harry potter | feelings of an almost human nature
Harry Potter | Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny | 2000 words | beta'd by nathaniel_hp.
Written for israeli_slasher's post-DH challenge. Title stolen borrowed from Pink Floyd's The Trial. Thanks to nathaniel_hp for the beta.
Feelings of an almost human nature
And afterwards, as in all things, there were consequences.
*
"So what's the wizarding world up to on this fair day?"
Ginny turned another page, kept reading. "No good," she said. "The Wigtown Wanderers are calling in for a new coach; probably scared of the upcoming season. Rita Skeeter still talking rot about her book. Oh, it's been announced that official trials for the Death Eaters are due to start this Wednesday."
"About bloody time." Harry poured the tea - two sugars, no milk - and fished around for a spoon. "Do they mention who's the first case?"
Ginny scanned the article, eyes flicking from header to header. "The Malfoys," she said finally, and Harry very nearly dropped his cup.
When he looked up from wiping spilled tea off the floor, Ginny was looking at him strangely. There was a tiny crease between her brows; what Harry privately called her displeased Molly expression. She tilted her head to the side.
"Do you want to be there?"
Harry stared back, feeling debunked. Ginny's eyes were bottle-green, sharp and flecked with worry, calculating and warm and beautiful all at once. He tried to imagine them in the Ministry's courtroom - leveled against Malfoy's, narrow with hatred - and felt sick at the thought.
"No," he said. "No, I'd probably just get in the way."
*
The following morning he was awake when the news owl came, and opened the Daily Prophet right on his front porch, dressing gown and all. It was on the very first page: MALFOYS TO STAND TRIAL slathered in enormous black letters at the top, and below that a photograph of the family, standing on the steps of the Ministry. They were surrounded by Aurors, lawyers, and general bustle: every so often the picture would bleach white from a news camera's flash.
Harry looked at them: perfectly dignified, albeit slightly worse for wear. Lucius was looking down his nose at everyone, brows drawn in faintly condescending disgust; Narcissa looked pale and a little too thin, but stood tall; Draco's eyes were bruise-dark and horribly tired. He looked worst of the lot, Harry noted - even his hair was disheveled, despite the fact he brushed it back every few seconds in the photo.
So, this Wednesday, then. He glanced at the date: two more days of quiet before the media exploded.
*
He was wrong, of course: the media always preceded deadlines.
"Oh, hell, look at this." Ginny waved the evening paper at him from the living room, where she was curled up on a couch. "Rita Skeeter just won't shut up, will she?"
"What's she say?" Harry craned his neck, trying to read the title and fry vegetables at the same time. He was by no means a natural in the kitchen, but it was his turn tonight; besides, you learned all sorts of things hanging around Molly Weasley.
"The Malfoys: Villains or Victims?" Ginny's voice echoed back to him, capitals perfectly enunciated. "It is common knowledge that come Wednesday the Malfoys, one of the wizarding world's most beloved pure-blood families, will be summoned to the Ministry and be forced to stand trial for charges of conspiring with the Dark Lord… 'most beloved' my left toenail; not one sentence and she's already spouting lies, that harpy… however, all is not as it seems, as my extensive research has revealed… in this exclusive article, blah blah blah… what? No, I don't believe it! That cow!"
"What?" asked Harry in bewilderment. "What now?"
"She says… Ooh! I could just about transform her into a beetle again!" Ginny sounded absolutely furious; for once, Harry was glad he was in the other room. "Listen to this: 'The reason I turned to the Dark Lord', says Draco Malfoy, aged 16, 'was emotional turmoil: Hogwarts was the playground of Harry Potter, whose notorious dislike towards me and Slytherins in general turned it into a hostile and threatening environment… I went to seek the polar opposite, in self-defense.' As if that's why nobody liked those stuck-up berks! And as if Slytherins cared!"
"Oh, hell." Harry shut his eyes. "Ron must be going mental now."
"I'll show you mental! I have half a mind to go and stick that quill up where she deserves it, that hag!"
Harry snorted despite himself. "Well, she should know all about sticking things in where they don't belong," he was about to say, but then noticed the vegetables were curling with smoke and had to scramble in order to put out a minor fire over the stove.
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Wednesday's Daily Prophet:
"The Malfoys, one and all, are an exemplary case of what is wrong with our society. Their pride, their lust for power, and their obsession with pureblooded families make them a hazard to rational wizards everywhere. They have already shown disdain for the law and its enforcers. As their tolerance of us is nil, so should be our tolerance of them."
So said Gawain Robards, recently appointed official prosecutor of wizarding war criminals, at the Malfoy trial earlier today. The Malfoys are accused of numerous charges, primarily those of homicide and murder in conspiracy with the Dark Lord during his attempted takeover of the Ministry last winter, and their situation looks…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Thursday's Daily Prophet:
"Mr Robards is a fool and a hypocrite," declared Dempster Wiggleswade, long-term expert of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in response to Robards' attack against the Malfoys yesterday. "Lucius Malfoy and his family have long been upstanding citizens of the wizarding world, and without their charity and support many important institutions would be derelict. I, for one, know for a fact that Mr Malfoy is a prominent benefactor of both St Mungo's and Hogwarts, despite the abuse his son had undergone in the latter […] it is our time to repay their kindness with amnesty."
Wiggleswade, notorious writer in the Prophet's legal problems page, has long been known for his expertise in matters of pedigree. Robards, when questioned later today, responded that Wiggleswade was "part of the aforementioned problem" and that he should be "dealt with in the same manner". It seems to be the start of a long and arduous judicial battle, as tomorrow's speakers…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Friday's Daily Prophet:
"The question is not whether the Malfoys are a model family, but whether their crimes during the war are deserving of punishment […] murder is the most heinous sin of all, and I charge Lucius with it; Lucius who knowingly killed dozens in the name of his Dark Master - Narcissa who is no less innocent - their son, Draco, who tried to kill Albus Dumbledore and fled from his shame… the Malfoys should be put behind bars forever."
So said Orsino Macdonald, the celebrity Auror and recent obtainer of the Order of Merlin, Third Class for his work during the war, in response to sanctioning comments made by…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Saturday's Daily Prophet:
"The trial has currently reached a crucial point," said one of the judges. "We do not have enough evidence to settle the matter satisfactorily. Nevertheless, things seem to be drawing to a close, and if no saving grace will befall them, the Malfoys are very likely to be convicted…"
*
"What now?"
Harry sighed and tossed the paper down, staring into his tea. "Nothing."
"Don't you 'nothing' me, Potter." Ginny came up from behind and wrapped her arms around him, leaning against the back of the chair. He settled into her embrace, but dismally. "It's that Malfoy affair, isn't it?"
"No. Yes. I don't know." He could feel Ginny rolling her eyes, though she was above and behind him. "What?"
"You want to be there. Go, then; don't be so daft about it."
"Oh, thanks for that. What am I supposed to say?"
"How should I know? You're the witness. Just think about it as closure."
"Huh." The article seemed to stand out like a black mark against the paper, words like CRUCIAL POINT and SATISFACTORILY leaping out at him. He closed his eyes, and discovered that helped matters none. "I guess it could be."
*
Excerpt from the leading article of the Sunday Prophet:
"Me and the Malfoys, we don't have such a good history. But whatever I felt for them in the past, it doesn't matter now. We're in a different age - we're post-war, post-Hogwarts; things have changed.
"Many of you probably don't know this, but Narcissa Malfoy saved my life. When Voldemort tried to kill me for the last time, he sent Narcissa to verify if I was dead - and she told him I was. She saved my life, so she could go look for her son. And what she did, she did out of love. So did Draco - if not love for Dumbledore or myself, then love for his family. Look, it wasn't a good time to have a consciousness. Sometimes you act selfishly to save those closest to you. It may work out, or it may not. But in the end, the Malfoys did the right thing, and they did it for the right reason - for love."
*
The courtroom was a riot of shouting and clamouring; waving arms and flashing cameras. Harry stood there, squinting against the glare, dry-mouthed and mildly deaf from the noise. Across him was a sea of wizards - jurors, reporters, politicians and family members and Ministry officials - all trying to yell each other down. For the millionth time since he'd stepped through the door, he regretted his decision to come.
Rita Skeeter was in the front row, glasses perched on the tip of her nose, dictating furiously to her Quick-Quotes quill and looking utterly vile. She saw him looking at her, and gave a little wave. Harry declined to wave back, and a moment later was blinded by the strongest camera flash yet: probably her way of being vindictive.
Things honestly couldn't get any worse. He was going to get misquoted, misinterpreted, harangued and dragged into political battles and butchered by media wizards a thousand times more experienced than him. So long to his reputation - but worse than that, he'd probably just hammered the last nail on the Malfoys' coffin.
That was the general litany running through his head as he was hustled out the courtroom by a posse of legislators. It felt like fifth year all over again, and he felt absolutely miserable.
But then - just as they were crossing the threshold, he turned his head, and saw Malfoy at the far end of the room. Just a glimpse - enough for Draco to look him in the eye and mouth Thank you, Potter.
Harry blinked. By the time he looked again, the Malfoys were gone, swept out of sight by the tide of important witches and wizards. He wasn't even sure it had actually happened.
And yet, somehow, it was enough.
*
Excerpt from the leading article of the evening edition of the Sunday Prophet:
…and saving grace there was, in the form of one Harry Potter, who earlier today bore witness to the Malfoys' trial and defended them with a passion highly uncharacteristic […] the judges unanimously voted in favour, and the Malfoys were let go with full pardon […] both parties refused to comment on the case, though Ron Weasley, friend and confidant of Potter, is quoted as saying "Blimey, he's off his rocker."
*
A letter from one owl received later that day, written in green ink on parchment, no return address:
Harry,
This shall not be forgotten.
Love, indeed.
All characters © their respective owners; I claim no right nor profit. The Trial lyrics © Pink Floyd, from the album The Wall.
Written for israeli_slasher's post-DH challenge. Title stolen borrowed from Pink Floyd's The Trial. Thanks to nathaniel_hp for the beta.
Feelings of an almost human nature
And afterwards, as in all things, there were consequences.
*
"So what's the wizarding world up to on this fair day?"
Ginny turned another page, kept reading. "No good," she said. "The Wigtown Wanderers are calling in for a new coach; probably scared of the upcoming season. Rita Skeeter still talking rot about her book. Oh, it's been announced that official trials for the Death Eaters are due to start this Wednesday."
"About bloody time." Harry poured the tea - two sugars, no milk - and fished around for a spoon. "Do they mention who's the first case?"
Ginny scanned the article, eyes flicking from header to header. "The Malfoys," she said finally, and Harry very nearly dropped his cup.
When he looked up from wiping spilled tea off the floor, Ginny was looking at him strangely. There was a tiny crease between her brows; what Harry privately called her displeased Molly expression. She tilted her head to the side.
"Do you want to be there?"
Harry stared back, feeling debunked. Ginny's eyes were bottle-green, sharp and flecked with worry, calculating and warm and beautiful all at once. He tried to imagine them in the Ministry's courtroom - leveled against Malfoy's, narrow with hatred - and felt sick at the thought.
"No," he said. "No, I'd probably just get in the way."
*
The following morning he was awake when the news owl came, and opened the Daily Prophet right on his front porch, dressing gown and all. It was on the very first page: MALFOYS TO STAND TRIAL slathered in enormous black letters at the top, and below that a photograph of the family, standing on the steps of the Ministry. They were surrounded by Aurors, lawyers, and general bustle: every so often the picture would bleach white from a news camera's flash.
Harry looked at them: perfectly dignified, albeit slightly worse for wear. Lucius was looking down his nose at everyone, brows drawn in faintly condescending disgust; Narcissa looked pale and a little too thin, but stood tall; Draco's eyes were bruise-dark and horribly tired. He looked worst of the lot, Harry noted - even his hair was disheveled, despite the fact he brushed it back every few seconds in the photo.
So, this Wednesday, then. He glanced at the date: two more days of quiet before the media exploded.
*
He was wrong, of course: the media always preceded deadlines.
"Oh, hell, look at this." Ginny waved the evening paper at him from the living room, where she was curled up on a couch. "Rita Skeeter just won't shut up, will she?"
"What's she say?" Harry craned his neck, trying to read the title and fry vegetables at the same time. He was by no means a natural in the kitchen, but it was his turn tonight; besides, you learned all sorts of things hanging around Molly Weasley.
"The Malfoys: Villains or Victims?" Ginny's voice echoed back to him, capitals perfectly enunciated. "It is common knowledge that come Wednesday the Malfoys, one of the wizarding world's most beloved pure-blood families, will be summoned to the Ministry and be forced to stand trial for charges of conspiring with the Dark Lord… 'most beloved' my left toenail; not one sentence and she's already spouting lies, that harpy… however, all is not as it seems, as my extensive research has revealed… in this exclusive article, blah blah blah… what? No, I don't believe it! That cow!"
"What?" asked Harry in bewilderment. "What now?"
"She says… Ooh! I could just about transform her into a beetle again!" Ginny sounded absolutely furious; for once, Harry was glad he was in the other room. "Listen to this: 'The reason I turned to the Dark Lord', says Draco Malfoy, aged 16, 'was emotional turmoil: Hogwarts was the playground of Harry Potter, whose notorious dislike towards me and Slytherins in general turned it into a hostile and threatening environment… I went to seek the polar opposite, in self-defense.' As if that's why nobody liked those stuck-up berks! And as if Slytherins cared!"
"Oh, hell." Harry shut his eyes. "Ron must be going mental now."
"I'll show you mental! I have half a mind to go and stick that quill up where she deserves it, that hag!"
Harry snorted despite himself. "Well, she should know all about sticking things in where they don't belong," he was about to say, but then noticed the vegetables were curling with smoke and had to scramble in order to put out a minor fire over the stove.
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Wednesday's Daily Prophet:
"The Malfoys, one and all, are an exemplary case of what is wrong with our society. Their pride, their lust for power, and their obsession with pureblooded families make them a hazard to rational wizards everywhere. They have already shown disdain for the law and its enforcers. As their tolerance of us is nil, so should be our tolerance of them."
So said Gawain Robards, recently appointed official prosecutor of wizarding war criminals, at the Malfoy trial earlier today. The Malfoys are accused of numerous charges, primarily those of homicide and murder in conspiracy with the Dark Lord during his attempted takeover of the Ministry last winter, and their situation looks…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Thursday's Daily Prophet:
"Mr Robards is a fool and a hypocrite," declared Dempster Wiggleswade, long-term expert of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in response to Robards' attack against the Malfoys yesterday. "Lucius Malfoy and his family have long been upstanding citizens of the wizarding world, and without their charity and support many important institutions would be derelict. I, for one, know for a fact that Mr Malfoy is a prominent benefactor of both St Mungo's and Hogwarts, despite the abuse his son had undergone in the latter […] it is our time to repay their kindness with amnesty."
Wiggleswade, notorious writer in the Prophet's legal problems page, has long been known for his expertise in matters of pedigree. Robards, when questioned later today, responded that Wiggleswade was "part of the aforementioned problem" and that he should be "dealt with in the same manner". It seems to be the start of a long and arduous judicial battle, as tomorrow's speakers…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Friday's Daily Prophet:
"The question is not whether the Malfoys are a model family, but whether their crimes during the war are deserving of punishment […] murder is the most heinous sin of all, and I charge Lucius with it; Lucius who knowingly killed dozens in the name of his Dark Master - Narcissa who is no less innocent - their son, Draco, who tried to kill Albus Dumbledore and fled from his shame… the Malfoys should be put behind bars forever."
So said Orsino Macdonald, the celebrity Auror and recent obtainer of the Order of Merlin, Third Class for his work during the war, in response to sanctioning comments made by…
*
Excerpt from the leading article of Saturday's Daily Prophet:
"The trial has currently reached a crucial point," said one of the judges. "We do not have enough evidence to settle the matter satisfactorily. Nevertheless, things seem to be drawing to a close, and if no saving grace will befall them, the Malfoys are very likely to be convicted…"
*
"What now?"
Harry sighed and tossed the paper down, staring into his tea. "Nothing."
"Don't you 'nothing' me, Potter." Ginny came up from behind and wrapped her arms around him, leaning against the back of the chair. He settled into her embrace, but dismally. "It's that Malfoy affair, isn't it?"
"No. Yes. I don't know." He could feel Ginny rolling her eyes, though she was above and behind him. "What?"
"You want to be there. Go, then; don't be so daft about it."
"Oh, thanks for that. What am I supposed to say?"
"How should I know? You're the witness. Just think about it as closure."
"Huh." The article seemed to stand out like a black mark against the paper, words like CRUCIAL POINT and SATISFACTORILY leaping out at him. He closed his eyes, and discovered that helped matters none. "I guess it could be."
*
Excerpt from the leading article of the Sunday Prophet:
"Me and the Malfoys, we don't have such a good history. But whatever I felt for them in the past, it doesn't matter now. We're in a different age - we're post-war, post-Hogwarts; things have changed.
"Many of you probably don't know this, but Narcissa Malfoy saved my life. When Voldemort tried to kill me for the last time, he sent Narcissa to verify if I was dead - and she told him I was. She saved my life, so she could go look for her son. And what she did, she did out of love. So did Draco - if not love for Dumbledore or myself, then love for his family. Look, it wasn't a good time to have a consciousness. Sometimes you act selfishly to save those closest to you. It may work out, or it may not. But in the end, the Malfoys did the right thing, and they did it for the right reason - for love."
*
The courtroom was a riot of shouting and clamouring; waving arms and flashing cameras. Harry stood there, squinting against the glare, dry-mouthed and mildly deaf from the noise. Across him was a sea of wizards - jurors, reporters, politicians and family members and Ministry officials - all trying to yell each other down. For the millionth time since he'd stepped through the door, he regretted his decision to come.
Rita Skeeter was in the front row, glasses perched on the tip of her nose, dictating furiously to her Quick-Quotes quill and looking utterly vile. She saw him looking at her, and gave a little wave. Harry declined to wave back, and a moment later was blinded by the strongest camera flash yet: probably her way of being vindictive.
Things honestly couldn't get any worse. He was going to get misquoted, misinterpreted, harangued and dragged into political battles and butchered by media wizards a thousand times more experienced than him. So long to his reputation - but worse than that, he'd probably just hammered the last nail on the Malfoys' coffin.
That was the general litany running through his head as he was hustled out the courtroom by a posse of legislators. It felt like fifth year all over again, and he felt absolutely miserable.
But then - just as they were crossing the threshold, he turned his head, and saw Malfoy at the far end of the room. Just a glimpse - enough for Draco to look him in the eye and mouth Thank you, Potter.
Harry blinked. By the time he looked again, the Malfoys were gone, swept out of sight by the tide of important witches and wizards. He wasn't even sure it had actually happened.
And yet, somehow, it was enough.
*
Excerpt from the leading article of the evening edition of the Sunday Prophet:
…and saving grace there was, in the form of one Harry Potter, who earlier today bore witness to the Malfoys' trial and defended them with a passion highly uncharacteristic […] the judges unanimously voted in favour, and the Malfoys were let go with full pardon […] both parties refused to comment on the case, though Ron Weasley, friend and confidant of Potter, is quoted as saying "Blimey, he's off his rocker."
*
A letter from one owl received later that day, written in green ink on parchment, no return address:
Harry,
This shall not be forgotten.
Love, indeed.
All characters © their respective owners; I claim no right nor profit. The Trial lyrics © Pink Floyd, from the album The Wall.