Chapter 35
The Trial
A/N: The moment you've all been so patiently waiting for! I am again sorry for the delay in updates, I know it's frustrating. My brother keeps swiping my disc for HIS own work...which really pisses me off cause then I have to retrieve all my work and hope that nothing is messed up. But I got my story back, and this is hopefully the LAST delay...we only have a few chapters left ;-)
And it was asked in a review how Draco could sit next to Ginny on the couch if he's paralized, well, that's simple. He can still sit, and move himself out of his chair, most paraplejics (wow I can't spell right now) do it when they get in their car and such. Hope that clears it up!
One last note: This chapter is probably going to be mostly boring...and I'm sincerely sorry if it is! I am terrible at court-like scenes...I'm probably getting the whole wizard-court thing wrong anyway--but really, I'm sorry if this chapter puts you to sleep--I'm paranoid about that kind of thing.
The entire morning seemed like such a blur to Ginny Weasley. Everything seemed to smash itself together until suddenly, she was ripped from the comfort of her Common Room and she was Flooed to the Ministry of Magic, Draco at her side. She didn't know about him, but her stomache was currently twisting itself into knots, and she felt she might regurgitate that morning's breakfast if she didn't pull herself together.
But why, she kept asking herself, why should she be so nervous? She had nothing to feel nervous about, afterall. She had been the victim!
This, however, did not soothe her racing mind. She wrung her hands as she stole a glance at Draco, something she hadn't allowed herself to do so far for the entire morning. He appeared calm enough, except his jaw was locked and his right eye seemed to twitch every few seconds or so. Ginny knew how he must feel right now. He was about to go up against his father. His own flesh and blood--and she in a way had forced this onto him.
Draco seemed to feel her gaze upon him as he inclined his head slightly to catch her eye. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to. Ginny understood well enough: today was going to change his life.
"Are you ready, Miss Weasley? Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore said gently from in front of them. They were standing in front of two solid oak doors. Ginny didn't even know how she had gotten there. She, for the life of her, could not recall the walk from the entrance to this point. Nevertheless, she swallowed the lump in her throat, her fear, and nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Draco doing the same.
"Good. Well, after you" he smiled soothingly, opening the door and stepping aside to allow them to enter. Ginny had never been in a court room before, and it was just as terrible as she'd imagined it'd be. There were witches and wizards seated from wall to wall, who of which whispered amongst themselves at the sight of Draco and his wheelchair. There was a single wooden chair in the middle of the stone room. The arm and leg shackles are what caught Ginny's eye. She looked to Dumbledore, who prodded her and her companion along. She looked over to her left to see a higher seated section of witches and wizards--the Wizengamot. She gulped.
Dumbledore lead the two children out to the middle of the room. Ginny wanted to shout at him for appearing so calm, but decided against it. To yell at her Headmaster was not appropriate as of now.
Dumbledore conjured up a single chintz armchair to the left side of the chained one. Ginny caught Draco's eye once more, looking for some sign of reassurance. To her dismay, she found none. She only found a face set to stone, a mask to hide the fear that only she could sense in him. When Ginny directed her attention away from Draco, she found that Dumbledore had vanished. Her heart raced in a slight, silent panic, her eyes darting around the room, until she found him. He was taking a seat at the highest group of wizards, among the important faces that Ginny would possibly be telling her story to. She sat down.
Ginny wondered how long they were going to keep her sitting in the open like this, waiting, awkward as can be, when one of the eldest wizards spoke from the top box.
"Bring in suspect Lucius Filius Malfoy." He said loudly and flatly. He gave Ginny the impression of an old Pirate.
Ginny and Draco both craned their heads to look behind them as the court bursted with conversation, as a well-dressed wizard with long blonde hair tied neatly back in a bow made his way across the room, two wizards standing guard at the exit. The man's face betrayed nothing of fear or any emotion at all. His jaw-line, not unlike his son's, was set firmly in place.
The second Lucius Malfoy's rear-end touched the wooden seat, it sprang to life, it's chains clamping themselves around his wrists and ankles. His lip curled slightly, but otherwise, he did not react. Ginny sensed that he was holding back an immense amount of anger that wouldn't take much to set loose. She would have to tap into this temper to show the Wizengamot what kind of person Lucius really was.
"Order, Order in the CourtRoom!" Barked the elderly pirate-wizard in attempt to quiet the room once more, "I demand order!" The room slowed to a buzz of voices until all was silent. Only until the speaker was content with the volume did he speak again.
"Lucius Malfoy, you are being charged on several accounts which include Possession of a Dark Instrument, Attempted Murder, Disturbance of Peace, Attack on a Public Wizarding School, Bribery, and Child Abuse--" Ginny looked to Draco, who was squeezing the arm of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles were white. "--How do you respond to these accusations?"
Lucius cleared his throat softly before saying, "I am innocent."
"You are aware, Mr. Malfoy, that should you be lying to the superiors before you, you will be serving more years in Azkaban Prison than you could count?" The wizard said grimly.
"I'm not ignorant." Lucius drawled, "I am aware of the punishments."
"As long as we have an understanding." the elder man said tartly. A short corpulant woman sitting directly to his left was scribbling notes onto her clipboard. "Then we shall begin. First to speak in your offense will be the young man to your right, Draco Malfoy. Come forward, boy."
Ginny stared as Draco slowly moved forward, not daring to look his father in the eye. Dumbledore passed the Pirate-like man a sheet of parchment, this apparently held the next few questions he was going to ask, as he began to speak again.
"I am Boris Westwaters, and I will be the one speaking on behalf of the Wizengamot today. Mr. Draco Malfoy, I am going to ask you some questions. Will you agree to cooperate?" Draco's head twitched a bit, which was understood to be a nod. Boris cleared his throat and continued. "Good. You spend your holidays from school at home, do you not?" Draco nodded, still not uttering a word. "And is it true that after your Spring holidays, you returned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry adorning numerous injuries?"
This time Draco looked at his father. Lucius was staring back at him, his hard cold eyes piercing into that of his son's. Draco tore away first as he looked back to the Wizengamot. Again, he nodded.
"How, may I ask, did you obtain such injuries? It says here that they were as serious as a poorly healed broken arm. Did your father put you in that chair, son?"
"I--" Draco again looked to his father. Ginny's mind screamed for him to quit losing his cool, to stand up to him. But Draco did not. "My arm had nothing to do with my father. I fell off of my broom while practicing in the yard. And no, I put myself in this chair."
The wizard named Boris did not looked convinced in the least. "So if you merely had an accident, Mr Malfoy, wouldn't you have gone to seek professional help from your school nurse once you got back to Hogwarts?"
"My son says he fell from his broom," Lucius said coolly, "What is so hard to understand here, Boris? You are only creating false accusations upon me and I see no reason to prod Draco into telling a nasty little lie."
Boris went to reply when a spider-like hand gently rested on his shoulder. Albus Dumbledore said something to him that Ginny could not hear, but caused the plump witch to scribble quickly upon her clipboard. Boris looked to Draco and then back to Dumbledore, and nodded. Dumbledore stood up and stepped down from his seat of power to stand on Ginny and Draco's level. His long lilac robes flowed behind him as he stood to face the boy.
"Draco, there is no need to be afraid in this room. It is your time to speak now. Do not let others speak for you." Dumbledore said in a wispy voice that was oddly loud enough for every ear to hear, as he gave Lucius a furtive glance. "You must tell the whole truth."
Draco glared at him for a moment before he spoke, this time cheek had returned to his voice. "You'll have to repeat the question, Headmaster."
Dumbledore's eyes glittered over his half-moon spectacles as he happily fulfilled Draco's request. "Tell the Court how you really obtained your injuries, discarding your walking disability, which I already know the cause of and will explain to my colleagues later"
Reluctantly, possibly a bit scared, Draco sighed out his answer. "My father."
"Could you elaborate for us?" Dumbledore said carefully, gesturing to the room full of dead-silent witches and wizards. Draco looked around him before saying, "No. It's not what we're here for. But," He added with a glance at Ginny this time, "I will agree to make a statement to you and you alone after the trial is over."
The old man cast him a smile that nobody but the three sitting before him could see. "That won't be necessary, but the gesture is kind. On to the next pressing issue, then." Dumbledore looked up to Boris, who tore his eyes away from Draco to read the parchment in front of him.
"Yes, Bribery--"
But before Boris Westwaters could finish his statement, a witch sitting on his other side stood up. "I can vouch for that" She snapped, an accusing finger jabbed in Lucius' direction, "That man tried to bribe me into telling important Ministry information, he did! Asked about time-turners and the whole lot! Offered up a hefty sum of galleons, might I add--"
"Madame Bones, please!" Boris hissed, "If you have a statement, you must do so in the proper manner." Madame Bones sighed dramatically and in Ginny's opinion very unprofessionally as she fixed her tidy red hair and stepped onto the floor. She took stand next to Ginny's chair.
"This man, as I said, tried to bribe me and several of my colleagues including Rufus Scrimgeour, Nymphadora Tonks and Dolores Umbridge." The woman scribbling onto her notebook seemed to choke slightly on a bit of air, but resumed her scrawling under the sharp gaze of Boris Westwaters.
"Thank you, Madame, your testimony will be considered." Boris-the-pirate said gruffly, as the woman reclaimed her seat in the Wizengamot.
"Lucius Malfoy, do you have anything to say in your defense?" Boris asked. Lucius, you could tell, was enraged on the inside.
"Does my son have any proof, sir? Does she?" He nodded to Madame Bones. "Surely the court systems haven't stooped so low as to take the word of a twelve year old child and a short-tempered woman without any proof?" Boris looked around at his colleagues, clearly unsure of where he was giong to find evidence. This is when once again, Professor Dumbledore stepped in.
"If not the word of a twelve year old, my friend, why not the word of an eleven year old?" He said with a twinkle in his eye as he turned to Ginny. He motioned for her to stand up, and she complied.
"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said softly, "Did Draco here ever show you a wound of any sort after his return from Spring Holidays?" Ginny hesitated, and once again looked to Draco. He was staring back, his eyes not making her answer any easier to say. She could not let her voice show her fear, for this would be the only chance she'd get to tell the raw truth. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, he did."
"And, for the main reason we've gathered here today, did the man sitting aside you slip you the diary of one Tom Riddle?" Dumbledore withdrew the tattered, inky diary from his robes. The court room went dead-silent. Ginny looked around, her heart racing. "Yes," She said once again in a choked voice, "Draco told me his intentions were to release the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, my death would help bring you-know-who back." At this, the room bursted into conversation.
"And," Dumbledore said more loudly, "Draco tried to help you rid of the diary, did he not?"
"Yes. And he did help."
"Is this why his father sent him home with the injuries?"
"No," Ginny said, aware that two pairs of silver eyes were boring holes ino her head, but she pressed on, "No, Lucius Malfoy has been abusing Draco for a long time, I'm not very sure why" Draco shifted where he sat, he was nervous. The entire court room was now focusing it's attention onto Draco and his father. Lucius had fire burning in his gaze.
"There is still no proof that I am the one who gave her that rubbish or that I physically abuse my own son! There's NONE! If I am correct, Albus, it was under your watch that Draco recieved his latest ailment!" He snarled, his hair beginning to free itself from it's neatly tied bow.
"I do admit that it was careless of me," Dumbledore said, towering over Lucius. He had apparently hit Dumbledore where it mattered. "And I have paid for his medical bills in the full, as you and I negotiated. To fix our slight problem with proof, I have more witnesses should the occasion call for it--"
"There will be no more people barging into my already full-to-bursting court room!" Boris shouted, "You said that the only ones to testify would be the children, and it shall remain this way! If there are other witnesses, you'll have to re-schedule another court date."
Dumbledore looked up at the man and nodded, a smile on his face. "Well then, could you allow me the use of a Pensieve? That is," he added, "Should the children agree to cooperate."
"If you have a pensieve on hand, you may use it. But only if you have the child's cooperation. I will not waste the day away in this court room!"
"As you wish." Dumbledore replied, turning to Draco and Ginny. "Do you two agree to extract your memories into a pensieve to show to the court? It will require no speaking." He added as he looked to Draco, who in appearance seemed extremely uncomfortable. Draco and Ginny looked to each other before nodding very slowly. Lucius' lip curled.
"This is preposterous! A child's memory is often warped due to what they believe! This--"
"Be quiet, Mr. Malfoy!" Boris growled with an edge of impatience, "You will only speak when spoken to! Now Albus, as you were."
Dumbledore waved his wand so that there was now a table in between him and the three people on trial. He then extracted a small shining object from his robes and tapped it with his wand. It expanded into a large stone basin that landed on the table with a dull thud. He instructed the children on how to use the pensieve before handing each of them his wand so they could extract memories. Draco went first, placing memory after painful memory into the basin. And as Lucius watched, his face twisted into a deep rage. Ginny had no doubt that had he not been chained down, he would have killed Draco right then and there.
Her turn came, and she chose carefully what memories she wished to make public. She decided on a few and dropped them into the silver pool of memories before returning the Headmaster's wand.
\/)
(\/
(_O_)
"Mr. Lucius Malfoy, due to the evidence shown by the memories of both Draco Malfoy and Ginevra Weasley, the Wizengamot has unanimously decided to sentence you to a life sentence in Azkaban Prison for the following offenses: Attempted Murder, Murder, Possession of a Dark Object, Attack on Hogwarts School, Child Abuse, and," He looked to Madame Bones, "Bribery. Should you defy the decision of the Wizengamot, you will recieve the Dementor's Kiss. Court is ended." Boris stood up, his fellow colleagues doing the same, and leaving. The room was bursting with excited chatter, as the two guards went to remove Lucius Malfoy, now shouting and thrashing about, from the room.
"This is outrageous! I am innocent! They lie! The both of them!" Ginny stepped quickly out of the way as one of Lucius' arms swung near her face as the two men forced him towards the exit. Lucius calmed down as they threatened him with a stunner, but not without turning around to speak once more, this time to Draco.
"If I ever see your face again, Draco..." he snarled, "It will be the last time."
The guards nudged him violently as they continued to force him away. And from the crowd of departing witches and wizards stepped two people. One of them was carrying the other.
"Mother!" Draco cried, wheeling over to the pair, "Mother!"
Severus Snape set her down into Ginny's empty chair, her head hanging helplessly over to one side. "She's fine, Draco, she's only fainted. Clearly the news of her husband spending the rest of his days in Prison wasn't good news to her at all, and watching the memories from the Pensieve is only what started it."
Ginny remembered hearing one of the voices in the room sobbing loudly as Draco's memories had played through the pensieve earlier, but she herself had been too entranced by what she was seeing to look and see who it was.
"I am proud of you two," Dumbledore said, a warm smile on his cheeks, "You've done the right thing today, no matter what you may believe." This statement was directed more to Draco than to Ginny, as Draco was absently caressing his mother's hand.
"But there will be changes made, and there is no better time than now to discuss them" he said, nodding towards the Potions Master. Snape pointed his wand to Narcissa and muttered, "Ennerverate". Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around before her memory came crashing back to her and she bursted into loud sobs that made Professor Snape cringe.
"Draco, I am so sorry!" She wailed, gathering her son into her arms. "I should have never let this happen! Please forgive me--Oh, my family! My perfect family!"
"Hold yourself together, Narcissa!" Snape hissed as he tossed her a hankerchief, "If not for your own dignity, then for your son!" Narcissa's bleary eyes scanned the room as she dabbed her face with the cloth she'd been given. She still shook with sobs, but calmed herself enough to speak.
"Albus," she croaked, "Severus. What am I to do?"
"You don't have to change everything, dear Narcissa," Albus said soothingly as he helped her to her feet, Draco lurking by her side, "But I would advise you to live under the protection of Severus here, should your husband's friends be angry. This is something we have already discussed, yes?" Narcissa and Snape both nodded solemly.
"So I assume you've already made arrangements for the end of term, then?" They nodded again, Draco looked highly confused.
"I will explain later" Snape told him, his hand resting on his shoulder. Draco nodded his ascent and looked over to Ginny. Ginny's heart was hammering in her chest. Why hadn't Draco ever told her that his father had killed his newborn sister? That he'd ever had a newborn sister? She'd seen so much of Draco today in this courtroom, she couldn't look at him the same right now. And apparently re-living the memories had struck a chord with Draco as well, as he seemed to sit in a daze, his eyes unseeing.
"Well, then I must be getting back to the school," Dumbledore said, "Tonight is the last night before the end-of-year feast, and the children must be worn. They will get their rest and will be back home by the day after tomorrow." Narcissa nodded, hugging and kissing Draco, who in response batted at her to stop. This blatant embarassment made Ginny want to giggle, but something inside her could not at this point in time. Maybe it was the ominous atmosphere of the court room.
Once Narcissa was gone, Dumbledore turned to the professor and the two students. "We'll be just in time for dinner if we hurry," He said, "And I don't know about you, but a day in court sure does make one's stomache empty itself. Let us feast."
\/)
(\/
(_O_)
Ginny sat next to Draco at dinner that night, though neither of them were allowed any time for private chat as their house mates stormed them with questions as to what they'd been up to all day, or how the trial had gone. They both refused to answer however, as the Prophet was bound to make it front-page news anyway, and therefore ate their dinners in silence.
It was only until they'd noticed they were the last ones left sitting in the Common Room did they dare speak to one another. It was Draco who spoke.
"Do you think it was worth it?" he asked, Ginny could feel his eyes on her. She let her eyes fall onto his in return.
"Worth what?"
"Was this," He said, gesturing towards nothing in particular, "Was it all worth living for?"
Ginny took a moment to think over his words before nodding, a smile creeping across her face. "To me it was." Draco looked back to her, he did not smile. But in his face Ginny could see that he appreciated her, if only a little bit.
"Draco, what would you do if you could walk again?" Ginny asked him more out of desparity to keep conversation going than anything. She was afraid that he would react negatively to her inquiry, but Draco still remained silent. Noticing that he was not gong to talk to her any further, she rose from the sofa.
"I'm going to go to bed." she announced, "I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?"
Draco made to get up but hopelessly and pathetically, he flopped back down in his chair. He finally just shook his head in shame and nodded. "See you."
\/)
(\/
(_O_)
Draco lay in his bed that night, his eyes unable to close themselves. Every time he let them slide shut, he could see her. Her eyes, her hair, everything.
Snape had spoken to him immediately after dinner that night, to let him know how things would be after tomorrow. Snape was going to vacate his home in Spinner's End and come to live with him and his mother at the Malfoy Manor, but to live under heavy protection. Draco would not be having friends over this holiday, and he would not be going to visit with friends. He would stick to his home with Owls being the only means of communication. Not that he minded, he seemed to prefer being alone these days anyway. Draco had begun to change without use of his legs, he began to lose his sense of arrogance.
But most of all, Draco knew that if he turned out to be like his father, Ginny would never speak to him. And knowing this fact about himself and admitting it too is what kept Draco up all night long.
"If I could walk again, Ginny," He said to himself, "I would kiss you infront of everyone."
A/N: So was I right? was it boring? I'm so terribly sorry! >.< It's so rushed...I was aware at how long it'd been since I'd updated and I hurried up to get this chapter out...I know how frustrating it is to wait for an update! but I'll try to keep the other chapters more interesting...
But you should feel at least a tiny bit fulfilled, Draco's showing more feelings towards Ginny!
Now I know Draco is becoming SOOO Totally OoC in this chapter...I hope you understand why!! I mean come on, if you lost the powr in your legs and you also were falling in love...wouldn't you tone it down a bit? Plus, he's not always gona be this...uhm...un-draco-ish. He was in court, remember that! lol
Only about 2 or 3 more chapters left! And then I'm going to pick up my On-Hold stories! YAY!
REVIEW LIKE NO TOMORROW!!!!!
Updated my Fic on FF.Net (By Twist of Fate) and that's my 35th chapter..lol! You probably won't get half of what's going on in this chapter...but Draco's paralized, Ginny's a Slytherin, and they're in 1st/2nd year...and are on trial against Lucius. =^.^=