The next three days crawled by for Hermione. She spent every moment working, whether reviewing the Greengrass-Malfoy case or working on the many other cases she had been assigned. Work was truly endless, not that Hermione was complaining. She had - as usual - buried herself in it rather than think about dinner with Draco. Unfortunately, her biggest job at the movement involved intimate details of his life.
Despite the snail's pace at which the clock seemed to be moving, Tuesday morning somehow still managed to arrive all too soon for the brunette's liking. She arrived at the ministry at seven, although the trial wouldn't officially begin till 9:30. She reread all of her notes, wrote out what she needed from her employees by the end of the day, and went out to grab a coffee for herself and a pastry for Christina, but still found herself watching the clock tick closer to 8:45.
Abruptly, the door swung open, and Christina gilded in. "Hermione. Your first major trial today - are you ready? I have to warn you, Cromwell won't go easy on you. Neither will Davis - he is friends with the pressing judge today."
"Davis - how? I take it that friend won't be easy?"
Cjristina sat down, accepting the pastry. "Look, you are good. You know what you are doing. You weren't promoted for no reason. I've consulted with you on this case - so has DAvis and every other decent employee in the department. You have put in more than enough hours, and this case isn't even criminal. You are ready." With a final, stiff nod, Hermionme's o;ld boss stood and stalked from the room.
At exactly nine o'clock, Hermione opened the door to her office - quills, parchment, ink, notes, everything she could possibly need with her - and walked directly into her best friend's arms. She pulled back abruptly. "Harry," she hissed, "what are you doing? I can't talk to you now!"
"Oh, hush Hermione, I got clearance - I am The Chosen One, afterall. I just wanted to check in, see how you are doing. Are you okay? Have you slept, eaten, drunk water?" Harry's concern darkened his emerald green eyes, making Hermione's heart swell.
"I think so. I have - I will win this case, I have no choice. I don't know why I'm so worried."
Harry chuckled. " 'Mione, you're always worried. You've got this."
She sighed and let her confidante of almost everything since her first year at Hogwarts assuage her fears and get her into the elevator down to the court rooms. With a final wink and a "see you down there," the doors slid shut.
Draco hadn't slept since about six the even before, when he had woken abruptly from a nap and begun to pace. He had barely stopped since. Now he stood with Astoria in a small room off to the side of the courtroom, still pacing, trying to calm his nerves. This wasn't his first trial - and nowhere near his most fatal - but he still couldn't get a grip on his nerves. Astoria, on the other hand, was in perfect control. This surprised Draco, but also comforted him. If his basically-sister could trust his once-enemy to win this for them, then so could he.
Astoria looked far too perfect. She had pulled her hair into a long braid, snaking over her shoulder and down over her cream sweater. She wore a pair of white slacks and cream ankle boots. Minimal makeup, minimal everything. Absolute perfection. An angel who didn't deserve a life tied to this once-death eater. Draco had already decided that if the trial was headed south, that would be what he would say - that Astoria deserved better and they could put him in Azkaban for all he cared.
Of course, he hadn't told anyone of the plan he had made this morning, the speech he had memorized long before the rest of the country had even begun to stir. His mother would have died of shock, he was sure.
Narcissa was sitting in the courtroom with the limited audience that was permitted. As obliged by the law, Draco hadn't contacted his mother since Friday morning, but he was sure she would be just as worried.
She was joined by Daphne and Theo, the Greengrass parents, Blaise, Pansy, Luna Lovegood (Astoria had insisted), and whoever else had been permitted without Draco being notified.
The door opened and Draco instantly turned to stone, looking to see who had arrived, although he knew who it would be.
"Hermione."
"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Greengrass. I hope you are well. Today, I would prefer you call me Ms. Granger. Are you ready?" Her voice was hard and confident, exactly the way you wanted your lawyer to sound.
Draco couldn't speak. She looked so perfect and Draco couldn't fathom why two such amazing ladies would be here, helping him, today. Hermione wore the finest dress robes - a smoke-gray blouse topped with a navy blazer and matching pencil skirt. Her shoes were elegant and of the same deep blue. Her cloak was of a thin, professional looking, pale gray material that seemed to float around her, making her seem ethereal and powerful. Her hair was pulled into a tight chignon on the top of her head, not a curl out of place. She showed no obvious signs of wearing makeup, but Draco knew she usually had freckles where there was now perfectly pale skin, knew her lashes weren't usually quite that bold.
"We are ready, Ms. Granger, but I think the more important question is, are you?" Draco made himself sound cool, aloof - joking, almost. Astoria frowned with disdain.
"I was born ready." Hermione smiled slightly then led the way into the courtroom.
Hermione walked into the familiar room, two pairs of footsteps echoing her own. THe room fell silent once she entered. Already, Cromwell and Lucius were sitting at the defendant's table. Chrsitina was in the audience, along with a few of her employees and ex-coworkers who she had requested watch in order to learn. Harry also sat in the stands with Ginny at his side, and, to her utter amazement, Ron was there as well, looking as awkward as ever. Mr. Weasley was leaning in the doorway, seeming to be deciding whether or not to stay. A few aurors, Luna, the Slytherins, and Nevile also were seated. The witnesses were all there, she was glad to see.
She directed the "couple" to their seats before taking her own. She nodded approvingly at Astoria's choice of attire as she began setting the table up with notes and scrap paper. She made eye contact with one of ehr workers, making sure she was ready to write every detail down. The scribe was a;ready seated, too.
Waiting for the Wizengamot to appear, Hdermione appraised Draco's appearance. He had styled his hair in its usual, too-perfect style and wore a smart, coat-gray oxford, a pale blue tie, black slacks and matching suit jacket. Dress shoes and a single silver chain around his wrist were the only things that accompanied him. He looked rather dapper, if not a bit dark. Oh well, he should still be able to play his part well.
A bell chimed and the room rose as the Wizengamot was announced. Then filled in and took their seats along the bench at the front of the room. The Chief Warlock, also the presiding judge and head of the Wizengamot, - George Osric - stood and called the court to order. Once everyone was seated, he went over court proceedings and a brief summary of the case.
Then, "Will the Plaintiff - Ms. Hermione Granger - please make her opening statements."
The brunette took a deep breath, and strode to the center of the room. "Good morning Wizengammot, Chief Warlock Osric. Thank you for joining us today and hearing this case. It is an honor to present before you.
"I stand today as a representative of Mr. Draco Malfoy and his alleged fiance, Ms. Astoria Greengrass. They have been wrongfully forced into a marriage contract that requires them to be wed in the very near future. They were able to push the wedding until now due to the unfortunate circumstances of the war and the aftereffects of such a tumultuous time.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy's father, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, arranged this contract with his lawyer, Mr. Cromwell. Robert Cromwell is now a member of the British Ministry of Magic Court, like me. However, at the time of writing this document - the eighth of november, 1980, he was sworn to the French Magical Court. This creates a discrepancy because, as stated by law 384, clause A, "one may not write a marriage contract nor force an arranged marriage on two magical folk, no matter the relationship, in the United Kingdom.
"I would like to verify these statements by calling up my first witness, Eiden Saggio. Mr. Saggio, would you please come up to the chair." Hermione finished her opening remarks, hearing own voice reverberate around the completely silent room. She felt that she had delivered the lines well, if not a bit too quickly. As long as her witnesses were honest and direct, she would win this case.
Once Eiden was seated in the chair in the center of the room, she began her questioning. "Mr. Saggio, you are a specialist of marriage contracts, correct?
"Yes."
Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she prompted the man, "Would you please state your credentials and current role?"
"I went to Durstrung and graduated in 1992. After that, I moved to England to study abroad in an advanced magical law program. I got that higher level degree in 1995 and began working at the law firm i'm now a partner of called Slugg & Saggio - then only called Slugg.I have been writing and reviewing marriage contracts in accordance with the British Ministry of Magic since 1996 with only a short break during the worst of the war."
"Thank you, Mr. Saggio. Would you please verify my earlier quote from law 384, clause A? Does it apply to the case?"
"You quoted that law perfectly, Ms Granger - as would be expected from a war heroine such as yourself. The clause applies perfectly. Since 1974, no marriage contracts or arranged marriages can be made without the consent of the bride and groom involved."
"And if Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Greengrass were unable to complete the marriage form due to house arrest and schooling in England, despite it still being legal in theri then-residency in France, would they still be subject to fulfill the contract?"
"Ms. Granger, that question has many layers. As far as the war and attached trials Mr. Malfoy the younger had to face, as well as completing his sentence of schooling and ministry work, he is not required to fulfill the contract here in England. Nor is he or Ms. Greengrass required to ever have or ever need to marry, due to the law earlier quoted."
"One last question for you, Mr. Saggio. My clients received a letter from Mr. Lucius Malfoy while he was in Azkaban reading, quote, 'if you, Darco, do not marry Astoria by the end of this year, I will ensure you are unable to access any of the Malfoy accounts or assets. Your name will be removed from all residences, properties, and the company. Get married NOW or you WILL regret your stubbornness,' would they need to fulfill the marriage contract?"
"The same laws as aerial still apply, Ms. Granger. I would like to say, though, that that letter sounds much like blackmail or possibly bribery. Of course, that is not my expertise, but I would-"
Hermione hurried to cut off her witness, seeing the way Cromwell twitched in his seat. "Thank you, Eiden Saggio. I appreciate your cooperativeness and honesty.'' The witch sat back down and Cromwell was called up to cross examine Saggio. He began with standard questions, drilling for more information of the types of work he did and what exactly his advanced training program was. Cromwell then asked Saggio to quote some French marriage laws - which, of course, the man was unable to do.
"Mr. Saggio, how do you call yourself a marriage contract expert if you cannot quote a simple marriage law?"
"Mr. Cromwell, with all due respect, I do not call myself a marriage contract expert but rather a British magical marriage contract expert and lawyer. I do not claim to know the laws of the French, but I do know the laws of the English, and arranged marriages are strictly prohibited."
Hermione cringed to hide her smirk.
"Be that as it may, Eiden Saggio, but you still cannot answer my question. Shall we move on? Why would you accuse my client., Lucius Malfoy, of bribery or blackmail when - as you said - it is not your expertise? Those are very serious accusations?"
"Well, you see, I simply want to do what is right,a dn with him in Azkaban-"
Warlock Osric stood. "Please, let's stay on topic, defendant and witness."
A handful of questions to which Saggio murmured unsure answers about foreign affairs and international assets, Hermione was told to call up her next witness. This time, she would have them.
"Our next witness is Sarah Raffarin, a foreign affairs and assets manager here at the ministry." Hermione and ounces, loud and clear across the room. Lucius was still smirking just a little….
"Miss Raffarin, would you please state your credentials and occupation?" Hermione ordered, returning to her well-practiced speech of interrogation. She ran through each question that could be relevant, positioning Sarah to say that seeing as the document was written in France by a then French lawyer, it is no longer valid in England, and not valid in France anymore due to Cromwell's lack of status in France at the moment.
Cromwell's cross-examination was brief but brutal. He grilled Raffarin in every detail of the laws she quoted, pointing out any loophole he could - all of which she shut down beautifully. Raffarain spoke well and clearly, definitely the type of expert witness you wanted to call in for a case like this.
When the time came for Hermione to question Astoria on her point of view and experience in this ordeal, the brunette felt her first moment of anxiety. What if Astoria's story wasn't as bulletproof as Hermione was betting on it being? What if - Hermione cut off her own thoughts and began her questioning.
"Astoria Greengrass, when did you first hear of the marriage contract?"
"During one of my final years at Hogwarts, my 5th and DrAco's 6th year. In late September of that year, Draco sat me down and explained that our fathers had arranged our marriage soon after my graduation when we were only babies. I asked for a copy of the document, read it over, and that is the last of it."
"Did you find any loopholes or issues in the contract?"
"I did not, however I had had no legal training or experience at the time."
"Did you consent to the wedding?"
"The document was written and signed before I was able to understand, and it is being upheld against my wishes."
Hermione nodded. Good, this was good. "How have you lasted until now avoiding that marriage?"
"The war interfered, as you explained earlier." Astoria continued into a brief explanation. Then the pair went over the letters received from Lucius as and how that made AStoria feel unsafe.
Cromwell's drilling was as bad as expected - he subtly degraded Astoria, highlighting how she had run away during the war to hide and how she had never spotted any problems, only pressing the issue now. Bad, but it could have been worse.
Finally, Hermione called up her last witness - the blonde man who had been on her mind relentlessly for weeks if not months.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy, I have known you since we were only eleven years old. I do not believe you would ever hurt anyone you care about. A few weeks ago you said to me, and I quote, 'Please don't get me wrong - I love Astoria more than almost anyone else. But.. I don't love her like my fiance, the way most people believe. I love her like a sister.' Do you agree you said this?"
"Yes I did, during a business dinner we shared about two or so weeks ago."
"When did you find out about the marriage contract?"
"My mother informed me of the situation soon after my father was imprisoned, just before my 6th year at Hogwarts."
"Mr. Malfoy, when did you begin receiving letters from your father about the arrangement?"
Draco swallowed, and began to recount the many letters - both form long ago and the much more threatening, more recent ones. Then they went over every other moment that could possibly help the case.
Cromwell began to question Draco with seemingly useless questions - about Hogwarts, growing up with Astoria, and much more about the last few months of engagement-ruse.
Then, "Mr. Malfoy Jr., did you or did you not willingly receive the Dark Mark at about the same time as you found out about this contract?'
Draco paused, glancing at Hermione who dipped her chin ever so slightly. Where was this going?
"I did."
"And did you or did you not cast multiple unforgivable curses, help Lord Voldemort infiltrate Hogwarts during your sixth year and continue these actions during the next year of war?"
"I.. Yes, I did."
"And you are now claiming that your father has cheated the law by arranging a marriage for a poor, miserable soul like yourself to a young, beautiful, smart girl like Astoria Greengrass?"
Hermione could practically feel Draco's shame across the room and Astoria's anger from the seat beside her. This was bad. Bad, bad. She stood quickly, raising her hand. "Objection, your honor?" The chief warlock nodded. "Mr. Malfoy has already been on trial and sentenced for these crimes. They are not relevant to this case and Mr. Cromwell is slandering my client."
There was a sharp pause before Chief Warlock Osric said sternly, "Continue with discretion, Mr. Cromwell."
"How can Mr. Draco Malfoy possibly protested a favor his father did for him despite the trouble it put my client through, seeing as how he has had to continue working on the contract from Azkaban?"
"I believe, Mr. Cromwell, that my father did a favor to no-one but himself." Draco said loud and clearly. Then, after a pause, "With all due respect."
Mr Cromwell nodded sharply, and Draco was sent back to his seat. Hermione shot him a approving glance and Astoria clasped his knee under the table for a moment.
"Mr Cromwell, you may now present your case." the Chief Warlock declared. Cromwell stood and returned to the center of the room.
"Mr. Lucius Malfoy, my client, has been imprisoned in Azkaban for almost a decade and for almost a year prior to that from breaking laws in order to fight for a better world. Today he stands on trial again, this time for giving his son more love than any father can be expected to give for a son who testified against them.
"While Mr. Malfoy's most recent letters may have been worded strongly, he was only frustrated that his son - who has committed unimaginable crimes - could noy see his generosity. May I please call Mr. Lucius Malfoy to the witness stand?"
And so the questioning began. Cromwell continued to drive this point of relentless, fatherly love throughout his entire case. He preached love and the lack of respect the young children now held for their parents. While it wasn't exactly a strong case, it was very touching. He told many stories of love and loss from the war, citing the pain it had caused so many families, and how the young Malfoy-Greengrass couple should be grateful for the opportunity they were presented with. When the time eventually came for closing statements, Hermione felt confident that logically, she had the upside. Now she simply had to drive the point home with a feeling of love, a bond stronger than that of father-and-son. How could she possibly do that without sharing some dark stories from her former-enemy's childhood?
"Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, and I all went to school together as kids. It isn't a secret that we weren't exactly a tight-knit group. Miss Greengrass was a year below us and in another house entirely, meaning I didn't know her all that well at all. Mr. Malfoy and I, however, were well known adversaries. But, as the common idiom states, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' The two of us certainly did that. I watched Mr. Malfoy grow from a spoiled, young boy into the strong, virtuous man he is today. One of the biggest changes I've noticed in his life was that of realizing how his father skewed his views and - causally - his actions.
"I testified for Draco Malfoy's innocence many years ago, claiming that his actions were not his own - they were due to his cruel father and cold upbringing. I still stand by that today. To force Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass into a marriage would not only be a breach of several laws but also morally wrong and a punishment for all the wrong reasons. Let them live the free, happy lives they deserve. Thank you."
Hermione smiled at the wizengamot, a polite but confident smile, before taking her seat again. Her blood thrummed through her veins, adrenaline pumping around. Later, she would apologize to Draco for focusing on his darker memories, and later she would let herself cry for all the truths in her statement - both for him and herself. But now, she turned and listened as Cromwell presented his closing statements.
"My client, Luicus Malfoy, is a good, loving man. He has given his life to fighting for what he believes - even at the cost of his own life. His wife and son stood silently by as he risked everything over and over for them. His actions were inarguably wrong, but he did the for the right reasons. He acted on love.
"The contract he has set up for his son and Miss Greengrass was written out of this fatherly love and upheld now for the same reasons. Thai marriage will strengthen the crumbling pureblood community and ensure more strong, powerful, loyal, and devoted witches and wizards are born and raised. This contract is an honor to be a part of and my client is innocent of any wrong here. Keep the wedding, keep the contract. Ensure future happiness that these youths cannot yet see. Thank you."
A/N: AGHHHHHHHHH I'm cruel, aren't I? Stew on the cliffy for a bit and see where this is headed... R&R!