears, her quirks? Did he know what made her happy?

"Why did you come here? Just to blame me for all this? I'm sorry. Okay? I'm fucking sorry!"

Harry held his hand up, shaking his head. "I don't care if you're sorry. I really don't."

"Then why - "

"Because I want you to know! I want you to understand. If for a second I thought you did not love her, I would kill you myself. But I'm resigned to the fact that you do love her, and she loves you."

"What the - "

"Just know - you are killing her with this. When you do see her, and she sees you, you aren't going to recognize her at all. She's not going to recognize you. And hopefully she sees what kind of man you really are."

Draco stared ahead blankly as Harry slammed the door.

Author's Note: Hey guys. It gets better, trust me.