Following Ron's rather disastrous testimony it was time for the two sides to deliver their final summations, and it was clear to everyone that Ron's defence counsel was rather deflated following his clients outburst on the stand. To be fair to the wizard, he did try and best to sell the story of Ron not intentionally trying to kill Draco, but after Ron's words only moments before it all sounded a bit feeble.
The prosecution closing was far more robust, and he gave the Wizengamot plenty to mull over. He questioned why Ron had chosen to keep a knife as a keepsake of his past, when any amount of non-dangerous items were stored in his vault. He reminded the court of Ron's past history with the Hermione, Daniel and the Malfoys, and the fact that he still didn't seem to be able to let go of the idea that he was Daniel's family, despite it clearly been something Daniel himself didn't agree with. There was then a run through of his colourful past with Draco, and finally the prosecutor reminded the Wizengamot that not only had Ron been heard to say that he wished he had killed Draco after his arrest, but he'd pretty much said the same thing in court. In the prosecutions eyes, he was guilty of attempted murder, and most people in the court strongly suspected they may have just proved their case.
"That is all for today," Kingsley announced once the two closing statements had been made. "The Wizengamot will reconvene tomorrow morning to discuss the case. Court will be back in session tomorrow at one o'clock, where a verdict will be delivered."
With Kingsley dismissing the court, all Hermione and her family could do was go home and wait for the following day when the verdict would be delivered and Ron's newest Azkaban sentence would be served. Before the trial, Hermione hadn't really thought Ron would be found guilty of attempted murder, as she did think he had simply lashed out in his anger, but now she wasn't as sure what the verdict would be. He certainly hadn't helped his own case, and if he was found guilty after his loss of control in court then it wouldn't be much of a surprise.
After a restless night for everyone involved with the case, the day of reckoning arrived and even though court wasn't due to start until one o'clock, Hermione and her family were at the Ministry early. Lucius and Narcissa had been present for the previous two days of the trial, but for the verdict they had been joined by Severus, and Victoire had accompanied Daniel for the first time. Scorpius had wanted to be there, but he'd had quidditch training and hadn't been able to make it, although he had sent his best wishes and his hopes for Ron receiving a decent sentence.
While the family were waiting to enter the court, Ron and Molly arrived. For the previous few days they had been on their own, but this time they were accompanied by Ginny. It was the first time Hermione had seen Ginny since she'd been pregnant with Daniel, and from the cold look Ginny shot in her direction it seemed she still believed that Hermione had betrayed her in some way when she'd slept with Harry. Although it was also the first time Ginny was seeing Daniel, and Hermione noticed her haunted expression when she laid eyes on Daniel and saw just how much he looked like his father. Looking pretty shaken, Ginny made sure her parents took seats as far away from the Malfoys contingent as was possible.
"I wonder if anyone else in the family will be coming," Hermione murmured to Draco.
"No, Aunt Ginny is it," Victoire said, having been sitting close enough to her mother-in-law to hear what she had said. "Dad led a revolution in the family, and Ron is on his own as far as he's concerned. He's made it clear to Gran and Grandpa that he's not walking away from them, but his relationship with Ron is over. All this was the final straw for him."
"He did threaten to cut Weasley out of the family," Draco mused, recalling the threats Bill had delivered to his youngest brother the day they both warned him off Daniel.
"And everyone else agreed with him?" Hermione checked.
"Uncle George and Uncle Charlie backed him like a shot," Victoire replied. "Uncle Percy was slightly more hesitant to go to such drastic lengths, but ultimately he went with the majority. As for Aunt Ginny, I don't know if Dad even mentioned it to her as he did think that she would side with Ron no matter what."
"Not cutting him out of her life is different to supporting him," Daniel pointed out. "After all, she never truly supported him where I was concerned. She never wanted me in her life. Even now, she can't bring herself to look at me."
Looking across to where Ginny was sitting, Hermione realised that Daniel was right. Ginny had sat down at such an angle that she virtually had her back towards her and Daniel. Although whether it was Daniel she couldn't bear to look at or Hermione herself, it wasn't clear. But the message was clear, she wanted nothing to do with Hermione or Daniel, and that was perfectly okay with Hermione as the only Weasleys she wanted in her life were already in it.
After less than a ten minute wait, the courtroom was opened to the public and Hermione and her family took their places, while the Weasleys took theirs. There was also a decent smattering of reporters taking their seats, and Hermione knew the verdict and sentence would be all over the papers for the next few days. Ron and his legal team, all looking pensive, were the next to arrive, and they were swiftly followed by the prosecution team, who looked confident. Finally the Wizengamot filed in and the court was called to order and Kingsley rose to his feet.
"A verdict has been reached in the case of Ronald Bilius Weasley," Kingsley began in a sombre voice. "Ronald Weasley you are charged with the attempted murder of Draco Malfoy, and this court finds you guilty."
"No!" Molly's anguished wail cut through the silent courtroom, and everyone turned to find the witch had dropped to her knees and was wailing loudly. "You can't do this," she cried. "You can't do this to my Ron. He is not guilty, he is not."
"Enough," Kingsley barked. "Control yourself Mrs Weasley, or you will be asked to leave."
Despite his firm words, Kingsley gave Arthur a sympathetic look as along with Ginny, he tried to calm his wife down and return her to her seat. Looking away from Molly, Hermione looked to where Ron was sitting to see what his reaction had been to the guilty verdict, but he had his head lowered, meaning she couldn't see his face. He could be taking the news in his stride, or he could be angry or devastated, but she couldn't tell anything from where she was sitting.
"Any more interruptions and the court will be emptied and the sentence delivered in private," Kingsley warned as Molly was finally hauled back into her seat and her sobs had subsided a bit. "This guilty verdict was not easy to come to, but ultimately it came down to two deciding factors. The first was the knife, and our belief that we were not given a reasonable explanation as to why you had the knife, Mr Weasley. The prosecution were right in claiming that if all you'd wanted was a memento from the past, you could have taken something that wasn't dangerous. Your choice to carry a dangerous weapon lead us to come to the conclusion that you were willing to use it before you even saw Mr Malfoy that day. The second deciding factor in our decision was the evidence that you had expressed your dismay at not killing Mr Malfoy when you had the chance, an opinion you pretty much repeated right here in this courtroom yesterday. We concluded that Mr Malfoy is very lucky to be alive today, and had it not been for the fact his daughter had been on hand to save his life, he would not be sitting here today and you would be facing a murder charge, Mr Weasley."
Hermione didn't need a reminder of how close she had come to losing Draco, but Kingsley's words sent a shiver down her spine and she reached out to take hold of her husband's hand. Squeezing her hand, Draco gave her a small smile and Hermione saw the relief swimming in his grey eyes. She didn't think either of them had realised it, but this court case was so very important to them, and the guilty verdict felt like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"With such a serious offence, we feel we must deliver a strong sentence," Kingsley continued. "Mr Weasley, you will be sent to Azkaban for fifteen years. It is also our recommendation that the restraining order that is currently in place regarding Mrs Malfoy and Mr Granger be extended to include the rest of their family, and there will also be an amendment that you will not be able to communicate with them in any way, Mr Weasley. This case had also made it clear that you have severe issues, Mr Weasley, issues which this court acknowledges should have been addressed at your previous prosecution. As someone who knows the defendant personally, I was upset to witness the extent of his delusions, and his inability to accept what he is being told. This court is ordering that Mr Weasley receives a course of psychotherapy while in prison. I am only sorry that this wasn't delivered sooner, and maybe then these recent events wouldn't have happened."
Hermione was rather shocked at the therapy side of Ron's punishment, but she had to admit that Kingsley was right and that maybe Ron would have benefited from professional help long before now. Maybe if they'd realised last time that he wasn't going to let go of his delusions, then they could have gotten him some help. But how was anyone supposed to know that Ron would delude himself and obsess over someone he didn't even know for over twenty years? The same could be said for Molly, and Hermione just hoped that Arthur had taken in what Kingsley had said about Ron and considered the same option for his wife. After all, she had caused almost as much trouble as Ron and she was just as obsessed with Daniel as her son was. She just hadn't done anything illegal that had landed her in Azkaban, unlike Ron who would now spend the next fifteen years of his life locked away from the world.
Lost in her thoughts, Hermione missed Kingsley dismissing the court. She only became aware of proceedings coming to an end when Molly started to wail again and cry out for Ron, who was being led away by a couple of Aurors. He did look back towards his mother, and Hermione saw tears were streaming down his face, but he was forced to carry on exiting the courtroom.
"This is all your fault," Molly screeched, suddenly turning her attention from her son to Hermione and her family. "You started all of this, Hermione. You're to blame for this entire mess. You seduced Harry from under Ginny's nose, and when that wasn't enough for you, you denied us access to his son. You poisoned Daniel's mind against us."
"The only people who poisoned my mind against your family is you and that rotten son of yours," Daniel snorted. "You need to accept that I don't want you in my life, not now, not ever."
"See, you've warped his mind," Molly screeched. "You and that rotten family you married into. The Malfoys are toxic, and they poison everything they touch. You deserve it, Hermione, but Daniel doesn't. Nor does Victoire. I will save them from your family, Hermione, you mark my words. This isn't the end."
"Yes Gran, it is," Victoire said sharply, well aware that a few vultures from the press were listening and gobbling up every scrap of information. No doubt this little drama would also make the papers over the next few days. "You need to stay away from me and my family, or else I'll be the one getting the restraining order against you. Go home, for Merlin's sake get some help, and leave us to live our lives in peace."
Leaving Molly reeling from her words, Victoire turned on her heel and with her head held high, she led her husband and his family out of the courtroom. Although they didn't get very far as an Auror was waiting to speak to them, and asked them all to accompany him up to the law department.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked as they all bundled into the lift that would take them up to the relevant floor.
"The new restraining order needs to be put into action," the Auror explained. "Obviously Mr Weasley will be going to Azkaban, but we feel it best to put the basics of the order in place now."
Once they were up in the law department the Auror who had escorted them upstairs, introduced them to an M.L.E officer, whose job was to put the restraining order in place. The M.L.E officer explained that for the moment, with Ron safely tucked away in Azkaban, the simplest thing was to apply the restraining order to anyone with the name Malfoy or Granger.
"So that encompasses Lucius, Narcissa and Draco as well as Hermione," the M.L.E officer said, consulting the parchment on her desk. "It also includes Scorpius and Lyra on the Malfoy side and Victoire on the Granger side. Obviously everyone has to agree to the order and to sign a form allowing us to activate the charm."
"I'm sure I can speak with Scorpius and get him to come in later on and sign the relevant forms," Draco said. "But our daughter is up at Hogwarts, not to mention underage."
"In that case, either you or your wife can sign for her and when she turns seventeen, if she still wants the protection of the order, she can come and make sure her participation is up to date," the M.L.E officer said. "I can also include a clause to automatically include any new additions to the family. Of course, all of this will be reviewed once Mr Weasley is due for release, and we can make sure everything is in place so you're all protected. So, do you all wish to sign?"
The M.L.E officer's question caused all heads to turn to Victoire. After all, she wasn't just a Granger, she was also a Weasley, and they were talking about putting a restraining order in place for her own uncle.
"You don't have to do it," Daniel assured his wife. "But I would want to make sure our future children are covered by the order. I'm sorry Vic, but I just can't trust your uncle not to try something when he's released. If twenty years hasn't changed his views, I doubt another fifteen will make any difference."
"I'm happy to sign," Victoire admitted. "I've never been close with Ron, so it won't make a lot of difference to my life. And I agree with you that he can't be trusted."
"I also want to request that Severus be included in this," Daniel said as the relevant forms were produced for people to sign. "He is family in every way that matters, and I don't want him being used to get to me."
"We'd have to check that out," the M.L.E officer said, nodding to the Auror to do just that. "But I can't see any issue, providing Mr Snape is willing for the order including him."
"If it's what Daniel wants, then I'll happily sign," Severus confirmed.
While they waited for news of Severus's inclusion, everyone else signed the relevant papers. Draco signed Lyra's form, which would need to be resubmitted when she turned seventeen. Forms were also signed for the inclusion of future family members, while Scorpius's form was put to one side for when he was able to call at the Ministry and sign himself. By the time all that was done the Auror had returned and confirmed that they had permission to include Severus in the order, so a form was drawn up for him to sign.
With the family all protected, albeit from a wizard who would be spending the next fifteen years inside a prison cell, they headed back to the manor for a drink. Given what had just happened it would have been understandable if there was a hint of celebration in the gathering, but instead everyone was rather flat and it was actually an air of sadness that hung over them as they toasted the end of a pretty miserable chapter in their lives. After all, it wasn't a stranger they had just seen carted off to Azkaban, it was a wizard whom Hermione had once loved as a friend, and who also happened to be Victoire's family.
While for the Malfoys, they could move on with their lives and forget all about Ron, for the Weasleys, things wouldn't be so easy. Victoire's family was in turmoil, and no-one could forget about that, no matter how pleased they were that Ron would no longer be troubling them. All they could do was hope that Ron's return to Azkaban calmed things down somewhat and life got back onto an even keel and Daniel and Victoire could finally get a chance to start their life together as a happily married couple.
A/N – With just the epilogue to go, I have decided to post it tomorrow rather than next week. I will then have a short break before returning with a short reunion style story.