The Difference in Reality [A Harry Potter Fanfiction]

Summer of Year 4: Chapter 3

Thank you for all of your support so far! Every read and vote is optional, so when you stick with this story all the way through, it means more to me than you will ever know! We're almost halfway there, so I hope you love Willow Guerrero's crazy life as much as me and come along for the wild ride ahead!

I've got some pretty big plans! ;)

Love you all so much!!! Enjoy the next chapter!

~ Leaven Greenleaf

"He has nothing to do with this. Can we move on, please?"

Fudge peered at her from over his glasses. "Miss Guerrero, we must rule out the implication of revenge in this case. What happened to your brother- "

"-has absolutely nothing to do with this case." Willow gripped the sides of her chair with white knuckles. "Please, don't reopen old wounds. My brother has been out of the picture for years."

"But the fact of the matter remains that Orion- "

"-is not a part of this investigation. End of story." Willow's foot tapped the floor uncontrollably. "For the love of God, can I just give you my version of the story? You'll see that Orion has nothing to do with any of this."

"Minister," Dumbledore said calmly, "I believe it would be most beneficial for the defendant to state her testimony."

Fudge's face purpled slightly, as if he had counted on talking about Orion, but he eventually let out an exasperated exhalation. "Fine. Let the defendant state her case."

Willow stared down the Minister of Magic as she launched into her story. Her defiant eyes never wavered from his stern, cold gaze. She told him about the torture of her mother–of course, after the Minister had so conveniently left the room–and the mistreatment she'd received in the dungeons. She spilled her guts out about the effects of having her memory searched. She masterfully described in vivid detail the brainwashing her mother had and was still receiving from her own family. There was no error, no pause for breath, no stumble over words; Willow let them have it. She ended up on her feet, preaching to the rows of no-longer-stone-faced judges, telling them exactly the hell she'd been through. And somehow, through it all, she never once mentioned Frodi or Deandra Terrell.

The Minister's mouth twitched from a frown into a sober neutrality. He didn't appear nearly as affected by Willow's speech as the rest of the jury, but she'd made a dent in his view of her actions. Something about her candid words and raw, emotional tone had gotten through to him. Willow plopped back into her chair, glaring pointedly at Fudge.

"Happy now?" she said. "Orion was in no way a part of this. Until you brought him up, I'd finally managed to forget about him for a little while, so thanks for digging that up."

Fudge reddened. "Revenge motive has been set aside for now. We call to the stand Paige Adams. You may have a seat, Miss Guerrero."

Shooting Paige a pained glance at the mention of her former last name as they traded spots, Willow took a seat beside her friends. They crowded around her, asking all sorts of questions, especially about who this Orion person was. She hardly heard them. Each mention of her brother was another mallet swing to her heart. She felt like a piece of spider-cracked glass, only the slightest of touches away from shattering completely. When it got to be too much, she simply got up and moved to an empty section of benches. Her friends didn't follow.

Willow hardly paid attention to the rest of the trial. While her friends were called up one by one to be cross-examined, her mind drifted further and further away from the room. Memories invaded her brain: running in the rain, sledding down the side of a snowy hillside, long walks through nature preserves, and countless starry nights spent laughing until dawn. Willow desperately closed her eyes and tried to force them out, but the harder she tried, the faster they pressed in.