Chapter 6
The day of the Hearing was upon them. He and his mother had passed the days spending their time on the grounds, in the library or conservatory, and with Andromeda's frequent visits. The Carrows trials had been held that morning and they were both sentenced to life in Azkaban after the testimony of Hogwarts students who had suffered under their wands. Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley had the most compelling stories of the Carrows actions and beliefs, but the testimonies of the younger students had supposedly been the most heartbreaking.
If Kingsley is correct, the conclusion of the Carrows trial will keep the attention away from his mother and himself after their own hearing. His father’s trial was scheduled for three days later, and Kinsley was planning to announce the results of his and his mothers' hearings as a blip in that article. Straightening his black dress robes and running another hand nervously through his hair, he joined his mother at the edge of the wards for the Auror to escort them to the ministry. As the Auror appeared at the edge of the wards, Draco offered his arm to his mother to steady them both.
" If you will join me, I will apparate both of you directly into one of the smaller courtrooms in the ministry due to the remaining activity from the Carrows trial. "
Draco and His mother both nodded their consent to the Auror before moving to each take an Arm. They disapparated from black cottage and appeared in a smaller courtroom where Kinsley was waiting for them.
" It is nice to see you both. We will be starting in a few moments, once the selected wizengamot members have joined us. We have chosen members that have no underlying bias against death eaters or all pureblood families. We will be starting with Mrs. Malfoy as hers will conclude quickly. Lady Malfoy, if you could sit on the chair in the middle of the room and Scion Malfoy if you could sit down at the back there. “
Draco and Narcissa moved to the seats that Kingsley indicated. The room started to fill with wizengamot members and before too long. There were 35 members of the wizengamot sitting in the raised seats above them.
“We are here this afternoon for the hearings of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. As there were extenuating circumstances surrounding their involvement with Voldemort. This is not a full trial to determine the guilt of either party but to determine if their circumstances were reinforced by any prejudice. We will begin with Lady Malfoy.”
His mother had slightly straightened her spine while sitting in her chair when Kingsley had started addressing the wizengamot members in the room. Behind him, He noticed his aunt enter the room followed by Harry Potter and Hermione granger.
He couldn’t help but wonder why they were there and if they had come to condemn him and his mother. They made their way to sit across from the other people in the room.
“We will begin by asking Lady Malfoy a series of questions before taking defense statements."
“Now Lady Malfoy, did you ever participate in any Ambushes or raids?"
“No, I did not.”
“Did you ever attend any revels or meetings?"
“Revels, no. I was required to attend many meetings at the command of my husband”
" Did you participate in any sessions of torture of individuals who opposed Voldemort?"
” No, but was I forced to watch on multiple occasions including the torture and subsequent death of Charity Burbage at the hands of the Dark Lord and the torture and mutilation of miss Granger at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.”
" Did you ever believe that Muggleborns deserved to die for having magic? "
" No, not even at the insistence of my parents. I believe that they need to be better educated regarding our world and customs. I may not agree with muggle parents knowing about our world without an insurance policy, but they do not deserve to die. It was at the command of my husband that I acted the way I did. "
" Did you want Draco to take the dark mark and accept the task of killing Albus Dumbledore? "
"No. My husband and I fought about it on multiple occasions. After one such occasion, He forbade me from ever interfering if Draco were to take the mark or be given a task. Instead of trying to go against my husband I went around him. I went to one of my closest confidants, Severus Snape and got him to vow to protect and Aid Draco during his task. "
" Thank you, Lady Malfoy. We will now call andromeda Tonks to answer some questions based on a memory that had been submitted. "
Andromeda made her way to sit on the witness stand to be better seen by both his mother and the Wizengamot.
" Mrs. Tonks, can you verify that Lady Malfoy bore no ill - will towards muggleborns and did not agree with Voldemort's Ideology?”
" Growing up. Narcissa always questioned our parents' teachings, she could never understand why they believed that muggleborns Stole their magic or that they were not worthy of having wands. She did not know that Lucius had the dark mark before they were married, she had already broken her betrothal to Thoron Nott the year before when she
discovered he had been branded. Had she known about Lucius, she would have done everything in her power to not marry him, much like how I married Ted before we had planned to void my betrothal contract to Rabastan Lestrange.”
“Why did Narcissa never inquire about dissolving her marriage once Lucius' involvement with Voldemort was known?”
“In the betrothal and marriage contract signed by our father and Abraxas Malfoy, only the head of either family can dissolve the marriage once consumption occurred and only with proper cause. The head of House Black at the time would have never broken a marriage
with the Malfoy family, and Abraxas would have seen no reason to end the marriage. When Sirius became the head of house black, he was in Azkaban and Lucius had forbidden her from Speaking to blood traitors. The old black family marriage bonds forbade a bride from going against her husband. She was unable to do anything about her marriage until Draco
accepts the duty of being lord black. "
“Thank you, Mrs. Tonks. We would now like to speak with Mr. Harry Potter. "
As Andromeda made her way off the stand. His mother bowed her head at her sister. Potter made his way up to the stand and proceeded to tell the Wizengamot about how his mother had lied to Voldemort in exchange for knowing that he was safe. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Granger and his aunt having a whispered conversation before Granger made her way out of the room. When potter finished speaking, Kinsley stood up once more to address the room.
" We will take a few moments to deliberate before handing down a verdict. "
For the next five minutes Draco watched the wizengamot debate behind a silencing spell. When they reached a verdict, the silencing spell was dropped before Kingsley started speaking.
" Narcissa Malfoy has been cleared of all charges contingent on one stipulation. Her marriage to Lucius Malfoy will be dissolved as soon as Draco Malfoy accepts the responsibilities as head of the house black. The marriage is to be dissolved based on the abuse of their marriage bonds by Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy, do you agree with this stipulation? "
" I do Minister, I have wanted to become a black again for a long time. "
Draco stared intently at his mother, the only thing Keeping his jaw from dropping was years of training to keep his face neutral at the cane of his father and grandfather.
" We will now commence the Hearing of Scion Draco Malfoy.”
At these words, His mother joined his aunt in the stands, and he moved to sit in the vacated chair in the centre.
“We will begin with questions before we accept crowd statements.”
" Draco Malfoy, did you ever want the dark mark? "
“Yes, before he came back. I grew up with my father and grandfather telling me that it was an honor to take the mark and that only the greatest families could have it. When the dark lord came back and demanded the use of Malfoy Manor as his headquarters, I became disillusioned quite quickly about what the dark mark stood for. I no longer thought it was an honor but a disgrace. “
" Were you willing to take the dark mark when it was required of you? "
" No. After Bellatrix failed to persuade me with multiple rounds of torture, the dark lord threatened to give my mother as a gift to Greyback to torture, rape, and kill to while I was forced to watch before I agreed to take the mark. "
At this point the faces of the Wizengamot showed both horror and disgust before Draco realized that the chair must have been charmed to invoke the complete truth from those sitting on it. He would have never shared that much had he been speaking without the charm. He felt extremely ashamed of admitting the circumstances behind taking the mark. The inquisitor had to clear his throat before continuing his line of questioning,
" Why did you never accept the aid offered by Professor Snape? "
" I didn't want my failures to be reported to the dark lord and result in him taking it out on my mother. I never knew of his true allegiance or whether the conditions of the vow would protect her. "
"Did you use any unforgivable willingly throughout the course of the war?
" No Each one was to protect my mother’s life. I could barely even muster the anger and hatred to use the cruciatus curse, when I was forced to use it, I deliberately made it weak. "
“We have been informed that you lowered your wand on the astronomy tower. Would you have taken Dumbledore's offer had you more time? "
" Yes, but only if he could have gotten my mother to safety. "
" What did you do during the battle of Hogwarts? "
" I mainly tried to avoid any duels and protect my mother. At one point I followed Potter, Granger, and Weasley into the room of hidden things. I wanted my wand back. I didn't realize that I had been followed by Gregory Google and Vincent Crabbe until they were trying to capture Potter and almost used an unforgivable on Granger. When the Fiendfyre was cast by Crabbe, He lost control of it quickly. Potter, Granger, and Weasley saved my life along with Gregory Goyle. After that I tried to help Hogwarts students during the battle without outing myself to the death eaters. "
" What would you do if you were cleared of all charges? "
" I would take my newts before starting a dual mastery in potions and charms ":
" Thank you, Scion Malfoy, We would now. like to call Scion Blaise Zabini to testify”
Draco looked over sharply. He never noticed the door of the chambers open during his
questioning. Now he could see that the witness seats were filled with people, Blaise, Daphne Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were all present and sitting with his aunt and mother.
“Scion Zabini, would you be able to Elaborate on the mental and emotional State of Scion Malfoy after he was tasked with killing Albus Dumbledore?”
“Draco was drowning, he was drowning while trying to complete a task that he was doomed to fail all to protect his mother. Everyone in Slytherin watched his suffering and watched as none of the teachers aside from Snape tried to intervene. Our headmaster, who knew of his task refused to offer him any relief from his torment. No one who saw Draco that year could say that he wanted the task or was happy to serve Voldemort,”
" Thank you, Scion Zabini. We would now like to speak with Daphne Greengrass. "
Daphne switched places with Blaise on the stand before nodding her assent for the question.
“While performing the duties of Head Boy and girl under Severus Snape and the Carrows twins, Did Scion Malfoy perform his duties proficiently? "
" If you are asking if Draco tortured the students that the Carrows wanted punished during detentions, then no he didn't. Draco refused to torture any students and would not give detentions if he caught any rule breakers during rounds.”
“Thank you miss Greengrass. We would now like to speak to Neville Longbottom.”
Once Neville was seated, the question was asked.
“Scion Longbottom, can you speak to the behavior of Draco Malfoy under the Horrors of the Carrows twins? "
" Malfoy saved my life more than once. The Carrows enjoyed torturing those who spoke against them which I did frequently. After the torture sessions. I would try to get back to the room of requirement, sometimes I wouldn't be able to make it before my body would give out. If Draco came across me during rounds as head boy, he would bring me to an alcove by the room before healing me. After the second time it happened, he started stashing healing supplies in the alcove and warded it against the Carrows. "
“Thank you, Scion Longbottom. we would now like to speak to Luna Lovegood.
Miss. Lovegood, can you speak for the actions of Draco Malfoy during your imprisonment at Malfoy manor?”
Luna had her dreamy vacant look on her face before she started speaking.
"It wasn't that bad. Draco made sure we had enough food and gave us blankets that he would hide behind a few loose stones in the dungeons along with pain potions and some basic healing supplies in case he couldn't get to us. Bellatrix would make him practice the cruciatus on us, thankfully he didn't have the anger to cast it, but we knew to scream to avoid anything worse. Those of us that were in the dungeons owe our Sanity to Draco, He saved us from being under the wand of Bellatrix.”
“Thank miss. Lovegood. We would now like to speak with Hermione Granger. "
Hermione moved to the witness stand, while trying to avoid looking at Draco. Looking at him would bring her back to the drawing room floor more than talking about it will. she could feel her family magic ready to lash out against her shields and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why it wouldn't settle down.
" Miss. Granger can you elaborate on your captivity at Malfoy manor? "
" We accidentally broke the taboo on Voldemort's name and were trying to escape the snatchers, I cast a stinging Jinx on Harry's face right before they caught up to us; but they recognized Ron and I and decided to take us to Malfoy manor. They snapped my wand on our way up the path before they drug us into the drawing room and called for Draco to identify Harry. He knew who we were but refused to positively identify us. We were all about to be taken to the dungeon before Bellatrix noticed the sword of Gryffindor, being held by a snatcher, she then decided to question me by using the cruciatus and a cursed blade. Had Draco intervened Bellatrix would have killed him and his mother whether they were family or not. I don't blame Draco.”
“Thank you miss. Granger, finally we would like to speak to Mr. Harry Potter. "
Harry embraced Hermione while they passed each other to trade places on the witness seat.
" Mr. Potter you wanted to speak about the Astronomy tower and the events of Malfoy manor.”
" I had been in a body bind underneath the Astronomy tower. I heard the panic in his face and saw him start to lower his wand before the death eaters entered the tower. Had my mother still been alive, I would have done anything to protect her as well. When Hermione, Ron, and I were trying to escape from Malfoy manor Draco never fought to keep me from disarming him. He could have kept his wand. He is talented at dueling, but he didn't.
Those are not the actions of a person who wants Voldemort to win. Those are the actions of a person forced on a side because of his family. Draco Malfoy had as much choice in being a death eater as I did in being " the boy who lived”. He didn't have any. What he chose to do helped us defeat Voldemort and without him we would not have defeated Voldemort. "
Draco had to stop himself from snorting. He had lied about knowing who he was to stop Voldemort from winning, because had Voldemort won the lives of the Malfoy family would be forfeit.
" We will take a few moments to deliberate and then announce the verdict. "
The silencing spell that they had used earlier was cast again before any of the Wizengamot started speaking. Draco made eye contact with anyone who spoke on his behalf until he made eye contact with Potter, where he nodded in thanks and with the unspoken promise of a truce. He tried to make eye contact with Granger, but she had avoided looking at him since he noticed her presence. He could not understand why She wouldn’t look at him even though she had said she didn't blame him during her testimony. Suddenly Draco noticed Kingsley standing up before he dropped the silencing spell.
" The Wizengamot finds Draco Malfoy to be cleared of all charges as he was under the threat of death of not only himself but of his family. His record will be expunged after the conclusion of his NEWTS and the acceptance of the responsibilities and the titles of Lord Black. Draco Malfoy, do you agree to these terms? "
" I do. "
" Then you are a free man Scion Malfoy, good luck on your NEWTS. "
With that Draco stood to join his mother and Aunt to floo back to black cottage. When he approached his mother, he noticed Blaise and Potter talking to her. shaking Potter's hand, he thanked him for speaking before he embraced Blaise.
“One day you will explain to me how the fuck you pulled all of that off and convinced the merry group of Gryffindor’s to speak on my behalf to the court, and there better be fire whiskey.”
Blaise chuckled before responding, “It wasn't me mate.”