"I don't want to go," Draco whispered to his uncle.
"I know you don't, but the sooner this starts, the sooner it will be over," Severus assured him. They were sitting in Albus's office awaiting the last few students who were to go along with them.
All those that saw the boys who had attacked Draco that night were to go as well. They had to testify, telling the officials who they had seen, and they had to tell them in what condition Draco was in when they found him. Madame Pomfrey had to testify about Draco's injuries.
Draco's anxiety doubled when Colin, Octavius and Dean finally walked through the door.
Albus looked at his students and smiled sadly. "I know this is going to be difficult for all of you, especially for you, Draco. Try to stay focused and be strong. Remember that the professors here at Hogwarts are always ready to listen, in case you feel the need to talk things through. Now, is everyone ready?"
Everyone nodded, if a little reluctantly. Albus couldn't blame them. He wasn't looking forward to this trip either. Seeing the four boys pay for their crimes wouldn't bring him any satisfaction either. He had known from the start that Draco and the others would have to testify. He wished there were something he could do.
Severus and Madame Pomfrey were the first to use the Floo network to arrive at the Ministry of Magic's offices in Diagon Alley. The trial would be held here, in a small courtroom downstairs. They immediately turned to catch any students that may hurt themselves coming out of the fireplace. Harry sprung foremost to Severus's mind. The young man never could figure out how to enter a room gracefully, despite all the practice he'd had over the summer.
Fred and Draco came next, and Harry followed. As he came flying into the room, Severus caught him and stood him upright, a slight smirk on his face. Harry ignored him and went to stand by his friend. He put a protective arm around Draco and waited.
As soon as Albus came in, the last one to leave Hogwarts, he led them to an office down the hallway. Inside was the prosecuting counsel. "Hello, my name is Sean Hannigan. I'm very sorry you all have to be here for this, but since the boys' counsels and their parents are being incredibly difficult, we have no choice but to put you on the stand. This shouldn't take more than a few days at most, and by the time it's over the assailants will be on their way to Azkaban for a very long time."
Everyone was led downstairs to the floor below and escorted into the small courtroom. The trial was to be closed, which meant that no media would be allowed inside to view the proceedings. Harry and Draco were both extremely relieved when they heard this.
The trial had caught the media's attention not only because of the charges, but also because of the two higher profile people involved. Draco was the son of a known Death Eater and a Malfoy no less. That was enough to whet the interest of the media, but when it was discovered that The Man Who Killed Voldemort was one of the witnesses, interest increased tenfold. Reporters were begging for entrance into the courtroom, some offering astronomical amounts of money for the chance of an exclusive look, but the Ministry wasn't budging, most likely due to the fact that they had more than one threat coming down on their heads from the witnesses' families.
As soon as they were all seated, the families of the accused filed into the room, taking the seats on the opposite side of the room. Then the officials brought in the four accused of the rape and attempted murder of Draco Malfoy.
Draco felt his blood turn to ice the moment the four walked into the room. He didn't turn to face them, but he could see them out of the corner of his eye. He jumped when he felt Fred squeeze his hand supportively. He gave his boyfriend a small wavering smile, unable to do more. He could admit to himself that he was scared senseless, but he'd be damned before he let those four bastards who hurt him know it. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He just wished this were all over with.
The judge came in and sat down. "Good morning. Today we start…"
Harry shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't looking forward to any of this. He tuned the judge out almost immediately and stared at the four that were on trial. Looking at them, he would never have guessed that any of them would be capable of raping and nearly killing someone.
Harry looked at the parents of those same young men. He wondered what they really thought of their children now. He wondered if they were disappointed in them. And if they were, why were they disappointed? Were they disappointed that they had done something so horrible, or were they simply disappointed that they were caught? Could they still love their children the same way? Considering the crime, Harry had to wonder if they loved their children at all? How did someone come to the conclusion that rape and murder were means to an end?
Harry jumped slightly when he heard the prosecuting counsel call Draco's name. Harry looked around as Draco stood on shaky legs and walked toward the front of the room. Apparently Harry had let his mind wander through the judge's speech, as well as the opening arguments for both barristers.
Draco sat down on the witness stand and the required amount of Veritaserum was administered. They waited for the truth serum to take effect.
When the needed time had elapsed, Hannigan started his questioning. "For the record, please state your name."
"Draco Lucius Malfoy."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen years, six months, three days."
"Where do you live?"
"At Snape Manor, with my uncle, Severus Snape. The mansion is 15 miles outside Birmingham.
Hannigan shuffled his notes a little. He was trying to stall a little to give Draco a chance to get used to the questioning. "What school do you go to?"
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Do you know the four young men on trial today?"
"Yes…and no."
"Could you please clarify your answer?"
"Yes. Nathaniel Merrick and Dylan Blake were in Slytherin House with me. They're in my year, and I've known them since first year. Armenio Cyrus and Tobey Allen are in my year, but they're in different Houses. I've had classes with them and I know of them, but I don't know them personally."
"Do you remember what happened the night of September 21st? A yes or no answer will suffice."
"Yes."
"Where did you go directly after dinner that night?"
"I went with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to the Gryffindor Tower."
"What did you four do when you got to the tower?"
"We studied in the common room for a while."
"What happened right after you finished studying?"
Draco cleared his throat nervously. "Ron wanted to play a game. Harry asked me if I wanted to go, but I told him we could stay. Harry went with Ron to get the game and help Ron find the pieces that were missing. I told Ron and Harry I would wait in the common room. Hermione went up to her room to put her books away. They were gone for a while and everyone else in the common room was making me uncomfortable, so I decided to leave on my own."
"What happened after you stepped out of Gryffindor Tower?"
Severus fidgeted anxiously in his seat. He knew what was coming, but this would be the first time he heard what happened from Draco's mouth.
"-and when the stairs finally finished moving, I stepped off. I knew it would be a while before the stairs changed back, so I set off down the nearest hall. I knew from conversations with my uncle that the main stairs weren't the only way to get to the dungeons, so I decided to try my luck. I ended up at a dead end."
Harry kept his eyes fixed on Draco as Hannigan asked, "What happened then?"
"I went to turn back and I was grabbed by two people. They threw me against the wall. It knocked the breath out of me."
"Who threw you against the wall?"
"Dylan Blake and Armenio Cyrus," Draco said, his voice wavering.
"What did they do next?"
"Blake and Cyrus grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the wall. I got a bit dizzy for a moment. Then Merrick started talking to me, calling me a Death Eater and telling me that it was time someone taught me a lesson."
"What happened then?" Hannigan asked. He hated doing this to the young man, but it was necessary and it would help Draco in the end. Hannigan's sister, who was a Muggle psychiatrist, said that going through the ordeal in the order that it happened would help him heal faster and that it would only hurt him if he kept the incident inside himself.
"I called Merrick a coward and told him his behaviour was unbecoming a Slytherin. I knew they were going to hurt me. Then Allen told me that it was time to reap what I had sown." Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "They grabbed me and threw me onto the floor. I hit my head again. Then they started beating me."
"All four of them?"
Draco nodded, tears filling his eyes. "Yes. Merrick and Allen beat my face and my chest. One of the other two was punching me in the ribs and stomach while the other was kicking me and jumping on me. I was in so much pain. I could feel my bones breaking. I wanted to scream, but I wouldn't…then I couldn't, because my jaw was broken." Tears slid down his cheeks.
The judge leaned over. "Would you like to take a small break?" he asked kindly.
Draco shook his head. "I just want to get this over with," Draco told the judge.
Hannigan took a deep breath. "What did they do next, Draco?"
"They stopped beating me and I thought that they would just leave me there. But then I could feel someone pulling my trousers off, and my boxers." Draco's tears flowed freely as the Veritaserum forced his mind to relive the rape. "I remember that hurt so badly because my leg was broken. I couldn't move at all. Then I could feel one of them… One of them forced himself inside of me. When he finished raping me, another one forced himself on me. I felt like I was being ripped in two. I was in so much pain; I don't remember anything else, because I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up, I was in the infirmary."
"I have no more questions, Your Honour," Hannigan stated.
The judge motioned for the defence to question Draco. The defence counsel stood up and said, "I have no questions at this time."
"Very well. Mr. Malfoy, you may step down. We will take a 10 minute recess."
Draco walked quickly out of the courtroom and to the nearest toilet, where he vomited. He flushed the toilet and rinsed his mouth with water from the basin. When he turned around, he saw his uncle waiting for him.
Severus had listened to Draco's testimony and it made him ill. If it were possible, he would gladly hand those four boys over to Voldemort. Then they would know what it was to be tormented by a Death Eater. Lucius Malfoy would have loved to rip the arrogance out of them. Rape and torture were Lucius Malfoy specialties. Sometimes Severus missed his childhood friend…usually at times like this.
When Draco had fled the courtroom Fred made to follow him, but Severus stopped him. He told Fred to let him go instead since he knew that at the moment Draco needed a parent more than a boyfriend. Severus looked and found his nephew in the lavatory.
Severus held out his arms and Draco ran to him, flinging himself against his uncle. Severus held his nephew while Draco cried. He wished there was something he could do, but this was one time when he had no control and he hated it.
Draco stopped crying after a few minutes. He wiped away his tears and blew his nose. "I guess we'd better go back to the courtroom," Draco mumbled.
"You've testified. You don't have to go back in if you don't want to."
"I don't want to," Draco answered truthfully, still under the influence of the Veritaserum. "I need to go back in there. I can't let them win. I can't let them make me weak. They can't control me."
Severus sighed. "Very well, but you will sit beside me and as far away from them as possible."
Severus and Draco walked back just as it was time to go back in. Draco sat down, flanked by Fred and his uncle. Severus pulled Draco to him protectively. Draco laid his head on Severus's shoulder, thankful that he had the security only his uncle had ever been able to give him.
Madame Pomfrey was called next. She fully explained how she found Draco, what she had done, and she provided the results of the tests done on Draco, which confirmed that Draco was indeed raped by the four boys.
The defence did their best to discredit Madame Pomfrey, but since they couldn't discredit her testimony under Veritaserum, it was nothing more than a waste of everyone's time.
After Madame Pomfrey was allowed to step off the stand, the judge decided that they should recess for lunch, since it was already after 2:00.
The entire group ate in a private room at the Leaky Cauldron. Or at least, most of them did. Draco did no more than push his food around the plate, making creative little designs with his vegetables. He was still feeling nauseated by both Madame Pomfrey and his own testimonies.
Severus rubbed Draco's back soothingly. "You should try to eat at least a little, Dragon. I don't want you to get sick."
"Precisely why I'm not eating much at the moment," Draco muttered.
Severus grimaced and pulled Draco's plate away. "You may have a point." How about a little pumpkin juice and maybe some bread with a touch of butter?"
Draco nodded and Severus went to get him some bread. Draco sat silently in his seat. He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Harry wrapped his arms around his neck. "Oi, Harry! You startled me. I didn't see you."
"Sorry about that. How are you doing? Are you okay?" Harry asked, concerned for his friend's welfare. He knew reliving the event so clearly must have been terrifying for him.
"All right, I guess. I'll just be glad when this is over. At least I've done what I had to do."
"True. If you need or want anything, just let me know," Harry said, kissing Draco on the cheek.
Draco smiled at his friend. "I'll do that. Thanks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When court reconvened at 3:30, Octavius was the first of the teenagers to be called to the stand. He was given the Veritaserum, waited the few minutes until it took effect, and then the questioning began.
Hannigan took Octavius step by step through the ordeal. Octavius told them how he and the others were in their way back to the Gryffindor common room when they ran into Harry, Hermione and Ron. He told them what Harry had said and how he had run into the hospital wing to find Madame Pomfrey. He also told them what he had seen when he and Madame Pomfrey came upon the injured Draco. He told how he and the others had levitated the boys to the infirmary.
The defence asked a few questions, but nothing of any consequence. Harry had to refrain from smirking at the defence. He knew that their case was virtually nonexistent. He didn't understand why they didn't just plead guilty in the first place. He figured that this was simply their way to try and humiliate Draco, but since the media wasn't allowed in the courtroom, and since everyone in the courtroom that was from Hogwarts already knew what happened, it didn't work.
By the time Octavius was allowed to step down from the stand, it was already 4:30, so the judge decided to recess until in the morning, so the students could have some time to unwind before they had supper.
One by one they used Floo powder to get back to Professor Dumbledore's office, Madame Pomfrey and Severus going first to catch those less than graceful. Once back at Hogwarts, everyone went to their respective rooms.
Draco burst into tears as soon as the door closed. Severus led Draco to the couch. He sat and pulled his nephew onto his lap, gently stroking his hair and back while Draco released all the pain and anguish he felt.
Harry and Fred sat on the other couch and didn't say a word. Not surprisingly, Draco eventually fell asleep. Harry motioned toward the bedroom, but Severus shook his head. His nephew was asleep and he wasn't going to risk waking him. Besides, Severus had always enjoyed it when Draco let him comfort him. It made Severus feel parental, something he most likely wouldn't experience unless he decided to adopt a child.
Harry heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and let Sirius and Remus in, indicating that they should be quiet. Fred moved to the chair and Harry sat between Sirius and Remus, comforted by the safety he felt.
Draco suddenly started whimpering. Severus watched him worriedly.
"He's going into his nightmares. He always starts that way," Fred said wearily.
Severus shook Draco gently. "Dragon, wake up." Draco suddenly opened his eyes, tensing and looking around wildly. "It's all right," Severus soothed, brushing his fingers through Draco's hair. "Nobody's going to hurt you. They're not here."
Draco sighed and shivered. "I'm hungry," he whispered drowsily, leaning his head on his uncle's shoulder.
"We'll go," Remus volunteered, getting up and pulling Harry up with him. Sirius got up as well, and the three of them walked to the kitchen.
"How was the first day?" Remus asked as soon as they got into the hallway.
"Horrible. You should have seen Draco. He was so brave to get up there, but I can't imagine what it was like to have to relive that attack. He was so hurt. He cried in front of all those people. Draco doesn't cry in front of people he doesn't know well. He'll cry in front of us, but no one else. They had the power to make him cry. That scared me more than anything did. Draco is always so strong, so sure of himself. I can hardly bear to see him like this."
"Who else testified today?" Sirius asked.
"Madame Pomfrey and Octavius Robbins. I'm guessing that most of the rest of us will testify tomorrow…possibly some on Wednesday. I'm not sure."
"Did the defence barristers harass Draco too much?" Sirius asked angrily.
Harry laughed. "No, they didn't even ask him a question. They were utterly useless today. They have no case and they know it. You can see it in their eyes. I know they only wanted to embarrass Draco and disgrace his name, not that it can get much worse with Lucius Malfoy attached to it. It won't work, though."
"Of course not," Remus assured him. "At least the trial is one day closer to being over."
Harry nodded. "I'll be glad. Maybe tonight we should talk about some of the wedding plans. It might raise Draco's spirits a bit."
"Yes, that would be nice. Maybe tonight we can agree on a wedding date," Remus said, staring pointedly at Sirius. They had been bickering over the right time to get married…which season, during school or during holiday, things like that.
"Okay, I get the message. We'll set the date before we go to bed tonight," Sirius said, tickling the pear to open the kitchen door.
Harry rolled his eyes and walked inside the kitchen as his godfathers started discussing possible dates, which dissolved into bickering.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone made an appearance down in the Great Hall for dinner, though they didn't eat much. Afterwards, Draco and Harry lay in front of the fire doing their work from this week's classes while Severus, Sirius and Remus discussed how improvements could be made to the Wolfsbane Potion. Fred had gone back to the store to help George for a while.
Severus thought that the potion might be improved now that he knew a little more about the physiology and psychology of werewolves. Harry had been doing research on werewolves, hoping to find a cure for Remus's affliction, and the book Albus had given Harry for his birthday had helped him understand lycanthropy much better. He told the two men that it was unfortunate that the cauldron he'd needed was sold to another. The cauldron was an Egyptian cauldron and the ancient Egyptians were rumoured to have been quite adept at counteracting certain aspects of the lycanthropic condition.
Harry and Draco glanced at each other and smiled. It wasn't much longer until Severus's birthday and they knew that the Potions professor would be surprised.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry and Severus were talking quietly when they heard a soft knock on the door. "Come in," Severus called out.
Draco walked inside, tears streaking down his face. He ran to the bed and threw himself into his uncle's arms.
Harry and Severus looked at each other miserably. Severus wrapped his arms around his nephew and rocked him gently while Harry got up and went into the other room. He found Fred sitting on the couch quietly.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
Fred sighed. "He had fallen asleep and the nightmares started. I woke him up and he just froze. Next thing I knew he was running into Severus's chambers. I'm afraid that his reliving the attack opened the wounds up again."
"Don't worry. I know he loves you," Harry said, sitting down beside Fred.
Fred slung an arm across Harry's shoulders and they sat back. "I know he does. I understand when he needs some space. He needs his uncle right now. He needs to feel completely safe."
Harry nodded. "I know. Listen, you take Draco's room and I'll sleep in mine. That way you can be here in case Draco needs you, and in the meantime Draco can stay with Severus for the night. I think that would be best. Severus will know what to do for him."
"When did you get so wise?" Fred asked.
"When I started shagging a Slytherin," Harry joked.
Fred laughed. "My little boy is growing up." Fred sniffled and said in a weepy voice, "I'm so proud."
Harry slapped the back of his head. "Idiot. Get some sleep, Fred. It's late."
Fred nodded and kissed Harry's forehead. "I'm going to. Good night, Harry."
"'Night," Harry replied as Fred got up. Harry stood and went back to Severus's bedroom. He smiled sadly at the sight before him. Draco was lying beside Severus. He had fallen asleep again. His cheeks were wet with freshly shed tears.
Harry quietly walked over to his lover. "I'm going to sleep in my room tonight," Harry whispered.
Severus nodded. Harry bent down for a light kiss and touched his lover's cheek. When he got to the door he turned and mouthed, "I love you."
Severus mouthed, "Love you." After Harry left he used his wand to extinguish the torches and he settled next to his nephew, wrapping Draco in his warm, safe embrace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry and Fred both woke up around five o'clock Tuesday morning. They tiptoed into Severus's bedroom and found that the two were still asleep. Draco looked peaceful for once, so they decided that it was best to let them sleep as long as possible. The two sat on the couch and quietly talked for half an hour before falling back asleep.
Severus and Draco woke up around seven o'clock and went to find the other two. They found them on the couch, Fred lying back against the arm of the couch and Harry using Fred's stomach as a pillow.
Severus felt an unnecessary pang of jealousy. He knew that Harry would never, and he knew there was absolutely nothing between the two of them, but he didn't like seeing them that close. He knew he was being an idiot, so he decided to never mention his feelings to Harry. He knew what Harry would say and Severus really didn't want to hear it. He was humiliated enough by the petty jealousy. He didn't need Harry to tell him he was being paranoid.
Draco, who was more secure than his uncle and needed no internal debate, walked up to Fred and tapped him on the shoulder. "Comfy?" he asked when Fred blinked stupidly and looked up.
Fred looked down at the sleeping person on him and smiled. "We were up early and were waiting for you two to wake up. I guess we fell asleep again." Fred ruffled Harry's hair. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."
Harry groaned and sat up. He winced at the cramp in his lower back. "What time is it?" he mumbled.
"Seven," Draco yawned.
"I need a hot shower," Harry said, standing up. "Maybe it will get this knot out of my back." Harry kissed Severus on the cheek and grabbed his hand. "Come on. You can give me a massage while we're in the shower."
Severus followed him into the bathroom and into the shower. He did as Harry had asked and massaged his lower back.
Harry frowned. He knew something was bothering Severus, so he turned around. "What's wrong with you? You're distracted. What is it?"
"Nothing's wrong," Severus replied, grabbing the bar of soap. He started to wash his body, but Harry grabbed the soap out of his hand.
"Liar," Harry said. "I know you. There's something bothering you and I want to know what it is. Is it about Draco?"
"It's nothing, really. I do not wish to discuss this, and no, it's not Draco," Severus snapped. He took the soap away from Harry. "Insufferable twat," he muttered.
"Oh, so it's me. Tell me, oh sarcastic one, what have I done to put you into such a light-hearted mood?" Harry waited a moment and received no reply. "Fine. Be that way. I'll figure this out myself. Let's see…last night you were perfectly fine when I went to myroom. You didn't see me again until this morning when you two woke up Fred and me. I don't get it," Harry said, looking at Severus with confusion. "I woke up and we came in here. I must be missing something…" Harry thought hard. He couldn't figure it out to savehis life. "Look, just tell me. I'm hurting myself here, and besides my back is killing me. Remind me to never fall asleep on Fred again like-"
Severus winced as he saw the light of knowledge go off inside Harry's head. He quickly turned his back and grabbed the shampoo, pretending to be oblivious to Harry. He sighed when Harry grabbed him and turned him around.
"You were jealous," Harry asked, not believing what his mind had concluded. "How could you possibly be jealous? I would never-"
"I know that," Severus snapped. "Don't you think I feel like an idiot? It's not that I think you would do any such thing. I just saw you with him, as innocent as it was, and I didn't like it."
"Severus, I'm not going anywhere. I'd never let anyone but you touch me," Harry said as he wrapped his arms around his lover.
Severus sighed and kissed Harry's scar. "I know. Do me a favour. Never fall asleep with him again, or anyone else for that matter."
"Possessive, are we?" Harry teased. "Have it your way. Can Remus, Sirius and Draco be omitted from the list of everyone?"
"Yes, but no one else. You belong to me and me alone."
"I can live with that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group reluctantly travelled back to the Ministry building to continue the trial. Hermione, Ron, and Dean testified in the morning. They took a lunch break, eating again at the Leaky Cauldron.
When court reconvened at one o'clock, Seamus was the first to testify. Then came Harry's turn.
Harry took the stand and opened his mouth, allowing the Veritaserum to be placed on his tongue. A funny feeling came over him and he felt slightly dazed as the potion took effect. He looked around the courtroom through what looked like a thin veil over his consciousness. His eyes fixed on Hannigan as he started his questioning.
He started the same as he did with the other students. "What is your name?"
"Harold James Potter."
A few perfunctory questions later and Hannigan got to the heart of the matter. "Can you tell me exactly what happened after you left the Great Hall?"
"Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and I went up to Gryffindor Tower to do homework together. After we finished for the night, Ron wanted to play a game. I asked Draco if he wanted to go back to our rooms, but he said that we should stay. Ron and I went up to find the pieces, but Draco stayed downstairs. He didn't want to come, but he said he would wait for us, that he wouldn't leave. We went upstairs to find the remaining pieces of the game that were missing."
"How long were you upstairs?" Hannigan interjected.
"About twenty minutes or so…no more than thirty. One of the pieces was stuck and wouldn't come when we summoned it, so we had to move things around to find it. When we came back down, only Hermione was sitting there. We asked the other Gryffindors what happened and they said that Draco had left about ten minutes earlier."
"What did you do then?"
"I threatened a few Gryffindors for not telling me that Draco left. I turned to Hermione when she screamed at me. She was holding the Marauder's Map and she saw that Draco was surrounded by four boys."
"What is the Marauder's Map?"
"It's a map of Hogwarts that shows all the rooms and passageways in Hogwarts, and it shows you exactly where everyone is in the school. Each person is represented by a dot with their name by it."
"This is the map?" Hannigan asked, holding up an old piece of parchment.
Harry nodded. "Yes, that is it."
"Who created this map?"
"The map was created by my father, James Potter and his friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, when they went to school here."
"How did you manage to come upon it?"
"It was given to me by Fred and George Weasley. They found it in Mr. Filch's office one day when they were in trouble."
"And how does this map work?"
"You tap the map and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' The map will form and show you what is going on in Hogwarts."
"Very well. What happened then?"
"We ran out of the tower and ran into Dean, Neville, Colin, Seamus and Octavius. They followed us and I told Octavius to go get Madame Pomfrey. I had the map in my hand. I saw the four dots moving in our direction. As soon as they rounded the corner, we stunned them and ran to Draco."
"Who were the four boys you saw coming from the hallway?"
"Nathaniel Merrick, Dylan Blake, Armenio Cyrus, and Tobey Allen."
"Tell me what you saw when you went down the hallway."
"We found Draco at the end of the hallway. Draco was unconscious. I could tell he had broken bones and he was bleeding a lot. His trousers and boxers were ripped off, thrown to the side. He was bleeding where they…I knew that he had been raped. I sank down beside him, waiting for Pomfrey to come. When she came, she tried to fix him up as best she could and then we helped her take Draco to the hospital wing," Harry said, his eyes filling with tears as the Veritaserum forced the image to the forefront with perfect clarity.
"I have no further questions, Your Honour."
The defence counsel stood up and picked up the map. "You say that this map tells you where everyone is inside Hogwarts?"
"Yes, it does."
"How can you be sure that it's accurate?"
"The map does not lie. My godfather, Sirius Black, told me that Truth Serums were used in the making of the map. I've used the map to avoid people I didn't want to see many times and it has never failed me. The map doesn't lie."
"I have no further questions, Your Honour."
"Very well," the judge said. "You may step down, Mr. Potter. We will recess until nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night, Harry rolled over and stared at Severus. "I hope this trial is finished tomorrow. I don't think Draco can take much more of this."
"I agree. I think it will be done. The only ones left to testify are the Creevey boy and Longbottom. I don't think it will take long for the judge to decide what to do with them."
They jumped when they heard a scream coming from the other room. They jumped up and ran to the other room to see Fred going through Draco's bedroom door. Harry and Severus walked to Draco's bedroom door and peeked inside. Draco was crying while Fred held them tight. Fred looked up and smiled weakly at them. They nodded and left them to themselves.
As they got back into bed, Harry sighed. "Draco really needs Fred here. I think he's going to be in a bad way for a while after this trial."
"Are you thinking that Fred should move in here? I don't know if Draco would be comfortable with Fred moving into his room. I think it might make him panic in this condition," Severus said worriedly.
"Then he can move into my room at least temporarily, until Draco is better, and I'll stay in here. I spend all my time in here when I'm not with my friends, and I sleep in here every night. It will only be until Draco can either stand for Fred not to be here, or until he can tolerate Fred moving into his room," Harry said diplomatically. He thought for a moment and then broke out into a grin. "I think it will most likely be the former. I don't think Fred would be able to find room for his clothes in Draco's closet."
Severus snorted and then eyed Harry warily. "What makes you think I want you living in here with me? It's one thing to have you here for a good shag, but to have you and your things underfoot? Oh, the horror," Severus sighed dramatically.
Harry stuck his tongue out at him. "Well, if you feel that way, I'll just go and sleep in my room." He made to get out of bed. He nearly climbed completely out before Severus yanked him back.
"You can move in here for a little while. I need a suitable pillow anyway," Severus reasoned, laying his head on Harry's chest as if to prove his point.
Harry laughed. "You always find the bright side to every situation, don't you?"
"Of course. That's me, the eternal optimist," Severus muttered. A few moments later Severus let out a loud snore before rolling off Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and snuggled up behind his lover.
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As soon as Harry woke up on Wednesday morning, he ran into Draco's room and scared ten years off his and Fred's lives, and then used Floo powder to tumble into Sirius and Remus's rooms. It was still very early, so the two were still asleep.
Harry placed the packages on the table inside the bedroom and quietly tiptoed to the bed. Remus's eyes opened and smiled at the young man. Harry grinned back and then proceeded to assault his godfather with a display of affection that even Remus found so sweet it was sickening.
"Happy birthday, Sirius," Harry said, sliding between the two men, once his godfather was properly humiliated.
"Thanks, I guess. Remus, next time warn me when he's going to do that," Sirius admonished.
Remus smirked. "And miss that display? Never!" He kissed Harry on the forehead. "Good morning."
"You, too," Harry said, pouncing on Remus and showering him with an equally disgusting display of sweetness.
"I believe that it's my birthday today," Sirius protested.
"So it is," Harry said, jumping up and grabbing a small package. He handed it to Sirius as he sat back down. "Since you wouldn't let us throw you a party, you can open your gifts whenever you want, but I want you to open this one now."
Sirius opened the small box and found a ring identical to the one Harry had given to Remus. "This is beautiful, Harry. Thank you so much. I love it," he said, slipping the ring on his finger. "I'll always wear it," he said, kissing Harry's head and giving him a hug.
Remus winked at Harry and got up to take a shower while Sirius opened the rest of his gifts from Harry.
When Remus came out of the bathroom, Sirius had already ripped open all his gifts. He smiled as he watched Sirius preen in his new dress robes.
Sirius heard a snort coming from behind him and he turned to see his fiancé. He grinned and struck a pose for Remus. "What do youthink?"
"I think I'm going to be sick," Remus commented playfully.
"I'm going to wear this to the Yule Ball," Sirius said, completely undaunted by his lover's amusement. "Look at this," Sirius said, taking off the robe and pulling on the leather jacket Harry had given him. "Is this great or what?"
Remus nodded, fingering the leather. "Very nice. It definitely suits you," he said, leering at Sirius.
"Oh, no you don't," Harry said. "Whatever you're thinking, I don't want to know. Just keep it to yourself until I leave, because if you share, I'm going to," Harry threatened.
Sirius looked horrified as a mental image of his godson and the Potions master flashed across his mind. "I've already seen it once, I don't want to go there again, thank you very much!"
Harry laughed. "Sorry! I'm going to go now. I'll see you two at breakfast."
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Wednesday saw the trial come to an end. Neville and Colin gave their testimony as soon as the court was in session. The defence, surprising everyone, decided against putting any of the accused on the stand under any kind of Truth Potion. They called two or three character witnesses and then both sides gave their closing arguments. They were out of the courtroom by noon and now all they had to do was await the judge's decision.
Severus and Fred flanked Draco on a bench while Harry paced up and down the hallway. They all waited impatiently just outside the courtroom doors.
Draco was a bundle of nervous energy. He hoped the judge sent them away to Azkaban for a very long time. The thought of seeing them free any time in the near future made his skin crawl. Even though everyone assured him that they would be imprisoned, he was still terrified. Questions kept flying through his troubled mind like dozens of little Golden Snitches fluttering around a Quidditch field. What if the judge is lenient with them because they were so young? What if the families of the two Slytherins bribed the judge? What if…
Fred nudged Draco lightly. He knew exactly what was going through his boyfriend's head at the moment. Draco had been worrying over the same questions since before the trial started. He only hoped that once the verdict was handed down, Draco would be able to have some sort of closure.
Severus kept Draco's hand firmly clasped in his. His stomach churned with anticipation. He would curse the judge to hell and back if he didn't do the right thing.
Harry continued pacing while his lover sat by his nephew's side. He could see the nervousness radiating from the three. Harry could also see the storm of emotions brewing inside Severus. That storm was just below the surface. If this decision doesn't go their way for some reason, he did not want to be anywhere near this building when Severus exploded.
Harry gazed at Severus and sighed. He would like nothing better than to climb onto Severus's lap and reassure him, but this wasn't the time or the place for such a thing. So instead Harry started pacing again.
Albus and Poppy were standing by the window quietly talking. Albus was much calmer than the rest because he'd just found out that Hannigan had asked that the judge be administered Veritaserum to make sure that the defence hadn't bought him. While the parents of the Slytherin boys had indeed tried to bribe the judge, he'd declined, telling the parents that if they continued they would be held in contempt and arrested.
The rest of the children stood in a small circle talking quietly. They didn't want to bother Harry or Draco unless it was absolutely necessary. The two were nervous wrecks. Hermione watched them closely. She felt awful for both of them. They'd had so much stress over the past few weeks. She hoped everything went the way it should.
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At two o'clock, they were told that the judge had reached his decision. Each of them filed in and sat down quickly.
Draco's heart was pounding so hard he thought that it might pound its way right out of his chest. Fred was so tightly strung that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Ron sat next to him. Ron just wanted this to be over so his friend could move on. Severus was ready to kill anyone and everyone if he didn't get his way. Harry thought he was going to be sick. Albus was calm and collected. After all, he had friends and he knew where the judge lived. Neville and Colin bit their nails. Hermione analyzed each of the judge's possible decisions. Dean, Seamus and Octavius each wondered if murder was always a crime as they stared at the backs of the boys whose lives were on the line. Pomfrey just hoped that Draco would be okay, no matter the outcome.
The judge looked from Draco to the four boys. "I have reached my decision. There's no use in dancing around the inevitable. I find all four defendants guilty of the charge of rape. I find all four defendants guilty of the charge of assault. I find all four defendants guilty of the charge of attempted murder."
Draco's entire body shook as relief flooded his entire body. Severus released the breath he'd been holding and wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling him close.
The judge stared at the defendants. "The four of you have been found guilty of all charges. What the four of you have done to one young man is despicable. I have no words for what I feel about your outrageous behaviour. The convictions you have brought against you are very serious, and they call for serious punishment. Therefore, for the charge of assault, I sentence you to twenty years in Azkaban prison. For the charge of attempted murder, I sentence you to thirty years in Azkaban prison. And for the charge of rape, I sentence you to forty years in Azkaban prison. These sentences will be served consecutively, which means that you will spend no less than ninety years in Azkaban prison." The judge turned to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, the court is truly sorry for the pain and suffering you have endured, both during the attack itself and for being forced to relive it. I truly hope you will one day be able to put this behind you."
Draco nodded, tears of relief streaming down his cheeks. It was over. It was finally over.
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After dinner that night, everyone went back to Harry and Draco's room to celebrate. Harry had the house-elves make Sirius a birthday cake and Remus had gone for butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.
They sang 'Happy Birthday' to Sirius and ate the cake while talking about anything and everything.
Draco was happy. He was surrounded by those he considered his family, and he could finally start to heal. When they'd come back, Sirius had been waiting in Albus's office waiting for them, since he had a free class period. Harry and Draco were the first after Severus to come into the room, and Harry had shouted out the good news. Sirius had beamed and enveloped Draco in a huge hug. Draco was still crying with relief and Sirius had sat down, pulled the young man onto his lap and held him until he quit crying. Sirius had whispered words of love and comfort that only he could hear, telling him that he'd never have to feel alone, ever. Sirius had told him that he was just as much a part of his family as Harry and Remus, and that meant more to him than any verdict that the judge could have decided.
Now he watched as Sirius opened his final present, another one from Severus. Severus had surprised Sirius with several gifts, each of them practical yet from the heart. Draco giggled as Sirius pulled out a miniature doghouse.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"
Severus smirked. "It's reduced in size. It's for whenever you and Remus get into an argument. Now all you have to do is enlarge it and you'll have a place to sleep."
Sirius roared with laughter. "Thank you. I do put my foot in it at times, don't I?"
"Yes!" Severus, Fred, Draco and Harry agreed. Sirius blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry. I've learned my lesson."