A/N: All of the characters contained herein are the property of Ms. Rowling.
"Harry? Harry, wake up," the hoarse voice of Remus Lupin penetrated the layers of Harry's sleep shrouded mind and he opened his eyes.
"Remus? What are you doing here?" he said blearily, then he felt the warmth of Ginny Weasley snuggled in his arms and reality came crashing back. "What time is it?"
"Well, I live here and its around seven," Remus said smiling slightly. "I'm sorry for waking you, Harry, but I have just gotten a message from the headmaster. He'd like us back up at the castle and in his office as soon as possible." Harry grimaced.
"We're in trouble aren't we?" he quietly asked, so as not to disturb the still sleeping Ginny.
"No, Harry. I don't think so. I believe he has something he wishes to speak with you about and would just rather do it before the whole castle wakes up. Now, I'm going to go wake Nymphadora. I'll leave Ginny to you," Remus said, conjuring a cup of what looked like strong black coffee.
"Tonks is not a morning person," he added, grinning, before heading up the stairs.
Harry looked down at the girl curled up in his arms, remembering how defenseless she had been the night before. His eyes hardened as they touched upon the jagged scar on her forehead. She should never have had to deal with all of this. He should never have allowed their relationship to develop. He should have pushed her away while he still could. It was too late now. She would not allow him to sever their bond, even if he'd been able to bring himself to do it. He sighed, mentally cursing his own weakness. He leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head.
"Ginny? C'mon, time to wake up," he said softly. Ginny's eyelids fluttered. She moaned a protest and burrowed herself deeper into his warmth. Harry stifled the urge to pull her still closer and very gently shook her. "Gin?"
"Mmmmmm... I'm not ready to get up yet, Mum," she murmured sleepily. Harry chuckled softly.
"I'm not your Mum. In fact, you should probably be glad I'm not. I doubt she'd be very happy with either of us right now," he said. He was fairly certain the Molly Weasley would be less then pleased to discover that her only had daughter had run away from school and spent the night with a boy, however innocent it might have been. Ginny's eyes flew open at Harry's words and she sat bolt upright, realizing she had been asleep in Harry's arms.
"Ummmm... Harry? Where are we? What exactly happened last night?" she said, eyeing him warily. Harry frowned.
"You don't remember?" he asked. Now it was Ginny's turn to frown.
"I remember we were in the common room and had decided to go... someplace more private," she said. Harry nodded.
"Do you remember getting the owl from Percy?" he asked. Ginny gasped as her memories of the previous night hit her. Harry pulled her gently back into his arms. "Are you all right?"
"I... yes. I think so. I'm sorry I broke down like that. I just... it was so unexpected," Ginny said, blushing.
"It's ok. You don't have to be strong all the time," Harry told her. Ginny smiled, with a trace of her normal fire.
"Of course I do. I'm Molly Weasley's daughter. We Weasley women are practically indestructable, Potter," she said.
"Glad to see you're feeling better this morning, Ginny," an extremely sleepy looking Tonks said, as she came down the stairs with Remus.
"Thanks for last night," Ginny said, looking somewhat embarassed. Tonks waved her off, and took another sip of her still steaming coffee.
"Don't even worry about it. We were glad we could help. Although, I hope you won't care if I give that brother of yours a piece of my mind. Now, we'd better get you two back up to the school, before they send out the search parties," Tonks grinned.
On the way back, conversation was kept light, mainly centered on the startlingly quick end to the quidditch match the day before. Harry did, however, let Ginny know that the headmaster wanted to see them and reassured her, as Remus had him, that they were not in trouble.
"Chocolate frogs," Remus said when they reached the entrance the headmaster's office. The gargoyle obligingly slid away, and they ascended the staircase. Dumbledore sat waiting for them behind his desk. Harry was startled, and a bit apprehensive, to see that the headmaster was not the only one in the room, however. Madam Pomfrey was there, as well as Percy Weasley. Percy sat rather stiffly in a chair near Dumbledore's desk, and his eyes flashed dangerously as they lit upon Harry.
"What do you mean by sneaking my sister out of the school in the middle of the night and taking her Merlin knows where? It's morning! You've been gone, with Ginny, all night. When I tell Mum...." Percy huffed. Harry took an involuntary step back. The overprotective Weasley brothers he could deal with, but Ginny's mum was an altogether different matter.
"I... umm... " he eloquently started to say, only to be interrupted by Tonks stepping protectively in front of him.
"Don't you dare yell at Harry, Percival Weasley! Ginny was a wreck last night, thanks to you! He was trying to protect her when he brought her to Remus and me, unlike you who sent her news like Malfoy's trial with a bloody owl and if you even think about telling your Mum, I will personally dredge up every last dirty little secret of yours and go to your Mum with them," she snarled, glaring at Percy like a mother wolf protecting her cub. Percy seemed to crumple in the face of Tonks' wrath, throwing his hands up in defeat. Remus beamed at her.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Harry. I was just worried. I didn't mean for all of this to be such a shock, Ginny. I wanted to tell you personally, but The Prophet has gotten a hold of the story somehow, and I thought an owl would be better than the morning edition in the middle of the Great Hall," Percy said.
"Now that we have all relieved our tension," an amused sounding Dumbledore said, "Shall we procede?" The headmaster conjured four more chairs and waved Tonks, Remus, Harry, and Ginny into them.
"Right, yes," Percy said, visibly collecting his thoughts and assuming his usual pompous air. "The trial is set for Wednesday. Harry, Ginny, Tonks, and Madame Pomfrey, you will all need to be there. You will each be called in to testify seperately. Once you've given your testimony, you will be allowed to remain in the courtroom, although you'll have to be in an anteroom until your turn," Percy paused here, while everyone nodded their understanding.
"As I said earlier, The Prophet has gotten a hold of the story somehow, and they are running with it. Young scion of a pureblood family accused of a heinous crime against the beautiful girlfriend of the Boy-Who-Lived," Percy read from the copy of the paper he had produced from the case at his feet. "Fortunately, Harry's popularity is very high right now because of the battles in the Ministry and Diagon Alley, so they are playing it in our favor." Harry grimaced. He hated publicity. He had simply been doing what he felt was right. Ginny, sensing his discomfort, took his hand and smiled comfortingly at him.
"Harry, I'd like for you to play up that image in court, as much as possible. People will respond to it, and we're going to need all of the help that we can get," Percy said.
"What do you mean 'all of the help that we can get'? You think Malfoy is going to get off don't you?" Ginny demanded, sounding slightly paniced. Harry gently squeezed her hand. There was no way he would let Malfoy get away with what he had done. Percy sighed.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Ginny. The Malfoys still wield some power, and they have alot of money at their fingertips. They've hired Julius Parkinson, and he is absolutely ruthless. He is going to come after you, and Harry as well. It won't be pleasant. I meant what I said though, I will do everything in my power to see Malfoy rot in Azkaban," Percy told her.
"We didn't expect this to be pleasant, Percy. How could it be?" Harry said, putting an arm around Ginny, who was now looking almost as bad as she had the night before. "If that's all you wanted to tell us, I'm taking Ginny back to Gryffindor Tower."
"Patience, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said gently. "I know that this is difficult for both you and Miss Weasley, however, Mr. Weasley is trying to help. I believe, Percy, that you wished to go through everyone's statements?" Percy nodded. They spent the next hour going over exactly what had happened that day. At the end of it, silent tears were trailing down Ginny's cheeks, despite Harry's best efforts at comforting her. As he walked her back to Gryffindor Tower and turned her over to Hermione to be tucked into bed, he silently vowed that he would do whatever it took to see that Draco Malfoy got exactly what he deserved.
The days before the trial seemed to pass with agonizing slowness. Ginny, once over the initial shock, seemed to bounce back somewhat, although she avoided places like the Great Hall, where people would stare and whisper, discussing the stories that The Daily Prophet were running. Harry and the other Gryffindors also made sure that Ginny was never left alone, as the Slytherins seemed determined to make her life hell. This had all culminated when Dean Thomas had gotten two weeks of detention for cursing Marcus Parkinson so badly that he ended up in the hospital wing. Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy had cornered Ginny and Colin just outside the library and Harry hated to think what might have happened had Dean not happened along.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione did their best to keep Ginny's spirits up by executing Part B of the Great Pig Prank, as it had been dubbed. They took turns, everyday, releasing Pansy the Pig in crowded parts of the castle. As soon as Filch showed up, they'd grab the pig, wrap her in the invisibility cloak, and put her safely back in the pen in the secret passage. Filch was practically pulling his hair out in frustration at his inability to find the pig. Peeves, having picked up on this, had taken to following the caretaker around making random pig noises.
The morning of the trial found Harry in the Gryffindor boys' bathroom. He eyed himself critically in the mirror, smoothing out his best school robes, which he was wearing over an emerald green jumper Mrs. Weasley had knitted him. Ginny had told him the color brought out his eyes, which he supposed was true. He sighed and mussed his hair so that it looked the way his father's had in Snape's memory. He carefully checked to make sure his scar was still clearly visible. He muttered to himself. He could not believe he was actually following Percy's advice to "play up" his image. As much as he hated doing it though, he'd cheerfully wear a t-shirt with flashing neon letters proclaiming Boy-Who-Lived if there was any way it would help put Malfoy in Azkaban. This was for Ginny, for her, he would be put on display. He left the bathroom and entered the sixth year boys' dorm, where Ron was impatiently waiting.
"About time. I was starting to think that I'd have to come in after you. Wow!" said Ron, raising his eyebrows in surpise as he caught sight of Harry. "You know, for the first time since I've known you, you actually look the part."
"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically. "It was your bloody brother's idea. Now come on, let's get downstairs before I talk myself out of this."
Hermione and Ginny were waiting in the common room for them. Ginny was, once again, pale. Her brown eyes looked huge in her face. Harry could sense her nervousness from across the room. Nevertheless, she smiled when she saw Harry, and nodded approvingly.
"You look very nice, Harry," she said. Hermione nodded her agreement.
"She's right. The press is going to have kittens when they see you today," Hermione said. Harry grimaced.
"Are you trying to convince me to go back upstairs?" Harry said, nervously. Ginny frowned.
"Thank you, Harry. I know how much you hate all of the attention and, well, I know you're doing this for me," she said. Harry walked over to her and hugged her.
"Ginny, I would do this a hundred times over for you. Now quit worrying about me. How are you?" he said.
"I'll be fine," Ginny said straightening and determinedly squaring her shoulders.
Together, the four freinds left for the headmaster's office. After much arguing, resulting in Ron finally declaring he'd go steal a thestral if he had to, the adults had finally agreed, the night before, to let Ron and Hermione accompany them to the Ministry. They arrived at Dumbledore's office and, after giving the password, walked up the staircase. Remus, Tonks, and Madame Pomfrey were there waiting. Harry saw Remus' eyes widen when he entered.
"Merlin, Harry. Think you can warn me next time you decide to impersonate your father? I thought for a moment that James and Lily had come back to haunt me when I saw you and Ginny come in," Remus said. Despite his nervousness, Harry grinned.
"Sorry Moony. I didn't mean to give a person of your advanced years such a shock," he said innocently. Tonks chuckled.
"Shut it you," Remus said playfully poking her. Tonks just grinned. She once again had dark, shoulder length hair today. Her eyes were silvery grey, like Sirius' had been. Harry wondered if this was Tonks' true appearance, or if she just used it when she was trying to look professional. Personally, he preferred her usual, more relaxed, spiky bubblegum pink hair and violet eyes.
"Are we ready then?" the headmaster asked. At everyone's affirmative nods, he produced a large, purple hula-hoop.
Once they had all taken hold of it, he activated it and they were all swept off to the Ministry. As they landed, Harry nearly fell over. Ginny did, knocking into Ron and sending them both to the floor. Harry was helping them both up when he heard a familiar voice from across the room.
"There they are!"
Harry turned to see a horde of reporters advancing on them, with Rita Skeeter in the lead. Knowing that there was no escape, and trying to be mindful of the impression he was attempting to create, Harry straightened to his full height and put a protective arm around Ginny.
"Harry! Harry Potter!" Rita called. "Is this your girlfriend? Any truth to the rumors that you have secretly married?" Harry raised an eyebrow, doing his best to appear both relaxed and confident, despite the fact that he was feeling far from it.
"Hello Rita. Yes, Ginny is my girlfriend, and no, we are not married. I'll be happy to talk with you when all of this is over with, but right now we really need to get inside. Excuse us, please," he said elbowing his way through the crowd of reporters to a door across the room where Percy was frantically beckoning. Whether it was because, Harry had promised to talk to them later or, from sheer shock that he had answered their questions, they gave way and allowed the group through.
Percy ushered them through the door, and Harry found himself in a red carpeted room with several stiff backed, lightly upholstered chairs. Across from the door they had entered, stood another one guarded by two aurors. Tonks went directly to them and carried on a brief whispered conversation. One of the men, disappeared through the door through which Harry and the others had just come, presumably to deal with the press. Tonks came over shaking her head.
"Shoddy work. No excuse for that. If I have my way, someone is going to get in trouble over that one," Tonks huffed. "The press is allowed in the courtroom, but they're not supposed to be allowed down here." Percy nodded his agreement.
"That woman is a pest of the first order. You handled it very well though, Harry. Headmaster, I believe the rest of the wizengamot are already in there. Ron, Hermione, and Professor Lupin, if you go through that door, Mum, Dad, and the rest of the family have saved you seats," he said, indicating the door which was being guarded by the auror.
Ron and Hermione hugged both Harry and Ginny, wishing them luck, before heading into the courtroom to take their seats. Dumbledore gave them both an assessing look.
"Remember, the truth will prevail in the end. If you go in with it as your weapon, you cannot fail," Dumbledore said, before he too parted.
"Just tell them exactly what happened, as best you can, and try not to worry." Remus said. He put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and gave him a small smile, before pecking Tonks on the cheek and entering the courtroom.
"It's time," Percy said, checking his watch. "Ginny, you'll go in with me. The rest of you will be called when it's your turn."
Ginny wrapped Harry in a fierce hug, clinging to him as though her life depended upon it. She then took a deep steadying breath, squared her shoulders, and followed her brother determinedly from the room. Harry threw himself into one of the chairs, burrying his head in his hands. Tonks sat down next to him, talking quietly in an effort to calm him.
Ginny entered the courtroom just after Percy, her head held high. She looked around, taking in the grey stone walls, dimly lit by torches. Benches rose on either side of her, filled to capacity. Many of the people present, Ginny did not recognize, however some of them were familiar to her. Her entire family, including her Mum, who still looked wan from her injury, were there. She also saw several Order members. Mad-Eye Moody winked at her from his spot behind the twins.
In front of her, another set of high stone benches rose, filled with the members of the Wizengamot. Ginny recognized Professor Dumbeldore, of course. She saw Madame Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt, as well as several other aquaintances of her father. Glancing to her left, Ginny finally saw him... Darco Malfoy. Suppressing a shiver, she took a moment to study him. Despite the fact that he was skinnier and even more pale than she remembered, he still held himself with his normal inbred arrogance. Standing next to him, was a rather tall man, whose marked resemblance to both Marcus and Pansy, left very little doubt that he must be Julius Parkinson, their father. Draco must have sensed Ginny's stare, because he looked over at her and smirked confidently.
"It would appear that everyone is here, so let us begin," Madame Bones said. "We are gathered for the criminal trial of Draco Phineas Malfoy. Prosecutor for the Ministry;Percival Ignatius Weasley, Defense for the Accused; Julius Archibald Parkinson, Presided over by Minister of Magic Amelia Susan Bones, court scribe; Penelope Tallulah Clearwater. Mr Malfoy, you are accused of the assault and torture of Ginevra Molly Weasley and violation of the laws prohibiting the use of the unforgiviables. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty, Minister," Malfoy said haughtily.
"Naturally," Madame Bones murmured. "Very well Weasley, you may begin."
"Thank you, Minister," Percy said in his most pompous voice. "The Ministry intends to prove that on the afternoon of September 2, Draco Malfoy did knowingly, and of his own free will, attack and torture one Ginevra Molly Weasley. In the course of said attack, he used the cruciatus curse. Moreover, we shall present evidence that the attack was orchestrated under the express orders of You-Know-Who, and that Mr. Malfoy is, indeed, a death eater." Ginny saw the members of the Wizengamot shift and murmur in their seats. Behind her, she could hear the scratch of quill upon parchment as the reporters frantically tried to catch every word being said.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Madame Bones said. "Parkinson?"
"Thank you, Minister. It is our intention to prove that, not only is Draco Malfoy not guilty of the horrible crimes of which he has been accused, but that the attack was, in fact staged by Miss Weasley and her boyfirend, Harry James Potter. Potter, along with Miss Weasley, her brothers, and another of their friends, Miss Hermione Granger, have terrorized young Mr. Malfoy for the last six years. Their bullying finally culminating in these shocking allegations," Mr. Parkinson said. Ginny gasped in outrage. It was all she could do to not stand up and smack the smirk off of Malfoy's face. Behind her, Mrs. Weasley was being gently, but frimly restrained by Mr. Weasley, while Hermione whispered furiously to Ron. Remus, visibly angry himself, had all he could do to keep the twins quiet. This left Moody, to deal with Bill and Charlie, who only settled down when they were given a very stern look from Professor Dumbledore in the Wizengamot box.
"Thank you, Mr. Parkinson," Madame Bones said, somewhat stiffly. "Mr. Weasley, you may call your first witness."
"Thank you, ma'am. The Ministry calls Ginevra Molly Weasley," Percy said. Ginny walked to the witness stand, doing her best to stay calm.
"Miss Weasley, can you please tell us in your own words, what happened the afternoon of Septemeber 2nd?" Percy said. Ginny nodded.
" I was headed to the Great Hall after Potions. I was late to meet my boyfriend, Harry Potter, for lunch. The corridors were empty because I had been held after to clean up a spilt potion. I wasn't really paying much attention to where I was going, when... when I felt someone grab me from behind," Ginny said in a choked voice. She felt the terror of the moment arise anew within her, and shivered, closing her eyes.
"Th-there were three of them. They all wore robes and masks. I tried to fight them off, but they were so strong and I had dropped my wand. One of them told me to stop struggling, a-a-and called me a blood traitor. Then, he said he had a message for Harry from You-know-who. He said that he knew that I would make sure that Harry got it. Suddenly, they let me go. I started to run, but they hit me with silencio and a cruciatus curse," she said, her voice breaking as tears started to run silently down her cheeks.
"It felt like I was on fire, and there was so much pressure and pain. I could feel my arms and ribs cracking, and I couldn't breath," Ginny said. She swiped at her tears with a shaking hand. There was total silence amongst those observing Ginny's testimony, aside form the occassional horrified gasp, and the quiet sobbing of Mrs. Weasley.
"Just when I thought that I couldn't take it anymore, they released it. I tried to get up... to get away, but I couldn't. They said... they said that they weren't through with me yet. One of them put me in a full body bind. The leader, the one who had been doing all of the talking, come over to me. He.. he..." Ginny took a great, shuddering breath, trying to calm herself enough to talk.
"He knelt down next to me, and told me to tell Harry that no one near him was safe. He said to tell him that the Dark Lord would take away everyone Harry cared about," Ginny began to sob in earnest now. She felt Percy press a handkerchief into her hand.
"Go on please, Miss Weasley," she heard him say in a choked voice, as though he too was having a difficult time with his emotions. She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly several times, before she was able to get the words out.
"He used a knife to carve this into my head," She said, barely above a whisper, as she brushed her hair back, revealing the jagged lightning bolt shape on her forehead. A collective gasp went up in the courtroom.
"Miss Weasley were you able to identify who had done this to you?" Percy asked. Ginny nodded.
"I saw his eyes, through the mask. He was enjoying it," she said shivering.
"And whose eyes did you see through the mask?"
"Draco Malfoy's," she said, pointing a shaky finger at Malfoy.
"Thank you, Miss Weasley," Percy said. "Your witness, Parkinson."
"Touching story, Miss Weasley," Parkinson said mockingly. "Isn't it true that your family and the Malfoys have never gotten along."
"Yes sir, we try to avoid associating with death eaters," Ginny said, raising her chin defiantly.
"And are you aware that your brother Ronald, Mr. Harry Potter, and a Miss Hermione Granger have, on several occassions, been involved in confrontations with Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes, I am. Draco is a bullying git. He's always saying things abo..." Ginny said. Parkinson interrupted her.
"Just answer the question, Miss Weasley. The day before the supposed attack on you, there was a confrontation on the school train which resulted in Draco being injured by Mr. Potter, isn't that true?"
"Yes, but..." Ginny said.
"Thank you, Miss Weasley," Mr. Parkinson said, smiling an oily smile.
"Permission to redirect?" Percy asked. Madam Bones nodded her agreement.
"Miss Weasley, will you tell us exactly what happened aboard the Hogwart's Express on September the first?"
"Yes, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and myself were sitting in our train car talking when Draco showed up. He said some foul things about myself and Hermione. He also said some things about Harry's godfather. Harry asked him to leave. When he wouldn't, Harry kicked him out, and Draco bit his tongue," Ginny answered.
"Thank you, Miss Weasley," Percy said.
"I know this was difficult for you, Ginny. Thank you for your testimony. You may step down. Next witness," Madame Bones said. Ginny steped down, and went to sit next to her mum, who wrapped her immediately in one of her famous hugs.
"The Ministry calls Harry James Potter," Percy said. An excited murmur rose in the courtroom, as people strained to get a view of the famous Boy-Who-Lived. The door to the side of the room opened, and Harry entered, walked to the witness stand, and sat down, trying to not think about the fact that this was the very same courtroom used for his disciplinary hearing the year before. Harry's eyes flicked to Ginny and saw her pale, tear stained face before sending a steely glare at Malfoy, who, in turn, reatced with his usual sneering smirk.
"Mr. Potter, it was you who found Miss Weasley after the attack?" Percy asked.
"Yes, it was," Harry said, confidently.
"Could you tell us, please, how that came about?" Percy questioned. Harry acknowledged him with a nod.
"Ginny and I had agreed to meet for lunch. When she was late, I became concerned. I asked another student in her year, Colin Creevey, if he'd seen her. He said that she'd had to stay after in potions."
"And did his explanation relieve your mind?" Percy asked.
"No, it didn't. For some reason I just had a feeling that something was not right, so I went outside the doors to wait for her. When she still didn't show up after a while, I became very worried and was just goign to go look for her, when I heard someone coming up the corridor."
"And do you know who it was?" Percy inquired. Harry nodded.
"It was Malfoy, and his two friends Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," Harry said.
"I see, and what happened next?"
"When Malfoy saw me he laughed, and asked where Ginny was. He said that he hoped that the "littlest weasel hadn't met with an accident." That's what he calls Ginny. When he said that, I knew why I'd been feeling so uneasy and I went to look for her," Harry said.
"And did you find her, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, sir. I saw her hair sticking out from underneath one of the tapestries near the dungeons," Harry answered.
"And what condition was she in when you found her?" Percy asked. Harry's green eyes filled with pain, as he saw her laying there helpless in his mind's eye.
"She was still unconscious. There was blood everywhere. I thought.... I thought she was dead at first. I thought I'd lost her, but then I saw her breathe. She still had a full body bind on her, so I took it off and carried her to Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing," he said softly. He was dimly aware of someone snapping a picture, and reporters scrambling to get down his every word. His eyes sought Ginny's again, and he felt better, knowing that she was ok.
"Were you present when she awoke later that evening?" Percy questioned.
"Yes, I was, along with Professor Dumbledore."
"And what did she say at that time?"
"She told us what had happened. Then she said that it was Draco who had attacked her. She said she had seen his eyes through the mask he was wearing," Harry answered.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. Your witness, Parkinson," Percy said.
"Mr. Potter, how would you characterize your relationship with Draco Malfoy?" Parkinson asked. Harry frowned.
"We don't get along,"he said.
"Don't get along? Isn't that a bit of an understatement, Mr. Potter?"
"Perhaps," Harry conceded.
"Isn't it true that you and Draco Malfoy hate each other, and that there have been several confrontations between you?"
"Yes sir, there have been."
"Can you tell us, Mr. Potter,what happened last June in the Department of Mysteries, here at the Ministry?" Parkinson said. Harry visibly paled, and Percy stood up indignantly.
"Minister, I fail to see what that has to do with this proceeding," Percy said.
"I intend to show that Mr. Potter has motive to falsely accuse Mr. Malfoy, ma'am," Parkinson said. Madam Bones frowned. She was clearly unhappy with this line of questioning, but was forced to be impartial.
"Very well, Parkinson, but this had better prove to be pertinent," she said at last.
"Mr. Potter, the events of last June?" Parkinson sneered. Harry tried to control the anger, sorrow, and guilt discussing that day always brought.
"I was lured to the Ministry by Voldemort. I had been led to believe that my godfather, Sirius Black was in danger. When I arrived, there were death eaters waiting. Sirius had never been there. My friends, who had come with me, and I did our best to fight them off, but... Sirius and some others showed up, after finding out where we had gone. He was killed in the ensuing battle," Harry managed to choke out, as he fiercly blinked back tears.
"And were Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black LeStrange amongst the alleged death eaters present?"
"Yes," Harry said tersely.
"Wasn't it Draco's aunt, Bellatrix LeStrange who killed your beloved godfather?"
"Yes," Harry snapped. "It was."
"Don't you in fact hold Draco Malfoy's family responsible for the death of Sirius Black?"
"No," Harry said firmly. "I don't." Parkinson's eyes widened in momentary suprise, then turned mocking.
"Come now, Mr. Potter. If not them, then who?" Parkinson said tauntingly.
"Myself," he answered quietly. "I was fooled, tricked by Voldemort. Sirius never should have been there. My friends never should have been there. It was my fault." A murmur went once more around the courtroom. The frantic scratching of quills was beginning to get on Harry's rapidly fraying nerves, almost as much as the bored smirk upon Malfoy's face.
"How touching," Parkinson sneered. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Harry shrugged.
"I can only state the truth. I can not control what people believe," Harry said. Parkinson narrowed his eyes, obviously unhappy that Harry was able to turn his questioning so easily back on him.
"Mr. Potter, you said that after you found Miss Weasley, you took her to the hospital wing. Did you stay with her the entire time?"
"No," Harry admitted. "I didn't."
"Why did you leave? You stated that you were so concerned, that you thought that you had lost her," Parkinson inquired.
"I went looking for Malfoy," Harry said defiantly, beginning to lose the battle with his temper.
"I see, and did you find him?"
"Yes, I did," Harry ground out.
"Why did you go looking for him, Mr. Potter?" Parkinson said smoothly, a small, triumphant smile on his face.
"Because I knew, from what he'd said earlier that it was him who had hurt Ginny," Harry said.
"So, before Miss Weasley named her attacker, you took it upon yourself to find Draco Malfoy, whom you blamed becuase of an innocent statement on his part. Didn't you then attack him, Mr. Potter? "
"Yes," Harry growled. "I did." Harry heard gasps from those observing, and saw Remus and Moody exchange a nervous glance. Parkinson smiled a slow, satisfied smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. Nothing further."
"Redirect!" Percy said, rising. Madame Bones nodded.
"Harry, has Draco Malfoy ever attacked either yourself or your friends before, in a less serious manner?"
"Yes, frequently. He thinks its great sport," Harry said.
"In the last two years, how many people that you know have been attacked or killed?" Percy asked quietly. Harry's eyes widened, and he wordlessly shook his head. His mind reeled away from the enormity of what Percy was asking of him. He saw Remus start to rise, and be restrained by Moody and the twins.
"Answer the question, Mr. Potter," Madame Bones said, gently. Harry turned to the Wizengamot, and saw Dumbledore look sadly at him, before nodding slightly. Harry took a deep shuddering, breath.
"My godfather, my Uncle Vernon, my cousin Dudley, and my friend Cedric Diggory have all died. They were murdered by Voldemort and his agents. My Aunt Petunia is in St. Mungo's. She was tortured into insanity by the cruciatus this summer when death eaters attacked our house. That's when my uncle and cousin were killed, as well. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have both nearly been killed. My guardian, Remus Lupin, has been attacked. My best friends were injured when Voldemort lured me to the Ministry in June when Sirius died. Then Ginny was attacked," he managed to choke out. People throughout the courtroom wore expressions of mingled pity and horror at what the handsome young man before them had suffered in the last two years.
"Aside from Ginny, do you hold Draco Malfoy or his family repsonsible for any of these attacks?"
"No, I do not," Harry said firmly.
"Mr. Potter, why did you attack Draco Malfoy that day?"
"It was the scar," Harry said hollowly. "When I saw that Ginny had been marked like that, like me, I had to do it. I had to protect her. I couldn't let her go through the things I have. I couldn't let her deal with that pain. This damn scar is the symbol of all of it, and now she had one too. I guess... I guess I lost control. I went to the Great Hall, and I levitated him up to the ceiling and pinned him there. As much as I wanted to hurt him though, as much as I hated him at that moment, I didn't do it. I put him back down and I went back to Ginny.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. I know that some of these things were very difficult for you to talk about," Percy said, giving him a small smile. Harry nodded.
"You may step down, Harry. Next witness," Madam Bones said.
Harry went dierectly to Ginny, who hugged him tightly to her, crying.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," she said, softly.
"Shhhh," he soothed. "It's not your fault. I'd go through it all again to make sure your safe." Ginny kissed him, oblivious to the reporters who were once again snapping pictures, and pulled him down to sit between her and Remus.
By the time they were settled, Madam Pomfrey had taken the stand. Her testimony went much quicker than either Harry's or Ginny's had. She gave a brief overview of Ginny's condition after the attack and confirmed that she had, in fact been placed under the cruciatus. Mr. Parkinson chose not to cross examine her, and she was allowed to sit down.
"The Ministry calls Auror Nymphadora Tonks," Percy said. Tonks entered, tripping as she came through the door. Blushing brightly, she hastily took the stand.
"Auror Tonks, you were the officer who took Miss Weasley's statement, is that correct?" Percy asked.
"Yes, it is," Tonks replied.
"And what evidence, if any, did you collect at that time?"
"At that time, the only evidence I collected was Miss Weasley's statement. I then contacted the Ministry, who sent a team of aurors to Hogwarts. When they arrived, Mr. Malfoy was taken in to custody and searched. We aslo checked his wand for evidence of priori incantatem. It was during our search, that the dark mark was discovered upon his forearm. Additionally, the priori incantatem indicated that one of the last spells his wand had performed was the cruciatus curse," Tonks said.
"Thank you, Auror. Mr. Parkinson, your witness." Parkinson rose, smiling nastily at Tonks.
"Auror Tonks, how did you come to be at Hogwarts at the time of Miss Weasley's attack?" Parkinson asked.
"I'm on loan from the Ministry, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Tonks answered.
"I see. Miss Tonks, is it true you and Harry Potter have a... personal relationship?" Parkinson said, smirking. Harry felt Remus tense beside him at the implication. The reporters in the room began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves.
"I'm not sure what you mean. He is one of my students, yes," Tonks said frowning. Parkinson raised his eyebrow.
"Your relationship goes a little beyond that doesn't it?" he sneered. Tonks flushed, glaring.
"Not in the way you seem to be implying," Tonks growled.
"Oh? Then please explain, Auror," Parkinson said. Tonks bit her lip, her eyes flicking to Remus, who was growling softly, deep in his throat. Harry put a restraining hand on his guardian,as did Moody.
"I'm in a relationship with Harry's guardian, Remus Lupin," she said, raising her chin defiantly, in much the same way Ginny had earlier.
"Aren't you in fact living with Mr. Potter's werewolf guardian," Parkinson asked. Tonks' eyes flashed dangerously at Parkinson.
"No, Mr. Parkinson. I am living with the man who happens to be Harry's guardian," Tonks snapped.
"Interesting that the one auror at Hogwarts, just happens to be living with Potter's werewolf guardian Auror, can you tell the court who found Mr. Malfoy's wand?"
"I did," Tonks said glaring. Harry watched in growing concern, as he noticed that Remus' eyes were beginning to take on a faint golden hue in his anger, as they did on full moon days. He saw his guardian's fists clench in his lap, and noticed he was taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
"Interesting," Mr Parkinson repeated with a smirk. "I have nothing further."
Percy rose to redirect, as Parkinson sat down by a maliciously grinning Malfoy.
"Auror, at anytime from his arrest until the search was concluded, were you alone with Mr. Malfoy?"
"No, I was not. Its Ministry policy that at least two people be with a suspect at all times," said Tonks.
"I see. Mr. Parkinson was so kind as to illuminate us about your relationship to Harry Potter, but you have a relationship to the defendent as well, isn't that correct?"
"Yes." Tonks smirked. "He's my cousin. My mother and his are sisters."
"Thank you, Auror. You may step down. The Minsitry has no further witnesses at this time," Percy said, as Tonks left the stand and came to sit by Remus, speaking softly and soothingly to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. Mr. Parkinson, do you have any witnesses to present?" Madame Bones asked.
"Yes, Minister. The defense calls Draco Phineas Malfoy," Parkinson said. Ginny tensed, and clenched Harry's hand. Draco stood and, as arrogantly as ever, strode to the witness stand.
"Mr. Malfoy, could you please tell us exactly what you remember of the events surrounding Miss Weasley's attack?"
"Certainly. I'd had class all morning, along with the rest of my house. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, really. The first I heard of the attack was in the Great Hall. I'd been eating lunch with my friends, when I saw Potter come in. He was all covered in this green fire and he hollered something about me touching his little girlfriend. Next thing I know, I'm dangling from the ceiling," Draco said, putting his hand dramatically to his chest.
"That must've been quite traumatizing for you, Mr. Malfoy," Parkinson sympathized.
"It was horrible," Draco said with a delicate shiver that made Harry long to get up and punch him.
"I know how awful this has all been for you, but could you please tell us what happened next."
"Dumbledore forced Potter to put me down, and then they all swept him off to the hospital wing. I was locked in my common room with my head of house, Professor Snape. I stayed there until the aurors came. I wasn't even sure why I was in trouble," Draco said piteously.
"So did you attack Ginevra Weasley, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Absolutely not," Draco said, looking Ginny staright in the eye. Harry clenched his jaw, and used every occlumency technique he could think of to keep from slamming Malfoy into the ceiling again.
"Tell us about your relationship with Harry Potter." Parkinson said. Draco sighed, shaking his head.
"I tried to be his friend, to teach him who the right sort of people to associate with were, but those Weasleys got their claws into him first, and fed him a bunch of lies about me. He's hated me from the first. He's always talking down to me, and he and his friends bully me. It's been terrible."
"Oh please," Ron muttered, before Hermione shushed him.
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Your witness, Weasley."
"Mr. Malfoy, it is your testimony that you did not attack Ginevra Weasley?" Percy asked.
"No, I didn't," Draco said haughtily. Percy nodded.
"So, how do you explain the fact that your wand was used to cast the cruciatus curse the day of Miss Weasley's attack?"
"I haven't the faintest idea. I would assume someone must've tampered with it," Draco replied, shooting a pointed glance towards Tonks. Percy smiled mockingly.
"Of course, it was tampered with. What about the dark mark on your arm, Mr. Malfoy? Was your arm tampered with as well?"
"No," Draco sneered. "My father put it there. It's a bit of a family tradition." Harry stifled a triumphant grin, as Draco's facade as the injured party slipped.
"Mr. Malfoy, how many times have you been given detention by professors at Hogwarts for the bullying of other students?"
"The staff is biased. They all love Potter and the Weasleys," Draco said.
"Answer the question, Mr. Malfoy," Percy said softly.
"I don't know," Draco hissed. Percy smiled.
"Fortunately, I have a copy of your record. In the five years you completed at the school, you have received over fifty detentions. At least half of them have bullying listed as the reason," Percy told him. Draco merely smirked at him, raising an arrogant eyebrow.
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. That's all," Percy said, returning to his seat.
"Mr. Parkinson, do you wish to redirect?" Madam Bones asked.
"No, Minister. The defense rests," Mr. Parkinson said.
"Very well," Madam Bones said. "I call for a vote."
"All those in favor of a finding of guilty," the deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt rumbled. A large majority of the Wizengamot members raised their hands.
"Those opposed?" Shacklebolt said. A handful of Wizengamot members, very imperiously raised their hands. Harry noticed that Dumbledore had abstained. Madam Bones held a brief whispered converstaion with Kingsley and a few others, then turned back to face Malfoy.
"Draco Phineas Malfoy, you have been found guilty of attacking and torturing Ginevra Molly Weasley. Furthermore, we find that you have, indeed, violated the laws prohibiting the use of unforgivable curses by the use of the cruciatus curse. Custom and law demands that you be sent to Azkaban," Madam Bones proclaimed.
Harry had kept his attention focused on Malfoy the entire time. The Slytherin was smirking broadly. Harry frowned. Something was not right. His eyes narrowed, as he saw the witch behind Draco reach out and covertly place something in his hands.
"Remus!" Harry hissed, but it was too late. Malfoy stood up, blew a mocking kiss at Ginny, and disappeared as the portkey activated. A collective gasp of outrage rose from those assembled.
"Bloody hell, someone has broken the wards around the courtrooms," Tonks cursed, as Harry struggled to get through the crowd to the witch who'd hand the portkey to Malfoy.
"Awww... little baby Potter. Are you coming to see me? Sad that my sweet nephew got away from you?" an all too familiar voice mocked as the courtroom filled with aurors. Laughing mockingly, Bellatrix ended the spell disguising her and disapperated.
A/N: I owe you all a HUGE apology for this chapter taking so long. I've gone back to college after being out for...well a really long time. I had two projects, three papers, and a test this week, so unfortunately, the story had to take the back burner. To make it up to you, I made it extra long. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Many thanks go out to Danielle for moderating, my son for telling me to just quit re-writing the courtroom scenes already, and all of you for reading and giving me such nice reviews.
Next chapter, fallout from the trial and it's Christmas! Yay!