Now, after that absurd display," Fudge resumed, "let us begin." He glanced down at his papers before returning his eyes to the dishevelled Malfoy that was sat before him. "Draco Malfoy, you have been brought before this court to answer for your crimes as a Death Eater, how do you plead?"
"Not guilty." Draco's predictable reply was delivered in a rather more subdued tone to his previous outburst.
"Duly noted," a clerk's quill dashed across parchment, "then what explanation do you offer for the presence of the Dark Mark upon your arm?" an Auror stepped forwards and yanked up Draco's sleeve so that all might see the irrefutable proof.
"I did not take the Dark Mark willingly." He replied stiffly.
"Eagerly more like." Lucius whispered in her ear.
"In what way were you unwilling to offer your service to the Dark Lord?" Fudge probed, looking intently at Malfoy from his elevated position.
"I did not want to die." Draco drawled in a bored fashion.
"Surely if you believed that the Dark Lord was to be victorious, how could you justify having such a fear?"
"Victory did not mean that we would be safer than those that fought against us."
"How do you mean?"
"Any failure on our part was unacceptable."
"So, if you were as unwilling as you suggest, who was it that enforced your membership? Who demanded that you join, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself?" Fudge raised his eyebrows questioningly, his eyes flitting ever so quickly over to where Lucius and Kathryn were sitting.
"My Aunt was very insistent," Draco offered, "she considered it to be a great honour for the family."
"That would be Bellatrix Lestrange, yes?"
"Yes." Draco hesitated a moment before continuing his answer. "And my Father wanted me to join too." His eyes flicked towards his father, as did the eyes of everyone in the courtroom.
"Well that was predictable." Kathryn murmured, shooting Draco a scathing look; making it plain to Draco that she knew that he was lying through his teeth. She returned her gaze to Fudge to see where he was going to go next.
"So when was it that you took the Dark Mark?"
"I was forced to take it just before my seventh year at Hogwarts."
"Yet, as I understand it, you were involved in the debacle at Hogwarts with the Death Eaters at the tail end of your sixth year. How do you explain your actions with regards to that?"
"I was cleared of any wrongdoing on that account." Draco protested, a petulant look flitting across his face for the smallest of instants.
"Yes, but your subsequent actions have thrown that decision into question. As it is, the reason you have been brought before this court seems to contradict everything you said in your defence three years ago. Can you offer us any plausible explanation?"
"Well obviously I could not refuse what was asked of me, not if I valued my life." Draco shrugged. "I had no choice. He would have killed my family if I had refused an order."
"Surely the risk was the same for all those who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Fudge suggested, "you were in no more danger than any other of his servants."
"But I did not want to be involved in any of it," Draco protested, "unlike the others."
"Very well," Fudge did not look satisfied with his answer but appeared to be prepared to let it slide for the time being, "if that is your answer let us move on to your involvement, voluntary or not, with the Death Eaters." Fudge appeared to have a list of dates on the parchment before him, which he glanced at before continuing. "Due to the fact that you were in school, I assume that you could not have been involved in most of the major incidents that have occurred over the past three years. Your activities during the school holidays, however, must be called into question."
"I was never involved in anything that happened when I was in school." Draco confirmed Fudge's suspicions. "I was meant to remain as inconspicuous as possible whilst in Hogwarts and besides, it would have been too hard to get out of the grounds."
"What, then, was your purpose whilst you were at school? I cannot see how you were of use to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when you could not leave the castle grounds."
"Whilst I was at school, I was meant to be a spy within the castle. I could be there to keep watch on Potter and his sister, and their friends."
"Something he did not do well." Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.
"Did you manage to glean anything useful from your observations?"
"Not often," Draco admitted in a sombre voice, "they were too well organised to let much about their activities slip. But I was at least able to let the Dark Lord know what they were teaching in their little DA meetings," there was a brief flash of his familiar smirk across his face, as if he considered this a victory against the brother and sister he so despised, "even they couldn't stop people talking about what they did."
"How did such information benefit your Master?"
"It meant that he knew something of the resistance that was to be offered when the time came to take Hogwarts by force."
"Not that it did him much good." Fudge scoffed casually. Draco looked just about ready to start shouting again, but appeared to check himself just in time. "So, let us take the example of last Easter," Fudge continued after glancing at his papers, "according to the records we obtained from Hogwarts, you left the castle that holiday but we know from what Miss Potter has told us that you were most definitely not at home. Where were you?"
"I went to stay with my girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson." Across the courtroom Kathryn noticed Pansy shrink back in her seat, hoping that no one would notice her in the tightly packed benches.
"There were several attacks that Easter on both Muggles and wizards, were you summoned to participate in any of them?"
"Yes." Draco's eyes were downcast.
"How many?"
"All of them."
"And what of the attacks carried out last summer, how many of those were you involved in?"
"Most of them, I think, I can't remember which ones." He answered calmly, even though he knew that he was probably incriminating himself in the eyes of the Wizengamot.
"Who participated in those attacks?"
"It varied every time," Draco shrugged casually, "sometimes I didn't even know them all."
"Was your father ever there for any of these raids?" Kathryn understood that with this question Fudge was trying to clarify what Lucius had told him the previous week.
"Maybe a couple."
"And what about your aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, and other more established Death Eaters?"
"Some of them, like my father, were only there when our target was considered a threat. My Aunt was there more often."
"Why was that?"
"Because she liked it." Draco drawled, looking thoroughly bored. "I thought that was obvious to most people?"
"And what of your involvement in the Battle at Hogwarts, did you fight with the Death Eaters when you were summoned?"
"Yes, I would have been in more danger if I had not gone."
"And so that brings us to where we are today. You were apprehended on the battlefield at Hogwarts by members of the Auror Office in possession of a wand that was not your own whilst engaged in a duel with members of the Order of the Phoenix. For all you have said before this court today, these are not the actions of one who was doing this against their will." To this Draco had no reply.
"Perhaps this would be a good time to hear testimony from those who knew you during your time at Hogwarts, in order to better verify your account." Fudge continued, motioning to the witch on his left.
"Would Neville Longbottom please step forwards." The white haired witch with the pince-nez spoke, her eyes searching the courtroom for any sign of Neville. Looking slightly stunned at being chosen first, Neville got shakily to his feet and moved to the front of the courtroom.
"Now, Mr. Longbottom," she bestowed a friendly smile upon Neville before beginning her questions, "you attended Hogwarts with Mr. Malfoy, is that correct?"
"Yes," Neville hesitated a moment, clearing his throat, "yes it is."
"So you shared many classes with Mr. Malfoy, did you not?"
"Yes, a fair few of them."
"How did he behave towards other students?"
"He was, well," Neville cast a quick look at his former tormentor before continuing, "he was a bully."
"And were you one of his targets?"
"I was," Neville nodded solemnly, "but it didn't take much to merit his disdain."
"Who else did he victimise?" she asked curiously. "And by that I mean not so much the specific individuals, but more the particular groups."
"Well, he always found the time to mock you if you were somewhat poorer that him," Neville recounted, "or if you had problems with your studies."
"Anything else that particularly garnered his attention?"
"If you were Muggle born, well, that meant you were in for the worst of it." From where she was sat, Kathryn watched as Hermione gazed coldly at Draco; no doubt remembering the number of times he had tormented her on such account.
"So, essentially, his most frequent victims were those that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named also sought to eliminate from our society."
"Yes." Neville's agreement with that statement could not have been doubted by anyone who had come to witness.
"When did it start?"
"He has been cruel from the moment he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express," Neville's voice did not waiver as he recalled the number of humiliations he had suffered for Malfoy's amusement, "but he started with the blood purity stuff in our second year."
"That does seem to somewhat contradict the account he has just given us."
"Well, that's how it was," Neville shrugged, "and I'm sure there are many who will confirm what I have just told you."
"That may be, Mr. Longbottom, but for now," she glanced down at her notes, "would you please oblige us with any details you have of Mr. Malfoy's participation in the Battle of Hogwarts."
"I didn't really see him much," Neville replied frankly, "I noticed that he wasn't there in the Great Hall with the rest of Slytherin when the evacuation began. After that, I saw him fighting in the castle."
"Which side did he appear to be on?"
"He was wearing Death Eater robes," Neville explained, "and he was duelling with other students who were definitely on our side."
"What curses was he using, if you noticed any in particular?"
"Well I was a bit busy," Neville's reply was somewhat drier than his previous answers, "but I'm sure I heard him using, or at least trying to use the Cruciatus curse."
"You say he was attempting the Cruciatus curse, was he not successful?"
"One of them was deflected by a shield charm, the second missed and before he could try a third time members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived and he fled."
"Was this the only time you saw him?"
"Up until the final moments of the battle, yes, but even then I only saw him briefly."
"I see. Now, although you only saw him briefly, did his actions seem to be those of someone acting against their will?"
"No, they did not." Neville's response was instant and firm.
"Thank you Mr. Longbottom, you may resume your seat." Looking relieved, Neville returned to his seat next to Luna. Clearing her throat, the plump witch with greying auburn hair addressed the room.
"Would Hermione Granger please step forward?"
"Oh lord," she heard Hermione murmur to Ron and Harry, "here goes nothing." Draco sneered as she drew close but Hermione merely stared defiantly back, hoping that he at least regretted all the times he had ever called her 'Mudblood'.
"Miss Granger; am I correct in saying that you are of Muggle descent?" the witch cut straight to the heart of the matter, leaving no one in an doubt of why she had called Hermione forward to give evidence.
"Yes, I am Muggle born." Hermione confirmed. "My parents are dentists."
"And you, like Mr. Longbottom, were in the same school year as Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes, I encountered Draco Malfoy on my first day at Hogwarts."
"What was your first impression of him?"
"Well, I can't say that our meeting was anything dramatic. I just observed that he seemed to be a somewhat stuck up, unpleasant kind of boy." Though Kathryn was sure that Hermione could utter far more vitriolic thoughts about Malfoy, her friend remained restrained and collected before the Wizengamot in order to ensure her comments were taken seriously.
"When did you form a more concrete opinion on him?"
"It didn't take me long to see that I was right in my initial assessment," Hermione explained, "though he presented an acceptable face to his teachers, he was mean and cruel to all those he considered inferior to him."
"Did he ever taunt you about your heritage?" she asked the question that everyone in the courtroom was eager to hear.
"Oh yes," Hermione nodded, "Mudblood was his insult of choice with me."
"When did that begin?"
"Right at the start of our second year. In fact, that was the last word he spoke to me."
"And when was this?"
"During the battle at Hogwarts; he called me a Mudblood right before he tried to use the Cruciatus curse on me."
"Did he attempt that only once?"
"Well, he then used it on Harry and Kathryn, followed by an attempt of the Killing Curse?"
"Who was that aimed at?"
"Kathryn Potter." Lucius' hand closed around Kathryn's; she had mentioned this to him, of course, but the mere thought of it still chilled him to the core.
"What effect did that have, if any?" the witch asked curiously. "For obviously it did not have its intended effect." She nodded towards an obviously alive and well Kathryn in the gallery.
"It gave her a nosebleed, nothing serious," Hermione shrugged, "it was ironic because moments before she had mocked his ability to cast such spells; claiming he did not have the necessary malice to make them fully effective."
"A somewhat rash declaration, but obviously one that was right," she mused for a moment. "Now, moving back to Mr. Malfoy's behaviour at school, why do you think he engaged in such displays of belittling behaviour towards you?"
"It wasn't just towards me," Hermione quickly clarified, "but in my case I think he resented me because I challenged the beliefs that he had been brought up with, and I did not treat him with the reverence he felt he deserved."
"And, due to your experiences of Mr. Malfoy's behaviour both in and outside of school, do you think that he was acting of his own free will on the night of the battle at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I think he was." Hermione answered firmly. "His mannerisms and actions were not ones of a person acting under duress," Hermione shook her head, "he was confident, arrogant even, and he had no one to perform for."
"Thank you, Miss Granger, you may step down." Not flinching under Draco's sour glare, Hermione returned to her seat next to Ron.
"Ten galleons you're next." Kathryn whispered in Lucius' ear with a smirk. After the Wizengamot did not immediately move onto their next witness, Fudge spoke up.
"Does the Wizengamot require any further testimony in this case?"
"The Wizengamot would like to hear from Lucius Malfoy." The wizard with the monocle and the infuriating drawl spoke up.
"Very well." Fudge nodded his head in acceptance and Lucius stood up. He did not spare even a cold glance as he swept past his son; taking his place before the court in a cool, confident manner.
"I'll spare you the formalities as you are already well acquainted with this court." He drawled, managing to get in a clandestine jibe at Lucius' in order to remind him of his current position.
"I would not want you to waste your time." Was Lucius' dry response, eliciting a few titters of furtive laughter from the benches that lined the room.
"Mr. Malfoy," he appeared not to have noticed Lucius' response, "was it always your expectation that your son would become a Death Eater? Was it the life you had planned out for him?"
"Not essentially, no."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"My son was only a year old when the Dark Lord was seemingly defeated," Lucius explained, "I was not alone in thinking that he was never to return and as such I did not expect that my son would have to follow in my footsteps."
"How did you feel when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returned?"
"I had little choice on that account."
"What did his return mean for your son?"
"I knew that he could now no longer escape the service of the Dark Lord, whether he wanted to or not."
"And so we come to the crux of the matter, did he want to?" his question hung in the air for several long, silent moments as Lucius composed his answer.
"Well, to my eyes he was keen to enter into the Dark Lord's service."
"What made you think that?"
"I know that such an inclination was partially due to the example I set for him when he was a child, but I remember that even in his second year at Hogwarts he wrote to me expressing his delight at the fate that had befallen several of the Muggle born students. He seemed to be particularly happy that Miss Granger had also fallen victim to the attacks." Down in his chair Draco writhed against his bonds, his face a contorted mask of fury, but he did not speak. It was as if, Kathryn thought, that he still believed that his father would support him as he had always done in the past.
"Anything else?"
"Well, after the Dark Lord's return, he sought to test Draco by tasking him with the murder of Albus Dumbledore."
"How did he react to that? Surely it was a daunting prospect for him, a task that he did not relish?"
"On the contrary," Lucius shook his head, "he seemed eager for the challenge, for a chance to prove himself worthy."
"Yet he failed, surely that did not go down well?"
"I think that his failure was expected, and that the Dark Lord merely wished to see how he would attack such a task."
"And was he pleased?"
"Such a thing was hard to gauge," Lucius gave a slight shrug, "but I believe that the determination Draco displayed was highly pleasing to the Dark Lord."
"And so when did he take the Dark Mark?"
"Two weeks before he returned to school for his seventh year." Lucius confirmed what Draco had told the
"Were you present for his initiation, as it were?"
"Of course, as were various members of the Dark Lord's inner circle. Considering his lineage, this was done with a degree of ceremony"
"And at whose insistence did this event take place? Did your son take the Dark Mark willingly or not?"
"If you want to know if I forced him into the decision, I most certainly did not." Lucius replied, forceful in his denial of Draco's earlier claims.
"Did he offer you any say in the matter?"
"He informed me of his decision, but it was clear that any opinion I had on the subject would not be heeded. He had made his choice and that was that."
"Did you have a specific opinion on his decision?"
"I told him that I thought he was too young to be taking such a step."
"But were you not his age when you yourself pledged your service to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" he countered. "Surely that was somewhat hypocritical?"
"True enough," Lucius nodded in acknowledgement, "and consequently I had the knowledge of what it was truly like to serve the Dark Lord."
"And you did not want such a life for your son?"
"I wanted my family's interests to remain secure and the fact that my son was ready to pledge his life to a Master whose victory was not guaranteed did not seem the wisest of options."
"Yet you did not voice this opinion?" he raised a questioning eyebrow, peering intently at Lucius through his monocle.
"Well, as I am sure you are aware, voicing such thoughts was not worth the punishment that would follow when the Dark Lord found out, and find out he would."
"And so, despite your influence, your son became a Death Eater." He concluded, somewhat unnecessarily. "What was his behaviour like after that?"
"After he took the mark, I could see the greater influence his aunt was having on him."
"That would be Bellatrix Lestrange, yes?"
"Yes, she was very keen that Draco should distinguish himself within the ranks of the Death Eaters and, from what I saw, my son seemed to agree." Lucius explained coolly. "She nurtured his already well developed sense of superiority, and took care to ensure that he was well involved in as many of our activities as possible."
"Did he seem to take on this role with gusto?"
"To my eyes he did," Lucius gave a slight shrug, "my role had changed somewhat, as I have already explained, and Draco was not interested in my political manoeuvrings. His aunt's zeal for all things violent was more of a match for his young man dreams of glory."
"So he viewed your role as uninspiring?"
"Most of the younger generation of Death Eaters did," Lucius clarified, "to young men of twenty, the thought that political manoeuvring can be more effective than direct action does not seem to make sense."
"And am I correct when I say that by the time of the battle of Hogwarts, yours and your son's views were distinctly separate?"
"I believe so. As you well know my thoughts dwelt on a very different subject." He glanced towards Kathryn. "So I think it correct when I say that my son and I desired two completely different outcomes of the Dark Lord's attack upon Hogwarts."
"So you categorically deny that you had any involvement in your son's decision to become a Death Eater?"
"Yes." Lucius nodded firmly. "He is not a child anymore and must be able to account for his own decisions in life."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," he shuffled his papers into order, "you may return to your seat."