The first thing Hermione noticed was that the courtroom was more of an amphitheater than a traditional courtroom. Seats were ascending in a large U shape, with members of the Wizengamot seated behind small desks in the U. Dumbledore sat in the middle of the U shape, mid-distance from the floor and the top of the seats. On her left was Alexandra, sitting behind a fancy wooden desk, with Harry sitting behind her in a general seating area on a bench. On Hermione's right sat a yellow-blond man with his hair in a ponytail, who she now knew to be Ulfric Something-or-Other, the representative for the defense.
Near Ulfric, sitting in a box and wearing iron chains, was Rhamnaceae Rookwood.
Her eyes blazed at Hermione.
Hermione steadily took her seat on the high stool in the witness' box, fighting not to flinch.
"If you would introduce yourself to the court?" Alexandra bid her, standing at her desk in her dramatic velvet robes.
There was a tingle of magic around her, and Hermione realized this must be the Truth Circle activating. It wasn't compelling her to say anything, not really, but there was an odd feeling of waiting and tension around her, as if it was ready to leap on her if she started to make a false statement.
"My name is Hermione Granger," she said carefully. The tense magic behind her stayed dormant, and Hermione relaxed slightly. She hadn't been compelled to give her full name, which meant the magic was just concerned with binary true/false statements, she guessed. That was a lot easier to work around than something that made sure everything she said was the full truth.
It also seemed to give a certain amount of reasonable leeway. Harry had been able to say 'she' and 'Rookwood' when he had been referring to someone else in Rhamnaceae's body. Hermione wondered just who had originally done the Truth Circle enchantment, and what sort of conditions had been set into it.
"Miss Granger, would you relate for us the dramatic events of April 13th and 14th?" Alexandra asked her.
Hermione bit her lip and took a deep breath.
"It started on Tuesday, when Draco Malfoy and Rhamnaceae Rookwood got into a fight…"
Hermione was very careful as she told her story, hoping any hesitation came off as nervousness of being on the stand. The objective truth here was very different from the apparent truth, and she had to be deliberate with her words and phrasing to convey what she wanted, here.
"I knew Draco had fought with Rookwood, and I hadn't seen him at dinner," Hermione said carefully. "And I knew Rookwood to have a bit of a temper…" She shrugged. "Harry went with me to search the corridors."
"And it was at this time you saw the basilisk capturing Draco Malfoy?" Alexandra prompted.
Hermione was relieved when she managed to nod. Apparently, the Truth Circle didn't judge body language.
"I started running after Draco," Hermione said, her mind racing as she chose her words. "I knew the monster was a basilisk already, but I couldn't just do nothing. When I got to the bathroom, I could see where the creature had gone, and I had Harry open up the sink with Parseltongue before telling him to go get Professor Snape, and I jumped down the pipe."
"And what happened next?"
"There was this sewer, and I lit up my wand to go through the tunnels," Hermione said, thinking back. "I followed tunnels to a giant stone chamber. There were huge pillars and a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin, so I figured it must be the Chamber of Secrets. Then—" she swallowed, "—there was a basilisk, and all of a sudden I was running around with my sword out, dodging it, screaming for Draco to close his eyes and hide behind a pillar."
She must have looked pale, because Alexandra gave her a sympathetic look.
"It must have been very scary," she said.
"Objection!" Ulfric snapped. "Speculation!"
Alexandra ignored him. "What happened then?"
"It was scary. It all happened so fast and it was so intense, but I managed to defeat the basilisk somehow," Hermione said, biting her lip. "I cut off its head, and I made sure Draco was alright. He was, but he was shaken. The professors came running into the chamber not long after, and that's when the reporter started talking to everyone and all the pictures were taken."
"And can you tell us of the events of April 14th?"
"I waited to meet Harry outside of Transfiguration before lunch," Hermione said promptly. "None of the other students knew I had defeated the monster. Professor McGonagall had decided it was too much of a risk until the Heir was caught; if the Heir knew their monster was gone, who knew what terrible thing the Heir would do next? So when I saw her—" Hermione gestured to the defendant's seat, "—hissing at the walls around the entrance to the Chamber, all the pieces fell into place."
"When you say 'the pieces fell into place', what do you mean?" the Wand prompted.
"I knew Draco had fought with Rookwood the previous day, before he'd— before he'd been taken to the Chamber," Hermione said, stumbling. She'd tried to say before he'd been abducted, but there had been a sharp pressing of magic and pressure on her lungs, and she hadn't been able to get the words out. Hermione cleared her throat, taking a deep breath, before she continued on. "When she—" Hermione gestured to the defendant's box again, "started throwing curses at us, Harry and I ran after her, fighting back."
"And what happened next?"
"We chased her into a room in the dungeons. There was a ritual set up there, maybe a last-resort protection thing? I dove to the side, dodging a curse and shooting one of my own, but the teachers arrived right after, and they cast something that bound her up."
"Thank you, Miss Granger," Alexandra said. "Now: do you remember what was set up at the ritual?"
Hermione was careful with her words again.
"There was a circle of blood," she recalled, "and what looked like a fair amount of more blood in a container near her. There was a necklace, a pendant, that had a skull and snake on it, I think, and a tiny glass vial. I remember because when I tried to curse her, the vial spilled onto the skull, and suddenly it was melting."
"And because of all this, you believe Miss Rookwood to be the Heir of Slytherin and responsible for the attacks on your classmates?"
Hermione swallowed.
"I mean, who else would be able to speak Parseltongue?" she said. "I'd seen her fight with Draco, and then with the hissing at the wall… it didn't seem like a far-out conclusion to me."
Alexandra seemed satisfied with her equivocating answer.
"Your witness," she shot across the room as she took her seat, and Ulfric stood. He approached the witness box, giving Hermione a thin smile, and Hermione bit her lip and sat up straight.
"Miss Granger," he said. "Are you familiar with Rhamnaceae Rookwood?"
"That depends entirely on what you mean by 'familiar'." Hermione frowned. "It's certainly not as if we were friends, but I certainly knew who she was."
"Let me rephrase. When did you first meaningfully meet Miss Rookwood?"
From her seat, Hermione could see Rhamnaceae's eyes bulge in alarm. It was very clear her defender hadn't run this line of questioning past her. Hermione bit her lip, her breath stuck in her chest.
"That would be January 16th, 1992," she admitted.
Ulfric's eyes narrowed.
"That is a very specific date," he said.
Hermione shrugged. "It is."
"It is odd, Miss Granger, that you remember such a specific date," he said, circling her as he moved slowly across the room, "as to when you meaningfully met a random housemate."
"Objection!" Alexandra's hands slammed down onto her desk. "Speculation!"
"I'll withdraw," Ulfric said. "Miss Granger, why do you remember that date so specifically?"
Hermione closed her eyes.
What was she supposed to do here? She could filter the truth, say that she had been bullied and generalize, or she could give the whole truth, in front of the entire assembled Wizengamot. And she was in a Truth Circle – they would have to believe her, wouldn't they? They wouldn't be able to deny her claim now…
Nerves rattling in her chest, Hermione made her choice, and she reopened her eyes.
"On that Thursday night, Pansy Parkinson came to me, telling me that Professor Snape was looking for me and to follow her." Hermione's voice was steady, her eyes clear. "I was led to believe that he was going to give some sort of demonstration to a group of students, and I thought he was going to teach me something new for extra credit. Pansy led me into a room, where she locked the door behind her."
"Miss Granger, I'm sure your story is nice, but—"
"If you want to know why I remember this date, I'll tell you," Hermione cut the barrister off viciously, her eyes flashing. "Because waiting in that room was Rhamnaceae Rookwood, Alexia Rosier, Damon Rowle, Saunder Snyde, Peter Winickus, and Lilian Travers. They were mad about my perceived blood status and my parents, and they then proceeded attack me. They spit on me, kicked me, and cast so many cutting charms on me that I nearly died."
There was a gasp from the crowd, and Hermione watched as the barrister's face paled.
"I object to the witness' testimony," he said loudly. "This calls for speculation—"
"It doesn't," Hermione said viciously. The words were spilling out of her mouth now, all the pent-up anger and resentment she'd held for so long finally unleashed, and she couldn't stop herself if she tried. "Madame Pomfrey told me if I hadn't made it to get help, I could have died within half an hour from blood loss or my lacerated spleen. She had to heal my internal bleeding and broken ribs, and I had to take two Blood-Replenishing potions, I'd lost so much blood! And the group of them, the seven bullies, they had just left me on the dungeon floor to die, figuring Filch would find me sooner or later. The fact I nearly died was confirmed by the school Healer and Professor Snape – and with all due respect, sir, that means it's not speculation."
Hermione was breathing hard when she finished her tirade, her eyes burning as she glared at him, and there was murmuring in the crowd. Ulfric looked shaken – as he should be, Hermione figured. She imagined she'd hardly given him the response he'd anticipated to help establish she didn't know his client well.
"That is why I remember exactly what day it was," Hermione said flatly. Her eyes were sharp. "It was the day Rhamnaceae Rookwood organized a group attack on me, because she was upset I had been sorted into Slytherin, and it was the day I nearly died."
Ulfric clenched his jaw.
"Miss Granger, this is the first time this attack and accusation is on record – otherwise, my client would have been expelled or have such an attack reported on her school file," the defender pushed, trying to cast doubt on her statement. "If this is claim is true, why did you not file a report of the attack?"
"Because nothing would have happened," Hermione said, folding her arms and sitting back in her seat. "Nothing would have been done. I'm not stupid – I've seen how the wizarding world works. There were seven attackers, all with old, pureblood names, all of whom had undoubtedly ensured ahead of time that they would have solid alibis for the attacks. And then there was me – the first year Slytherin, a—"
Hermione coughed and choked for a moment, her eyes going wide, before she continued.
"—a New Blood, not someone with a name of any renown. And I felt that any report I made would have been questioned and ignored, and I would come off looking like the person who was lying or needy for attention."
"Objection!" Ulfric looked triumphant, now. "Chief Warlock, I object to her statement. The Truth Circle clearly activated during her statement!"
Dumbledore peered down at Hermione, looking at her over his glasses.
"Miss Granger," he said sternly. "What had you been about to say when the Truth Circle censured you?"
Hermione looked up at him, his gaze stern on her.
"I had been about to say 'Muggle-born'," she said truthfully. "I had been about to say 'Muggle-born', to describe their mindset, and found I could not."
There was a murmur in the crowd, whispers fluttering throughout the Wizengamot, and Hermione looked up at them all, her eyes hard.
"I fear we are getting off track here," Ulfric said, deflecting his failed objection. "Miss Granger, do you know Miss Rookwood well?"
"No," Hermione said. "All I know of her is her hatred for me, her ignorant blood supremacist attitude, and that she would take any chance to attack me that she had."
Ulfric ignored her bait that time, not asking about attacks. Pity. Hermione could have horrified the crowd with the story of her attack on her this past March, too.
"So would you say you would know if Miss Rookwood's behavior had changed and if she was acting abnormally or not?"
"That would depend very much on how she was acting," Hermione fired back. "If Rookwood were acting friendly and happy and trying to make friends with me, I would notice very much that she was acting abnormally. But if your differentiation is between her normal hatred of Muggleborns and desire to see me dead, and a behavior change to actively trying to attack the Muggleborns of the school, I daresay I wouldn't be able to see much of a difference." She sniffed. "If anyone even could."
Ulfric looked annoyed.
"So you are saying you would not know if she had been possessed by evil to open the Chamber," he said.
Hermione went to confirm, but the Truth Circle pressed in on her, and Hermione realized that she would know or not, because she did know how the Chamber was opened. She quickly changed tactics.
"I would not be surprised if Rookwood were possessed by evil," Hermione said, tossing her hair and holding her head high. "She certainly has the temperament for it. I will say this, though, sir – I do not think Rhamnaceae Rookwood was the one responsible for the attacks."
There was ripple of surprise and exclamations that went through the crowd at this, and Ulfric pounced on her remark.
"You are saying you believe she was mentally possessed?" he asked.
"I don't know much about mental possession or any of that, so I can't really comment on that," Hermione said defiantly, "but I think it's clear that something other than her was opening the Chamber and actually controlling the basilisk."
"And why is that?" Ulfric pushed.
Hermione's eyes met his, fire in her gaze.
"Because, sir, I am alive," she said, her eyes holding his. "And if the basilisk had truly been under Rhamnaceae's control, I would be dead."
There was a murmur in the crowd, and Ulfric hesitantly took a step back.
"No further questions," he said, uneasy. Hermione didn't blame him his disquiet; his client might have her defense work and get off of the charges, but it came at the expense of her reputation and her name.
"Miss Granger, you may step down," Dumbledore bid.
Hermione hopped down off the stool and went to sit next to Harry, who scooted over on the bench to allow her more room. As she took her seat, Harry reached over and took her hand, squeezing it tightly, and Hermione realized she was shaking.
The Trial continued on, Alexandra and Ulfric bickering over the validity of some evidence one of them wanted submitted, but Hermione felt numb to it. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for faces she could recognize as she tuned the legal argument out. To her surprise, there were more than just a few people she knew looking back at her.
Rhamnaceae was looking at her, which Hermione had expected – she'd just defended her on the stand, after all, which Hermione presumed she had not been expecting. Hannah Abbot and Neville Longbottom were there, for example, sitting next to their representative family members, as was Ernie Macmillan, and Hermione wondered if every classmate who could had wanted to attend alongside their parent today just to get the gossip. As she looked around, Hermione met Millie's horrified gaze from across the room, and she winced. She'd once told her Slytherin friends that she could have died from the bullying that night, but she'd never really gone into specifics.
Draco Malfoy and Theo Nott were there also, sitting alongside their fathers, as was Pansy Parkinson, who was looking pale as a ghost. The full implications of what she had said on the stand suddenly hit Hermione, and she quickly looked through the crowd, finding Damon Rowle and Alexia Rosier in the assembly as well. Lilian was not present, though her father was – presumably still recovering from her stint being Petrified, Hermione supposed. Damon was sitting very still next to his father, looking at the ground, and it looked like Alexia's father was quietly furious at her, hissing at her angrily while the girl flinched.
"The Wand calls Draco Malfoy to the stand."
Hermione watched as Draco Malfoy made his way down through the stands to the witness' chair. He too looked rather pale, glancing at Hermione as he made his way down, but then again, Draco always looked pale.
"Can you state your name for the court?"
Draco's testimony didn't add much, and Hermione suspected the Wand hadn't been anticipating on needing it. Alexandra just wanted another witness to emphasize that Rhamnaceae had quarreled with Draco to reestablish her motive more clearly, seeing as Hermione had clearly mucked that up with her own testimony.
He did a fair job communicating of what the Wand clearly wanted him to. He relayed his argument with Rookwood, what he remembered of being captured ("I banged my head," he'd said, "so I can't remember much of that part"), and how Hermione had come to save him. He also put forth the theory that Rhamnaceae had insisted the basilisk attack him because she was infuriated from their argument, but the basilisk had been unable to because he was a pureblood.
"Up until then, the attacks were all on—" he coughed here for a moment, his eyes going wide, before continuing, "were mostly on those of non-pure blood. Travers was the only exception. It would make sense that the basilisk wouldn't want to kill me."
The defense's cross-examination didn't accomplish much; Ulfric established that no, Draco didn't know Rookwood rather well, and that he'd only really fought with her the one time that day. He wouldn't have been able to tell if she was under the influence of something evil.
With that, the Prosecution rested, and it was the Defense's turn next.
"We will resume after lunch," Dumbledore declared, banging his gavel and standing up. "Please be back here promptly at one. All of you, please return – you might be called back to clarify your testimony."
Hermione stood with Harry, who was still holding her hand. She looked at him, and Harry flushed and quickly dropped it. Hermione gave him a smile.
"Thanks for that," she said quietly. "Maybe more 'traditional escort' now, though?"
Harry made a face. "I hate playing stuffy in front of stuffy people."
Hermione laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you bother."
She wove her hand through Harry's arm, careful of her hand placement, and together they exited the courtroom, heading up in the crowd to the Atrium toward the Ministry's cafeteria.
"Hermione! Hermione!"
Hermione turned to see Millie and Daphne dashing after her, shoving their way into the closing elevator, much to the grumbling of everyone else who was already packed inside.
"We're going to Diagon Alley for lunch," Daphne informed them. "The cafeteria here is awful."
"Is that alright by you?" Millie asked. "Did you have other plans?"
Hermione shrugged. "Not really. Diagon Alley's fine."
"Fine by me," Harry said. He paused. "…I'm coming too, right?"
Hermione squeezed his arm under her hand and gave him a smile. "Of course."
Millie pushed her way through the crowds to a Floo, and Hermione and Harry and Daphne followed her through to the Leaky Cauldron and through the crowds of Diagon Alley. Hermione quickly spotted Tracey and Blaise sitting at a large table, apparently waiting, and Tracey leapt to her feet upon seeing them, quickly going to Hermione, her eyes large.
"How did it go?" she demanded, taking her hands. "Is everything okay? Gossip on the street is that it was intense. What happened there?"
Hermione gave her a small smile.
"Can I at least sit down first?" she said. "And then we'll tell you all?"
There was a shuffle at the table as seats were claimed, and Hermione found Blaise somehow sitting on her left, Harry having taken a seat to her right. Blaise's gaze met hers as the others bickered over what to get for appetizers, concern shining in his bright eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, and Hermione took a deep breath.
"I'm not sure," she admitted, "but I will be."
Blaise gave her a half hug, squeezing her to his side for a moment, looking down at her.
"If you need anything," he said, his eyes holding hers, "just tell me."
Hermione smiled. "I will."
After appetizers had been decided on (Daphne and Tracey had just ordered for them all), the gossip of the trial began. Hermione was relieved when Daphne took the reins, relating Harry's and Hermione's testimony to Tracey and Blaise.
It was interesting to watch her friends' reactions as an observer, Hermione thought. Blaise and Tracey had obviously been in on the framing of Rookwood, so their concerns and surprise lay in other areas than the average listener would have. Tracey was fairly good at reacting at the appropriately dramatic parts she was supposed to, but Hermione could see her relief when Daphne related what Harry had said that had covered their tracks. Blaise sat like a stone, his eyes flashing at certain points, but Hermione couldn't read much from his reactions at all.
At some point during Daphne's dramatic recounting, Theo and Draco joined their table silently, which warranted a quick glance, but Daphne then turned to relating to them Hermione's testimony.
This time, the reactions from Tracey and Blaise were real. Tracey's gasp of horror was genuine, and Blaise's shocked look as he turned to look at Hermione was filled with fear and worry and panic, his eyes pleading with her to deny that it hadn't happened.
Hermione had to wince and look away.
"It was surreal," Daphne breathed. "I know I was shocked. Everyone was. I don't think anyone would have believed her, if it hadn't come up in the Truth Circle. And Alexia and Rowle were right there…"
"It was very, very dramatic," Millie summed up. "And it was awful to hear. To know that Hermione…"
She trailed off, and Daphne cleared her throat and carried on. "Anyway…"
She explained how the rest of Hermione's testimony had more indicated Rhamnaceae's innocence fairly definitively by using her own cruelty, and Hermione saw several smirks at that, which pleased her. Tracey and Blaise were Slytherin; they could understand and appreciate the underhanded artistry of freeing an enemy by damning them with their own chains.
"The Defense is up next, after lunch," Daphne said. "I wonder what Rookwood's team has got up their sleeve."
"If I had to guess, they'll call the Aurors to testify," Draco said, his voice one of certainty. "My father heard that they found a really Dark artifact at the scene, and I bet that's what they'll argue possessed her."
"What kind of artifact?" Theo wanted to know.
"No idea." Draco shook his head. "Apparently, it's Top Secret. They might even kick everyone not strictly on the Wizengamot out to discuss it if necessary."
"Oh wow," Tracey said, her eyes going wide. "It really is Top Secret, then."
As appetizers arrived, they all discussed what might happen after lunch in the trial, passing various trays of snacks around. It wasn't exactly relaxed conversation, but it was nicer than Hermione had thought – she'd been afraid of being pumped for more details of her attack from last January.
Harry seemed cautiously okay with the situation. Hermione did her best to reassure him, smiling at him and inviting him to join the conversation from time to time. She realized that being seated at a table of entirely Slytherins was probably a little jarring, but over time, Harry seemed to become more and more relaxed. She was surprised into delighted laughter when Harry exchanged witty barbs with Theo, Harry turning to give her a sheepish grin while Theo and Blaise roared. Hermione beamed at him while the others laughed; Harry fit in with her classmates and friends rather better than she'd thought.
"How long will the trial go, do you think?" Tracey asked. "I want all the details, but I don't want to be just hanging around the Alley until late…"
"I imagine it'll wrap up around four or five," Draco said. "Wizengamot sessions typically don't go all day, but trials are an irregularity. They'll want to get out as soon as they can."
"We could just plan to meet back here at six, then," Millie suggested. "That way you can go home and then come back."
"Yes, but then I won't know what happens right after the trial," Tracey whined. "I want to know first."
"Then you'll just have to wait around in the Alley then, won't you?" Millie challenged, and Tracey huffed.
"We'll meet back here at six," Blaise confirmed. "You can start showing up earlier than that, if you want. But we'll all meet here at six, alright?"
Hermione bit her lip. Strictly speaking, she was grounded from seeing her friends. But if she was already out for the day for legal things, and they would be discussing legal things at dinner…
"Sure," she agreed. "I'll be here."