Draco sat down in the courtroom without complaint as they chained his wrists to the chair and the court settled. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, Draco appeared quite alert and calm. When he spotted Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny in the crowd watching, he waved at them with a small smile on his face. Ron and Harry waved back but even the sight of their friend wasn't enough to draw a smile from any of them. Hermione was wringing her hands and Ginny was quite stony-faced.
Looking at his papers, the judge said, "The trial of Draco Malfoy. You refused defensive counsel?"
"Yes," Draco said. His tone was even and pleasant.
"You stand accused of being a Death Eater," the judge said. "What do you say to those claims?"
"I say it depends on your definition of a Death Eater," Draco replied easily. "If, by being a Death Eater, you mean I have the Dark Mark then yes, I am a Death Eater. However, if a Death Eater is someone loyal to Voldemort and his cause than no. I have never been one."
"According to our records, you spent most of your sixth year plotting to kill Professor Dumbledore," the judge said. "How can you explain that?"
"The lives of people I care about were being threatened," Draco replied calmly. "Voldemort told me that if I failed or refused, he would torture and kill my mother and father as well as my girlfriend and best friend. I was fifteen at the time, just turned sixteen, and I didn't believe anyone had the power to save me or protect them so...I agreed."
"Potter has been claiming you turned your back on the Death Eaters in the middle of the war," the judge said. Draco glanced over at Harry. "Tell the court about that."
"After what had happened at the Astronomy Tower, I believed my girlfriend Dioleh to be dead," Draco explained. "But when Dioleh's best friend Imani was held captive at my house, I knew I couldn't continue fighting for Voldemort anymore. I tried to escape with the other prisoners as well, but we were sold out and only Imani and I escaped. She brought me to Zabini Manor where my then former friends Blaise, Andre, and Dioleh were hiding while they searched for Horcruxes. I had been badly hurt and was unconscious while they discussed my being there. Eventually, they decided to keep me there because they refused to allow Voldemort to kill me, despite all I had done to betray them. As time went on, however, they began to trust me again. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who have hated me since first meeting me, began to trust me. I fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and would have died if that was what it took to end Voldemort."
"As grand as that all sounds, what about the crimes you committed before changing sides?" the judge asked. "From my understanding, you almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley."
"That is correct," Draco said. His tone was had grown sombre. "And those are mistakes I will spend a lifetime striving to correct."
"And what would you do if you were to be released?" the judge asked. Draco thought a moment before he finally had his response.
"I would use my family's money to help England recover from the war," he replied. "But specifically help the families of those who lost people and the families of muggle-borns."
"Very well then," the judge said. "Does anyone wish to testify on behalf of or against Mr. Malfoy?"
Getting to her feet, Hermione said, "I would."
"Very well, Ms. Granger," the judge said, waving her forward.
Facing the court, Hermione said, "I first met Draco when we were both eleven attending Hogwarts for our first year. At the time, Draco was entitled, arrogant, and discriminatory. For years, he called me 'Mudblood' more than he called me by my name. But then, he met my sister, Dioleh. For reasons none of us could ever explain, she made him want to be better. Over the following two years, he became someone I didn't recognize. He was kind, laughed easily, and he was someone I could actually spend time around without feeling bad about myself. He may have become a Death Eater, but when he left, I saw the same person he was before."
"If I may, Ms. Granger, how do you explain that he was willing to join in the first place?" the judge asked, lowering his glasses slightly. "Even after this grand transformation you've described, he still joined the Death Eaters."
"Draco did not join by choice," Hermione said.
"Is this true?" the judge asked, shifting his gaze to Draco.
"Yes," Draco said and for the first time, they all heard his voice break. "He tortured me until I agreed."
"Are there any more witnesses?" the judge called.
Rising to his feet, Harry said, "I would like to publicly state for the record my support in releasing Draco Malfoy."
"Noted," the judge said. Turning back to Draco, he said, "You will be sent back to Azkaban until we have reached our decision."
As he was forced to his feet, Draco turned to Hermione and said, "Thank you."
"How is Dioleh?" Hermione asked.
"She's not good," Draco replied as they started to lead him away. Turning his head towards her, he said, "She's still being heavily sedated and they haven't given her food for several days. She can't respond to me anymore."
"Tell her I love her and that I'm fighting for her!" Hermione called as Draco was led beyond where she could go.
"I will!" he promised. The door clanged shut behind them.