As Ronald Weasley approached the stand, Draco braced himself. He knew the redhead had many justified reasons for hating him. Years of bickering and ridicule at school aside, Draco had recently made a move on his ex-girlfriend, and it was now being splashed all over the tabloids. Draco knew all too well that hurt pride could make a man do terrible things.
While Hermione and Potter may have just defended him, the fact that one-third of the Golden Trio thought him guilty would certainly complicate things.
"Mr. Weasley," McLaggen said, "could you describe for the court what happened to you the morning of March 1st, 1997, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
"I could . . ." Ron said, wringing his hands. "But there's actually something else I'd like to share with the court first."
"Oh?" McLaggen's eyebrows shot up. "And what is that?"
Ron cleared his throat. "I'm an Auror for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement—"
"And while I'm sure I speak for the entire court when I thank you for the brave work you do every day, Mr. Weasley"—McLaggen smiled pleasantly, but Draco sensed a warning in his tone—"I must request that you stick to the facts pertaining to this case."
"It does pertain to the case," Ron said. "A few weeks ago, my partner and I tracked down Rudolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange's husband. He'd been evading the law ever since his wife's death and Voldemort's defeat. We found him hiding out in Ireland, and in his possession, we found a bunch of Bellatrix Lestrange's memories."
McLaggen frowned. "How is this relevant?"
Ron took a deep breath, looking a little more confident now. "It's been my job to view all these memories. We've learned about crimes we didn't even know Bellatrix and Rudolphus committed and the crimes of other Death Eaters who were working for them."
"I see . . ." McLaggen's whole demeanor suddenly changed. "Are there any memories pertaining to Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes, there's one. I came across it yesterday."
"Do you have this memory with you now?"
"I do."
"Minister Shacklebolt, permission to share the memory with the court?" McLaggen turned to Shacklebolt.
Draco turned toward Steven, expecting him to object, but he did not.
"Permission granted," Shacklebolt said.
McLaggen took a small vial from Ron, labeled it as evidence, then tipped it into the shallow basin in the center of the room. This Pensieve was unique in the way that it had two golden rods protruding from the inside of the basin, supporting a large glowing crystal ball. The crystal ball glowed brightly for a moment, then shimmered, revealing the memory to the court.
Draco held his breath, racking his brain for what memory Bellatrix could have about him, feeling sickened by the thought of what might be revealed and what it might mean for him.
The image cleared and Draco saw himself in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. His heart dropped upon seeing Bellatrix standing next to him as, one by one, Death Eaters began filing out of the repaired Vanishing Cabinet. It was the night Dumbledore was killed.
"Well done, Draco," Bellatrix purred in his ear as she curled her long fingers around his arm. His younger self scowled and shifted away from her.
Bellatrix laughed. "Draco, Draco, Draco . . . why the long face? Have you no appreciation for the honor that has been bestowed upon you?" She inhaled deeply. "To be given the task of killing Albus Dumbledore. I do hope you aren't going to disappoint us like your father . . ."
Memory-Draco glared at her, attempting to wrest himself from her grasp. "Don't talk about my fath—"
"Petrificus Totalis," Bellatrix whispered, and memory-Draco froze.
Bellatrix circled him now, dark eyes boring into him. "The mind is a dangerous thing to leave unprotected, Draco. Did you learn nothing from our Occlumency lessons?" Somehow, her stare became even more intense.
"Having second thoughts, I see," Bellatrix said, reading his mind. "What's the matter, Draco? Too innocent to kill an old man? Let's see what your fears are . . ." She drummed her fingers to her lips as if she were perusing a newspaper. "Scared for your parents . . . how trite. Although, surely, I don't need to remind you what will happen to them if you fail tonight? But what else . . . You see, Draco, the thoughts people keep hidden are far more telling than the ones they keep at the forefront of their brains."
Memory-Draco grimaced upon her further intrusion into his mind and beads of sweat began to form on his brow.
"Oh!" Bellatrix laughed wickedly. "Well, that is unexpected! How delightful . . . Oh, yes, you've tucked it far away in the corner of your mind, but you can't fool Auntie Bellatrix . . . It seems you've got quite a soft spot for a certain Mudblood."
She stopped pacing and slapped him hard across the cheek. "You pathetic boy! USELESS! Just like your father!"
"But . . ." Her murderous look instantly changed to one of crazed determination. "We can't have you disappointing the Dark Lord . . . No, that simply won't do." She lowered her voice, slowly tilting her head to the side. "I see it in your mind, even though you try to hide it . . . You're fascinated by her—Potter's Mudblood. Why, I'd even say you care for her."
She spat at Draco's feet. "You stupid, disgusting blood-traitor! You're a disgrace to your family name! But mark my words, if you fail the Dark Lord tonight—if Albus Dumbledore lives—your precious little Mudblood won't!" She lifted her head, like a dog picking up a scent. "She's here in this school. I'll find her and I'll kill her!"
The final body arrived through the cabinet, the large foreboding form of Fenrir Greyback.
Bellatrix inclined her head toward the werewolf. "On second thought, maybe I'll just torture her and let Greyback have his fun with her . . . he says Mudbloods are quite delicious." Her manic eyes gleamed in the candlelight as she grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Dark Lord will keep you alive long enough to watch."
Bellatrix slashed her wand in the air and released him from the binding spell, then held her wand to his throat. "So, make your choice, Draco! The old man or the girl? Because either way, there will be bloodshed tonight!"
Memory-Draco scowled as he pushed Bellatrix away, then straightened his shoulders and turned toward the door. "Let's go," he said.
Bellatrix giggled, following behind him as the memory faded.
The courtroom filled with whispers and shouts, while McLaggen shot daggers at Ron Weasley. He turned towards Shacklebolt. "Minister, permission to have Mr. Weasley declared an adverse witness."
"Permission granted," Shacklebolt said. "However, the memory he shared will be checked for credibility and, if it passes, will be allowed as evidence in this case."
McLaggen's frown deepened as Ron was escorted out of the room and Shacklebolt announced, "We will take a thirty-minute recess as the Department of Mysteries evaluates the credibility of the memory."
Draco's head was spinning. Why did Weasley share that?
Draco knew Ron could have easily kept quiet about seeing Bellatrix's memory. Things had just gotten even more confusing. First, Hermione Granger had become an unexpected friend, then Potter had agreed to testify for him, and now this?
All Draco knew was if he didn't get convicted, he would owe it mostly to the Golden Trio.
I suppose stranger things have happened . . . Although, he really couldn't think of any.
***
As the Golden Trio met up outside the courtroom while the memory Ron had shared was being evaluated, Hermione threw her arms around Ron. "Thank you, Ron, you did the right thing by coming last night to tell me about that memory and especially by sharing it today."
"I know," Ron muttered, not looking very pleased for someone who had just done the right thing. He extracted himself from Hermione's grasp. "Look, I stand by what I said before. I don't like the idea of you and Malfoy one bit—"
"Ron, there is no 'me and Malfoy'," Hermione said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Yeah, okay." Ron snorted. "But I'm not going to stand in your way. I know you, and you never back down from a challenge. If you think Malfoy deserves a second chance, I know you won't rest until he gets it. That's why I decided not to testify against him." Ron shook his head. "Besides, I know he didn't really try to kill me . . . And let's face it, he might have even saved me from becoming an alcoholic. I haven't been able to touch mead since."
Hermione laughed, then squeezed Ron's hand. "Thank you, Ron."
"What is wrong with us?" He shook his head. "Wasting a chance to take down Malfoy . . . What's next? Malfoy joining us for weekly Quidditch games at the Burrow? Afternoon tea at the Manor?"
Harry laughed. "Stranger things have happened."
"That's for sure," Ginny said, smirking at Hermione.
***
"Why on earth didn't you tell me about that?" Steven demanded the moment he entered the holding cell where Draco was waiting the half an hour for the court to decide if Bellatrix's memory would be allowed as evidence.
Draco exhaled heavily. "I didn't think it was relevant."
"Not relevant? You basically had the evilest witch of our time blackmailing you into going through with Dumbledore's murder . . . I'd say that's more than relevant!"
Draco frowned. "Look, it's nonsense. Bellatrix was deranged. Just because she saw Granger in my mind doesn't mean it meant anything."
"It doesn't matter! That is a crucial piece of evidence that you should have told me about."
"I felt guilty, all right?!" Draco swiped a hand through his hair. "I know that's why Bellatrix tortured Granger at the Manor. To punish me." He closed his eyes and said raggedly, "I didn't want Hermione to know. I didn't want her to have another reason to hate me."
Steven stared at him for a long time, then sighed. "Any other skeletons in your closet I should know about?"
Draco rubbed his temple. "That's all."
"Okay, well since it's out it in the open now, I will be addressing it. I can't believe Ronald Weasley of all people was the one to share that. I think it's safe to say he's not planning on testifying against you anymore."
Steven stood up and headed for the door. "Oh, and Draco, take it from a guy who just fell in love for the first time in his life." He looked back, grinning. "If she was on your mind, it meant something."
Steven was out the door before Draco could respond.
Bloody know-it-all . . .
***
A/N: I hope you all liked how the Ron scenario turned out! What did you think of Bellatrix's memory? Next chapter, we will hear from Draco under Veritaserum again. Only a few more chapters to go in this story. Thank you all for being such loyal readers! Please don't forget to vote :) Chapter Preview can be found here:
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