AN: Wishing all of my readers a Merry Christmas.

{ 48 }

The elves did a fantastic job lighting the pathway from the castle to Hagrid's hut, then to the gate beyond. Professors lined the path and performed magical charms as the students passed by. The younger kids loved it. The older students were leery.

Rightfully so.

There was no order to the mass exodus. As students finished their breakfast, they were ushered out the front doors. The only option was for them to take the marked path.

Our group - I hear Pansy and Ginny are working on a name for us to use - we are scattered throughout the crowd. A few at the beginning, through the middle, and Hermione and I are bringing up the rear.

Tristan is walking between us. He doesn't realize it, but we are guarding him. Protecting him. Keeping him as safe as we possibly can.

As soon as we stepped through that gate, I breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes met Hermione's. She smiled, just as relieved as I.

"One down," I whispered in her ear. The first challenge of the day is complete. All students were away from the school, outside of the failing wards, and none were hurt. I would call that a success.

[ - - - ]

The next challenge will be tougher. The weight of it pressed against my chest as the train pulled away from the station. Hermione and I remained on the platform along with Professor Bones and Harry Potter.

The four of us took a port key to the Ministry. I was surprised to see Andromeda waiting in the lobby. Although, I suppose I should not have been surprised at all.

I haven't been here since my own trial. It seemed so long ago. A lifetime, at least.

I have not seen my parents in almost as long. I stared at the door to the courtroom.

They are in there.

I don't know if I can face them or not.

I can feel Hermione's eyes on me. She is waiting for me to make the first move. Open the door. Walk in. Sit down.

It sounds simple enough.

I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat.

"Draco?" Her voice is filled with uncertainty. "Are you alright?"

I closed my eyes. How do I explain to her that my parents are soul-sucking, evil people…but they are still my parents…and I am about to help send one of them to prison for the rest of his life, and subject the other to a lifetime alone?

"You do not have to do this." Professor Bones spoke quietly on the other side of me.

She is right, of course. I could walk away now.

Like the coward that I am.

"Yes. I do." My hand wrapped around Hermione's.

My parents would take her away from me in a heartbeat, in the cruelest way possible. All they needed was a chance, and they would do it. I have no doubt.

I took a deep breath. Centered myself. When I opened my eyes again, the door did not look nearly as daunting.

"Are you ready?" I needed to make sure she is still on board before we go in.

She rolled her shoulders back and nodded. Her mask is in place. She does not intend to show any weakness inside that courtroom.

My lip tilted up on one side. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Witch."

Just in case she was thinking my hesitation had anything to do with walking into that courtroom by her side.

Her mouth quirked up on one side.

"Let's get this over with so we can get on with our holiday. Yes?"

Yes. Let's do that.

Another deep breath and my hand settled on the doorknob.

The room is partially full. The Wizengamot lined one wall. The spectator seats contain a few reporters, a few people that blame my father and our family for the ill that happened to them during the war, and my Mother.

She is sitting by herself. Her back is rigid and she is staring straight ahead. She did not look back to see whom had entered.

I moved to the same row of seats as she and sat on the opposite side of the walkway. Hermione is beside me, of course. Harry is on her other side. Sitting behind me are Andromeda and Professor Bones.

In the center of the room is my Father. Lucius Malfoy is sitting in a chair. His shoulders are back. His head held high.

He has no remorse.

"Mr. Malfoy. Your house arrest has been revoked pending this trial. New allegations have been brought to light regarding your participation in the war." Shacklebolt's voice rang throughout the chamber. "At this time, I would like to call on Miss Hermione Granger to give this court her full account of the events that occurred to her at Malfoy Manor."

Beside me, Hermione inhaled slowly, squeezed my hand in a quick pulse, then rose from her seat.

She is wearing her hair loose today. Wild black and red curls frame her face and fall over her shoulders. She chose to wear a red v-neck sweater that hugs her curves and black pants.

She sat in the witness box, to the left of my father. She stared straight ahead, directly at the Minister and she recounted clearly the events of that day.

She told how they had been captured and brought to the Manor. How Mother had asked me to identify them, but I refused. How Harry and Ron had been taken to the dungeon, but she had been taken to the Drawing Room.

I closed my eyes as she described the events of that day. Anxiety clawed at my chest as I pictured it so clearly in my mind, like I was there again.

She is holding herself together. I don't know how in the fuck she is doing it. I swallowed hard, pushing that anxiety down, holding onto it as tight as I can. I opened my eyes again and focused on her. The sound of her voice. The tilt of her chin. The hand that is curled into a tight fist in her lap. The tear that is rolling down her cheek.

Gods, why did she insist on doing this?

She pulled her sleeve up to her elbow, revealing the beginning of her tattoo and the letters that permanently reside in her skin.

I scanned my gaze across the assembled Wizengamot. They were hanging on her every word. A few, like the Greengrass matriarch, were skeptical. Others were horrified.

My mother openly glared at her the entire time she was speaking. As did my father.

Soon it will be my turn to speak. I have thought long and hard about the testimony I will give. I have repeated it over and over in my mind. Saying it out loud, in front of everyone - and I do mean everyone - is entirely different.

"Thank you, Miss Granger." Shacklebolt dismissed her from the witness box. Her hands are shaking. I wonder if anyone else noticed as she crossed the room and took her seat next to me.

"We will now hear from Mr. Draco Malfoy."

Mother's head turned quickly. Her eyes locked on me, then widened as she saw the group I was sitting with.

I took a page out of Hermione's book. I rolled my shoulders back and held my head high as I moved towards the seat she had just vacated.

I can feel eyes on me. So many sets of eyes. Judgmental eyes. Disbelieving eyes. And a small group of supportive eyes. I took my strength from them.

This is not about me. This is about ensuring Lucius Malfoy can never make good on his threat against Hermione.

"Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt began. "Can you confirm Miss Granger's testimony? Did you know the identities of herself, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley when they were brought to Malfoy Manor?"

I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly.

"Yes. I knew it was them immediately." I admitted it for the first time in front of my parents. "Although, Potter did have a bigger head than normal."

From the audience, I heard a short chuckle. My lip quirked up in a smirk.

"He had been hit in the face with a stinging hex." I explained.

"I see." Shacklebolt glanced from me to Harry and Hermione, then back to me again. "And the rest of her testimony? Were you present, in the room, when this was going on?"

I nodded once. My hands are folded together, held tightly around each other, keeping me grounded.

"Yes. I witnessed the entire thing."

"Did you try to stop Bellatrix at all?"

What a stupid question.

"No." Obviously. "She would have killed me in a heartbeat and would have never thought twice about it."

A quiet murmur ran through the Wizengamot.

"What did your father do after they escaped?"

I ran my thumb across the scar on my wrist.

"He used the cruciatus curse on me." I cleared my throat. The sound seemed to echo in the silent chamber. "And he allowed others to assault me. He encouraged it."

I don't need to give the details of that assault. No one else ever needs to know what happened that day in my father's study.

"Was that the first time you had been treated as such in your home?"

A cold chill ran down my spine.

"That was the worst by far."

"You are now in a relationship with Miss Granger. Is that correct?"

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for my response. For me, though, that was the easiest question yet.

"Yes. That is correct." My shoulders relaxed infinitesimally.

"What was your family's reaction when they found out?"

I can do this. He is leading me in the right direction with his questions. All I have to do is answer them.

"Exactly what I expected. He threatened to burn me from the family tree and revoke my inheritance." For the first time, I let my eyes settle on the man that I had admired. Until I didn't. "He also threatened Hermione. Said he would personally finish what Bellatrix started at the Manor if I did not break it off with her immediately."

They all knew, now, what exactly that meant. Hermione had been explicit in her description of the events that transpired.

"Have you been disinherited?" It was not Shacklebolt that asked that question. It was Mrs. Greengrass.

"I don't know." I answered with a shrug of my shoulder. "Honestly, I don't care one way or the other. I have no intention of ever claiming any Malfoy inheritance."

Another murmur ran through the assembly.

"In your opinion, is Lucius Malfoy a danger to others?"

I raised my brow. Isn't that much obvious? Would I really be here right now if I did not think that were the case?

"Lucius Malfoy spent my entire childhood working towards bringing the Dark Lord back from the dead. Once it happened and the Dark Lord returned, he offered up his only son in return for power."

True statements. I can feel his eyes on me. Glaring at me. If he wasn't a danger to me before, he certainly is now.

"This is a man that kidnapped Luna Lovegood and held her hostage to get her father to stop printing stories in favor of Harry Potter. He allowed Bellatrix to curse me on a regular basis, saying he needed to toughen me up. He gave a horcrux to Ginny Weasley when she was eleven years old."

I took a deep breath. I could keep listing things he has done for hours.

"Lucius Malfoy is masterful at influencing others to do his bidding. He doesn't want his hands dirty. He wants to be able to say that he was forced to stand by, he was a prisoner in his own home." I snorted in derision. "He was no prisoner. He was still the Lord of the Manor. Nothing happened there without his knowledge and permission. Do I believe the man is a danger? Absolutely he is a danger."

Silence settled over the room for several long moments.

"These are serious allegations, Mr. Malfoy." Shacklebolt finally spoke. "One could say that you are merely lashing out in response to the threat of being disinherited, which, to my knowledge, has not yet occurred."

My father sneered at me. Several members of the assembly nodded in agreement. My mother pursed her lips together in disapproval.

A look that I know well from her.

I am prepared for this. Theo and Blaise both raised it as a possible question or assumption.

"Again, I have no designs on the Malfoy vault or the Manor. If I never step inside that Gods-forsaken place again, it will be too soon. I have claimed my rightful place as the Head of The Noble and Ancient House of Black." I leaned back in my chair and observed the faces looking back at me. Surprise. Delight. Anger.

Now for the finale.

"By all means, Minister, don't take my word for it." I looked directly into Lucius' cold, black eyes. "In his study at the Manor, behind a portrait of my grandfather, you will find a hidden nook. Inside are his journals where he lays out all of his deeds. What he has done. The strings he has pulled to get his way. What he plans to do, including his ambitions to become Minister someday. Read them yourself, in his own hand."

My mother gasped. Just barely. Just enough.

My father gripped the arm of his chair. His nose curled up. Fire flashed in his eyes.

"You insolent little prick." He growled deep in his throat. The chains around his wrists rattled as he tried to lunge towards me from his seat in the middle of the room. "How dare you snoop around in my study!"

My lip tilted up on one side. I am sure I look smug right now, but I don't care. Not in the least. He just admitted to the Wizengamot that I am right.

Don't ask me how I know about those books or what they contain.

"There are blood wards around the portrait." I pulled a vial from my pocket, muttered a wandless slicing spell, and captured several thick droplets of my own blood in the glass tube. "You will need this."

The tube levitated from my hand to the outstretched hand of the Minister.

The volume of chatter within the ranks of the Wizengamot rose significantly. Questions. Accusations. I tuned them all out.

For the first time since I took this seat, I looked out over the small audience. My eyes locked on Hermione's. She is studying me. We did not discuss my testimony. This is the first she is hearing it.

She inhaled deeply and nodded once.

I don't need to tell her how I found that nook. She has already connected the dots.

She knows when I was in his study. She knows what happened to me there. And by whom.

No one else ever needs to know that after the…assault…I steadied myself with one bloodied hand on the frame of my Grandfather's portrait. It clicked open, revealing the secrets held within.

[ - - - ]

The clock on the wall is ticking obnoxiously loud. The small room we are waiting in is hardly large enough for Andromeda, Bones, Harry, Hermione and myself. There is one bench in the middle of the room, only big enough for three people to sit on comfortably.

Hermione and I choose to sit on the floor. She is in front of me, leaning back against my chest. Harry is pacing back and forth. Each step timed with the ticking of the clock. Bones and Andromeda sat on the bench, amusedly watching Potter.

The Aurors went to the Manor to retrieve the books. Hours ago, actually.

They asked us to wait. Well, they asked me to wait. In case they had further questions for me. Everyone else refused to leave.

I jumped when the door finally opened and Minister Shacklebolt walked in.

Hermione stood quickly and backed against the wall. Harry helped me stand and we all looked at the Minister expectantly.

His eyes darted around the room, taking in my companions.

"Mr. Malfoy," he began.

"Draco. Please." I honestly don't want that name anymore. Malfoy.

"Draco." He nodded once in understanding. "And Miss Granger. Both of you were very brave to come forward today."

"Thank you, Minister." Hermione answered. "Did they find the books that Draco was talking about?"

I held my breath as I waited for him to respond.

"They did. With the information in those books, Lucius Malfoy will be in Azkaban the rest of his natural life."

Relief flooded through my body. Hermione wrapped her arms around me and I held her tight as an immense weight lifted off of my chest.

Thank Merlin!

"There is also evidence in those books to implicate several others in criminal actions." He continued. "I feel the need to warn you, though. The target on your backs just got a whole lot bigger."

Just what we need.

"We suspected as much." The Darkness just lost a battle. It will be coming after us even harder now. "There is already a group of students at Hogwarts that are planning to make a move against us as well."

Bones and Andromeda exchanged startled looks.

Fuck. I probably shouldn't have said that.

"Who?" Andromeda asked.

"What kind of move?" Bones pressed.

Hermione squeezed my hand.

"Their plan is to use Hermione to get me to do something that would break my probation. That's all we know."

Shacklebolt's eyes seemed to harden.

"Alright," He said with a sigh after a long moment. "Stick around after this is over. We can continue this conversation at that time. We are about to start the sentencing if you would like to be present."

He nodded at us once again before leaving the room.

Do I? Want to be present?

"We can tell you how it goes if you want to stay in here." Andromeda stated softly.

A quick glance around the room told me that everyone is staring at me waiting for me to move towards the door first. Or not.

It would be easy to just stay here. Let whatever is about to happen, happen.

"No." I cleared my throat. "I need to see it through."

Because the easy way is not always the best way.

And because I am done with being a coward.

Professor Bones entered the courtroom first, followed by myself, Hermione, Harry and Andromeda. We all sat together in the back row. The only other people in the observation seats were my mother and a stern looking Auror.

Father sat in his seat in the middle of the room, slumped down trying to look as small as possible.

Defeated.

Mother turned in her seat for the first time. She openly glared at me. If anything, her eyes got even colder as her gaze moved from myself to Hermione, then down the row to Harry and finally Andromeda.

I wondered how long it had been since she was in the same room with her own sister.

The sentencing was quick. Father's house arrest was permanently revoked. He was ordered to Azkaban prison for the remaining five years of his sentence. A new trial would be set to hear the cases against him based on the new evidence that had been obtained.

Mother wailed in anguish. She rushed forward, only to be held back by the Auror guarding over her. She crumpled to the ground in a sobbing heap.

Very dramatic.

I almost felt sorry for her.

Father turned his head and sneered at me.

Then he turned to Hermione. I saw his lips move at the same time his wrist twitched.

Three things happened at the same time.

I moved quickly, blocking Hermione with my body.

Bones to my left, and Harry to our right, both cast wandless shield charms.

And the Auror that had been standing behind Mother drew his wand and yelled "Stupify!"

The force of the green curse against the two shield charms propelled me backwards. The last thing I heard was Hermione scream before the world faded to black around me.

[ - - - ]

"Draco?" Andromeda's voice came to me through a fog. Distant. Muffled.

"Damn it, Draco." That sounded like Bones. "Breathe."

"Draco?"

Hermione's voice echoed through my mind. Closer than the other two. Clearer.

"Hermione?" I searched for her within my mind. Then, suddenly, she was there, directly in front of me. I'm dreaming. That must be it.

"Draco! Thank Merlin!" She threw her arms around me. I felt the weight of them. "What the hell happened? Are we dead?"

"I don't think so. I can hear people talking." I took her hand and we started walking. I don't know where we are going. I can't see anything.

"I don't hear anything." She leaned her head against my shoulder.

"You aren't even real." I laughed to myself. "A figment of my imagination."

"He has a pulse." I don't recognize that voice. "Let's move him to St. Mungo's."

"What about the girl?"

Hermione.

I stopped walking and turned towards her. I cupped my hands around her face. I can feel her skin under my fingertips. Her brown curls slid through my hands.

Definitely a dream. Her hair is brown instead of black and red.

"Perhaps it is you that is a figment of my imagination." She lifted her brow and tilted her lip up on one side.

I leaned in and kissed her. It was a slow, sensual kiss. When I pulled back, we were standing in the grass by the Black Lake. The bench that we have sat on together many times is in front of us.

"She is breathing." The same voice sounded relieved. "Let's take them both to the hospital."

We sat on the bench and watched the water ebb and flow. My arm is over her shoulder. Her hand is on my knee.

It seemed like we were there for a long time. It was the strangest dream I think I have ever had. Just sitting there with her on a bench at Hogwarts.

We talked here and there. Occasionally one of us shifted positions. For the most part, though, we just relished in the moment of being there together.

"I think we need to wake up now." She said after a bit.

"How do we do that?" I laughed.

"You just open your eyes." She smirked at me, leaned in and kissed me quickly. "Ready? On the count of three."

She closed her eyes. I held both of her hands and did the same.

"One….two….three…"

[ - - - ]

My eyes snapped open.

The room I am lying in is dark, though there is a soft light glowing around the floor. Just enough that I can see I am in a hospital room.

Beside me, I heard a soft gasp. I turned to see another bed in the room. Hermione is lying there. She blinked quickly and sat up slowly. She looked around the room, determining where she is, I suspect. When her eyes met mine, she relaxed her shoulders and released a sigh.

Her hand settled against her forehead. She emitted a quiet groan and settled back against her pillow.

"Gods. What happened?" She muttered quietly.

"Father tried to avada you." I scrubbed my hand over my face. "He came damn close to succeeding, too."

"You jumped in front of me." Her voice was nothing more than a rough whisper.

She's right. I did.

"I'd do it again." In a heartbeat.

Either one of us could be dead right now.

A shudder ran down my spine at that thought.

She is entirely too far away from me right now. I need to touch her. Hold her. Prove to myself that we are both still alive.

I moved slowly, pushing myself up to my elbows first. I winced in pain as a burning sensation exploded from my left elbow, all the way down my arm to my hand.

"Fuck!" I sat up quickly, taking the weight off of that arm as fast as I could.

"Draco?" Hermione sat up also, alarmed by my expletive. "What's wrong?"

Before I could answer, the door opened and Harry walked in.

"Oh! You're awake!" He stopped mid-step, turned around and walked out the door again.

The door opened again mere seconds later as he returned. This time Andromeda and a healer walked in behind him.

"Draco!" Andromeda rushed towards me. "Thank Merlin you're alright!"

"Am I?" I grumbled. My arm is still throbbing. I cradled it against my chest, just noticing that it is bandaged from my hand to my shoulder.

"You will be sore for a few days, Mr. Malfoy. You are lucky to be alive." The healer stepped up beside me and urged me to lay back on the bed.

I turned to look at Hermione. Harry is sitting in the chair next to her. His hand is on her arm. He is talking to her, though I can't hear what he is saying.

Her eyes met mine.

"What happened to his arm?" She asked loud enough that everyone else stopped talking. Her voice still sounds raspy, rough.

Why is she in here?

"Forget about my arm. What happened to you? Are you alright?" I moved to get out of bed, but the healer pressed my shoulder firmly down.

"Mr. Malfoy, you need to rest. As does Miss Granger."

"Healer Goodwin," Andromeda stepped forward. "Perhaps we could have a few moments alone?"

The healer sighed in exasperation, threw his hands in the air and left the room.

Andromeda waited until the door had closed completely, then she took my right hand and helped me stand. I am sore all over, but thankfully it is only my arm that is in intense pain.

It took three steps to get to Hermione's bed. She moved over to give me room to lie beside her.

She rested her head against my chest as I curled my right arm around her shoulders. My left arm is still throbbing, but if I hold it completely still it dulls to a constant ache.

"Your Father cast the avada curse." Andromeda began once we were settled. "He was aiming for Hermione. You stepped in front of her."

I knew that part. I raised my brow and waited for her to continue.

"Professor Bones and I both cast shield charms," Harry continued. He scrubbed his hand over his face. He could have been trembling. "It was a very powerful curse. It hit our shields like a bombarda. It knocked me on my arse, and Bones barely kept her footing."

He gripped his hands together in front of him. The Chosen One is shaken to the core. There is even a tremble in his voice.

"The curse was aimed directly at the two of you. Even with two shields, the force of the curse hit both of you." Andromeda stared into the distance, replaying what she had seen over in her mind. "Hermione, your head hit the wall behind you. The healers were able to stop the bleeding and heal the skull fracture. You'll want to take it easy for a few days."

My stomach rolled. Even stepping in front of her to take the killing curse might not have been enough. We could have both been killed just like that.

"Draco, that curse came as close to you as it could have." Harry squeezed his eyes shut. Perhaps he is remembering that he is the only person alive that has survived that particular curse. Twice. "The heat from the curse left you with severe burns on your arm."

I looked down at the bandage on my arm.

"How severe?" I'm not sure I want to know.

"You will have some scarring," Andromeda answered. I swear she has tears in her eyes. "But the healers here are amazing. You'll be right as rain soon enough."

Very severe, then.

What if I hadn't raised my arm at that exact moment?

It would have hit my chest.

My eyes met Hermione's. I swallowed thickly.

We'll add this to the list of events that we should not have survived.

"Father?" I asked. The coldness in my voice is evident to anyone that is listening.

"They added two counts of attempted murder and one count of casting an unforgivable." Andromeda answered. "They have sentenced him to life in Azkaban, no possibility of parole."

"They should have let the dementors have him." Harry grumbled angrily.

I can't say that I disagree.

"It doesn't make sense." Hermione rubbed her hand over her forehead. Her eyes are squinted, her brow crinkled. "You can't cast the killing curse wandlessly. Not even Voldemort could do that. How did Lucius Malfoy cast it with that much strength and no wand?"

She makes a fair point. I don't know that it is impossible, but I have never seen it done before.

"He had a wand." Harry spoke quietly. "It was hidden under a concealment charm."

Merlin and fucking Salazar.

How in the fuck did that happen? The man has been in Ministry custody for weeks! Surely he hasn't had it with him in his holding cell this entire time?

No. He couldn't have. There is a thieves waterfall that prisoners have to pass through to get into the courtroom chamber. It would have been revealed.

Someone gave it to him in the courtroom.

My heart sank. Cracked. Shattered.

Betrayal stabbed through me like a dagger.

My father tried to kill Hermione and myself. My mother gave him the means to do it.

It was the only reasonable conclusion. She concealed his wand and gave it to him inside the courtroom.

"Draco." Hermione's soft voice came to me through the haze in my mind. "Breathe."

Right. I should do that.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Strawberries surrounded me, permeating my consciousness.

Hermione.

Home.

What happened inside that courtroom was the final proof that I needed. I made the right choice all those months ago.

"Narcissa has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder." Andromeda sighed and rubbed her hand over her face. "She was sentenced to fifty years in Azkaban."

She sounds tired. Now that I look, she has dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn't slept in days.

"I had hoped…" She shook her head and gave me a small, sad smile.

"Me too." Because I had hoped, just a little bit, back in a dark recess of my heart, that somehow Mother would change with Father locked away.

Now I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that will never happen.

Hermione tightened her hold on me, squeezing her arm around my waist

My parents are in my past. A past that I cannot change.

In my present I have my aunt. My cousin. My friends.

And I have Hermione. She is more than just my present.

She is my future.

My destiny.

AN: Phew. Intense chapter, right? Lucius and Narcissa showed their true colors and are on their way to Azkaban. Draco and Hermione are a little more damaged, but still alive and fighting the Darkness.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Again, I hope you have a Merry Christmas. I hope to have a Christmas present for you tomorrow with a bonus chapter. : )

Until next time,

-mezy