A/N:
For all of you perfectionists and over achievers (who let house elves slide but draw the line at improper grammar and weak research): For simplicity's sake, the term solicitor will take the place of barrister, even though British courts have important differences than American courts, in structure and procedure. This trial is not meant to be realistic, or even accurate, and takes many fantastic leaps. I would've done more research, but I didn't have time to take off from my life to go to law school, in order to write this humongous body of fiction that I'm not getting paid for. Thank you, that concludes my announcement. :-)


Monday came with an escort service to the hearing. It was sent by Draco, whom Harry still hadn't managed to talk to. Destiny and Douglas encouraged him to get inside.

"You'll be bombarded with aggressive journalists, and this car is equipped with a driver and security systems to handle them."

He was in no mood for drama, but whatever. He set his mind to get this show over with. The sooner he admitted to kicking Lucius's ass, the sooner he could get on with his life, no matter which direction it took. He had taken the CIUM ring off. Every time he thought of pressing it, he felt like he was running from responsibility. He couldn't expect others to bail him out, even if they had the power. But where was Bicksby's fatherly council? His can-do fortitude? Harry also knew that the ring might've led the CIUM to Snape and he didn't want to increase those odds, so he'd taken it off and left it in his drawer at the condo.

It took all morning to wade through the preliminaries and get to the heart of the proceedings. His hearing took place on the basement level of the Ministry's Dristrict building. There, a series of small courtrooms lay on both sides of tiled corridors. They were escorted to the Criminal Offenses sector. Mrs. Malfoy was already seated inside with her solicitor. Draco was there, with the rest of his legal team, and sat partitioned by a black velvet rope, away from the public Gallery and the witness stand. Harry's heart leapt to see him. Across the room, Draco gave him the briefest of nods.

Neither of them saw the Weasely's in the Gallery, with Hermione sitting next to Ron.

Keep it cool, Draco's manner coached. He appraised Harry, and Harry could feel him sizing up the affects of the last few days, and attempting to determine how balanced and prepared for the trial Harry was. He shored up his confidence for Draco, setting aside any bitterness at not being able to talk to him beforehand. He was led to the small conference table where Draco and his advisers sat. They had both been instructed not to talk to one another, but to relay everything through the solicitors.

Something about Draco looked brighter, more intense, as if Harry saw him in super sharp focus. A hardness to Draco's eyes sobered him to the fact that Draco was amassing great concentration to hold himself together. He must've left Iece with Jipsy, and that was fine with Harry. The further she was away from this mess, the better. Try as he might to explain it away, a weird halo of haziness hung around Draco's head and shoulders. Harry kept staring, daring a few times to look over his glasses to see what could be seen magically of Draco.

Because there were so many people, magical extensions of energy filled the air, superimposed over vivid reality. It was confusing, seeing everyone's wheel of life bleed through the room and through one another and all objects. No wonder this wasn't a part of normal vision. It amounted to excessive information, requiring a filter just to see two feet in front of you.

Stray magic wafted around everyone's heads like spores from bursting dandelions. Mynute sparks danced in a soup of ethereal mist, mostly translucent, before dying out and leaving none the wiser. He made it a point to block everyone out but Draco. When he did, Draco's aura got brighter and his wheel came to the foreground around him. Harry saw that he also had three wheels.

Something sharp stabbed his hand. "Ouch!"

Destiny had used her quill-pen to jab him. The barrister was waiting on him to respond. Just then, a flash went off in his face as a reporter was allowed to enter the courtroom.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked.

"These forms, Mr. Potter, please sign and register yourself as present for today's hearing. The judge will hear your case shortly. You're on record as the defendant. This form verifies that you were not held on bond, nor served any punishment in relation to the charges against you, met with any coercion, and indeed have knowingly arrived at your trial, at the time appointed. We intend to uphold that you are a man of your word and your presence denotes good faith. Your actions are sound and honorable, in spite of the criminal charges against you today. The judge will consider your moral integrity firsthand. As a wizard of your caliber, you could've made this very difficult. But you came when summoned, and that will tell the jury that you have nothing to hide, and have done nothing to dishonor yourself."

Okay, Harry wasn't sure what to do with that, but he nodded. "Got it. Will there be a point when I can talk to Draco in private?"

"Your correspondence with Mr. Malfoy, through solicitors, should've been sufficient in preparation for your trial. Unless the judge grants a recess prior to his decision, I don't think you and Draco should confer too closely. You have entrusted us to handle this case and any new developments between you too, would only undermine what we've gone over again and again."

Harry had to admit that he was right. He just felt so unbalanced without hearing from Draco's own mouth that he was fine and everything was okay.

Public seats filled quietly under the supervision of a court officer, and Harry felt the first signs of pressure threading its way into his temples as he equated those faces with a spectator sport. Trials were humiliating enough. It was barbaric to treat someone's public evisceration as a thing of curiosity and amusement, yet he knew that's why most were here, no matter what excuse they gave. He did this to himself. Fine, he'll go with it. He'll make it easy for them. It'll be over soon.

He followed the solicitor to their small table. He was shown a seat behind Destiny and her assistant, while they spoke in low tones to one another. Jurors were shown in and designated to their neutral seats. When the court was ready, Lord Stephen Romaine was announced and entered wearing a traditional wig and a black robe. He was a youngish judge Harry had never seen before. He was unsmiling and looking perfectly capable of a stiff, impartial sentencing to Azkaban, or whatever institution was waiting on Harry. He'd hoped Banks would be presiding, but that would've looked too much like favoritism, no doubt. Destiny assured him he wasn't going to be sent to Azkaban. There might be jail time, two years probation and community service, once his case was heard, but not prison, unless the prosecution could prove that Lucius was going to die.

After surveying the documents before him, the judge leaned into his stand and reiterated the trial that they were all there for. He looked as unimpressed as someone taking out the garbage, and Harry realized that deciding a man's life and death fate, was just another day at the office for him. All the court officials began calling him 'My Lord,' as the proceedings got underway. He granted the plaintiff's side to commence their opening statements.

A wizard introduced himself as Winston Scott, representative of the plaintiff, Narcissa Malfoy.

"The prosecution will prove beyond reasonable doubt that Harry James Potter did invade Lucius Malfoy's home on the aforementioned date, with the intent to kill him, inflicting grievous bodily harm, attacking his wife in the process, and critically compromising the security and stability of our magical populace. His indictment counts are as follows: breaking and entering, attempted manslaughter, and high betrayal of Wizarding Common Trust."

Winston went on to paint a horrific scene of a wizard gone bad and backed up his statements with actual footage captured by muggle technology.

"The actions of Harry James Potter, were ones of entitlement and clearly show his renegade disregard for the law. His violent spree not only cost a reformed wizard his dignity and perhaps his life, but will forever be evidence in the hands of muggles, as proof of our magical race alongside them. I don't have to remind this court of how doggedly our people are hunted and pursued by non-magical cultures, whose histories and myths are littered with tales depicting the worst traits possible and denouncing our entire existence as evil. Muggles need no more encouragement to fear us and kill us, and yet, thanks to Mr. Potter, our advancement from the Medieval Ages has been set back hundreds of years. His actions were not only those of a wizard drunk on power, against a defenseless person, but they were against our entire society and the discretion that keeps us safe."

Satisfied that he had everyone's concern and full attention, Winston returned to his seat beside Narcissa, whose practiced poise looked the right amounts of somber, mourning, and dignified. She wore a pillbox hat with a touch of lace falling over her brow. Harry knew that her picture in the Prophet would look more like a fashion shoot than a trial photo, and probably end up in a scrapbook along with all the other proud moments of her life. He hated her.

Beside him, Destiny stood. The breeze of her light perfume brought him back to the courtroom.
Destiny walked smartly onto the floor to present the defense's side of the case. Her voice came across subdued, but strong and even as it rang out around the room.

"It's true that Harry did barge his way into the Malfoy's home on the day in question. He did attack Lucius Malfoy, and he admits that he broke the law. But what you didn't see are the two years that he and Draco were stalked, coerced, and even detained against Draco's will, as the Malfoys attempted to strong-arm their way into their grandchild's life. They are described today as reformed from their Death Eater past, yet dark tactics have been used to provoke the most desperate acts from a father trying to keep his family safe. I will prove that my client, Harry Potter, acted in self-defense. In the last two years, he has fought to keep his family safe from the wizard and witch responsible for his kidnapping and torture in their home."

"Objection!" Winston cried. "The defense is leading the jury with prejudicial statements."

"Statements that are relative to who the Malfoys are today and the actions they've taken against Harry, that have nothing to do with any previous trial."

The judge allowed her statements. "We'll hear you out."

She continued, "The Malfoys cannot be retried for any of that, yet my client cannot be blamed for the precaution he's taken in avoiding them, which includes keeping the child he's raising with Draco Malfoy, away from Draco's parents. He and Draco have moved from city to city, in an attempt to outrun the Malfoy's money and reach. Wherever they go, the Malfoys buy homes next to them, forcing them to keep running from their influence. In one instance, Draco's vehicle was overpowered by magic, controlled by the Malfoys, and he was forced off the road with his daughter in the car, so that his parents could once more pressure him to let them see her. Tactics like these have driven the boys to seek professional therapies, both medical and psychological.

"When Harry learned that Lucius's recovered magic was making their daughter sick, his survival instincts, already stressed, immediately took over and he did what any father would do. He acted to stop the harassment and therefore, the affects on his child, once and for all. We too can provide medical testimony that the child was experiencing premature magical distress, due to anomalies affecting her development. She had to be hospitalized and sedated, and her doctor has been able to trace her illness to the very curse that affected Draco Malfoy, her birth-father. In other words, we have reason to believe that Lucius Malfoy's magic is still affecting the child, regardless of any previous legal action, simply because of her blood relation. Harry had to think fast. He had to get his child out of danger, and no law enforcement was in any position to see his problem or to help him. His daughter was unconscious and he simply wanted to break the magical connection between her and Lucius. He took drastic action.

"Did he go about it in the best way? No. Should he have brought his case to the Ministry's attention? Yes, but remember, the Malfoys have already been tried for their past crimes, in a public trial that took its toll on everyone. Harry put no stock in anyone's ability to help his family at this point. That trial, the public trauma, was more hurtful to him and Draco, than helpful and in his aggrieved way of thinking, it made no sense to trust anyone else with something he needed to take care of once and for all. He admits that his actions were wrong. But I would say that his actions weren't simply reckless and illegal. They were actions of severe PTSD, which have been hidden from the public since the previous trials. And Lucius Malfoy, along with his wife, has prayed upon Harry and Draco's distress to aggressively fight his way back into their lives.

"Harry is not crazy. He knows the difference between right and wrong and he is law abiding. He thought no one could help him, for the legal system had not protected him so far. In his eyes, it was time to end the harassment. So ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as we present our evidence, I will show you that Harry was not a lawless maniac when he broke into the Malfoy's that day. He was a desperate father, out of options, and unwilling to wait one more second for harm to come to his child."

Tension eased as twelve jurors visibly nodded to themselves in reflection. This made more sense, their thoughtful silence seemed to say. However, as both sides proceeded to present their evidence, jurors heads swayed, like bouncing tennis balls, from doubt, to confidence, to doubt again, as the solicitors swept forth with their facts.

The prosecutor displayed Narcissa's memories from a pensieve recording that arrayed itself like a projection before the bench.

"Notice, ladies and gentlemen, how muggles are crowding shoulder to shoulder with their technology, to capture the spectacle for ages to come. Harry's bloodlust keeps him aloof and in complete disregard of his effect on those around him. Innocent people could've been harmed. Even muggle police got involved in what became a showdown of vengeance and force, putting other lives at risk, destroying property, destroying trust, destroying discretion, and brutally taking the law into his own hands in a bloody attack that can now be viewed by anyone, muggle or magic, for all time, in the annals of what is called social media and internet communications. Thanks to muggle advances, this scene cannot be suppressed from their platforms and will replay for all time. His mistake cannot be undone and our culture will suffer for it."

Harry could only roll his eyes so many times. The weight of Winston's statements started to press him down a little, until he remembered Iece's shock-white hair glowing unnaturally, her screams, and his panic. No, he'd done the right thing. If it was time for people to wake up through his fury, then they'd just have to fucking wake up. It wasn't the first time he'd become a harbinger of drastic change.

He'd been advised to stay silent and let the argument unfold. He tried to ignore the images being shown to the jurors, but glanced up in time to see a maniac's eyes as he slammed Lucius's head off the bonnet of a car. He didn't recognize himself and it didn't take much to feel his blood start to boil at the memory of not being able to kill him.

Winston supported Narcissa's claim of being attacked by him, and the invasion into their home, by presenting her memories. They were highly selective ones, showing only her point of view as Harry had yelled at her, at wand-point, and demanded where her husband was. Portions of her replies had been omitted, or were missing altogether. He remembered what they had said to one another, and couldn't believe she had the ability to twist that conversation just by leaving out certain things. Where he spoke of the rape and she admitted to what was done to Draco, she'd overlayed emotional turmoil over her original responses so that she appeared to be crying unintelligibly. One minute she was talking normally, the next she was almost incoherent and terrified for her husband.

Harry snickered, amazed, but still furious. The only way she could've pulled that off was to literally keep reliving the memory with the insertion of incredibly self-convincing acting abilities. She'd had to practice those emotions and responses until she convinced her brain that it was real. But one thing she didn't have to make up, was the way he'd pushed her against the wall when she wouldn't answer his questions. No matter what she faked, she wasn't faking the fury with which he shook her.

Only her mildest pleas were shown, the rest omitted. The entire courtroom was left with a one-sided version of events tilted heavily in Narcissa's favor. They were not allowed to hear the talk of how sexual perversion had become a normal thing in the Malfoy line, but were allowed to hear the best words Narcissa had spoken to Harry that day. Her memories showed the two of them were among heirlooms, kick-knacks, lemon yellow decor, then a shadowy hallway as she planted her body to stop him.
She held on to his arm to keep him from finding Lucius in the adjoining room.

She screamed in hysterics, "Yes, my husband did monstrous things and I'm truly sorry. If you need to hear it from him, he'll say it. He'll admit it. But don't hurt him. He's lost his son. He's lost his magic. He received torture in Azkaban that he is too ashamed to admit to, and nearly died repeatedly at the hands of their guards. Nicee, that's what Draco calls her. She'll be fine. Draco has fully recovered. You will too. Don't go after him. He doesn't have nearly the power that you think he has. That was all smoke and mirrors. Like you say, covering up shit. We were in too deep to say no to Voldemort, until you showed us how. We found the courage too late, but I beg you to forgive us."

The court saw Harry hesitate, but then pull free and kept going.

"He's defenseless," She yelled at his back.

By the time events unfolded to the point of her losing sight of them, as Harry had apparated him and Lucius to a muggle neighborhood. By the looks on the faces of the jurors, Narcissa had won significant sympathy for her humility and distress. Harry could just feel them thinking that a woman that formerly proud, must've been through a lot to stoop to begging for her husband in such an undignified way. They were impressed with the vulnerability she allowed to be seen. It made her more human and less Death Eater.

All eyes hardened on Harry for an explanation. Even Draco, who became sickly green during his mother's memories, grimaced through it all.

Next, three doctors, specialist mediwizards, were called forth to present their prognoses of Lucius's current state. A long list of his injuries were read aloud. The doctors all came to the conclusion that he wasn't just physically attacked, but magically attacked, and that whatever Harry had done to him, it wasn't being undone by the best care they had to offer.

One of the specialists spoke for the whole medical team. "Lucius should've been fully recovered by now. For three weeks, we've repeatedly treated his injuries, awaiting improvement. But he makes no progress. His body simply isn't mending, it isn't recovering. We can't wake him. He is, for all intents, unresponsive to our treatment. We must conclude that Harry's magic is at play and since everyone knows that Harry is a formidable wizard, in spite of his young age, we've concluded that his magic is actively suppressing the life of Lucius Malfoy. As far as we're concerned, if Harry wants the wizard dead, then his magic is trying to make that happen."

"Is it a curse?"

"Not in the traditional sense. It wasn't cast deliberately. It's simply a very focused intent borne on Harry's magic.

"Then are you saying," the solicitor, Winston, prodded, "that Lucius Malfoy is going to die unless Harry's magical attack can be thwarted or removed in some way?"

"We see no other outcome. That wizard fights for his life daily and is facing a slow and painful descent into wasting decline and ultimately death."

"There you have it. Harry Potter may not've murdered Lucius yet, but his death is inevitable if the situation does not change. Narcissa Malfoy asks only that the law address this injustice against her husband, the family's further humiliation, and for the reckless way in which Harry puts himself above the law."

Winston struck a stack of papers in front of him with the flat of his hand. "Not this time! Regardless of Mr. Potter's celebrity status and his heroic efforts in the war, he is not above the law and cannot be allowed to use his fame to brutalize and attack wizards and witches who do not possess the clout and means to defend themselves. I say to you, Mr. Potter lowered his morals and his status when he took unwarranted anger out on the Malfoys. Not only should our citizens be protected from this savage display of lawlessness, but Mr. Potter should repay damages in the form of imprisonment and service."

Narcissa was called to the stand to tell events in her own words. Back straight, shoulders wrapped in a
fur-lined short coat with a diamond pendant flashing in everyone's faces, she spoke in a low register. Her tone was cool and calm, with just enough tremor and drag to her voice, as to hint that she was putting on a brave face. The act was convincing, Harry thought. She's playing the part of a woman making great efforts to hold herself together. The jury couldn't help but respect that.

Destiny came behind the prosecutor and cross examined her. "Mrs. Malfoy, you say that you were minding your own business in your home when Harry burst through the wards. But I have here records of properties leased or in some cases, purchased by you and your husband, that correspond to the properties where Harry and Draco relocated themselves in their attempts to get away from you. If you were in fact minding your own business, why did you feel it necessary to buy eight neighboring houses and flats that were in close proximity to the boys?"

Narcissa's stare was a little corrosive, but she answered sweetly. "We only wanted to be near our grandchild. We weren't spying on them or anything. We were very optimistic about making up with Harry and Draco."

"You and Lucius were seen having screaming arguments with your son. We have witnesses that say Draco had to drive you off at wandpoint, on more than one occasion."

"It's true that Draco over reacted to our presence. We were never any sort of a threat to him or Harry. We stood by patiently for them to come to their senses."

"But using your wealth to buy out eight home owners, just to follow the boys after they'd already expressed for you not to, doesn't that seem like an excessive pursuit? A forceful and aggressive insistence on your part?"

"As far as we were concerned, we were saving our family. One does not remain idle and lax when one's family is at stake. Think of it as an intervention. Harry and Draco were clearly overwhelmed with raising a child. We had to stay close, to show them that we were dedicated to loving them and being there for them. What you call aggressive, some might call perseverance."

"Or, breaking the law, in light of a restraining order that you and your husband were served, filed by your son."

Narcissa smiled seamlessly, "Draco was shouldering so much. We only approached him when we thought he or Harry needed help. They were not having an easy time of it."

"And what about the day you and your husband used untraceable goblin magic to gain control of Draco's vehicle and guide him off the road? Draco's statements recount this recent event, which, in the eyes of the law, is a pretty aggressive form of kidnapping."

Narcissa's face tightened as Destiny read Draco's full account of the event.

"In Draco's words, "All control of the car had been taken out of my hands. I was terrified for Iece, not knowing how or why I'd lost control of the car. All I could do was hold her and hide my fear from her as our car stirred through traffic on its own. Muggles passed us, some went around, and somehow, the goblin magic got us off the road without smashing into anything. My parents don't understand how muggle technology works, so they have no idea of the danger they put us in. Even if a goblin had control, that creature could not have predicted what muggle drivers might do upon seeing a car driving itself, or the unpredictable nature of traffic itself, period. Taking over the car like that, was one of the most reckless things they've ever done in their so-called love for me. They could've easily gotten us killed, all because they wanted a few words with me.'"

When she was allowed to respond, Narcissa clasped her hands and lowered her head. "Yes, another desperate decision on our part. Draco is correct, we didn't realize the danger from his perspective. But we knew how to keep them perfectly safe. We didn't mean to scare them. In fact, our whole attempt at contact, was about appealing to his trust. If anything, their safe journey on the road, was a display of our watch over their well-being. We kept them safe. I admit with hindsight, that we should not have done it. But at the time, we had important news concerning the child's health and Draco had cut all ties to us. We could access him in no other way. We did it to keep Iece from getting sick."

"And again," Destiny turned to the spectators, "not exactly what one would call minding one's own business. Whatever you were doing at home on the day that Lucius was attacked, you were hardly minding your own affairs. For over two years, you have seen fit to insert yourselves in Draco's and Harry's daily experiences by any means necessary. The car incident, was of course, the most dangerous."

"There was no danger whatsoever," Narcissa snapped. "Just because Draco was afraid, doesn't mean that harm was ever present. It all worked out fine. We guided the car, we had our chat, and then we let them go."

"The way Draco tells it, he required the magic of his house elf to fight his way out of your grip. He escaped with his child."

"He left when he wanted to leave. We didn't try to stop him because our actions were not intended as aggressive at all."

"And what about the hereditary health of the child? What was so important that you had to get word to Draco?"

Narcissa looked as if the details were no longer worth mentioning. She blinked a little excessively. Her cheeks pinked. "If you must know, it's a personal detail. A female trait. Little Iece might experience certain vitamin deficiencies and had to be given a magical family heirloom to help her. A bracelet. The ladies of my line all require this. With it, nutritional imbalances go unnoticed. Without it, all sorts of complications arise. We just wanted him to know."

"And would any of these "complications" have anything to do with the illness the child suffered a month ago, prior to Harry's attack on Lucius? The child's doctor has provided written testimony that Iece's magic is linked to the unfortunate curse that affects Draco. A curse that required the consent of Lucius and his blood-magic."

Narcissa shrugged, "I'm not a doctor, I can't answer that. Whatever happened magically, must've been an involuntary expression of the magic. She also has blond hair, are you going to retry Lucius for the appearance she will have for the rest of her life? He doesn't decide what her body is going to do from minute to minute. He's had no contact with her."

"And yet, her doctor can draw a medical correlation between Lucius, the curse affecting Draco and the acceleration of the child's magic, for which she was hospitalized. Of course, I should remind the court that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy are fourth cousins, which would amplify any hereditary issues."

"Objection," said Winston. "The statement is prejudiced against the Malfoys and the honored practice of pure-blood marriages."

Destiny amended, "I'm only pointing out the connection between Mr. Malfoy, the curse upon Draco, and the child who is the recipient of this genetic combination. It's public knowledge that Mrs. Malfoy is not Iece's biological grandmother at all, but is related to her, not just through her marriage with Lucius, but because she and Lucius are cousins. This explains why the hereditary deficiencies of her line might effect the child, even though she can claim no biological proof as a grandmother to Iece. If anything, if Lucius were allowed custody, she could be considered a stepmother at best, or technically, her first cousin, once removed."

"Allowed."

Narcissa's pale blue eyes went dark. For a split second, what she really thought showed very clearly. The prosecutor's head tilted with interest. Jurors looked confused.

Destiny turned back to the court, "Lucius Malfoy's magical influence was bound to follow Harry and Draco through his child, especially if he claimed rights to her, which legally he could not do. As we all know, a wizard's magic keeps its eye on its own. No restraining order in the world is going to sever that connection. While pure blooded ideologies have fallen out of popularity, no one can deny that blood contains the code for magic. Harry and Draco could run as far as they want, but Lucius's influence was always right there with them, burdening their family bonds. There was no way to avoid his magic while raising his biological daughter. And to help me illustrate this point, I would like to call Dr. Avi Rankar to the stand. He's a mediwizard specialist, assigned to Harry's and Draco's case, as well as their daughter's."

Harry twisted his neck to see Avi stand from his seat. He knew that Destiny had interviewed Avi, but had no idea that the doctor would be taking the stand. A sudden flush ran the length of him and he pulled at his collar to let the heat out. Avi knew almost everything. How much was he going to tell them?

Only as much as he had to, Avi's direct glance at Harry said, as he took the stand.

Harry's stomach didn't like the idea of this wizard compromising his secrets. Avi looked like he should've been on a golf course instead of a witness stand. A canary yellow shirt peaked out from his dark suit, adding a touch of frivolity to his professional demeanor. He had a youthful, Middle Eastern face, combined with his good natured swagger, gave him the effect of a man fifteen years younger than he was. But on the stand, the maturity and expertise of a forty something wizard, came into play. When he swore under oath, he was all business. After answering how he met Harry and Draco, he launched into an explanation, led by Destiny's tailored questions, as to how Iece's magic was connected to Draco's curse.

"I've been counseling Harry for over a year. Our sessions extended to Draco whenever the need arose. His whole family was having trouble adapting after the war. I specialize in trauma based abnormalities, and am qualified to treat the body and the mind in my respective field. The little girl, Iece, was admitted after falling unconscious and showing signs of excessive, arbitrary magic that she couldn't possibly have any control over. She was off the charts for a two year-old. Her signature emissions were causing chaos on the hospital floor. We decided to keep her sedated. Because I'm intimately familiar with Harry and Draco's history, particularly their adversity with the Malfoys, I was not only aware of the stress on their family, but had been helping them balance their problems at home for some time."

"Were you aware of the harassment from the Malfoy's?"

"Yes, to a degree. Harry did expressed his exasperation with them. His complications with his work and family, particularly unresolved feelings with the Malfoys, resulted in insomnia, panic attacks, and headaches. I prescribed sleeping pills with an anti-depressant, to help him rest from the stress of the Malfoys and other issues persisting in his personal life."

"Panic attacks? Can you give us an example of such an attack, one that requires medication?"

"Panic manifests in Harry as the urge to hit. It's basic fight or flight reflexes of an overburdened nervous system. The root of the problem lies with his survivor's guilt. So many terrible things happened during the war that he feels responsible, and is always pressured by a sense of correction, or making things right. One of which being, is to punish Lucius Malfoy for the curse and other crimes that still affect Draco to this day. A part of him is always looking over his shoulder for danger anyway. Given the harassment, he has a good reason to do so. But combined with his past trauma, the frontal, orbital cortex part of his brain, responsible for critical distinction, is unable to regulate his urge to solve problems by hitting. When this happens, he closes himself away from his family, going so far as to lock himself in a closet, and punches the wall to keep from frightening Draco and Iece. I prescribed ferenol to allow him to disassociate a little from the urges."

Destiny nodded and spoke loudly, "So, before any of this happened, Harry was already being medically treated for episodes of panic and fear that he couldn't control? All related to Lucius Malfoy?"

"Correct."

"To be fair, lets keep in mind what Harry and Draco have been living with. For those who don't know, I keep going back to the curse that changed Draco's body, that was consented to, by his father, Lucius. That gives it a component of blood magic. The curse is called Unbearable, and is quite insidious. Doctors say that he will never heal from it. If the court will forgive the personal nature of my description, the curse causes Draco's body to change from male to female sporadically. This is how it became possible for his father to impregnate him."

"Objection. Lucius Malfoy was already tried for that."

"Yes, but the curse is still wreaking havoc on Draco's body today, in ways that no one could predict, and Lucius cannot answer for that. Harry and Draco are facing private issues that no one in this room can imagine. Dr. Rankar, can you tell the court what Draco's body has to go through in order to express the curse?"

Harry's fists tightened in his lap. He looked at Draco, who kept his eyes forward.

Avi looked around the room. "Sure, as far as Draco's hormones go, his entire endocrine system over turns and resets itself in a way that it was not designed for, and he has no control over it. His pituitary, which overseas all the hormone function in his body, is responding to the rewriting of his genetics. I liken that to a storm at a cellular level. Biological processes are interrupted, particularly in brain functions. His body attempts to regulate itself by pulling on his magic. Enormous reserves of energy are spent in simply keeping him in the hormonal vicinity of his true masculine nature. This keeps him underweight, fatigued, nauseous, and in physical pain. There are times when he is bedridden. It can be debilitating to go through the changes. But the biggest psychological effect is not knowing which gender he's going to express at any given time, which is emotionally crippling. No one in this society knows how to help him. We, as a society, are simply not prepared to deal with a condition like this, so he and Harry endure the effects of the curse alone."

Knowing that he was the center of attention now, Draco's slender torso held straight to the back of his chair, like a man unconcerned with petty opinions. His face, remorseless. His stare, defiant. Harry knew those icy blue eyes were staring down the world, prepared to face the wizarding nation on tomorrow's front page news, if they had to. And Draco was not about to show weakness, no matter how much he was hurting. He'd die before he let the world see visible humiliation. Harry wasn't falling for it. Only he knew what Draco looked like when he was fighting pain. He wanted to climb over the table, run over and enclose him in his arms. He wanted to shield him from this.

Avi continued, "Keep in mind the private nature of Harry's and Draco's relationship issues. They are, after all, raising Lucius's daughter, who is Draco's child as well as his sister. They are faced with difficult emotions on every level. Not to bring up the past trial, but Draco's scars are as relevant today as they were back then and Harry, as his companion, helps him shoulder them every day. He sees what Draco is going through. As all couples know, your spouse's pain is your pain, and vice versa. So Harry has to deal with the changes of Draco's body, just like Draco does. They are both living with uncertainty and illness every day."

Harry kept checking on Draco, kept looking for any sign of pain. If he saw one ounce of hurt, he was going to jump up and admit guilt, just to end the trial.

"Thank you. Harry lives with this, on top of harassment from the Malfoys. Did you ever personally feel that he was a danger to others, or that he would attack Mr. Malfoy?"

"No. He showed too much concern for the safety of his family, for that. And I saw the act of locking himself in a closet to protect them, as one of extreme caution, clarity, and pragmatic responsibility. It told me that he was under an excessive amount of mental and emotional strain, and doing his best to make the well-being of his family a priority. He demonstrated impeccable rationality by locking himself away from them, so I wrote the prescription."

"So you were already treating Iece's parents before she came into your care. You're not a pediatrician. How and why did you take over Iece's case?"

"I was at the hospital the evening she was admitted for her first attack of sporadic magic. She had the floor in chaos. There was equipment flying everywhere, computers wouldn't work, electrical shortages. I was one of many staff members called to restore order on that floor. As Harry's primary doctor, I was there to see him. Emergency staff could not calm him down and had to sedate him. He'd been hospitalized for a rather severe stroke only weeks before, and I needed to check him over. Later, when Iece's scans revealed traits of the Unbearable curse, which was inflicted upon Draco, her birth-father, during the war, I took over her case and began my own medical investigation."

As he talked, Harry realized that Avi really didn't know the truth. He had almost all the information, missing one very important detail, that threw him off of an otherwise perfectly accurate path.

"Back up. Harry had a stroke? That's unusual for someone so young and fit. Harry plays charity quidditch with professionals. What could possibly cause a stroke?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to determine the cause. I found larger than expected doses of medication in his system, but not enough to cause a stroke. You're right, it was an oddity in one so young, but not impossible. His scans showed that his neurological relay was misaligned with his magical relay, and that is an indication of long-term imbalance. His neurons were, in a sense, misfiring. It was as though his magic short-circuited, and it was only in hindsight, as I studied Iece's case, that I realized they both shared similar stress patterns.

"This is a highly unusual coincidence and I had to conclude that it is due to an emotional symbiosis that he shares with the child. Harry had been walking around with so much built up charge concerning the events and worries of his family, that his magic flared, unleashing more energy than his system can handle. Think of a solar flare, and how damaging it is on an electromagnetic level, to everything in its path. That's just an analogy. I never did figure out the true cause, only the clues."

"And when did this take place?"

Avi gave her the date.

"That fills in a missing piece to the speculations made on Harry's private life. Please show evidence #55," Destiny instructed the officials operating the court pensieve.

An image of Harry appearing on the cover of the Prophet, passed out in his underwear in a hotel bathroom, flooded over their heads.

Indignation swelled in Destiny's voice. "This photo was taken by illegal means and published earlier that same day. The article slandered Mr. Potter as it alluded to illegal substance abuse, alcohol, and excessive parties. The photo itself compromises his privacy and dignity as it was intended to disgrace him. Now you're telling me and this court, that Harry had just suffered a life-threatening stroke, the culmination of all his anxiety and stresses, when this photo was taken?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"He was lying there helpless, in need of hospitalization, with a stranger taking photos of him half-naked."

"It appears so."

"And you found no illegal substances in his system? Nothing that would cause this kind of harm?"

"Only his prescribed medication and moderate levels of alcohol. However, his magic did show spikes of activity, but all that I could tell was that it was trying to recover from something. A neurological disturbance. His magic was trying to give his body the support it needed. That accounts for his amazing recovery. I have scans showing that his tissue regenerated at unheard of rates. His magic is extraordinary."

"Thank you, Dr. Avi." The picture was allowed to fade away. There were many who looked uncomfortably embarrassed at having seen it.

"This photo and article demonstrate how my client and his family are continually subjected to lingering ridicule and public scrutiny, regarding their private lives. It also shows that Harry's need for protecting himself and his family are warranted. In spite of his celebrity status and heroic acts during the war, he does not receive special treatment. There was no one looking over him that day. He had no protection in a time of tremendous vulnerability, and someone took advantage of his illness.

"You are looking at a wizard suffering physiological and mental debilitation under the duress of his problems. He's ill, his partner is ill, and he cannot get his family away from Lucius Malfoy. no matter how hard he tries. The same can be said for Draco. He's wealthy, his money should be able to afford him the best of everything. Yet, it can't give him his health back. It can't restore the integrity of his male body. There is no cure. And worse, his condition is not recognized as a valid life-handicap, but it will compromise his mental and physical health for the rest of his life. And he can't even talk to the average person about it.

"So these two cling to one another and depend on each other to raise their family and keep each other safe. They're already beaten down by what Lucius has done to them. Take the strain of all of that, and add to it, the day that their child, Iece Potter, falls ill and unconscious, her magic out of control. And it's linked to Lucius Malfoy. Dr. Avi, please explain how the child's illness is connected to Lucius."

"Lucius and Iece share obvious genetic traits, such as hair color. But during her worst episodes, her eye color would change, from very dark to very light grayish blue, like his. This is what led me to look at hereditary markers. As her symptoms grew worse, she began showing abnormalities in her physical development. Particularly her gender. She started to show the same symptoms as Draco Malfoy. Her body began changing and showing primary sex characteristics of the opposite sex at random times. And this always coincided with a change of eye color."

Gasps sounded throughout the courtroom. People covered their mouths in horror.

Avi went on. "When I started looking at the genetic markers themselves, I saw evidence of the Unbearable curse. It had been transferred, in utero, before she was born. Scans of her magic supported alterations caused by an outside influence. When the degree of disruption was measured at a molecular level and compared with Draco's, the results were almost identical. Mr. Malfoy's consensual magic, which aided in the curse against his son, was also a positive match in the magic affecting the child. In fact, the curse appears to originate from a design based on the Malfoy family's genetics. That curse was tailor made to fit Draco, and it is so successfully insidious because it has Lucius's magic at its core. It uses DNA to regenerate itself, which allows it to self-perpetuate without any known cure."

People's mouths fell open. Whispers filled the air, causing the judge to demand order with his gavel. Authorized flashes had been going off at regular intervals the whole time. Now they bombarded the stand, swiveling to and from Harry and Draco as the two of them endured it silently.

"So you've already established that the magic between Harry and Iece, contain an emotional symbiosis. Now you've discovered that Lucius's magic is influencing Iece at a genetic level. Not just influencing, but causing harm. She is also a victim of the Unbearable curse, and now Harry has to watch her suffer the same fate Draco suffers. A two year-old, mind you, and her magic goes so haywire, that it has to be medically suppressed. I don't have to tell the court how serious those strikes against her in life, will be, as she develops. Even right now, due to the personal nature of this testimony, she may never outgrow the insensitive curiosity that results from this trial.

"She's just a toddler. Even an adult would be challenged by having to deal with such a condition publicly. And Harry has no choice but to watch as Lucius Malfoy's magic continues to ravage his family. Iece will be on medication for the rest of her life, and that's the least of her problems. Would you say, Mr. Rankar, that through this magical symbiosis that Harry shares with Iece, that he knows when she's suffering?"

"Yes, that became very clear during her hospital stay. And her emotional cues follow his. It's uncanny, but I have evidence that when her neuronal spikes go up, so do his. And the opposite is true. When the curse affects her, like running a fever or adapting to painful bodily changes, Harry's automatic nervous system reacts in alarm."

"So on the day that Lucius Malfoy was beaten by Harry, Iece had been admitted into the hospital two days before?"

"Correct."

"She was unconscious, with a magical outburst so strong, that it disrupted the entire floor. What must that child have been feeling? She couldn't respond, she couldn't talk. She could only suffer as the adults around her struggled to find out what was wrong. Harry's magic was alert and protective and in empathetic connection. He knew the influence of Lucius Malfoy. He and Draco had been running from the man for over two years. He lived in Lucius's line of fire, so to speak. Is it fair to say that his instincts were correct in suspecting Lucius behind Iece's illness?"

"Uh, he could not have known it objectively at the time, but yes. In light of my findings, if he suspected Lucius from the first sign of Iece's illness, then he's correct. His instincts were accurate."

"Tell us how and when Harry learned that Iece's problems were connected to Lucius?"

"Two days after her admittance. Her eyes and gender began changing. I had to explain what was happening to Draco and Harry, so I called them into my office to try to put it to them as gently as possible."

"What were your words?"

"I pointed out the characteristics of the Unbearable curse, and how they're affecting Iece. Which meant, by genetic association, Lucius's magic was affecting her the same way its design powered Draco's curse."

"How did they take it?"

"As you might expect. Draco was rather stoic, but I've come to know that that is how he defends himself. It's a shield. He was in shock. How would any of us take the news that our daughter's body is sporadically transforming into that of a male? It sounds perverse. Indeed, I didn't think that a curse that dark could get any worse, but its affect on a child is a hundred times worse."

"And Harry?"

"Harry lost it. He became emotional and it was difficult to get him to calm down. I asked to run more tests on Draco and Harry became furious. He apparated within minutes of hearing the news. I asked Draco where he was going, and Draco replied, to take it out on his father."

"I see. Did you make any attempt to stop him?"

"I didn't. I knew he was upset, but I also knew that he was rational. I believe he had a right to at least confront Lucius regarding the matter. I anticipated a confrontation, perhaps even a duel, but not the acceleration of violence that we all witnessed."

"And would you call his reaction psychotic? Entitled? Renegade and lawless?"

"No, just that of a wizard pushed to his limit. For the past two years, he's never, to my knowledge, lifted a finger to Lucius Malfoy. He and Draco preferred to run, to keep the peace for the sake of their family. His violent outburst was the result of having no where else to run. He couldn't run away from the child he and Draco are raising. The curse, with its alarming symptoms, represents Lucius's invasion into Harry's home and family. And if he could not keep Lucius out, then he had to fight for their survival. That's what Iece's illness meant to him. I consider Harry's reaction, that of a man backed into a corner."

"Thank you, Dr. Rankar." Her smile was subtle and respectful before she turned to face the gallery.

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. No court was on Harry's side as Iece was being ravaged by the Unbearable curse from the inside out. No court would've believed him, had he the time to take legal action. He lacked organized evidence, and possessed only magic and gut instinct. Lucius Malfoy was never going to be tried for his crimes against nature and against his son, ever again, let alone a whole new investigation opened on a child born nine months after the curse was cast. No sense of justice, were it even possible, was worth dragging his daughter through that publicly."

She gave them a moment to let it sink in.

"Iece's body was transforming painfully, in ways that no child that young could possibly comprehend. Harry had to think quickly. He had to put out a fire. He consulted no one and yielded to no law before fighting for his daughter's survival. To him, Lucius was killing her. He only wanted her suffering to stop. And the only way he knew to cause that, was to take Lucius out, himself. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if you had to choose between your child and the man who tortured and raped his own son and cursed him, a curse which your daughter inherited, which life would you choose? Harry is not a murderer. He simply chose to save his child, which meant by default that Lucius might die at his hands. This is not a charge that he should go to prison for, for the rest of his life or even part of it. He did everything possible to keep his family from Lucius, who, as evidence has shown, invaded Harry's life long before Harry ever broke into his home."

Destiny concluded, "There was nothing innocent about Lucius Malfoy minding his own business at home that day. He and his wife havn't minded their own business since his release from prison. As you can see, Harry did what he did because he and Draco were relentlessly followed and harassed by Lucius. Harry was provoked into defending himself and his family. His actions, while excessive, arose out of valid self-defense. And by 'self' I mean the preservation of his family. He had no other motives, and certainly did not intend treason to Wizarding kind. This is why my client is innocent of all charges against him."

The room stirred with nervous energy as Destiny gave the floor to the prosecution. Avi had swayed the court so strongly, that Winston didn't try to cross examine him. Avi left the stand.

"The prosecution calls Draco Malfoy to the stand."

Draco stood, prepared. His entire demeanor disappointed anyone looking to see a victim. His dignity was his armor. The quality and expense of his suit threw any sympathy back in their faces. By now everyone thought they knew his story, and how he'd come out of the war worse than dead, infected with his family's perversions. Well, just try to shame him and watch it explode in your own face, his manner said as he approached the stand.

Harry knew that look. It was Draco refusing to be ashamed, refusing to wear the brand onlookers assumed was his, just because they knew his family dirt. His pale hair had a fresh trim. Court room lights reflected off of it, and he wore his stylish dark suit as if he knew how his handsomeness affected people. It shut them up. He kept his stare forward and his face hard against whatever questions were going to try to unseat him. He emitted money and strength, two facts that could not be denied as he frosted the room over with his stare. His attitude spoke for him: Don't you dare feel sorry for me. Don't you dare look at me like I'm anything less of a man and wizard.

Destiny's professional smile slipped into a frown before quickly recovering. Harry knew what she was thinking. Careful, Draco. Too cool, and you'll lose the juror's compassion. Too soft, and they'll think your milking your past for all it's worth. Balance. Now's not the time to prove how tough you are.

Photo journalists shouldered each other to take advantage of their best angles. Flashes assaulted Draco as he stared the whole room down. The judge called for order.

"Mr. Malfoy, you know your father better than almost anyone here, aside from your mother. Tell the court a little about what it's been like for you and Harry to avoid Lucius."

"Very difficult. We just keep moving from place to place. We haven't been able to settle anywhere, since Iece was a baby. We don't trust baby sitters because our personal lives are subject to speculation and tabloid interest. We've only recently acquired a live-in elf. That helps, but it's been two years worth of uncertainty trying to raise her. Harry and I never got a moment's peace. We couldn't go two weeks without my mother using the magic of goblins to get past our wards. My parents keep following us, contacting us, buying their way into our lives. Harry and I are pretty adamant that our child is to have nothing to do with the rapist who fathered her. That's cut and dry to our way of thinking. My parents don't seem to understand that. They think that they should be forgiven for anything. And not just forgiven, but should be allowed to return to life as it once was."

"Objection. The subject is once again referring to matters that cannot be retried."

"Allowed."

Draco said, "That's because those matters affect our lives each and every minute of every day. Do you think the curse goes away just because my father did a lousy six months in Azkaban? Do you think I get to have a break and return to a perfectly normal male body, because he served some time? No! I don't know what I'm going to find until I look down there. That's how life has been on the run from my father. Do you think I want my daughter around him? Harry and I ran from my parents to keep from having to kill them. They won't leave us alone. When Harry saw this curse affecting Iece, it was time to stop running and deal with the problem. I'm just sorry it wasn't me who beat him in the streets, so that I could save Harry from all of this. He did what he had to do. He protected us."

His words startled everyone. The Weasley's cringed but watched on.

"Thank you, Draco," Destiny took back the reigns. "The damage your father has done is still very immediate in your life, as you've just attested. I suppose, aside from the difficulties of raising a child under such unfortunate circumstances, you and Harry have your own personal problems outside of that challenge. Would you be willing to share with the court, what sort of things you and Harry have to cope with?

"If you're talking about our private life, what with raising my father's daughter, with people either pitying us or laughing at us wherever we go, yeah, that's been difficult. But Iece is completely innocent and we'll face whatever we have to, to give her a shot at a good life. If you mean the humiliating, torturous stuff, like never knowing how sex is going to go, and waiting for the day Harry leaves because he's too disgusted to deal with my body anymore, then all I can tell you is, we do our best to get past it."

No one expected Draco to be so forthcoming. A few eyebrows went up at this juicy bit of information. He had come with generosity in mind. He was willing to bare painful secrets in exchange for Harry's acquittal.

Harry knew what he was doing. He knew that Draco wanted to get the humiliation over with, so he began sacrificing his own private life, rather than have them go after Harry's. From his seat, he willed Draco not to do it. Don't divulge anything you don't have to, just to save me.

Draco avoided looking at him, and continued.

"I may look like a horror show to people, but I have a family of my own now, and I don't stand in front of a mirror spiraling into depression. I get on with life. I have to. For them. For my sanity. And I just hope that Harry can cope with it too. I know what I am, who I am, and that's what matters. Harry gives me strength and I try to give him the same. In the end, we're still together because we've carried each other since it all happened. We need each other. And that's what makes my body acceptable, when it comes to intimacy. It's the only body I have. You can all sit there and judge, but we've got a kid to raise, and the issues in our bedroom – the scars my father left us with - have to be shoved aside in order for us to do that. We could let it drive us insane, this curse, but we find comfort in each other, when we can, and make Iece our main priority. Next to the gossip and speculation, running from my father has been just another challenge, kicking our feet out from under us. But we get back up because we're trying to do what's right for her."

There was less grit in his stare now, and more sincerity.

"By confronting my father, Harry was only trying to protect us. Our relationship is under constant strain, from the pressures of my parents, to our own private demons, so when Iece got sick, Harry exploded. We're not that different from any other couple. We have our problems."

He told everyone looking at him. "You can pity me and talk about me like I'm not a man, all you want. Your challenge is coming. If your spouse or mate has a medical issue, you don't divorce them. If things go wrong with their body, you don't throw in the towel, regardless of what you have to put up with. Muggles don't have curses, but they have sicknesses. Cancer, chemotherapy. When your lover's hair falls out or a damaged liver causes blemishes and an odor, you don't abandon them. You don't cringe. You don't deny them your touch. You remind yourself that the person you fell in love with, is still there. Life can't always be spotless and perfect. The best of us have to deal with unsightly things. You deal with it right along with them. And that's what Harry does with me. That's partly why I'm loyal to him. He's loyal to me and to Iece. And at the end of the day, our bond is stronger than any curse. And giving him my loyalty is just the right thing to do."

Draco swallowed and Harry thought he could see real emotion held back. This wasn't an act.

"But my family's relentless involvement, never gives us a chance to clear the air and breathe. The common denominator of all our stress, is my father. It only made sense that Harry would go to the source of all of this. Our family couldn't take much more. You might think that he acted with excessive force, Harry. But my father could not be reasoned with. He wouldn't leave us alone. Harry didn't have a choice."

Destiny said, "It must be very difficult, to be caught between your father and Harry. You're obviously siding with Harry, your life partner –"

"My husband. We were legally married days ago."

The courtroom gasped again. Precisely the reaction Destiny wanted. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, disbelieving they were not told or included.

As if you didn't know, Harry thought to himself regarding Destiny's response. He still felt resentful that the marriage had been such a cold, administrative act on paper, and not the passionate nuptials he and Draco deserved. Someone owed him a wedding.

Harry looked over to see Narcissa's shock before she plastered on a smile. No doubt she was only bothered by the social opportunity missed, that a big wedding would've made possible.

"Of course," Destiny smiled. "Congratulations. That would seem to put you at even more odds with your father. How do you cope with living in the middle of their conflict?"

"I get up each day and do what needs to be done for the child I'm raising, and for Harry. That's how I cope."

"What I mean is, you still love your father, don't you? Have you forgiven him?"

Draco looked irritated. "It's hard to forgive someone who's right there in your face, still causing trouble for you. He's my father, I can't turn off my concern for him. But I'd kill him myself if it came down to saving Iece."

"But do you love him?" Careful, Draco, her tone coaxed.

"That's a stupid question," Draco flared. Destiny's poker face reminded him that she was still his solicitor.

"I know, and I only ask it so that the court can appreciate what it takes for you to sit here today testifying against your father, in Harry's defense."

Draco appeared to reconsider his response and search for words. "I hate my father. I will never forgive him for what he's done. That being said, he is my blood and for eighteen years, I looked up to him and lived to please him. That means that all the love I ever had for him, is just sitting in darkness now, like a malignant tumor. I had a heart beating with loyalty and burning bright. He's destroyed all the light that it held. Now it's just dead weight, dead meat, like a huge burden I carry around. I don't know how to get rid of everything I've ever felt for my parents, so I'm stuck with it, even if I don't accept it anymore. I felt sick when Harry attacked my father. But I felt sicker realizing that he deserved it."

When she added nothing, he took the opportunity to say more.

"There's tremendous anxiety living between them, but I'd rather hold this position and have a wedge between my parents and Harry, than nothing at all. Do I love him? I don't know how to not care about the man who raised me, who's so despicable and miserable that he can't leave us alone. Any love that I feel for him, is irrelevant. He had his chance. Now my daughter deserves hers, away from him. You can love something, and never set eyes on it ever again. Yeah, I love him. I love him like something I'm willing to turn my back on forever, to be free of it. If you're expecting some neatly packaged affection, that's the best I can do. He's a madman and he needs to be stopped."

"It's okay, Draco. No one wants to give up on family. I think you've expressed yourself very well."

He leaned forward and looked out at those jurors staring back at him. "I'm not up here so that any of you can feel sorry for me or stare at my family like we're two-headed specimens in a jar. I'm divulging aspects of my personal life, to show you how cooperative I'm willing to be. I could've kept everything as private as possible, but I'm laying it on the line, because Harry has to walk free. We have a family to raise and we have problems we need to work out. We can't do that if you think Harry is some kind of out of control monster and that I'm so cursed that I'm no longer human. Just because you don't have our problems, doesn't mean you can't relate to the difficulties we're facing. By sharing the most undignified things about my life, I appeal to you all to let Harry go free, regardless of my father. And let us restore our lives."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, that'll do." Destiny ended her questions.

Winston cross-examined Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, you just said you'd kill your father yourself, if it came to that. A bold, contemptuous, elitist slap to the law, given your surroundings. You speak of hatred and a darkened heart. Do you want your father to die?"

Draco's brow came together and his eyes frosted over. "If I could snap my fingers and have it done, yes. If you want to lock me up for that statement, do so. Anyone in my shoes would feel this way. I'd be crazy not to feel this way. You're not going to trick me into thinking that's wrong."

"I just wanted to establish that you actually had a motive behind the attack on your father. You and Ms. Crowdinghouse have conveyed quite clearly how much you and Harry were tormented these last two years. Isn't it possible that Harry attacked your father, not out of some sense of protection, but merely because you gave the go ahead?"

"That's ridiculous."

Winston addressed the courtroom.

"Draco has been emasculated at the hands of his father. He despises Lucius so much, that he let Harry try to kill him. He certainly didn't stop him."

"Objection!" Destiny stated.

"It's entirely reasonable that he wouldn't mind Harry doing the dirty work for him. The truth is Draco's image has suffered more in dealing with his father's scandals, than anyone's. He wanted to rid himself of Lucius and it's just oh so convenient to have Harry on his side looking out for him. Harry, known for magic that bested the darkest wizard we've ever seen. Harry, who is fearless and undaunted by scandal."

"You're crazy," Draco denied.

"You wanted Harry to kill your father for you, didn't you? The crimes he used against you, are unforgivable. You wanted your father dead and used the embarrassment of your child and your body as an excuse to justify letting Harry do it and take the punishment for it as well. If anything, you both should be tried for the attempted murder of Lucius Malfoy."

Draco stood and shouted. "You don't give a damn about my father or any of us. Why try so hard to accuse us? What's in it for you? Do you wake up determined to find the worst side of everything? Is that your job? Is that what you call justice?"

"It's my job to root out the truth so that justice will prevail. Your rather brazen threat upon your father's life, isn't so cocky now. We all know that Harry Potter is not a murderer, yet something was driving him the day he beat Lucius unconscious. Another's will, perhaps. A strong influence in his life. We have no record of Harry ever attacking anyone first, but we have plenty of evidence that you are no stranger to dishing out the retribution that your enemies deserve. You come from a family of Death Eaters. You, yourself, was a Death Eater. After the war, Harry's heroism shone so bright, that you got caught up in the glow and all your deeds were forgiven by association. I think we've forgotten what you're capable of, Mr. Malfoy. As reckless s Harry's actions were, he was merely the muscle behind your schemes. Your hatred drove you to have your father killed. You were only waiting for the opportune time in which you could explain it away."

"That's a lie. You're just twisting things because that's your job."

"Fact. You despise your father. Fact. Harry despises Lucius. Fact. You and Harry have bonded over your very public humiliation and the deformities of your body. So much so, that you call yourselves a family and speak rather openly about your abnormal sex lives and how you've both adapted to a very corrupt curse. Harry, under the influence of your desire for revenge, is also a participant in your bed, and whatever private influences on your corrupted magic, happens there. He suddenly goes on a rampage that ends with Lucius fighting for his life, and we're supposed to believe that in this debauchery of hatred, sexual perversion, and violence, you had nothing to do with the attack on your father? That you were wholly innocent in luring Harry to fight under the guise of 'defending you'?"

Draco glared. "Yes!"

"And why should we believe someone as vindictive as yourself?"

"Because like you said, Harry has never harmed anyone who didn't deserve it. He has a fucking moral compass that's unshakable. If I had the power to persuade him to do something he didn't want to do, he never would've survived Voldemort or the war. He would've joined us and went down with us. He's not an idiot, give him some credit. He thinks for himself at all times. He's not stupid enough to commit murder out of some fucking dysfunctional romance."

"Watch yourself, Mr. Malfoy." The judge reprimanded Draco. "Respect my courtroom."

Desperation rasped in Draco's voice. He ignored the judge.

"He's certainly not driven by sex. And thank you for playing that corruption card. I only aired my dirty laundry, to prove that I'm not above having it, not to have you use it against me. That was a cheap shot, but I guess you're desperate to prove you're not a waste of your salary right now.

"And I didn't talk Harry into hurting my father, precisely because of Harry's effect on me. He loves me. The old Draco would've found a way to ruin my father if I couldn't forgive him. But with Harry by my side, I don't need to resort to a Death Eater's tactics. I don't need to hurt anyone. And I don't need revenge. I would never do anything to jeopardize Harry's faith in me. I'm not good, the way he thinks of it, and I never will be that fantasy. But I wouldn't do anything to make him give up on me. Or see me as anything like I was before. He's such a good person, he'd cast me away like nothing, if he thought I was up to dark tactics. That's why I'm being as transparent as possible. He endures everything for us, and we are a family. I wouldn't ask Harry to kill my father for me, because I wouldn't want him to see that that evil still existed in me. He'd leave me. And I don't want that."

No one in the room was more surprised to hear this than Harry. It was the closest thing he'd heard to Draco saying he wanted Harry to be with him forever. And he'd just said it in front of the world, if the buzzing commotion of journalists, flashes, and public rustling were any indication of what would be on the next front page run of newspapers. Something caught in Harry, shaken, and settled into the comfort of Draco's words. He wanted Harry to stay. To somehow get it all straightened out and be by his side. He'd said as much before, but with all the shit Harry put them through, he hadn't quite believed that Draco could want him so sincerely. Tolerate him, yes. Truly love him enough to commit for life, no. He'd made things too difficult for Draco, to ever think he could have that. So he hadn't dared expected it. He was ready to have a sham marriage than think he could have the real thing.

But Draco looked at him from across the stand and he understood the message. They'd been living the real thing, the real marriage, since the night they escaped Voldemort. Things might not be beautiful and romantic, but they were real, no matter what shaky ground they had to traverse. They weren't about to fall apart now.

Winston knew that he'd only strengthened Harry's case by questioning Draco, and seemed annoyed. "Transparent, eh? You bore your father's child and are raising her with Harry. Are you really so reformed by Harry's ethics? Or is the truth far more cringe-worthy than what you're presenting? According to your own testimony, you slept with your father, amid kidnapping and murderous traitors."

"Objection!" Destiny called out.

"Denied."

Draco leaned forward. "Upon threat of death. We did what we did to stay alive. If Voldemort gave the order, we did it. Are you going to try me for that again?"

"My point is that you were as steeped in corruption as anyone can get. Are we to simply believe that you've spent all this time scurrying from place to place, without lifting one retaliating finger? Your threats are highly publicized. Didn't you recently threaten to fire an entire hotel staff to get revenge on the one person who took unauthorized photos of Harry's collapse?"

Draco wisely said nothing.

"You're a wealthy pureblood, with thick Death Eater ties in your family. You may paint a portrait of yourself running innocently, and terrified for your life, but I think the court deserves a more realistic assessment."

Narcissa stood up, interrupting him. "Please stop! Stop questioning him. You have no right to drag him back there. That's inhumane and I won't have it. He's given you enough information about that night."

Her outburst startled everyone. The prosecutor looked surprised, but nodded in a genteel way as the judge hammered for silence and reprimanded Mrs. Malfoy as well as her solicitors.

"The plaintiff will be given the chance to speak in due time. Please silence your client while others are on the stand."

Narcissa looked like she was ready to tell the judge off, but remembered his power. She turned to her solicitors and her whispered, sharp words were still heard by all. "Put an end to this! I want to offer an appeal. Harry attacked Lucius, not Draco. My son shouldn't have to go through this again."

You should've thought of that before you insisted on a trial, Harry thought. But she was right. Once again, Draco was wading through shit because of him. No wonder he wanted to take his sister and run to another country.

Murmurs rose all around Harry. He heard a reporter speak into a recording quill, "Interesting development. Narcissa Malfoy wants to offer an appeal. If this keeps up, we may not get to see Harry take the stand at all."

It took a moment for things to quiet down. Draco was dismissed from the stand while solicitors from both sides went up to the judge and spoke in hushed voices.

Harry couldn't catch Draco's eyes and in a few minutes more, Narcissa was given the go ahead to take his place.

Even though hers was not a testimony, they still made her swear to speak truthfully. She agreed stringently, alert to every eye upon her. Harry had to admit, she looked serious and not as if she were showcasing her finishing school talents.

"Thank you," she began. "What I'm about to say, will change the nature of this trial. I don't want this to go on. I only wanted justice for my husband. I don't mean to torture Draco any further."

Winston asked her, "You do realize, this is a criminal trial? It's no longer up to you to determine the nature of the charges brought against Harry. The Ministry charges him with crimes greater than those of private grievances. They are so publicly impacting that they are crimes against us all. It's out of your hands."

She took a deep breath, appearing to steady her emotions. "Yes, I know. But I'm the one who initiated charges and pushed for such a speedy trial. I can't speak for the Ministry, but as a private citizen, I want to revoke all charges held by me, by way of appeal. If nothing else, I hope to reduce the length of the trial and the sentencing."

"You can't just drop all charges in the middle of a trial."

"My solicitors tell me that I can and I will. But only if Harry and Draco cooperate."

There it was. The other shoe. The blood signature.

Her hands clasped, drawing her slender arms forward. Behind her pearls, tendons stood on her neck as she swallowed and spoke tightly. All waited.

"As I listen to all of this, I'm forced to realize that forgiveness is the only answer. There will never be justice for Draco, or for Lucius. I pushed for punishment because I thought I had to. My husband is dying. I wanted to follow his wishes and settle his affairs."

"His affairs? How is this trial settling his affairs?"

"I'm coming to that. I thought, with all the evidence, the trial would be fairly simple and cut and dry. That was naive of me, I know. I'm grieving, I was desperate. By the time all of this is over with, I will have lost my son and my husband. Draco's testimony helped me to see how desperate my actions have been. His father and I were quite insistent. Even aggressive, in our attempts to communicate with him. We didn't realize how distressed we were making the boys. Since we had no intention of harming them, we were unaware of how threatened they were by us. We simply couldn't believe their fears were real. It wasn't real to us. I guess Harry acted out of protection. I'm willing to forgive him, but I'm still facing the future as a widow. Lucius grows weaker every day, and is entirely unresponsive. Doctors tell me that I'll be alone soon, and to prepare for that."

She stopped to breathe, and looked none too apologetic for testing everyone's patience."

"I figured that the sooner I got justice for my husband, the sooner I could bring closure to the whole ordeal. However, seeing Harry go to prison, does lie in conflict with everything Lucius and I ever wanted. We know we did terrible things because we were ordered to. We were trying to save our family, we were not evil people. I understand now, why Harry and Draco kept running from us, and that they will never forgive us. That's my life sentence and I will bear it."

The prosecutor rushed her along, "You said you had an appeal."

"Yes, I must focus now on settling my husband's estate and letting the boys heal. I will drop all charges against Harry, for the privilege of seeing my grandchild. I am asking for visitation rights. Draco and she, are our only heirs. Of course I'm upset with Harry, but I know why his anger got the best of him. He suffered greatly because of me and my husband, for which, we've already been tried and punished and I don't wish to dredge that up anymore today. I simply understand his anger and I forgive him. I say this because, although I sought correction today, I would like to offer another way of balancing this injustice. I know that our blood relationship is more complicated, but I want to be a proper grandmother to their daughter, just to have her in my life."

The courtroom began to murmur. Harry sat up, feeling his shoulders tense. His fist went tight, as if holding a wand.

She wasn't finished. "We are, after all, related by blood, however tragic the past is. Family does not give up on one another. We go forward. We turn misery into mastery. Our name may have been tarnished, but we Malfoys still have honor. We're still trying to do what's best for our family. We never meant Harry or Draco any harm."

She looked at the judge. "I understand that this does nothing to prevent the Ministry from finding Harry guilty of the same charges, but for my part, I will not ask that he be punished on my husband's account. Even if I'm to become a widow, I know that Lucius would want our family to hold together and survive the hardships we've all brought upon ourselves. That's what I meant by settling his affairs. Iece is my husband's child. Since his release, he couldn't stop thinking about her. All he wanted, was to have the boys give him another chance and to put an end to their estrangement. He knew that what he'd done was unforgivable and he was prepared to stay at a polite distance from the child.

"We both were perfectly agreeable to chaperoned visitations, just to put the boys at ease and to remember that what we allowed to happen, made us deserving of such arrangements. It's sad, but it's better than never seeing her at all. I know my husband better than anyone. If giving his life, is what it takes to reconnect her with her true family, then he will die in the hopes that her fathers, Harry and Draco, will consent. I only hope that Harry accepts the sacrifice that Lucius is making with his life, as payment for all they were put through."

Harry boiled over. He couldn't stop his rage from pulling him out of his seat. His body stretched over the table, over Destiny's briefcase and papers.

He screamed, "You will never get your hands on my daughter!"

Narcissa's head spun. "Don't you mean Draco's daughter?"

"Objection!" Destiny shouted.

Winston stared at Narcissa, finding her tone changed and cold.

Harry shouted over the judge's response. "She's legally mine. I'll go to prison before I let you in the same room with her."

He might as well have yelled in the faces of the audience watching him. People sat back in their seats, blown away by the strength of his venom. It was a Harry few had ever seen before, as pure hatred spilled out of his mouth.

"Let's end this right now."

Flashes fired off, as journalists captured the red heat strokes of anger that colored Harry's face. It was a shot that had already made the pick of the cover of tomorrow's exposé, and would circulate, a collector's item, for many years to come.

"No more lies. I'm guilty! I tried my best to kill Lucius. Draco had nothing to do with it. You can take your appeal and shove it up Lucius's ass. His life isn't worth a damn to me. Neither is yours."

Destiny knew that Harry was a lost cause. She ran up to the judge. "This is too much stress for my client, who is under the care of a doctor. I'm asking for a recess."

Her damage control was too late. Harry shouted directly to the jurors. "No rapist should be allowed to visit the child they caused. No judge or jury in their right minds would agree to such a thing. It's Death Eater bullshit, is what it is. Don't be fooled by her. She stood by and watched!"

Narcissa rose from her seat and met him in an unhinged shouting match. "That baby exists, not because we are evil people, but because we were tortured with threats of death. Just like you. Voldemort would've killed Draco and made us watch."

"You did watch! You watched like it was a play."

"Voldemort was the one behind it all. We're not sick. We want to give our love to Iece, and put all of it behind us. We're ashamed of what we did, don't you see that? Please try to forgive us."

They ignored the judge's gavel. Harry's face ran wet and feverish. He kept shouting, "You watched!" long after it stopped making sense to do so. He beat Narcissa with those words precisely like a man using a club. Her lips withered but she refused to crumble as she took it.

Winston gave up trying to restore order, and stepped aside to assess the way Narcissa slumped beneath Harry's verbal slaughter. By now, Harry's shouts were manic, restoring the images of him going wild on Lucius. By now, none of it was making sense. There was something in Harry's voice that shredded his vocal chords, choking him, and still he shouted. There was simply too much pain in his shouts, for the perfectly safe circumstances they were all seated in. When Destiny could not get Harry to sit down, court officers were quickly deployed to remove Harry forcibly.

Harry's death wish for Narcissa, ruptured every eardrum that heard it. It was bad enough seeing three officers trying to restrain him without hurting him, but it was downright haunting to hear full blown cries mixed with raw anger. Grown, his pain sounded like a man's destructive abilities in the hands of a child. His throat sounded like it should've been bleeding as hatred tore out of it. Heads bent out of embarrassment for him. Others bowed out of respect. No one knew how to explain what they were hearing. It was too much vulnerability than the situation warranted, and it felt uncomfortable.

Draco couldn't hold his pose anymore. He leaned forward and let his head fall into his hands. The shutters of magical cameras and wands captured his grief for all time.