The Shapes of Love *Ron Weasley*

Chp 0 ~ Prologue

TW: Mild descriptions of violence/injury

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"The charges against the accused are as follows: that she, Nova No-Name, did knowingly and in full awareness of the illegality of her actions murder Auror Xavier Viotto. Do you deny killing Mr. Viotto?"

"No, but—"

"And you are aware the punishment of such conviction is, for someone so young at least, a life sentence in Azkaban?"

"I am, howev—"

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot, you have heard it here, Ms. No-Name has confessed to the murder and admits she knew—"

"But I didn't know!" Nova yells out, finally plucking up the courage to interrupt the Chief Warlock. "I didn't know when I," she hesitates, the words forming a heavy lump in her throat, "that when I killed Viotto, he was human. I didn't know he was an animagus." Her voice cracks slightly from sincerity, "I swear."

"And how is it you were unaware of this?" A middle-aged witch with greying hair speaks up from Nova's left. "Considering your unique abilities."

Nova swivels her head to the side, the only part of her body not chained to the chair she sits on. The thick metal bracelets and anklets have already rubbed her wrists and ankles raw. Her back and butt ache from being forced to sit and lean against nothing but metal or brick or stone for the past few days... weeks... Nova didn't know. All she had known recently was dark small, sometimes damp, spaces with no windows and exits only accessible by performing magic - something she couldn't currently perform due to having her wand confiscated and the barbaric collar secured around her neck.

Nova makes eye contact with the curious, if not audacious, witch. The judge, as well as those around her, visibly flinch and advert their eyes. If Nova weren't so scared right now, she would have rolled her own. Did they really think she'd try something with their murderous magical ring around her neck? The ring, whose blade felt like fire, had already dug into her throat and drawn blood, which was now simultaneously dried and dripping onto her collarbones. The cut's not yet deep enough to cause serious injury but annoying enough to cause extreme continuous discomfort.

The Aurors who had restrained Nova and strapped the collar to her upon arrival at Azkaban had, "honest-to-Merlin forgotten to tell the murderess its purpose" before they left her to rot. The first night of her stay, Nova closed her eyes during a moment of weakness and desperation and held her breath. She willed herself to transform into the tiniest mouse in all of existence in hopes of slipping through the crack in the cell wall. But as soon as she felt the tingling of transformation begin, so did the assault of white-hot pain and tightening of the collar.

It was the worst pain Nova had ever felt. Worse than when she broke her arm falling from her favorite oak tree, worse than when her father's motorcycle tipped, and the engine landed on her calf and burnt it, worse than when her dormmates at Ilvermorny slipped a potion into her body wash and she broke out into pus-filled boils. She gripped and scratched and yanked at the collar, but nothing helped. Her thrashing only fueled her torment, causing the collar to tighten and dig into the soft flesh of her neck until it bled.

Nova wishes that personal torture device was the worst part of being held in Azkaban, but it wasn't. It was the least of her worries.

Nova adverts her eyes from the judge, hoping the small consideration will earn herself a little respect. "I was in a state of severe stress when the... incident happened. I wasn't thinking properly, at least not with the human part of my brain. The animal took over. Think of it as self-preservation."

"Is that what it was, self-preservation, six-years ago?" The sickly sweet tone comes from a new witch on the other side of the semi-circle of onlookers.

Nova whips her head around so quickly that her chains clank together. And when she makes eye-contact with the bubblegum pink witch, she doesn't avert her eyes; no, she stares her down like a predator to prey. Nova's blood begins to boil, and her hands shake as the staredown continues. The toadlike witch merely tilts her head and dons a knowing smirk. The gesture sends a growl through Nova's body, and she knows her eyes must have begun to change based on the way witches and wizards gasp and turn away from sight.

Nova could feel the tingling of transformation begin to spread through her body, and then it happens. A shrill cry of pain erupts from Nova's lips and reverberates around the dark room. Her back arches, her legs lock up, and her wrists strain against the chains as she tries to reach for the collar. Hot tears pool in her eyes as her teeth gnash together. Fresh blood begins to leak from her reopened wound, creating a crimson necklace. The feeling of the thick liquid slowly sliding down her throat is torturous due to her inability to wipe it away.

A cacophony of horrified conversation fills the court and does well to cover Nova's cries. That is until the Bubblegum broad silences the room with an unsettling yet compelling, "hem, hem!" All heads swivel back to her direction, and silence settles amongst the court. Nova's pain subsides just as the silence ensues, and the only sound for a moment is her ragged breaths. When she finally gets the strength to turn her head once more towards the outspoken woman, she speaks again.

"Well, clearly even while under magical constraint, the vile creature is unable to control her unnatural proclivities." Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary, exclaims. Her nose tips up, but her eyes look down on Nova as she states, "I don't understand why this trial has taken so long. She is guilty beyond doubt of multiple murders, and unless she has a witness or defense to speak on her behalf, no further discussion is needed." Umbridge smiles, and Nova thinks she may throw up. "Those in favor of conviction?"

Nova watches as hands raise one by one until nearly the whole court has a palm extended in the air. This is the end, Nova laments within her mind. I am going to die like an animal chained to a cage and marked with a collar. A single frustrated tear slips down her cheek. All hope is lost, that is, until one man's voice sounds from behind her.

"Wait!" He commands. "This trial is not yet over."

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AN: Yikes... so Nova has had it pretty rough...

I promise the next chapter will be more light hearted! And it may also be when Nova is introduced to a certain red-headed wizard ;)

Thank you for every read, comment, and vote!

P.S. I love interacting with readers/commenters! So feel free to comment to your heart's desire lol. I will for sure respond!

Mischief Managed,
Saoirse <3