Chapter 2

Evan knew the name Daphne Greengrass. He knew that she had once been a friend of Hadrian's. Well until their seventh year at least. Shortly before Hadrian joined the Death Eaters, Daphne Greengrass had left Britain during the war with her family and had studied magical law abroad in France. After the war, she had come back to take on the Death Eater Trials, and everyone soon found out that she was a hell of a lawyer. It was almost as if she had a vendetta against him. That's why Evan was confused. If she hated Death Eater's so much, why was she defending his brother?

Bright blue eyes and curled blonde hair walked into the courtroom. Daphne was beautiful and she knew it. Daphne was many things; hard working, dedicated, beautiful, powerful, but none of those measured up to how smart she was. Daphne Greengrass had always been second in her year. In every class. She was always behind Hadrian Potter, which frustrated her to no end. But she knew Hadrian. She knew him better than anyone alive. The best yet, she knew Hadrian's dark secret and she would be damned if she were to let him be put to death.

"Minister, if I could have a minute to confer with my client before we begin?" Daphne said and bowed her head a little. It was a common signal of respect amongst the purebloods.

" Of course Miss Greengrass." Madame Bones announced. Her voice almost as if it would have given yes to anything she said. That's how most of the courtroom looked. Evan looked around and glanced at the people. Still in shock as one of the best lawyers in Britain was defending a known Death Eater that she had once known.

Daphne looked at Hadrian and glanced up and down at him as if checking him. Then she sneered in disgust at his sight.

"About time. Did you get lost?" Hadrian said, a small smirk threatening to appear on his face.

" I had to prepare a defense, plus find a few witnesses." She stated, still only staring directly into his eyes. "You're shaking." It was a statement. A true one as well. Both his hands were shaking slightly, something that was concerning to some, although Evan was sure that many had hoped he was injured or something was wrong with him. Hadrian's eyes picked up off the floor and stared directly into Daphne's. Every one of Daphne's impulses was to look away but she had never cowered before and she wasn't going to now.

"I haven't smoked a cigarette in two weeks." Hadrian's voice was heard for the first time. It was scratchy and rough. Completely different from the older brother that used to flirt with girls and laugh around with him. No. He was gone. The Hadrian that Evan knew was dead.

His simple statement caused murmured whispers and confused glances to spread throughout the court. In their heads they were all thinking 'What kind of Death Eater smokes muggle cigarettes?'

"Tell the truth and I'll give you a pack." Daphne said kind of tauntingly. Although this caused emotion to spring on Hadrian's face for the first time since he had been brought in. It was a mix of desperateness and a calculating look, wondering if she was being for real.

" Give me one now and I'll give you the truth and half my soul." Hadrian said before finally looking away from Daphne.

Daphne repositioned herself in front of him. Signifying that she wasn't done. " Folding already?" She said, crossing her arms.

" I'm tired, Daphne. I want to be done with this." He said and Evan swore that at hearing the pain in his brother's voice he felt his heart break.

" Then just tell the truth. Be done with it. Get out of here and live your life in peace." Daphne said her voice, almost pleading with her client. The court was silent, everyone waiting on the words of the man whose life was on the line.

" What I know would destroy everything that they know. What they consider to be the truth would absolutely shatter their minds. I know things that would make their toes curl, things that would give them nightmares for the rest of their lives. Yet, they don't Daphne. It's my weight to bear. One destined to live, one destined to die. That's what the old man said. So don't tell me to just 'be done with it'." Harry said, passion of hatred and disgust laced in every word, every syllable and yet none of them were directed at Daphne, no its like they were directed at himself.

" Do you remember that promise you made me? Just imagine that you're telling me, just like you did before." Daphne replied. She then turned on her heels to face the Minister. " Minister, my meeting with my client is over."

" Then we shall begin. Mrs. Clearwater-Weasley, you may proceed." Director Bones said and the prosecutor got up from her table and walked in front of the court. She turned to face Hadrian, yet still had some distance between him.

"Mr. Potter, were you a Death Eater in the service of Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes," Hadrian answered, bored already.

"Mr. Potter, do you bear the dark mark?" A simple question. Hadrian didn't respond. He hadn't even looked up to face his prosecutor. All he did was roll up his left sleeve. There it was, his dark mark. It was extremely faded, but still visible. Hadrian seemed to do everything to avoid looking at his mark.

Penelope turned to the Minister. "Let it be noted that Mr. Potter has shown evidence that he is a Death Eater."

Daphne jumped to her feet.

" Objection! Your honor, it has never been illegal to have the dark mark or to be considered a Death Eater, only the crimes they committed while doing so are punishable." Penelope shot a small glare at Daphne.

" Sustained. Miss Greengrass is correct. Mrs. Clearwater-Weasley, please move on." The Minister said. One could tell that she was not happy with her own ruling, but it proved that she was fair and fair was necessary.

" Mr. Potter, did you murder Alastor Moody?" Penelope asked and once again Daphne shot to her feet.

" Objection, my client isn't being tried for that crime. I don't see its relevance." She said in an almost bored tone, one that caused a small grin to appear on the face of Hadrian's.

" I'm not trying Mr. Potter for the death of Alastor Moody. I'm merely trying to establish an understanding of Mr. Potter's past and the crimes he committed in Voldemort's service." Penelope argued.

Madame Bones, merely raised a brow. " Sounds like self incrimination to me. Mr. Potter, you are free to abstain from answering the question." Many assumed that he would simply say no, but what he said shocked the court.

" As much as I enjoy watching this back and forth, it is quite boring, so I will answer whatever question the prosecution has for me. Yes, I received the dark mark on my eighteenth birthday. Yes I am responsible for the death of Alastor Moody." Hadrian said and many were scandalized, others were in shock. The Potter family was in shock. The day that he became a legal adult, a wonderful celebration, and it hurt to know that on that exact day he had signed his life away to an evil megalomaniac.

And then Penelope brought out a witness. Former death eater, Xavier Adeus, was called to the stand. He had been a pretty low ranking death eater. He traded a stay in Azkaban for giving all of his information on any death eater case. He only received community service and 1 year house arrest.

"Mr. Adeus, how do you know the defendant?" Penelope asked loudly, exclaiming it to the entire court instead of the witness in front of her.

" Every Death Eater knew of Hadrian Potter. He was dangerous, He was trained extremely well, and we could never figure out by who. I mean anyone who could duel all three of the Lestranges and give them injuries that lasted a month, while coming out unscathed, is dangerous. Death Eaters would move out of his way whenever they saw him coming. Most were scared of being in the same room as him. I knew him mostly from training." The courtroom went silent. No one had the power to beat all three of the Lestranges unless they were Dumbledore or the Dark Lord themselves, but to hear of how a 20 year old beat them unscathed was prodigious. James and Evan both certainly took pride in hearing that, despite what Hadrian had done.

It took a second for Penelope to regain her senses and to ask her next question. " Training? What do you mean by training?" she asked.

" Did you expect every Death Eater to just be masters of the dark arts and war tactics? No, we had to train. I was trained by Hadrian Potter, among others, and it is something that I will never forget." He said and then shuddered. Something that confused everyone.

" Why is that, Mr. Adeus?" Penelope stepped closer, she herself not knowing the answer.

"It was hell. It was rough, it was difficult. He was a demon and demanded perfection and if he didn't get it. Then you'd regret it." He said meeting Hadrian's eyes and immediately looked away.

" What other jobs or roles did Mr. Potter have?" She asked. His eyes flicked up and he sat in thought.

" Mr. Potter was one of the only death eaters allowed to leave headquarters, but no one knew where he went. He was exempt from participating in raids along with Aimee Yaxley. Some speculated that he was involved in international recruitment, but other than that, I don't know." He finished. Hadrian's head picked up at the reference to the Yaxley girl, both something Evan and Daphne noticed.

Penelope asked him a few more questions, but honestly he didn't know anything more that would make a difference.

" Thank you, Mr. Adeus. No further questions, your honor." Penelope said and proceeded to her seat. Daphne took the floor and called Hadrian to the stand.

Daphne walked toward Hadrian, eyes once again locked onto each other, battling to not be the first to look away. " Tell me what happened on September 17, 1991."

Hadrian immediately glared at his lawyer, but Daphne didn't back down. "Albus Dumbledore called me into his office." Hadrian said simply.

Evan was confused, why was Daphne asking about Hadrian's fourth year? What did this have to do with his activities as a Death Eater? He remembered his brother back then. He was cheerful and happy.

Daphne turned to the court. " Exhibit A: a pensieve memory from Mr. Potter dated on September 17th, 1991." Everyone watched in absolute silence as she poured the memory.

The memory projected across the court so that everyone could see. It showed a young 14 year old Harry walking into the headmaster's entrance. "Blood pops," He said with a tiny smile on his face.

Hadrian walked up the stairs and was greeted with the silence of an empty office. "Professor?" He called out, wondering if he was alone.

Dumbledore appeared from a staircase to the side, his purple robes dragging across the floor as he stepped down. " Please sit, Mr. Potter." He said and Hadrian immediately plopped down into one of the seats adjacent from the Headmaster. " Lemon drop?" He offered to the young boy in front of him. Hadrian simply shook his head.

Then there was an uncomfortable silence. Dumbledore looked content to sit in it and enjoy his lemon drops, while Hadrian, who was starting to get nervous, was racking his head, wondering why he had been called to Dumbledore's office.

" Have I done something wrong sir?" He asked cautiously, trying to get a gadge on the old man's unfaltering face.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. " Not that I am aware of, Mr. Potter. Although if you would like to confess to something…"

Harry gave a shocked look on his face. " Professor! I would have no idea what you could be referring to…"

Evan gave a small chuckle and saw that his dad had a smile on his face. One of Hadrian's favorite pastimes as a kid was pranking, and being the son of a marauder, he was really good at it. Evan wondered how much of the young Hadrian still existed in the one that sat before him. He wondered if he would ever get to find out.

Hadrian's face, in the Memory, turned serious. "So why am I here, professor?"

Dumbledore let out a small sigh. " Mr. Potter, I am sure that you are well aware of your brother's wondrous feats almost ten years ago. When he slayed Lord Voldemort." Hadrian nodded. So Dumbledore continued. " I believe however that the Dark Lord isn't dead. He is without a body, but he is still out there, waiting, biding his time until he can come back" He paused and took a breath. "When he does, he will go after the young Evan. It will eventually lead to another war. I witnessed firsthand the horrors of the first war and we will not survive a second one against him. I have pushed the ministry for a need for more aurors and healers, but my efforts are being hindered. When he returns, we will be in the dark. He will have spy's, he will have information, he will have an army, and we won't. Voldemort will come out victorious. To win, we need hope, that's what your brother is for. He will fight in the name of the light as the Boy-Who-Lived, but the real work, the dirty work, will be done in the dark, in the shadows. I need a spy, one that is strong, powerful, smart, and unwavering in loyalty. Mr. Potter, you've shown a lot of promise and I believe that you have what it takes to make a real difference in our future." Dumbledore said, staring into the eyes of the young boy, whose life he had just changed forever. He sat there wondering what the boy was thinking. So was everyone. His emotionless face sat for a while.

When he finally answered, his first question was, " When do I begin?" It was something Hadrian would have said. Hadrian was always reckless and brave when he was younger. His father's smile grew just at hearing it while his mother shook her head.

Dumbledore spoke next, looking older than he ever had before. " Hadrian, this will not be easy. You will go through torture, you will be branded with the dark mark. Everyone you love, your parents, your brother, your sister, your friends will hate you. They will wish you dead and you may die with them hating you for your 'betrayal'." Hadrian shook his head.

He once again looked into the eye's of the old man and raised his eyebrow, his seriousness unfaded. " Are you trying to convince me to do this or not?"

Dumbledore sighed once again. " I just want you to be aware of the risks involved. This job will break most people. I can't promise much now, but I can promise you that you will make a difference."

Harry nodded with a fierce determination in his eye. Something Evan recognized whenever he wanted to do something and nothing wouldn't be able to stop them. " If there's even a chance of me saving my family, then I'll do it." The memory faded and the court sat in shock. Who would have thought that Albus Dumbledore, quintessential leader of the light, would have used one of his students, even more, a fourth year as a spy? It was outrageous and the Potter family was fuming.

Daphne was the first to speak, she herself was shocked at watching the memory. " So after you idiotically accepted that suicide of a mission, what plans were made?" She said, making her thoughts clear on the subject. Hadrian only smiled back at her.

" I was to be trained." Daphne took a step closer to the man in front of her.

" And who was chosen to train you?"

" Alastor Moody." Once again, whispers and gasps echoed throughout the courtroom. The members of the court became more and more enthralled by the man's story by the minute. It didn't make sense. Why would Hadrian Potter kill the man who trained him?

" Was your training harsh" Daphne asked, she knew firsthand what the training had done to him. She wished she no longer had to think about the injuries that Hadrian would come to her with, but she knew that she had to make the jury understand what he had gone through.

"Yes" Hadrian replied calmly, he shivered slightly, most likely thinking about the torture his training had been. Though, despite how rough it was, he never hated Moody, he still didn't. To Hadrian, Moody was the only person who cared if he lived and had trained him to do so. "But it didn't bother me. It still doesn't."

"Why?" Daphne asked. It was the question on everyone's mind. Most people would consider what Moody put him through as torture, and she had never heard Hadrian say even the slightest bad thing against him.

Hadrian's eyes seemed to suddenly dissipate, no longer holding the humorous emotion they had before. Some thought that Hadrian was about to hurt Daphne, but what they didn't know was that Hadrian could never, and sure as hell would never hurt her. "Because I'm still alive, and a lot of people aren't." Hadrian knew that certain people wouldn't be able to comprehend that he was trained so hard so that he wouldn't break. Auror's broke every once in a while, but the key to being a useful Death Eater was to stay useful, and if you broke, you became useless. Hadrian almost felt compelled to add " I was never forced to keep going. I wanted the training to get harder.

Most people now looked at the man in admiration. Those that themselves had trained under Moody, knew what it was like to train under him, but never would they ask for their training to get harder.

The witness was then handed over to Penelope again. " Mr. Potter, who else was aware of your training in the beginning?"

"Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Alastor Moody." Hadrian answered, his tone once again bored.

"And Severus Snape and Alastor Moody were aware that you were to be trained as a spy?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, they both assisted in my training. In the beginning, we didn't have much of a plan. I was training to be a spy, but we didn't know what information I was training to gather. The plan grew as we got new information." Hadrian replied.

Penelope gave out a soft chuckle. " Doesn't sound like much of a plan, at least to me. Did Dumbledore even know that he would need a spy?"

Hadrian smirked. " Well Dumbledore always had plans on plans, even myself, Snape and Moody didn't know them all, but things ran smoothly at first."

"At first?" Penelope repeated. " Something went wrong?"

"Yes" Hadrian agreed, a smile on the corner of his lips as he looked towards the defense table. He stared into the deep blue eyes that belonged to his lawyer.

" What was that?" She asked, leaning in. So did the entire courtroom. The tension was building. The jury hung on to his every word and now they waited eagerly for him to finish.

A full smile appeared across his face as he said only two words. " Daphne Greengrass."