Chasing Freedom {Book 3: Chasing Butterflies}

Chapter 26: The Trial

Hi guys! Sounds even weirder to be saying this, but here's the third chapter in five days! I can't say I have written this much this quickly EVER, so I am super happy to have been able to update this as much as I have recently. I think it may because I am trying to procrastinate with packing for our big move in 11 days, but... oh well. Not going to complain!

Also, I have never written a trial, nor do I have a ton of knowledge about how courtrooms work, so I apologize if this isn't quite accurate or what have you. I tried. lol Hope you enjoy anyways!

Dedicated to Alana for putting up with me messaging her all the time recently. :P

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"You're guilty all the same; too sick to be ashamed. You want to point your finger, but there's no one else to blame." ~Guilty All The Same, Linkin Park

                The first month after Scorpius' birth seemed to pass all too quickly for Audrey. She had always heard motherhood was not for the faint of heart, and that was incredibly right. She had never been so tired in her life. Her son hadn't established a set sleep schedule yet, and it was often hard trying to sneak a few hours of sleep in when she could. She was lucky in a sense that she had Artemis to help her, although he was just as drained as she was these days. Having Narcissa around was helping too, although Audrey mainly tried to only use her son's grandmother as a backup for when she needed a shower or the like.

                Not that having those two was going to help her today.

                Audrey, along with many other close friends and family members, were being called to testify in front of the Wizengamot against Lucius and several other accused Death Eaters, including Pansy Parkinson. It had been a long day at court already, and all Audrey wanted to do was go back home to Scorpius and nap. She knew he was in safe hands with Artemis' mother, but it didn't make her feel any better about it. Although she couldn't tell if her uneasiness was caused by being away from her son, or if it was because she was about to come face to face once again with the man that killed her husband.

                It was probably safe to say it was both.

                Testifying against Pansy and some of the other Death Eaters had been easy. Audrey legitimately wanted to see them suffer for their part in all of this. But Lucius? She was so torn, and she was sure Narcissa felt the same way. This man was family. He had taken her in. He had once seemed like he cared about her. And then... he killed Draco, his own son. He had nearly killed them in Diagon Alley before that.  Because of Lucius, Scorpius would never meet his father. It was because of him that Audrey had gone through so much hell the last two months. And it was because of that Audrey knew she could show him no sympathy when it was finally time. He didn't deserve kindness, and Audrey was sure that since Kingsley Shacklebolt was in charge, Lucius would get what he deserved.

                As they drug the most recent Death Eater off the stands, Audrey knew that she really needed to start preparing herself. She was fairly certain the next person was going to be Lucius, and she was bound to be one of the first to testify. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. Getting worked up before even seeing the man wouldn't help her. Audrey felt a hand rest on top of hers, and didn't even need to look over to know it was Artemis.

                Before she had time to react to that, she saw the guards drag in yet another person for trial, and it was exactly as she thought. Lucius was next, and she knew that she was going to have to be brave. She studied her father-in-law's facial expression carefully. Lucius looked completely unfazed, although certainly disheveled from his two month stay in Azkaban. As the court went through with their formal introductions with the accused, Audrey took another deep breath, steadying herself and preparing for the questions she would be asked.